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Chapter 84

Sacrifice

(Parintha System: Asari Dreadnought-Amatakal)

Admiral Layna shook in her command chair as her ship endured another salvo from the relentless enemy. She silently thanked their scientists who had went to great lengths to provide her dreadnought with the finest's shields. It was the only reason why she had been able to survive the battle for almost an hour now.

Her few volunteer Cruiser supports on the otherhand didn't enjoy that luxury with nearly half of them having perished in battle already.

"Captain Ilena killed in action!"

She fought back her remorse when one of the cruisers aligned itself directly into the path of the twin salvo's launched by the two enemy dreadnoughts. The Asari Captain and her crew perished in an instant but their sacrifice gave Layna's gunmasters precious time.

"Target in sight! Launching barrage!"

Her dreadnought's massive cannon fired twice within a span of twenty seconds completely destroying two enemy cruisers thereby avenging the loss of one of her own.

However the victory ended there when Layna saw she barely had 9 cruisers left as her support while the twin enemy dreadnoughts had close to 1900.

"Fighter swarm incoming!" reported Shailin, her XO urgently.

"Launch Countermeasures! Divert whatever fighter units we have left to intercept!" commanded Layna swiftly,

Her dreadnought opened its massive arsenal launching hundreds of missiles that locked upon the approaching swarm of enemy drones and fighter craft. They rained death one after another even as the few fighter squadrons she had left clashed against the enemy as their frontline collapsed.

"Left flank under heavy fire!"

"Enemy preparing for a charge from the right flank!"

Layna's ship continued seeking targets and ending their existence one after another but it was as if she was trying to stop an ocean. Her cruisers were in a worse state with their shields and armor severely depleted, even their weapons must be running low.

They had held the enemy for as long as they could but a good officer must always realize when a battle was lost.

Admiral Layna knew there was no surviving the enemy's final charge as their encirclement was now complete. Her only solace being the fact that atleast half her of her original fleet had escaped and Thessia would have sometime to prepare for these invaders.

A part of her wondered if she would have been able to hold off for a longer time had she not ordered half of her surviving ships to flee.

No, lost ships could be rebuilt in time. The loss of valuable crews having centuries of military experience was not something which could be easily replaced.

"Shields at 20 percent, Admiral! We won't survive another barrage!" warned her XO,

Layna grit her teeth as her gaze landed upon one of the enemy's dreadnought that was wounded thanks to her own ship's weapons. A pincer attack was also launched on her group's flanks as hundreds of enemy cruisers came charging in.

"Divert maximum power to shields! Ask the cruisers to protect us for as long as possible! Navigation, plot a course straight towards the dreadnought on the right flank. If we are going down, then we are taking one of them with us!" ordered the Asari Admiral,

Before her crew could carry out her last orders, something happened which left the Asari Admiral speechless.

(Imperial Stealth Fleet Flagship: Maurya)

Captain Erwin Bucock had been given the option to enter the Imperial Army when he applied for Service. Instead he chose to join the Navy just like his father who was the current leader of the 10th fleet of the Empire.

His reasons were different than that of his old man's though, the poor guy had to join the Navy as it offered better pay than the Army and his father had died with a lot of debt.

Erwin on the otherhand chose the Navy for its unique battlefield.

In ground warfare, there were several limitations due to the terrain with quite a few unexpected factors affecting one's survival. Even the best laid plans were prone to go haywire due to factors beyond the control of mission leaders.

The same rules applied to space warfare as well to an extent but it also offered a unique advantage that ground warfare never could and was the reason why a tactical man like him chose this battlefield.

His 200 strong Stealth frigate force had carefully observed the invading fleet for an hour now, it had led to the loss of half of the Asari Cruisers that stayed behind with their flagship dreadnought while the rest of their fleet escaped- but Erwin knew he only had once chance to make a decisive move.

