Hey nigs. It's TheDidactsHand here, my life has been fooking chaotic for the last couple of weeks. Leaving me no energy or motivation to write any stories. But; i went and saw Infinity War for the second time. And i found myself inspired to write a Halo/Marvel crossover! Amazing, i know.(My writing is trash so no.) But this is something i've wanted to do since i saw the movie. This will only be a one shot thing. Basically The Battle Of Wakanda. And maybe if it's well received, i will write an actual crossover. Granted i will need help, because i know next to nothing about everything in the Marvel Universe. But yeah, i just wanted to write something. So i hope you guys enjoy it! I will attempt to make this as badass as i can. -TheDidactsHand
Date- August 29th, 2580. 27 years after End of Human Covenant War. 22 years after the Created Coupe
Time-1500 Hours Relative Earth Time SS(Sol System)
Location-In Slip Space Transit
Opening Suite OST
Admiral Cutter stood at his command chair. His arms collapsed behind his back, and his eyes forward. Viewing the white corona of energy that was visible during Slip Space travel. He didn't look as old as he should, in fact, he looked younger, stronger, and taller by a great margin. He stood proud and strong. He was a decorated veteran of the Human Covenant War. He and his former crew had been through hell and back, engaging the Covenant by themselves with outdated weaponry, an old Phoenix Class Colony ship, and three Spartans.
Each time they were the victor. Stopping a series of what would have been galactic wide destruction that would've been wrought not only against Humanity, but all the Species inhabiting the Milky Way. Now here he was. Humanity had survived the howling night, by a stroke of luck, or a miracle. No one really cared. Himself included, he was just glad that he and his crew were able to help preserve Humanity. An errant tear strolled down his face, unnoticed by the various crewman working on the spacious bridge.
Cutter always remembers the ones who didn't get to experience what they fought and laid their lives down for. How far they had come due to their sacrifice.
Wiping the small tear from his eye, he turned his attention to the crew. Most of them fresh out of the naval academy. Unexperienced. But; they were eager to learn and follow his orders to a tee. Which is all he could've asked for. Frankly, he was glad the groundside elements we're all Veterans. From the Marines, all the way up to the ODSTS. All had numerous engagements under their belt.
Satisfied with his crews work, he looked down at his console. The console being comprised of Hard Light, making it easy for him to adjust and move it where he needed it to be. This was one of the numerous perks of being a Rear Admiral of new warships. His own battlegroup was comprised of seven Super-Heavy Keyes class Frigates. They were a new class of Frigates, fresh out of the Mars shipyards. They came in at a respectable eight-hundred meters. They sported a double barreled Series-10 MAC System. Capable of firing two eight-hundred tonne slugs at forty five thousand kilometers per second. With a recharge rate of five seconds between each discharge of both rounds. They also came equipped with dual layered shielding. The outer 'shell' as it were, was Hard Light. Great for deflecting kinetic energy, or absorbing Directed Energy weaponry. While the inner layer, was a reversed engineered type of anti-matter shielding. These were in the prototype stage, his whole battlegroup was equipped with them.
The other Ships in his group were comprised of five Jacob Class Super-Destroyers. Those bad boys have been in service for only two years, but their worth had been proven during engagements with Covenant remnants. The ship itself was a whopping two kilometers long. They packed a Series-12 Triple Barrel system, each capable of hurling a one thousand tonne slug at roughly one point five percent the speed of light. This was a big break through, as it made the ship capable of going toe to toe with a CAS Class Assault Carrier and winning. A ship two and a half times its size. The recharge rate also made them a foe to be wary of, only taking ten seconds to cycle the slugs back into the system. The ship also had a singular forward bow Energy Projector. With a maximum range of eight hundred thousand kilometers. They've been noted to gut CCS Battlecruisers in one blow.
The last class of ship beside his own, were the two Johnson Class Supercarriers. Stretching twelve kilometers in length, and three and a half in width. These were glorified bricks. But they were tough ships. Coming equipped with the same set of shielding, but thirty meters of new precursor material. All the newer ships had them, but the thirty meters of it made them virtually indestructible. Hull stress tests on the new material showed five meters to be capable of partially surviving a supernova. To say that Section Three was turned up on its ass was an understatement.
Aside from it's impressive defensive capabilities, it had little in the way of offensive weaponry. The most powerful weapons it boasted were the Series 6 Onagers that dotted every corner of the ship. They were enough to significantly drop the shields of a CAS under sustained barrage. Not to mention its complement of five thousand Broadswords, three thousand YSS-200 Sabres, and one thousand Longsword Bombers. Making the Carrier a respectable opponent.
The creme de la creme of the battlegroup though, was the eight kilometer monster that Cutter currently commanded. The Jeremiah Class Dreadnought was first conceived after The Domain was opened to Humanity. The keepers of The Domain, have steadily been guiding Humanity back to its former glory.
The Dreadnought came equipped with two Super Macs. And a bow energy projector, and one under its belly for orbital support. Or in case a facility has a flood outbreak. Although one of the keepers, The Primordial, guaranteed the parasite was no problem for them anymore. Though HighCom was not convinced. Making Energy Projectors and NOVA's a requirement to have whenever exploring a new facility. Ancient Human or Forerunner related.
The Dreadnaught also carried a sizeable complement of ground forces. Around fifty five hundred marines, thirty three hundred ODSTS, and One Spartan Fireteam. These were lower than normal deployment standards, they were on a special assignment. His Battlegroup was taking a group of scientists to observe an anomaly that had suddenly cropped up in the outer rim of the Orion Arm. Sensors initially thought it to be a Slip Space portal, but it's properties befuddled that. It continued to grow in size, casting copious amounts of Cherenkov and Hawking Radiation out into a one million kilometer sphere. Making even the most advanced sensors have extreme difficulty getting a read on it.
So that's what brought Cutter here. He wasn't exactly thrilled about it, he would rather be patrolling the area around Harvest. But unfortunately, he had no control of his assignments. Despite his rank.
Sighing in exhaustion, he turned to his right, looking down. He muttered a name. "Dominic." In a flash, a small blue figure appeared. It was a male, he was wearing what appeared to be a twenty first century United States Marine BDU, with a dotted desert scarf to match. He was 'bald' and had black eyes, in contrast to his blue hue. "Admiral Cutter, Sir!" He said, giving the captain a crisp salute. The Admiral smirked at the AI's military personality, it was humorous to him just because of the stark contrast between most AI's he's worked with… One in particular coming to mind.
