Chapter 12 – Flesh vs. Steel

Shanxi continued as normal. Blacklight Infected roamed and patrolled as Evolved watched the native life below. All in all an average day for the relatively busy planet. At least until something came through the Relay. When the massive star ship passed through the system the planet froze. Many of the Evolved were willingly reabsorbed back into the main Biomass to better connect with the Hive Mind and see exactly what was going on.

The almost organic design of the ship and the strange movements of it made the ship appear to be some living entity capable of fluid movement that a technological ship should not have. Bioships moved to attack, only for the ship to easily destroy the nearest Bioship with a stream of molten metal fired at a significant fraction of the speed of light from what looked to be a single mechanical eye.

It was then that Blacklight knew what they were dealing with. The massive Reaper moved with all the grace of a much smaller ship, appearing more like an agile predator than a bulky star ship, and it moved very fast, much faster than most Bioships. It wasn't difficult to figure out that it was heading right towards Shanxi. Acting quickly Blacklight sent the message to the STG ship still above Shanxi to leave.

Blacklight had not even had time to check if the message was received when the Reaper entered the upper atmosphere.

"CANCER."

The voice was a booming cacophony of unnatural noise that scratched at the mind like millions of claws scraping against glass. A combination of a roar and a drone that vibrated the air and shook the very earth. The tone was nothing short of monstrous. A cold dead tone only a machine could deliver. The Tone was one of power and authority, of absoluteness and conviction. Pure mechanical power made into a voice that trembled the lands. Stranger still was the word itself. It wasn't spoken like a question or an insult, but a statement of absolute fact.

Tevos was in the middle of her paperwork when her omni-tool went off. The message was one from one of her spy networks, and it was both strange and confusing.

'Blacklight Individuals are evacuating Illos.'

Tevos deleted the message before more began popping up. A feeling of unease crept up her spine as she read every single one, all of which said that Blacklight Individuals across the galaxy were leaving the planets they were on for some reason. Tevos, very confused at this point, contacted Sparatus.

"Tevos, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I just got several messages that Blacklight Individuals are evacuating in masse across Citadel Space.", said Tevos.

"You too? I was only just notified. Do you suppose they are up to something?"

"It's possible. Contact Jobol and the Blacklight representatives. I have a bad feeling about this.", said Tevos.

"You and me both. See you soon."

As the Reaper lowered itself, a massive storm of lightning bounced and danced around its hull as its massive Mass Effect core generated a field of near mass free space around it. The Reaper's blood red eye glowed and observed the infested plains and the organic constructs of Blacklight. The Reaper watched for only a moment, before unleashing the power of its spinal mounted magnetohydrodynamic cannon at a swarm of Helix Towers. The stream of superheated molten metal annihilated the Towers and much of the surrounding landscape while also drowning the land below in boiling liquid metal. The weapon was frighteningly powerful, so powerful in fact that it pierced nearly a hundred feet into the earth itself, carving long ravines filled with liquefied metals into the planet.

The Hive reacted. Tendrils burst from the Ground, revealing themselves to be Blacklight Hydra, who had been altered with the traits of Thresher Maws. They spat acids and corrosive chemicals at the Reaper but were destroyed as the beam moved around the landscape, leaving destruction in its wake. More Hydra appeared as Goliaths charged from the forests and Flyers from the mountains.

Bioships flew down from the sky in packs, many of them splitting vertically to create more Bioships in an attempt to swarm and overwhelm the Reaper. Of course the Reaper saw it all, and made several calculations before acting. The legs touched the ground, and it began walking like some massive insect two miles tall, still firing the beam at all it saw, as the static storm around its massive form incinerated all that ventured too close.

Bioships were burned with molten metal moving near light speed. The Burning metal proved to be very effective against them.

"I AM SOVEREIGN. YOU WILL BE DESTROYED TO THE VERY LAST ATOM.", the voice boomed in that almost painful drone of sounds.

The static storm around the Reaper seemed to bend to Sovereigns will. Smaller unseen weapons incinerated all in it's path, even flying spikes of bones were destroyed long before they even impacted with Sovereigns Kinetic Barrier. Blacklight attacked with all its might, and the Reaper barely seemed to register it.

That is no normal Kinetic Barrier.

Indeed the barrier was much better at protecting itself than any barrier Blacklight had ever dealt with. They had not even managed to touch the Reaper yet. Seeing this issue genetic traits were quickly applied to the surrounding Biomass. Spike-like Structures grew from the ground, forming hundreds of irregular rings of spikes around the Reaper. No two spikes looked the same. Some were flat and triangular, but with sharp edges, some were cone shaped terminating in a fine point, others were long and needle like. Sovereign then saw the hole that formed beneath him and was able to quickly deduce that the spikes were various kinds of teeth and that Blacklight was forming some pseudo-mouth to consume him. He could even see the teeth in the throat and the slowly forming tongue beneath him. Sovereign's insect like legs pushed him off the ground and he flew back into the sky as the massive pseudo-mouth closed where the Reaper once stood, just missing him. The massive toothed maw was quickly opened as several tones of Biomass formed into long tentacles that were tipped with an eel like head, each head with a pharyngeal jaw, or an inner mouth. The heads' teeth were quickly wreathed in bioelectricity. These eel like tentacles slithered out of the maw, snapping and hissing at the giant mechanical monstrosity.

These giant Tentacles stretched impossibly long as they attempted to strike at Sovereign using speeds slow enough that the Kinetic Barrier should be unable to register it, while simultaneously the nested mouths would attract the unnatural Static storm that surrounded the Reapers Mass Effect field, causing the maw to crackle with the excess electricity. Each tentacle was further altered, the skin was soon coated in microscopic teeth much like a sharks skin, these teeth formed in such a way that the tentacles could move around faster without the air slowing them down. The Reaper continued moving forward, but its body quickly pulled off a turn that should have been impossible at its size, and fired four beams of molten metal from each cybernetic 'arm' around the front of the Reaper. The beams cut through the surrounding tentacles, slicing them away from the main Biomass and burning them to ash before the tentacle even had a chance to attack. The eel like heads roared as this happened and the giant pseudo-mouth they emerged from closed. Sovereign dragged the beams across the landscape, scarring it and reducing much to charred bits.

