Yet another random idea that came to my head. Please do not expect regular updates.

Disclaimer: Mass Effect belongs to Bioware and Sins of a Solar Empire belongs to Ironclad Games or Stardock (not sure which)

The Great Wars between the major empires had no victor; only those that survived and those that died. No one really knows how many died. Though there was no one left to care anyway.

All of factions that fought ceased to exist; whether it was through the destruction by another's hands or simple because they imploded, unable to sustain itself any longer.

All felt the after effects of the Great Wars. With the near simultaneous destruction of all the empires; who couldn't?

Small warlords set up themselves up everywhere; each carving up their own small personal empire. Marauders were rampant as they raided the weaker colonies for supplies and slaves. It was an age of anarchy.

We, like many others, were just a small colony on the outer rim of charted space; completely forgotten by the larger players as they fought each other to the death.

Being overwhelmed with the pressures of reality we joined together to share and aid each other in our pain.

Some would consider our experiments immoral and strange among the tamer of the insults. But we did not care as we became the first and only humans to develop psionic abilities.

It was then that the Unity started. The psychic links that will inevitable connect us all as one.

Despite the harsh desert world we lived in; our civilisation ushered itself into a golden age. Our people were happy and content. There was even talk and speculation of creating a colony.

And then we encountered the Trade Order.

Formed from the ashes of the old empires; several of the strongest and organised colonies joined together to form a single united entity. Established with strict rules and principles promoting free trade and joint prosperity; the Trader Worlds expanded rapidly; quickly becoming an industrial and economic giant.

It was on ones of their expeditions that they encountered us. A thriving civilization on an otherwise untouched desert planet was a good prospect for them.

They came with promises of wealth and friendship by being a part of their Order. They promised protection and peace for our people.

Perhaps we would not be who we are today, had we accepted. But that matters not as we declined their offer.

Despite their claims of peaceful intentions; they returned with a war fleet. Labelling us deviants and twisted they took control of our planet and exiled us into the far reaches of space.

Our meagre defences were but a small hindrance for the might of the Trade Order. Only two frigates strong and vastly weaker than the Trade Order's own ships; we stood no chance.

We were defeated, shamed and exiled. But we were not bowed.

Thousands died as we fled from our own homeworld. The gloating fleets of the victorious revelling in our suffering.

We ran, and ran till we could run no longer. But by then we had long escaped our oppressors.

We were a weary fleet of ragtag vessels, just aimlessly floating in space. The swiftness of our flight had shattered the psyches of many and had broken the spirits of all.

But not all hope was lost.

A burning desire grew in strength within us. The fires spread across all of us. One thought that united us all. One desire that we all shared. The one goal that we would push ourselves to the limits for: revenge.

It was improbable. Our civilization was in ruins and its people helpless. There were several other things we could have done. We could have resigned ourselves to our fate and die. We could have made a new peacefulhome for the generations to come.

But no, they had attack us unprovoked and drove us from our homes. For their sins; the Trade Order needed to pay.

And we would be the harbingers of their punishment; the Advent of their destruction.

And so we rise; out of the dirt that the Trade Order buried us within.

We committed ourselves to this cause. The raging fires within our hearts fuelled our expansion. The worlds around us soon fell under the influence of our Unity.

We raised great cities filled with citizens who, with the Unity, placed the milestones of our civilization once again.

Great orbital space stations were built around our planets. They produced war ships at an ever increasing rate as we made ready for war.

Never would we be caught defenceless again; as we constructed a nigh impenetrable defensive wall. Any who dared to attack would have to be willing to pay a high cost for a single strike.

Unlimited and unchecked, our technology grew to tremendous heights. Our connection with each other deepened and our mental abilities improved. With our Psitech; we rose to unprecedented levels of development.

One thousand years has passed since our great humiliation at the hands of the Trade Order.

We were now in a ripe position, the Unity had expanded to encompass hundreds of worlds. Our fleets now boasted thousands of war vessels.

The highest coalescences synthesized the very will of the Unity and determined that the time was right to return to our original homeworld and to crush the Trade Order under our heel.

