Mass Effect: Advent of the Precursor

(I do not own Mass Effect, the rights to that franchise remain, as always, with Bioware. I do, however, hold ownership over the OCs that will be included within this story)

Codex – Precursors (Edited as of 2157 C.E.)

An unknown and enigmatic species, not unlike the 'Collectors' (Search: Terminus: Myths and Legends), legends of the 'Precursors' have existed since before many of the great races had even begun to develop the most basic of principles behind societal development.

Supposedly a species, according to stories from those who have – allegedly – met them, more ancient than the Protheans themselves, the Precursors have appeared during nearly seven hundred key moments throughout Asari history (Search: Guardians of Athame) and mythology (Search: Travellers of the Long Dark) alone. In the ancient mythologies of the Council species they will often appear as peaceful gods or creators, with the only key exceptions being the Batarians (Search: Great Monster of Kar'Shan) and the Turians (Search: Fall of the Mad Hierarch), such as in the case of the Quarian (Search: The Fathers of Rannoch), Krogan (Search: The Tamer of Kalros), Hanar (Search: The Enablers of the Enkindlers) and Salarian (Search: Star-Gods of Sur'Kesh) cultures.

Claims about sightings of this mysterious race have continued from as early as the founding of the Asari colonisation program (Search: Monster of Athame: Elaborate Hoax or True First-Contact), a time well before the founding of their open republics system, and continued till as late as 2073 C.E. when all contact with the Asari colony of Illium was lost during a raid by Batarian pirate and slaver groups, with barely a few hundred survivors of the attack turning up on the citadel about a week later, one singular account of events surfacing after they were found (Search: Fire in the Sky: The Only First-Hand Account of the Pirate-Raid on Illium), during which a leviathan of a ship, supposedly larger than the Citadel itself, if reports, as well as vids, are to be believed, appeared and started to decimate the Batarian fleets – extranet vids and photos from the event have been labelled an 'elaborate hoax' by the scientific community.

In wake of the merciless attack by pirates, and their subsequent destruction at the hands of this race, there has been public desire to establish contact. The Council, however, has refused to 'waste valuable resources chasing a fantastical children's story'. The former Turian Councillor Septus Caedonis (2023 C.E. – 2120 C.E.) was the most vocal in their refusal of the proposal, stating that 'All of these events throughout the histories of every race, while they may share some distinct similarities, are, simply put, a series of elaborate hoaxes perpetrated by young, narrow-minded races who, at those points, had yet to even form society. We cannot chase legends and fantasies when there are larger problems to contend with, the Terminus and Pirate groups being key examples'.

Regardless of these events, and the many scientific studies 'proving' otherwise, many still view the Precursors as being real – the Hanar especially hold this belief to be true, as their religious texts often refer to the 'Enablers' – and seek to have them welcomed to the galactic community as full members of the council, or as equals to them.