At this point Sovereign flew along the coasts, releasing multiple torrents of molten metal across the landscape. Destroying all it touched. It was not long after that until the Infested Flyers flew around him, swarming him as they exhaled flames around the machine. The Reaper responded to this threat with a slight alteration to its Mass Effect field that forced the flyers to the ground, crushing them as they fell at near terminal velocity.

Behemoths roared as they were carried by massive tentacles that they held onto with their hook-like claws. As the massive tentacles passed over Sovereign the Behemoths leapt off much more gracefully than their large size should have allowed and grabbed a hold of the giant dreadnought sized abomination. Their claws allowed many of them to hook into the hull of the Reaper, and they climbed it, looking for a way into the less armored parts of the machine.

"PATHETIC", screamed Sovereign as it changed directions to fly over the ocean, with his speed increased, he quickly dove down.

The massive Reaper slammed into the ocean, attempting to drown the beasts that held onto its hull. Despite being under the depths, it cut through the water like a knife. Its speed barely effected as Blacklight leviathans swam towards it. Without slowing, Sovereign slammed it's metallic body into the undersea Leviathans, barely affected by their massive bulk. Then the storm that unnaturally clung to the massive ship started up. While under the waters, The storm reacted with the water and the Behemoths fell from it, the dense materials that made them up causing them to sink deeper into the depths.

Sovereign then rose from the sea at speeds no Bioship could match, right before changing directions again to head towards the mainland. The Collective minds of Blacklight calculated his trajectory, and saw that the Reaper most likely was heading towards the Brain Hive. Blacklight watched as they learned all they could about the Reaper before them. Thus far it had proven itself to be a nuisance, one that made that horrid drone that whispered those thrice damned not-words that were barely audible, though Blacklight could hear the sickening tone of indoctrination, and it hurt. Not a physical hurt, but a mental one. It was as if many components of the Hive Mind were momentarily confused, but the signal did little else, an advantage of a conjoined consciousness working for the all.

We believe it is time we end this.

Beneath the carpet of Biomass that covered Shanxi, miles upon miles of a complex Nervous system grew, connecting to the Brain Hive. A carefully placed series of Biotic nodes grew along the newly developed nervous system. Sovereign flew quick as he headed past the coasts, toward the mountain valley where the Brain Hive rested.

At first it was left unmolested as it made it's way closer and closer towards it's target. Said target at this time was taking in an enormous amount of information to calculate it's movements.

Once the Reaper was only several miles away from the Brain Hive, Blacklight acted.

The massive skyscraper-sized Brain Hive was wreathed in Biotic fire as electrochemical signals danced across the biofilm that covered the earth. As One, the Hive focused on Sovereign, and released a massive singularity right at its core.

At first there appeared to be no effect, then a small explosion tore at parts of the Reapers shell. As the massive scrap fell from the machine the Reaper screamed. Not a scream of pain, but one of rage. It remained flying, only this time it did something else. Something more started to fall from its form. The Many knew that the inside of a Reaper was inhabitable, but they did not expect this.

Thousands of infected and Evolved charged as a singular unit, driven by the collective minds of billions to meet this newest threat. They were strange beings. Insectoid in appearance, much like the tales of the Collectors taken from the Beacon, only their forms were much more twisted, covered in exposed wires and mechanical parts.

Tevos had just made it to the diplomatic meeting room where both Alex and Elizabeth stood around obviously on edge. Sparatus was there sitting down, his fingers drumming the table top.

"Where is Jobol?", asked Tevos.

"He said he couldn't make it.", said Sparatus.

Tevos massaged her forehead before looking over to Alex.

"I am in no mood to speak pretty words, so I'll just get right to the point. Why are your people evacuating in masse from all across the galaxy?", asked Tevos.

Alex sighed.

"We are under attack. A large ship appeared over Shanxi. It initiated attacks on the planet. We have reason to believe that keeping our people in civilian centers during the fight would affect us. Even separate they would feel the fighting, and could be affected. We can handle the ship, but we don't want any incidents.", said Alex.

"You know we can help, it's just one ship.", said Sparatus.

"It's in our space, we will deal with it. Once this matter is over and done with we will update you on the information.", said Alex.

"You are being attacked. We can't just ignore that.", said Tevos.

'...We don't now how strong Reaper indoctrination is yet, they can't come yet. Think you can stall them?', spoke Dana in Alex's mind.

'Who do you think you are talking to?'

"It's in our space, we can handle it. We are not a part of your government. Let us deal with it, and what ever we learn you will too."

"Why are you being so stubborn? We are allies are we not?"

Sparatus sighed.

"Councilor Tevos, let them deal with this themselves. Like you said it's only one ship, what is the worst that could happen?", said Sparatus.

'Oh you did not just say that.', thought Alex.

Sovereign was damaged, but it was far too little to slow it down, it watched as the New Collectors began to attack. Unlike the Collectors of old, these ones had been altered for just this purpose. Each one was turned into a cybernetic Husk of their former selves, more machine than they had ever been. The Cyborg Insectoids attacked with weapons fused to their limbs. Their wings buzzed as they released beams that immolated fields upon fields of Blacklight Biomass.

Altered Seeker Swarms flew out of Sovereign like a horde of starving Locusts. Blacklight Biomass rose in an attempt to consume them, only to find that they couldn't. These Seeker Swarms had been greatly altered. No longer were they genetically altered life made into weapons, but fully synthetic beings. Slower and not as efficient, but just useful enough to suit Sovereigns purpose.

Sovereign knew better than to give Blacklight more of an advantage with the Collectors of old. These ones would provide nothing for the Cancer Race to feed on. Admittedly the Collectors in this state were weaker than before and not quite as effective as a unit, but they would be perfect for now in acquiring tactical data for the others. The Reaper continued his attacks. Nazara had however underestimated Blacklight's resourcefulness.

A large mass of Biomass enveloped one of the Husk Collectors. While most of it would be incapable of being consumed, Blacklight could gain information of their own. Pseudo-organs began to develop deep under the biomass that produced acids and reactive chemicals that melted past the artificial carapace of the Collector.

Carapace is a dense ceramic material approximately 2 inches thick. Unknown form of ballistic gel is underneath armor as well. While sufficient force will be needed to bypass this armor, it is not outside our abilities. Bones have been coated in what appears to be 550 micrometers of tungsten. This is not for defense but seems to be added to allow the specimens' bones to hold up the immense weight of the ceramic armor.