His smirk disappeared, immediately returning to his stoic stance."At ease Dominic." The AI went into parade rest."What's our ETA to the anomaly Dominic," Cutter said, sitting down in his chair, his eyes scanning over various readouts from the ship. "Sir, our ETA is slotted within the next two minutes. I suggest we alert the crew the ship is about to exit Slip Space." Admiral Cutter nodded, shifting his chair to another side of his command station. "Do it Dominic." Dominic saluted. Disappearing in a digital vapor. Courtesy of Hard Light projections. A few seconds later the ship COMM system crackled to life, Dominic's slightly southern twang broadcasting throughout the ship. "Now here this, now here this. All Crewman prepare for immediate exit from Slipspace. I repeat. Prepare for immediate exit from Slipspace. Further orders will be relayed after transition into real space." The COMM crackled out, and Dominic was back on the table. Hands still in a parade rest, his face blank and stiff. "Orders relayed sir."
Admiral Cutter spoke. "Excellent, helm. Bring us into realspace." The helmsman nodded, his fingers dancing across his Hard Light display. "Aye sir, bringing us into realspace."
No sooner than he said that, the ship lurched lightly. Josseling everyone a little as the ship exited the spiralling vortex that was a Slipspace portal. The ship drifting a bit before the engines stopped it. A few more portals opened up, dispensing the rest of the ships that made up Cutter's battlegroup. The ships all reoriented themselves into a staggered formation. The Frigates dotted in between the Destroyers, while the Carriers hanged towards the back. Cutter's ship in the lead.
Suddenly the bridge was bombarded by the sound of klaxons and red lights. Multiple stations beeped as they were picking up surges of radiation. "Navigation! Report!" Cutter shouted, standing up as he looked through the bridge window. A massive, light purple vortex was before him and the Battlegroup. It was rapidly expanding too. "Sir! The Anomaly has enlarged! I'm picking up massive spikes of Hawking Radiation!" Cutter cursed, he knew that Dominic had plotted a course for the safe zone around the anomaly. So what had happened?
Turning to Dominic, who seemed to be as confused as his Human counterparts. But as expected, his confusion was gone in seconds. Instantly bringing up thousands of scans from probes in system, along with the ones throughout the Battlegroup. "Sir. It seems that the wake from our Slipspace has somehow intertwined with this anomaly. It should be impossible. But that is what i am getting from sensors." Cutter put his hand on his chin in thought, but he was interrupted by Dominic. "And what's more sir… This Anomaly has the theoretical properties of… a Wormhole." The entire bridge was silent. Dominic was shocked into a lapse of thought. Wormholes were only theory. And in the five centuries of space flight, the UNSC had never encountered one before.
Cutter stood up, overlooking his bridge. He saw the hints of fear in their young faces, they needed his guidance. So clearing his throat, he spoke. "Attention." He broadcasted with a tone of authority and certainty. Garnering the entirety of the Bridge's attention. "We're in a pickle here for sure. But, if we keep cool heads, and work together as a team. We will make it out of this alive. We have very little time, so let's get to work." Cutter's relatively simple words seemed to boost his bridges morale, he saw many nods of determination. Many in the navigation tapping ferociously on their blue hard light displays.
Cutter allowed himself to smile, his bridge was working hard. And effectively. He turned to Dominic, who seemed to be doing work of his own. "Dominic, what are the odds the Battlegroup will be caught in the gravity well of this thing?" Dominic still continued his work. "I've calculated a 40.4% Chance of us being sucked into the Event Horizon." He said not breaking eye contact from the sensor scans displayed in front of him.
Cutter nodded. "Good. What our our chances of making a Slipspace jump? Will the anomaly displace us?" Dominic slid his hand to the right, the readings from earlier disappearing. "I honestly don't know sir." He turned and faced the Admiral. "On one hand, we could make a successful transition into Slip Space, no problems. On the other side of the coin, the Event Horizon could completely destabilize our portals. Leaving them collapsing on us before we even get a quarter of the bow through the son of a bitch." Dominic lowered his head, sad he couldn't be of that much help.
Nodding grimly, Cutter turned to look at the viewport. Watching the Vortex expand and flare with violet energy. He was going to sit down, but all of a sudden the ship jerked violently. Thankfully he caught himself before he went head first into the deck below his station. Grunting, he yelled."Report damnit! What the hell is going on!?" He pushed himself back into his seat, attaching his crash webbing. A crewman called out. "Sir! Gravity Well is fluctuating! We're being pulled in! Speed five hundred kilometers per second!"
Cutter slammed his fist on his station. Leaving a little dent. "Everyone crash webbing and Hard Light Shields now!" He yelled. Each station had a Hard light shield that would deploy, covering the occupant. Blue fields of hard light covered the stations on the bridge. Cutter called out again. "What's the status of the Battlegroup?" Dominic flashed onto his station. "Sir! I'm reading the rest of the ships being pulled in with us! No one is on a collision path with each other!" Dominic called out.
Cutter sighed in relief, but was soon replaced with a scowl as he watched the Vortex draw nearer. "Dominic!Tell the crew to brace for impact!" Dominic nodded, disappearing. His voice cracking over the COMM. "All hands! Brace for imminent impact! I say again! All hands brace for imminent impact!"
After Dominic's warning, multiple deck crews and soldiers alike ran to the nearest impact room. Compartments that ran throughout the center of the ship meant for crash landings, or other turbulent conditions one might find themselves in while traversing the void.
Meanwhile on the bridge, Cutter held onto dear life, as the ship shook and racked. The hull groaned as they made it within ten thousand kilometers. But the most peculiar thing happened. The Vortex began to stretch for what seemed to be infinity. A tunnel of sorts was visible, and thats when shit hit the fan. The battle group suddenly accelerated from zero to C in a mere second. The G force pressed down on the hull, making it groan. But the Precursor metal held up to its name. They eventually saw what looked like stars at the end of the tunnel. But i was quite hard to tell.
The ship suddenly lurched, thrown out of the 'Rainbow Tunnel' as it would later be called by the swabbies.