Our fleets were called together to mark our crusade against the Trade Order. Only skeleton garrisons were left within our fledgling empire as all Advent answered the call.

And so we returned with both a great arsenal at our disposal and the will to use it.

And we waged a great crusade against the Trade Order or the Traders Emergency Coalition as they now called themselves.

Initially we gained many successes against them; their undefended worlds easily falling to our fleets. But then we finally met resistance; the TEC fleets moving to engage what was left of their Eastern Fringe.

And they brought with them the Vasari: a race of Xenos with technology rivalling even our own Psitech.

The three-way war would last 15 years before the crucial move was made. Battles of epic proportions occurred daily and billions died as we fought.

Zhiangting… Zaghad… Knieper… Those battles alone left of millions dead, both in orbit and on the ground.

TEC soldiers, Advent Acolytes and Vasari Warriors died in droves as they fought over conflicted worlds; which would change hands within the next month. Space was littered with debris from the remains of vessels of all three factions and worlds became graveyards for the fallen.

Suddenly there was a brief reprieve as everyone's forces withdrew to their own respective territories to regroup for the next great offensive. Following suit; we regrouped and reorganized ourselves. Massive Space stations and defences were erected at critical systems and chokepoints.

With our numbers replenished and our will undying we prepared ourselves for the next offensives against the Vasari Empire and the Trader's Emergency Coalition.

But we were not the only ones to take advantage of the brief reprieve from total war. The Vasari and Trader's had likewise prepared great defences; making any offensive a very costly matter.

Then the unthinkable happened; the Vasari met with us to talk of an alliance against the Traders. Where we wanted revenge; they wanted resources. Our goals were not conflicting and both required the defeat of the Trader's Emergency Coalition.

The TEC was not prepared for us. Against just one of us; they could hold and even match. But with the might of both the Vasari Empire and the Advent; they had little hope.

The result was 5 more years of fighting. Our losses were costly and at times seemed even sacrificial as we threw our young at the defences of the TEC.

The Traders grimly refused to give up. They were aware they could not win; but seemed determined to make us bleed as much as they can. Their fleets fought with desperate abandon; often even ramming their own dying ships into our own.

It was not until the last TEC planet fell that we declared ourselves the victors. Those that surrendered were integrated into the Unity; but those that chose to fight were killed to the last man, women and child.

While the Trade Order may have chosen to exile us to make us die long and torturous deaths; we survived and rose to take our vengeance. For the betterment of future generations; we would not give the remaining Traders such a chance.

Our recaptured original homeworld would become the new centre of the Advent; the pride of the Unity. Our 'Avollonis' would never be taken from us again.

Half of the trader worlds were ceded to the Vasari to do as they pleased. The remaining was absorbed into the Advent; willing or not.

The former trader worlds were reformed in the Unity's image. Countless white drones worked endlessly to tear down the industrial mess of the Traders and replace them with the elegance of the Advent.

All within Unity cheered at our success and bathed in the glory that our military has won for the Advent. Our prophecies were fulfilled; the TEC was destroyed and the Advent was now the only dominant force left alongside the Vasari.

Diplomatic talks resumed with the Vasari Empire, most focussed on the limited exchange of technology and trading raw material. But there was one thing that made the Unity restless.

And that was the unknown and relentless pursuers of the Vasari; the one that tore down their ancient empire which spanned thousands of worlds. If their warnings were to be believed; then they were coming soon.

As the Vasari prepared to leave the galaxy; the Advent prepared. Great arrays of defences were put in place at where the Vasari was first spotted. Our already massive armies and fleets were expanded even further as they trained to meet this unknown threat.

It was twenty years before the Vasari were split. On one side were the loyalists; the ones that wanted to continue doing what they always have: "Evacuate, Siphon and Run." But a new, popular philosophy had developed; one that advocated working with their new Advent allies and finally making a stand against the unknown.

The loyalist faction remained chained to what they believed was the inevitable and were allowed to leave in peace; they would not be seen again for hundreds of years.

It was the new Vasari Conclave that interested the Unity. They joined us in our preparations and bolstered our defences along the southern fringe of what was once Trader space. Recognizing our former pact against the TEC, they renewed upon it. After thousands of years of running; they were determined to now stand and fight against their bogeyman.

