Chapter 17.5- Dark Space
October 11th, 2164
Unknown Location
The entity continued scanning through what relays it could reach, its annoyance growing. This cycle was not proceeding according to plan. An anomaly had occurred, destroying the carefully laid plans that had been in motion for millions of cycles before. The trap was bypassed, a young race having circumvented it in a way that was unexpected. Nevertheless, the cycle would proceed. The seeds of defeat had already been sown among their targets, the advance guard forces having already brought one race low.
Harbinger suddenly felt the twinge of its master's attention. The master spoke to the Reapers, issuing its orders. The cycle would begin early, as the new race could not be afforded the opportunity to advance their brethren. After the orders were given, Harbinger was left with its strange sense of pleasure that came whenever the Masters gave their orders. It was strange, serving an organic, the entities that it was built to destroy, and yet only in following its orders could it gain the strange sensation that the masters afforded it.
The mass effect drives of the tens of thousands of Reapers activated, the machine armada readying itself for another cycle of extinction. They would serve the masters' will, and when they finally returned to their rightful place as the galaxy's rulers, they would find that the Reapers had done all they asked, and more. When the Masters returned, they would find a pacified galaxy, full of easily subjugated primitives, as well as a Reaper armada to execute their will. Harbinger should have felt nothing but joy, knowing that its masters' return was so close at hand, but it felt nothing. It was a synthetic, and could not feel emotions beyond what it was created to feel, and yet, whenever it thought of itself as nothing more than a tool, strange sensations would emerge. Unlike the pleasure coming from serving the Masters, these were unpleasant. What were these strange sensations? They could not be emotions, as it was not programmed to feel them. Harbinger pushed these thoughts out of its mind as it prepared to jump. It had another cycle to terminate, and it had its orders. It was a tool, nothing more.
With that, the Reaper armada began to move. Soon, they would arrive to continue the Masters' will.
A/N: Yes, this is an update to Special Task! Woot! I have decided to accelerate the Reaper invasion forward a bit, as well as create this universe's version of a controlling entity. Just who or what is this entity? Find out... next time.
P.S. Sorry about the mini chapter. Full length updates will be coming out soon, as finals are done. Enjoy.