Having eaten a real meal this time, Kevin returned to the bridge. His rash stunt had already bought them precious hours while the enemy fleet deliberated on a new leader, but how much longer would their reprieve last? It had been a struggle to eat, removing the mask had been difficult. His own strength was still dubious, the mask was now his crutch. He had eaten as quickly as his shaking limbs had allowed him to. During his hasty meal the ghost of Revan's mocking laughter echoed through his head, his pitiful display of weakness clearly amused him.
Wearing the mask once again, he felt unstoppable. His weakness was now a distant memory. The bridge was calm, almost relaxed. A stark contrast to the perilous predicament that the men and women under his command found themselves in. Heartbreakingly outnumbered, the fate of his fleet hung on a knife's edge, at any moment disaster could strike. His enemy would pay in blood to take earth, they had to know this, but how much blood was acceptable to them?
He had to drive this point home. His enemy knew what his ships were capable of even though they were heavily outnumbered. Previously they had been given a taste of their capabilities, but now they faced the entire might of his forces. Unfortunately, in the previous skirmish his enemy had learned that his forces weren't invincible. Even though they had paid a heavy cost for the destruction of one of his ships, they had seemingly paid for it gladly.
The communications officer on duty brought him out of his musings, the enemy was ready to talk once more. He had been heading for his command suite, but he changed direction and placed himself behind and to the right of Natasi's command chair. Standing at attention, masked and in full combat gear, he would be seen as a subordinate, or perhaps even a body-guard. Natasi, not even bothering to acknowledge his presence, waved to the communications officer, signaling him to open the channel.
The image that materialized before them was of a man who was starkly different from the previous communication. This is my enemy… The man was thin and bony, his face shrewd, composure rigid, eyes cunning and intelligent. His uniform was just as lavishly decorated as his predecessor, but he seemed ill at ease in the gaudy dress. It was immediately evident that this man preferred simple things, he was probably the real mastermind behind his enemies' tactics. The previous commander had probably gotten in the way with his foolishness, it had probably been his blunder allowing their transports to be part of the trap.
The shrewd man regarded him with his cold, calculating stare for a short moment before fixing his gaze on Natasi. A wry smile crossed his thin lips as he introduced himself, almost courteously.
"I am the new commander of the mighty fleet that stands before you, you may call me Jenn." Bowing slightly, it was obvious that he was doing his best to placate Natasi, perhaps even apologize for his predecessor's attitude towards her. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't talking to a reasonable being, he was speaking to Admiral Natasi Daala.
"Jenn? That's a girl's name, it's short for Jennifer. Since we're being so formal with curtsies and flowers shouldn't you use your full name?" The man's right eye twitched in annoyance, but he showed no other signs of irritation. His smile widened slightly, revealing perfectly straight, unnaturally white teeth. Natasi returned his smile with her own predatory smirk and the two sized each other up for several moments.
"Bloodshed is unnecessary, if your fleet surrenders you have my word that your lives will be spared and our rule will not be harsh, granted that you cooperate with your new masters." Scoffing at this, Natasi rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed.
"You're right, bloodshed is unnecessary. It would also be a shame to turn your 'mighty' fleet into scrap. You see, it would be such a bother cleaning up the mess afterwards." It was at this moment that Kevin detected something akin to doubt cloud the man's mind. Perhaps he was calculating how many ships he would lose in the battle; would he lose too many? Would the blood price be too great? It was time for him to speak up.
"Victory or defeat, your losses will be staggering," Kevin's modulated voice visibly shocked the man named Jenn for a moment, but his cold and calculating gaze soon returned, fixing itself on him as he continued to speak. "Your fleet will die here. We know that you are looking for a new home, this will not be it. This will be your end. However, there are other worlds out there, worlds that are not ours, worlds that are less defended than ours, if defended at all." Jenn thought long and hard on this for a moment, but shook his head, eyeing his masked opponent with distrust.
"Even if I were to play along with your games, how could I trust a being that hides behind a mask… what… who is that ghastly creature behind you?" This question was directed towards Natasi, as if Kevin had ceased to exist.
"He is Darth… Revan, Lord of the Sith. It would be wise of you, Jenn, to grovel in his presence." Her harsh words seemingly had no effect on Jenn. Clearly, he had never heard of the Sith nor was familiar with Jedi or the force, a pity.
"Trust this: our ships stand ready to unleash devastation and destruction upon you, we-."
"We have you outnumbered, significantly." Cut me off will you? Your feeble numbers are meaningless!