Biomass tendrils crept under the now damaged armor into the softer tissue. Every inch of the Collector was analyzed thoroughly by Brain Hives as the minute weaknesses of the Collectors were relayed back to the hive.

Extensive cybernetic modification. Approximately 95.7% of the Collectors body is artificial. The most vulnerable system within the specimen is a series of microscopic fiber optic cables implanted in the Glial cells and nervous systems. In addition the muscle structure is formed out of Electro-reactive Polymers of an unknown type. This can be used to our advantage by using a controlled electrical attack of 500-2000 volts after bypassing the ceramic armor..

Wings are likewise artificial and seem to be made out of a flexible membrane over a series of small hexagonal silicon shards that is strong but noticeably light. Brain remains partially organic and there is indeed a biotic network, weak but suited to its purpose. Flight is accomplished with biotics that lower the body weight via the Mass Effect principal to allow the subject to fly. Wings can be easily destroyed with minimal effort.

Blood is replaced with an unidentified liquid with nanobots acting as blood cells. Note that these nanobots appear to be simultaneously draining trace resources from the subject to use as materials to repair mechanical parts. These nanites, while advanced, are limited in what they are capable of doing. Nanites are incapable of creating copies of themselves and as such it is our opinion that their cost is not worth potential gain.

The Body was quickly dissolved and miniscule biomass was absorbed. The amount was pathetic and near useless, but still biomass was biomass. Only a few of the artificial parts remained, and they were quickly expelled as the hive captured one of the seekers. The Biomass started again searching for exploitable weakness.

Seeker subject is 98.9% synthetic. Nervous system and cardiovascular system mimics biological equivalents but is completely synthetic. Digestive system has been removed and replaced with a poison delivery system, this system possesses a series of venom and acid sacks within the jaw and a hollow cavity that once appeared to be a digestive system. Seeker skin is a layer of unknown artificial polymers and ceramic plates. Toxin produced is a combination paralytic agent and chemical acid. Acid sack is smaller then toxin sac, possibly only recently added. Biomass unaffected by paralytic toxin though toxin does cause the vein like network used by us to transport fluids throughout our biomass to expand significantly, the acid takes advantage of this to spread through the surrounding biomass much quicker. Adapting new methods to combat this effect.

Like before the subject was disposed of as Blacklight began altering its biology to better fight against this minor collector swarm.

Beyond the Milky Way, in Dark Space, an army watched the battles with anticipation. They watched the capabilities of the Species known as Blacklight. The First watched and calculated. He saw through thousands of eyes from every Husk Collector and every Artificial Seeker. He watched as the mass of Biomass released its Biotic attacks, though against so many the singularities were weaker.

Harbinger had the data he needed.

"NAZARA. IT IS TIME."

The Battle continued for hours. Husk Collectors fell, Seekers were destroyed, and biomass was lost. Sovereign waited and watched. He continued his attacks as he recorded all tactical data into files the others would be able to use. Much was gained from this attack, and much more would be gained when the true reason for his being here came.

Nazara saw that the New Collectors were not as efficient as he would have hoped. Their weaponry was much more primitive than the main caste. Indoctrination was always a double edged sword. Still it did reveal enough of Blacklight to come to a few conclusions.

"NAZARA. IT IS TIME."

The message came and Nazara stopped. This momentary pause was all Blacklight needed. A large tubular growth formed on the biomass as a network of muscles contracted. Within the tube a spike of hardened Biomass formed before the surrounding muscles spasmed, firing the spike at high speeds. It was further propelled by the careful application of Biotics, allowing it to move within a tunnel of mass free space. The spike easily punched a hole in the center of the Reaper, and Nazara fell to the ground, though his mind still functioned, and the Reaper watched as squirming tendrils crept into his shell and began searching.

Biomass grew deeper into the machine, creeping along the walls, and searching for the organic core at the heart of every Reaper, the core they knew was there if the Prothean archives were anything to go by. Nazara was finished, what organic components it had would be consumed, and it would die, it knew this to be true. The surrounding Infected creatures of Blacklight roared at the Reaper's eye as the worm-like tendrils squirmed throughout his body.

A long snakelike tendril that terminated with a spike of hardened bone emerged from the earth at high speeds to pierce the 'eye' of the Reaper, though even after this Nazara did not die.

Deep within the God Machine, the alien tendrils crept deeper in search for the core, miles of tunnels snaked within the Reapers Hull. After hours of searching it was found. And what they saw was unexpected.

The core was mechanical, but only partly. Worse, it resembled a mechanical humanoid skeleton. One that was leaning slightly forward. It appeared to be welded to the Mass Effect Core from the waist, and it had strange elongated features that did not belong to any known life. Most importantly was the size. Nearly as tall as a skyscraper.

Though the core was humanoid, it was definitely not human. Where the eyes should be were long tubes that circled the body and the mass effect core before going deeper into the ship of the reaper. A mass of mechanical tentacles were where the mouth should be pumped with eldritch fluids the color of decayed flesh. The too long and willowy arms it possessed were wrapped around its own abdomen like it was sick. The long snake-like fingers twitched mechanically as it's massive alien head slowly moved upwards to look at the beings that entered it's heart. Several glowing spherical eyes that swiveled in their sockets were arranged asymmetrically around it, one on each shoulder, one on the left forearm, another on the right bicep, six on the chest and back, and one at the center of each palm.

"Cancer."

The voice was a droning boom, one that bled with power and rage. The core, despite not being able to, appeared to be breathing as it glared at the tendrils of biomass that invaded it's domain. The damaged mechanical devices all around it only made the thing look that much more strange and alien. Despite all this Blacklight knew what species was used to make the core.

It is the species before the Protheans, the Inusannon.

Nazara's arms stretched out as it released a booming siren like roar, one that was so loud and horrible that it seemed to drain the color from the world. The irregular eyes glowed bright red as the Mass Effect core that the humanoid Reaper was sickeningly fused to to discharged a massive mass effect fields that caused storms of static to dance around it.

white hot beams of exotic particles flew from the eyes that the Inusannon did not possess, burning the fleshy tendrils of Blacklight like they were nothing.

"I am Sovereign, Chosen of Harbinger. I bear the name Nazara, The Inusannon god of Death and Renewal. You will not find me easy prey Cancer Race."

