This was the greatest conflict humanity had ever seen. As of now it has dragged on for eighteen years, and taken billions of lives. It's been fought on various battlegrounds, from the diverse worlds of our Outer Colonies, the major population centers in the Inner Colonies, and even the empty void of space. Unlike other conflicts in our history, this isn't caused by territory disputes, or resources. We aren't even fighting ourselves anymore. Rather, this is a war for our very survival as a species. And we are losing. Battle group Epsilon is making our stand here. This backwater world isn't special, or at least, it wasn't until now. We've located several alien artifacts, and HIGHCOM has ordered us to deny the enemy access to them at all costs, as well as to evacuate the five billion civilians on the planet. The second is nearly done, but we don't have anything powerful enough to destroy those ruins. I'd say we need to hold the planet indefinitely then, but we've been barely able to do that in the past two weeks this battle's been happening. With the reinforcements those alien bastards just received...Well, I don't have any hope left for our survival.-Admiral Chloe Ayers, February 17th, 2547
Hestia System, UNSC Outer Colonies. 16:00 Hours, February 18th, 2547
Even if anyone watching was unfamiliar with the relationship between UNSC and Covenant Warships, it would be clear to them that the UNSC would likely lose this fight. For the UNSC to win, they'd almost always needed a three to one advantage to win. The human ships in this system did not have that at all. There were two Marathon class cruisers, around eight Halberd Class destroyers, and perhaps a bit under two dozen frigates of various classes. The silhouette of a Prowler was briefly visible as well, against the gray hull of a cruiser, before it slipped back into the large vessel's shadow. It was an impressive force, but the melted and lifeless ruins of many other ships showed that this was not enough. Yes, Covenant ships were destroyed too, but only around half as many, and they possessed a force left that outclassed the UNSC ships by about five to one. An Assault Carrier was present, as well as around four CCS grade cruisers, half a dozen destroyers and maybe a dozen frigates and heavy corvettes.
The UNSC ships were faring slightly better than they should have, however, using various desperate tactics and underhanded moves to take out as many alien ships as they could. Still, it was clear that they wouldn't last much longer, and it was clear both sides knew it. The Covenant forces began to pull back and mass for a final push, while the humans prepared for their last stand. Warily, the UNSC commanders watched and waited, repairing what they could as they waited for the shit to hit the fan. They would end up waiting for about an hour, before the aliens would finally decide to attack.
As one, the alien fleet began accelerating towards them, the glow of plasma against their purple hulls seeming like glowing eyes, before it burst force, plasma torpedoes arcing and colliding, easily melting the titanium armor. Energy projectors slashed through space, the beams slicing through and cutting several frigates in half. The human ships fire simultaneously, the rounds of their main guns slamming into Covenant ships, some deflecting off shields, but others piercing critical systems, staggering the Covenant battle-line as several alien ships begin to be destroyed. Yet the human fleet begins turning and retreating behind one of the planet's moons, with the exception of three Halberd class destroyers. Each of the trio unleashes every missile they carry aboard, the flashes as several Shiva class nukes and Archer missiles colliding with the alien warships briefly obscuring the enemy fleet from view. As the blasts clear, two of the human ships are still mostly intact, speeding towards the enemy flagship. The Covenant vessels spit white hot plasma in an effort to stop them, but it's a futile gesture, the crippled ships being nothing more than dead weights with one last possible trajectory. A collision with the assault carrier.
A damaged CPV class destroyer tries to intercept them, but it's too slow, the human ships flying past it. The human destroyers slam into the massive vessel, its shields already down from the nuclear blasts, carving through several decks and embedding themselves in the alien ship. They then detonate as their nuclear reactors explode, breaking the five kilometer long assault carrier apart, pieces drifting into the atmosphere. Enraged but confused, the remaining Covie ships move to pursue the humans, unaware that dozens of small objects were floating around. They were the result of the UNSC's last attempt to destroy their foes, HORNET class mines. The trap was laid, and blinded by rage and shock; the aliens stumbled straight into it. A nuclear conflagration consumes the enemy, the bright flash hiding them for several seconds. The silver shields of the Covenant warships mostly fail, with the ships beneath being engulfed by the wrath of nuclear fire. Yet several ships had survived, including one of the CCS cruisers. The UNSC ships emerge from behind the moon, firing a second salvo, heavily damaging the surviving ships. The final blow would come from three frigates that had used a slingshot maneuver to accelerate themselves around the planet, their inertia speeding them around and showing them the rear of the alien warships. They fire, each shot aimed at the reactor of a different warship, and finish off the survivors.
Aboard the human ships, they almost cheer, when space begins to boil and warp around them. Around a dozen rifts open, with the same amount of Covenant warships emerging and opening fire. Their energy projectors and plasma torpedoes rapidly begin to carve up the UNSC ships, with several frigates and destroyers falling to the first salvo. A new battle was starting, but the humans had finally run out of tricks up their sleeves. Aboard one of the Marathons' bridges, Admiral Ayers sums their situation up almost perfectly. "Well, we're fucked."
