Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, Warhammer 40k, Stellaris, Kaiserreich, HoI4, Clannad, Star Wars, or Mass Effect. This is a fanfiction, and I don't have ANY monetary reward for making it. Any political or religious beliefs mentioned in this story do not reflect my own. This is purely for fun.

WARNING: This is an M-rated fanfiction. Sexual content and graphic depictions will appear from time to time.

AN: This chapter has some time jumps, so keep that in mind when reading. I should be fairly obvious, but let me know if I need to be more clear on that in the future. Thank you for all the feedback and support!

Fair warning: the next chapter might seem a little fluff. I'll give y'all fair warning about those chapters, but romance is one of the tags. If you read the other fanfiction, I plan on making Oriana and Erwin's relationship a bit more complex. I'm also going to work on telling the story through more dialog, rather than long explanations. However, those will still be a part of the story.

Also, let me know if you want any specific specifications about anything within the story. For example; specifications on the plasma velocity for the Plasma Repeater, or what even is a hell lance.

Chapter 8

The Forest

Erwin found himself camping out in the woods on Korn der Ruhe. He had his armor inside of a large tent and was currently wearing nothing but underwear. The fresh air on his skin felt rejuvenating.

The woods reminded him of his homeworld but were different. The trees were a different species, and the wind didn't smell the same.

IHA Korn der Ruhe was currently orbiting Vindicator in a way that'd allow seasons similar to Central Europe. The cycle of seasons started with winter, and the woods had a thick layer of white snow.

Erwin enjoyed the biting cold on his skin. He didn't have to worry about hypothermia. It took temperatures much lower than a habitable planet could reach for Anglian Spartans to freeze.

Erwin had a complicated relationship with the woods. He used to love them while growing up on Ruhe, and he had vague memories of his grandfather taking him out to hunt.

On the flip side, he knew something bad happened in the woods. It probably had something to do with his homeworld and family.

Family…

That was something Erwin hasn't thought about in a while.

All he knew was he had parents, an older and younger sister, and grandparents. Every single one of them were the greatest family member someone could ask for.

It's just that… he couldn't remember their faces.

It was meant to be that way of course. It made him a better warrior. A Supreme Commander within the Imperial Military couldn't wallow in his depressing thoughts.

The painful memories from his homeworld and family were safely locked behind a mental wall, but he chose to remember his love of the woods. It just came with a risk of his mental walls weakening.

There are only three vague thoughts he allowed free from the mental prison he erected around his childhood memories.

First, he was Erwin August Wolff. The heir of the Wolff Dynasty; proud son of an Anglian Warrior father and German Nobile mother.

Second, was his love of the woods. Erwin must have had happy memories connected to the biome. However, he also knew there were painful memories; it was due to the feeling he got from the woods. Erwin wanted to be in them, but there was something bitter-sweet about it. It was also his most detailed memory. Even now, Erwin could remember exactly what the forest smelled like on Ruhe.

Third, was the vaguest but had the most emotion behind it. Erwin's family is dead; except the Emperor and Empress.

His immediate family was butchered on Ruhe, and later his homeworld was glassed. The details were very fuzzy, but it was designed to be that way. The only thing Erwin knew was the constant dull pain and burning rage he felt for the ones responsible.

Erwin knew the San'Shyuum were the main enemy of the Empire and was indirectly responsible for Ruhe's destruction. The Ayleians were higher up on Erwin's shit list, they were directly responsible, but for some reason, he didn't thrust for their blood.

It was the Ilythiiri Erwin truly hated. They were responsible for his mother's and sisters' deaths.

It led to the Klonarmee des Geistes and Legio II Weltraumwölfe being the only two Imperial forces the Dark Elves feared.

For good reason too.

Erwin stood up and grabbed the bayonet embedded in the log he was sitting on. He walked towards the deer-like creature he had strung up on a tree and began cutting away a large piece of meat.

He could use psionics or even have a machine butcher the animal, but decided against it. The creature gave up its life to provide for Erwin, he felt it allowed him to experience the food chain when bare hands were used.

