Chapter 192

As the weeks passed, the war grew more intense. On dozens of planets, cities were reduced to ruins, and refugees were transported to the Core worlds of the Ascendency. Millions had to leave behind their old life in order to survive for the future.

But for many, this was not a problem as they had full faith in their emperor to lead them to victory.

The core worlds which consisted of some of the most important worlds in the Ascendency were the number one priority for Ascendency fleet to protect. Tens of thousands of MCU controlled ships formed dozens of fleets in order to protect these planets.

This level of coordination between AI and organics had never been seen before since the Forerunners were around. Though this still wasn't without its dangers as the Precursors could have a way to corrupt the Ascendency AI, so extra measures were taken to ensure that AI couldn't be hacked into.

New complex codes had been fully fortified, bolstered by improved firewalls and anti-intrusion algorithms. The AI constructs were monitored around the clock, and every single code was watched closely for any sign of precursor intrusion.

A ton of major battles had occurred during these weeks, creating new heroes who showed their will and conviction to defend the Ascendency. These heroes, both from the Human and Covenant species, were celebrated and hailed across the Ascendency.

Their stories of bravery, resilience, and sacrifice fueled the motivation of everyone on the frontlines. Each defeat, however, was a reminder of the grave threat they all faced.

Though Axel remained distant from the battlegrounds, he took an active role in strategy and military planning. He spent hours every day in discussion with the top-ranking military members, debating tactics and planning responses to Precursor advances.

He remained connected with the Billions of soldiers through regular broadcasts. In these he would speak honestly about the war's progress but always stressed that they were progressing towards their goals. He reassured them that every sacrifice was not in vain and that together they would ensure a victorious future for the Ascendency.

———

Visiting the Mass Effect Galaxy, Miranda was tasked with investigating the reports of Precursor activity within the galaxy. She hoped that these reports were false as they were just about to reveal the Precursor invasion and the Ascendency home galaxy to the other species.

They wanted to avoid mass panic, but if the Precursors were already in the galaxy, then their plans would be for nothing.

As soon as they entered the system where they received the report, her fleet was already taking damage.

"Ma'am, we've got hundreds of Precursor ships on the sensors. Our long-range communications have been blocked." reported an officer.

Outside the viewing deck, the black void of space was filled with streaks of plasma and Pulse cannons alongside the explosions of ships as the Ascendency fleet retaliated.

"Shields to maximum. Deploy all fighter squadrons," she ordered. "No retreat. We defeat them here."

Miranda's fleet, 300 ships strong, formed up as the first attack hit.

The first thirty seconds cost her five ships as they were caught off guard and had just exited their wormhole jump.

MCU-controlled cruisers initiated flanking maneuvers, drawing fire while Covenant destroyers rained their new plasma weaponry on exposed enemy hulls. Human warships dove in and out of formation, their MAC rounds and new experimental weaponry punching holes in the Precursor armor.

The Precursor jamming fields began to scramble short-range comms. Their nanite projectiles bypassed conventional shielding, corroding ship hulls in seconds.

Miranda narrowed her eyes 'A new weapon' she thought as she turned to issue commands. "Initiate Protocol Iron Net. Lock all ships into coordinated AI command." This command would essentially put the AIs in total control of the fleet with limited organic support. Within moments, the battle began to turn on their side.

The fleet moved like a single organism now. AI-linked pilots used predictive algorithms to anticipate enemy strikes. Defensive drones created flak coverage. When a Precursor cruiser tried to flank, it was met with a wall of coordinated plasma, kinetic, and pulse fire.

"Every second we hold them here is another second the galaxy stays safe. We cannot let them leave this system." Shouted Miranda over the fleet-wide comms. That's when her flagship took a direct hit which bypassed their shields. The bridge shook violently as the alarms blared and the lights flickered.

"Engine three is gone. Hull breach on decks nine through twelve!" a tech shouted.

Miranda wiped blood from her forehead. "Redirect auxiliary power. Bring us about, put us between the Precursor flagship and the Persean Lance."

"You'll be a target," the officer warned.

"I'm already a target." she guessed that the Precursors had already figured out which ship was the command ship.

The flagship, heavily damaged, charged forward with its experimental cannon charged. Targeting the largest Precursor ship, a central command vessel which was found to be the one giving out the commands.

"Fire."

The shot split through space, slamming into the core of the enemy ship. An explosion followed, ripping the Precursor command vessel in half and sending shockwaves through its formations.

"Now!" Miranda yelled. "All ships, break their formation. Push everything!"