"Numbers alone do not confer an advantage." It was hopeless. Kevin was using his powers to seed his enemies' mind with doubt and fear, but his mind seemed stubbornly resistant to his subversive attacks.
"Is that so? This conversation has ceased to amuse me, you have three minutes to surrender." The communication ended and Natasi turned in her command chair to face him. Somehow, she instantly read his mood, she nodded. Turning away, she called out to her weapons officer, giving him permission to fire.
During the conversation the Night Hammer had aligned itself to the enemy command ship, it was now doomed. Moments later the enemy dreadnought exploded as the deadly destructive energy from the prototype death star laser annihilated it. The enemy was once again robbed of their leader, their real leader and the battle for earth had begun.
"Holy shit!" Chloe's voice sent a shockwave through the room, all eyes turned towards the holoprojector. There had been no warning at all. One moment the two opposing sides had been staring each other down like they had been for hours and then suddenly the Night Hammer had fired its main weapon, obliterating the largest enemy ship entirely.
As if this had been a signal, the other ships protecting the earth opened fire with all of their weapons. The weapons from the four Sangheili ships immediately took their toll, their damage easily apparent. The enemy fleet returned fire, their initial barrage dissipating harmlessly against the defenders' shields. Even though the turbolaser batteries from the Star Destroyers were most certainly inflicting heavy damage on the attackers, it was near impossible to tell.
Max was by her side in an instant and seemed as if she were about to say something, but a series of alerts cut her off as she opened her mouth. Blaring alarms shocked the room's occupants but they were immediately silenced by one of the officers.
"Radiological alarm!" The cry had come from one of the younger officers and his warning sent a fresh wave of panic through the room.
"My god they're going to nuke us! Barbarians!" Walter's response rang true and loud above the rest of the panicked cries. Strangely enough it was Max who called out above the chaos.
"No! Look!" Following Max's outstretched arm, Chloe immediately found the source of the warnings. The instantly recognizable yellow and black circular radiological warning signs were flashing next to many of the defenders' ships. The only ships that didn't have this warning sign were the Sangheili ships, but if Chloe had understood the brief descriptions of their weaponry, they didn't need nukes.
"Holy shit, they're packing nukes! How did I miss that?" Chloe's words were lost as the battle intensified. The opposing fleets drew closer together, the chaos of destruction mercilessly intensified between them. Hundreds of missiles burst forth from the defending Star Destroyers, the hologram struggling to track each projectile's path. Hidden amongst this barrage were more than a dozen flashing radiological warning signs, the entire room held its breath.
A dazzling display of explosions rippled through the massive enemy fleet. Entire squadrons of strike craft simply vanished. The larger ships weathered the storm while their smaller supporting ships blew apart. As the enemy fleet was pummeled the defenders advanced, flanked by thousands of strike craft. It was hard to tell with so much chaos unfolding before her eyes, but it seemed as if the defenders now held the numerical advantage in strike craft.
Swarms of interceptors cleared the way to the enemy fleet, easily throwing aside their enemy counter-parts. Bombers and attack shuttles were now clear to begin their attack runs on the enemy capital ships. Rockets and bombs tore through armor, putting more and more of their adversaries out of the fight. Finding herself on the edge of her seat, Chloe's breath caught deep inside her burning chest.
The defenders had struck hard and fast, unleashing a torrent of devastation and destruction on the enemy fleet, unlike anything she had ever seen before. Seconds ago, she had felt like cheering. Victory had seemed so assured. Looking at the bigger picture, however, she realized just how desperate the fight still was. The invading fleet had been bloodied, but their numbers were still staggering. Quickly scanning the status of the defending fleet her grim feelings multiplied, she was soon rigid with horror. The defending ships had shields, but they were dropping, fast.
Recovering from the sudden assault, the enemy fleet began to spread out in a wide semi-circle, like an umbrella. As they slowly enveloped the defenders their formation became lopsided, the four Sangheili ships were carving a path of destruction in their wake. The attackers' left flank was being cut to ribbons as the Sangheili continued to advance from the defenders' right. Supported by strike craft of their own, the purple ships tore through their enemies, driving deeper and deeper into their formation.
Realizing the danger, the enemy fleet shifted. Ships began to break formation and converge on the small, yet seemingly unstoppable Sangheili flotilla. The umbrella fractured and became even more lopsided as ships from their right scrambled to the left. The defenders had been on the verge of being completely enveloped but the daring charge by their allies had countered this maneuver. However, the Sangheili now found themselves under withering fire. As she watched the events unfold before her eyes, Chloe finally forced some air into her burning lungs.