The addition of Vasari vessels were a welcome sight to the apprehensive Advent fleet. United; we would either overcome this threat together as we did the TEC; or we would die together in a torrent of flames.

It took another twelve years for the unknown threat to arrive. Looking back it was easy to see how they decimated our fleets. The Advent-Vasari alliance was prepared for many things but this was not one of them.

12 large monster sized ships arrived at the front line; nearly twice the size of our titans they were a fearsome sight. They called themselves the Leviathans; and announced that what they do now would be a mercy kill compared to what awaited them.

To this day; we still do not truly comprehend what manner of beings they were. All we knew was that they were both old and powerful beyond knowing. Their psionic capabilities surpassed even the strongest of the Coalescences and the biological weapons attached to them were more than enough to crack our defences.

Using their psionic powers to the greatest effect; they turned us against each other. The Vasari vessels were the first to turn; their minds having no protection whatsoever against such a powerful mental invasion. The Advent lasted longer; the Unity protecting them from the worse of the psionic attack. Those with weaker wills eventually fell prey to their sway and turned against their own brethren.

With the Vasari fleet and half their own fleet forcibly turned against them; the remaining Advent retreated. Those that could not make it out were merciless hunted down by those they once called allies. Over ten thousand Advent and Vasari ships were lost with tens of millions either dead or enslaved by the Leviathans.

While it was the greatest military defeat in the combined history of the Advent and the Vasari; it did give them the key to winning against the Leviathans: knowledge.

Now that we knew what the Leviathans used to defeat the Vasari and now us in turn; we could prepare.

As our remaining forces did all they can to stall the Leviathan's advance; our scientists worked towards a counter measure against the Leviathan's psionics. While the Advent had varying degrees of resistance towards the Leviathan's influence; the Vasari lacked our mental defences that the Unity provided.

Our remaining fleets grimly performed their duty with the highest distinction; their sacrifices buying precious moments for us as we stumbled upon a crude but workable solution. While Vasari had no psionics; with Psitech implants the Advent's Psintigrates could temporarily protect them from psionic attacks.

Advent Psintigrates were placed on board Vasari vessels to provide at least some measure of protection. But as soon as the crew showed signs of succumbing to the Leviathans; they would either self-destruct themselves or throw themselves at the massive forms of the Leviathans on a suicide charge.

We fought tirelessly against the Leviathans and their mind slaves. We bled them continuously; never giving the invaders time to regroup and recuperate. And after 10 long years filled with death and suffering; it finally paid off.

When hope was dying and thoughts of fleeing with the Vasari loyalists arose; it all changed when the news finally arrived. The first of the 12 Leviathans had fallen.

It was the unyielding will of an Eradica Titan, supported by what remained of 3 Vasari fleets and 2 Advent ones. Seeing that it could fight no more; the High Apostle on board the mighty titan decided to follow in the footsteps of others and rammed itself into the Leviathan.

As the Leviathan ship tried to escape collision course; the other Vasari and Advent vessels saw their opportunity. Sacrificing themselves they kept the Leviathan from fleeing.

No one knows exactly what the High Apostle, commanding the titan, was thinking on that day. But most assumed that she must have died with a content smile on her face; happy to finally kill one of the beings that have plagued her whole life.

It is said that the explosion could be seen from the next system; the explosion so powerful that most of the Titan's supporting fleets did not survive.

Those that made it and returned brought back the news of how one of the Leviathans had fallen. But we did not cheer; nor did we mourn those that died. There was no time for that as we still had eleven left.

The War of extinction lasted just under three hundred years. With the destruction of each individual Leviathan, the rest grew more cautious, more careful in their methods. Eventually it came to the point where the hunter became the hunted; as we scoured space for the remaining Leviathans.

Our fleets fought and die en mass. All who joined the military didn't expect to live long and thus took care of all their mortal affairs before they left towards the own deaths. Conscription was enforced as we ran out of volunteers.

We do not know how many died though it is estimated up to more than a trillion. Hundreds of planets had been razed to the ground during the war. Tens of millions must have died as their home burned under the Leviathans. Many more must have died as starvation took them. We never did have enough food to go around.

