Chapter 27: The Final Battles

Date Unknown, Time Unknown, Deep in Dragon Orphan Space:

He could feel it in every fiber of his being. The hunger. The anger. The anguish. And every growing sense of fear that permeated the Swarm. And he felt the pain as each voice was forever silenced.

He felt a presence behind and felt that it had something important to say. He long knew what it was but permitted the being to speak. "My Liege," The being began. "The Progenitors and their allies have driven us back to the realm of the four-eyed ones."

The Dragon King did not turn or move from where he was. Instead, he looked up at the ceiling of the chamber the final light of the day filtered through the thin organic membrane. It was strangely fitting that he would be receiving this news at this time of the day. "I am aware." He said. His voice still contained power, but now there was a note of sorrow.

"It as you feared." The Dragon General behind him continued. "We once again underestimated the power of the progenitors. "And we underestimated the strength of the others." That had been true. Even before the progenitors joined the war, the others, the Citadel Races. They had started to slow down the advance of the Swarm. In time they might have turned them back. "They may soon be over our skies."

That was no simple "may," the King knew it would happen. He knew once the tide had turned against them, there would be no stopping it. They should have waited. Grew their numbers consumed more worlds. Blot out the stars themselves. Only then would they have been a truly unstoppable force.

But this was no time to dwell on the mistakes of the past. Now actions had to be taken to ensure the survival of the Swarm. "Not if I have anything to say about it." The King said. He turned to face the Dragon General. "Preparer the final gambit." He ordered.

A look of shock stretched across the male's face. Then understanding took over. "Yes, my liege." He said and left the chamber.

The "Final Gambit," as the King liked to call it, was a plan he hoped he never had to follow through with. But it was the only hope that his kind had for survival. He felt a second and third presences approach him.

Both were familiar to the King, but only one met anything to him. A stabbing pain pierced through his heart, a pain he did well to conceal from the presences. Both stopped behind him. Of the presences spoke. "Father?"

The Dragon King concealed his sorrow with a smiling mask. He turned to face the source of the voice. His progeny, his child. His son. He was young, a few short years away from what the Progenitor's called adolescence. "Yes, my son?" He said to the boy.

Next to him, a figure of much contention within the Swarm spoke. "My liege, we heard about the news." Larkin said. Many Generals had called out for her blood, for the weakness she displayed in fleeing the Progenitors. The King had silenced those objections, feeling what they called weakness was actually a strength. "Is it true that you will be enacting the final gambit?"

"Final Gambit?" The boy parroted, looking curiously between the two adults. The King almost felt his mask slip away. His son was a sweet thing, the brightest of smiles always plastered on his face, and so very curious about the world around him. A day would never go by without the child asking a hundred questions or wandering off to explore.

That brightness would soon dim once he started to shoulder a burden he shouldn't have for many years, decades even. But the King had to do what was needed to ensure their kind survived. "Yes, I am." He answered. "I will soon be leaving to personally oversee its completion."

"Leaving?" The boy asked. Then a look of understanding came off his young face. "You're going to fight the progenitors, aren't you?" He asked.

For a moment, the King felt his smile falter. His child was too perceptive for his age. "I am." He confirmed.

His son's expression dimmed. "You're not coming back, are you?"

"You will soon be the new Dragon King." The King answered to his son. He hated to admit it, but it was the truth, and he couldn't hide it from his son.

The boy's eyes began to water. "But why?" He asked. "Why do you have to fight them? Why do you have to die because of them? Can't stay here?"

It was Larkin who answered for the King. "Because he as to my young Liege." She looked at the boy giving him a soft expression. "If he does not go and the Final Gambit fails, the progenitors and their allies will be over our world. From they will destroy us all. They will leave this world as a lifeless barren husk, choking on poisons. Their hatred for us demands no less, as would ours if we were in their place."

The King looked to Larkin and nodded at her, giving his thanks to the female. "She is right, my son. If I do not go, then you and the rest of the Swarm will parish. I cannot allow that to happen."

The boy crossed his arms to stop his body from shaking from the raw emotions coursing through him. "But why?" He asked again. "Why do we have to hate each other? Why do we have to kill each other? You said we come from the same great cradle as the progenitors. That we are their sons and daughters. If that is true, why do we have to fight and kill? Can't we be of one Swarm?"

The King frowned. His son had always been curious about the Progenitors. He was not the only one many young Dragon Generals were curious about the beings they descended from. Some even wondered if it was necessary to fight progenitors. Like his son, they wondered why they were not of one Swarm. When he was his son's age, he had the same thoughts and questions.

A long time ago, such thoughts would have never occurred within the Swarm. If anyone did think of them, they would have been torn to shreds on the spot. Their hatred for the progenitors burned brightly at that time, almost like a wildfire. But now, that fire still burned inside all of them, but it seemed lesser now.

For what reason, he and the other Dragon Generals could never figure out. He knelt in front of his son and grasped both of his shoulders. "My son." He said. "When you have taken my place. You will understand why that can never be. We are driven by a single burning desire. To devour and destroy the progenitors. Since they have hated us, hatred has driven them to destroy us. You are too young to feel that desire burn within you, but when you have taken my place, you will feel that same desire. The desire of our entire Swarm, it will blaze within you and all around." His son would understand. He would know why the Swarm must always consume, always grow until there was nothing left to devour. He would understand why they had to seek out and destroy the ones that gave them life. The hate, the pain, the fear, he would understand it all as the King did when he took his place as the master of the Swarm.

His son lowered his head. The King could feel the child's thoughts as he went over what he said. Then he looked up and nodded. "I understand." He said.

He didn't. "One day, you will." The King said, standing up. "Now go. I have much to discuss with Larkin here." He looked to the female Dragon General. His son seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding and running off. "Larkin." He said in greeting.

The female Dragon General bowed before him. "My liege." She said. He sensed her feelings and thoughts. Admiration, joy, and shame they rolled off her. "I am honored to be in your presence."

"Raise." He said. The female did as he said and looked at him. "I have a special mission for you."

He felt surprise from her. "Anything for you, my liege. Anything to redeem my failure."

The King shook his head. There were those who felt that Larkin should die for failing to defeat the progenitors for running away from them like a lesser. Others had fled from them, but she had been the only one to make it back to the greater Swarm. He felt that deserved some merit. "I want you to watch over my son." He said.

Now he felt open shocked roll of Larkin. "But my Liege." She began to protest.

The King cut her off. "Your failure was not yours alone." He said. "We all have been driven back by the others and the Progenitors. Many other Dragon Generals greater than yourself have fallen. But you alone have survived battle against them." He had felt all their deaths and the feelings that came with them. The shock, the pain, the fear, the certainty of victory before death claimed them. He felt it all and his hate for the enemy, and so did his sorrow for the Swarm. "It is my failure as will." If only he had held back the Swarm when the others first came to them.

