Rear Admiral Roland Delaney stood on his bridge and gazed into a monitor displaying the space surrounding his ship, watching as his fleet fluttered around silently in preparation for what could be the end of them all. They'd already set out the 'Welcome Mat' for the Covenant, ready and willing to greet them properly the second they entered normal space. The small panel beside him lit up before a practically see-through figure appeared, hovering an inch above the holographic platform with a pale aura shadowing it ominously. The AI known as Akuma stared in the same direction as the Admiral, his long crimson coat moving behind him as if a breeze had somehow found its way into the ship. The rather normal entity-at least when compared with other 'Smart AIs'-stood there casually while performing over a hundred calculations concerning where the enemy would appear and applying his findings to their battle strategy.

The AI spoke in his usual calm tone, sounding like most of the UNSC personnel on the Pflanzer after long hours without sleep and lacking any enthusiasm. "We don't have much time left, Admiral. We've lost contact with several other outposts, and their current course has them coming straight for us." Delaney nodded slightly, ignoring the fact that he couldn't see it as he felt there was no turning back for them as he replied in the same dull tone. "Can you estimate their strength?" The small person stood still for a moment before nodding and making several hand gestures as if to visually show it. "Of course; they're no where near the size of the force that hit Reach, but it's no recon mission. At least sixty ships counted so far, with most of them being larger warships." The Admiral nodded before turning towards the SENSOR-OPS station where Lieutenant Branson sat, the AI nearby vanishing automatically. The man had been sitting there staring at that same screen for several hours at this point; though Delaney knew it couldn't be helped. He turned back to his command station and used his right hand to tap on several keys. A red blinking light appeared in the corner of the main screen and he let his index finger hover over the ENTER key, before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as he heard Branson gasp and cry out to them, "energy spike!"

o o o

Empty space over fifty-thousand kilometers away from the UNSC fleet suddenly became unstable and wavered irregularly, a large area of black nothingness swirling into itself as dozens upon dozens of Covenant warships slipped into the system. Nearly eighty deadly vessels swarmed together as one, all of them appearing as futuristic insects eager to slaughter their enemy. Everything from lowly Frigates to fully loaded Assault Carriers advanced towards VerCrouse, their only purpose being to spill human blood.

o o o

Delaney opened his eyes only to see his screen filled with enemies now, his finger still above the key as he did. "Numbers..." The perky Akuma appeared once more and stared at the wall of ships on the main monitor. "I'm counting eighteen Battle Cruisers, eight Assault Carriers, twenty-four Destroyers, thirty Frigates, and one unidentified vessel, most likely their flagship." The Admiral stared at the Covenant fleet a moment longer before letting his index finger fall, clicking on the ENTER key once and watching as the entire fleet was engulfed in a bright flash. "Now what are the estimates?"

o o o

The Frigates and Destroyers of the Covenant front line were slammed by a sudden wave of pressure and nuclear power, the dozen or so HORNET nuclear mines providing the UNSC with a temporary brick wall to hide behind, even though it wouldn't last. Shields sizzled and failed before the hulls of ships they were supposed to protect boiled and bubbled before being vaporized, their technology not saving them from an explosion that could envelop and ravage even their mightiest ships. The clouds of destruction quickly cleared and revealed a sea of debris for the enemy to wade through in order to get to the humans, the powerful shields of the Cruisers and Carriers shimmering behind the glittering haze.