If he missed or made a mistake, his own fleet would be decimated as there was no way in hell his Stealth frigates would be able to survive a vicious attack from a fleet of this size. That would also lead to the death of the remaining Asari and possibly start an all out war between the Republics and the Empire.

"Irina, is everything ready?" he asked to his XO, making the Russian born nod.

"We have identified their Command ships on each flank and the weak links across their encirclement. Strategic mapping has been carried out and vulnerable areas identified of the target ships" reported Irina with a cunning smile,

"Remember we only have one shot at this. Our objective is to allow an opening for the remaining Asari to retreat while dealing critical damage to enemy command that should paralyze their advance in this system long enough for the Asari Home Fleets to intercept them or for our own 10th fleet to arrive in this system for their rescue. I want all ships to disengage the moment these objectives are achieved and get the hell away from here. We won't survive a prolonged battle!" ordered Erwin seriously,

"We will still lose ships, Captain" pointed Irina somberly, earning a nod from the blonde.

"Regrettable but a well known consequence of conflict. We will save as many as we can" he answered calmly,

He watched as an Asari cruiser sacrificed itself to save their dreadnought making him acknowledge the fact that perhaps the Asari were not as weak willed as he always imagined to be. But then again, any proud species would fight to the death to protect their homeworld.

"Captain, the enemy is about to launch a pincer attack on the Asari's flanks!" reported Irina urgently,

He saw the lone Asari dreadnought align itself in the direction of the enemy dreadnought that was wounded as its few remaining support cruisers formed a last defensive line around it in order to protect it from the hundreds of enemy cruisers charging from both flanks.

"They are going to launch a suicide attack to take out atleast one enemy dreadnought before they perish" thought Erwin,

However it was not going to happen as he saw the other enemy dreadnought priming its weapon at the Asari dreadnought as hundreds of support cruisers formed a defensive layer around the damaged enemy dreadnought.

The Asari would not be able to penetrate those lines in time to reach their target.

The enemy fleet knew it too as they rushed in to finish their opponents.

It was time.

"All ships, charge!" he ordered calmly,

He gripped his command chair as his ship alongwith 100 others flew millions of kilometers above the enemy fleet. His remaining 100 ships divided into equal groups of three to advance on the right, left and rear of the enemy encirclement.

"Lock on to targets! Prime Shiva Nuclear Warheads!" said Erwin with a determined look, as his group descended down rapidly towards the two enemy dreadnoughts.

Each ship in his fleet was equipped with four-Shiva Nuclear Warheads with a yield of 30 Megatons per missile. If all four struck at the same time, not even a dreadnought's shields would be able to protect it completely from the fallout.

If hundreds of such missiles struck at the same time...

Reaper Killers.

The Kaiser had given them a fitting name and displayed great foresight by arming his stealth ships with such weapons. If that was not enough, they also had a spinal mounted cannon and 50 energy missiles per ship to engage the enemy apart from the point defense systems to protect against enemy fighter swarms. Even their stealth technology was designed to make them engage the enemy and disappear quickly. There was a reason behind it, as their energy shields and armor had to be reduced to compensate for the heavy armament and effective stealth features.

"Approaching engage zone in 10 seconds, Captain!" reported Irina,

Erwin watched as the 100 stealth frigates descending down upon the enemy from above armed their most lethal weapons. It was why he loved the 3D maneuver capability of space warfare.

"Disengage stealth drives the moment we fire! Divert all power to shields, secondary targets to be eliminated in the next three minutes!" he commanded seriously,

(Asari Dreadnought-Amatakal)

Admiral Layna had been pushing her ship to reach the wounded enemy dreadnought but even she could see her efforts were most probably going to end in failure as they tried to fight the systematic counterattack launched on them by the Cruisers that had converged near the enemy dreadnought in its defense.

"New contacts!" reported the Sensor and Communications officer,

She looked at the command screen and her eyes widened in shock when she saw atleast 200 hundred missiles launched from millions of kilometers above the enemy dreadnought. Her alarm sirens clearly pointing to the fact that these were Nuclear weapons.