The crew in the bridge all felt their organs rise into their throats as the ship was suddenly decelerated. The ship began to drift lazily in the void, along with the other ships in the Battlegroup. All no worse for wear from the looks of it. They were all turning on their axis each and every way as they drifted. A few close calls with collisions, but none occurred thankfully.
Cutter blinked his eyes, he was very slowly regaining consciousness, his Military Augmentations could only do so much. He didn't feel anything out of place, shoulder or otherwise. He looked to the viewport, watching as the stars barrelled past as the monolithic ship essentially tumbled through the void. Snapping up, he removed his crash webbing. Speaking as he did. "Dominic, report." The blue hue of Domic's form instantly snapped into existence on his station. "Sir, we are currently tumbling on an uncontrolled vector. Recommend immediate course correction." Dominic quipped.
"Do it. And get me the status of the rest of the battlegroup." Cutter said. He deactivated his station's Hard Light barrier, stumbling out, making his way down to check on his crew.
Dominic flashed away. He entered the engine systems, firing the plasma repulsors on the sides of the ship to even them out. Then firing the main engines, grinding them to a halt. The inertia dampeners leaving the crew unmoved by the stop. Satisfied the ship wasn't tumbling somewhere to oblivion. He interacted with the COMMS array, calling out to the ships in the battlegroup. "This is the Spirit of Fire. Requesting status report of Battlegroup Delta, over?" There was a palpable silence, but then one by one, ships radioed back. Each ship reading green, with zero casualties, only minor injuries.
Admiral Cutter was relieved, his crew was alive and well. Only a few bruises on most of them. Some had minor Nausea, but it passed quickly. Cutter made it back to his station, bringing up a readout on the status of the ship. Hull:98% Reactor:Stable Shields:Operational Sensor Array:Functioning QEC:Damaged. Repair Immediately. So far everything looked good, minor damage overall to his ship. "Dominic, what's the status of the Battlegroup?"
Dominic popped back onto the table, an uncharacteristic smile adorned his face. "Sir, i'm happy to report the Battlegroup has suffered little to no damage. Only a few minor injuries here and there, including the crewman on our ship." Cutter exhaled. "Thank god for that. We need to regroup, designate a rally point here." He pointed to a point far away from the anomaly they just left. Dominic saluted and disappeared. Cutter sat back down into his chair, relaying the order to his bridge. "Alright. Let's get to it. Helm, set a course for rally point Zulu. Don't push the engines, i'd rather not have something fail on us this close to the anomaly." The helmsman responded. "Aye sir, setting destination for rally point Zulu. Low engine burn." The giant ship lurched forward, it's proton engines pulsing a deep azure color as it got farther away from the wormhole.
The Battlegroup was now again in formation, Admiral Cutter paced back in forth in front of his station. A hand covering his mouth, his eyes narrowed in thought."So let me get this straight." He began, still pacing. "You're saying we have travelled back in time?" He said, finally stopping. He looked to Dominic, an eyebrow raised at the AI. Dominic gave a firm nod. "We are still in the upper Orion Arm. However; the star constellations are wrong, there are more stars than their were in our time. When you take stellar drift into account, you can see that these stars would match up to sometime in the twenty first century." He explained.
Cutter just nodded. Not entirely sure what the hell to do. They couldn't go back through the anomaly, supposedly it's a one way road of sorts. But they did have the scans from their time, so if they launched probes, they could search for that type of energy source. And hopefully find a way back home. Though that would take an untold amount of time, wormholes are a very rare occurrence. In fact, they had just went through the first ever recorded Wormhole in history!
The other option, was to return to Earth. See if their theories were wrong. And right now, that seemed iffy. He would have to set up diplomatic relations with a more than likely un-unified Earth. And with the technology they had, countries would surely go to war over it… But they had no terraforming equipment.
Cutter looked to his crew, their young faces focused on only him. He had a flashback to the bridge of the original Spirit Of Fire. He Smiled, and turned to face his crew. "Dominic, broadcast this throughout the Battlegroup please." Dominic compiled, the COMM system on each ship crackling to life, taking the attention of everyone.
"Ahem. This is Rear Admiral James Cutter. I am broadcasting this over the battlegroup, because we are in a dire situation." He paused, letting the gravity of the situation settle in."We are cut off from the rest of the UNSC. And we are in a time that isn't ours. A time where Humanity is mired in internal conflict. A time, where our presence may tip the world into chaos. But, we have nowhere to go. The Wormhole we went through, was the first recorded in the history of Humanity. The chances of finding another are very slim… So i am here to ask each and every one of you; will you follow me? Through whatever awaits us? Just like the Spirit of old. Into the maw of this new place…" He stopped, searching for his next words. But he was silenced by the cheers of the thousands of crewman in his Battlegroup, The captains of ships under his command clapping, his bridge erupted into cheers.
Cutter smiled. He was speechless. Not expecting to have the unwavering support of the entire Battlegroup. Cutter Saluted his bridge, and they returned it in crisp fashion. "Alright then, Battlegroup Delta, plot a Slipspace jump to Luna. We will approach Earth from there. Cutter Out." Cutter sat in his chair, watching as the group transitioned into slip space. Leaving the Upper Orion Arm, heading for Sol, and Earth. Un aware they were going to be jumping into save the day.
Date: April 29th, 2018.
Time:`1700 Hours GMT+2
Location: Wakanda, Africa.
"It's polymorphic?" The younger sister of King T'Challa said. Using her bracelet to examine vision. The mind stone Illuminated by a holographic display on her Kimoyo Beads.
Bruce Banner nodded. "R-right. We had to attach each neuron non-sequentially." Banner explained. Shuri raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Why didn't you just reprogram them to work collectively?" Everyone including Vision turns to Banner. Who stammers and looks around. "Well-um. We didn't think of it?"
Shuri chuckles and says. "I'm sure you did your best." shakes his head. The captain walks up. Asking. "So can you do it?" Shuri huffs. "It will take time. There are trillions of synapses here. One wrong move, and it will cause a chain of failures throughout the system."
"So how much time do you need?" Steve asks. Shuri begins working on removing the stone, replying."As much time as you can give me."
Steve nodded, looking to Scarlet. "As soon as that stone is out of his head, you blow it to hell."
Scarlet nodded."I will Captain."