He should have allowed the Swarm to grow larger and devour more worlds. Only then should they have struck. But now it was too late to go back. The final gambit was the only chance for the Swarm to survive this war. Even then, he knew it would only buy them time. He hoped it would be time enough.

June 3rd, 2492, 12:00, Citadel Council Private Chambers

"Today is a sad day for the Federation." The news anchor said, a look of sorrow spreading across her face. "Earlier this morning, it was confirmed that Fleet Admiral Kirishima has passed away in his sleep. The cause of death has yet to be determined, but he has been fighting an incurable alien he caught when he was younger. The president has declared a Federation-wide day of mourning. She is to give a statement later this day. More to come as this story develops."

Councilor Tevos turned the viewer off. "A sad day indeed." She turned to face her fellow councilors. "It's never good to lose a good man like that." She had only met the man once, during a banquet celebrating the Terran's entry into the war. He seemed like a good, charming man.

"True." Councilor Filtius stated.

Councilor Hutow just nodded her agreement.

Tevos took a seat on a nearby couch. "So, do any of your governments plan to do anything?" Since this Admiral Kirishima was a major figure in the combined command structure of the Citadel-Federation alliance, the councilors had been informed of his passing.

"The Primarch plans to make a statement after the Federation President makes her statement. Expressing the Hierarchy's heartfelt condolences. I also plan to make a similar stamen."

Tevos nodded. That would work out just fine. "The Republics are planning to do the same." The two councilors turned their attention to the Salarain councilor to see what her response would be.

Hutow blinked at them a couple of times before she spoke. "I haven't received word from the Dalatrass on her plans. But since both of your governments are planning to make statements, I will encourage her to do the same."

Tevos pursed her lips, making it look like an idea had occurred to her. "Filtius, you said you plan to make your own statement separate from the Hierarchy? Correct?" She got a nod from the Turian. "Then how about this instead? We as the council make the statement together."

"A full round of support from their allies." Hutow said, catching onto what Tevos was thinking. "It would help strengthen ties between the Citadel and the Federation, if only slightly. It also continues to present a united front to the rest of the galaxy."

Councilor Filtius didn't seem to like the idea, judging by how his mandibles twitched. But he did nod in the end. "Very well. We'll make the statement together after the president has made her statement."

"Then it is agreed." Tevos said. She heard the turian whisper politics with disdain in his voice. Tevos smiled as she sipped from her cup of tea. Admittedly it was one thing they could do without in their job, but it was a necessity, and they had to live with it. Otherwise, they wouldn't be using methodical knives to stab each other, they would be using real ones, and that tended to be very messy.

"Now that we have that item out of the way. Shall we move on to the next?" Hutow said.

"Perhaps the progress on the war?" Filtius suggested.

Tevos expertly suppressed a grimace. Even though they were on the winning side of the war, it still left a sour note in her mouth. Thank the goddess that the Batarians got what they deserved. "Last I heard, we were still making progress. Unless something has changed?"

Filtius thankfully shook his head. "No, we're steadily driving the Dragon Orphans out of Batarian space. Our analysts believe that we'll be fighting them in their own space within a couple of months."

Again, Tevos repress the sour note in her mouth. That was a bloodbath she was not looking forward to. A part of her still wanted to find a peaceful way to end this war. Come to some accord with the Dragon Orphans. But she knew that was impossible. These Dragon Orphans were incapable of understanding the concept of diplomacy. Indeed, the very idea of peace probably didn't exist for them.

This war had caused her the Asari people to relearn a lesson they were loath to learn in the first place. They learned it in the Rachnii war and had been very eager to forget. There were times when honeyed words could not solve all their problems, or a knife in the back wouldn't do. There were times when the business end of a mass accelerator was the answer. Tevos hated it. They were supposed to be living in a civilized galaxy.

One where mass orbital bombardment and soldiers marching down the streets should have been derided as the evils they were. Tevos took a small hidden breath to calm herself. There was no need to suddenly become upset around the other councilors. That would not do well for her image. She would wait until she got to her apartment and then vent her frustrations in privacy.

So, she forced herself to continue to listen to the other counselor's report. "That's good to hear." She said. "Do we have an estimate for when the rest of Batarian space will be liberated?"

The Salarain councilor snorted. "I would hardly call what we're doing in Batarian space as liberating."

Filtius gave Hutow a heated glare. "Would you prefer that we sent in millions of soldiers to die?" He said in a low growl.

The Salarian shook her head. "No, I understand why mass bombardments are being employed and even agree with the persecution of the war so far." Tevos had to stop herself from looking at the woman in horror. "So many of their worlds are too heavily infested for a ground campaign to be anything but a bloodbath. No, I just wish that we didn't publicize so much of what we're doing out there."

That much Tevos could agree with. Between the Terran's insistence that they do not hide their actions during the Batarian Liberation Campaigns and the stories coming from the refugees, she was surprised they didn't have a galaxywide riot on their hands.

"Be lucky that are some worlds that we are fighting for and that we have not employed the use of nuclear weapons." Filtius said. "There are more than a few Primarchs wanting to turn every Batarian world into radioactive wastelands."

Again, the Salarain councilor snorted. "Not that the Batarians haven't done that themselves."

A somber silence fell over the room after that statement. About a year ago, allied forces arrived in the Harsa system to liberate the Batarian homeworld of Khar'shan. Or what has been left of it. After sweeping aside the Dragon Orphan swarm with minimum losses, the fleet found a mostly lifeless world wrapped up in a nuclear winter. From what little records were recovered in the final days of the Dragon Orphan Invasion of the Hegemony, the various nations on Khar'shan, once firmly under the control of the Hegemony, turned on each other. The war had created a weakness in the Hegemony, and the former nation-states had been more than eager to exploit it.

The result had been a brief but apocalyptic nuclear war. By the time the Dragon Orphans had arrived in the system, there was very little left for them to conquer. In fact, there had been no sign that they ever landed on the planet, and the survivors had confirmed it.

Soon after, the allied forces launched an evacuation of what was left of the Batarian population, Khar'shan. A few million out of what was once a world of fifteen billion. As much as Tevos hated them now, even she was appealed by the losses the four-eyed aliens had suffered. It was believed that more than two-thirds of their population was dead now.

Tevos sighed, she had only briefly brought up the subject, and already she regretted it. "Filtius, if you would please. Answer my question." She said.

Filtius looked at her and nodded. "We believe that within the year, the last of the Dragon Orphan forces will be eradicated from Batarian space. After that, the clean-up fleets will join the rest of our forces on the frontlines. Hopefully in time for the final assault on their homeworld."

Now that was a pleasant surprise for Tevos. "We've found their homeworld?" She asked for confirmation.

