Chapter 171

Arriving within the Heleus Cluster, Axel saw what remained of the Reaper fleet which consisted of 1,500 Reaper ships. The Reapers had lost more than 3,000 ships during the war which lasted less than 6 Months, thanks to the intervention by Ascendency forces.

During the beginning of the intervention, every species homeworld was the central focus of the Ascendency military. Once those worlds were secured, it freed up hundreds of ships allowing species to reclaim their former systems and secure their borders.

Cooperation between the Ascendency and the rest of the galaxy had soared to new heights with the Reaper invasion. The Salarians and Turians had put aside their differences with the Ascendency and had started to work together to repel the Reapers and secure their borders.

The Asari who was already on good terms with the Ascendency were glad that the other two species came around and had fully embraced the alliance.

The smaller species were left mostly destroyed as their central governments were the first to be taken out by the Reapers causing a near complete collapse of their societal structures. However, with the combined efforts of the Ascendency, Geth, Quarians, Turians, and Salarians, humanitarian missions were organized to provide aid and support.

The focus shifted towards rebuilding what had been lost, ensuring that the smaller species were not forgotten in the fight against the Reapers.

As Axel's fleet assembled in the Heleus Cluster, he looked around at the gathered ships. Thousands of vessels, a united front from across the galaxy, stood ready for what would be the final confrontation. The shared purpose among the crews was palpable; they were no longer disparate factions but a single force with one objective: to eliminate the Reaper threat once and for all.

"Omni, run a scan of the enemy formations," Axel commanded, stepping forward to examine the tactical display.

"Scanning now, Sir," Omni responded, his voice steady despite the tension in the air. "I'm detecting heavy fortifications among the Reaper ships, similar to what we encountered on Rannoch, only the Reapers have built Orbital emplacements. They probably learned from their previous attempt on Rannoch and have come up with this plan instead."

The Reapers had placed their cannons at the front of their formation while their main ships remained closely behind them which would force the attacking fleet to face the cannons head on. Thousands of Reaper fighters surrounded the Cannons forming a protective barrier to protect them from incoming fire.

"Looks like they've adapted their strategy," Axel noted. Alongside him were about 15,000 ships made up of all the species ships from all around the galaxy. On the other side were the remnants of the Reaper fleet which numbered 1,500. The allied fleet had 10x their numbers, meaning that there wasn't much need for a thought-out strategy that needed to be developed.

If the Reapers think that they can hide behind their cannons and force Axel to come up with some sort of complex strategy, then they were wrong.

"Omni, relay our strategy to all ships," Axel commanded. "The Guardian Custode's will lead the way, followed by our Battlecruisers. Once the cannons are destroyed, all forced are clear to engage any Reaper as they see fit."

"Message sent, sir. All ships are standing by for your orders," Omni replied.

"Alright, on my mark, prepare for engagement," Axel commanded, "Three… two… one… mark!"

With that, the fleet surged forward, a tidal wave of ships moving as one. The Guardian Custodes, heavily fortified vessels designed to absorb damage and shield their allies, took the lead, their hulls shining against the darkness of space.

"Open fire!" Axel shouted as the first volleys of cannon fire lit up the void. Massive projectiles streaked toward the Reaper cannons, creating bright flashes against the darkness. The Reaper fighters had moved into defensive positions, using their unified intelligence to protect the Cannons from incoming fire, while also creating room for them to fire.

It was a very complex strategy, but it was something that the Reapers could pull off because they were synthetic.

The battle erupted into chaos as allied ships clashed with the Reaper ships which had moved forward to engage the allied forces and take some of the attention off of their Cannons.

Explosions lit up the battlefield like fireworks, illuminating the surrounding darkness. The Guardian Custodes held the line, absorbing the worst of the damage while the Battlecruisers moved in formation behind them, unleashing their own firepower.

"Target the closest Reaper cannon!" Axel commanded; eyes fixed on the tactical display. "We need to break through their defenses!"

The Custodes led the charge, firing relentlessly at the nearest cannon. A barrage of Beam cannon rounds slammed into it, shaking the very fabric of space around them. The first cannon exploded, sending debris spiraling into the void.

"One cannon down!" Omni reported, "All ships, continue the advance!"

"Keep the pressure on!" Axel shouted. The fleet surged forward, now targeting the other cannons. The Reapers began to falter, their formation breaking under the onslaught.

"Reaper fighters are regrouping, sir," Omni cautioned. "They're attempting a counterattack!"

"Divert our own fighters and frigates to intercept. We need to buy time for our cruisers," Axel ordered. The allied fighter wings and frigates darted forward, engaging the Reaper fighters with precision, their maneuvers coordinated and lethal.

The remaining cannons began to crumble, the Reapers' defenses cracking under the relentless assault. With every explosion, the Reapers lost the necessary fire power they needed to prolong the battle, while the allied forces gained morale.