Okoye's Kimoyo began to chime. A 3D image of Earth was displayed. Her eyes widened. "They have entered the atmosphere!" T'Challa steps up, speaking as he did. "Evacuate the city. Engage all defenses… And get this man a shield." He points to Captain America, Steve nods in thanks.
Steve looks at everyone else. "Suit up." They all go to prepare for the arrival of the Chitauri army. Unbeknownst to them, that help had arrived.
Battle Group Delta slid back into realspace, moving into the standard single formation before they moved past the moon. But before they did, a sensor analyst suddenly yelled out. "Admiral! I have unidentified objects in geosynchronous orbit over Africa!" Cutter immediately stood up. This shouldn't be possible. The only sizeable object in Orbit at this time in Earth's history, would be the International Space Station.
"Helm, take us out from Luna, Dominic. I want visuals as soon as we are in visual range of the contacts." The helmsman complied, taking the Spirit out of Luna's orbit. Slingshotting around, and into the direction of Earth.
Most of the crew gasped. This Earth was almost pristine. The Amazon jungle was still around, and the glassing mark on Africa was gone. Leaving the blue marble unscathed. Some of the crew cried seeing the homeworld of Humanity so whole. But that stopped as soon as Dominic yelled. "Admiral! We have xeno contacts!" Cutter dragged the visual over to the main screen. He saw the oddest starship he had ever seen. Their were two flying... donuts? He shook his head, moving on to the next contact. This contact looked like a flying box, with triangular protrusions sticking out. He wondered what it's purpose was, only to have his question answered as the Triangles from the four ships started falling into the atmosphere.
"Dominic! Track those projectiles!" Dominic saluted. Disappearing into the ships sensor array. Cutter swiveled his chair around, hollering to the left side of the bridge. "Helm, get us to Earth ASAP!"
"Aye sir!" The helmsman typed in the commands, causing the ship to lurch forward. Picking up pace rather fast for its massive size. Cutter called to the COMM Officer. "Relay this order to the Battle Group, i want everyone in orbit above that target zone now! We will try to hail those ships. If they don't answer, destroy them." The COMMS Officer nodded, setting to his task. "Dominic, where are we with tracking those bogeys?" Dominic flashed back onto his pedestal. "I've tracked them down to an area in Africa. Now get this, it's supposed to be just flat plains. But they're are numerous EM signatures. I am also picking up a plasma field over what appears to be a city. And those 'projectiles', are actually massive drop pods. They're filled with some sort of creature that isn't in the UNSC database."
Cutter raised an eyebrow at that series of statements. What the hell is going on? If Humanity had energy shielding in the twenty first century, then we would have fared much better against the Covenant… Something's not right. "Dominic, i want you to see if you can contact any of the locals. See what we can do about getting some ground elements to assist." Dominic nodded, he focused the radio waves of the Spirit into that area. Hoping someone heard them. "This is UNSC AI DOMN 8281-4. We are currently en route to Earth to assist with the threat bearing down on you. Please respond if you can hear us."
Down In Wakanda…
The short handed Avengers were all suiting up. They all shared a grim look. But they all talked amongst themselves. Falcon and Rhodey we're talking, until they heard frantic footsteps. One of the Dora Milaje went sprinting past them, making a beeline for T'Challa. She quickly bowed, crossing her forearms. "My king. You must come quickly. We have received a message."
T'Challa chuckled. "What message could be so important at this time? We march to battle soon." The woman nodded but didn't relent."My king, please listen to this." She fiddled with her Kimoyo, eventually producing the message. "This is UNSC AI DOMN 8281-4. We are currently en route to Earth to assist with the threat bearing down on you. Please respond if you can hear us."
T'Challa and the rest of the Avengers furrowed their eyebrows, who was the UNSC? And why did they sound Human.
T'Challa looked at the warrior. "When did you receive this message?" She replied quickly and curtly. "Only moments ago my king. I ran straight here after i had heard the entirety of it."
Steve stepped up. "Do you think we should reply?" T'Challa hummed in thought, before nodding. "We shall. If they offer to help protect my kingdom, i will gladly accept." He nodded to the Warrior, and she used her Kimoyo to reach out to that frequency. Slaving it over to T'Challa. Who essentially put it on speaker phone, so the team could hear it. "This is King T'Challa of Wakanda. Who might i ask, is this?"
On the Spirit, the bridge was a flurry of activity. The battlegroup was poised to strike the crafts down. Cutter was to and fro at his station. He was coordinating the battle in space, and what would soon be the battle for the ground. He began loading Pelicans and Albatrosses with ammunition. Platoons of Marines mobilizing. Entering the armory and equipping their brand new M52D powered armor. It is now standard issue amongst the Marines. It augments the users speed, strength, and agility. The armor is made with a blend of Titanium, and the precursor material. It's extremely resilient to kinetic and energy weapons. The ODSTS are even more well equipped, as they scurry frantically to their pods, in new Powered BDU's. Sporting the newest weapons that had rolled out of Misriah. Hard light weaponry and plasma weaponry have become an integral part of the UNSC armed forces.
Cutter watched the battle feed, numerous vehicles, troops, and weapons were ready to be moved at a moments notice. The ships in orbit still haven't reacted to their presence. Dominic flashed onto his station, saluting the Admiral. "Sir. All Sabre squadrons are ready to go for CAS missions. Broadsword squadrons are ready, and on stand by for gun runs." Cutter nodded. "Great. What about Spartan Ghost Team?" Dominic gave a smirk. "Loaded for bear, and rearing to be in combat."
Cutter let a smile creep onto his face, Spartan Ghost Team was a mixture of Spartan II's and III's. All of which have been further augmented. Thanks to one of the Domain Keepers, Humanity was now able to slowly evolve through numerous augmentations. But the Spartans took to it better. They were already superhuman. Now they were immortal. Spartan II's became even bigger. Their muscle mass quadrupled. Their bodies grew in size, some not so dramatically, while others shot up another foot in height. Out of armor, they have been noted to be able to lift a M850 Grizzly MBT with their arms alone. Not accounting their leg strength. Their Mark VIII armor makes them even more powerful.
The Spartan III's are almost as too are also immortal to the ravages of time. Their Body sizes increased as well. Not as much as the II's, but they weren't behind by that big of a margin. They also wore the Mark VIII armor.