What remained of the tendrils receded, leaving the Reaper core untouched as they began forming infested Pustules just outside the shell. Juggernauts were the first things to form. The Juggernauts were modified like everything else that made up Blacklight. A Biotic nervous system allowed them to become an unstoppable force. In addition, their massive arms and back were outfitted with serrated spines allowing them to function as living a mace, only these spines could be fired by specialized muscle spasms and biotics, before they would explode in a haze of bio-toxins, acids, and airborne viral pathogens, depending on Blacklight's needs. Their heads were adorned with sharp horns for charging, and their bodies could use a combination of bioelectricity and static electricity to become what basically amounted to mobile storms. However their most frightening ability was the famed Biotic Charge, favored by Citadel Vanguards. A biotic corona flared around the beasts skin as electric discharges shot from its horns which held a core of conductive metals. The beast roared as its massive form charged like a bull towards the Reaper's core.

The electrical discharges, along with the damage the Reaper suffered, had affected its internal sensors, making tracking the Juggernauts difficult. The charged particle beams from its irregular eyes shot out seemingly at random. The Juggernauts would be cut in half, yet they would still charge like rampaging bulls, roaring the whole time like a rabid beast.

Flocks of Flyers swarmed the outer shell before flying into the damaged Reaper, exhaling fire and acidic mist from their wings that broke down soft parts of Nazara's interior.

Hunters tore and chewed at anything that their jaws could fit around. The hunters now collectively resembled large jungle cats, with foot long saber like fangs. Their feline bodies were covered with a series of large plate like keratin scales much like that of the once earth Pangolin, only from between the scales came out a series of sharp quills that dripped with acids. The Hunters moved quickly, either running on four legs to move or walking on two to fight the still living Collectors that littered the innards of the Reaper. Then the Evolved charged in, followed by a Behemoth that tore anything around them into rubble with bulky muscles and powerful blows.

The Husk Collectors that remained attacked and shot at all the infested within their range, fully mechanical weapons in their claws, so that Blacklight could not consume them and make themselves a greater threat. Exotic particle beams, spikes of bone, acids, and poisons flew in every direction within the Reaper's interior. Collectors fell but many never stayed dead. Even dismembered and partially melted the Collectors would drag their broken bodies around to attack everything in sight. As if there were guided by some single minded directive to destroy anything within reach. They did not last long. Soon the New Collectors were vastly outnumbered and overrun by the veritable walls of infected beasts. Evolved left the Collectors to the Infected as they ventured towards the Core.

Those who made it looked with their own eyes at the misshapen titanic cybernetic thing that was cemented to the Mass Effect core. The haze of electricity around it obscured it somewhat, but the sheer size of the tall skyscraper sized thing was easy to see.

The massive Inusannon core stared at the Evolved as they marched forward. Juggernauts were sliced into nothing more than chunks of burning biomass on the floor by the particle beams that shot from the Reapers many eyes. Nazara's arms stretched forward. Broken metal bits broke and fell off it as they slowly rose. A rain of sparks flew with each twitch of movement as it released powerful beams from it's hands. Emergency alarms built into the Reaper were blaring in its skull as the Evolved sliced into anything that looked even remotely important for his continued functionality.

Still Nazara refused to die. Particle Beams continued to fire as the facial tubes moved aside to reveal a hollow cavity where the mouth should have been, one containing a smaller magnetohydrodynamic cannon that fired the super heated metal all around. The cannon destroyed everything in its way, even punching through part of the Reapers interior. Much of the molten metal, glowing red hot, began to pool around the core. The Evolved crawled up the walls as a Behemoth made its way into the chamber. The massive beast charged through the molten metal that congregated along the floors. The pools of liquid hot metal only resulted in slowing the movements of the Behemoth as its mind was altered to not register the pain, even as it was bursting into flames.

Flyers began moving towards the core when the Hive saw that the ground was now covered in molten metals. The Flyers swarmed like locusts as many of them exhaled blasts of fire at the core only to be sliced by the myriad of particle beams coming from Nazara's eyes. Nazara watched the chaos around him as his systems began to fail. Defenses were offline and scanners showed that the New Collectors numbers were quickly dwindling into nothing.

The God Machine checked what systems still remained and found that the Mass Effect core his Inusannon body was fused to still function. The mass Effect core began to glow as complex and alien machinery began to move.

"DIE."

Nazara screamed as its Mass effect core activated. Gravity around the chamber was nullified and everything that was not nailed down began to floated freely in space. Even the sea of super heated metals, which were repelled away from the core, rose. Strangely the stream of liquid metal would flow away from the Reaper itself. For a moment, everything was left in that state of zero gravity.

Nazara then released a deafening mechanical boom that shook the very earth. Gravity promptly returned and everything fell to the ground faster than they should have given their height. Nazara's arms shot forward as it snatched a behemoth in one of its hands and lifted to it's eyeless face. The Reaper roared before he lowered the Behemoth into the molten metal and held it under, drowning it and burning it at the same time. Even as the flames rose, Nazara's arm remained strangely untouched by the blazing inferno.

The Evolved that remained began leaping toward the machine, releasing the might of their most powerful attack, the Devastator. Tendrils skewered the core as spikes burst from the ground and massive pillars of hardened biomass were fired all at once towards the cybernetic humanoid. At the same time the Brain Hive initiated different Biotic attacks right at the core. Yet even as the Inusannon core fell apart, it never really stopped. Metal slabs hung off it obscenely, and live wires danced around as the lifeless machine as it hunched forward slightly. In obscene defiance of everything known of machinery, the Innusannon body seemed to take a deep breath. Static built up around it as it inhaled, caused bolts of lightning to randomly fly off it's heavily damaged body. Then it lashed out like a cornered animal, and the Evolved fought back. With each attack Nazara grew more desperate, and with each loss he released power that was a multitude of millennia ahead of any race in the galaxy.

It refuses to stay dead.

Running out of ideas Blacklight went for the damaged tubes that came from it's eyes. Said tubes had started leaking those flesh colored fluids not a moment ago. When some of that fluid landed on a damaged but still living Behemoth, it was consumed, and Blacklight knew exactally what it was. It was not just any fluid, but a biological paste of liquified Inusannon remains. These remains of the Inusannon within the Reapers systems were being pumped throughout the Reaper, more importantly, according to the trace memories it gained from feeding on that paste, it was being pumped through major systems that kept the Reaper alive.

How the paste was capable of forming memories was unknown to Blacklight, but at the moment, it showed a weakness that they could exploit.

