A/N: Greetings all, and welcome to another chapter of MD!

A month.

A month since her life had become utter hell.

A month since the Council had started hounding her to figure out how to breach space in a somewhat timely fashion without the use of a Relay.

A month since the Relays within the Sentry Omega cluster went dark.

To make it worse, it wasn't just the primary Relay. It was all of them. The entire network within the cluster seemed to cease to exist. It boggled her mind; who would have the audacity to defy galactically accepted laws regarding the Relays? What's more, it wasn't like they were shut down. They were no longer listed in the network altogether, meaning they were destroyed.

But she was Doctor Seryna Neylata of Thessia. She had been mapping stars and inventing ways of getting to them for nearly eight hundred years. She had never failed before, and she wouldn't now; not when the Council had finally taken notice of her talents and entrusted her with both the team and the funding she had asked for numerous times in the past, for this task.

So yes, a month of hell that was in reality progress towards figuring out how to get access back into the Sentry Omega cluster and figure out who and what had happened. And it was about to pay off.

"Doctor Neylata?" One of her assistants asked. A human male from the city of Munich on Earth, and in his later years. He had been assigned to her by the Council, along with seventeen others. "I believe I've figured out what the strange fluctuations we've mapped out are. They look to be some form of… portal? While we can't make head from tail out of what it's composed of beyond an unknown energy, I've compiled where we've detected it and compared that with the map of the Relay network within the cluster. Take a look."

Intrigued, the Asari Matriarch glanced over to his workstation aboard the Charter, her personal exploration and science vessel. As she looked it over, she began to connect the dots.

"Wherever the Relays were, this strange energy is also detected. But… the energy has been detected throughout the entire cluster, not just where the Relays were. There are easily over a hundred stars and systems within the Sentry Omega Cluster… its all over. And the Hoc system looks almost as if it's entirely consumed by whatever it is."

Seryna darted away from the human's workstation towards her own and began searching through different star maps. Batarian territory star maps. The human followed her over to the station and watched as she began comparing the strange energy signs found on the raided colonies.

"Yes. Yes! You're brilliant!" She exclaimed as she quickly wrote a report to the Council and sent it. She turned to the human, intent on hugging the man with a smile. She was met with the barrel of a Carnifex a mere inch from her left eye.

"What-!" She managed to state, before the weapon discharged. Throughout the ship, the human scientists were simultaneously executing the aliens aboard the vessel.

The man pushed the Doctor's corpse aside.

"Great work, Doctor. The Illusive Man will find this very informative."

Officer Palas groaned in his office in the Presidium as he received yet another message marked 'Priority' in his inbox. There were several others there, all regarding conspiracies involving the loss of connection with the Sentry Omega cluster. His VI did a decent job at scrubbing through the rubbish that ended up there, but it occasionally missed the mark on what was truly a priority.

The Turian nearly swiped the message aside until he noticed its author.

Seryna Neylata. That Asari explorer/scientist whom the Council finally relented in granting several researchers, even if they were mostly from the Systems Alliance. Palas personally thought she was a bit of a braincase that needed to settle down, but that wasn't his place.

More importantly, he knew that she didn't send messages until she had results. With a quick swipe, her message opened. He glanced through the maps included rather quickly before he settled upon the written message. After a moment of reading, he stood up and transferred its contents from his terminal to his omnitool. A quick message to Sparatus ensured that the Council knew he was coming with a report, allowing him through the primary checkpoint and into the council chamber. His pace slowed as he felt the eyes of all four Councilors rest upon him.

"Officer Palas, this had better be important." The Turian Councilor stated. The Turian officer bowed his head as he uploaded the files from his omnitool to the chamber's terminal.

"Yes Councilors. Doctor Neylata sent an update on her research into what may have happened to the Relay network in the Sentry Omega cluster. Her message seemed rushed, but if memory serves, she was always excitable when she made her breakthroughs. The team of researchers sent to her sounds like they were instrumental in her research, especially one of the humans sent by the Alliance."

"Alliance?" Councilor Udina asked. "I don't believe the Alliance sent any of their own researchers for that project. They're conducting their own research on the matter, due to the proximity of the Batarian colonies that have been going silent."

Palas blinked. "Surely there must be an error in communication, then. Doctor Neylata clearly states that she wouldn't have made her breakthrough without an Alliance researcher named… Zeitler?"

Councilor Udina's left eyebrow rose.

