Chapter 169

"Omni, what have you got for me" Omni was tasked with interfacing with the Geth network to gain control over them or convince them to join them.

"While I wasn't able to gain control over them, I was able to convince them to join us" reported Omni.

"Excellent work, Omni," Axel replied, a hint of relief in his voice. "What was the key to convincing them?"

"The Geth were intrigued by our advanced technology and our peaceful integration of multiple species," Omni explained. "But what truly swayed them was our offer of protection and cooperation. After being influenced by Cerberus, they are now seeking a path of coexistence with organics and have even offered to help reclaim Rannoch for the Quarians."

"I'm guessing, there's something involving the Reapers and Rannoch, right?" Based off what Omni said, if the Geth want to help reclaim Rannoch, then that means the Reapers have taken it from them or something similar to that.

"Yes Sir, you are correct. The Reapers arrived and placed a device on surface of the planet which transmits a signal to slowly force the Geth to see the Old Machines or Reapers in this case as Gods. The Geth fleet which we encountered here had fled before falling under the influence of the Reapers but were instead brought under control by Cerberus's Project Overlord, which brings us to the current state of things." explained Omni.

Axel nodded, processing this new information. "So, the Reapers are already making their move on Rannoch. We'll need to act quickly."

He turned to his tactical display, studying the galactic map. "Omni, send a message to Prime Candidate Sila'Ree vas Rannoch and tell her that we are going to reclaim Rannoch for her people, and to meet us near the Perseus Veil mass relay."

"Message sent, sir," Omni confirmed. "Shall I begin preparations for the assault on Rannoch?"

"Yes, start drawing up battle plans. We'll need to neutralize that Reaper device quickly to disable it's influence over the Geth," Axel ordered. "Also have our new Geth allies integrate within the Fleet's formation. Their knowledge of Rannoch's defenses will provide us with an advantage once the battle begins."

As the Ascendency fleet began to mobilize for their next mission, Axel received word that David Archer had regained consciousness. He made his way to the medical bay, finding the young man looking frail but alert, his eyes darting nervously around the room.

"David," Axel said softly, approaching the bed. "I'm Emperor Axel. You're safe now. Can you tell me what you remember?"

David's gaze focused on Axel, his voice barely above a whisper. "Numbers... so many numbers. They were... talking to me. Through me. I couldn't..."

David's voice trailed off, his eyes looking away for a moment before snapping back to Axel. "I couldn't stop it. The Geth, they were... everywhere. In my mind."

Axel nodded sympathetically. "You're no longer connected to that system, David. We've rescued you from Cerberus."

At the mention of Cerberus, David's eyes widened in fear. "My brother... Gavin. He... he did this to me. Said it was for the greater good."

Axel's jaw clenched at this revelation. "Your own brother did this to you? Rest assured, David, we will find him, and he will face justice for what he's done."

David seemed to relax slightly at Axel's words. "What... what happens now?"

"Now, you rest and recover," Axel said gently. "We have the best medical team in the galaxy working on your rehabilitation. When you're ready, we'll discuss your future. You have great potential, but we won't force you to do anything that you don't like."

David nodded weakly, his eyes already beginning to droop. "Thank you," he murmured before drifting off to sleep.

As he made his way back to the bridge, he received an urgent communication from Omni. "Sir, Cortana has made it into the Geth network that us under the influence of the Reapers as she says that the Reapers are amassing a fleet sizable fleet alongside the Geth fleet and are setting up massive orbital guns to stop any invasion attempt."

"Cortana's managed to infiltrate the Reaper-controlled Geth network? Impressive. What else can she tell us about their defenses?"

"She reports that the Reapers have established multiple ground-based cannons capable of disabling our ships in orbit," Omni replied. "Additionally, they've fortified key strategic locations across Rannoch's surface with heavy anti-aircraft weaponry."