The enemy tried to scramble desperately to save themselves but it was already too late.

The first 50 nuclear warheads struck dead center on the rear of the wounded enemy dreadnought. Having focused majority of its shields towards the front in order to battle the Asari, the enemy ship was left completely vulnerable.

It exploded into a brilliant flash of light that blinded Layna even as hundreds of other nuclear missiles rained down upon the cruisers around the now destroyed dreadnought.

"Contacts on both flanks and to the rear!"

Everywhere her ship cameras swirled she saw more and more enemy ships being engulfed in nuclear fire. The sheer ferocity and swiftness behind the attack leaving not just the enemy but the Asari fighters in complete silence.

She saw new ships now blinking on her radar all across the battlefield.

Stealth Ships.

She vaguely heard her XO mentioning Imperial ships before she was staring at a well dressed blonde human male wearing the crisp uniform of the Terminus Empire looking straight at her.

"Asari Admiral! Captain Erwin Bucock of the 10th Imperial Fleet here for your aid on behalf of Kaiser Naruto Uchiha. These enemies are not our Imperial vessels and I have been authorized to neutralize them in order to avoid a mistaken war between our two nations" introduced the blonde,

"What-"

Before she could comprehend her savior's words, she saw another volley of nuclear warheads launched at the Second enemy dreadnought. Having watched the demise of its breatheren, it had prepared itself much better but was still hit by the overwhelming Imperial force.

"We have neutralized their ship jamming communications alongwith other command ships. The encirclement has a gap, suggest you retreat with your survivors immediately and inform the Republics of this development to prevent any untoward war between our people. We shall keep the enemy engaged for as long as possible for your escape" reported Erwin seriously,

"You'll be decimated" warned Layna, earning a firm and unflinching nod from the blonde with icy blue eyes.

"That is the price of peace. Suggest you move quickly so the cost is not too high" suggested Erwin,

She saw him grimace when the lone surviving and badly wounded enemy dreadnought emerged from the nuclear destruction. Its guns and missile ports primed at Erwin's group and soon enough the new Imperial vessels started getting hit one after another as the enemy having initially been taken by surprise now engaged the new arrivals with ferocious vengeance.

Admiral Layna swiftly nodded at her XO who ordered the rest of her ships to retreat via the small opening given to them by the Imperial officer.

She looked at the blonde one last time and couldn't help but offer him a grateful salute.

"We will not forget this, Captain Erwin" she promised sincerely, as she watched him lose 10 of his own ships in the blink of an eye.

She saw the remorse in his eyes for that loss but also a sense of fierce devotion towards his mission as he returned the salute.

"Farewell, Admiral. I hope the sacrifices made on this day pave the way for a better future for both our people" said Erwin honestly,

"It will, Captain! May we meet again"

A rueful smile came upon the blonde's lips as he lost a dozen more ships before giving her one last nod and terminating the connection.

(Hyperion: The Kaiser's Flagship)

Kaiser Naruto looked at his comrades assembled in the war room at his behest. While the future of the galaxy relied upon Captain Erwin's actions, his own would also play a vital role in starting or avoiding a galactic catastrophe.

Miranda, Garrus, Kushina and Liara were seated on the right side.

While Princess Ren, Grunt, Thane, Jack and Kelly were seated on the left side.

He occupied the key seat in the middle and gave them all a thankful smile before speaking.

"I'm sure you must know by now as to what has happened in the Parintha System" he began calmly, earning firm nods from all his comrades.

"The Council and especially the Asari have been waiting for a chance to strike the Terminus and me for the past five years. This incident gives them that chance to settle scores, even if we are able to prove to an extent that we had nothing to do with this dastardly attack...the Council races may still join forces and attack us nonetheless. It is why I want to know your opinions before we initiate dialogue with the Armali Council of Thessia" stated Naruto frankly,

"The Asari hate your guts for taking away the minor races away from the Citadel Council's influence and making them join the Empire instead. I would have advised against sending Captain Erwin and his stealth fleet to their rescue but now that it is already done...I can only suggest to keep your forces ready for war while trying to prevent the Turians, Salarians or Humanity from joining the crusade that the Asari are sure to launch" warned Miranda, shocking quite a few in the room with her straight approach.