But it was in battle that we lost the most. The main forces of the Leviathan's were our own people; their minds broken and forced to serve the Leviathan's cause. They could not be saved. Any of the enslaved who were taken away from the Leviathan's area of influence fell mad and died only a few days after.

But despite how close we came to death; we won. Against all odds we finally won.

But like how we didn't celebrate when the first Leviathan fell; we did not celebrate now. There was too much death in the air to feel anything but loss; anyone that still more than three family members were considered lucky.

And even then it was not over. The last Leviathan warned us of yet another threat looming. It warned us of how we would be harvested to create synthetic life without its aid. It warned us of its creations and how we could not stand against them without the guidance of the Leviathans.

Its hollow words meant nothing to us. That we may be killing the last of its species did not even register in our minds. That we might fall before a greater threat without its support did not matter to us.

All that mattered then was vengeance. For all those that died in the ancient Vasari Empire, for all the children of the Unity that died, for all those Vasari under their new conclave that died; we gave it the same mercy they gave us.

Its final words echoed across the galaxy. And we heeded it.

Our fleets were never decommissioned as we made ready for a worse threat. New orbital defences were put in place to replace the old. We desperately tried to make ourselves ready for whatever hunted the Leviathans with what little resources we had left.

And we were saved as a result. With their warning beacons still operational the Vasari loyalists returned. Seeing the weakened state of both the Advant and their seperatists; their emperor declared war on us lesser races and their traitors, seeking to eliminate a weaker foe before it could get back on its feet.

Our tired veterans, who had come home to meet the families they haven't seen in years, were called back to fight. Saddened and distraught with being torn away again so soon; they knew their duty and returned to fight for futures of the sons and daughters they barely knew.

It was a disaster at first. The strong fleets of the new Vasari Empire tore up our barely capable fleets. Both Advent and Vasari Conclave soldiers were given no mercy though we offered none as well.

At first victory for the Vasari Empire seemed likely; but the Unity and our Vasari allies has gone through too much to allow us to yield now. Slowly but surely our half-dead war machine got back to its feet. And when it was ready; it was a sight to behold.

Without the established war factories and infrastructure the Advent and Vasari Conclave possessed; the Vasari Empire was losing the war of attrition. Unlike us they lacked the industry to produce as many vessels as us and the population to replace their dead crews.

Thousands of vessels, both new and old, travelling along phase space to deliver the final offensive directly against the Vasari Empire's exodus fleet. It was a slaughter as we ruthlessly put down the newly returned empire.

Once again Advent and Vasari fought as one. Once again we found ourselves the victor. Once again we gave neither mercy nor forgiveness.

And finally it was over. The never-ending war that dominated our civilizations for centuries was finally won. Great memorials were built everywhere but there was never enough to mark the losses we took. But the Unity was aware of all the deaths within the Advent; and it ensured that their sacrifices would never be forgotten.

Alongside the Vasari Conclave, the Advent once again rose from the ashes.

Seven hundred years was what it took to regain our pre-Leviathan war levels, if but just. Once dead colony worlds were rebuilt and recolonized. Our fleets and armies were once again a force to be reckoned with.

Co-operation with the Vasari Conclave were common. Often you would find many Vasari on Advent worlds and vice versa. There was something in fighting together against a enemy that promised death that could bring even hated rivals together. And neither the Unity nor the Vasari would ever forget the camaraderie that we together shared against the TEC, the Leviathans and finally the New Vasari Empire.

Once again we started forages into shared technology. Our pacts with the Vasari saw our Psitech improving to new heights as we integrated the technology of the Vasari.

Our shields were stronger, our laser beams more deadly and together we made the cost of antimatter decrease for all operations.

With our military now strong again we shifted our focus towards internal matters. We made life for the Unity better than what we had for over millennia as we now had no foe to face.

Food and wealth was abundant and trade with the Vasari was constant.

For the sake of ceremony, we renewed our old treaties with our Vasari allies. They had long expired the agreed terms but everyone knew they still applied nevertheless.

