Chapter 142

---Mass Effect Galaxy---

5 years later (2170) 

5 years of peaceful development and progress had allowed the tense situation within the galaxy to not escalate any further. Kaitus was replaced on the Citadel Council with another Councilor who underwent a lot of scrutiny and investigations into his selection.

The Citadel had found a way to coexist peacefully with the Ascendency, something that seemed impossible after the attack on the Citadel. The signed treaties worked out for each party, with the Ascendency aiding in the reconstruction of parts of the Citadel.

Though the damage to the Citadel's influence was permanent. Atlas station had become a massive trade center on par with Illium that was available to all species and factions except those branded as terrorists or slaver groups.

Atlas station also opened the door for cooperation between the Terminus systems and the other species away from the eyes of the Citadel.

Such collaboration led to the rise of new alliances and agreements between species that previously had no interaction. This brought about a new era of diplomacy in the galaxy and slowly the Citadel's influence was getting weaker and weaker.

Some of the Citadel laws were being seen as restrictive to the economies of the associate member species. In response the Citadel Council also made efforts to interact with the Terminus systems in a diplomatic way to promote cooperation and not fall behind in terms of diplomacy.

The Ascendency, through its diplomatic efforts, emphasized inter-species cooperation, cementing its status as a galactic power promoting peace. This brought about a shift in the political landscape of the galaxy with many races leaning more towards the Ascendency rather than the Citadel.

During these years, the Ascendency also delved deep into the secrets of Prothean technology and history. It was discovered that they had found ways to tap into the natural energy of galaxies and planets, an astounding feat that could potentially revolutionize energy production across all empires. However, further research was needed to ensure that harnessing such energy would not have catastrophic consequences.

On the fringes of space, the Geth continued to watch and observe. The synthetic race had their own concerns regarding the rise of the Ascendency but did nothing overtly harmful. They kept their distance while continuing to develop their own technology and intelligence independently.

The Vorcha and Yahg were under close observation by the Ascendency. Despite being considered a low-tier species due to their primitive stages of development, they showed potential signs of becoming a significant force if given proper guidance.

The cure for the Krogan genophage had also been completed in 2168 and was dispersed throughout Tuchunka and any other Krogan colony. However, unlike an official cure which would allow them to reproduce fast, Catherine had modified the cure to only allow Krogan females to produce 300 fertilized eggs over the course of a year to control the population growth of the Krogan.

This did not make the other 700 eggs die but instead prevented them from even being created in the first place. Using her study of the flood, the cure would perform like a microorganism that will constantly evolve to counter the Krogan's own evolution.

The reason behind this was, if they just introduced the cure, then in a few generations, the Krogan would evolve and overcome the cure, leading to an unchecked population boom. This way, the cure evolved alongside the Krogan, maintaining a steady and controlled growth.

The Krogan population responded positively to this change. While their numbers did not suddenly skyrocket, they now had a stable growth rate which was something they hadn't seen in generations.

Even so, with their newfound fertility, the Krogan needed guidance to prevent them from falling back into their warlike tendencies. A representative from the Ascendency was assigned to Tuchunka to help guide the Krogan leadership towards a more diplomatic and strategic path in engaging with other species.

The Shadow Broker, always dealing in information and secretive manipulations, observed from afar as well. The Ascendency's rise in power made them an interesting factor in his calculations. Yet he chose to remain silent, collecting data and watching how events unfolded. His vast network of informants provided him with real-time updates about every significant move the Ascendency made and everything that transpired within Citadel space.

The Alliance stood by their decision and had formed closer ties to the Ascendency while mainly leaving Citadel matters as a secondary objective. Siding with the Ascendency was extremely beneficial, but playing both sides brought more benefits at the time.

Especially with their newly established colonies in the Terminus systems, the Alliance had to fend for themselves as the Ascendency made it clear that they would remain neutral and not help when their colonies were attacked in the Terminus systems.

Because of this, the Alliance had to send out patrols and fleets to constantly protect their colonies while making sure not to anger the Terminus systems.

At the same time, the Mu Relay which had been thought to be lost due to being knocked out of position when a nearby star went supernova was found hidden in hot gas and dust from the exploding star.

The discovery of the relay was kept secret by Axel as his research teams went to investigate what was on the other side.

During their study, they found the former Prothean world of Ilos which they had only learned about through the study of Prothean ruins and artifacts.

On Ilos, they discovered an intact Prothean facility, buried deep within the planet. The Ascendency immediately sent a team of their best archaeologists and scientists to study the facility. What they found was a trove of ancient ancient knowledge and secrets that the Protheans had kept secret.

They had encountered a Prothean VI within the facility which explained to them how the Protheans had observed the galaxy for centuries, studying and cataloging the development of countless species that had risen and fallen during their reign.

In their records, they also found something else that caused them to become even more intrigued, the reason why the Protheans had disappeared. It was due to the arrival of an extra-galactic species known as the Reapers, cyclical purveyors of death and destruction, who came to harvest sentient life in the galaxy every 50,000 years.

This revelation sent shockwaves through the scientific community within the Ascendency, prompting an immediate and thorough investigation into the credibility of the VI's statements. The thought that a species of machines wiped out all sentient life in the galaxy every 50,000 was alarming, to say the least.

More concerning was the fact that if these Reapers were indeed real, then how would the Ascendency military deal with them.

Through diligent work, the Archaeologists were eventually able to unlock further records, including those detailing the intricate network of Mass Relays. They also uncovered detailed studies on Reaper technology and design which were similar to the information that the Forerunners had on the Precursors technology which sparked even more interests.

A study was conducted from 2168 until the beginning of 2170 resulting in a scientific article being published and endorsed by the Ascendency informing the galaxy of this threat and creating a new inter-species scientific team funded by the Ascendency to launch further investigations and gather more information on this threat.

The Citadel Council didn't think that this information was real and dismissed it as a ploy by the Ascendency to sow discord and panic among the peoples of the Citadel. They vehemently debunked the findings, arguing that it was merely myth and folklore of the ancient Prothean culture, not factual history.

So did many other species as the location of where they got the information was not shared in the report to keep Ilos location a secret and not reveal the discovery of the Mu relay.

Still, there were many enthusiastic scientists eager to learn more about the so-called Reapers, especially when they had a tremendous amount of funding plus guaranteed pay no matter how much information their research turned up.

Dozens of scientists from various races jumped at this opportunity despite the majority of the Galaxy not believing in this threat. Priority one for the Ascendency was to ensure that their people would be safe when the Reapers eventually arrived.

Priority two would be to help those who can't defend themselves against the invasion. The dimensional gate leading to the Ascendency home galaxy was secured enough so that the Reapers couldn't use it to invade the other side.

Its location was not known by any others outside of the Ascendency and every citizen that crossed from the other side was given a brief on how things differed from their galaxy and screened to ensure that no criminals or potential terrorists were trying to flee into the new galaxy.

Even though they came through the dimensional gate, its location is still not known by the citizen's themselves as the pilots for the transports are contracted by the government and per their contract, they are not allowed to reveal the location of the dimensional gate to anybody.