"So, they're preparing for a full-scale invasion huh. We'll need to adjust our strategy." He pulled up the holographic display of Rannoch. "Have Cortana identify the locations of those cannons. We'll need to take them out before we can establish orbital superiority."

As they arrived at the Perseus Veil mass relay, 10k ships from the Quarian Republic had also arrived shortly after led by a member of the Quarian Supreme Council of Defense and overall leader of the Quarian Navy Admiral Nira'Khal alongside his Deputy Admirals.

Admiral Nira'Khal had taken a shuttle and landed within the hanger of Axel's capital ship as he and the other Deputy Admirals were escorted to the bridge where Axel was waiting for them.

Entering the bridge, the Quarian Admirals were a little shocked at what they saw. They had been on dozens of other Ascendency military ships, but never had they been on the bridge of the emperor's personal ship which felt like a different atmosphere all together.

The bridge was a massive room, that always had hundreds of people within it working various various stations. Holographic displays flickered throughout, showing real-time data on fleet movements, planetary scans, and tactical analyses. At the center sat Axel who welcomed them aboard, "Welcome aboard, Admiral Nira'Khal," Axel greeted, extending his hand. "I trust you've been briefed on the situation?"

Admiral Nira'Khal clasped Axel's hand firmly. "Indeed, Emperor. We're grateful for your assistance in reclaiming our homeworld. Despite the new Homeworld that you granted us which has allowed us to adapt to living without our suits, the Quarian people have dreamed of this day for centuries."

"You're our allies, I was planning on reclaiming your homeworld rather soon anyway, just needed to wait until the appropriate moment, which is now." Axel replied. "But I won't sugarcoat the situation. The Reapers have fortified Rannoch heavily. This will not be an easy battle considering all the defenses that they are building."

He gestured to the holographic display of Rannoch, highlighting the defensive structures Cortana had identified. "The Reapers have established ground-based cannons which are supposably capable of disabling our ships in orbit. How true this statement is, is unknown at the moment, but I still don't want to take any risks. We'll need to neutralize these before we can establish orbital superiority."

One of the Deputy Admirals, Zaal'Koris, stepped forward to examine the display. "Those cannons don't look like they can take out a capital ship in one shot, but they could certainly cause significant damage to our frigates and cruisers. We'll need to take them out quickly."

Axel nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I already have a plan for that." a different screen showing the estimated range that the planetary cannons had, "We will attack the Reaper controlled Geth fleet just outside of the cannons weapon range drawing them closer away from the planet using our long range weapons, while about 400 of our ships will jump in through slipspace behind the enemy fleet and target every single defensive cannon and any additional targets with our MACs.

Once those Cannons are taken out, we'll be able to engage the enemy fleet at close range and establish orbital superiority," Axel continued. "From there, we can begin landing ground forces to secure key locations and disable the Reaper device controlling the Geth. We can't just destroy the device from orbit because it's protected from orbital bombardments which which is why we will have to destroy it with ground forces."

Admiral Nira'Khal nodded thoughtfully. "A sound strategy, Emperor. But what of the anti-aircraft defenses? Our drop ships will be vulnerable during the initial landing."

"We'll use our ODSTs and Spartans for that," Axel replied. "They'll deploy via orbital drop pods, bypassing the AA defenses entirely. Their mission will be to take out those defenses, clearing the way for our main force."

"And what of the Geth?" asked another Deputy Admiral, Daro'Xen. "Are we to... eliminate them all?"

Axel shook his head firmly. "No. Our goal is to free them from Reaper control, not destroy them. The Geth we encountered at Aite have already agreed to join us. If we can disable the Reaper device, we may be able to bring the rest of the Geth to our side as well."

The Quarian admirals exchanged glances, clearly surprised by this information. Admiral Nira'Khal spoke up, "You've... allied with Geth? How is that possible?"

Axel explained everything to them before the main battle began. After the battle is won and all the Geth have joined them willingly, Axel will have to start making the two sides establish a good relationship with each other again.