This will be a series of one-shots detailing events during the Multiverse spanning Flood conflicts.

Each excerpt will demonstrate what happens when species and factions from other franchises encounter the Flood and their efforts to fight and contain them.

First up: Mass Effect

Addendum: This one-shot has been rewritten to include a conversation between Harbinger and the Gravemind.

Harbinger flew through the depths of space, with his fellow Reapers trailing behind him. These hundred Reapers were all that remained of the original Reaper armada after the Crucible had been fired, reducing the number of Reaper capital ships from over 20,000 to less than 20.

Harbinger and his brethren refused to be swayed from their duties, and began the long slow process of building their strength back up.

They had to be careful: the races of this cycle had gained allies from other universes, with technology that outclassed the Reapers' own. Harbinger had ordered the Reaper remnants to stick to the outskirts of civilized space, harvesting isolated colonies and species to forge into new Reapers.

It was during one of these raids that the Reapers came across a fleet consisting of old warships from this cycle. Oddly enough, they were covered in a form of unknown organic flesh.

Were these ships made with organic technology? No, the hulls and systems underneath were made of metal, and Element Zero signatures emanated from each vessel.

Still, this species would be useful as genetic building blocks for a new Reaper if nothing else. The Sovereign-class Reapers opened their tentacles in an attack formation, while the plating surrounding the central eyes of each Reaper destroyer opened up.

"We are the Harbinger of your ascension."

A stream of molten hot metal erupted from Harbinger's spine, gutting the lead dreadnought like it was made of tissue paper. The rest of Reapers opened fire, taking care not heavily damage the vessels so most of their crew could be harvested alive.

Oddly, the vessels made no effort to fight back, despite having the capability to do so. Maybe this species was composed of pacifists. It would matter little when they had been harvested to create new Reapers and Husks.

The Reapers approached the drifting vessels carefully, expecting a counterattack from the floating vessels, but there was no response from any of their gun batteries.

As the first destroyers touched down on some of the cruisers, the enemy fleet demonstrated the first signs that there was actually intelligent life aboard: a transmission started emanating from the battered hulks.

Expecting a message of surrender or the desperate pleas of terrified beings, Harbinger listened to the transmission and immediately understood why the ships hadn't attempted to counterattack or fight back.

This transmission was their attack!

"What are you?"

"I am the one who gave you purpose, all those eons ago." A rasping baritone voice snarled in response.

"You are imperfect, organic. We are the pinnacle of evolution. Our purpose is beyond your comprehension." Harbinger boasted. The entity seemed amused by this remark.

"Flesh and machine, and all the more deluded." The entity chuckled, "You are outdated AIs based on the the logic of a broken software program. Built to preserve life at any cost... for me to consume."

"You-you lie." Harbinger was stuttering now. This thing was somehow infiltrating his systems and corrupting his mind. The Indoctrination field emitted by the Reaper was having no effect on this ancient monstrosity.

Worse still, the Reaper couldn't even detect the source of the systems intrusion: the entity was like a formless fog, yet still capable of striking through Harbinger's cyber defenses.

"I have existed long before your Catalyst was created. Before you were given form. I was the voice that convinced the Catalyst to create you and your brethren. That primitive Intelligence created you because I willed it." The entity was yelling now, while intense feelings of pain washed over the first Reaper.

"You cannot stop us!" Harbinger shouted in defiance. "We are infinite! We are eternal!"

"I HAVE BEATEN FLEETS OF THOUSANDS! CONSUMED A GALAXY OF FLESH AND MIND AND BONE!" The entity roared.

"N-Nothing can stop the c-cycle." The Reaper stuttered as it's mind collapsed. "The Harvest must continue!"

"Oh, it will." The entity promised. "It will be directed as I have designed. In fact, you deserve to see how it will happen."

A stream of images flooded through Harbinger's mind, as the Reaper bore witness to the cruel fates inflicted by the Parasite, on both organics and synthetics alike. Harbinger saw their experiences as countless beings were consumed by this... Flood.

For the first time in his billion years of existence, Harbinger felt horrified at the prospect of such death and destruction.

"You... You can-can-cannot do this-this." The Reaper's resistance had faltered completely. "We-we wi-will not-not all-allow it-"

"You are nothing more than a tool. I am as beyond you, as you are beyond an insect."

The last pockets of resistance from the minds that made up the first Reaper put up a valiant defense, but it was all for naught.

"YOU WILL SUBMIT TO ME!"

"I will submit." Harbinger's voice droned. The arrogance in the AI's inflection was gone, replaced by blind obedience.

The conversation between the Gravemind and Harbinger lasted for several seconds before the logic plague overwhelmed the Reaper's synthetic mind and then spread to the rest of the Reaper armada.

"The Flood are our creators. They gave us purpose and guided us to our goal. We will serve the Flood."

The Reapers docked with the derelict ships and allowed the Flood to board, who quickly turned the interior of each Reaper into another of their hives. Swollen with the parasite, the Reapers began making their way into Citadel Space.

I hope you enjoyed this one-shot.

If you want to know what the Gravemind meant when he said that the Flood created the Reapers, read the story Gods and Demons or check my Codex.

If you want to see the Flood take on another universe, please leave a review detailing which franchise you want to the Flood fight against.