Walking back to the campfire, he placed the meat on a skewer and added basic seasoning.

Erwin threw another log on the fire before sitting back down on the larger log he was using as a seat.

He started playing with the bayonet and was mildly intrigued by how useful a knife was. It was probably one of the first tools used by man; and here he was, playing with a tool his ancestors used to sustain and protect themselves. Instead of sharp stone, it was a mono-blade forged from hard Imperial Adamantium alloy.

Yet it was still a knife.

Erwin cut his thoughts off by stabbing the bayonet back into the log. The blade cut through the hardwood like butter.

Erwin looked up past the canopy at the lightly falling snow and closed his eyes.

The forest felt alive and old. It was one of the few places untouched by the Flood infection. The trees were probably older than Erwin judging by their thickness and growth rate.

It was almost spiritual.

He got a ping from Ares through this neural lace.

"Sorry to disturb your leave, brother." Ares apologized.

"It's fine. I told you to keep me informed." Erwin calmly replied.

"Ah, well… you wanted me to tell you when the primitives found Khar'Shan."

Ares sent Erwin a data packet going into detail about the primitives' response. In short, they weren't too happy.

Many people within the Empire hated or loved him for his methods, but Erwin didn't care. The opinions of the primitives meant even less.

Why was he fighting for these primitives? Perhaps he should just ditch the Milky Way. Erwin already gathered a few million fertilized Baseline eggs.

Though, Erwin had to make a stand.

Fighting for some primitive Baselines was better than fighting for some far-off Galaxy with no redeeming features.

It was just another war that needed to be fought. Except Erwin didn't have the fire he had when facing the Covenant or Elves. It was probably because he cared little for the primitives.

In all honesty, the only thing keeping him going is his men.

If the fighting got too tough, he could just pack up on Korn der Ruhe and leave. Though, in that situation, he'd purge a significant portion of the Milky Way before leaving.

Another migraine was coming on, and it worried Erwin. Anglians don't just get migraines; it shouldn't be happening. The lack of sleep and stress was only worsening the problem.

Erwin used his fingers to rub his temples.

"Are you okay, brother?" Ares asked with concern.

"I should be dead, so not really. I'll get past it though." Erwin tiredly admitted.

"Maybe on your next leave you should head out with a few Jaegers to Illium. I hear it's like Vegas or Macao on steroids, and those hot little blue girls look like fun. Things seem to be mellowing out, so it's not like you need to camp in the backyard for leave." Ares suggested.

The last thing Erwin wanted was to play around with primitives.

"I'm fine, Ares." Erwin curtly shot down the idea.

"Okay, let me know if you need anything." Ares conceded softly.

"I will, thank you."

Ares was clearly worried about him, but Erwin's been through worse.

"Breaking news! Khar'Shan has been destroyed!" The Asari news broadcaster interrupted the repetitive breakdown on the state of Galactic affairs.

"We'll head to Usina Iessiari on Khar'Shan." The same Asari said before the view switched to a different location.

It was a different Asari, the mentioned Usina Iessiari. She was wearing a full environmental suit, and the background was a dark grey sky. To the reporter's left was a slight glow of orange.

"By the Goddess!" The Asari at the studio could be heard saying in mute horror.

"Thank you, Kesezizia. I'm on what used to be the Batarian homeworld. What was once a luscious garden world, is now nothing more than barren rock. It is unclear what destroyed Khar'Shan, but one thing is sure. It wasn't natural." Usina informed the audience.

A small screen showing Kesezizia back at the studio popped up, and the Asari asked the question on everyone's mind.

"How could someone do something so horrible?"

An image of the strange two-headed bird appeared. Most of the infernos around the bird died down, and an orange outline was able to be made out. The engraved sections were still burning hot, giving the bird a menacing aura.

"This image was taken from orbit. The ones responsible managed to engrave a symbol into the planet. It's the same symbol used in the supposed Alliance-backed cyber attack. However, it was clear the message was more than a simple cyber-attack. A few hours ago, thousands of Human and Asari slaves from Khar'Shan showed up on Bekenstein; prompting the Asari to send an ambassador to check on the situation in the Batarian Hegemony. What we found was a devastated Khar'Shan."