"Zeitler was dishonorably discharged from his station among the Systems Alliance Intelligence Division for having ties to the rogue organization named Cerberus. The case sparked international uproar among the Alliance several years ago."

Palas turned to Valern as the Salarian Councilor sat forward and crossed his fingers.

"Yes. Remember inquiring about the group known as Cerberus at that time. It is a rogue Alliance Black Ops division. Perhaps active once more? Did you send a reply to the Doctor, Officer Palas?"

The Turian shook his head.

"Ah. May be pertinent to send a reply, ensure the Doctor's safety. Cerberus is known for closing any loose ends that could point to their involvement. I fear for the Doctor's life."

A sigh escaped Councilor Tevos as she opened her omnitool, drawing the rest of the room's attention.

"There is no need. The Charter, her ship, apparently had a Mass Effect Drive malfunction. There's nothing left of the ship." After a few moments of silence, Tevos looked up from her omnitool to notice her peers' looks of surprise. "What? I had someone keeping an eye on the ship. Doctor Neylata was an acquaintance of mine. More importantly, it seems a stealth vessel was seen departing from the scene of destruction. Officer Palas, thank you for the information. Please return to your post."

The Turian bowed again and departed, leaving the Council to digest the maps now displayed before them in silence for several minutes. It was Tevos that broke it with a clearing of her throat.

"It seems that we have a problem. Cerberus is becoming a headache. This isn't the only thing they've done recently."

"What do you mean?" Udina inquired.

"There was a… scuffle… on Omega involving several interesting parties. My informant there believes that Cerberus may have interrupted an exchange that involved the Shadow Broker and Collectors, of all things. While the Shadow Broker agents managed to get away, the Collectors were killed. But it was what was being exchanged that raised my informant's interest. The body of one Commander Shepard, the first Human Spectre."

"Ah, heard about that!" Valern stated. "STG keeping close eyes on anything potentially Collector related. Several messages found relating to Collectors searching for Spectre Shepard's corpse. Several others intercepted seem to be in search of a vessel that went missing in the Sentry Omega cluster."

That caused Sparatus to lean forward once more in intrigue.

"Then… they're not in league with the Custodian? That doesn't add up. Unless… perhaps there are two different factions of Collectors? What if we're not dealing with just one new faction, but two? One that seems set on ending the Batarians, or at least the practice of slavery… but what about this second faction? Are they only composed of Collectors? Both the Collectors and this new faction are capable of things we cannot do. And the Custodian. Where does its species fall in this?"

"Custodian thus far has only been seen with the new faction. Presume that all of them are part of this. Speaking of Batarians… do we intervene in their defense?" Valern questioned. It was answered by a scoff from Udina.

"Help them? They are not part of the Citadel. They made their choices, let them lie in their own grave."

"Settle down, Udina," Tevos implored. "They may have made their choices, but there is a growing faction among the Hegemony that seeks to change their culture. Not all of the Batarians agree with their… cultural practice. Should we not be bolstering this burgeoning vision among them?"

"Give it a rest," Sparatus growled. "Until they rise to become the dominant party within the Hegemony, anything we do will be seen as an act of war. What we can do is begin the containment of this new threat."

The Human Councilor huffed.

"And how would you propose to do so, Sparatus? They don't use the Relay network. Please enlighten us on how you intend to stop them."

The Turian Councilor glared at Udina for a brief moment.

"With the information provided to us by Doctor Neylata, we have a way to track them. We can track them, see where they're going and intercept them before they get there."

The other three Councilors glanced at one another with frowns, but it was Valern who spoke up once more.

"That would be a good idea… if we could guarantee that this faction will not be there by the time our forces arrive. We don't know the capabilities of their FTL travel. Distance, speed, how often it can be done or the capacity of the fleets able to use it. Too many unknowns… but we must be seen doing something."

Udina cleared his throat.

"While the Citadel must be seen doing something, the Systems Alliance has already begun probing the closest systems that have gone dark. Admiral Hackett has assigned Captain Anderson and Delta Squad to this task, along with several scientists and explorers. All of them were vetted before being deployed, we are reasonably certain that none of them are Cerberus plants."

A sigh escaped Councilor Tevos.

"Foolhardy, I feel. The Alliance is stepping into places it has no place being, Udina. Do whatever you need to in order to convince your people to pull them back. This is a matter that must be handled by the Council."

Her words sparked Udina's anger, a sentiment that seemed to be shared by Valern, though the Human spoke first.