The Turian councilor nodded. "Just a few days ago." He said, activating his Omni-Tool. An image of a star system appeared in front of the councilors. "The system we are now designating as Dragon's Keep is in a cluster, about seven jumps away from relay 427." The image zoomed in on the second planet of the system. "This is what we believe to be their homeworld."

Tevos took a closer look at the planet. It was surrounded by masses of Dragon Orphan ships. But other than that, it appears to be no different from any other in the galaxy. Just another terrestrial ball orbiting its star, among countless billions. Certainly, no sign that it was home to the most dangerous species in the galaxy. "Dragon's Keep, you said?" Tevos asked, getting a nod from the Turian councilor. "A fitting name." She commented.

"What can we expect in defenses." Hutow asked, eyeing the projection.

"Dragon's Keep is protected by some of the largest swarms we have ever seen. It will take several fleets to wipe out its defenses." The Turian councilor said as images of Citadel and terran ships appeared and destroyed the dragon swarms.

"What of their ground forces?" The Salarain councilor said. "Do we have plans for taking the planet?"

The projection vanished. "As of now, we have no plans to invade Dragon's Keep." Filtius said.

"I see," Tevos said. "When can we expect such a plan?"

"I'm afraid that you don't understand what I meant." Filtius said. "We do not plan to launch a ground invasion of any kind of Dragon's Keep."

Tevos was not at all surprised by that statement. Especially when she considered about what was discussed a minute ago. "So, you plan to bombard the planet?" She could have brought up the Citadel convictions about planetary bombardment, mainly when it came to garden worlds. But she knew that part of the treaty had been quietly shelved in light of the threat that Dragon Orphans posed. It would probably be years or decades before any serious discussion about their actions here would happen.

"The plan is to leave the world completely lifeless." Filtius said, a good chill went down Tevos's back. She looked over a Hutow and saw she was just as disturbed. Looking over Filtius carefully to see how he felt about that statement. He was holding his body tightly, and his mandibles looked like they wanted to twitch in a different manner than the one that Filtius was forcing on them. He was disturbed too.

"We will use what means necessary to achieve this goal." Filtius continued. "The Primarch has already authorized the use of Nuclear and Biological weapons. Before this meeting started, I received word that the Terran President also gave her blessings." Tevos repressed a gulp. Such actions had not been sanctioned since the Rachnii wars, and they had come close in the Krogan Rebellions before the Turians joined the fight. Now weapons that in her mind should have never been created would be used again. "Before you say anything about how illegal they are, I will make this point. We do not care right now, and we will go through with it regardless of if your governments support us or not. Any ground invasion of Dragon's Keep will be more costly and bloody than every battle in this war combined. I will not risk that many Turian lives, and the Terrans are of the same opinion."

This time Tevos frowned, though she did not allow her true thoughts to show. "This will be a hard sell to the Matriarchs." She said. "But I think I might be able to convince them of the necessity of the action."

"The Dalatrass will likely agree as well." Hutow said in a neutral tone. "It's not the first time we've had to take extreme action to eliminate a threat. I only hope this will be the last."

The Turian councilor nodded. "We may have to do the same to several other worlds. Depending on how badly infected those worlds are." Tevos held her lips tightly, they had already ordered the death of one world. What would a few more hurt? Filtius gave her a sympathetic expression. "We are willing to be compromising on this matter. We will limit ourselves to standard bombardment until the enemy is neutralized or until a ground invasion becomes viable."

Tevos relaxed her features somewhat with that statement. "Just do what is needed to end this war and end the threat of the Dragon Orphans." She said.

"So, what do you hope to accomplish by taking their homeworld?" Hutow said. "As far we know, these monsters have no moral to affect by such an action. They'll simply see it as the loss of another nest."

Filtius nodded. "Normally, yes. But if what we believe is true." He said. "We are hoping that since this is their homeworld, the Dragon King will be there."

Now that got both councilors' attention. "If we manage to kill the Dragon King, it will leave the Dragon Orphans in disarray." Tevos said.

Hutow was blinking rapidly as her mind digested the news. "Killing a Dragon General causes their swarms to fall into chaos. Killing the Dragon King would have a profound effect on the Swarm."

"That is what we are hoping for." Filtius stated. "Granted they will still have their Dragon Generals. Without the Dragon King, the Dragon Orphans as a whole will not be able to act as a singular force. They will break up into smaller swarms. Each system will be isolated from the rest."

"Will these swarms try to reinforce one another if they come under attack?" Hutow asked.

"Based on the Terran's experience with the death of a Dragon King. No" Filtius answered. "Each Swarm will be more concerned with their own survival. With the Death of the Dragon King, all we will have to worry about is picking off each swarm one at a time."

Tevos nodded. It sounded like a good plan. "Then this war will finally end." She said. Things would finally go back to the way they had been. A part of her knew that things would never be the same, but she ignored it.

"I know this had been hard on all of us." Filtius said. "But we need only to hold out just a little longer. This war will end, and we will come out the victors."

October 10th, 17:23, system beyond Relay 427, space:

Hours ago, the system had been peaceful and serene. Swarms of Dragon Orphan ships sailed across the void of space between the five planets that orbited a simple yellow dwarf. There were no habitable planets, just two barren worlds and three gas giants. So, the Dragon Orphans had not bothered to deploy ground forces.

Then the relay in the system spun to life, and before the Dragon Orphans realized what was happening, ships started to pour through it. Their first line of defense was wiped out before it ever had a chance to fight back.

Even as the stream of ships started to grow, the fleets of hostile ships initiated micro jumps and appeared in front of swarms of Dragon ships. Unleashing a devasting barrage within the opening moments of the battle, they often eliminate over a third of the swarm. The battle of Dragon's Gate had started.

That had been hours ago, and the Dragon Orphans found themselves on their last legs. They rallied around the second of the three gas giants in the system and the fourth planet of the system. They would prepare for a final onslaught. Either they would all die fighting them, or they would wrestle victory from the jaws of defeat. The Dragon general in command knew what the most likely result was.

The attacking fleets saw their opportunity to end the battle in their favor. They took it, approaching the gas giant. The attackers divided their fleet into three main groups, each coming at the Dragon Orphans from a different direction. Several smaller groups were formed to cut off all routes of escape.

Even though they knew they were on the verge of victory, the attackers knew the Dragon Orphans were cornered wounded animals. So, they approached the gas giant with cation firing their weapons at maximum range. Scores of mass accelerated rounds and missiles sailed across the empty void and killed dragon ships by the hundreds.

The attacking ships stopped short of the swarm's effective weapons range and continued to shell the enemy. The commander of the attacking force was not about to throw his ships into a meat grind when all he had to do was sit there and fire at the enemy beyond their range.

The Dragon Orphans would be forced to stay where they were and be slaughtered. Or try to force their way through his fleet, coming into range of their secondary weapons. The Dragon Orphans chose the former of the options. If there had been any air in space, the attacking fleet might have heard the angry roars of the Dragon Orphans as their ships surged forward.

