"Bring us around, slowly..." I spoke quietly, an alarm sounded out from the nearby consoles, quickly silenced as Fal spoke, "more human ships coming in". The screen was lit as the slip space ruptures formed, a cruiser with a cluster of 2 of heavy cruisers exited on the far side of the planet. I doubled back towards the command console and brought up the area in more detail. small dots flew from the side of the ships as they slowed and steadied themselves in space to start a holding pattern.
"looks like they were expecting a battle" I spoke quietly as I observed them. "Or the where expecting something here..." Diga spoke quietly. We had destroyed one of their probes. "Think it alerted them?" I asked quietly. "Even if that probe did identify us. Why send such a fleet for one ship?" he responded, his eyes scanning the consoles screens in front of him. "Think they followed us from the last human ship then?" Fal replied, there was a small "hmm…" in response. "They could have picked up on our EM trail" Diga spoke after a few moments.
"Either way they are here now, stay sharp" I spoke, finally silencing the two of them. Minutes passed by as the ships drifted across the screen, "their deploying troops to the surface" Diga spoke up and I walked over. Looking over his shoulder at the screen as it showed the area of the planet they had entered. I moved over to Fal next, "get us in low around this moon's surface, pull power from what systems you can and keep us dark". I spoke quietly. We should have left immediately and I knew that. I could not help but wonder what they were after, or even if they were after anything at all and just passing through, as unlikely as that was. An idea struck me, "Fal, think you could tap into their communications?" I asked suddenly, the sangheili's mandibles tightened before he tilted his head a little, a version of a grimace. "I could try, been ages since I last even ran a simulation but I would have to be rather close to do that" He spoke finally and I couldn't help but smile a little.
"You think this is going to work?" He paused as I helped the engineering Sangheili finish closing the circuitry behind a small access panel and locked it. "it looks like some bit of wreckage welded to a transmitter with a human rocket attached to it" he added as I pulled the straps tighter and gave a small push, the wreckage and scrap didn't move much. "That's exactly the point, the more they think its trash the less likely they are to be alerted to us, plus we may be able to tap into their transmissions with your help" I spoke, pausing as a number of us helped move the pile of trash towards a Type-31 Seraph Fighter ready and waiting for its payload. Using its gravity lifts usually used for bombing runs the Seraph fighter took the load with a small sway and its pilot took over to launch it in the general direction and break off to let it drift over towards the human ships.
I watched as it flew slowly out of the hanger and past the energy barrier, "I hope this is worth staying, for your sake" Kan spoke beside me. His distaste for anything to do with me showed, at least some of them were vocal about their distaste. Many kept to themselves about it however, I pulled myself from my thoughts and pushed forward back towards the ship's bridge.
"Anything?" I asked quietly over the silence that had adorned us for many hours. It was well past retiring time but I dare not leave the bridge unless the situation escalated. "The two ships, Unyielding Dragon and the Hercules have deployed craft to the surface, but both are rather..." He paused as more of the transmissions came through. The console chimed as I brought up what he was seeing. On the far side of the planet slip-space, ruptures rang out as two ships, "two ships coming in, IFF shows.." He paused, "covenant" I growled and I could feel my anger bubble slightly. "the human ships are engaging and are moving around the planet" he spoke finally, one heavy cruiser and a frigate against two CAS-Class Assault Carriers, the odds weren't good. Even if we helped. "Bring us around, heading zero three zero by zero zero three, full impulse" I ordered and the ship spun into action. "Setting action stations" spoke a major who was new to the deck, we had only done this once before he had joined us. "bringing weapons online" Fal spoke from beside me and the ship lurched into action. "Fire when ready at the covenant ships, this is going to be a hit and run" I spoke across the deck so everyone knew the plan, we had done it many times in the past but every time it came with high risks to everyone on the ship if it went wrong, this time I hoped we could buy enough time for the humans to jump away or finish them off.
Plasma lurched from the ships front and large plasma torpedoes rushed out across space. I swiped at the holo screens in front of me, spreading the battlefield out and I looked left towards the human ships, its archer pods launching as they flew through towards the covenant ships, a smaller group heading towards our ship and I tapped our comms system, opening a channel through towards the ships. "This is shipmaster Usze, UNSC ships Unyielding Dragon and Hercules, hold your fire. We are moving to assist" I spoke and cut the communication seconds before Diga spoke up, "human fighter aircraft incoming".