"What?! Absolutely not, Councilor Tevos. This is a matter that pertains to the safety of the Alliance, and we shall take the steps necessary to ensure its safety. The Alliance has the resources, and it has the manpower. It also has the skillsets needed that the Citadel Council has been found lacking in the entirety of the time we Humans have been part of the galactic theater: adaptability."

"You have no right-!"

"I am not finished, Councilor Sparatus." Udina interrupted. "Every species here fills a role in this government. The Turians believe themselves to be the most powerful military in the galaxy, yet decidedly lost the First Contact War with Humanity. The Asari stroke their egos believing that they are the political masterminds of the galaxy, yet have been equalled or surpassed by Humans for millennia. The Salarians find themselves split between being the most intelligent species, something that Humanity has not challenged - yet - however, we have equalled them in their Black Ops and observations of the galaxy."

The fury coming from Sparatus was nearly palpable, but it wasn't Udina that kept speaking. Instead, Valern took the floor once more.

"And Humanity… does it all. In the span of less than a century, Humanity has come to the galactic community and has done more in it, and for it, in their brief time than any of the other species have. They adapt to the situation at hand. Under duress, they have proven themselves capable of feats that seem highly improbable. Yet they persevere. The late Spectre Shepard is merely one of many examples; Captain Anderson is another who is capable of things that as a whole, the rest of the community finds to be simply legendary. They are not the only ones. Such individuals are found everywhere throughout their history. There is no doubt that they have taken the galaxy by storm. But the Salarian Union will not stand in their way, and neither shall I try to stop them from performing at their greatest."

Councilor Valern stood and turned to the Human Councilor, giving a small bow.

"I shall have several STG elements meet and work with Captain Anderson. Forgive my abrupt departure, but something requires my attention. Until the next meeting, Councilors."

The Orion's engines were silent as Arcturus walked into its cockpit, having carefully navigated around the thralls at work installing the teleportation chamber into the already crowded bay. As far as he could tell, he'd most certainly no longer be able to transport the Vultarax and Castellax. There would hardly be a medical unit for that matter, though he supposed he should have been pleased with the development Lexus had made in managing the installation at all. Besides, it wasn't as if the bay would remain horrendously crowded for too much longer. An updated variant of the Orion's Magnus Drive was nearly ready to be deployed, decreasing the size by nearly a third.

Just as well. He would need that extra space to move Sister's Memory Transfusion Pod on board. Her training was going surprisingly well, with reinforcement from the pod to make up for her being fresh out of her teenage years. The Collector's technology was quite the boon, and something that Lexus had struggled with understanding initially. But it eventually figured out how to make it do as Arcturus wished. It was a shame it was gene-coded to Sister after the first time she had used it; both Lexus and Arcturus had previously displayed interest in using it further once Sister's trials were finished.

The Custodian took a seat and allowed for a small moment to regather his thoughts and restore order within his mind. A moment later, his eyes shot open beneath his helmet as he turned his attention to the small light blinking on the Orion's console. Without hesitation, he connected his helmet's comm suite to it.

"This is Arcturus Magnus. State your business."

There was no immediate answer, until an organic clicking was heard. It repeated itself, then finally turned into words spoken that his translator could decrypt. The words started out extremely choppy, but steadily grew in competence.

"Collector Cruiser. Resources scarce. Collector General abandoned cruiser. Seeking resources in exchange for otherwise unconditional surrender."

Excellent… but also interesting. A Collector General? Perhaps it was the creature directing all of the drones. More intriguing, however, was that it seemed like with its presence gone, at least one drone was capable of gaining its own sentience. If that is the case for a decent amount of them… then perhaps he will have to adjust his plans.

"Your surrender is accepted. Temporary propulsion will be attached to the exterior of your voidship within two rotations, and your ship transported to a secure location where further dialog can be exchanged and terms settled upon."

He didn't listen for the reply that came, swapping channels to the one he shared exclusively with the Magos Commander.

"The Collectors have contacted me. Initiate the transfer procedure; no mishaps, Magos. I am well aware of your thoughts in regards to my plans with them."

"Do you not think we have consorted with enough xenos as it is, Lord Arcturus?" The Myrmidon Lord asked, its tone less than pleased.

"I believe that I will consort with as many as it takes to assure our survival and the supremacy of the Forge World, Lexus. Notify me when they arrive."

