--Ascendency Galaxy--
Ever since the new galaxy was discovered, life within the Ascendency's home galaxy continued to flourish. At the beginning during the foundation of the Ascendency, there was a lot of opposition coming from various factions within each race who didn't like the idea of having to live alongside their enemies.
Even within the Human colonies, there was a faction called Humanity First who wanted to purge all the Covenant races of the galaxy and have humans be the sole race within the galaxy. They believed that as inheritors of the mantle and the winners of the war, they had both the justification and the power to do so.
Their main ideology revolved around a xenophobia against the covenant races which attracted a lot attention from those who were against the founding of the new Imperial Ascendency and including the other Covenant races within the new government.
Though the amount of people who actually supported and joined Humanity First wasn't enough to make a difference. The number of people who supported Axel becoming the new ruler over all the other races dwarfed the number of supporters that Humanity First had.
Overtime the group had gained the support of around a dozen members of the Ascendency Senate who began to fund the activities of Humanity First which involved promoting their agenda. To openly protests were not against any laws established within the Ascendency unless it turned violent, so they were allowed to conduct their activities under the supervision of ONI.
As the years went on, the group so little progress in their efforts and even saw Humans starting to get along with the former species of the Covenant. So, the top leaders of the group had decided to make a violent show by bombing one of the inter-species exchange facilities on Earth.
But before they could, they were arrested by ONI operatives and trialed for various crimes that put them away for a long time. The senators who funded them were also arrested and stripped of their political influence.
After that incident, other groups found it hard to gain support from any senator since being in the senate, came with too many benefits that they didn't want to lose. The senate was at the top of the political landscape within the Ascendency, and they were expected to represent their respective planet in an honorable manor that reflects the Ascendency's core values.
For everybody else who enjoyed the new united government, life was as great as it could be. There were many things to do in the galaxy which allowed many people to chase their dreams. The government endorsed many people to get an education if they proved that they wanted a higher education. There is always people who don't want to get a higher education which was fine as their dreams could probably be achieved without going to a university.
Despite not being at war, the Ascendency military still saw a steady rise in recruitment numbers. Despite officially not being a militarized state, the Ascendency still maintained a standing military of 10 billion active service members. Most of them were the forces integrated from the various Covenant factions while around 2 billion were from humans themselves.
A lot of humans retired once the war ended but still turned to government jobs or some got civilian jobs. People on every colony especially Earth were grateful for the men and women who fought for their survival, so when the veterans returned, they were welcomed back into society without many problems.
The Ascendency of today was more or less a utopia.
———
Axel had just arrived through the dimensional slipspace gate for a massive celebration that happened every year. It was to celebrate the founding of the Ascendency and end of the Human-Covenant war. He was also here because of a recent discovery which the librarian had found in the records from the time of the Forerunners.
A species called the Xalanyn was imprisoned during the time of the Forerunners because they thought that the Xalanyn was a threat to the rest of the galaxy's species and to Humanity's position as inheritors of the mantle. So they decided that the Xalanyn were to be imprisoned on Installation 07, with some members subjugated for study at the Silent Auditorium on the ring.
Ascendency researchers had been studying the Silent Auditorium for a while now, but they had never found anything revealing the imprisoned Xalanyn species during their time.
As Axel made his way to Installation 07, the Librarian told him that, the Grand Edict, a Forerunner, charged Installation 07's monitor, 117649 Despondent Pyre, with guarding the Xalanyn's prison, and assigned Offensive Bias, a metarch-class Forerunner artificial intelligence to the ring to aid in this endeavor.
She herself didn't know about this and had just found this information while looking through the Forerunner records. It was well hidden and couldn't be found through normal means.
Once she discovered this information, she contacted Axel almost immediately.
Now they were heading to Installation 07 to free this species and hopefully get them on their side.
Arriving at the installation, his ship docked at one of the docking bays, and Axel disembarked with a team of Ascendency researchers and Honor guards in tow. Th Librarian had led him through the labyrinthine pathways to reach the Xalanyn's prison, buried deep within the Installation.
