Fate's a fickle bitch.
Sometimes it's good, sometimes bad, sometimes it's all in a flip of a coin.
In this case, it changes the fate of a entire universe.
...All in the hands of one nameless Grunt.
This Grunt (We'll call him Doe) has been given a very important mission. The delivery of various ships orders to the ships.
*Trip* "Whoops!" Doe drops the orders.
As he hurriedly stuffs the orders back into their various folders, he comes across two he has no idea where they belong.
One set of orders is to check out a world with a high concretion of Forerunner technology, the other is a scouting mission in the other direction.
He looks at the two ships still without orders, an Jiralhanae and a Sanghelli.
And here is where fate comes into play, here's how.
He closes his eyes and randomly grabs a set of orders & a ship's folder and stuffs them together.
In one version of this universe, the Jiralhanae got the orders to investigate the world with the high concretion of Forerunner technology, beginning 30 years of bloodshed and war.
But in this one, the Sanghelli did. Changing everything...
Now instead waiting thirty years to spark the Sanghelli revolt, with the Prophet's order to destroy the 'Heretic' ship broadcasting the news of the human 'Reclaimers' before it could spread it's 'Heresy'. Sadly too little, too late, though. By the end of 'The Rending' as the battle between the Covenant forces loyal to the Prophets (Which consisted mostly the Jiralhanae and the more fanatical Sanghelli and Grunts) against those who refused to destroy the Reclaimers, over a third of the Covenant forces defected to the humans, bring with them both information and technology.
After fifteen years of war, the Alliance consisting of the UNSC and the Sanghelli struck a distinctive blow to the Covenant with the destruction of High Charity in the 'Battle of the Ring'
What surviving Covenant forces were forced into pirating, mercenary work, or simply disappearing.
And so a semi-easy peace broke out, The Systems Alliance Treaty was signed and both the Human and Sanghelli races moved forward. The other never forgetting that the other helping save the other.
...But sadly, Fate decides to be a bitch once more...
Chapter One:
Reach Orbit, Repair & Resupply Station #19D
0436(Station Time) 05/24/2562(Military Calendar)
Beep-beep! Beep-beep! Beep-beCRUNCH!
Carmen Sheperd closed her eye, thanking the hangover gods that the clock had shut up when she suddenly realized three things.
1) She was notin her bunk (Not a problem, she was on leave)
2) There was something warm, naked, and female asleep in her arms (Still not a problem, she was on leave)
3) That she had less then a hour and a half until her leave was over!(BIG PROBLEM!)
'Shit!' Carmen slowly slides her arm from underneath the sleeping woman,'I gotta get!'
She ducks into the woman's shower, quickly scrubbing last night off her skin.
As she quickly pulls on her whites, she writes the redheaded woman 'God, what was her name? Something... Chambers...' a note apologizing for disappearing on her.
Leaving the note on her now vacant pillow, she hurries down the hallway, overnight bag over her shoulder.
With forty minutes to spare she walks thru the airlock and pops her back with a sigh.
"Rough night, Shepard?"
Carmen pops up, saluting the approaching captain, "Good Morning, Captain Anderson! I..."
"...spent it eating, drinking, and being merry?"
"...Preetty much, sir." She gratefully accepting the cup of coffee he offered her.
The two soldiers sit, watching the stars and sipping their coffee.
"Did you hear our new orders?"
Shepard cocks a eyebrow, "No sir, when they come in?"
He huffs and takes a sip from his mug, "Last night, we were assigned to the Shanxi defense force."
Shepard's eyes widen, "Shanxi? Shanxi is barely a colony, why the hell would it need it's own defense force?"
Anderson smirks at the look of shock on Shepard's face, "Because they found something unusual insystem and Alliance Command wants some firepower there just in case."
"No offense, sir. But firepower? The Normandy has two MAP* cannons, Six Sabers, two Warthogs..."
"...Two Platoons of ODSTs and your SPARTAN squad, Shepard. The Normandy may be a light frigate, but she can punch above her weight."
He raises his voice, "...Isn't that right EDI?"
A floating eyeball appears over a nearby holo-projector, "Yes, sir. I believe we would destroy minimum of three Covenant cruisers before our destruction..."
*WOOP-WOOP! THIS IS A TOTAL RECALL ORDER FOR ALL ALLIANCE MILITARY PERSONAL! REPORT TO YOUR DUTY-STATION, THIS IS A CODE BLACK WOOP-WOOP! THIS IS A TOTAL RECALL ORDER...*
Anderson enters his bridge, Shepard on his heels.
"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!" He bellows.
The Communications Officer replies, "SIR! We are receiving a SOS from Shanxi!"
He pipes the SOS through a speaker, "This is SA Frigate A Moonlit Dream! We are under attack by unknown alien forces! They are emerging from the artifact! I repeat, This is SA Frigate A Moonlit Dream! We are under attack by unknown alien forces! Requesting backup immediately!"