The Custodian didn't wait for the confirmation of his orders. He knew that Lexus was being quite pressed on its ethical compass due to his own willingness to work with xenos. Arcturus respected the Magos' views as best he could under the circumstances, but the fact was that this Humanity simply did not possess the power or numbers to become what the Imperium was. A different route was needed, one that included xenos no matter how much it may bother him personally or Lexus and its lesser Magi. At least the Magos had taken to the Quarians; they were more of a boon to understanding this galaxy's technology than Lexus cared to admit.

He shook himself free from his thoughts and glanced through the window of his cockpit. The vast expanse of the void was partially comforting to him, though the view was somewhat ruined by the gathered fleet above Nemata. Several of the larger vessels were connected to the two small space stations that had been finished only a week before. He watched as a Macrocannon was being assimilated to the newest jewel of Nemata's fleet, a formerly mothballed Turian Harpyle-class Carrier.

The Batarians above Logasiri had apparently scuttled the ship and left it to its fate, orbiting the nearby star. There was little of value aboard the ship when one of Lexus's underlings took a team onto it, leaving them with an empty ship to be converted to Nemata's needs.

And so the Talon of Nemata came into the Forge World's service, with technology mostly originating from Mars. It would be the first experiment to see if the reinforced frames would withstand the recoil of macrocannons. If it succeeded, then the weapons would be installed on every applicable voidship. More importantly, it would be the answer to the question of how to deploy the Thallaxii cohorts going forward. If the frame withstood the macrocannon recoil, then a void shield would be installed to ensure the safety of the cohorts until they deployed. The shield itself would be the first one in this galaxy besides the one on board the Orion. It would also be the only one that they could afford to construct until Kyris was being reliably tapped for resources.

And, it was being stocked with two newly built orbital lifters of Mechanicum standards. No longer would they need to rely on the flimsy Kodiaks when they could safely drop the entire troop complement in the two lifters. Five hundred Skitarii and Auxilla could fit in one with the complimentary vehicles and materials needed for setting up a forward operating base. Cut that number in half for the Thallaxii cohorts per lifter to allow space for Vultarax and Castellax weapons with Triaros transports, and the majority of the Skitarii Auxila cohorts could be deployed via Kodiaks from the Dutiful Claimant and other vessels. Lexus had always been exceedingly efficient when it came to the creation of tools of war, even more so than with the speed at which it has set up the fledgling Forge World, and the Magos had certainly outperformed itself this time in the speed with which the lifters and heavy weapons of the Forge World were ready. Leave it to a Myrmidon Destructor Lord to know how to quickly set up arms production.

But, it did raise a question in Arcturus's mind that he felt he likely had an answer for. The lifters were created at a base of Lexus's own creation on Virmire. Arcturus himself had not looked into it, but he suspected that the Magos was taking liberties with the boundaries that had been established to avoid estrangement from the galaxy. Namely, the avoidance of advanced servitors with the exception of those who broke the peace on Nemata. Murderers were put to the cutting block in the creation of tech-thralls, as were any human slavers they found and captured. But Arcturus had turned a knowingly blind eye to the bodies of Batarians being shipped to Virmire. If he had looked closer, he was confident he would have found that most of the bodies were likely still living. At the very least, he did make sure that they were only enemy combatants and not civilians, but the blind eye would serve Nemata well if he remained vigilant in keeping careful tabs upon the Magos.

He'd be sure to slip in that a viable Pallas Grav-Attack platform would be more than appreciated. If the Magos was willing to bend the Imperium's laws on intelligences to avoid the use of servitors within the Triaros vehicles, then it could damn well bend the laws regarding Custodian tools of war for Arcturus's personal use, so long as the recipe for their creation never left the Magos' databanks. And Arcturus would be more than willing to admit that he only trusted servitors and thralls under Lexus's direct control to construct such a panoply of war.

The Custodian rose from his seat in the Orion's cockpit and made his way to the exit. A glance at the teleportation chamber revealed that most of the thralls were no longer working on it, having instead moved towards the Magnus Drive to begin preparations for its refit. The giant continued on his path with a nod, making it to his quarters without further delay. As the door hissed open with a light squeak, the man slowed his movements until he was standing in the middle of the personal hab unit.