"Do the slaves that showed up on Bekenstein know anything about the ones responsible?" Kesezizia asked.

"No, the Asari slaves liberated know nothing other than the shape of the Imperials. They seemed to have bodies of Batarian or Human males and were substantially taller than either species. Whether this is a new species, or a splinter Human group remains to be seen. The Human slaves were quickly taken custody of by the Alliance. The Alliance has told us the Human slaves gave similar descriptions."

"Is that all?"

"Unfortunately, a lot of things are still unclear. We just stumbled upon Khar'Shan a few hours ago, and Alliance officials are refusing to hand over the liberated Human slaves for questioning. The Asari slaves don't seem to know a lot, but the Asari Republics just now started questioning. One thing is for sure, Khar'Shan, and everything that once lived on it is dead."

"Do you think Khar'Shan will recover from the devastation?"

"Unlikely, Kesezizia. The method of destruction seems to be heat-based, they managed to overheat the entire planet. The atmosphere is all but gone, most of the oceans have been boiled away, and the topsoil has melted down into a rock-like substance. Not only would the Batarians need to recreate the atmosphere, but they would need to replace the planet's topsoil. Experts say it'd be easier to terraform a barren planet due to the rock-like substance.

"Is it really that bad?"

"To give you an idea of the devastation."

Usina gestured for the camera to pan over towards the direction of the orange glow. The horizon looked like it was on fire.

"That was once a Batarian city numbering in the hundreds of millions. The weapons the Imperials focused on the major population centers. The fires are still burning, and if it wasn't for my suit the heat would be unbearable even from this distance."

"No, I'm afraid this world will forever be dead." Usina soberly finished.

A young teen on Illium watched the broadcast with her family. Her younger sister didn't seem to fully understand the severity of the situation but was feeding off of everyone else's mood. Her normally strong father seemed shaken, and her mother was in tears.

The young teen was heartbroken and openly crying in her father's embraces as she watched the burning horizon.

The young girl hated the Batarian government, but she never wanted a war, much less the destruction of their homeworld.

The blazing orange off in the distance was almost tranquil as if the flames knew they were the graves of countless innocent beings. The flames that burned calmly were more somber for the young teen than if the flames were raging infernos.

"Even when the rest of the planet starts cooling, areas like this will continue to burn for decades."

"I know this probably goes without saying, but are there any survivors?"

"No, everyone was killed, and not only on Khar'Shan. The entire Batarian fleet was destroyed along with every vessel and station within the System. The Imperials were very thorough."

The young teen's already teary eyes blurred with an onset of tears. She couldn't even begin to imagine what the Batarians felt during… when they…

She couldn't finish her thoughts.

The blue-eyed teen cried her heart out in her father's chest.

A day later, that same young teen on Illium organized an event mourning the deaths of the innocents killed on Khar'Shan.

She specifically included the word 'innocent' to ensure people knew she wasn't talking about the slave owners.

The young teen wanted people to mourn the loss of so many people who had nothing to do with the practice of slavery.

When she saw the barren remains of a once-living world, it broke her heart. Never before did she imagine the Council would allow such a travesty.

The teen was a pacifist through and through, but perhaps a war with the people responsible was necessary.

To destroy a whole world…

Still, the teen's loving heart hoped there was some sort of reason behind the death of so many. If the ones responsible could be reasoned with, then war could be averted.

Although she was still young, the teen knew the worst thing in existence was war. She saw it in her father's eyes.

A war wouldn't bring back the Innocents lost at Khar'Shan, but it would be required if the people responsible were willing to destroy more worlds.

All the young teen wished for was peace; she always knew she was an odd girl, and maybe even a little too idealistic.

However, she'll do her best to create a Galaxy where innocents aren't killed or enslaved.

Little does the young teen know; her actions will one day define not only the Galaxy but the entire Cosmos.

"Why is there a Russian eagle on that planet!"

"There's no way it was the Russians!"

