The war with the Covenant is not over. The Elites have left the Covenant, which had been decimated by the Flood. Paving the way for the Brutes to take their place in the Covenant, which is still determined to destroy humanity and obtain ultimate victory for their gods.

Thanks to Cortana and Spartan 117 humanity was saved in the war with the Covenant and the Flood. Now two hundred years later mankind has rebuilt their empire spanning over three hundred colony worlds. Thanks to Cortana's files on Forerunner and Covenant technology the UNSC's technology is now as advanced as the Covenant's, some believe.

0200 hours, February 19, 2754 (Military Calendar) / UNSC long range censor station 18, in high orbit around Planet Ageko, Farinata System, class 4 gas giant.

"Lieutenant commander Davidson reporting for duty."

"Verified and logged commander."

"Station status Hera?"

"Matter antimatter reactors operating at forty present, plasma beam cannons on standby, particle beam cannon on standby, antimatter missile tubes on standby, sensors operating at one hundred present, section seven has been powered down for maintenance, shield."

"Thank you Hera that's enough, any sensor contacts Petty Officer?"

"No sir."

"Really how do you know, you don't even have your screen on the sensors, you're watching a movie."

"Sir there isn't anything out there."

"How would you know you're not even watching the sensors. I will not have any slacking off on this station Petty Officer, now turn off that movie and get back to work or I'll throw you in the brig!, that goes for all of you!"

The various crewmen spun around in their seats and went back to work. Commander Davidson had only been at sensor station eighteen for six months and even thought his crew was bored with the daily routine he was not about to let his crew slack off. He was an officer in the UNSC navy and he had a duty to perform.

"Hm?"

"Something on your sensors Petty Officer?"

"Yes sir."

The Petty Officer replied rolling his eyes.

"Six contacts in slipspace, unknown silhouettes, their heading puts them on a course for us sir."

"Sir."

"Yes Chief."

"We are due to take on supplies; those ships could be the supple convoy on its way."

"Maybe? But the convoy isn't due for another eight days, Hera request a security identification code from the approaching ships."

"Yes sir."

Hera , the stations AI appeared again in the stations operations center this time in female armor.

"Commander I've tried all known frequencies, no responses."

"I see you're just as worried as I am Hera."

"Yes sir."

With those words every man and woman faces went from tired and bored, to serious and wearied.

"Raise shields, arm all weapons, all hands to battle stations."

"Yes sir sounding general quarters."

"How long till those ships get here."

"We're minute's away sir."

"Hera send a report to FleetCom on Acheron, tell them we have unknown ships bearing down on us, no response to communications, send them our sensor logs as well."

"Aye sir sending."

Six minutes had seen like six years for the stations crew, for most of them this had been a boring do nothing assignment, now they had six unknown ships coming in and their commander was preparing for the worse.

"Subspace disruption, hear they come."

As the first ship emerged from slipspace it fired a powerful beam at the station, the hit knotted the commander off his feet.

"Hera what the hell was that?"

"High energy particle beam sir, shields at eighty nine present."

"Weapons return fire, fire at will."

"Aye sir firing plasma and particle cannons, loading missiles."

A second blast struck the station.

"Sir the other ships have opened fire on us."

"Thank you Hera."

"They also appear to be using some kind of pulse plasma cannon."

"Who are we dealing with here Hera?"

"I believe they are Covenant sir."

"What!"

"The Covenant hasn't been seen in over three hundred years."

"Yes sir but the energy signature of those ships is ninety present Covenant, as is the weapon signature."

"Great just great, can we send another messages to FleetCom?"

"No sir they re jamming us."

"What kind of ships are we dealing with here?"

"Three frigates two cruisers and one battleship sir, correction two frigates, one enemy target destroyed sir."

Two more particle blasts rocked the station.

"Hera shield status!"

"Down to forty five present sir."

"Commander!"

"What is it Petty Officer?"

"More Subspace disruptions, ships slipping in."

"How many?"

"Fifteen sir."

The Petty Officer looked scared.

"Why didn't we detect them?"

"I don't know sir."

"Hera enact the Cole protocol now!"

"Aye sir purging navigational databases now. We have incoming particle cannon fire."

Half a dozen particle cannon blasts hit the station draining its shields and damaging the station.

"Hera what's our status?"

Asked Commander Davidson looking around at his operations center, half his crew was dead and most of the equipment was blown out and he had taken a blow to the head.

"I don't know sir I've lost my connections with most of the station."

"Can we launch any slip probes?"

"Yes sir twenty four of them are still on line."

"Good load everything that's happened hear into their databases and launch them."

"Aye sir loading and launching, probes have entered slipspace, income enemy fire."

Sixteen high energy particle blasts headed for the unshielded and damaged station.