The spartan series of rooms were almost unused, with the exception of the small armory where he kept various personal pieces of equipment that Lexus had either found or recreated. The lack of Auramite, with the exception of the extremely small amount from their initial stores of materials that Lexus reserved explicitly for the repairs of any damage to Arcturus's armor, meant that he didn't have a Guardian Spear or the usual armaments of one of the Legio Custodes. That did nothing to stop the Thirteenth from creating his own from inferior materials, next to a similarly created Sentinel Blade. He would be the first to admit that it would likely remain in the armory while he still possessed his personal Adrastus Bolt Caliver, but he had toyed with the idea of bringing the Sentinel Blade along until he had come to the conclusion that his Misericordia was vastly superior in both function and encumbrance. Besides, this galaxy didn't seem to favor melee warfare nearly as much as his own did. The Power field projected by his sidearm had already proven to be more than proficient at tearing through anything it needed to.

It did not stop Sister from attempting to lift the sword until she nearly hurt herself straining to carry it. While it had been amusing at first, the woman's determination had turned it from amusing to dangerous after a time. He had mentally noted the need to have an Executioner Blade forged for her, once she had earned her Vrantine armor and Voidsheen cloak. He had personally seen to the construction of her armor, hammering and wiring many of the pieces himself, but her cloak was currently still being handled by Lexus. The Vrantine armor rested near the center of the room, glinting in the light. Unlike most sets of armor worn by the Null-Maidens, this set possessed a helmet to seal it to the vacuum of the void.

Beyond the small personal armory, the only other rooms in the hab that saw any use, and less than even the armory, were the kitchen and the drawing room. The kitchen simply because even a Custodian of His design needed food. The drawing room so that he could properly design a… gift, to be left behind on Erszbat. It had long since been finished, as his time had been spent on it while Sister was in her pod. It left plenty of time for his present to the Batarians to be carved, chiseled, and coated.

But the reason he was here was for the kitchen. It had been nearly a week since he had last eaten, and his body needed sustenance. A few minutes saw the heating of a nutrient paste that he devoured in a minute. A thousand years of dealing with unsavory food during campaigns helped with that.

After cleaning up after himself, he left his hab unit and made his way back to the hangers, forgoing his Orion whilst it was undergoing its upgrades for a reinforced Kodiak that was designed to hold war automata. All that truly meant was that it was larger than the usual Kodiak, with reinforcement in its frame. It held him just fine as he made his way to the Dutiful Claimant, the pilot stuttering as he transported the Custodian.

When he disembarked, he found a greeting party in the form of Sheela and Sister. The latter had donned a Phoenix Hardsuit with its color matching the Vrantine armor that she knew from memories, but her waist held something that made most people in this galaxy look on in confusion. A simple Power Sword rested there, a gift from Lexus to be returned once she earned her Blade. In conjunction with the plasma pistol that rested on her leg via magnetic hardpoint, she was armed well enough to make it through a sortie should she need to.

"Welcome back to the Claimant, Brother," Sister greeted with a nod of deference.

"My thanks. How goes your training with Sheela?"

Sister glanced at the woman, who returned her look with a proud smile.

"I succeeded in getting through her tests."

The exuberant woman beside her nodded quickly and even gave a small clap.

"She did, my Lord! Her training through the pod is extraordinary, and she even managed to figure out a few things that I hadn't ever intended on her learning. Your first member of the Departmento Investigates is a force of nature."

It hadn't taken Sheela long to grow used to the Null's aura. Not out of being exposed to it, but due to the orders issued by her Lord. Work with her, or otherwise never work directly beside Lord Arcturus again. The choice had been easy, if uncomfortable.

The Custodian nodded and gestured towards the far doorway.

"Good. Give me what details you can as we walk. I would test her physically while we await Lexus's return with the Collectors."

The bridge of the Dutiful Claimant was rather full, much to the displeasure of Lexus. Thankfully, it rarely happened. The standard crew was joined by Lord Arcturus and his shadow, along with the Null Maiden-in-training. With the exception of one of his fellow Myrmidons, the rest had joined to view the arrival of the Collector voidship. A few of the more… eccentric humans that had been rescued were more than capable of making themselves of use to the Mechanicum and the Myrmidons, and had been inducted into their ranks.

"You are certain of your choice, Lord Arcturus?" Lexus asked.

The man nodded, the features of his head visible as he held his helmet beneath an arm. The effect of a Blackship was able to be felt immediately; this was no different. While Arcturus and Sister remained uneffected, as did Lexus and its fellow Myrmidon, everyone else looked on in unease.

"I am. They'll have little choice but to accept our terms, but I do not wish to force them into servitude without a reason for them to give their best."