"If not outright war, then they will surely try to assassinate you as vengeance for all your crimes-actual and fictional against their race. By doing so, they will aim to break the Empire" advised Thane, earning a firm nod from both Jack and Grunt.

Kushina was alarmed on hearing such predictions of her son's fate and looked at him worriedly only for him to give her a reassuring smile while gesturing her to maintain her composure.

"We won't let them hurt you" promised Kelly fiercely, receiving a grateful nod from the Kaiser for such loyalty.

"Chambers is right, the Empire will fight to the death to protect its Kaiser and our sovereignty" swore Princess Ren without mercy,

"And how many millions shall die in that conflict between our factions? It could start a galactic war! There must be another way!" protested Garrus vehemently,

"Garrus is right. A war or major conflict will destroy our economies and war assets which are crucial for our fight against the Reapers. If Princess Ren's reports are correct, they will strike this galaxy in a year or slightly more. We must keep the peace or everything is lost" emphasized Liara passionately,

Before further argument could erupt among the assembled group, the Kaiser got up from his seat making everyone look at him.

"Thank you for your opinions. Now let me present my own" requested Naruto,

When they all nodded one by one he paced a little around his chair before looking straight at Ren first.

"I'm grateful for your support in protecting my life. But you and I both know that we will need every damn war asset to defeat the Reapers. A war of any kind with the Citadel Council will not help us meet that objective. Am I wrong?" asked Naruto seriously,

"No, it will not" admitted Ren begrudgingly, but everyone could see she wanted to say more. The Kaiser had other plans though...

"The way I see it there is a lot of bad blood between the Citadel Council and us. They hate my guts, some of it due to my own actions. I did it all these years in order to make them prepare their military for a conflict with us so that such power could be used collectively against the Reapers in the long run. I made myself a target, the symbol of their hatred. They will never trust me completely no matter what I do now or how many concessions the Empire gives them to avert a war. There are many even among the Empire who hate me for the actions in the past five years: The Civil War, The Batarian War, and many more. I am rightfully responsible for all that bloodshed since those conflicts were waged under my name to protect the Empire. That blood will forever stain my reputation among the galactic community making them reluctant to work with the Empire" explained Naruto honestly,

"Don't sell yourself short, Naruto. There are equal number of people in the Empire and among the galaxy who admire you as well for all the good you have done for the other minor races whom the Council exploited for centuries" pointed Miranda, earning nods from several of their comrades without hesitation. Grunt and Thane being the most assertive among them since their races flourished the most under the Kaiser's leadership.

"But we need everyone united to win against the Reapers. Division of any kind will only lead to our defeat" countered Naruto, silencing the former Cerberus scientist.

"What are you saying?" asked Princess Ren hesitantly, as a sinking feeling started to develop in her heart.

It only became profoundly worse when the blonde looked at her with a knowing smile.

"We all know I have no legal right to the Uchiha dynasty's throne. Even so I cannot gamble the future of the Empire and the lives of all those that believe in me in order to save my own. I wish to offer no major concessions that can threaten the Empire's autonomy and its future to avert a conflict today" said Naruto seriously,

"Just your own life"

Ren's statement shocked each and every person in the room as the Princess got up from her seat to step in front of the blonde who remained unfazed.

"I have no intention of throwing my life away. Instead I wish to propose abdicating the throne in a year's time and make Princess Ren take my place. The Council will not have much reason left to attack the Empire in the short run atleast if they believe they managed to dethrone me, their main enemy. Our people respect Ren and so will the Council, atleast in comparison to me who has slighted them for the past five years. It gives everyone a chance to form an alliance in time for the Reapers to arrive while avoiding a conflict today that could lead to loss of innocent lives and destroy our chances of winning against the Reapers" explained Naruto calmly,

He saw his proposal had left each and every person speechless for the moment. So he looked at Ren who was staring at him with an unreadable expression on her face.