The Advent and Vasari Conclave would answer each other's call for aid. There was no need to debate this as it will always be true. They had been to hell together and come through victorious; it would never cross the minds of any Advent or Vasari to not help the other.

Another hundred years passed without incident. The Advent and Vasari had by then fully recovered and now controlled all that was once Trader Space.

It was also the time when we started our first exploration into the unknown of space again. With all known systems occupied and used in some manner; there was now a new need to expand once again.

And that was how we found the first relay. It was on the Advent's forth exploration expedition that it was found above a terran planet. It was the huge in its size, measuring up to 15 km in length; nearly a fourth the size of a starbase.

Scientists and intellectuals flocked to the strange artefact as they tried to decipher its purpose. A race of sorts sprung up between the Unity and the Vasari as we worked to discover its mysteries.

This race was won by the Vasari who discovered that the relic was a relay that connected to another similar relay far away in a distant system. With this one could travel the equivalent of a hundred phase jumps in only a moment by propelling objects in a mass free corridor through space.

Though it couldn't be used for average space travel as it would leave huge gaps in our defences; the ability to traverse the entirety of our territory, in a less than a hundredth of the time it would take with phase jumps, was too valuable to not use.

But though we now know what it could do; we failed to comprehend how to use it. Despite our best efforts the relay remained dead in space. There was something else we needed to use it but we didn't know what.

Unable to utilise the relay but unwilling to give up on it; we set about reverse engineering the relay.

Little progress was made without a working sample and though the research received large funding; it could not replicate a relay without hitting the same problem with the original.

It was two years after the discovery of the relay that we found the answer. Hidden underground within the terran planet was a huge underground complex of alien design. Within this ruin was the answer that Vasari and Advent scientists had been searching for.

Element Zero or Eezo was what was needed to activate the relay. When this material was subjected to an electrical current it releases dark energy which can be used to manipulate mass.

And within the ruins were huge volumes of the rare material. It was already refined and ready for use. It was as if someone had intentionally left it there for them to find.

The Vasari was cautious about this; citing that such a thing was far too good to be true. And while the Unity agreed with their assessment; it was too good of an opportunity to ignore.

But Element Zero was not all we found. Within the ruined bunker were archives that mentioned an empire in the stars: the Prothean Empire; an empire which might still exist and be a threat to us.

The Unity was in agreement. Never would we allow the Advent to grow complacent and forget the perils of space. We would always remain vigilant and prepared for even the slightest of dangers.

Where a more peaceful nation would have decreased their military in times of war; we strived to improve it; always wanting to be one step ahead.

More than once we would compare ourselves to our Vasari counterparts. Their fleets slightly numbering more than ours or that their weapons had slightly longer range. It was a friendly but intense military build-up as we strove to better our alien rivals.

Our territories were scoured for Mass Relays; as the Prothean's called them. Finding two more on the far fringes of Advent space; they were forcibly dragged to meet with the first.

Together they would form the central hub that would link their territory to the other side. With the jointly colonised planet Sanctuary as the centre; the three Mass Relays would all link there.

And we were prepared for what was bound to come. Contact with the Protheans was inevitable. And there was always a Vasari and Advent fleet within the system; ready to answer the call to war at a moment's notice.

It was the Xon Precept that discovered the first real signs of alien contact.

We had expected first contact with the Protheans. Instead we found the Drell and Hanar. One was the saviour and the other the victim of their own design.

Rakhana was the name of the Drell homeworld. And it was dying.

Unrestrained industrial expansion has pushed the planet to lifelessness as the Drell desperately searched for a way to escape the dying planet.

It was the arrival of the Hanar that brought hope. This hope turned to desperation as it became clear the Illuminated Primacy couldn't save them all. The Hanar lacked the capacity to transport and support that many Drell.

Unwilling to allow a new race die; the Xon Precept unanimously decided to reveal themselves with the blessing of the whole Unity.

While the neither the Hanar nor the Xon Precept could afford to save them all; they saved a lot more than what the Hanar could have accomplished alone.

An estimated three and a half million Drell were evacuated off Rakhana; a tiny portion compared to the billions that were left behind. But the Xon Precept and the Hanar did what they could.