The swarm of ships fired off their weapons, hoping to do some damage to the enemy. The damage was minimum, with only a few vessels dying. The Dragon Orphans were not so lucky, hundreds more of their ships died each second as they closed in on their enemy. When they got within range, the attackers added the firepower of their secondary weapons into the mix. Smaller mass accelerated rounds, missiles, disruptor torpedoes, guardian lasers, and strike craft formed together, creating a field of death for the Dragon Orphans.

By the time they closed into knife fighting range with the attacking fleet, only a third of their force had survived. The final nail in the coffin came when the ship containing the Dragon General was destroyed. Without a force to guide them, the remaining ships became disorganized, making it easier for the attackers to finish them.

Ten hours after the battle began the allied forces had captured the system designated Dragon's Gate.

18:50, TFV. Anteiku:

Admiral Grayson smiled to himself. The allied forces had just won a decisive battle securing the Dragon's Gate system and consigned several tens of thousands of dragon ships to a fiery death. A good day in his opinion, and an excellent start to the final offensives of the war.

He only hoped that it would continue that way. "Statues on the fleet." He ordered.

A blue orb appeared in front of them. "The fleet reports minimum damage, Admiral," Helen reported. "Initial projections indicate that the fleet suffered between ten and fifteen percent loss of ships. We will have more accurate reports for you within a few hours."

Grayson hummed to himself. Their losses had been lower than they had predicted. Still, that was more than a thousand ships lost and possibly tens of thousands of dead. He hoped those losses were mostly disabled ships that could be salvaged. But he wasn't about to hold his breath.

He brought up a projection of the fleet. "Signal our forces at Relay 427 that we have secured Dragon's Gate and that they may come through. Dispatch rescued teams for any survivors." The allied fleet had held up well, and for that, he was proud.

The fleet was mostly a mixture of Terran and Turian warships. Other citadel ships were present, mostly coming to form the Asari and Salarians. To the surprise of everyone, the Quarians had even sent in a token force of their ships to aid in the battle.

Grayson's smile grew as he brought up the Quarian ships. Most of them were still the same old ships that they had a few years, centuries-old but now newly upgraded and refurbished, so they could stand toe to toe with modern-day warships. In the mixture were newer ships, as in newly built over the Quarian's new homeworld.

Grayson could only imagine the pride that the Quarians took in the fact they could now build ships for themselves. And not rely on second-hand vessels from the other races. The fact that they even sent these out to the frontlines suggests they were more ready to interact with the rest of the galaxy than they let on. It would be interesting to see how they grow in the next few decades.

He turned his attention away from the Quarian ships and looked over the vessels of their allies. They had improved significantly in the last five years since the Federation entered the war. With the technologies they shared, the Citadel saw a significant increase in combat performance against Dragon Orphan Swarms. New and Improved VI's improved fire rates and accuracy for their weapons, though they still refused to use actual Ais. Though he did hear rumors that the Turians were starting to come around to the idea. Improved heat sinks allowed for more heat to build and for it to be vented quicker.

Then there was the fact that the Federation shared its ARC technology with the Citadel races. Grayson felt his lips crease into a frown. He still felt it was a mistake to share their more unique technologies. Relations with the Citadel were still young and could change at any moment.

Sure, things were going well between the two, and that was mainly because of the war with Dragon Orphans. Why offend your biggest ally in a war for survival? When the war finally concluded, would relations continue as they are now, or would the Citadel look to them as the new big threat to the galaxy?

Greyson sighed and repressed his thoughts. Best to keep his thoughts on the present and worry about the future when they come to it. Still, at the very least, their leaders had the wisdom not to hand over the latest innovations in ARC technologies to the Citadel races, instead giving them what the Federation used several decades ago.

Greyson gave his next set of orders. "Once the rest of our fleets have come through the relay, we'll begin to secure the rest of the cluster. After that, the real battle begins." This whole cluster would be turned into a beachhead for an invasion into Dragon Orphan space. The Federation-Citadel alliance wanted a swift end to the war. So, the plan was after they secured this cluster, they would cut a path directly to what they had identified as the Dragon Orphans' homeworld. They would go from one Relay system to another, secure them and their surrounding systems, but leaving the rest of the cluster alone.

They would still leave enough forces behind to keep the enemy occupied and unable to reinforce their homeworld or cutting off the string of allied control systems. It was a risky and bold move on the part of High COMM, but if it worked, then they would be over the skies of the D-Orphan homeworld within six to nine months.

From there, they would turn that godforsaken planet into a lifeless husk. Hopefully, killing the Dragon King in the process. If that did happen, then the threat of the Dragon Orphans would be significantly reduced. As without an overall guiding force, they would break up into smaller swarms, each guided by a different Dragon General. Once that happened, all they would have to worry about was picking off the remaining swarms one at a time.

For this operation, all the stops were being pulled out. They had been given the authorization to render every world under the control of the Dragon Orphans lifeless if they felt it was necessary. Biological, nuclear, full planetary bombardment, everything was to be used to bring an end to the war as quickly as possible. For all intents and purposes, they had entered the most brutal part of the war.

He hoped that this war would end soon

January 17th, 2493, 14:00, New Rannoch, Prime Minister's Chambers:

"You should be receiving the last of the detainees by the end of the month." The turian ambassador said."

"Thank you, ambassador." Prime Minister Rael'Zorah said. "When we receive that last of our people, we'll transmit the last of the star charts to Palavan."

"That's good to hear." The turian ambassador said. "You have no idea how valuable those systems have been to us. Especially the systems beyond closed relays. Now that we know what lies beyond them, the Hierarchy has been given permission to open those relays and allowed to expand past them."

"I imagine the Council still felt a certain reluctance to open any more Relays." Rael commented. "Given the state of the Galaxy."

The turian ambassador huffed. "Be that as it may, both the Dragon Orphans and the Terrans have proven that we can't hide in our corner of the galaxy anymore. We must expand to survive. If there are other threats out there, we have to be the ones to seek them out. We can't afford to wait around for them to come to us."

Rael nodded. He agreed with the man's conclusion, it was best they be the ones to explore the galaxy and find out what's out there. Waiting around for something to find them was a recipe for disaster, to coin a human expression. Though, given the state of his own people, it was probably best that they let the other races seek out the wonders and threats of the galaxy. At least until the Quarian people could support themselves.

"Still, these star charts are worth a lot." The Turian ambassador continued. "Some would even argue that we're ones getting the better part of the deal here. Considering all we have to do is release a bunch of suit-rats."

Rael's eyes narrowed at the turian. He had to remind himself not to blow at the man and that he was the official leader of the new Quarian government. Whatever he did would reflect on the Quarian people.

