Mass Effect: Exodus

by Shei B. Kroeker

Ten years after the destruction of the Reapers, the defunct Cerberus organization rises from the ashes to continue the work of its deceased founder and makes way for the Awakened. NOTE: This does NOT follow the original Mass Effect Cast. M rating is for future chapters containing language, sexual situations, and violence

1. Prologue

Prologue

In the year 2148, explorers on Mars discovered the remains of an ancient spacefaring civilization. In the decades that followed, these mysterious artifacts revealed startling new technologies, enabling travel to the furthest stars. The basis for this incredible technology was a force that controlled the very fabric of space and time.

They called it the greatest discovery in human history.

The civilizations of the galaxy call it...

MASS EFFECT

The Aftermath Of the Reaper War

Commander Shepard had accomplished the impossible. A devastating, destructive energy blasted through every Mass Relay from the Sol System, to the Perseus Veil, and everywhere in between. It destroyed every synthetic life form: Reaper, geth, artificial intelligence, and virtual. The damage was unfathomable…but it was not irreparable.

For the ten years that followed, the galaxy repaired itself. Every species involved in the war effort continued to ban together to restore some semblance of peace and stability throughout the Milky Way.

It was also a time to remember those who had fallen:

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the SSV Normandy SR1 gave her life on Virmire, staying behind to detonate a nuke and destroy an illicit krogan breeding plant. Over half of the Alliance Fifth Fleet sacrificed themselves to save the Citadel Council during the attack by the Reaper vanguard Sovereign. Later, half of Commander Shepard's crew was decimated by a collector attack, amongst them, Navigator and XO Charles Pressly. A few years later, the salarian doctor Mordin Solus died while selflessly administering the genophage cure for the krogan through the sabotaged Shroud on Tuchanka. The drell assassin Thane Krios thwarted a Cerberus assassin during the coup attempt against the Citadel Council. Despite his weakened state due to Kepral's Syndrome, Krios staved Kai Leng off, though mortally wounded in the fight. He died later from blood loss and complications from his disease. Later, the geth platform Legion sacrificed itself to give other geth true awareness. Unfortunately, most of the quarian fleet was decimated by Shepard's choice to allow the geth this upgrade. Saddened, Tali'Zorah vas Normandy prepared to throw herself off a cliff, but a last minute effort by the commander saved her. Rannoch was still reclaimed, even though the population suffered. Then, at the end of all things, Shepard discovered the catalyst within the Citadel. He chose the destruction of the Reapers, and as a consequence, the end of all synthetic life forms. He died in the final explosion. It was finally over. There was peace.

But like all things, peace cannot last forever. As the galaxy struggles to rebuild their civilization, they remain oblivious to the watchful eyes of a sinister mind. In the darkest reaches of the galaxy, remnants of a defunct organization rise from the ashes of their self-built pyre. Seeking to continue their founder's dreams, Cerberus has been resurrected under new leadership and begins its new crusade.