Cutter was listening to the battlenet. Everything was going to plan. His men executing their orders with perfection, most of the troops mobilized. Calling out to Dominic, the AI appeared on his table. "Yes Admiral?" He asked, his hands clasped behind his back as usual. Cutter turned to him. "Any hails from the people down there?" Dominic shook his head, his black eyes blinking as he replied. "Nothing yet sir. May-. Wait one." He paused, looking to the floor. He instantly snapped his head up. "Sir! I have a response from the people. Should i bring it up?"
"On my screen." Dominic nodded, extending his arm to Cutter's station, a bright blue hard light display came up, a radio wave danced across the screen. Fluctuating as a voice came through. "This is King T'Challa of Wakanda. Who might i ask, is this?" The voice sounded African. Just no accent he nor anyone had ever heard. And what was Wakanda? Glancing to Dominic, he seemed just as confused. "Open a link to that Freq." Dominic nodded, waving his hand again.
Cutter cleared his throat, speaking. "This is Rear Admiral James Cutter of Battlegroup Delta, and Captain of the Jeremiah Class Dreadnought Spirit Of Fire. We are here to help, over." There was a silence over the bridge. Only the dull hum of the ships massive engines could be heard for a time, that is until the voice came back. "Admiral. You say you wish to help. How would you do that? The Chitauri come in the millions. You couldn't possibly have that many warriors."
Admiral Cutter was no stranger to overwhelming odds. He was there during the battles of Arcadia and Harvest. He smirked. "No, i don't. But we have Spartans." He heard some whoops of approval on his bridge, but he silenced them. Continuing to speak. "King T'Challa, i can have our best men on the ground in five minutes. I only need you to disable whatever shielding system you have so that they could land." He rested his hands on the table. Slouching over as he waited for a response. "Very well Admiral. I will disable a portion of our shielding so that your men may land. I will send you the location. T'Challa out." Cutter nodded, looking to Domnic. "Get Spartan Ghost Team in the drop pod bay now. They will be our expeditionary force. I'm sure they can handle it." Dominic smirked and saluted the Admiral. Disappearing.
Cutter looked back to his bridge, all of the crewman still looking at him. "Alright people. Let's get to it. Bring us in on attack vectors. Charge MAC one, and two. Bring up the bow projectors. And get set to battlestations." Cutter sat back in his chair, a chorus of 'Aye Sir!' echoed through the bridge. He couldn't help but think that something bad was going to happen. But he dismissed it. Watching as the Spirit enclosed on the hostiles.
S-Deck
Noble Six slid on his GUNGNIR helmet. His world slightly obscured by the orange translucent HUD. Tapping his head lightly, he stepped out of the amor assembly machine. Waking down the short steps that lead to the main pathway. Turning left, he ran to the armory in a 'jog'. He had been stationed on the Spirit for a few years. He originally was on the Infinity, but after the new class of ships began to roll out, he transitioned quite frequently. Eventually finding a home here. Along with a few other Spartans, he was a permanent addition to Team Ghost. Consisting of five Spartan II's, and three Spartan III's including himself.
He turned into the armory, bare of anyone except the Spartans. He wasn't surprised to see the II's already geared up and moving out. The original members of Red Team looked to him, giving a spartan smile before they ran to the drop pod bay. They were all monolithic. Standing at around eight feet each, wearing Mark VIII Adaptations of their original Mark IV armor. Their gold visors shining as they ran past him. He turned back to the armory, finding the rest of the II's. His old friend, Jorge. Who nearly had to sacrifice himself over Reach. And an even larger Spartan. His mentor, Kurt. Both flashed him a smile as they geared up.
"Bout time you got here Six. Our first combat in months and you're late." Jorge said, hefting his modified chain gun.
Six could only smile. "I had previous engagements to attend to." Jorge chuckled, the Big man patted six on the shoulder. "I'll see you down there six. Someone has to be on time around here."
Six snorted, watching his friend slip on his helmet and run out of the armory. The only one left was Kurt. The largest Spartan to date. Standing at a massive nine feet tall. He looked down at Six, who was only seven foot seven. Kurt smiled, patting him on the shoulder as well. "It's good to be fighting with you again. It's been since what? Onyx?" Six nodded at that, Kurt had trained him and the rest of Beta Company. It broke Kurt's heart to watch so many Spartans wasted. Not spent. So he took many from all companies under his tutelage, training them the way he was. "It's an honor to be fighting with you on the Battlefield sir." Six said with a tone of utter respect.
Kurt smiled, slipping on his DEFENDER helmet, and putting a HBR-100 on his back and grabbing his special gravity hammer he had gotten from a Chieftain on Dosiac. "I'm sure it is."He chuckled before sliding past six. "Emile and Jun are already down there. Get a move on!" He said before he too began running to the drop pod bay. Six shook his head, before he moved to grab a weapon. Choosing to grab a Hard Light Battle Rifle, energy sword, and an M200 plasma shot. Basically a shotgun that shoots many miniature motes of plasma. Nodding at his selection of weaponry, he turned on his heel running to the drop pod bay…
Noble Six adjusted himself, his modified pod was still not that spacious. But he was a Spartan. He would live. He and the rest of Ghost were all situated in their pods. Including his Spartan III brothers. Emile and Jun. Emile still chose to wear an EVA adaptation of Mark VIII. While Jun wore his WATCHER armor. His scarf still draped around his neck.
Six watched the holographic display change from a display of the landing zone, to a display of Dominic. "Spartan Team Ghost, your orders are as follows. You are to deploy to the designated drop zone, and proceed to make contact with the locals. Help them anyway you can. While the rest of the ground elements mobilize, you're on your own down there." They all nodded, Jerome the only one speaking. "Understood. We will get it done." Dominic smiled. "I'm sure you will. Happy trails Spartans. Show them no one fucks with Earth and gets away with it." As soon as he said that, the pods housing all of them dropped. Adjusting into a curve so that they would get to Africa.