"This throne is not mine, Ren. You and I both know that. This cycle has to be different for us to even stand a chance against defeating the Reapers. That change should start with me first..." he pleaded with her,

"You want to leave us?" asked Ren disappointedly, but he shook his head.

"I'm a soldier, Ren. My place is on the battlefield and not in a palace. For the past five years I gave up on that in order to accomplish other larger goals. Now that most of them have been achieved, it's time for me to step down and go where I truly belong. When you become Kaiserin, you can give me your place in the military if you feel you can trust me and I am fit for the job. The Council wouldn't like it but by then the Reapers will be their bigger concern and with you acting as the Empire's Kaiserin they will have to work alongside us" explained Naruto sincerely,

"So you want to switch places? Her as the Kaiserin and you as the Grand Admiral?" asked Jack with a frown,

"Yes"

"Most people would burn down the whole world if it means keeping the throne that you hold today. I don't understand you, Kaiser" said Grunt disappointedly, as he looked at Ren suspiciously. The Kaiser had done wonders for his race, more than anybody had ever done in centuries. Would the Princess do the same?

"I entered this war to save this galaxy and not burn it down for my ambition. Those that can't sacrifice anything will never able to bring true change. Mikoto, Tali, Sakura, Schenkopp, countless friends and comrades gave up everything including their lives for the dream of saving this galaxy. So did all the trillions of souls lost in all the previous cycles...I can feel them all around us. Their eyes looking at us- asking are we willing to do everything in our power to defeat the Reapers once and for all? The same is the case for the trillions of souls of this cycle. My fight has always been for them and not for this throne, Grunt" answered Naruto fiercely,

They were all surprised when the Hyperion's War room disappeared and each of them found themselves standing in the void.

Liara, Kelly and Garrus were heartbroken on seeing Mikoto, Tali, Sakura, Schenkopp and all their crewmates of the Hyperion lost to this war appearing all around them.

Miranda lowered her gaze when she found Raval appear beside her. Even if she knew he was alive today, she could still remember how he was willing to sacrifice everything including his life at Ilos for victory against the Reapers. Her little sister's appearance beside her was the final straw for her.

Grunt, Jack and Thane found themselves surrounded by dozens of former comrades who had died in the Empire's service in the past five years, fighting in various conflicts so that the Empire could become stronger in order to defeat the Reapers.

Kushina saw Kaidan, Pressley, Jenkins, her entire crew of Normandy SR-1 that perished in the Battle of Ilos appear all around her. She was reduced to tears when a ghost of her deceased husband Minato stepped beside her and smiled, reminding her of the sacrifice made by the man she loved so she could reach where she had in life alongside humanity.

Princess Ren felt a lump in her throat and her eyes becoming moist when one by one she started seeing the ghosts of her lost family. Her Father, her mother, her brothers and sisters, her subordinates, her friends, her people. Her eyes widened when she saw a ghost of her real brother Naruto appear beside the clone version of his of this cycle seated heavily on a throne.

They all saw Naruto Namikaze-the Kaiser of this cycle sitting on his lonely throne as trillions upon trillions of souls lost to the Reaper Cycles filled the entire void. All of them surrounding him, looking at him and at the ones around him.

If that wasn't enough, more and more souls appeared all around them but unlike the others these ones looked more alive and lifelike. But their eyes still bore into Ren and everyone's else hearts. The people of this cycle...

"Look at them all and tell me was their sacrifice meaningless?" asked Naruto Namikaze truthfully,

Grunt felt ashamed and averted his gaze as the Kaiser's words tore through his heart. He didn't know what this was but he couldn't bear to look at all these people as it unsettled something deep inside of him.

Miranda and everyone else could not help but now understand the real position of the Kaiser as they looked at all these souls surrounding his lonesome throne.