As the last cannon fell silent, a collective cheer echoed through the allied fleet. "All forces, engage the remaining Reaper ships!" Axel commanded, using the high morale that they had to begin the final mop up of the Reaper fleet.

The Reaper ships, now exposed and vulnerable, turned their weapons toward the oncoming tide. The allied fleet charged forward, a unified front of diverse species, each vessel fighting to represent their species and the entire galaxy.

"Cortana, can you identify the Reaper command ship?" Axel asked.

"Scanning… I've located it at the center of the formation," Cortana reported. "It's heavily fortified, but its shield systems are weakening under our assault."

"Then that's our target!" Axel shouted, "Focus all of our weapons on that ship."

As Axel's flagship aligned their weapons, a relentless barrage of firepower rained down on the Reaper command ship. It struggled to maintain its defenses, shields flickering under the intensity of the attack.

"Sir, we are getting an incoming transmission... on a Reaper frequency" reported Omni hesitantly.

Curious Axel ordered Omni to accept the transmission. Appearing in front of him was the image of the Reaper command ship along with the sound of its mechanical voice, distorted and cold. "You believe you can stop the inevitable? The Reapers are the harbingers of your species' doom, and your resistance is futile."

Axel scoffed at the Reapers' commitment to continue saying nonsense. "You're mistaken. Today, we end your reign of terror."

The Reaper's voice crackled with derision. "You are but a fragment of the cycle. You will not see the greater truth. The real power lies beyond the void." With that, the Reaper command ship pulsed ominously, sending shockwaves through space.

"Cortana, what's happening?" Axel demanded, sensing something off.

"Unknown, sir. The Reaper command ship is activating some kind of device," she replied, alarm in her tone.

Suddenly, the fabric of space began to warp and twist, a swirling vortex of energy appearing just behind the Reaper ship. The allied fleet faltered as a massive beam of energy erupted from the Reaper command ship, striking the center of the vortex and intensifying its glow.

"Fall back!" Axel ordered, but it was too late. A blinding flash consumed the area as the wormhole expanded rapidly, pulling everything within its grasp. Ships were torn from formation, swallowed into the void.

Axel felt his flagship jerked violently as it was dragged toward the wormhole. "Omni, stabilize our systems!" he shouted, but alarms blared, drowning out his command.

"Engines failing! We're losing control!" Omni replied,

"Brace for impact!" Axel yelled, gripping the command console as the ship was pulled into the Wormhole. The last thing he saw was the united fleet battling the remaining Reapers as they were engulfed by the chaotic energy of the wormhole.

As Axel's flagship spiraled through the distortion, reality warped around them. Time stretched and bent, images of galaxies and stars flashing past in variety of colors.

Then, with a jarring thud, the ship came to an abrupt stop. Axel staggered, regaining his balance and quickly assessing his surroundings. The bridge was intact, but the rest of the fleet was nowhere in sight. A quick scan of the sensors revealed nothing but empty space.

"Where are we?" Axel demanded.

"Unknown coordinates, sir. We've been cut off from the Ascendency and all allied forces. I can't even get Cortana on the line." Omni replied.

Axel stared at the view screen and information that was popping up. All of it was pointing to the realization that they were in another galaxy.

Unknown to Axel, the Precursors who were thought to be extinct were the true master minds behind creation of the Reapers and galaxy as they knew it. However now, the Precursors' motives have turned sinister after being driven to near extinction by the Forerunners during the Forerunner-Precursor war.

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A/N: A little background on the Precursors and how they went extinct, basically after creating the Halo galaxy they sought to find a species to inherit the mantle before they leave to go explore another galaxy. They chose Ancient humanity which made the Forerunners think that the Precursors were planning to exterminate them, so they waged war against the Precursors and basically genocide their entire race, Or so they thought.

In their exile, the Precursors harnessed their advanced technology to evolve into a new form of existence. They transcended their physical bodies, merging their consciousness with their vast knowledge, becoming ethereal beings of pure thought and energy. This transformation endowed them with an even greater understanding of the universe, but it also ignited a vengeful fire within them.

No longer the benevolent architects they once were, the Precursors now viewed the Forerunners as the architects of their demise. Their desire for vengeance drove them to cause chaos in the galaxies which they visited while also subjecting numerous species and invading other galaxies to create a massive army that they will use to destroy the Forerunners.

Within the mass effect galaxy, the corrupted the Reapers into destroying their creators, and created a cycle of destruction to overtime watch as the various species evolved to see which one would be able to defeat the Reapers. However, when they saw how the Reapers were defeated and the ships and technology that they were using, the Precursors knew exactly who it was.

Even if they were going by a different name now, they still saw this as an opportunity. So, it didn't take them long to figure who the Leader and most important person was within the Imperial Ascendency, so they used the Reaper command ship to create a massive wormhole to relocate Axel to one of the Galaxies under their influence.

So, the final conflict and final arc will be about the return of the Precursors.