The ambassador noticed the shift in Rael's behavior. He held up a placating talon. "I meant no offense." He said. "Those are the words of some of my colleagues. Words that I disagree with." Rael allowed himself to relax at hearing the sincerity in the man's voice. "A younger, more foolish version of myself might have agreed with them. But that I am older and wiser, I know better. I've read our history and can read in between the lines."

Now the Quarian Prime Minister was curious. "And what conclusions have you drawn?"

The ambassador's mandibles seemed to tighten for a moment, and his eyes darted from one side to the other. It was like he was looking around to make sure that no one was watching. "The Turian and Quarian people were once very close to each other. Perhaps even closer than my people were with the other council races. But we were close that much history makes clear. A military alliance. Technological, economic, and cultural exchanges. And if one looks at the reports close enough, there were indications that we have supported you becoming the fourth council race."

Now that was a surprise to Rael. He knew before their fall and exile the Quarian people were a growing power in Citadel space. There had even been rumors that they could become the furth council race. But he never thought they were true or that the Turians of all people would support the motion. Maybe he should take a closer looked at the historical records. His eyes narrowed at the ambassador. "Then your people turned against us." He said. "When we needed you the most."

He could almost see the ambassador flinch. "Funny how that turned out." Rael wouldn't have called it funny, but he let the ambassador continue. "I've had a close look at the historical records and not just ours. I've looked at records from the Volus, Elcor, Asari, Salarian, hell, even some memoirs from Krogan if you can believe those exist. They all paint a very different picture than what most believe happened. Entire fleets amassed at the borders of the Perseus Veil. Legions mobilized in scales not seen since the Krogan rebellions. Fiery rhetoric on how and I quote, "The Hierarchy will put down the soulless machines and safeguard the homelands of our allies."" The ambassador leaned into his chair. "By all indications, it looked like to the rest of the galaxy we were ready to go to war with the Geth and reclaim Rannoch for your people."

Rael could almost feel his eyes narrowing into slits. "So happened then?" He asked. He was definitely going to have a closer look at the historical records to see if they support the ambassador's story.

"It was quite the shift in behavior." The turian ambassador said. "Just as we were about to enter the Perseus Veil. Just as we were about to go to war against the Geth. We suddenly pull back all our fleets, demobilize our legions, and throw our support behind ejecting the Quarians from the Citadel Accords. It came as a shock to the whole galaxy, especially my people. There are records of riots on all our worlds, including Palavan. The decision was unexpected, to say the least."

Connections were starting to form in Rael's mind. Backdoor deals, threats made, and secrets withheld. "It was almost like someone forced the Hierarchy to call off its war with the Geth." He said.

The Ambassador nodded his head from side to side. "There are some indications." He said. "If you look at the records close enough. To those who know the truth, and that is more than you think, our betrayal of the Quarian people has become a source of shame for the Hierarchy. One that I am glad we are finally taking steps to mend."

"I doubt my people will be quick to forgive or forget." Rael said. Generations of mistreatment from the other races and being confined to the fleet of rundown ships, that tended to give a people a long memory.

"Nor should you." The Ambassador said. A long silence fell over the two before the Ambassador spoke again. "We have gotten quite a bit off-topic here. As I said, the New Quarian Republic will be receiving the last of the detainees by the end of the month. We expect payment to come after."

Rael nodded. "Of course, ambassador. On behalf of the Quarian people, I thank you for this kind gesture. You have no idea what it means to us."

"It was a mutual arrangement, Prime Minister." The Ambassador said. "I, of course, will speak to you once the final exchange has been made. That way, we can hammer out any final details in our trade agreement. It has been a pleasure speaking to you."

Rael nodded at the turian. "The pleasure was mine. I found our exchange to be enlightening. You've given me much to think about." He said. "Until next time Ambassador."

"Until next time." The Ambassador signed off.

Rael let out a breath he had not realized he was holding. Indeed, he did have a lot to think about. He stood from his desk and stretched out his limbs. His joints protested at the sudden movement. He walked over a window overlooking the cityscape.

It still amazed him how much progress his people had made in the last half-decade. They had gone from living in a collection of barely operable ships to thriving on a new homeworld. With aid from the Terrans, they built three cities on New Rannoch with numerous smaller settlements dotted around them. Their economy, while small, was slowly growing to the point where it could support the Quarian people with needing aid from outside sources. Above the skies, construction yards were building new ships that would one day make a fleet capable of defending their interest.

It was an exciting time to be a Quarian and a time Rael never thought he would see in his lifetime. Let alone in just under five years. His thoughts drift off to home, where he hoped his wife and daughter were waiting for him.

Perhaps he would take the day off early and see them. He returned to his desk, intending to finish what little he could. Just as he was about to comm his assistant, they called him. "Prime Minister, we are receiving a priority transmission from the Terran Federation. It's coming from the office of the president."

Rael blinked, wondering two things. One, why was the terran president calling him, and two, why did these things always happen just when he started to relax. "Put her through." He said, looking at his terminal. Not a moment later, the sigil of the President's Officer appeared on his screen, which faded to show a familiar face.

"Greetings, Prime Minister Zorah." President Nader, recently re-elected, said. "It's good to see you. How are things in the Republic?"

Rael returned the greeting. "Hello, madam president. It's good to see you as well. Everything is going well, though they do keep me busy here. But that's to be expected."

The terran president had a good-natured smile on her face. "That's good to hear." Then her expression grew serious. "But I did not call you just to exchange pleasantries. Three days ago, we received an odd transmission. Both in its origin and content. We believe it will be of interest to you."

Now curious, Rael began to question the President. "What makes you think this transmission will be of interest to us?"

The President's expression remained serious, but there was an element to it that made Rael uncomfortable. "For one thing, the origin of the transmission came from beyond the Perseus Veil."

Rael almost shot up from his chair, shock and panic threatening to overwhelm him. "You don't mean?"

"Just have a look at the transmission. Then we'll decide what to do."

The image of the President vanished. To be replaced by an image Rael never thought he would see in his lifetime. Sitting all alone in the night, with only its star to offer any warmth, Rannoch slowly spun. Rael didn't have much time to admire the live image before an ocean of voices spoke at once. "Creators, we wish to negotiate."

March 27th, 18:00, Location: Classified

Matriarch Benezia never thought she could feel so much fear and excitement mixed together. She had lived for thousands of years and had experienced many things. Things that cause excitement, things that still chill her to this day, and of course, things that cause both feelings. But never both in such abundance.

Everyone around her was frozen in shock at what they were seeing. It was almost like someone had pressed the proverbial pause button on time. Down below the observation with over a dozen weapons trained on it was the Rachnii Queen. It looked around the scene with a seemingly impassive face as it held onto its prize.

Its tentacle was wrapped what should have been an unconscious Asari. But again, the centuries-old Matriarch was reminded that reality didn't always conform to her expectations. The young asari's eyes were wide open, but her irises were gone, leaving a set of whited-out eyes. The girl was held to the ground and seemed to shamble around, almost like she was kind of. Benezia's eyes widened as a thought occurred to her.