The fleet charged forward at her command. Boarding parties disabled Precursor ships from the inside. Corvettes struck supply nodes and vulnerable command links. The MCU-controlled ships began using suicide patterns, sacrificing themselves in precision strikes that crippled the enemy formation.

After four hours of relentless combat, the last Precursor ship exploded under combined fire from six different Ascendency vessels.

Miranda stood motionless on the bridge, her uniform scorched, her face exhausted. "Status?"

"Seventy-two percent of the fleet is gone," came the reply. "But the system is secure. The precursor fleet is destroyed. We can contact Ascendency command now."

Miranda let out a breath. "Contact them. Let them know that the Precursors are already in this galaxy."

Acknowledging her order, the officer contacted Ascendency command and gave them a rundown of what happened. Within minutes, hundreds of nearby ships and support vessels had converged on the fleet's location.

Shuttles moved between the ships, evacuating the injured and assisting in making necessary repairs. As the daughter of Axel, Miranda's safety was prioritized over the others. She only had light injuries so her recovery was quick.

News of this battle had reached Axel who personally came to visit his daughter to make sure she was alright. He had arrived a few hours later aboard his personal ship.

Miranda stood at the landing bay, still wearing her battle-worn uniform. Her shoulder was patched, her cheek held a healing scar, but her posture was straight.

As the shuttle doors opened, Axel descended the ramp, Honor guards flanking behind him. "Miranda," he said, his voice low. "Father." She answered.

He moved forward and embraced her. "I heard you saved this entire system," he said, pulling back.

"We did what had to be done," she replied. "But the Precursors… they're here now. In this galaxy." Axel sighed. "Then we're out of time."

———

Hours later, in the heart of Atlas station, Axel called all the species to attend an emergency meeting. The emergency summit chamber was filled with representatives from every major civilization, Turian, Asari, Salarian, Human, Batarians, Krogan, Quarians, and the Geth, filled the room.

The mood was tense. Many had already heard fragments of what had occurred. Rumors of a new threat. Unconfirmed reports of Miranda's fleet facing a force beyond their comprehension.

Axel stepped forward to the central dais. "As many of you may already know, my daughter Miranda was attacked several hours ago. Not by any race or government entity in this galaxy, but by an external threat which has already invaded the Ascendency home galaxy." Some were confused on his last statement as the way it was worded sounded like they were from another galaxy.

"Yes, the Ascendency is not from this galaxy. We traveled and settled here after discovering this galaxy. From there we expanded and attempted peaceful interactions with each race." He said that while in his head, he was thinking about the Human-Turian war which didn't last long and saw the Ascendency intervene.

"These new enemies that we face are much more powerful than the Reapers, in fact they were somehow behind the Reapers invasion of this galaxy. They are not coming as they are already here in this galaxy." Murmurs traveled throughout the chamber. Some were in disbelief, some in fear of this new enemy.

Axel raised his hand causing them to become quiet. "My daughter led a fleet of three hundred Ascendency warships against a Precursor force in the Hephaestus system. We lost over seventy percent of our ships. But we won, just barely. That fleet was only a fragment of their military power."

He turned slowly, addressing the entire chamber. "These enemies are beyond your current defenses. Your fleets, your weapons, your doctrines, they won't hold. But the Ascendency is fighting them. And we've learned how to survive and how to beat them."

A Turian councilor stood. "Why reveal this now? Why not earlier?"

"Because panic would've shattered everything before it began. Because we weren't sure they'd breached this galaxy. Now we are. You needed proof. You have it."

An Asari matriarch leaned forward. "And what do you propose?"

"We form a joint galactic military task force. Every race will work together no matter their differences with each other in order win this battle. Any race who doesn't agree will be forced to comply with this as we don't have room to argue over petty disputes. Similar to the Reaper war, this war cannot be won if we fight separately."

The chamber fell into a heavy silence. Then Miranda, seated beside him, rose. "I saw what they're capable of. I watched ships corrode in seconds. I watched thousands of lives erased before they could scream. If you think your old wars were bad, understand this, what's coming doesn't leave war behind. It leaves nothing behind."

The chamber erupted into Murmurs until the Salarian representative stood up. "The STG will comply."

This was all the other needed as one by one, the others followed. With everybody complying with what he suggested, he began to introduce new weapons to them to get them prepared for the invasion.

He didn't know when more Precursor forces would invade the galaxy, but it was better for them to be prepared to handle it without a need for a ton of Ascendency military support.