o o o

Akuma grinned reflexively at his new calculations, feeling the automatic sense of satisfaction his personality was supposed to maintain toward the savage killing as he came up with a list of enemy survivors. "Seventeen Covenant Battle Cruisers, five Assault Carriers, sixteen Destroyers, eighteen Frigates, and that same flagship whose shield seems to have deflected the blast with ease; I'll try and figure out the force needed to break its shield by comparing its size with the power output of known Covenant engine systems." Delaney was slightly surprised they'd managed to destroy as many as they did with their first attack as he quickly went about planning their second assault. "Coordinate with every ship carrying a Shiva warhead and keep them in reserve for when the enemy gets closer...Firing them off now will just get them blown up halfway. Organize MAC firing time according to ship size. Have our Frigates target their own and do the same for their capital ships...Lets take those out." As he spoke he pointed towards the group of carriers towards the center of the pack, knowing they needed to be annihilated as soon as possible before the situation became even more like at Reach. The massive Super MAC guns their fleet was clustered around adjusted their aim slightly before firing five rounds of molten ferric-tungsten towards the heart of the Covenant threat, hoping to rip it out as soon as possible.

o o o

Rasa typed an eight number code onto his screen, watching it light up, then a holographic image of a man walked onto his armrest, sitting down and smoking a pipe. The image looked at him with cold eyes, and changed into the image of an animal, from the looks of it, it appeared to be the now extinct Grizzly Bear. "AI, identify yourself, what is your name?" The AI changed back into the old man, looking at Rasa again, this time quizzically, then answered slyly, "I go by many names, you may call me Klem. If you are worthy, I will inform you of my other names another time but for now, what do you require?" Rasa looked back at the AI, gleaming, "Well then, Klem... are you able to pilot this ship efficiently in battle?"

The AI nodded, transforming itself yet again into a new being, this time what appeared to be a Spartan with armor not so thick. "Naturally, I can pilot anything, I'm no "Smart A.I."; such as the renown Cortana, but I can do very much." Rasa chuckled slightly, then a wave of coldness overcame him, and he became serious again. "I would appreciate it, while during the invasion, if you were to pilot this ship as how to best get our troops planet-side to assist the UNSC. Then set coordinates for a Slipstream jump to the UNSC ships left flank and cover from there, and order all other ships to take defensive perimeter around VerCrouse once we get the troops planet-side."

The A.I. nodded in acknowledgement, and then once more changed into the old man. "And judging by your calculations, and your defensive formations that I studied a moment ago, you want us to take; Defensive Formation Hotel? That's a bit drastic don't you think? And if we use a Slipstream jump so close, won't that drain some power?"
"Nothing is too drastic when it comes to a battle with the Covenant Klem. Just follow my orders, and let's get these damn troops planet-side. I have a quick announcement I should make to the soldiers though."

He pressed a holographic key on his screen, and then looked at Lt. Nguyen.
"Go for it sir!" Nguyen said turning around with a thumb's up, grinning widely. For having a scar across his face, and balding grey hair, he looked as young as ever these past weeks. He began speaking to every soldier in the ship through the intercom, "Alright soldiers, you'll be fighting alongside our old enemies, so don't do anything stupid. We need you to get down there, and finish the Covenant bastards off for good. And remember what I'm going to say next!" He paused, breathing deeply, calming himself. "Success is relative. It is what we are trying to fix after making a mess of things. With that he sat down.

o o o

Captain Rasa Maldalay shivered with fear as Klem made small adjustments to their trajectory, looking as a plasma salvo whizzed through space beside the bridge. Klem had taken a new form, this time a man wearing a wolf head as a helmet, and a rather large blade on his back. "Klem, are all the troops off of our ships?"
"Affirmative, now quickly, brace yourselves."

Lt. Nguyen yelled over the sounds of battle, "Incoming transmission from the UNSC Cruiser Pflanzer. We are to hold our last two Shiva Warheads until close range. We are to fire our MAC charges towards their capital ships. Acknowledge sir?"

"Acknowledged Lieutenant."

Rasa glanced back at the bridge window, and just happened to see the Super MAC guns fire off 5 charges towards the Covenant Fleet. He sighed, "I had almost forgotten those, is everyone ready to finish this?" he screamed. From every Navy personnel on the bridge, he heard dignifying yells, and could of swore he heard someone mention firing an MAC round through one little Covenant body when they finished this. He grinned, this is their time.