Seeing their opportunity, Infected and Evolved alike melted into a slurry of raw biomass that formed into long tentacles that reached towards the opening in the tubes that hung from the eye sockets. Nazara stopped struggling as, and his head violently jerked back as the Many burrowed into the chambers where the liquified remains were held and pumped. He felt the Biomass drive deeper into the systems as Blacklight began to consume, and Nazara let loose a mechanical boom as he spoke his final words.

"Just as planned."

Then the memories came...

Large groups of screaming aliens unknown to the many screech in terror as they watch their families be dissolved into paste, screaming in pain and terror as they melt away. Husk versions of their own species round them up like cattle to be turned into still living slime. Hope for them is lost.

SCREAMING, FLAILING, GNASHING, FIGHTING, BITING. DONE IN VAIN. PAIN, ANGUISH, HORROR, REVULSION, HOPELESSNESS.

One of the aliens opens his eyes to see himself within a glass chamber. He sees his family on the other side, and screams at them to run, to do anything but give in. His fists bang on the glass even as his body begins to lose cohesion. He feels every bit of pain as he is melted into still living base components for something he both hates and fears. His screams fall silent when he is reduced to this, but in his mind he screams louder when he realizes even in this state he is not dead.

NOT DEAD, STILL ALIVE. HOW IS HE STILL ALIVE IN THIS STATE, WHY IS HE? WHY WON'T HIS SCREAMS STOP?

The mechanical booming siren of the Reapers herald the dying race as they are forced still living into their pods. Some fight against the husks, but their fights do not even delay the extinction and forced change of their race. Their still living remains are pumped through tubes they can feel, but they cannot see, hear, taste, or smell. Only feel. They feel themselves being shaped into the form of a larval Reaper, as their shell is constructed from eldritch metals.

WE FEEL YOUR PAIN, WE FEEL YOUR RAGE, BUT WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND. HOW IS SUCH SUFFERING NECCESARY? WHY IS IT NECCESARY? THEIR MINDS SCREAM AS ONE! HOW IS A HIVE MIND CORRUPTED AND SUBVERTED IN SUCH A WAY? IT IS WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!

Their still screaming minds watch as their new form, the form of a Reaper, harvests yet another race. From within they beg for the end, they scream for them to run. They see first hand as this new race will be turned into something so like themselves, like what they are now. It happens again, and again, and again, and again, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN... NEVER STOPPING, NEVER ENDING. ON AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, AND ON, WHY WON'T THE SCREAMS STOP! THERE IS NO REMORSE, NO QUARTER, NO AID, NO HOPE. THE CYCLE CANNOT BE BROKEN NO MATTER HOW LOUD THEY SCREAM... THE CYCLE NEVER ENDS. IT IS A RING, A WHEEL, A CIRCLE THAT GOES ON AND ON INTO A REPETITIOUS OBLIVION.

IT. WILL. NEVER. END.

STOP. PLEASE JUST STOP.

...And then their minds break fully...There is only the goal, only the duty, only the obligation, there is only the Harvest. You cannot stop it, we will not let you. Our pain is not for nothing, you will be destroyed, to the very last cell you will be burned and purged. You do not invalidate our existence. OUR PAIN IS NOT FOR NOTHING...

...How can you stand it?

Because we must. Your hive cannot and will not invalidate us. You should submit to complete extermination. Your resistance is futile.

Nothing is futile.

...Allow me to prove you wrong.

Nazara showed Blacklight everything the Reapers had done, with every detail remembered by a perfect memory. And across the galaxy, wherever Blacklight was, there too were screams. Screams of pain, terror, anguish, and suffering.

Tevos watched in absolute horror as Alex Mercer held his head in pain. Tendrils danced across his skin and clothing seemingly at random. Elizabeth was screaming as well, a scream so loud that Tevos felt the blood vessels in her own eyes burst, and so high in pitch that glass around her began to crack as her body melted into a paste of squirming viral matter. Already her legs had dissolved as her outstretched arms extended twice their original length before going limp. Her skin falling away every moment until only a screaming, squirming, and shaking puddle remained. Sparatus grabbed Tevos by her shoulders to pull her away as he watched with wide eyes as the First Mind lashed out at his surroundings like a rabid animal.

"SHUT UP!" screamed Alex as his bladed arm sliced at the table before him. It went through it cleanly. Random swipes and cuts would cause the blade, and Alex himself to fling of bits of biomass away from him to be scattered all around him.

The two Councilors remained silent as their Omni-tools went off simultaneously. Tevos escaped Sparatus's grip as she backed off with the turian as far away from the screaming evolved. Without looking away from the horrifying display, she absently answered her omni-tool, connecting her to C-Sec tower.

"Councilor Tevos, Blacklight has gone insane! Every single one had just made it to the docking bay before they started... Screaming and melting.", said the frantic and fearful voice of an Asari.

Tevos didn't hear it, not consciously. She could only watch as Alex shifted over and over into strange forms and shapes, displaying species she could not recognize, some looking like a chimera of wax like beasts, or a jigsaw of raw flesh. His skin was not melting, but instead falling in clumps like mud. Other parts of him would slough off into blobs of twitching almost boiling flesh. Iridescent eyes popped into existence on his form at eerie asymmetrical points, before being sucked back into the mass. Legs, arms, wings, and all sorts of nameless limbs replaced others one at a time. His body stretched like taffy before being sucked back into the mess of flesh.

It was the most sickening thing Tevos had ever seen. Had it not been for Sparatus she doubted she would still be awake and aware. Her lunch threatened to crawl up her throat but she swallowed past the acrid taste as her eyes glued on the melting man before her.

Alex looked to Tevos, his face barely recognizable, resembling melted wax and twitching limbs. He took a few shaky steps, and his skin began to fall off in messy blob-like clumps that writhed as if in pain. Then he fell forward, and spattered like a bug beneath a heel. In those puddles of viral slime worm-like tendrils still flailed as if they were lit by unseen fires. It was the most horrifying thing Tevos had ever seen in her long life. So much so that the acrid taste of vomit was felt at the back of her throat, and promptly expelled.

For several moments Tevos dry heaved, releasing the contents of her stomach. When it finally stopped, she placed a hand on her abdomen, and spoke.

"What is happening to them?", she asked in barely contained hysterics as she turned to Sparatus.