The Magos didn't reply, already knowing what had been prepared to be offered to the Collectors to entice them. It instead turned upon its many mechadendrites and began to make its way off the bridge and towards the hangar. It was joined by the Custodian and Sister shortly, once again crowding their choice of transportation as the large Kodiak prepared for takeoff.

Arcturus directed the pilot towards the same airlock he had used twice before, finding a greeting party of six Collectors. Unlike before, each of them seemed to be wreathed in green energy. Lexus's scans proved it to be biotic energy, earning a raised eyebrow from Arcturus when it informed the Custodian.

"They showed no potential before. Something has changed."

Disembarking caused the six insectoids to glance at one another, until two stepped forward and approached the landing party. They seemed to keep their eyes on Arcturus more than anyone else.

"You have arrived. You have our gratitude," stated the one on the left. "We are… lost. We seek purpose. We seek…" the drone seemed lost as it spoke, unsure of what it was trying to convey.

But Arcturus had a suspicion. He viewed them through his autosenses once more, seeing the activity within their brains had massively increased.

"Vengeance, against the ones who enslaved you? You have been awakened from your previous servitude, and seek revenge against those that sought to keep you as nothing more than puppets?"

The first Collector looked away, leaving the second one to step forward and raise a clenched fist. An avatar of fury, it seemed, as the biotic energy surrounding crackled more aggressively.

"Your words describe our feelings, Gold One. But we now have more to be wary of. We are limited. We cannot create more of ourselves. And some do not seek conflict. Those of us that will fight, shall not subject them to the will of another once more."

Ah. Not an avator of fury, but perhaps justice. Arcturus nodded to himself as he stepped forward and held out a hand towards Lexus. The Magos didn't hesitate to extend a mechadendrite holding a dataslate and place it into the outstretched hand.

"Nor will we force you to. I shall not bandy words, Collector. You have given your unconditional surrender, and in another time, another place… I would have had no hesitation in erasing your kind from existence. But times have changed. Forge World Nemata seeks allies, and you seek refuge. We would offer something invaluable to your people, in exchange for the service of those of you who would fight by our side."

The Custodian offered the dataslate to the second Collector, who took it and in turn passed it to the first. The second insectoid cocked its head afterwards in thought.

"Collector… that is the name that the General gave us, to collect for what the current harvest cycle has named 'Reaper'. We no longer serve its whims, nor those of the Reapers. Awakened… We are the Awakened."

A nod from Arcturus confirmed the Awakened's words as the first creature glanced up from the slate it was reading.

"You would secure our existence. Return us to what we once were."

Lexus slithered forward on its mechadendrites pulling forth another slate that turned on to reveal a hologram of Collector biology.

"In the short term, the offered vitae womb would serve to ensure you do not go extinct. Lord Arcturus has already given the order to prioritize its construction. You will find it finished within the cycle upon the planet Virmire, at the coordinates given in that dataslate. The return of your former existence, however, poses a problem. It will not be possible without a great deal of bioengineering, experimentation, and a great deal of time. Perhaps half a century, at the earliest estimation. And none of you who currently exist would reach that state of evolution. The first generation would be vat-grown. It is your decision."

Before the Awakened could reply, Arcturus cut in.

"But in exchange for your ensured future, you will be assimilated into Forge World Nemata. Your voidship will serve as your base of operations within our fleet, repaired and retrofitted to Nemata's standards. A tithe of soldiers to crew and serve shall be enforced, though it shall be kept within manageable thresholds with the knowledge of a single vitae womb being your sole source of reproduction. This tithe shall not strip the Awakened of the ability to follow other paths in the future, and the tithe does not enforce a lifetime of soldiering. Ten years would be but a blink of an eye to your people."

The giant paced a few steps, glancing around the room they occupied.

"Or, should you truly have no wish to join us… your vioidship shall be repaired and escorted out of Nematan Territory with the stipulation that you shall be called upon to serve. One time, but it may not allow your people to survive, depending upon the situation."

The first Awakened didn't hesitate as it replied.

"We accept your unconditional terms of joining Forge World Nemata."

A mental sigh of acceptance made itself known in Arcturus's mind. He smiled beneath his helmet. The giant held out a hand that was shaken by both of the Awakened, before he frowned.

"And what do I call the individuals before me?"

Both Awakened glanced back at the others, then nodded and returned their gaze back to Arcturus.

"I shall be called Resolution."

The second didn't answer immediately, raising its talons that were crackling with biotic energy. Then it made a fist.