"It wasn't even the Russian eagle, do you know how many nations had two-headed eagles as their seals in the past?"

"It was those Imperials! That message the Batarians got a day before had that same two-headed eagle!"

"Whoever sent that message was responsible! The Galaxy must see that the Alliance doesn't have the technological capabilities to render a planet uninhabitable by pure heat!"

"Experts theorized it was plasma! Plasma! How could the Alliance possibly have access to such weaponry!?"

"The Turians are furious, and the Galaxy is looking to the Alliance for answers!"

"The Truians don't give a damn about the four-eyed bastards! They're only using this to try and slow down Humanity's progress!"

"The damn birds can shove it! The Alliance wasn't responsible for the destruction of the Khar'Shan!"

"The fact every Human slave was found on Bekenstein and a Human symbol was engrained on Khar'Shan is suspicious. The liberated slaves are even saying the Imperials look like Humans."

"Whoever is responsible, has no relations with us! It has to be a third party trying to set us up!"

"Did you hear!? They wanted us to mourn the slavers! The mere fact that we were not saddened by those four-eyes' destruction makes us suspicious!"

"There were children on that planet!"

"Who cares, there were Human children abused on that rock for far too long!"

"The Turians want to inspect every single military base within the Alliance!"

"To hell with that! The Turians have always been jealous of our rapid rise!"

"There's no way we can defeat the Turians!"

"Humanity will not just roll over to the whims of the Council!"

"It's not only the Turians, even the Asari are questioning us!"

"If they get into the black sites, then who knows what they'll find!?"

"If they find the locations of our black sites, they'll send Spectators!"

"If they dare violate our sovereignty, their agents will have a few unfortunate accidents!"

"Order! Order!" The parliamentary yelled as he slammed his gravel on his table.

The Alliance Parliament was ablaze with shouting and frantic demands for answers. The three main Council races were demanding answers and swearing vengeance on whoever was responsible for the destruction of Khar'Shan.

Hackett was observing the joint session of the upper and lower Alliance Parliament. Many were worried that the Alliance did have something to do with it.

The Alliance Military was ordered to close the gap between Humanity and the Council. It has only been eighty years since the Alliance was brought into the Galactic community, and many of the larger nations of Earth were not used to being the underdog.

Especially the Russians, Chinese, and Americans.

The bulk of the Alliance military and traditions came from those three militaries.

For security reasons, a vast majority of the Parliament wasn't privy to the secret actions of the Alliance Military. All the Parliament knew was the Military was taking actions to covertly build up their power.

When the barren remains of the Batarian homeworld had a Human symbol on it, a good portion of the Parliament almost had heart attacks.

Hackett knew the Alliance was producing large two and a half kilometer dreadnoughts. They were armed with a new type of super gauss cannon that could theoretically one-shot a Turian dreadnought.

There were the new ultraviolet lasers developed by reverse engineering Geth equipment. However, they weren't nearly powerful enough to render a planet uninhabitable.

The closest thing the Alliance had was the massive Mk. 84 antimatter bombs. Still, the damage done to Khar'Shan couldn't have been done with explosive weapons.

If the existence of the antimatter bombs came out to the public at this moment, then the Alliance may very well face a war with the Turians.

"Fleet Admiral Hackett, I only have one question, and the Parliament needs your honest answer. I don't care if the information is classified." The Prime Minister seriously told Hackett.

The Parliamentarian didn't need to demand order anymore. A pin dropping could be heard in the giant room.

"Are we responsible for the destruction of Khar'Shan?"

"No."

"The Alliance has to have something to do with this. Their main rival has their homeworld destroyed, and they dare to somehow carve a Human symbol into a continent." Sparatus accused the Human ambassador.

Ambassador Udina stood before the Council and had to hold his tongue from lashing out at the pompous Turian.

"Councilors, the Alliance has nothing to do with the destruction of Khar'Shan." Udina calmly refuted.

"Then how do you explain the Human symbol and the fact these Imperials look like Humans!?" Sparatus snapped.

