Heroes of the Citadel
From FABT
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Built: |
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Closed: |
29 March 2253 CE |
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Purpose: |
War memorial to commemorate the sacrifices of the Alliance Fifth Fleet during the Battle of the Citadel |
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- "Heroes of the Citadel: Eternal is their sacrifice, clear is their reflection."
- — Inscription on the "Heroes of the Citadel" monument built in memoriam of the Systems Alliance personnel who gave their lives during the Battle of the Citadel.
The Heroes of the Citadel, also known as the Battle of the Citadel Memorial, was a war memorial located within the Council Chambers of the Citadel Tower on the Citadel. It was built to honor the human men and women of the Alliance military's Fifth Fleet who fought during the Battle of the Citadel, arriving to save the Citadel Council and the Citadel itself from destruction at the hands of Saren's Alliance and the Reapers. The war memorial was built following large-scale cleanup of the Council Chambers following the battle, replacing a fountain that had once occupied the Chambers' atrium. About a week after the battle, the damaged fountain was removed and replaced with a basic plaque, inscribed with the words "eternal is their sacrifice, clear is their reflection".
While plans were made to build a proper statue and the necessary artisans were hired to design and construct it, these were delayed by reconstruction efforts: finally, in November 2183 CE, four months after the battle, construction of the statue began, and in January 2184 CE, it was completed, with the plaque placed at the base of the statue. Built as a collaborative effort between human and asari craftsmen, the statue encapsulated the emotions and political implications surrounding the battle, by all means a milestone in human history. The statue consisted of four figures: in the middle stood Commander Shepard, one foot raised and perched ontop of a piece of rubble, clad in his HMASTA armor and Diamondback assault rifle lying on the ground, his fists clenched at his side; behind him was a slab of stone with an Alliance marine lying against it, one hand cradling his stomach while the other held a shotgun, aiming it at an unseen enemy, his helmet lying beside him and facial features frozen in a snapshot of courage and conviction; to Shepard's right was a second marine, crouched, helmeted and wielding an assault rifle, aiming in the direction Shepard was facing; a third and final marine stood on Shepard's left, holding no weapon but hands thrown up as if to project a biotic field around the group, mouth open in a roar of emotion. The statue's opening ceremony was attended by members of the Council, the commanders of the CDF and of the Fifth Fleet, which included Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett: Shepard's invite was stricken due to his unexpected death a month after the battle, and invites for the rest of the Normandy crew were rejected out of outrage and disgust at the Council's dismissal of Shepard's warnings, viewing the invitation as an insult. Regardless, the statue's unveiling was met with a positive response, and as a symbol of humanity's contribution to the Milky Way Galaxy.
The memorial suffered minor damage during the Cerberus attack on the Citadel at the height of the Reaper War, suffering more significant damage when the station was captured by the Reapers at the end of the conflict, requiring substantial repairs afterwards. The subject of the statue's removal was brought up during the Post-Apocalyptic War, but it was ultimately decided, much like with the krogan statue during the Krogan Rebellions, that it would be kept intact. The statue was permanently lost with the rest of the Citadel when it was destroyed during the Battle of Eos at the end of the Dominion Civil War in 2253 CE.