Her sudden breath startled Max, but she quickly recovered. Her partner cast her a worried look, her thoughts clearly shared her own. How much punishment could the Sangheili take until their shields collapsed and their ships were destroyed?
"What the hell are you doing shipmaster?" The plan had been for the Sangheili to hold the right flank, not charge ahead into the enemy fleet. Yes, their sudden push had thrown the enemy formation into disarray and pressure had been taken off of his own ships. But now damn near half of the enemy fleet was targeting the Sangheili, they couldn't last long under such a torrent of fire.
The hologram of Shipmaster Ryvu gave him a bemused look as his toothy mandibles twitched while he pondered his response.
"We are… engaging the enemy on all sides, Honored Arbiter." God damnit you've gotten yourself surrounded… wait… he meant to do that… he intentionally got their attention. As if he had spoken to the shipmaster, the mighty being nodded. "The infidels dared to ignore us, I do not enjoy being ignored!"
"Nor do I, shipmaster, nor do I…" Until the shipmaster's bold maneuver, the enemy fleet had focused their fire on his smaller Star-Destroyers, their shields were failing fast. Their rapid advance on the enemy had turned into an abrupt route, his ships retreating as quickly as they could manage while still facing the enemy. Inspired by the shipmaster's bold maneuver he called out to Natasi.
"Admiral, are all of our weapons able to engage the enemy?" Momentarily puzzled she frowned, but soon shook her head, her red hair cascading around her shoulders as she did so.
"No sir, at our current position about… forty percent of our weapons lack the proper firing envelopes to engage the enemy." Time to show our enemy the consequences of 'ignoring' the Night Hammer.
"Helm, engines at maximum! Do not stop until every battery has ample targets! Once we're in position cut the engines and switch all power to weapons!" Turning to the weapons officer, he quickly nodded and gestured towards the enemy fleet. "While we're maneuvering feel free to blast any of their battleships with the man gun. Once we get their attention I have a feeling that we'll need all of the reserve power for our shields, better use it while we can." The man smiled grimly, the message was clear. Take out as many of their remaining command ships as possible, but don't waste any power on lesser targets. Their enemy may be ignoring them at the moment, but that was almost certainly about to change.
"Damnit!" Kevin swore as he watched the enemy fleet react to the Sangheili attack. The attacking fleet was shifting to meet them with overwhelming force. Even though this bold maneuver was buying the main fleet precious time, it had left the Leviathan and her ships without targets. Rendered almost entirely ineffective, their position was now utterly pointless.
"So much for our flanking maneuver…" Captain Noin seemed equally deflated by the situation. If their ships had proper shielding or thicker armor perhaps their options would be more open. But that was not so, their ships were old, unshielded, and completely out of position. Maneuvering to join the fight would expose them and now the enemy fleet would have ample time to react to their sudden appearance. Even worse, with the entire fleet thoroughly engaged with the enemy, any action that they made would be done without support.
"We can't just sit here… we need to do something…" Keeping his voice low so only Noin would hear him, he sighed heavily. He knew that his words were in vain, there was nothing they could do right now, rash advances at this point would only result in their destruction.
"I agree… but unfortunately we have to do exactly that… sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest-."
"I know… I know… doesn't mean I have to like it… where the hell are our reinforcements… where the hell is that energy shield… damnit this waiting is infuriating! I came up here to fight, not watch!" Realizing that he had spoken too loudly, he forced himself to relax, all eyes were on him again. Surprising him once more, Noin smiled at him and placed a white-gloved hand on his shoulder, squeezing it hard.
"We all did… we must be patient. The time is not yet right… but my orders are to listen to you… if you tell me to engage… I will." Suddenly, Kevin felt the entire weight of the massive ship and her support fleet resting on his shoulders. If I tell her to attack now… she'll listen… I would get us all killed… the success of our attack is all on me… but we can't just sit here and watch our fleet get torn to pieces! Turning back towards the holographic display that was updating every few seconds, he frowned. Due to their position the satellites were having difficulty relaying the information to their fleet, he would always be a few seconds behind the action so long as they remained hidden away like this.
Clearing his mind, he reached out with his feelings, perhaps the answer of when to act would be presented to him if he just focused. Millions of minds clashed in a cacophony of noise as he stretched his awareness farther, the mounting tension of the two clashing fleets overwhelmed him as he tried to sift through the chaos. Suddenly a tranquil, demanding voice exploded into his mind, calming and terrifying him all at once.
"Not yet." The voice's power reverberated through his mind, breaking his focus. His eyes shot open as he let out an involuntary gasp of air, Noin was looking at him with thinly veiled concern. The bridge had grown quiet. Once again, all eyes were on him.