Six looked outside his pod window, watching as the Spirit fired it's main gun at the hostile. The three thousand tonne round travelled to the target with a streak of yellow lightning. The round able to combat kill a CSO Supercarrier, absolutely eviscerated the ship. The super structure buckling and shattering into thousands of pieces. The round continued on, clipping another ship, the inertia placed onto it pushing it three kilometers to its side in an instant. Six smiled at the display. 'That was too easy. If that is the state of their ships, the battle in space is already won.' unknown to him that the Chitauri army was the largest in the Universe…
In Wakanda…
The tribes of Wakanda all rode out to the expansive plains of Africa. The tall grass whipping around as the hovering troop transports flew by. Up above, Colonel Rhodes flew in his War Machine. While Sam used his wings to dance around in the air. Thudding across the ground in Hulk Buster armor, stumbled as he tried and failed to run. "I think i got it!" He said, only to fall face first into the ground. Okoyo looking on with confusion as the troop transports passed him. He stood back up, whipping off the massive clumps of dirt that stuck to the face plate. He eventually made pace and caught back up with the sizeable gathering of warriors at the top of the hill. Walking behind T'Challa and the others.
T'Challa grasps M'Bakus forearm. "Thank you for standing with us." T'Challa says. M'Baku Replies. "Of course my brother." Steve, Natasha, and Barnes walk up. Standing next to T'Challa in the front of the line.
Steve looks over to T'Challa. "So, where is that support?" T'Challa turned to look at him. "I am not sure." Okoyo's Kimoyo beads began to chime. She flipped her wrist up, presenting a hologram of the Earth. "They are here." As she says this, the triangular pods come screaming down from the sky, one hitting the top of the shieldied dome. Exploding on impact. Barnes smiles and says. "I love this city." Steve is quick to say. "We're not out of the woods yet." He looks straight ahead, watching as the massive pods crash down into the jungle residing right outside of the dome. Throwing up a cloud of dust and tree debris. Samuel comments on the COMM. "They sure do like to make an entrance." Steve nods his head in agreement.
T'Challa's radio suddenly bursts to life. "King T'Challa, this Sierra-092, commander of Spartan Ghost team. Requesting for you to lower your shield so that we may enter the AO," T'Challa looked to the others, they all seemed weary of these newcomers, but they all nodded slowly. "I will comply. Give me a moment." T'Challa switched to another frequency, "Open the shield on my position. We have guests." The warrior on the other side compiled, a swiss hole opened in the dome above, exposing the landscape below. "Your path is clear. Welcome to Wakanda."
Nothing happened for a few moments, but a little scream could be heard, not from a Human, but from the air being pierced like a knife as something fast travelled through it. Everyone was beginning to get skeptical, until Okoyo yelled. "Picking up eight small contacts! They're coming in fast!" She said looking up. So did the others.
Halo 1:00, Halo CE.
In the sky, eight black dots made their way down. They were moving in a tight formation. The objects flew through the hole in unison, nearly clipping War Machine. Before they hit the earth, the objects scattered. Each one about fifteen feet apart. They hit the ground down the hill in front of the gathered army soon after. Each one impacting right after the other. Shaking the earth each time they hit.
After the dust had settled, the group could clearly see what they were. Pods. They were shaped like tears, and were midnight black. They were about ten feet in height each.
"Not that big of an entrance." Sam said chuckling.
The doors of the pods suddenly exploded outwards, the doors taking down a few trees with a loud 'Crack.' Steam rolled out of them, then a hand gripped the sides of each one. All armored appendages. Then one after the other, armored beings began to step out of their respective pods. They were heavily armed with advanced weapons, and their armor looked like it could stop a tank round dead in its tracks. One of the beings looked to the amassed army. While he was a good distance down the hill, they could see the reflection of the shine from whatever helmet the being wore. He began marching up the hill, his size being made ever more apparent as he made his way up the group. His armor was a dull olive green drab, and his helmet had a protruding 'cap' sticking out from the top. A red strip was visible as he walked up the hill, weapon cradled in his arms. When he crested the hill, they no longer saw the top of his helm, only his abdomen. They had to look back up.
"That is far enough." T'Challa said.
The being stopped about six feet away from them. Staring down at them impassively. "I'm Jerome-092. We're here to assist the local population in repelling the invading force." The being said in a deep monotone voice that carried a weight of authority to it.
The group was slightly taken aback. He sounded like a man. Not a dude.
"So you say. How can i guarantee you are not servants of Thanos?" T'Challa quipped. Jerome tilted his head ever so slightly. 'Who was Thanos?' He asked himself. "I am not affiliated with this "Thanos". Me and my team are part of Battle Group Delta. Which is currently engaging the hostile force in orbit."
Steve spoke up. "You mean you're from space? You sound Human." The others nodded in agreement. Curious themselves.
"Yes, we are from space. And i am Human. Just not one your familiar with." Jerome said. Getting a bit tired from these pointless questions.
T'Challa sensed this man was tired of all the questions. So he spoke up. "Very well, we can discuss this after the battle. However, introductions are in order." Steve took that as a que, so he introduced himself. "Steve rogers." Jerome nodded, looking at the blonde woman next. "Natasha Romanov." Jerome nodded. He saw a man with a prosthetic black and gold arm, holding a M249 Saw. "Bucky Barnes." Jerome nodded again. Then looking to see if anyone else would say anything. In the back, a giant red and gold robot moved to the front. Jerome looked eye to eye with it, waiting to see what it would do. "I'm Bruce Banner, former Hulk." Jerome just slowly nodded his head. Radioing the rest of the team, telling them to come. They made it up to his position in no time at all. The group sort of went slack jawed at the rest. Every person had to look up, even Bruce in the Hulkbuster.
"This is Spartan Ghost team." Jerome stepped back falling into line, Douglas stepped up to introduce himself. "Douglas-042." Alice went next. "Alice-130." Her obviously female voice surprised the group. "Wait, woah. You're a woman?" Sam asked. Alice nodded. "Affirmative." She said plainly. Sam and many others widened their eyes from that revelation.
Jorge went next. "Jorge." The big man said. Stepping back. Kurt stepped up. "Kurt Ambrose." he said. Stepping back. Next went the Threes, Emile being the first. "Emile A-219" Then Noble Six "Hank B-312." And finally Jun "Jun A-266"
The group eyed each of the soldiers, each skeptical of what they were. Jerome broke the short silence. "Why are these creatures invading here and not anywhere else on Earth?" He asked.
Steve answered that question. "They are the Chitauri. And they are after something called an Infinity Stone. If they get it, their Master will destroy half of the known Universe." he said nonchalantly. The team was immediately skeptical. "Half the Universe? How is that possible?" Jorge asked.