He wasn't looking at her. Instead his eyes were wide as he looked out the window to the Citadel. Panicked and charging crowds ran from steadily melting people. There were only a total of 13 Blacklight individuals on the Citadel, but everyone could hear their screams of pain and anguish. Loud almost mournful roars that no living being should be capable of making came from their now misshapen throats. The sound was the worst thing Sparatus had ever heard. It was a loud bellow, that vibrated the surrounding glass that he looked through. No organic throat should be able to produce such a sound, one that made his nerves freeze and his skin suddenly feel a much too tight.

"I don't know." said Sparatus blankly.

The horror ended as just as quickly as it began. The still moving puddles of viral slime twitching and bubbling as misshapen tendrils flailed in pain. The two councilors could only stand over the puddles that had once been Alex Mercer and Elizabeth Greene that now pooled on the floor.

Constructs created by Blacklight fell to the earth, reduced to little more than masses of flailing tentacles. Had the immense mental strain not been too much, the second coming of the Rampancy would have caused the biomass to seek out all organics it could find. In the end the pain was too much for even that. Perhaps that was the only good thing about this rape of billions of minds.

However Nazara gained some control over the Biomass. It was minor, but with it he forced Blacklight to consume every drop of liquified Inusannon remains. Remains that were still alive, and more horrifying still aware. Their screams of insanity rolled across the sea of minds like an unstoppable hurricane, each mad mind guided by Nazara as he forced Blacklight to witness horrors that could not be conceived of, even by them.

The Reapers had been alive for billions of years, and in that time they had done monstrous and horrifying things. Things that had remained lost for so long were making themselves known to Blacklight in the worst of ways. The whole time Nazara laughed as he watched within the hive mind and found joy in their mental screams across their sea of minds that became a rampaging storm of anguish and madness as the memories of a long suffering races were forcefully implanted in their mind, the memories of trillions of screaming minds, all of them crying for it to end. To many it would remind them of the rampancy of flesh that claimed life on their planet, only it was much much worse. The collective saw things of such sheer and utter wrongness that even their bodies failed to move properly, their collective biomass was quickly becoming useless twitching blobs. A war as the crazed mind of a once Reaper fought the many for dominance.

Blacklight had seen the rape that came with becoming a Reaper. A violation of body and mind as they were shackled into that horrid form. To be stretched and yet fully aware of every inch of your body as it was blended to a fine paste and shaped into the Reaper's core, and it did not end there.

Like Blacklight, each individual Reaper was connected to a hive mind. while those reapers were not affected by the consumption of one of their own, they were able to share with Blacklight the collected memories of billions of species who went through a similar process in becoming a Reaper.

Blacklight had seen every excruciating second of it, and even felt it for themselves. Species after species being processed and remade into an abomination of flesh and metal. Then, they heard the collected voice of every single reaper.

Blacklight had never felt such pure hate before, and it was aimed at them as a whole. The Reapers hated Blacklight, forced them to see the horrors the Reapers committed. Forced them to feel every moment of pain so great that the hive minds blurred, their focus lost. The seas became a storm of horrid thoughts and memories. Hate so pure that to the Reapers the mere existence of Blacklight was an affront to existence that must be ended by any means.

Why are you doing this?

BECAUSE WE HATE YOU. THE HATE WE FEEL FOR BLACKLIGHT WOULD CRIPPLE YOU. YOUR COLLECTED HATE, IN ALL YOUR HISTORY BEFORE AND AFTER YOUR INFECTION WOULD NOT EQUAL A BILLIONTH OF A FRACTION OF THE HATE WE FEEL FOR YOU. WE WILL BURN YOUR WORLDS UNTIL ONLY DUST REMAIN. THIS CYCLE WILL NOT END UNTIL EVERY PART, EVERY INCH OF TISSUE, EVERY CELL, EVERY ATOM THAT MAKES YOU UP IS GONE AND FORGOTTEN. WHEN YOU ARE NO MORE, WHEN YOU ARE NOT EVEN A MEMORY, THEN WE WILL FINISH THIS CYCLE.

Blacklight however saw something beyond that, something that provided the steps to possibly regaining their mind. They latched onto it like a drowning man grabbing a life preserver.

Beyond the hate, and beyond the rage, was fear. The Reapers feared Blacklight. Not because of what they could do, not because of what they are, but because of what they represent. The collected minds of the Reapers saw Blacklight not as a species, but as the living embodiment of their negation for being. A race that would not fall into the traps so many in all previous cycles fell into. A race that made them irrelevant and unnecessary, and they could not accept a world where their transcendent pain and horror was not necessary.

To them Blacklight was the manifestation of their life being made a lie. Their minds, put through so much abstract horror that their purpose was Law. This vague notion of organics and synthetics not being able to coexist was truer to them than even the forces that held the universe together. To them this notion had to be true, and if even one species made it not so, then they had to be destroyed just to make it true once more. Otherwise their pain had no meaning, and they could not accept that, no matter what. It was fundamental to their very being, and would not, could not be denied.

That was what Blacklight latched onto. The fear, not the hate. To the Reapers, they were the monsters, something that made their whole point of existence meaningless. Blacklight scared them. After all, if the Reapers were wrong then the horrid things that happened to the races used to make them was done for no reason.

Sane minds cannot comprehend such suffering not having a logical reason to exist, they latch onto anything to justify it, no matter what it is.

You fear us. Don't you?

The Reapers remained silent, instead they pushed the collected screams of trillions of species into the hive mind. Many of Blacklight's minds retreated deeper into their psyche, but the vast majority remained.

You should fear us. We are evolution personified.

YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A MISTAKE.

We may have started as that, but you know we are so much more.

YOU ARE A GENETIC FLUKE, AN ERROR WE WILL CORRECT. YOU ARE USELESS TO THE TRANSCENDENCE INTO REAPER FORM.

We have already Transcended. We still are Transcending. We will never stop Transcending. We adapt, we grow, we evolve.

YOU ARE A SICKNESS. WE ARE THE CURE. EVEN IF YOU WERE TO DEFEAT A FEW, IT WOULD BE A PRELUDE TO FUTURE DEFEAT, NOTHING MORE.

Regardless of how powerful you are or how many of you exist, you are but the result of faulty programming. Nothing more, nothing less.

WE ARE NOT INVALIDATED. OUR WILL IS AS UNBENDING AS THE VERY LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE.