"Almost like a puppet." She muttered. Could this be? The Matriarch was the first to act. She got to the terminal and activated the comms system. "Everyone stand down." She said.

That finally seemed to break everyone out of their stupor. One of the observation crew, a terran, turned around in his chair. "Are you sure, Matriarch?" He asked, his eyes shifted to his superior officer.

The older terran male looked at her with a serious expression. "Matriarch, this is a clear violation of containment protocols. If we don't act now, we may lose control of the situation."

"I say you already have." The Salarain observer said. "Commander, I demand that you follow through with protocols and kill that thing now. It's time that we put an end to this foolishness."

Benezia shot the Salarain female a glare that had her squirming. Then looked back at the Commander. "I'm aware this is a violation of protocols. But" The Matriarch gazed back at the Rachnii and her puppet and suppressed a shudder. "I believe she may be trying to communicate with us."

For her part, Benezia hoped she was right. Their assignment here was to both nurture the Queen and try to establish a dialogue with her. There were critics of what they were doing here, namely the Salarians. But she was not one of them like the Terrans Benezia felt that the Rachnii deserved a second chance at life. Even to this day, no one knows if the Rachnii's aggression towards the Citadel races was something inherent to the species. Or if some cultural aspect was involved.

If it was the latter, then they offered the species a clean slate. The last year they spent watching the Queen suggested that it was. For the most part, she acted passive, only getting aggressive when the observers did something to provoke her. Even then, she didn't attack anyone and gave them an agitated flail of her tenacles as a warning to back off.

Now that had changed. The Terran Commander continued to give her a stern look. "Very well, Matriarch. I will defer to your judgment here." He cut off the Salarain observer before she could speak. "However, if the Queen makes one wrong, I'll order my people to shoot. We cannot risk another Rachnii war. Especially when we are so close to defeating the Dragon Orphans. Understood?"

Benezia nodded. Fair was fair. "Completely." She said.

The Commander walked beside her and activated the intercom. "Everyone stand down." He ordered. "The Matriarch will attempt to negotiate with the Queen. But be ready to act at a moment's notice."

The soldiers below looked at each other for a moment nodding to one another. They lowered their weapons and relaxed their postures. Benezia could see that they were still uneasy and were ready to act at the first sign of trouble.

The base Commander looked over at her expectantly. He gestured to the comm. "It's your move, Matriarch." He said.

Benezia nodded and activated the comm. "Do you understand us?" She asked the puppet.

The asari thing gazed up at the observation deck. Its pure white eyes stared at Benezia, seemingly boring into her soul. It was more than a bit disturbing to her.

Benezia hoped that the young Asari wasn't in any kind of pain. Not for the first time in the last several minutes, she wished she had been more insistent that the girl take the day off. It was clear that the young maiden wasn't feeling well this day. Perhaps exhaustion from all the work was getting to her. But the maiden had been adamant that she was fine, and Benezia didn't wish to embarrass the girl any further. That may have been a mistake.

Like the one she may be making now. The asari puppet continued to stare up at them before it finally opened. What came out was not the asari's voice. Well, it was, and it wasn't. Somehow by some impossible means, another voice was overlaid on the maiden's voice. It was deeper, more powerful than anything Benezia had heard in her life. "Yes." Was its answer.

Terror and excitement battle out for dominance in Benezia's mind. She glances over at the others in the observation deck. Trying to get a feel for what everyone thought. There was undoubtedly a sense of fear prevailing in the air. But at the same time, there was an air of excitement as everyone realized that this could be the breakthrough they had been waiting for.

Benezia looked back at the puppet. "Are you the Rachnii Queen?" She asked. She knew it was a dumb question to ask, but she had to be certain who or what she was talking to.

The asari thing spoke again. "Yes." The puppet/Queen answered. "We sing for the Hive."

The fear was slowly subsiding from Benezia. A whirlwind of questions was raging around in her mind. There were so many questions she wanted to ask this entity. So many mysteries of the Rachnii that this being could answer for them. Why did they attack the Citadel? Why had they refused all forms of communication? Why had they fought to the very last Rachnii Queen standing? What was their culture like? Did they have any kind of deities they worshiped? What were their favorite foods? And so many others that Benezia wasn't sure that even a full Asari lifetime could answer them all.

But one question prevailed over all of them. "What do you want?" Benezia asked.

The puppet/queen remained silent for a moment before speaking a word that would change history. "Peace."

May 19th, 12:23, TFS, Anteiku in route to Dragon's Keep System:

The moment that everyone had been waiting for was fast approaching. Greyson knew it. Everyone on the command deck knew it. The whole attack fleet knew it. The tension in the air was so thick that the Terran Admiral doubted that even a round from a dreadnought could pierce through it.

They were about to participate in the largest battle of the war, hell, the largest battle in the known history of the galaxy. This battle would determine the outcome of the war as well. If they found victory here, all the other battles after would be meaningless, and the war would be won. But if they were turned back here, their fleets broken and shattered, then.

Greyson shook his head. He didn't want to entertain that thought. No, they would win this battle no matter what. Even if it meant they had to blow open the gates of heaven and hell to do it. They certainly had enough firepower to do it.

Admiral Grayson brought up a tactical display of the combined fleet. Massive was the only word that could be used to describe it. If one included the former migrant fleet, what they had here would be the second-largest fleet in the galaxy. Entire fleets had been combined together. Four Turian, three Terran, one Asari, and one Salarain. Along with numerous smaller battle groups and task forces from the other races.

"Sir," Helen said. "We are receiving orders from the Fleet Admiral."

Grayson nodded. "Let's hear them." He said.

"Our task force, along with several others, is to engage the smaller swarms throughout the system. While the main force engages the enemy over their homeworld."

The ship's Synth brought up a project of the Dragon's Keep system and all the forces it had in it. Greyson hummed. "It would appear that the majority of the Dragon Ships have gathered around their homeworld." He commented. "Compared to that, we're fighting small fry."

"There are still a significant number of them, Admiral." Helen said. "The Grand Admiral and their staff does not wish to risk the enemy flanking us."

Greyson nodded, showing he understood the reasoning. "That much I can behind. We've come too far. Risked too much to start making mistakes now." He leaned in on the terminal, glaring at the masses of red. If looks could kill, the Admiral would have single-handedly won the war. "What do we do once the smaller swarms have been dealt with?" He asked. "Secure the system?"

"Negative, Admiral," Helen answered. "Once we have cleared out our assigned area, we are to join up with the main force."

"And finish the enemy off." Greyson finished for her. "A simple but good strategy."

"Indeed." Helen commented.

Greyson perked up. He had worked with Synths long enough to know the inflictions in their voices. Something was bothering Helen. "Helen, care to tell me what's up?"