"What did you see?" Damnit why must they look at me like that, I'm not a god… how long was I standing here… not that long right? Barely anything has changed… wait… what the hell is he doing! His mouth agape in surprise he watched as the holoprojector updated once again, the Night Hammer was breaking formation and charging the enemy. Alone. Aside from the now entirely overwhelmed Sangheili the rest of the fleet was in full retreat, their shields low and fluctuating at dangerously low levels.
Focusing on the Night Hammer he noticed that her shields had barely been touched, the enemy fleet was ignoring her, choosing instead to focus their attacks on the smaller defending ships. The enemy had probably tried to ignore the Sangheili ships as well, but the proud aliens had clearly taken offense. Firing its main weapon, the Night Hammer obliterated an enemy battleship and let loose several barrages of missiles while more and more of her batteries unleashed destruction upon the enemy fleet. As the ship continued to maneuver, it became abundantly clear what was happening. Kevin smiled.
"The closer she gets to the enemy fleet the more dangerous she is… and yet she's exposing herself, as if she's inviting the enemy to attack her… clever."
"How is that clever?" Noin asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
"The enemy plan up to this point has been to attack our weaker ships first, if we had been on the line we would have been their first target… which is why we are not. The Sangheili ruined this plan by charging into the enemy fleet, surrounding themselves, their ships can take the abuse better than ours. Now the grand admiral is doing the same thing, if he can draw enough attention away from the fleet, our Star Destroyers will get some relief and will be able to fight longer. If the enemy fleet continues to ignore the Night Hammer, she is going to punish them for it… see, look! The enemy fleet is shying away from her!"
A bulge was slowly forming in the enemy formation as the Night Hammer advanced towards them, the enemy ships were desperately trying to shy away from her ever-increasing firing envelopes. There was nowhere to run. The Super-Star Destroyers' seemingly endless array of weaponry spat forth in a wide arc around the massive ship. The main gun fired again, obliterating another enemy battleship, but still the enemy remained focused on the Sangheili and the rest of the defending fleet. Suddenly, everything changed in an instant. Kevin saw the opening he had been impatiently waiting for.
"Captain Noin! Engines at full!" The young captain nodded and gave the orders, shouting to be heard above the cheering crew. The time of inaction had passed. Cheering to rid themselves of their fears, the crew prepared to face their enemy. Kevin clutched Kate's cross, soon they would be committed to their attack, soon they would be upon the enemy, soon they could all die. Joining his voice with the others he tried in vain not to think of Kate. He felt her presence easily, despite the vast distance that separated them.
Her worries suddenly became his own. Clutching her cross through his uniform harder he raised his voice once more, causing a second round of cheers to erupt throughout the bridge. Even though he had shut his mind from the momentary connection he had made with Kate, her words still echoed throughout his mind. God, please bring him back to me… he can't die… he just can't… don't die Kevin, please don't die… survive… you have to survive.
Blinking in momentary confusion, Chloe felt the feint strings of panic tug at her heart when the Sangheili ships suddenly vanished. The room breathed a collective sigh of relief when they reappeared almost instantly on the opposite flank of the enemy fleet. The enemy formation was slowly being split in two as the enemy ships did their best to pull away from the advancing Night Hammer. However, due to the sudden maneuver by the Sangheili ships, a majority of the enemy fleet was now without a target. The enemy had once again been outmaneuvered by the purple ships who were now attacking the enemies' exposed left flank.
All at once the situation changed, murmurs and gasps exploded around her as she watched the enemy fleet switch gears. The main line of the defenders was now entirely forgotten, every ship that was being threatened by the Night Hammer's extensive weaponry suddenly turned their attention towards her. Hundreds of ships stopped maneuvering away from her and attacked, eager to punish the massive ship for her reckless charge.
The section of the fleet that had been attacking the Sangheili ships had other ideas though. Their prey had eluded them and they clearly would not be satisfied until the purple ships were destroyed. A large host of ships reformed and maneuvered for all they were worth to the opposite flank where their comrades were being slaughtered by the combined force of the entire enemy fleet. The enemies' left flank was being harassed by the still retreating main line of the defenders while at the same time the Night Hammer's gunners harried them. And now, the fanatical Sangheili were upon them, their superior weapons blasting through their foes.
"Hella yes! Those Sangheili are going to win the battle all on their own! Look at them go Max!" Her partner, clearly not as enthusiastic about the battle before them, did her best to manufacture some excitement. Max looked entirely too worried, sure the defenders were still massively outnumbered but they were kicking the shit out of the enemy! How much longer would the battle last at this rate? It was as good as won!
