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The Citadel Station is a massive space station constructed millennia ago by an unknown race in the heart of the Serpent Nebula. Heavily populated with diplomats and traders, it serves as the home of the Citadel Council, a powerful multi-species governing body.
History
The Reapers originally created the Citadel to act as a giant Mass Relay to Dark Space. It was meant to be the center of any civilization to find and use the Mass Relays.
Strategically located at the junction of a number of Mass Relays leading to various parts of the galaxy, the Citadel quickly became a nexus of activity. The station was chosen to house the Citadel Council, thereby cementing it's importance in the galactic community. The citadel was created by the reapers who hide its real use as a Mass Effect Relay for each of their invasions throughout the cycle of life.
In the game Mass Effect, the final stages of the game take place on the station while a massive Geth attack (lead by Saren and Sovereign) attempts to activate the Citadel mass relay and usher in a new Reaper invasion. The assault is repelled by Commander Shepard and combined Citadel-Alliance Fleets, resulting in the death of Saren and the destruction of Sovereign. During the attack, the player can choose whether or not to save the Council, whose ship is under severe bombardment.
Layout
The Citadel is a massive construct, and is shaped like a five-pointed star. It consists of a central ring 10 kilometers in diameter, ringed by five arms, each of which is 25 km long and five km in breadth. The station is capable of closing in on itself, transforming into a long, cylindrical tube as the five arms come together. This is only done for defensive purposes, however, and normally the station retains it's star-shaped layout.
The central ring itself contains the Presidium, a massive, park-like complex containing the offices of the various branches of the galactic government, as well as the embassies of all the races represented in the Citadel.
Each of the five arms contains one of the Wards, self contained cities that have been built into the station. Each of the Wards contains multiple housing and recreational establishments to support the station's massive population of 40 million, made up of members of every known species in the galaxy (with the obvious exception of the Geth).
Defenses
As befits such an important location, the Citadel boasts multiple forms of defense. The station itself, as previously noted, is capable of closing in on itself to form a long, armored cylinder 25 kilometers in length. The station's hull is strong enough that, even using the most advanced weaponry available, it would take several days of sustained bombardment to inflict any serious damage to the station.
The next link in the Citadel's defensive chain is the Citadel Fleet. The fleet is a massive task force consisting of vessels from the militaries of the members of the Citadel Council (the Asari, the Salarians, and the Turians). The Citadel Fleet, led by the imposing Asari Dreadnought Destiny Ascension , constantly patrols the space around the station. Should any aggressor manage to break through the Citadel Fleet, reinforcements from all over the galaxy are only minutes away, thanks to the network of mass relays located nearby.
In addition, the Serpent nebula itself also constitutes a form of defense. The nebula's composition makes it difficult for attacking fleets to navigate, thus preventing them from launching a cohesive attack. The station also boasts its own security force, known as C-Sec.