Steve looked up to Jorge. "It is only one of six stones. Thanos already has two. If he gets this one, the others will soon follow. He is hell bent on destroying half of everything, for reasons i don't know." The team of Spartans didn't know how to handle that information, just relaying it to the Admiral in orbit. They also requested some orbital support to be on standby.
"Hey guys. We got two contacts on the edge of the dome." Rhodes said over the radio. T'Challa stepped up to Jerome. "Will you come with us?" Jerome thought about it, and decided it would be beneficial to meet these things. Gauge their weaknesses. He nodded to T'Challa. Then turning to his team. "Jun, i want you on overwatch. Get somewhere out of sight. Mark targets of interest for the Onagers and Archers up above. Jun nodded. Engaging his active camo, shocking the group. "How advanced are you?" asked Natasha. Jerome simply shrugged, not really humoring the question. "Jorge, Alice. I want your Guns up front, flip those pods, make a nest. Thin the herd up front." They both nodded, setting to their task, jogging back down the hill. He turned back to the rest of the team. "Douglas, Emile. You're with them. Help any way you see fit." The two CQB specialists nodded, walking over to M'Baku. Jerome then looked to Kurt and Hank. "Kurt, Hank, you're with me." They nodded, forming up on Jerome. "Ready when you are King T'Challa."
The group made it to the end of the dome. Steve, Natasha, and T'Challa in the lead. Their footsteps crunching the dirt audibly as they walked.
Jerome looked at the two beings. One was humanoid, with an almost human face and body. She had two horns protruding from her head, and a purple coloration covering her cheeks and forehead. The next being looked like it could rival a Sangheili in height, though Jerome was taller than it. The creature looked like it was covered in a hard armor like substance, and carried what looked like a giant claw over its shoulder.
The group stopped a few feet from the dome. The Woman brushed her sword against the dome, producing a crackle of electricity. She sheathed it as she took notice of the group. Her mouth forming into smug smile. "Thanos will have that stone." She said as if it were a fact. Steve responded with grim resolve. "That's not going to happen." Then T'Challa stepped up. "You are in Wakanda now. Thanos will have nothing but dust, and blood."
She smiled, but before she could speak, another person stepped up, this one she had not noticed. A giant being in green armor with gold for a face stared her down. "Earth is under the protection of the UNSC. Your fleet has already been engaged. You will have one chance to leave this planet." Jerome said with a cold sharpened edge.
This being actually made her feel something she hadn't felt in a long time… fear. She smiled, this one would be a good trophy to present to Thanos. "You underestimate our will. We have plenty of ships, and blood to spare." She said with confidence. There was a deep rumble, the pods began to shift and move as they opened up slowly. The group immediately turned and ran back to the gathered army. Bucky speaking to Steve. "So, did they surrender?" He asked with a smirk. Steve huffs and rolls his head a bit. "Uh, not exactly."
Jerome didn't like this. Those pods had thousands of those creatures in them. And it looked like this would be a close quarters brawl despite the distance. Making it hard to have support. But he and Team Ghost would make due. He radioed Jun."What do you see out there?" Jun responded cooly."Oh, nothing too serious. Bunch of creepy quadrupeds making their way here. A couple thousand stomping through the jungle. Should i send them a wake up package?" Jerome thought about his earlier deduction, this might be their only way to send meaningful support. "Do it. Fire for effect. Jun chuckled. "Roger that. Wait one."
The creatures gathered at the end of the dome, literally crawling over each other to push themselves in the field of plasma. Some making it through, though they were in pieces, and some made it through with third degree burns. Screaming as they ran towards the Army. Though those didn't get far as explosive rounds impacted them from Jorge and Alice's makeshift machine gun nest. Turning them into minced meat. The rest outside still fought to get in the dome, not paying attention to the sounds of their damnation. As seven, fifteen centimeter ferric tungsten slugs impacted the large group. Throwing up clumps of dirt and dismembered limbs. The strike killed copious amounts of them, but they still kept coming.
Jerome frowned, but expected this. These were nothing more than cannon fodder. Most likely to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.
"Their killing themselves!" Okoyo said. Her face distraught as she watched the creatures continue to attack. By this time, a couple hundred had made it through. Running straight at the army. "Yibambe!" T'Challa yelled, the men and women echoing it, the men in front producing some type of shield. While the warriors behind fired some sort of staff like weapon that produced a beam of light. Jerome knelt down, sighting in the charging creatures, firing in controlled bursts, the hard light jacketed rounds easily passed through multiple targets, and some disintegrating into orange flakes. Emile used his grenade launcher to deadly effect, sending hoards of the screaming creatures flying. While Hank used his HBR to kill them from afar.
Jun peered through the scope of his SRS 120 ARM. The newest Model, this one worked like the stanchion gauss rifle of old, except more streamlined. And less heavy.
He sighted in on a creature about to jump on a Wakandan warrior, slotting the twelve millimeter slug through it's head. The creature fell limp. 'One Batch, Two Batch.' he said in his head over and over again, each time he sighted a new target, said target ceased to exist.
He turned his attention to the source of the creatures, watching as the killed themselves in droves. Well some of them were, some in a surprising show of intelligence, some ran around the dome. He thought nothing of it, before he realised a city full of Civs was behind him. Cursing, he immediately radioed Jerome. "Jerome, i've got multiple tangos skirting around the dome. What should we do?" He pulled the trigger, killing another creature as he waited for a response.
Jerome on his part, was busy steming the tide of these damn creatures. Even the dome was having trouble keeping them at bay. He thought of ways to combat that, while he sighted in new targets, dropping them in another controlled burst. Wait, that's it! He stopped firing, patching into T'Challa's radio. "King T'Challa, you need to open this portion of the shield. The creatures are beginning to skirt the perimeter." He turned back to the battlefield, finding a creature jumping to attack him, he simply drew his combat knife, thrusting it into its skull, stopping its momentum entirely with a sick crack as it's spine snapped, the lower half of the body folding over the top.
T'Challa nodded grimly, placing a finger in his ear. "On my signal. Open section seventeen." The warrior on the other side of the line sounded worried. "Are you sure my king?" T'Challa replied. "Yes. On my signal."
"This will be the end of Wakanda." M'Baku states with a grim look.
"Then it will be the noblest ending in history." Okoyo says determined.
The shield then begins to part. The creatures tumbling in and running over each other as they run like blind animals. Most of them being immediately cut down by Jorge and Alice. Though the sheer number of creatures ensures that most make it by.