"A coincidence. Every garden world has a creature that is capable of flight, almost every one of them has wings. Perhaps these unknown aliens have a bird they admire. As for them looking like Humans; look at the Asari, Batarians, and Quarians." Udina reasoned.

Udina knew the Turian didn't believe Humanity was responsible for the attack. Rather, he probably was using this as an opportunity to bring the Alliance down a peg.

Or, perhaps the Turian really did think the Alliance was a fault. Udina never took Sparatus as an intellectual.

Either way, it was a moot point. He just had to convince Tevos that it was in the Asari's interest to leave Humanity alone.

"Regardless, I propose a full investigation of the Alliance. The Humans probably found a Prothean beacon with advanced weapon technology inside. Instead of sharing the technology as anyone else would, the Alliance kept it for themselves." Sparatus laid on the accusations thick, hoping something would stick.

"The Alliance hasn't found anything relating to alien artifacts or technology. This is clearly the actions of a third party. Instead of turning against each other, we should focus on creating a united front." Udina argued.

"The technology used in the attack does seem far outside of the Alliance's capabilities. Khar'Shan was destroyed by energy weapons; possibly powerful lasers or plasma. If the Humans had such advanced technology, they would have made it known by now." Valern, the Salarian councilor reasoned.

"As far as I know, not even the Protheans seemed to be capable of such a feat. The amount of energy required to render a world uninhabitable is well outside of the Alliance's capabilities. We are dealing with a new species." Udina urged on the Salarian's line of thought.

"As far as we know. If the Alliance found an artifact or even an entire vessel, they could jump in capabilities by centuries. Are we really going to take a chance by simply taking the Human's word for it? We should ensure the Alliance is innocent by a full investigation. It's also suspicious how secretive the Alliance has been." Sparatus said.

"The Turians are the Alliance's principal rival. The reason we're so secretive is due to the Turians trying to abuse their Council privileges to contain Humanity. This is just an excuse for the Turians to try and get their hands on our disruptor torpedoes."

"The Alliance, a rival to the Hierarchy? Don't make me laugh, Human."

"Well, then why does the Hierarchy react to Humanity as a rival would?"

"We're just fulfilling our job as enforcers of Citadel law from some upstarts who think they're above it."

"The Alliance will not allow Citadel agents to snoop around out sensitive areas just to alleviate your irrational fears. End of story."

"You make it sound like the Alliance has a choice."

Udina and Sparatus went back and forth trying to sway the other two council members. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried. The other two council members had a vested interest in slowing down Humanity's growth.

Udina had a feeling Tevos was siding with the Turian on this, but he has one more string to pull.

"This is not the time to be turning on each other. If these new aliens are hostile, then it could result in a war that dwarfs even the Rachnni Wars. The Council needs the Alliance." Udina seemed to get the reaction he was looking for from the Asari.

It seemed like that last comment caused her to make up her mind.

"I'm inclined to believe the Alliance. While their integration into the Galactic community has been rough, they've never shown such hostile motives." Tevos stated.

Udina grinned.

At least the Alliance was safe from the Turians' grubby claws. However, that brief moment of content was shattered.

"Ambassador Udina is right, we must prepare for war. The innocent Batarians killed at Khar'Shan must be brought to justice. The destruction of a garden world is also a blatant assault against everything we believe." Tevos continued.

Udina didn't want to push his luck. However, he highly doubted the Alliance would fight a war against a race capable of bisecting dreadnoughts. Especially to avenge the very people who enslaved Humans.

Many in the Alliance were appalled by the destruction of an entire garden world. Though, the fact the unknown aliens liberated Humans first made it bearable to the Alliance.

What many in the Alliance saw as a war crime just wasn't enough to go to war over.

Erwin sat at the Captain's table in the Officer's mess hall. Every spaceman and legionnaire had a small kitchen in their cabins, but it was somewhat required for the men to eat together. It helped with crew scheduling and morale. The practice wasn't enforced through authority but social pressure.

At Erwin's table sat Commodore Engle, the Captains of the three prowlers, the Centurions of the Weltraumwölfe's Cohorts, and the high-ranking Officers of the Intrepidus's crew.