Hestia IV, Surface
If she was being honest with herself, Kassandra found space combat to be beautiful, in a somewhat twisted sense of the word. Even from the surface, she could see several ships fighting it out in low orbit. The golden streaks of MAC rounds, the smaller puffs of fire and smoky trails left by missiles, even the white hot bolts of plasma and brilliant flashes caused by other covenant weaponry all looked amazing to her. Even the devastated vessels, falling planet side and burning up into glittering shards of metal, those too disappearing moments after. However, she quickly noticed something not quite as pretty, the bodies of human soldiers being sent flying. The cause? A massive alien watching her from behind the smoldering wreckage of a Warthog, its massive hammer buried in the front of the vehicle. The Jiralhanae lets out a snarl, ripping its weapon free, before stalking around the vehicle, heading straight for Kass.
By that time, she had her dual submachine guns up and firing at the chieftain, the projectiles merely deflecting off of its golden shielding, the Brute lunging at her with incredible speed and swinging its hammer down to crush the Spartan's skull. But she was already gone, rolling away from the strike, standing up to empty the remaining clip of each weapon into the alien. She attaches each SMG to her hips, a pair of blades flashing into her hands, before she unleashes a flurry of blows of her own. Roaring a battle cry, the Jiralhanae attempts to retaliate, the UNSC supersoldier evading all of the powerful swings, her rapidly whittling away the Brute's shields, until her knives begin to impact it's armor instead. The fight ends moments later, as the alien launches a desperate swing at her legs. Kass leaps straight up, her grabbing the brute's shoulder and swinging herself around to clamber on its back. It tries to grab her and throw her off, but she slips her blades around the thing's neck, planting her feet and kicking off, the force decapitating the chieftain.
The Spartan lands on her knees, the corpse slumping to the ground as she flicks the alien blood off of her knives. She glances around the forested clearing, seeing the shadows of the rest of the pack, all stunned as the female slowly stands, feeling fatigue in her limbs from a week of nonstop fighting. "Bring it on." Kass declares, her armor making her voice sound mechanical and cold. She sheathes her blades, pulling her shotgun off of her back, preparing to go out in a blaze of glory when she hears a voice in her helmet.
"Spartan, this is Admiral Ayers. We've lost the battle in orbit, and we're pulling you out of there."
"Negative, ma'am. My mission is incomplete. Pull everyone out if you have to, but I'm staying." The Spartan replies without hesitation, noticing the brutes shake off their shock, preparing to attack.
"You don't get to decide that. You are getting out of there. Now!" The officer's voice changes from weary to commanding. "Your bird is there. Don't keep them waiting."
She looks up as the sound of engines is suddenly heard, seeing a Pelican dropship come to a stop above her. The brutes see it too, and in an attempt to avenge their leader surge forward, only for the forward gun on the dropship to open up, the large rounds punching through their armor and stopping them in their tracks. The repeating gun quiets as the last Jiralhanae falls, the dropship lowering to the ground, its ramp opening.
"Get in, Spartan." The pilot yells from the cockpit, his voice sounding desperate, the shadow of a CPV class destroyer looming over them, a swirl of energy building around its nose.
She hesitates, looking back to the bullet ridden corpses of the brutes, as well as the bodies of the fallen marines. Kassandra sighs, before stepping into the vehicle, it immediately taking off and accelerating. It arcs upwards, passing the destroyer as it fires and leaving the planet's atmosphere minutes later, only to enter the same battle Kass had noticed from the ground. She walks up to the cockpit, taking a look at the devastation for herself. She could see dozens of lighter frigates and destroyers being crippled or destroyed, a seemingly intact frigate drifting nearby, before they can see how half of the vessel is still molten metal from several plasma torpedo hits. She noticed destroyed Covenant ships as well, slightly impressed that the UNSC had managed to destroy that many. The core of the human fleet was intact; a pair of Marathon class cruisers and several Halberd class destroyers, managing to hold out against the Covenant, though their defiant stand would no doubt be shattered in minutes, at most.
"Our fleet's been getting torn apart, I'm surprised we've been able to hold this long." The pilot comments, clearly horrified at the wreckage. He looks over his shoulder at Kass. "You awake?"
She nods, but doesn't say anything, just staring out the cockpit glass. While Kass was a bit messed up in the head, even she felt something as she looks over the devastation. She mutters something far too quiet to hear, before letting out a quiet sigh.
"I'm guessing the voicebox wasn't included?" He says jokingly, before he begins speaking over his comms, ignoring the Spartan. "Admiral, this is Foxtrot 3-1, we're approaching you, mind opening up?"