T'Challa begins to chant again. Rallying the warriors. "Yibambe!" The warriors echo his chants. They watch as the creatures screech while they close the distance to the army. T'Challa crosses his arms, and to the spartans surprise, a mask forms around his head. "Wakanda Forever!" He yells. He begins charging, the warriors begin as well.
"I guess that's our que." Emile states dryly.
"Right. Spartans, you are clear to engage." Jerome says. He begins running down the hill as well.
"Just like old times eh Jerome?" Kurt says as he makes pace with Jerome.
The duo blast past the regular Wakandan warriors. Eventually catching up to Steve and T'Challa. Before they too are passed. "On your left!" Kurt says as him and Jerome leave a dust contrail. Steve cocks his head a bit. Slowing down, as does T'Challa. In fact, the entire Wakandan army slowed down. "What in god's name?" Steve uttered.
Halo 3 One Final Effort
Jerome and Kurt raced down to meet the creatures. Easily exceeding speeds of 140 kilometers per hour. The two spartans blew past Jorge and Alice, who continued to send out streams of HE rounds with their respective chain guns. Jorge tipped his helmet to the duo. Reorienting his gun to new targets soon after.
Jerome and Kurt were only meters away from the river, the creatures not being deterred by over two thousand pounds of Spartans. They would soon know why the Covenant feared the demons.
"I go high, you go low." Jerome said. Kurt sent him a green acknowledgement light. He watched as Kurt picked up ever more speed, withdrawing his special gravity hammer from his back. The hammer hummed with power as he brought it over his head slamming it down, it sent out a ripple of gravitomic power. Throwing at least thirty of the creatures back. Broken and bloody.
Jerome sped up, coiling the muscles in his legs as he prepared to jump. Once he made it to the edge of the river, Jerome jumped up. Cresting over forty feet in the air. He engaged his stabilization thrusters, a circular target appeared on his HUD as he cocked his fist back. His thrusters propelled him down to the ground faster than a missile. His body impacted the ground, a gigantic wake formed that churned and broke the ground around him. The creatures screamed as they were flung to and fro. He stood back up, smoke and dust surrounding him. The sun eventually penetrated, causing his golden visor to gleam. (The Theater audience cheers wildly.)
"I'm not the only one who just saw that, right?" Natasha asks over the radio.
"No, you're not." Sam replies.
"These are warriors of immense power. I am happy to have accepted their help. But we must join them in battle." T'Challa says.
"Right. Avengers, let's get to it." Steve says as he continues to run down the hill.
In Orbit…
Cutter watched as the burnt husks of the enemy warfleet tumbled past the viewport. The engagement had only lasted around ten minutes. 'A new UNSC record' He thought humorously.
In all seriousness, the ships simply couldn't take the power of the Super MAC. The opening salvo effectively killed two of the six ships. The rest fell just as easily to the Series 12s on the Jacob classes. Cutter new that they must not have expected to be a fleet of any kind defending Earth. Hints the lack of actual warships. So he had the Battle group stationed over orbit of Africa, as it seemed that's where the Chitauri as they were called, were focusing this attack.
Spartan Ghost team had also reported in something… Disturbing. That is if it was true. The UNSC was well aware the Forerunners and Ancient Humanity were capable of producing WMGDs. Or weapons of mass galactic destruction. But to think that six stones had the power to destroy half the universe… Cutter was very skeptical, but the fact an Alien presence was focused into only one area where one of these supposed stones were, he didn't think the locals were blowing smoke up his ass. Which is why he decided that if they were overrun, that they would evac the stone and jump to a random destination in a quasi Cole Protocol fashion.
Cutter was brought out of his dwellings by a flash of blue light. Dominic stood at his pedestal. "Sir, the Heavens is reporting all clear in the system. She's rotating back to us now." Cutter nodded. "Good. Any signs of spectral anomalies on our end?" Dominic brought up a chart of the scans from the last hour. His dark eyes scanning over them. "Negative sir. Seems like we're in the clear for now. But i'll keep monitoring every ten minutes." Cutter hummed. He slid his hand across his station. Bringing up a battlelog from the Spartans on the ground. "And how are the Spartans on the ground handling the situation on the ground?" Cutter asked flipping through the life monitors of each individual Spartan. Dominic shuffled on his feet, looking at the Admiral. "So far so good. They have engaged the hostiles on the ground. Pretty effectively i might add." The AI paused for a brief moment, his blue form illuminating for a second, before returning to his dark blue shade. "Admiral. The Spartans have confirmed a city is on site. I suggest we send units into the city, and fortify it in the case the Chitauri decide to focus their attention there." He suggested.
Cutter nodded. "Right. Send the John Staunton and the Peacekeeper down. Their frigates, so hopefully they won't catch that much attention. Plus they will be perfect for on station support for our units on the ground." Cutter stated. Reorienting his chair for what must've been the one hundredth time today.
Dominic saluted the Admiral. "Affirmative. I'll get it done sir." He disappeared in a flash. Leaving Cutter alone at his station once more.
Cutter sighed, exasperated. "Helm. Rotate us ninety degrees to the right of our bow. I want to be ready with the guns in case any more ships show up." The helmsman nodded. "Aye sir, rotating now." The Spirit's engines rumbled, as the ship rotated slowly. The view port switching from a view of the Earth, to a view of Luna.
Cutter with nothing really to do except wait, sat back in his chair. Watching as the stars twinkled in the black backdrop of the never ending void. The peace was almost surreal. It was made even more surreal when the unmistakable sounds of klaxons blared through the bridge. "Report!" Cutter yelled, as he slid his chair up to his station. "Sir! Detecting numerous anomalies just beyond Luna!" A bridge officer yelled.
'Looks like this is the response.' Cutter thought. Standing up, he bellowed. "Bring our MACs online. Bow projector at the ready. Have our Destroyers moved to the front, Frigates ready for slip space transit. WE have a fight on our hands people. Get set to battlestations." A red light bathed the bridge at that statement. He sat back in his chair. 'So it begins.'
Longest thing i've written in awhile. I wanted this all to be one chapter, but i decided to break it up. I will finish it soon. I think i did okay only typing this in two days. But unfortunately i have gotten sick, making it hard to keep typing. I hope it looks good so far! Thank you for reading!