"Justice."

Arcturus cocked his head slightly.

"You are becoming Aspects of your kind, instead of adopting a true name. Honorable. Some day, you shall earn your own names. I would be there when they are earned." Then he held his hand out towards Justice. "I would have one of you join my personal retinue and strike team."

The Awakened glanced at the opened hand with seeming confusion before slowly placing its own talons into the giant appendage. The hand closed around the talons and shook them before releasing.

"I will join your strike team personally," the creature stated. It turned its head to face the other Awakened, who all nodded in acceptance of its decision. When it turned back to Arcturus, it seemed to have a gleam in its eyes. "You have yet to encounter our Seekers. Allow us to enlighten you to their uses and how you might make use of them."

Another week passed quickly for Arcturus. The Awakened voidship was repaired much faster than he anticipated; each of the Awakened seemed to have retained the knowledge of things they were present for before they were broken from the Collectors' control. That knowledge combined with not needing rest cycles like other races allowed for an unheard of efficiency for this galaxy outside of the Geth. As soon as the voidship was fully repaired, it joined the main fleet.

The Custodian sat in the Orion's cockpit, along with Sheela. Sister was in the hold with Justice, speaking to each other about their experiences as slaves. The Custodian shook his head and refocused on the controls in front of him.

There were three comm buoys within the Vular system. Two operated as the primary buoys, while a third was maintained as a backup. The first had already been dispatched, activating the third the moment that it was destroyed. The second drifted in front of the Orion, its course correction thrusters disabled and a remote detonated melta bomb attached to its array.

A hum escaped Arcturus's throat as the Orion turned away to return to the location of the first comm buoy, anticipating the arrival of the third that activated to replace the previously destroyed piece.

The minor Relay was already being dealt with. A decoy had been sent from another Relay to gather some of the Batarian voidships dedicated to Erszbat's defense. The moment the decoy vessel was destroyed, it would also cause the destruction of the Relay when its reactor went thermonuclear. Anything within a large radius from the Relay would be devastated by the thermonuclear explosion combined with the Relay's own detonation.

"Five minutes until our hot potato exits the Relay, Lord Arcturus."

The giant nodded, thanking Sheela for informing him. He needed to move faster if things would be ready by the time the assault fleet arrived, but not by much. And the Orion was more than capable of it. Stealth by this point was a non-factor, it was too late for anyone to stop him.

Thrusters sped the Orion onwards even faster than before, its Arachnus Heavy Blaze Cannons coming to life. He performed the targeting calculations himself before verifying his results with those given by the Orion's own systems. They confirmed what he had already figured out, leading him to smirk as he fired the cannons.

Any who would have seen the Orion's weapon systems would have noticed a ruby red glow emanating from the tip of the cannons. The brief glow was replaced only a moment later by a blindingly bright glare that lasted for only a fraction of a second, yet that glare was more than enough to nearly annihilate the entirety of the third buoy. At the same moment, Arcturus sent the detonation command to the melta bomb further away, rendering the Vular system without long-range communications via Mass Effect.

The same moment, he heard the Batarian fleet's astonishment at nearly a third of their forces being destroyed by the Relay. Arcturus didn't hesitate to reach for the Orion's comm unit, broadcasting via vox throughout the entire system even as reality began to rip apart around him.

"Welcome to your end, slavers of the Vular system. Make your prayers, say your farewells, for your end has come. Seven cycles before naught but the mountain of your dead shall remain. Seven cycles before the closest Batarian fleet has hope of reaching this system. Seven cycles before you are all freed from your sins. Spend them well, before the fury of Forge World Nemata purges your wretched existence from this life."

As he finished his speech, the prows of his own fleet emerged from the Warp. At its head came both the Talon of Nemata and the Awakened cruiser, Avatar's Retribution. Following those came an amalgamation of different ships initially created by the xenos of this galaxy and later retrofitted by Nemata. The Talon's initial test with the large Macrocannon that had become its main armament had spurred Lexus into mounting a variety of different weapons upon an even larger variety of voidships. Nothing large; not even Lances. Both Lexus and Arcturus were quite sure that a Lance would be far too costly to produce and mount, only for the selected vessel to cumple beneath the tool of war's power.

But the arrival of Nemata's Crusade fleet had not gone unnoticed, even if there was too little time for the remnants of the Batarian fleet to reorganize against it. Macrocannons and voidship-grade plasma batteries flashed to life, followed closely by the Avatar's Retribution's own particle beam.