The pelican rapidly approaches the cruiser, its stepped hull being heavily damaged by plasma fire, many of its weapons systems burned to slag. It still was fighting, though, its point defenses firing at several Seraph fighters that had taken an interest in the dropship. A plasma torpedo arcs towards the damaged cruiser, only to be intercepted by a nearly crippled destroyer, which then detonates as its reactors go critical.
The Pelican's comm activates, the Admiral's voice speaking through it, sounding tired and defeated. "The docking bay's opening, get aboard..." The officer trails off. It was evident, even over the comm, the Admiral's voice is clearly shocked and panicked, an extreme change from the tone it had been. "Ensign, random jump no-" The comm cuts out just as a lance of energy pierces the cruiser from nose to stern, gutting it. Less than a second later, the vessel erupts in a huge explosion, a chunk of wreckage colliding with the Pelican's nose. The impact throws the Spartan into the troop compartment, and slams her head into a bulkhead, causing her to black out.
Kassandra's eyes slowly open, her only hearing the sound of alarms blaring in her helmet, telling her that her shields were inoperable, and her armor compromised. Gradually, those fade, leaving her to listen to the panicked and confused chatter from the survivors still on the planet, as well as the automated distress calls produced by the lifeboats. The barely conscious Spartan had drifted free of the pelican's wreckage, her slowly spinning as she drifts aimlessly. She sees a human destroyer jump to slipspace, appearing to be the last intact human ship leaving the system. For what felt like hours, though it was only minutes she waited, unable to do anything as she watched the victorious Covenant fleet relentlessly hunt down survivors of the battle. The aliens were destroying lifeboats and vaporizing any ship that remained mostly intact. The far more depressing view, though, was the sight of a half a dozen alien vessels orbiting the world, pounding the planet with their weaponry and changing it, from what had once nearly been a paradise, to a lifeless hell.
Something else quickly catches the Spartan's attention, though. It was a Covenant dropship flying uncomfortably close to her, the troops aboard no doubt on their way to search the debris for navigation data. It flies by her, before circling around, it's side doors opening. Several Sangheili, all equipped in vacuum sealed armor, all disembark, firing their maneuvering thrusters and rapidly approaching Kass. One grabs her shoulder, trying to bring her back to the Phantom, when she suddenly reacts. She slams her armored fist into the elite's visor, creating a spider web of cracks and snapping the alien warrior's head back. They hit her back, a hard punch to the stomach that slightly winded her.
Two more of the elite rangers intervene before she can do more damage, grabbing her arms and restraining them behind her back. She keeps fighting like a caged animal, though, briefly struggling to escape their grip. Instead of continuing, though, after a few seconds she settles on smashing her helmet into the cracked visor of the first Sangheili, shattering it and causing the alien to double over and gasp. The Spartan's foot lashes out and collides with the asphyxiating elite, sending it hurtling off into space. Her brief sense of satisfaction is quickly ended; one of the elite's restraining her dealing her a powerful blow to the back of the head with their plasma rifle. While she tries to stay awake, she feels herself be dragged into the Covie dropship, her vision being blurry. The last thing she sees is the four mandibled face of a Sangheili shipmaster looking down at her, before a burning pain in her stomach makes her vision go black.
Atollon Orbit, Lothal Sector, 2 BBY
The planet's surface, even from high up in the world's orbit, looked harsh and unpleasant. That being said, the planet's recent occupiers didn't care much about that, simply happy the Galactic Empire hadn't appeared to notice their presence. The remote world was a new stronghold for the insurgent forces known as the Phoenix Squadron and Massassi Group, both of whom were massing for a coordinated strike against the Imperials. While their force was somewhat impressive, it was clear. Composed of mainly frigates and corvettes, the Quasar Fire Class Cruiser-Carrier Phoenix Nest was the most impressive ship they had. Their main advantage was secrecy, though everyone in the fleet had varying opinions on how long that would remain true.
The pessimists among the crew of the rebel ships were quickly proved right, when the familiar dagger shapes of Imperial warships decelerated from hyperspace and became visible. The easiest to identify were the six Imperial One Class Star Destroyers, all of which dwarfed the smaller rebel vessels. Several smaller ships were present as well, two Arquitens Class Command Cruisers, and two Interdictor Class Star Destroyers. Strangely, the Imperial ships didn't open fire immediately, holding their position just out of range of the rebels' weapons range. The various reactions by the insurgents varied from calm, to outright panicking as they attempt to bring weapons and fighters online. No one doubted that this would be the largest skirmish that they had had with the Empire yet.
Authors Note: So, this is the newest story I've been working on. First things first, Italics generally mean a comm signal, a foreign language, or an AI talking. Also I do intend to be more active on the updates than I was with my other stories, as well as I may use people's OC's later on, provided you guys submit some. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy it, constructive criticism is always welcome. Until next time.