The vision suddenly disappeared and they found themselves back in the Hyperion's War Room with the Kaiser's Mangekyo looking at them with an understanding and sad smile present on his face.

"You..." whispered Ren, with tears staining her pale face as he extended his hand towards her.

"We must keep moving forward until the Reapers are destroyed. No matter the cost, no matter the sacrifice. Make that promise to me as the 1st Kaiserin of the Empire" he asked her with a smile,

She had never been able to trust him fully after learning the truth that he wasn't her real brother, a part of her always distrustful of his intentions. But now...

"The Uchiha dynasty shall live on. I shall take away the hatred and mistrust of this galaxy so that everyone can gather together for dialogue and co-operation instead of war. Ren- you must become the hero of this galaxy. One that united it against the Reapers and saved it from the tyranny of Kaiser Naruto Uchiha-the enemy of galactic peace"

Ren averted her gaze in order to conceal the heavy tears falling from her eyes as she now understood his feelings completely. His plan now becoming crystal clear for her to understand.

Uniting the divided Terminus groups into a single Empire, giving the Protheans and Shinobi a new home in it. The rise of his power becoming a threat to the Citadel Council's hegemony thereby making them increase their military strength for a conflict with him as he continued uniting more and more minor races under the Empire's banner further fueling the Council's ire. Preparing the galactic economy and races for a massive war to heights never imagined before...

Bearing all the hatred and mistrust upon his own shoulders, staining his hands with blood so that a new savior free of such crimes could bring everyone together by taking his place when all that hatred became too much.

Her Mangekyo Sharingan came alive as she looked up to stare deep into his eyes and found herself in a white plain with just the two of them standing against each other.

"You truly inherited my brother's wishes" she whispered thankfully,

"You should thank Sakura for that-" he was saying but was stopped when she came forward and placed her hands upon his shoulders.

"She gave you my brother's memories, his powers but you chose to inherit his hopes and dreams" said Ren with true pride visible in her eyes,

"He gave his life so that we could get this chance" he answered truthfully,

"And you sacrificed your dreams and wishes in life, your future, even your memory in this galaxy" whispered Ren in a trembling voice,

"We have all lost too much to let it all go in vain. I won't let your brother, my friends, my love and this galaxy turn to nothing. I promise you, Ren" said Naruto fiercely, as she stroked his cheek affectionately.

"I'm truly sorry for doubting you, for hurting you, for everything" she whispered sadly,

"The past is full of regrets and mistakes. It is the future we must look forward to, for you are the savior of this galaxy" said Naruto honestly, and was surprised when she shook her head with a proud smile.

"The galaxy doesn't need a savior for it always had one. Now I understand the shinobi prophecy of the 1st Kaiser, my brother, his predecessors, you- everyone inherited his desire to protect this galaxy. Each of you making their respective sacrifice so we could reach this point. I will never forget that" promised Ren,

He smiled as the vision disappeared and they found themselves back in the Hyperion's War room.

Everyone was surprised when the ever proud and defiant Princess Ren Uchiha knelt in front of the Kaiser who looked at her with an affectionate smile.

"I will not fail you" she promised without hesitation and determination burning in her eyes,

Naruto gratefully smiled and nodded as he looked at his comrades once again.

"Then let's go and unite this galaxy"

Author's Notes: End of chapter.

Hope you guys liked it.

Thank you to each and everyone that reviewed last time, your support for this story makes me continue writing. For those that didn't or couldn't, I would love to hear from you as well.

I remember in ME1 part of this story, we had action after action in most of the chapters. ME2 took a different turn due to the plot but we'll be returning to that type of story line very soon now that we have progressed this far. Character and world building turned out to be more harder and longer to write than I first imagined considering the scale of this story.

Don't even get me started for the craziness in store for ME3-the final part of this story. All the decisions of the first two parts will affect the outcomes in this one.

Until Next Time,

Blackwolf501