Slipspace, En route to Planet Cadenza
Bridge, UNSC Infinity
=H=
"Captain Lasky?"
Thomas Lasky, Captain of the UNSC Infinity, turned to the command table. Roland, the ship's AI, beckoned him over with a smile.
"Something the matter, Roland?" Lasky asked.
"Not much." Roland replied. "Just that Captain Aveli of the Remembrance just reported in with news. The full force of Battlegroup Alpha is coming in behind us when we arrive at Cadenza."
"The entire fleet?" Lasky asked, surprised.
"With some additional units from the Swords of Sanghelios." Roland said. "Once we reach Cadenza, we'll probably have enough firepower to convince whoever's fighting there to not mess with us."
"Glad to hear it." Lasky said. "Any clue as to who our new arrivals are?"
"Negative." Roland sighed. "The researchers there haven't been able to contact us due to security fears and risk of detection. Once we get there, we'll need to deploy units fast and tell our guests they're risking war with the UNSC, and quickly."
"Good work Roland." Lasky nodded. "Get some rest."
As Roland gave a thumbs-up and blinked out, Lasky strode back to the bridge viewport. The veteran Captain had seen the Infinity through the first and second Battles of Requiem, the Domain Crisis, the Banished conflict, and now this.
Whoever the mystery contacts were, they were bold to land on a UNSC occupied planet.
Lasky turned away and headed for the elevator, intent on getting some sleep for himself, because he knew that the next time he'd get that luxury was unknown.
=H=
Cadenza, Republic Cruiser Resolute
Primary Bridge
=H=
Standing on the bridge near the holotable, Jedi Padawan Ahsoka Tano browsed through the latest intel on the pursued Separatist fleet they had cornered on this world. Though the Republic had superior firepower and positioning, the Separatists had numbers, as their fleet had nearly seven ships more than the Republic task force.
"You're still awake, Commander?"
Ahsoka turned to see Clone Captain Rex approach, his helmet off.
"Couldn't sleep." Ahsoka replied sheepishly. "I thought I'd do something helpful."
"Good on you." Rex said. "Anything interesting?"
"Well, there is one thing." she admitted, pulling up a map of the planet. "When we first landed here this morning, I was studying the holomaps and I found this."
Ahsoka moved the display, showing Rex a section of the Planet. As she zoomed in, the form of a small settlement could be seen.
"You think there's someone here after all?" Rex asked.
"Maybe." Ahsoka murmured in reply. "The scans could be wrong, but that definitely looks like someone made a home here. Problem is, they're outside the range of both the Separatists and our own fleet."
"A keen insight." Admiral Yularen said, coming forward. "Good evening."
"Evening, sir." Rex said. "What do you think?"
"I've also been studying this planet, Commander." Yularen said. "And I think you're onto something."
"Really?" Ahsoka asked, surprised.
"I've been to this planet before." Yularen said. "A year before now. A Corporate blockade was preventing a Republic colony from receiving vital supplies. Our fleet took a beating, but we managed to lift the blockade. However, I did manage to capture this during the battle."
Yularen inserted a holochip, revealing the image of a battle formation of Republic and Trade Federation vessels. Then, a small ship entered the battle, observed for a few moments, and jumped away.
"That ship was not one of ours, nor was the enemy." Yularen said. "I've never seen a ship like it before. It featured a cloaking device that was seemingly a lot more powerful than our own."
"How?" Rex asked. "I thought you could detect those ships by their magnetic signature."
"We couldn't for this one." Yularen said. "There was no signature to track. I did manage to capture that footage before it jumped to lightspeed."
"So what's your theory?" Rex asked.
"I believe that we've stumbled onto a planet occupied by an unknown faction." Yularen said quietly. "We did have to avoid a large supernova to reach this world. We are on the very edge of unknown territory, bordering a galaxy that was previously unreachable."
"Woah." Ahsoka said. "Do you think they'll be friendly?"
"We'll see." Yularen said. "I'm planning to brief Generals Skywalker and Kenobi in the morning when we resume our engagement. And if we have stumbled into another occupied Galaxy, we must be ready."
Rex and Ahsoka nodded.
"We should all get some rest." Rex said, stretching and giving a slight yawn. "Goodnight, sir."
As the three parted ways for bed, the stars over the unknown planet continued to flicker and fade, like ghostly lanterns.
=H=
As the ships of both Republic and Separatist fleets lay quiet, on the surface of Cadenza, the UNSC research complex remained at action stations. The squad of UNSC Marines and a few Sangheili warriors were armed at all times, and currently monitoring the unknown fleets in orbit.
They had been meaning to send an intel package to the confirmed arrivals of UNSC Battlegroup Alpha, but security paranoia and fear had kept them from doing so. Until the UNSC arrived and they could be contacted safely, the base was to remain radio silent per UNSC First Contact procedures.
As the doctors, scientists, and engineers went to bed after checking their defensive sentry turrets, one stayed awake. Doctor Harvey Dawes climbed out of his bunk and went to his footlocker, with was emblazoned with the logo of the UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Troopers.
Dawes had been an ODST during the Human-Covenant War, and had entered the civilian field after the war's end. Now, he was on Cadenza serving as the chief medical officer.
But no matter where he went, his locker went with him. Not only did it contain his ODST armor, but a UNSC M7 SMG. Though it was a bit bigger than the magnums used by the scientists for personal defense, or the few Assault Rifles used by the Marine Guards, it was still a lethal weapon.
Dawes took the SMG out and began to check the weapon over, starting by clearing the chamber and loading a magazine of rounds.
"Still awake, sir?"
Dawes turned to see the station's support AI, Caleb, appear on a pedestal. Dawes sighed and smirked slightly.
"Yeah. It's mostly my nerves, Caleb." Dawes replied.
"Sorry to hear that." Caleb replied. "It's quiet around here. Do you think we'll be attacked, sir?"
"What do you think?" Dawes raised an eyebrow.
"Well, assuming both fleets are hostile and we provoke them somehow, it's likely." Caleb said gravely. "Of course, that's my personal input on the matter."
"It's not like we're a military facility either." Dawes said. "We've barely got enough firepower to fend off a platoon, let alone an enemy fleet with who-knows-how-many soldiers aboard. Or two, for that matter."
"I see." Caleb said. "Should I send the distress beacon?"
Dawes turned and nodded, but quickly added "In the morning, and discreetly."
"Yes, sir." Caleb said. "I've got confirmation that UNSC Battlegroup Alpha is en route, so hopefully this whole thing gets resolved soon. I'll see you in the morning, sir."
Dawes nodded as Caleb blinked out. As he resealed his footlocker and headed to bed, his dreams were filled with his past experiences of the Human-Covenant War.