"Split them up, plasma beams" I spoke and watched the battlefield, our ship passing at speed past the two UNSC ships as they fired a volley of plasma towards their targets. The ship shook slightly as two plasma torpedoes impacted the ship's shields and they flared around us. "Shields at 87%" Fal spoke as we hurtled towards the two covenant ships at speed. Plasma launching towards us more aggressively now. "Shift shields accordingly as we pass, prep banks 8 through 32 starboard plasma torpedoes" I ordered. Our ship passed by the two covenant cruisers and I watched as both our shields and theirs flared as multiple impacts rang out. "Human ships charging their MAC" Diga spoke and I quickly brought up the battlefield and placed it onto the view screen. Energy flaring around the human ship's cannon and spun seconds before the round flew out and streaked towards our closest covenant ship, the impact was met with a large flaring of the ship's shields. I looked back as two of our plasma torpedoes impacted the covenant ships shields and they sparkled and crackled as they failed. Explosions ringing out as the human ships followed the MAC round up with a barrage of archer missiles that had effectually disabled the top half of their plasma weapons systems, rendering them ineffective where they were placed at the moment.
"Another MAC round" Fal spoke and I watched as it impacted the second covenant carrier as it came into view. "Power the cleansing beam and bring us around for another pass" I spoke and the ship. It left us vulnerable on our underbelly but with the power required it would finish them quickly and I looked over when another chime rang out. Quickly switching to his screen I saw why. Archer missiles rang out as the human ships closed in and fired upon the weakened covenant ship. Plasma streaking from its remaining weapons as the Sangheili who commanded it valiantly tried to damage the human ships as much as it could. With another MAC round from the Unyielding Dragon explosions ran down its middle as the round went straight through the ship and out its aft lower engine, the human ship breaking off as it moved to make another pass around beside us.
Our ship spun around in a wide arc behind the remaining ship, "shields 68% and holding" Diga spoke up as we came around and lined up for another pass over the last of the remaining covenant ships. "The human ship Hercules has been disabled" Fal spoke suddenly and I glanced at the view of the ship as more plasma impacted it when suddenly an explosion ripped through its hull from the stern as objects launched from its sides. I silently felt a small pang of sadness touch me as I looked on, what I guessed where lifeboats were engulfed in flames and I forced myself to look away as anger bubbled at my insides.
The ship's systems dimmed as the cleansing system came up to power, the view screen changing as I moved forward to the console that raised from the floor. Usually reserved for the prophets use i inputted my authorisation code as the power shifted. The covenant ship looming below us as plasma rang out towards us and Diga and Fal shifted from their consoles to join me. I almost didn't hesitate as I pressed my full palm to the palm scanner, Diga and Fal following suit seconds later. The system required the full bridge's input to activate and the beam spun up in a spiral, the seconds ticked by as in only a few moments the beam lashed out from our underbelly and towards the covenant ship. Watching as its energy shields flared with strain before collapsing as the plasma tore through the ship's hull. Explosions ringing out as I pulled my hand away. A ship for a ship.
"Prep all stations for slip-space and seal damage areas" I spoke as I turned to look at the battlefield, my eyes turning to the human ship as it came around from its turn and came towards us. "The human ship is charging its MAC cannon again, their aiming for us!" Fal spoke suddenly. My mandibles gaped for a few moments. "Shift shields and evade! Now!" I growled. "Already got it!" Diga spoke as he shifted nervously. "All hands brace for impact!" Spoke the major behind me and the bridge was quiet as we all seemed to hold our breath, the ship lurching underneath the first of the destroyed covenant ship as we passed. Plasma impacting the top of the ship and I grimaced at the damage seconds before the ship was shaken suddenly and we all lurched to the side slightly. "Shields are 11% and barely holding" the major spoke behind me and I grimaced. "another round and we're gone" Diga spoke up. "Shift non-essential power to the slip space drive and let's get out of here" I spoke, I knew it would take a few seconds to power up and by the look Diga and Fal where giving me they knew that too. Our shields would not last that long.
"What the hell is going on?!" Spoke the sudden and angry voice of Anna and I gasped as I quickly spun towards her, Shifting the power about had unlocked many of the doors and reset systems. Likely my quarter's door was one of them affected. An idea struck me suddenly, "Diga, open a comms line to the human ship" I spoke towards him and turned to anna for a moment, "humans ships have almost taken down our shields" I spoke quietly to her as I moved around towards the view screen.