"The primitives don't seem to be too happy about Khar'Shan," Ares said.

A small hologram of Ares was standing on the table in front of Erwin. Ares joined the Anglian he saw as his older brother during meals.

"Why the hell should we care what some primitives think?" Pilus Centurion of the First Cohort, Pankraz Friedrich asked in an annoyed voice.

"Aren't we supposed to rule them one day?" Ares replied with another question.

"What's your point?" Pankraz followed the trend with a question.

"Won't it be hard to rule them if they hate us?"

Pankraz just shrugged.

"Why should we care what the primitives think? They'll be grateful for protection, or end up like the Batarians." He answered.

Most of the other Officers gave visual cues of approval.

"What do you think, Your Majesty?" A curious Peter Kol asked.

Erwin stopped eating his steak dinner and thought about it for a second.

"I tend to agree with Pankraz. Once the primitives go through a few generations, they'll start to love being subjects of the Empire." Erwin answered.

"The Baselines go through those fast, Your Majesty." Commodore Engle added.

"Yes, they do." Erwin agreed.

The lifetime of an unmodified Baseline Human was a hundred years at most. An Anglian doesn't stop growing until a thousand years, and the Imperial Humans are immortal.

"It doesn't matter if the primitives love us, Ares. They'll bend the knee because Khar'Shan will be an example to them. At first, they might martyr the Batarians, and use them as a rallying cry. However, after the first battle, their resolve will crack; after the second glassing, they'll understand." Erwin explained to the Ancilla.

"Do you think it'll take that much, Your Majesty? I'm sure once the farmer comes to harvest, the primitives will beg for our reign." Pankraz asked in jest.

Erwin grinned.

"He's right, Your Majesty. We should just let the farmer nibble on the Xenos primitives for a bit." Gustav Tauber, the head weapons officer, continued the joke.

The table erupted in chuckles.

"What about the Mantle?" Ares pressed.

"The Mantle is an answer Mankind has been asking for countless millennia. It's just the answer a long-dead people came up with." Erwin answered.

A few of the men at the table nodded their heads in agreement.

"They're your ancestors. The Mantle gives hope to all those who breathe life." Ares argued, a little sad a descendant of the True Precursors thought so little of his birthright.

"Perhaps, but that doesn't mean I have to follow their philosophy. My people are still alive, and we don't have to let the past dictate our actions." Erwin said and looked around the table.

The men around him have varying levels of visible pride.

"I don't know why you're so defensive over the primitives, Ares. You know if they could, they'd kill you?" The head officer of cyber warfare, Georg Wachtler asked.

Ares didn't seem surprised by the question. The Ancilla may have had different options from the rest of the crew, but in their eyes, he was a member of the group.

"Pff… I'd like to see those primitives try." Pankraz snarled.

"Amen." Georg nodded his head in approval.

"Well… they're young. They had the Geth try and genocide an entire species, and were frightened by the same happening to them." Ares defended the primitives.

Erwin thought it was ironic that the one that argued for the primitives the most would also be hated by them.

"Hey, if they don't want to develop AI, that's fine. But they better not try to use the Geth as a reason for trying to kill Imperial citizens." Georg nonchalantly threatened the young species.

Ares grinned.

Erwin knew the Ancilla was happy to be accepted by other members of Mankind.

The Empire wasn't a culturally united nation. The United States, German Empire, Tsardom of Russia, and Anglia all had a very supportive and inclusive attitude towards Smart AI. However, many other states and areas within the Empire had mixed options of AI.

Eventually, the fear of future reprisal from the mysterious Imperials left the public's mind, and life returned to normal.

The Alliance and Council races, all rapidly militarized. The Council increased the number of dreadnoughts the Turians, Asari, and Salarians could have under the Treaty of Farixen. The Humans were furious for not having permission to build more dreadnoughts, but the Alliance higher-ups seemed unusually calm over the matter.

The media networks across Citadel space were told not to report on the Imperials anymore. The leaders of every nation within Citadel space could agree on one thing; panic was not ideal.

