Alpha Relay

Location: Milky Way / Viper Nebula / Bahak

Alpha Relay is the name given by members of The Project to the mass relay that resides in the Bahak of the Viper Nebula.

The Alpha Relay is a standard mass relay, differing little, if at all, from the rest of the mass relays scattered throughout the galaxy. Its only defining trait is its proximity to the edge of the Milky Way. It is this proximity to the edge of the galaxy however that makes the relay the focus of the Reaper's attempts to return to the Milky Way following their failed attempt to reactivate the Citadel.

The Citadel, thought to be an enormous Prothean space station, was as in actuality an enormous mass relay that would allow the Reapers to return from dark space and again wipe out all advanced life in the galaxy. However, in 2183 the Reaper's plan failed. Commander Shepard discovered the Reaper's plans and defeated Sovereign, the Reaper vanguard, preventing it from activating the Citadel.

The Reapers were now unable to launch their surprise attack on the galaxy using the Citadel. However, they persisted. The Reapers began to advance on the Milky Way from their refuge in dark space, but without the Citadel to bring them into the galaxy, and to the mass relay network that connects the civilisations of the galaxy, they could only approach the galaxy at comparatively slow standard FTL speeds. They needed a way to spread to the rest of the galaxy as quickly as possible once they arrived and the Alpha Relay, located at the edge of the Milky Way, became their target.