The majority of Drell were relocated to Sanctuary while half a million would join with the Hanar in Kahje. In both cases; the Drell became client races to both the Advent and the Illuminated Primacy.

Throughout this entire process the Advent came into contact with the Citadel Council. Made up of from the most powerful 'known' space faring races they promoted peace and co-operation between races.

Sending a Herald Envoy guarded by a light escort; we met the Citadel Council for the first time.

To say the Unity was underwhelmed by the supposed 'centre' of the galaxy would be an understatement. The Citadel was only approximately the same size as a Transcencia Starbase and was considerably smaller compared to the newer Eclipsia Starbases.

That their defence fleet for the centre was so… small could say a lot. It could mean that the Council was a peaceful entity and had little use for war or it could also just mean that they were short on vessels.

The diplomatic party was composed of nine High Apostles; each representing one of the nine Coalescences that made up the Advent. Accompanying each of them were two High Templars; bringing the whole party to 27 members.

The three Councillors spoke of how the Citadel promoted peace and co-operation. How it had a long history of successes and how it survived the horrific horrors of the Rachni War and the Krogan Rebellions.

They beseeched us as a younger race to join with them for the greater good and of all the benefits that came with membership.

It was immensely amusing to the Unity when the memories of the meeting were shared. It was to become a joke that would be shared within the Advent for centuries to come.

Adding the time before the Great Wars to the history of the Unity; then we would be far older than even the Asari, who are reputed to be the oldest race within the galaxy.

And that was not to mention the Vasari whose civilization was over 10000 years old; no doubt the Citadel would also like to convince them as a 'younger race' to join the Citadel.

There were many reasons as to why we refused to join. The foremost was how eerily similar the Citadel Council was to the Trade Order. Promoting freedom and unity; yet willing to lash out at what they considered not normal.

That they were significantly weaker than us was also a factor. While their territory was larger by virtue of the Mass Relays; most was lightly defended and their fleets spread out all across their territory.

There was also the fact that the Turian unknowingly insulted us by stating how "your Unity couldn't possibly even imagine all the hardships the Council has been through. How many died in the Rachni Wars and the Krogan Rebellions."

The Unity was enraged that day and our diplomats were no less angry. They would talk of hardship when they have never suffered like we have. They would talk of sacrifice when they do not truly know the meaning. They would speak of death yet when they couldn't even imagine how many died in our wars.

And we unlike them we remembered. The Unity remembers. Not one Advent isn't aware of the sacrifices our ancestors made. Not one Advent would ever say anything to stain their heroic deaths.

Our diplomats expressed the rage of the Unity. To add insult to injury; they scoffed at our 'tales' in disbelief. The Unity's representatives left in rage, much to the derision of the Council.

We would not want total war for such insults. To do so would just make us the 'barbarians' the Council claimed we were. But we could not let such offenses against our ancestors go un-avenged.

It would be remembered as the most humiliating day in the history of the Council; the day that they were laid defenceless against the full might of the Advent. It would be a quick war intended to humble the Council and ensure they wouldn't dare attack us.

Without a single loss; the entirety of the Citadel's defence fleet was defeated. For the next day; the massive Coronata and Eradica titans of the Advent loomed over the Citadel; their silent presence reminding the Council that their existence continued merely on a whim of the Unity.

Despite the Advent's quick and efficient victory; there were no deaths that day. Lacking any defences against the Psionics of the Advent; the crews of entire dreadnoughts were enthralled to surrender with the fleets they commanded.

All Citadel fleets along the Mass Relay route were summarily defeated; their crews forced to obey the command of Advent as they disabled their own ships. No relief force was exempt from this; the Citadel forced to watch as the fleets meant to rescue them were easily disabled by the Advent.

The Citadel was forced to sign an unconditional surrender; admitting their loss to the Advent. The war had lasted only 26 hours with the Council losing nearly a third of their fleets, all Turian, Asari and Salarian, to our psionics.

And with that we left; satisfied that our point was proven. Before we left; we gave them the same warning the Leviathan left us and mocked how if they couldn't even scratch us; what hope did they have in defeating the Leviathan's hunters.