Anderson turns to his Navigation Officer, "Time to reach Shanxi, Sork?"
Sork 'Barutumee, one of the few Sanghelli onboard, straighten and replied, "Three Terran hours, Shipmas-" He shakes his head, "-Captain."
He pats the Sanghelli on his shoulder, "Very well, 'Barutumee. Communications? Request immediate disengagement from the dock and Slipsteam departure from Control."
"Yes SIR!" Anderson turns to Shepard as the officer urgently speaks to Control, "Shepard, I want you, your SPARTAN squad, and ODSTs ready to hotdrop as soon as we drop out of Slip, understood Lieutenant?"
She salutes and hurries away.
As Shepard hurries into the SPARTAN's armoring room, her jaw drops at the sight of the empty room, "EDI! WHERE the FUCK is the rest of my team!"
EDI's eye appeared, "Lieutenant, jg Alenko Kaidan is on his way from his quarter to your location. Chief Petty Officers Jun and Jorge are not on the ship at this time."
'Fuck...' Carmen pinches the bridge of her nose, "EDI, could you please inform the captain that I only have two SPARTANs operational at this time?"
"Of course." As EDI's hologram dissipated Kaidan hurries in, "...shitShit..." He notices Shepard and snaps to attention, "Ma'am! Lieutenant Alenko Kaidan reporting for duty!"
She waves a salute back, "At ease, Kaidan." She gestures around her, "As you can see, we're not at full strength thanks to our sudden departure. So, armor up Kaidan. We prep to drop in a hour."
She steps into the SO,EIV*** room, placing her War Master helmet on. All of the ODST troopers, human and Sanghelli, eyes turn to her, "Alright troopers, we've got some Alpha Bravos** thinking they can come though their artifact and kill SA personal. Why don't we show them why that's not a good idea, hm?"
"YES MA'AM!"
EDI appears,"Arrival in the Shanxi system in ten minutes, Lieutenant Shepard. I recommend to prepare for launch."
"You heard her, boys and girls." She steps into her assigned SO,EIV, "Get in your coffins, it's time to earn your extra 50 credits a months."
After the pod seals her two platoon leaders and junior Lieutenant appears on her pod's HUD, "I'm assigning Bravo platoon to Lieutenant Kaidan, understood?"
The two men nod.
EDI appears, "We have arrived in the Shanxi system, Lieutenant Shepard. According to what remaining SA assets has in the area the unknown alien species is landing on Shanxi. General Williams of the Shanxi Army is still holding firebase Johnson but they are under attack as we speak. The Captain will be jumping into Shanxi's upper atmosphere and launching you as reinforcements."
Shepard studies the map surrounding the threatened firebase, "Alright..."She designates a place on the map, "Here's the landing zone, once we land proceed to Firebase Johnson. We need to hold it for reinforcements, understood?"
The three men nod. She nods back and flips a switch, broadcasting to all of the pods. "Alright Helljumpers, listen up! We're reinforcing a firebase here," The LZ is sent to their HUDs, "If we don't hold that base we'll won't ever pry the Alpha Bravos** out! So, Helljumpers... How do you die?"
The reply rang out, "FEET FIRST!"
EDI chimed in,"Launch in 3..."
"HOW?"
"2..."
"FEET FIRST!"
"1..."
"I CAN'T HEAR YOU, HOW DO YOU DIE?"
"Launch."
"FEET FIRST!"
50 SO,EIVs go screaming into Shanxi's atmosphere.
General Williams rereads the piece of paper in front of him and scrubs his eyes. The paper contained a communication from the 'Birds' as his soldiers had nicknamed the aliens, requesting his surrender. He glances at the wall, the picture of his daughter's bootcamp graduation picture hanging next to his wife's picture. He stands, his decision made. He picks up the paper and opens the door, nearly running into someone's fist.
He steps back, "Whoa!"
Instead of hitting his face, it hits his chest.
The mortified private pops to attention, "SIR! There's news!"
"The Birds send another surrender request?" Williams starts walking towards the radio room, dust falling as the Bird's artillery pounds the base.
"No Sir."
He stops, "What do you mean?"
"The SA Frigate Normandy is in atmosphere dropping her ODST & SPARTANs as reinforcements."
He waves off the news, "The Normandy only carries two platoons of ODST and..." He stops, "...The Normandy wasn't here when the Bird's attacked, were they?"
"No Sir."
William hoots and slaps the private's shoulder, "The buoy got thru!"
"Yes Sir!"
"HAH!" He turns and starts running towards the C&C bunker.
The nameless private bends over and picks up the piece of paper the general had dropped, "SIR! You dropped something!"
He sticks his head back around the corner, "No I didn't!" Leaving the private standing there with the paper and a dropped jaw.
*Magnetically Accelerated Plasma
**Alien Bastards
***Single-Occupant, Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle