Reclaiming the Past

by Mesnakesta

There once was a great empire that spanned the stars, life prospered under their careful tending. Sadly, all good things must come to an end. They left one of their own to help later civilizations. He was the most powerful of them all, and his fury is unrivaled. Shepard and co. investigate a strange signal, and find a relic of the great empire that even the Reapers feared.

1. Prologue

Prologue

The Reclaimer Empire. It was one of, if not the, most powerful civilization in the known universe. The Reclaimers territory consisted of 37 galaxies. Their technology far more advanced than anything previously seen. The reclaimers could have ruled with an iron fist, but they did not. They used their technology to help other species and guide them to a new life; for they upheld the Mantle of Responsibility.

Under their careful tending, life prospered in all aspects. Life spans were extended. Civilizations were uplifted. Peace was everywhere. That was until the Reapers attacked.

Alone, the Reapers would not have stood a chance against the Reclaimers. The Reapers knew this, so they brought back the ancient enemy of the Reclaimers, of humanity. They brought back the Flood. Over time, the Reapers built up their numbers, and then unleashed the flood on the Reclaimers. The Reclaimers reacted swiftly, but it was not enough. Under the control of the Reapers, the Flood was an unstoppable enemy.

The Reclaimers fought valiantly, the war lasting centuries. Slowly, the Reclaimers were pushed back, planets, civilizations, and eventually entire galaxies fell to the Flood. Soon, they were pushed back to their home galaxy, the Milky Way. The Reclaimers knew they would fall just like the Forerunners before them. As a way to defeat the Flood, the Reclaimers built the Titan. It was a colossal object that had the capability of killing all life in previous held Reclaimer territory.

During the war, the Reclaimers indexed every species, plant, virus, and bacteria. After the Titan would fire, the samples would be seeded throughout the universe to where they originated from. The process just like the Forerunners used.

When the Reclaimers were pushed to the edge, they fired the Titan. The once mighty Reclaimer Empire was dust. The Reclaimers knew however, that the Reapers would not stop; they would start the cycle they preached so highly about. To try to stop that, the Reclaimers left a single soldier behind. He would be found by humans when they rose up again. He was the greatest soldier the reclaimers had ever seen, he was their military leader. He was the Lord of Admirals. He was known to most as the Master Chief.

He was put into stasis in a facility deep inside of the planet Therum. When humans rose up again, the facility would send out a signal, drawing thee humans to him. They would awaken him, and he would do everything in his power to assist them in stopping the Reapers.

It is on this day that that particular signal was sent out. However, it was not received by the Systems Alliance, but of the terrorist organization called Cerberus. And now the Normandy SR-2 is en route to the planet to investigate the strange signal.