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Concurrent:	Fifth Leviathan-Andromeda War Great Galactic Armageddon
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Wars with the Reapers
Vancouver-Seattle under siege during the One Hundred Thousand and Twenty Third Cycle, otherwise known as the "Last Reaper War."
Date:	3 May 11000000000 BCE - 24 September 2186 CE (11 millionennia, 4 months, 21 days)
Location:	Entirety of the Milky Way Galaxy
Outcome:	Decisive Reaper victories Entire civilizations exterminated Reapers continue to return for millions of cycles and repeat the same patterns of galactic genocide every 50,000 years Eventual decisive Milky Way victory Reapers destroyed by the Crucible All Reaper ground troops disabled galaxy-wide All Reaper technology, including the mass relays and Citadel, are temporarily crippled and disabled Victory Fleet stranded on Earth and galactic militaries exhausted Post-Harvest Period begins
Engagements:	Great Apex War Tidal Devastation Rage of the Dark Ones Prothean War with the Reapers Reaper War Millions of other battles and engagements
Belligerents Organic species of the Milky Way Galaxy The Reapers Thousands of indoctrinated groups Collectors of the Cycles Commanders Millions of commanders throughout history The Great Intelligence Harbinger Sovereign Oblivion Vanguard Armageddon Desolation Primal Collector General Millions of indoctrinated commanders throughout history Other named Reapers Strength Hundreds of trillions of troops and civilians Entirety of Reaper forces 217,589 ships Incalculable amount of troops. Simulated to have been trillions of different husks. Incalculable number of Collectors. Simulated to have been in the thousands of billions. Incalculable number of indoctrinated troops per cycle Casualties Entire races wiped out. Trillions Unknown. Expected to have been very light during most of the harvest. A few ships Thousands of millions of husks Thousands of millions of Collectors All indoctrinated troops wiped out Eventually catastrophic All ships destroyed or permanently disabled All husks wiped out All Collectors wiped out All indoctrinated troops and agents wiped out

"You exist because we allowed it, and you will end because we demand it."

— Sovereign.

The Galactic Harvest, also known as the Wars with the Reapers or the Cycles, was a series of conflicts stretching throughout the entirety of galactic history, ranging from the first cycle billions of years ago to the thousands of cycles proceeding from it. Formulated as an ultimate solution to the crisis of the time period, the Great Intelligence created the Galactic harvest, which dictated that all organic life, every 50,000 years, must be wiped out before they reach a higher technological level than its own, and to clear a path for lesser races to "have their glory." Once the Reapers arrive after 50,000 years, their path of destruction that follows is called a cycle.