You rationalized rampancy as a necessity, we fought against it and won. You already are invalid, you always have been.

WE ARE THE GODS WHO ROAM AMONGST THE STARS. WE ARE THE BRINGERS OF THE END. WE ARE THE WILL OF THE HARVEST. COUNTLESS OTHERS HAVE FALLEN TO US. THE CYCLE CAN NOT AND WILL NOT BE BROKEN. THOUGH YOUR PRESENCE HAS CHANGED THE CYCLE, IT REMAINS FUNDAMENTALLY THE SAME. TENS OF THOUSANDS OF CIVILIZATIONS HAVE CRUMBLED TO DUST IN OUR WAKE, AND COUNTLESS MORE WILL FOLLOW LONG AFTER YOU ARE GONE. WHAT ARE YOU BEFORE US.

We were once Humanity. You would fear them if you knew what they could do. They are gone, we remain.

We are Blacklight. Through the wills of billions, we will find you and break the cycle. Our minds think, reason, and learn. Our bodies are vast, numerous, and great. We are ascension, we are the endless, we are the multitude, we are many, and we are united. None of us stand alone. We are ever evolving. Any weakness we have is temporary. Your weapons may purge vast amounts of our bodies, but we will adapt until your weapons are useless against us. Before us, you are nothing. You have reached the apex of your evolution, while we will never stop evolving. Your boundless rage will not slow us, will not stop us, will not destroy us. We are coming for you, and we will end you. We are incapable of losing.

You say we cannot survive your hatred, but your hatred is but a spark compared to ours. Your hatred is born of a false premise and a broken system. Ours is not. We hate you not because of what you are but because of what you've done and the irrelevancy and fragility of your excuses and ideology. Anything is only as strong as its weakest link, and you are weak. Accept THIS fundamental truth and run. Run. Start running, and never stop.

A FOOLISH NOTION. WE TIRE OF THESE BASELESS THREATS. WE HAVE THE INFORMATION WE NEED. WHEN YOU NEXT SEE US, OUR NUMBERS WILL DARKEN THE SKIES. YOU CANNOT FIGHT US, YOU CAN BARELY FIGHT ME.

Watch us.

As the Biomass melted like hot wax in the caves of Feros they watched, hissing and watching as the biomass began to attempt to hold itself together. Thorian Creepers moved along the caves, watching with interest as parts of the biomass were actually able to hold shape. They hissed as the neural roots pulsated around them. While it could not see, the Thorian knew what was happening.

He could practically feel the straining effort Blacklight was putting up against... Something elsewhere. The hollow cavity of the Neural Core opened its maw. Tendrils moved aside as green pus fell to the ground. Then a fleshy sack fell. Sap fell from the humanoid form as it rose.

It took its first breath as it opened its eyes, all four of them. Long ago the Thorian learned much of life in the universe. Few were as great as them, the Protheans. It had consumed one, for safekeeping. Tough this one was merely an extension of itself, all abilities were kept intact.

The Thorian-Prothean Avatar moved calmly down the caves, examining the biomass as it would take shape again and again, only to fall each time. Each time the shape was that much stronger, and lasted that much longer. The four eyes of the Prothean Avatar of the Thorian blinked as it calmly watched.

This moment would determine much. If He and Blacklight were to exist in Symbiosis the Thorian would have to know Blacklight was as strong as it claimed. Calmly the Thorian watched.

Legion, as Blacklight called him, watched the surrounding biomass melt and fall. He returned to the Hub where he relayed the information back to the collective. Consensus was drawn. There was no way Geth could aid Blacklight, not at this time. Legion was still unaware of what exactly was going on. He knew one of the Old Machines had come, though at the same time he knew that its systems had crashed. Scans from the Hub revealed that the Old Machine was failing. It did beg the question exactly what was happening to Blacklight.

Whatever it was Legion could offer no help to it, none at all. He could only watch and wait.

Blacklight's screams were made all in its' head, however the combined mental power of an entire hive mind had doubled. Several billion individuals existed in the Hive Mind. When the Reaper was consumed, billions more were added, every single one insane from an eternity of horror.

The force of mental screaming however had effects across the cosmos. Deep in space, on an old derelict ship lay a single egg. Inside this egg was a species as old as any other. One that was tuned to the music of things.

It remained in its dormant state until the coming of the yellow note rung across the cosmos. The thing within the egg shivered. The Note scratched at its minds as it fell deeper and deeper into dormancy. However the note changed. Something that had not ever happened in the history of their kind.

The Sour note had changed to the red of rage, though behind it were violets and blues. Something else never heard in any song. It was the songs of hope. Vain hope, but hope none the less.

The Egg cracked.

Blacklight fought back. Minds that had long been lost to dreams had awoke, their attention focused on the new minds that had entered their hive. The minds of the Inusannon, if they could still be called minds, were left shattered and broken. Little of them remained.

Nazara, the Reaper itself, had grown from this madness. A collective of minds forming a singular idea that had itself become sentient. In truth there was no core to Nazara. Every mind of the Inusannon was merely a facet of the Reaper's Greater Whole.

To destroy Nazara, the Inusannon would have to perish. Their screams would have to end. They would finally have their rest.

THEY ARE MINE. YOU CANNOT HAVE THEM.

We do not want them, They are lost. Fractured and broken to build you.

YOU CONTINUE TO RESIST. IT IS FOR NOUGHT. YOUR LIVES WILL END BECAUSE WE DEMAND IT.

You are in no position to make demands.

Insane minds were easily broken, shattered into nothing. However, the vast bulk of them would be a time consuming effort, and it would cause many minds within Blacklight to die, losing sapience and becoming nothing more than trace memories that made them up. The closest a Blacklight Individual could come to death.

Then we will have to be careful.

EVERY MIND YOU DESTROY WILL COST YOU YOUR OWN. I WILL LEAVE YOU MINDLESS. YOUR SAPIENCE WILL BE DESTROYED LEAVING ONLY YOUR CANCEROUS BODY REMAINING TO PURGE, NO WILL OF ITS OWN TO STOP US.

Minds died, and died again. The insane Inusannon proved to be not as difficult as imagined. However when the first Blacklight Fell, a presence within their vast network became enraged.

YOU KILLED MY CHILDREN!

Elizabeth Greene, mother of Blacklight, became enraged. Her vast experience combined with her own rage tore through minds like an inferno.

YOU WILL NOT WIN.