As they delved deeper into the bowels of Installation 07, their path was lit by luminescent glyphs on the walls. These glyphs bore cryptic warnings about the Xalanyn species. These warnings spoke about their extraordinary intelligence and an ability to manipulate energy fields around them, a power that they used for elemental manipulation.
Despite those warnings, Axel chose to continue. "Proceed with caution," Axel advised his team.
As they reached the heart of the prison, they found themselves standing before an archaic containment system. At its core, there was a soft glow; an energy field that seemed to be pulsating. Within this light, multiple figures were faintly visible.
"They are still alive," The Librarian whispered in response to the strong electromagnetic field surrounding the containment system.
"Prepare for extraction," he ordered his team. The researchers nodded, pulling out their devices and starting the process of unlocking the Forerunner containment system. Like Axel who could interface with Forerunner systems, many individuals who went through a long screening process were also given this ability.
As they worked, Axel observed the Xalanyn species closely. They were humanoid, with distinct elongated features and skin that shimmered under the energy field's light. He wondered what these beings might be feeling or thinking, imprisoned for so long in a stasis.
After a few minutes had passed the stasis field had deactivated. As it faded, the Xalanyn within slowly began to move. One by one, they raised their heads, blinking their bright eyes at their saviors. Their leader stepped forward, his expression inscrutable as he seemed to take in everyone and everything around him.
"I am Emperor Axel," Axel began, breaking the silence. "I am here to release you."
The Xalanyn leader simply regarded him for a moment before offering a small nod of acknowledgment. His voice echoed through the chamber as he spoke his first words in millennia.
"We are aware."
The Ascendency researchers watched as the Xalanyn began to move with cautious grace, stretching limbs that had been quiet for a long time. Even standing still their inherent energy was palpable, creating a buzz in the air.
"Emperor Axel," the leader began, his voice was deep and resonating like a bell tolling at midnight, "I am called N'Talen. It is … an unexpected circumstance to find ourselves awakened from our long imprisonment."
Axel inclined his head in a gesture of respect. "N'Talen, I understand this must be disorienting for you and your people. But rest assured, we have no intention of causing you further harm. My only intent was to free your people from this unjust containment."
The leader of the Xalanyn, N'Talen, studied Axel with eyes that seemed to carry the weight of centuries within them. He nodded slightly before he spoke again. "We were told such words once before," he said, his tone neutral. "The Forerunners promised us peace and safety; instead they gave us chains."
At this the Librarian had spoken up, "That is something that is unforgivable and I would like to apologize for our actions at the time."
N'Talen inclined his head in acknowledgement. "Your words are welcomed, yet actions speak louder," he said, his gaze shifting towards the assembled team. "We will need time to adjust, Emperor Axel. Centuries of silence cannot be erased in mere hours."
"Of course," Axel agreed with a nod. "The Ascendency will provide you with everything necessary for your transition. You're free to choose where to go and what to do. But I would like for your species to join the Ascendency as we aim for freedom, not coercion."
A silence ensued as N'Talen seemed to consider his words. Then, he spoke again, a hint of curiosity coloring his tone. "These Ascendency values you speak of... What are they?"
Axel smiled at the question. "Unity, progress, and freedom," he began. "These are the fundamentals upon which our empire was built. We seek to learn from past mistakes and build a world that is fair and just for all."
"And how do you ensure these values are upheld?" N'Talen asked further.
"Through our actions," Axel replied firmly, "We maintain peace through a balance of power and respect each individual's rights and freedoms. We strive to advance technologically and culturally, sharing knowledge for the good of all. Above all, we believe in choice; every being has a right to choose their path."
N'Talen listened intently. "Your words carry weight, Emperor Axel. We will observe and learn. In time, we will decide if these values align with ours. But first there is somebody else imprisoned, a former member of our species rule class"
"Yes, I know of where this person is, I was going to take you to release her next. She goes by the name of the Harbinger." said the Librarian.
Axel nodded and was taken to where the Harbinger was imprisoned to free her.