Stories of how the Batarians were pitifully under-equipped and technologically inferior spread across all areas of the known Galaxy. It was reasonable to assume the mysterious Imperials were simply not interested or too afraid of the larger Galactic powers. It gave the primitives hope that their might wasn't as fragile as they once believed.

Yet the ones who saw past the propaganda weren't fooled. The wreckage of Batarian dreadnoughts bisected with ease would shatter many peoples' delusions. It was for that reason those images were classified by the Council.

Many Asari and the majority of Humans came to see the Imperials as liberators. The message given to the Batarians, clearly showed why the Imperials attacked. All of the liberated slaves gave a similar story of compassion and warmth to the emancipated. The slaves violated were given their virginity back and many Human slaves were improved through advanced genetic engineering.

It was a fresh start for every slave.

No one in Alliance or Asari space supported the cruelty shown to the Batarian civilians, but they didn't see the Imperials as some evil force. Just people who were overzealous in their belief that slavery was evil.

The Asari saw a powerful member of their Galactic order.

The Humans saw a potential ally to help even the scale.

All that was needed was a little reeducation for the Imperials.

Rhetoric from the Turians promised retribution from the Imperials and vengeance for Khar'Shan. The Batarians mostly enslaved Humans and only a few Asari. The Asari we're mostly pleasure slaves bought from the Terminus Systems. The Batarians weren't suicidal enough to enslave and raid the Turians.

Public option within the Alliance was split. Many were glad the Batarians were essentially taken off the geopolitical board without a drop of Alliance blood. Those same voices caused strained relations between the Alliance and Council races.

As the months crawled by, the destruction of Khar'Shan was all but forgotten. The Batarians were closed off and openly supported slavery. The Hegemony's abstinence largely went unnoticed.

Hackett and leading members of the Alliance openly got around the Treaty of Farixen by constructing large carriers. In a way, the change of doctrine was revolutionary. Alliance doctrine used high-end fighters and their disruptor torpedoes to target enemy dreadnoughts.

Although the Alliance openly constructed large warships in open, they also started construction of many more of the secretive superdreadnought.

The Imperials continued the construction of supercarriers on Korn der Ruhe. Each carrier greatly increased the Klonarmee des Geistes industrial capacity. The large carriers all swarmed a single planet in the Vindicator System.

The planet was cracked to allow the harvesters easy access to the metal core. The fabricators on the carriers might be able to transmute elements on demand, but starting at an element like Iron greatly decreases production time.

A few thousand clones were covertly moved onto the Citadel, and Ares reprogrammed the entire station to replace the Keepers with the clones. Afterward, Ares gave the Keepers a signal to group up deep within the Citadel's tunnels. In those dark tunnels, the clones massacred the Keepers to the last.

The Council launched an investigation when the Keepers disappeared overnight. Teams of primitives searched the tunnels, but they never found anything. Ares found out the Citadel was very good at hiding things.

With the Citadel fully under Imperial control, the Milky Way Mass Relay wouldn't work for anyone Ares didn't want it to.

Eventually, a billion clones were stationed on the IHA Zorn der Ruhe, to ensure there was zero chance of it getting swarmed with ground forces. The Halo Array's point defense systems were fantastic, but at some point, they got overwhelmed with vastly superior numbers.

The Imperial forces geared up for war, unaware of the other third Apex faction that worked in the background. Buying their time to retake what was once theirs.

The unknowns geared up for war, unaware the Empire was even a player.

Years passed and the Galaxy seemed right. The Alliance cooled relations with the Council, and eventually became a critical component of the Citadel economy. The rapid expansion of Human space paid off as the children of a massive baby boom were reaching adulthood. With the introduction of advanced VI and neural laces, the Alliance entered a Golden Age of technology.

However, many aspects of the Alliance were on the border of violating Citadel law. The Turians and Alliances may have had better relations, but they still planned for future wars.

Nothing major happened within the Milky Way for five peaceful and productive years.

That was until a certain Human was considered for Specter status.

However, there was one noteworthy event that took place a year after Khar'Shan.