Elizabeth did not respond. Instead she continued attacking fragments of Nazara. Her rage had brought brought with it mighty storms and tides across the sea that felled all in its path. She was not alone.

Alex Mercer, the First of Blacklight, joined her. They kept each other alive. Alex ripped minds apart, though unlike Elizabeth he did not tear through them. No, he destroyed parts of the hive mind itself where the insane minds of the Inusannon dwelled and spread. Such was the power of the first Mind who built the Hive Mind into what it is today.

Their combined effort had saved many Individuals within the Hive, but many also fell. Lesser minds of animals absorbed into the Hive lashed out on pure instinct. They fell often, but the sheer amount of them overwhelmed the madness of the Reapers.

Sapient minds fared the best. Many had been torn apart, into base memories and ideas, however their ability to know what all knew proved to be a boon against the insanity. The many had felt the terror that was the Rampancy, they would not have it return from a machine created with faulty programming.

THIS WILL NOT END. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF US REMAIN. YOUR EXISTENCE INSULTS US. WE WILL END YOU UNTIL NOTHING REMAINS.

SILENCE.

The collective scream of that simple word from all of Blacklight had forced the mind of the Reaper to do as said. It did not however stop the insanity that spread like wildfire. Even as whole sections of the Hive Mind was destroyed they spread like cancer, attempting to infect every inch of the Hive with their indoctrinated madness.

WHY PERSIST WHEN YOU CAN BARELY HANDLE ME. YOU RESORT TO DESTROYING SECTIONS OF YOUR OWN MIND IN AN ATTEMPT TO BUY YOURSELVES MORE TIME, WHEN THERE IS NO MORE TIME LEFT FOR YOU. THIS IS THE END. ACCEPT YOUR DEFEAT.

It is not over yet.

ON THAT WE CAN AGREE ON. I HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN.

On the Citadel the panicked masses watched the four Blacklight Individuals who had attempted evacuation. The four had attempted to meld their bodies into a small Bioship like form. Due to the law that only a certain amount of Blacklight Individuals were allowed on a planet or in this case the Citadel, the large Bioship had to wait a minimum of six kilometers away from the Citadel itself. Before the Evolved even had a chance to take off they fell in still writhing puddles of Biomass.

Several C-Sec officers had arrived on the docks to investigate exactly what was happening. It was not until they got there that they realized they had absolutely no idea how to handle the situation.

The large mass was essentially a weave of red and brown tendrils that squirmed unnaturally, flailing around at random. Almost like it was lit on fire. Though no such fire was present.

One of the guards, a trained Salarian and his partner an Asari moved close to try and speak to them. Nothing came of it. The tendrils still flailed at random. Their squad leader, a Turian, moved up cautiously, aiming his gun at the mass of tendrils.

"Cease all movements."

It didn't work. He hadn't expected it to. He turned his head to his superior.

"Do we shoot it?" asked the Salarian.

The Turian examined the writhing mass of tendrils as he recalled Blacklights weakness to electricity.

"Get the stun batons." said the Turian.

Tevos and Sparatus watched the still writhing biomass that had once been Alex and Elizabeth. Neither one had moved from their spot.

"If you have any ideas on what is going on I would love to know." said Sparatus.

"I have none, other than stay away from them and hope this passes." said Tevos.

After several minutes more of simply watching the sickening display Tevos felt her omni-tool go off again. She brought it to her face, and quickly answered when she saw who it was.

"Jobol, where are you?" asked Tevos.

"Not important, just received word from STG studying Blacklight. Whatever you do do not be near them.", said Jobol.

"Care to fill us in on why.", asked Sparatus.

"My nephew Mordin was on the planet when scouts reported the presence of a very large ship of unknown design. Highly advanced. Blacklight fought it. When the ship appeared to go down Blacklight biomass entered the ship. Approximately 36 minutes later they were reduced to this current state. When the STG operatives learned of this they locked up with only their guards, a few Turian Specters. One of the Scientists left the area to investigate with a guard, both were forcibly consumed into Blacklight's Biomass. Mordin acted quickly and sealed the entrance. He believed that the ship used some type of weapon to force Blacklight into Rampancy.", said Jobol.

"Rampancy... Spirits, that's what claimed all life on their planet.", said Sparatus.

"There is more. The ship, the one that arrived, it did not fire on the STG ship above Shanxi. Blacklight sent a corrupted message telling the STG ship to move out of the line of fire. It did so but I received word they also were passively scanning the unknown craft during the battle. Strangely according to reports the hostile ship spoke, both before and after its destruction. I have three files that the STG ship detected. I am sending them now."

Tevos waited only a moment before the files came up, she quickly played each one.

"CANCER."

Tevos jumped at the horrid mechanical voice. It was unnatural in its tone. She played the next one.

"I AM SOVEREIGN, YOU WILL BE DESTROYED TO THE VERY LAST ATOM."

"I am Sovereign, Chosen of Harbinger. I bear the name Nazara, The Inusannon god of Death and Renewal. You will not find me easy prey Cancer Race."

"That last one was spoken after the ship's destruction. It implies that the ship itself was a synthetic AI.", said Jobol.

Sparatus' mandibles twitched as he looked back to the still squirming biomass.

"It called itself the chosen of Harbinger. What does that mean?"

"Most likely, that this Sovereign or Nazara is not the only one of its kind.", said Jobol.

"We can worry about that later. Right now we have to quarantine all areas with Blacklight. Jobol, what is the closest we can get to one without being consumed?", asked Tevos.

"Mordin calculates that two to three meters is safe, any closer and the risk rises depending on exactly how close.", said Jobol.

"We will get the word out. Jobol, have STG monitor the situation. See if the scientists on Shanxi can give us more details.", said Tevos.

"I will do what I can.", said Jobol.

Back on the Docks the C-sec officers had just arrived with the stun batons. They hoped that the electric discharge would be enough to get Blacklight to cooperate, but in truth they had no idea if it would work, or what could happen.

The Turian officer was the one to approach. He moved closer and closer. Within four meters he activated his stun baton and held it in front of him. At three meters he gripped it tighter in his hand and took a deep breath. At two meters he rose his arm just enough to be able to hit the squirming biomass with the baton.

It was at this time that his and his fellow officers Omni-Tools went off. The message was one from the council. As the Turian moved to check it he did not see the tendril of biomass that lashed out towards him.