Disclaimer: I don't own Halo or Stargate.
.
.
I hope you enjoy this.
.
.
"Die? Don't you know? Spartans never die."
—Kurt-051 upon his death.
.
0130 Hours, September 19, 2552 (Military Calendar) / UNSC Cruiser Pillar of Autumn, location unknown
.
The Pillar of Autumn shuddered as her Titanium-A armor took several direct hits.
'More hits,' Keyes thought darkly. 'Thank the Lord they aren't Plasma Torpedoes, or we'd already be free-floating molecules.' Nonetheless, the bolts hitting the already scarred hull of the Autumn were carving into it through sheer numbers. They were brutal, lacking the finesse of Covenant weaponry.
The warship had taken a beating from Covenant forces as it fled Reach and it was a miracle that the hull had remained intact from the hits the Covenant had scored. It was even more remarkable that they had managed to jump into Slipstream without losing more than they had. The bulk of the Epsilon Eridani Defense Fleet hadn't been as fortunate as his ship had been. Most were floating hulks.
"Status!" Keyes barked. "What just hit us?"
"Enemy fighters, sir. Unknown-class," Lieutenant Hikowa replied. Her face darkened at the apparent insult. "Tricky bastards are fast – they slipped past our sentry guards." Keyes held back a drab grin. Hikowa was a rare first-rate officer, utterly merciless in a fight. As the Pillar of Autumn's tactical officer, she took the unknown pilot's actions as a personal affront to her skills.
"Teach them a lesson, Lieutenant."
Hikowa didn't have to reply. He saw her tap a series of orders on her panel – new orders for the Autumn's fighter squadron. A moment later, there was radio chatter as a pair of C709 Longsword fighters went after the rouge spacecraft, firing from their cannons. He watched as the tiny crescent-shaped alien ship transformed into a momentary sun as its shattered parts surged forward.
Keyes let out a sift sigh.
He had followed the Cole Protocol, and plotted a random Slipstream course during Reach's fall. He had hoped to avert the destruction of his ship and the crew, hoping to avoid untimely death. Now, it seemed that the men and women of his cruiser would die either way that they would die here… wherever 'here' was.
He checked his display – they'd reverted back to real space twenty minutes ago. Twenty minutes and already they were engaged in a fight with a unknown alien species. There hadn't been any communication – just instant shooting. It was small mercy that the alien's weaponry weren't as potent as Covenant plasma charges. If the MAC wasn't offline… well, there was no point in wishful thinking.
A 2D map of the engagement appeared before him on the large tactical map, and the sight made him remember the holographic table projectors that had been on the Iroquois and Meriwether Lewis. The Pillar of Autumn's tactical screen hadn't been upgraded as the rest of the ship had been. It was too integrated into the ship's systems to be removed. There were three main ships, designated capital ships well within the range of the MAC. The Autumn was also within their weapon's range too, apparently from the number of hits his ship was taking. While weak, they made up for it in their rate of fire.
"Captain," Hikowa piped up. "Sensors paint thirty enemy fighters inbound. Looks like boarding craft are right behind them."
Keyes grimaced.
"What's the status of Longsword squadron?"
"Five fighters downed, two in need of repair," Hikowa reported.
Keyes simply nodded.
"Have remaining Longsword's launch an attack run on the enemy warships. Recall the two damaged fighters. Cortana, prepare firing solution for the Guns and shoot those bastards down," he ordered, twiddling with the wooden pipe in his pockets. He needed all of the good luck he could get right now.
A foot-high hologram faded into view above a small holopad, again a outdated piece of technology, near the Captain's station. The heart of the Pillar of Autumn, Cortana replied, "Firing solution prepared. Targeting enemy craft, target's acquired and firing," she said, snapping her 'fingers' together as she finished.
Red dots rapidly began vanishing.
There were several larger dots behind the dwindling crude figures, presumably the alien's transports. "The transports have energy shielding technology," Cortana remarked. "They're as strong as the shielding on Covenant Seraph Fighters," she added with a mischievous tone. Keyes nodded. The 50mm Point Defense Cannons were more than capable of handling Seraph fighters.
However the issue weren't the fighters – the only threat they possessed were their numbers. The real threats were the capital ships that were slugging away at his ship. They didn't have any more nukes and they had wasted half of their missiles earlier on. The fighters and alien's main weapons had picked them off from afar. They only had one option to survive this engagement.
"What is the status of FTL Drive?"
"Fifteen more minutes until they can be used," Cortana said instantly. "There's a 49% chance that we will survive long enough to enter Slipstream space," she added.
He grimaced at that, and glared at the holographic body of his ship's AI. That last sentence had been utterly unnecessary. Cortana stared at him for a second and then ignored him. More fighters swooped in to add into the meat grinder. "Sir, we've lost Knife 26," a lieutenant remarked from behind. "Longsword's have inflicted moderate damage on one of the enemy ships, sir."
'One Longsword to inflict damage on a alien ship,' he thought. That was fair, wasn't it? Unlike Covenant ships thankfully, these ships didn't seem to have energy shields. "The majority of enemy fighters and transports have been neutralized. Shall I prepare a missile salvo?"
"Make it so."
Cortana smiled slightly as she prepared the remaining missiles in their tubes for launch. Without the fighters to pick off their missiles, there was a greater chance they could score direct hits to the enemy ships now. "Turn us around, 90 degree's starboard," he ordered. "Target the closest alien ship and fire missiles in waves of five."
"Target acquired and preparing solutions," Cortana said. She closed her eyes only for a second. "First missile wave is away, preparing second missile wave."
There was nothing he could do but watch from the bridge, watch as the first wave, and then the second wave, streak towards the enemy ship on the screen. The enemy ships were unspeakably large pyramids, lacking any visible sort of engine or weapon emplacements. However they still moved and they still fired despite that. "First missile wave has been destroyed Captain."
There was still the second wave… and the third wave…
"Two missiles struck," Cortana said, "the remaining missiles of the second wave have made contact. Moderate damage to their hulls, third wave should destroy the ship. Preparing solutions for the second and third ships," she went on.
As the ship turned around to face its attackers, he was rewarded by the distant glow of a miniature sun erupt as one of the alien pyramid vessels erupted in a ball of fire. The other two ships continued firing and began to move forward, although a number of their shots went wild. The position the Autumn was in meant that she was providing a smaller target for the enemy's pulse weapons. "Two waves away," Hikowa said before Cortana could speak. "Should I recall Longsword's?"
"Do it."
"Sir, we have a hull breach two through four in sections three, four and five are now out of contact sir!" Keyes cursed, even as another alien ship was destroyed by the impact of the Archer Missiles. "One wave destroyed, the other has inflicted minimal damage!"
"Prepare remaining missiles, target that ship," Keyes ordered. "Have the Longswords engage."
"Yes sir."
"Status of FTL Drive?"
"Eight more minutes," Cortana answered.
The Captain watched as missiles streaked towards the floating pyramid, enough firepower to destroy a armored UNSC Cruiser. Like Covenant ships, it took more hits to destroy a alien ship than it did a human one. Unlike Covenant ships, these ships were better at dying. One to three and he still won. Abet with severe damage, but they would be able to survive the transition back to Slipstream. "Once the Drive is ready, plot a course back to Earth," he said wearily. After all this time, he doubted that Covenant ships were going to appear. Earth needed all the ships it could get. There was nothing left between Earth and the Covenant, now that Reach had fallen.
"Yes Captain."