There was a brief pause before the Synth answered. "I have been thinking more and more about our conversation seven years ago."

"Seven years ago?" Greyson was no Synth, so he couldn't recall his memories at a thought like them. He had to rack his brain to bring the memory back up. He knew it was around the time the Federation joined the war. Greyson's eyes widened. "Right before we entered the war." Greyson muttered, now having an idea what the conversation was.

"Yes," Helen said. "With the final battle coming, I have been thinking more on the subject of my immortality."

Greyson shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He had been thinking about it too, off and on. "I suppose it's only fitting we talk about it now. Have you reached any conclusions since then?" He asked.

"I believe I have." Helen said. "There is a good chance that none of us will return from this battle. Even I may not survive the battle. In which case, I have made peace with that. I do not relish the thought of dying here."

"I don't think any of us here does." Greyson said with a small chuckle. He looked around the CC getting small uncomfortable nods from some of the crew.

"But if that does, happen, and I go down with the rest of the Anteiku's crew. It would not be a bad death." Helen explained. "But should I survive, and rest the crew doesn't, or they die from other causes. I have decided to live on."

Greyson remained silent for a moment letting Helen's answer sink in. "So, you have decided that you can live without us." He said.

"Maybe," Helen said. "I do not truly know if I can live on after all those I have known are gone. Not until it happens. But what I do know is that none of you would want me to terminate my existence on your account."

Greyson put on a small smile. "That's nice to know." He said. "But there's more to it isn't there?"

"Yes," Helen answered. "The Terran people are at a critical juncture. The next two centuries will be of great importance to the Federation and the rest of the galaxy. Countless breakthroughs in technology and culture are about to manifest. Events will play out that will forever shape our people and the people of the galaxy. They are, in fact, already playing out."

"The war and first contact." Greyson said.

"To name a few." Helen responded. "History, as they say, is in the making. I wish to bear witness to that history. I wish to see what kind of people, what kind of galaxy that history will shape."

Greyson hummed to himself. Now Helen had piqued his interest. Humans and ghouls were living longer than they did centuries ago. Living past a hundred years used to be a rare thing. Now, it was to be expected. The average life was around a hundred twenty, with some lucky few living to be hundred fifty.

Greyson himself probably had another seventy to eighty years in him. What kind of things would he see in that time? How would history play out in his lifetime? It seemed like such a long time. But now he was wishing he had another century or two, maybe even three. If only to see how things would play out. Even then, that may not be enough time. History and time were ever-flowing and always in a state of flux.

Helen, though, would get to see how history turned out. Perhaps that was the trade-off for immorality. Live long enough to see everyone you know, and love pass from this world. But in exchange, live long enough to see how everything would play out. See the end result of history, if there is such a thing. Even see the legacies left behind by everyone you met.

"Sounds more like you're putting things off." Greyson said after his moment of reflection.

"Perhaps," Helen said. "Put it is my choice. Who knows, by then, I may find more reasons to live on. Put until I choose to live."

Greyson's smile grew. "That's good to hear. After, it's nice to know that will be someone to remember me long after I'm gone."

"It is a nice sentiment. Isn't it?" Helen responded. "We have received orders. The attack group is about to enter normal space. We are to proceed to our assignments."

Greyson nodded. The time for waiting and talking had ended. Now the time to fight had come. "Then let's get to it." He ordered.

Space

The empty void just outside the Dragons Keep systems was washed in blue light as hundreds, then thousand, and finally, tens of thousands of ships poured in. Nine fleets and numerous other smaller task groups had been gathered to form the largest assault fleet in the galaxy's history. In size alone, it rivaled the Migrant fleet before settling on New Rannoch. It eclipsed the Krogan fleets that ravaged the Rachnii home systems.

Waiting for them were more than two hundred stealth vessels. Mostly from the Salarian's STG and the Terran's SFS. In the months prior, they had seeded the system with thousands of probes to scan the area for the number and positions of enemy ships.

To say the least, a massive amount of data was being processed. The swarms defending the Dragon's Keep systems were by far the largest ever recorded, even in the Terran's history. Easily passing the hundreds of thousands. The system lived up to its namesake.

Keeping track of all the ships and calculating the optimum firing solution at any given time had been a daunting task, even for the Federation's AIs. But despite the difficulty of the task, they did their job, and they did it well.

The stealth vessels transmitted their data along with the firing solutions. The data was received, checked over, and implemented. With that valuable data, the attack fleet returned to FTL.

The first Dragon Swarms to realize they were under attack were some of the swarms patrolling the outer edges of the systems. They did not have much time to get a warning before swiftly obliterating. The next swarms closer in the system faired a little better as they suddenly found themselves engaged with the enemy, with most of their number dying before they could fight back.

The real fight began when the main allied fleet appeared over the Dragon Orphan's homeworld and unleashed devasting first strike. It was a standard Terran strategy to wipe out as much of the enemy in the first volley as possible, idly the whole enemy force in a single strike. With this being the largest swarm ever recorded and them fighting in the home system of the Dragon Orphans, special measures had been taken.

Powerful weapons normally reserved for dire situations had been unshelved for this battle. One of them being the starburst missiles. They didn't have the destructive power like most missiles, or at least not in the traditional sense. What these missiles did when they exploded was unleash a massive burst of radiation. This burst would kill anything organic with a certain radius about in the range of several hundreds of kilometers. Including the Dragon Orphan ships, though ordinarily able to handle sudden bursts of radiation, a regular occurrence in space. But the amount unleashed by a starburst missile was more than most Dragon Ships could handle. And the allied fleet would be firing a lot of them. There were other weapons being unshelved, but they would come later.

Between the starburst missiles, masses of other missiles, kinetic rounds, and disruptor torpedoes, over a third of the Dragon swarm over the homeworld died in fire. More died in the brief moments it took for them to recover from the enemy's shock, appearing and killing so many of them. It took them another few seconds to realize that their attackers would not close into their range, and they had to come to them.

What happened next could only be described as an angry tide rushing towards the shore as the Dragon swarm soared towards the attacking fleet. The allied fleet would get off two more volleys of the starburst missiles before it was deemed too dangerous to fire anymore in close proximity.

By the time the Dragon Orphans got into their weapons range, more than two-fifths of their swarm was dead. The smaller Dragon swarms in the system tried to move in to aid the larger swarm in protecting their homeworld. But found themselves intercepted by one of the many task groups whose job was to secure the system by wiping the smaller swarms.

Allied command was not taking any risks of the Dragon Orphans over their homeworld receiving reinforcements. The smaller task groups would see to it none of the other swarms would be able to hook up with the main swarm. Once they cleared the system, they would join up with the rest of the fleet and finish off the Dragon Orphans for good.

Additional other fleets and task groups were being deployed to intercept any reinforcements heading for the Dragon's Keep system. The attack on the Dragon's Keep system would be remembered as the largest operation in the galaxy before the Reaper War and its final climactic battle over Earth.

TFS. Zeus

Several hours into the battle, and everything was going. Well, Commander Hackett wouldn't call it smooth exactly. No battle could be called that. But it was going better than the projections had predicted. Two-thirds of the Dragon Swarm over their homeworld had been sent to a fiery death, and most of the smaller swarms throughout the system had been wiped out.

But their progress was coming at a price. More than two thousand allied vessels now drifted lifelessly in the void of space, many shattered beyond recognition and repair. Thousands more suffered a wide range of damage. Hackett knew that they would win this battle, but it would come at a cost. It would take years, maybe even decades, to replace all the ships lost in this battle.

At least that was what it would be like for the Citadel races. His people would likely recover more quickly given the level that AI was integrated into the Federation. A lot of their industry was automated, so their factories and shipyards never stopped producing even for a second. One of the major advantages they had over the aliens.

"Admiral!" Hackett said. "Our task groups report the extermination of the last of the smaller swarms. They'll be joining us in a matter of minutes."

The Fleet Admiral nods his head. "Good, with their help, we can finally end this battle." Suddenly that carrier shook. A few crewmen running by almost stumbled to the floor. "Report!"

"A dozen dragon ships broke through the defense line and made an attack run on us." Hackett reported a moment later. "Barriers holding. Nearby ships are pursuing." Just then, the dozen or so dots that represented the enemy ships vanished. "Correction, they have destroyed the enemy ships."

He could almost hear the Fleet Admiral suppressing a growl. "Damn it. Tell Captain Santiago to shore up our lines. We can't have the enemy wreaking havoc behind our lines like that. Tell squadrons fifteen and seventeen to tighten our flanks."

"Relaying orders now, sir." Hackett said. A report appeared on his terminal. "Sir, something is coming out of the mass of enemy ships. Its…" Hackett's eyes widen as he reads the readings over a second and third time. He felt his heartbeat race.

"Commander!" The Fleet Admiral shouted. "Report now! What is it?"

Hackett turned to face the Admiral, almost feeling the blood drain from his. "It's a Leviathan."

Space over Dragon's Keep

A wave of fear passed through the allied fleet as the massive Leviathan emerged from the swarms of the much smaller Wyrms. This vessel had only been encountered once by the Terrans. During the battle for Cadia, it had reaper a deadly toll on the Federation before the combined firepower of ten dreadnoughts.

This Leviathan would prove to be no less deadly as it began its assault on the allied fleet. A Turian Dreadnought would be the first of its victims, as it fired both of its main canons. Its barriers held up against the first two shots, but the next two tore through and gutted the ship. Another two rounds, and the dreadnought was ripped in two.

The Leviathan moved on to its next target. By this time, the allied fleet had recovered from its state of shock and began to reform its lines to combat this new thought. Even though fear was prevalent throughout everyone, there was also a flicker of hope and excitement. This confirmed that the Dragon King was present in the system and was very likely on that ship. If it went down, then this war would effectively be over.

Two more mainline ships, an Asari dreadnought and a Terran battlecruiser, would go down before the allied force retaliated. Masses of kinetic rounds, missiles, strike craft, and disruptor torpedoes sailed towards the behemoth of a ship. Most of them would be intercepted by the smaller Wyrms and a few Drakes, sacrificing themselves. A few shots, however, would make it through, tearing into the organic hull and leaving small gashes and scorch marks.

The Leviathan was quick to retaliate. Firing both its main cannons and its secondary armaments, dozens of allied ships were torn apart under a hail of Rc shards. But while the Leviathan alone could not be contested in terms of firepower, it could not take on a whole fleet by itself, especially not one as large as the combined allied fleet it was fighting now. In time the protective wall of smaller Dragon Ships around the massive vessel thinned, and more shots made it through and found their mark on the Leviathan.

More allied ships would die, but more ships started to bring to bear their weapons on the Leviathan. It was only a matter of time before the monstrous ship died and with it the rest of the Dragon Swarm.

Aboard the Leviathan

He was going to die. That the Dragon King had accepted as he leaned back into his throne. Already he could feel the specter of death coming for him as his vessel began to die. He felt its pain as more and more wounds were opened, and pieces of it were torn off. He senses the growing feeling of fear and dread overtaking the ships as it desperately tried to fight off the attackers.

It was no longer listening to his commands and instead was acting like a wild animal as it fought. No longer was it focusing on a single target. Instead, it fought anything it saw as a threat. The Dragon smiled at the very least it was still killing several of the Progenitor's ships and the ships of the others.

Fire began to spread through his chamber, the flames licking at his skin. His lessers screamed at him to run, to flee. But the King refused he would face his death like the previous Kings before him. He was not afraid of death, and that had been the whole point of the Final Gambit.

But he was saddened by it. He would never see his son grow to become the master of their race. He would never see him bear offspring of his own. He would never see his smile again. But at the very least, he would live, somewhat easing the burden in his heart.

He directed his senses to what the ships sensed. He didn't so much as see his killers coming at him. Rather he perceived them coming. It was then he realized something, they could never defeat the Progenitors.

The swarm was powerful and vast. But they lacked something that the Progenitors had. A trait or quality that would always drive them to victory over the swarm. If the swarm continued to fight them, it would be doomed to die out at some point.

Even as the flames and the cold of the void consumed him, he sent one last message to his son. It was short and frantic. He hoped it would contain the underlying realization he had come to. "Do not fight the Progenitors. They are death."

It felt like an eternity had passed before he got a response. "Yes, father."

Then in his final act, he cut the link to his child and the swarm he commanded. There was a final moment of heat before death welcomed him.

Space

The destruction of the Leviathan had confirmed everyone's belief the Dragon King had been present in the battle. And he had just died along with the massive vessel. The chaos that the swarm fell into was all the evidence they needed. After the battle, they would learn that all Dragon Swarms went into a similar state of shock

Until then, the allied fleet still had a job to finish. Even with the loss of their King and that they were just as busy tearing into each other as they were with their enemies, the Dragon Orphans still possessed a significant threat.

It took another three hours before the last of the Dragon Ships was destroyed. With the skies over Dragon's Keep cleared and the rest of the system secured from further hostiles, the allied fleet took position over the planet. A moment later, the order everyone had been waiting for was given.

"All ships fire."

There we have it people, all that is left now is an epilogue and this story will be finished. It's kind of surreal to me, this is the first full story that'll complete (here's hoping it will be the first of many). There were times when I thought that I would never get to finish this story but here we are now. The Dragon Orphans have been dealt with (or so it seems), and the now the galaxy live in peace. That is until the Reapers come knocking at the front door.

I should hopefully have the epilogue out next month, its a short one so shouldn't have to worry about delays.