Author's Preface:

Disappointed as I was with Mass Effect 3, I have always wanted to write a story about the Reaper invasion of the galaxy, but stripped of dramatic heroics and silly deus-ex-machinas. I always felt that one problem of the games was that, despite being hyped up to being unknowable, edlritch machine-deities from beyond the stars, the Reapers and the scope of their destructive descent into our galaxy were minimized in-game. They simply failed to feel like a real threat; in addition, I have read too many fanfictions on here since then that suffer from the same problem, where either the impact of such an invasion simply doesn't feel close to home, and/or the Reapers are eventually defeated through some contrived method.

This is where this piece and its stories come in. Although I first published it a while ago, I decided to start all over again, and write it from the ground up it into something I could be satisfied with. I also wish to state that this piece will on occasion make references to the facts presented in another piece of mine, (also posted here) the comprendium titled 'The Outsider's Guide to Human Affairs' ( which is also another work in progress). However, reading it is not at all necessary or required to enjoy this stand-alone piece.

To do away with any doubts, the Reapers win in this story: there was never any doubt about that as I was writing this. Perhaps, I always thought that the Mass Effect series should have ended on such a bleak note. But that does not mean that it can't be an entertaining, if morbid, dive into oblivion.

Please enjoy.