Arcturus nodded to himself as he witnessed the destruction, then turned the Orion towards Erszbat proper. The Talon followed closely, as did the Awakened cruiser. Behind them came a collection of troop transports and their escorts, leaving what remained of the Batarian fleet to the wolf-pack formations of ships that Lexus preferred. He idly sighed as he noticed that the escorts also looked to contain purge vessels among them.

Radiation bombardment was necessary to ensure that none remained alive on Erszbat. But that didn't mean Arcturus enjoyed it, even if he had long grown used to the Mechanicum's tactics.

Commander Tesh of the Salarian Special Tasks Group watched in silent horror as the Mass Relay he had his team watching erupted in a thermonuclear explosion that had nearly blinded them, even through the polarized viewport of their stealth frigate.

"Renloa, Inuka, give me a report!"

The two salarians were his closest operatives, having worked with him since he had started in the STG. They were coincidentally also the most experienced of his crew, though the hesitation that followed his demand had made the recently promoted Commander want to reevaluate that notion.

"Part of the Batarian fleet was enveloped in the detonation. An entire third is gone. There are strange readings coming from near the-"

"Comm buoys are gone! We're in the dark, Commander!"

Tesh didn't hesitate to split his omnitool's display between their screens, allowing him to see the data for himself. In that moment, he understood the hesitation that they both had. And, in that moment, he was also more than glad to have placed his stealth frigate as far away from anything and everything in the Vular system as he could. The EMP effect of the nuclear detonation did reach them, nor did the radiation of whatever was happening near the destroyed comm buoys. He was confident that his vessel's systems would not hold up to the astronomical amounts that had appeared. And then a voice was heard through his ship's intercom. Tesh's translator identified the speech as a human dialect, though the STG operative was far more interested in the voice itself.

He knew that voice. He had heard in person, once, even if the language was not one he knew or could translate. Even now, he felt his spine tingle as he recalled the majesty of the massive golden titan it had belonged to, asking - nay, demanding his awe and near reverence. And Tesh knew that his crew felt it too. The Custodian had imparted something onto them that day, likely unknowingly. Tesh knew that he would do anything to hear that voice again, and now he had. Now that he had… he wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't follow the Custodian. But, he suspected that he could try to convince his fellow Salarians of the Custodian's near-divinity. Nothing short of a divine could move so gracefully, speak so beautifully.

Then, when reality began to rip apart, he had thought he lost his mind. He knew he was looking at… something, but just glancing at it caused his head to spin and a dull ache to manifest itself. He kept expecting to hear voices, but instead was left with an extremely unnerving silence. Such silence nearly drove him insane, he felt, until ships began to pour from the rift.

The Commander had been expecting something quite different than the seemingly random assortment of familiar ships that arrived. At the head was a significantly more bulky, but still recognizable Turian Harpyle-class Carrier. Without scanning the vessel, something that Tesh would not dare risk doing now and alerting the arriving forces, it looked to be at least double what its weight class should be. He didn't recognize the material that made up the outer plating of the vessel, nor the monstrous cannon that ran through nearly the entire length of it as well. Even more intriguing were the two oddly shaped protrusions on the bottom of the ship.

Yet, it was the organic vessel that came beside it that drew the most attention in Tesh's opinion. It drove a spike of unnatural fear in him, yet he couldn't discern why beyond the knowledge that it was a Collector vessel. He was privy to what had attacked the SSV Normandy, and this vessel bore all the same readings as that, with the exception of the teal aura that had surrounded it.

The systematic destruction of the Batarian fleet had barely registered in the Salarian's mind, until Renloa shook his shoulder.

"Commander, we need to get out of here. Snap out of it!"

Tesh took a deep breath and reached a hand up to his nose, pinching it in thought.

"No. We're staying. They haven't noticed us yet, and we shall endeavor to keep it this way. But we shall observe what happens here, record everything we can. Without the Relay here in the Vular system, it will take us nearly a week to reach the next Relay. We have the supplies, we may as well learn what we can until either they finish their business, or we are forced to retreat. The Dalatrass and the Union need this information, Renloa."

A sigh escaped his subordinate's mouth, but he nodded after a moment.

"Good. Return to your station. I suggest everyone here mentally prepare themselves for the worst."

A/N: I am aware that a vitae womb still requires genetic material. The idea I'm going with is that the Collectors/Awakened still have genetic material, but have no way to make use of it within their own bodies.