Before Chloe could correct her partner's attitude, disaster struck. The room exploded with concern and she found herself gasping in shock as she watched one of the purple ships tear itself apart by a series of internal explosions. The final blast entirely consumed the ship, damaging several of the nearby enemy ships in a supernova of destruction. Like a star the ship had shone brightly in life and met its death with fire and passion.
"No…" She was unsure who had spoken, perhaps it had been Max, or maybe the nearby Kate… hell, it could have even been her. All she knew right now was that the Sangheili's ships were now in full retreat, leaving the dust of their former comrade behind them.
"No!" It had definitely been her, at least this time. Dozens of enemy ships took up the pursuit of the retreating ships, but most broke off to join in the attack of the Night Hammer, which was now slowly retreating herself. The rest of the defending fleet seemed to be holding fast, licking their wounds from earlier before they would be forced to fight once more. The ships seemed to be in bad shape, their shields were low and slowly recharging and several had taken damage to their hulls. Even worse, the torrent of fire that had previously been pouring out from the Night Hammer seemed to have slackened off.
Focusing her attention on the ship, she noted that sections of her forward shields were being slowly drained as more and more enemy ships focused their attacks on her. This wasn't fair, things had been going so well, now it felt as if the very life had been sucked out of her. What would happen if the defenders lost? Would they come for them next? Would they rule the earth with an iron fist, oppressing their new subjects mercilessly? As Max pressed herself closer to her, she glared at the holoprojector before her.
If the enemy won, if the defenders failed to protect them, then it would be up to her to protect Max. She didn't care who these guys were, not one bit. She was deadly certain that they would never harm her partner, not while she lived at least.
"Full power to shields! Intensify forward battery fire, nothing gets through, you hear me? Nothing!" Natasi was now entirely overwhelmed with fury. "Coordinate battery fire, rip them to shreds!" Earlier she had instructed their gunners to attack as many of the enemy ships as possible in their desperate bid to draw attention away from their beleaguered fleet. They had that attention now, a worrying amount of attention actually. The gunners were switching tactics, they would now be working together to engage the fewest number of targets, destroying them as quickly as possible.
Kevin was doing his best to effectively coordinate the strike craft with their attacks, constantly updating them on targets that required their attention.
"Delta, move to engage hostiles in sector five, Blue squadron will provide cover… Tau squadron… form up with Echo and Sigma for an immediate attack on battleship seven… Gold squadron, return and rearm… Green squadron, Red squadron, Black squadron, engage enemy fighters in sector two, the Sangheili need your help now!"
Somehow, it was still unknown and he didn't have a spare second to investigate, one of the Sangheili destroyers had been destroyed. The ship's shields must have failed and a lucky shot must have damaged the power core, which tore the ship apart. Despite the tragedy it did give the Sangheili a perfect excuse to appear to be retreating towards the trap that he hoped was about to be sprung in the orbit of the earth's moon. The timing would have to be perfect, unfortunately the critical maneuver wasn't on him. His thoughts were torn away from the situation as a transmission from the Conqueror demanded his attention. Without turning to face the grim man on the other end of the transmission Kevin spoke quickly, he already knew what this was about.
"Permission denied, you will hold your position Vice Admiral-."
"Bloody child! Are you insane? Even the Night Hammer can't withstand punishment like that for long, you expect us to sit here and watch you get yourself killed?" Vice Admiral Letho Canady was a grizzled veteran of the Imperial Navy. He was blunt, had no respect for incompetence, and ceaselessly spoke his mind, fearing no being alive. He respected his leader immensely, but refused to be mystified by his power. Kevin would always be 'a bloody child' to him, which was one of the reasons why he was the highest-ranking officer in the fleet besides himself and Admiral Daala.
"Admiral your ships need time to recover, we are giving them time, hold your position, we'll bring the party to you." Turning to face the grim faced and balding man for a moment, he saw how unimpressed the man was with his words.
"That's not bloody likely, you'll be torn to shreds before you manage to limp your way back to our line. Don't you dare force me to disobey an order from you, order the damned strike!"
"Hold your position, the enemy may soon strike at the earth, the shield isn't up yet and I need you there, don't worry, our shields will hold." I hope…
"You're a damned fool and you know it, with the Sangheili in retreat we need a fucking miracle right now… where the hell is that empress of yours?"
"Don't worry admiral, the Sangheili aren't retreating… the Hiroshi fleet will be here-."
"Well they bloody well better get here soon because once you're done getting yourself killed the rest of us will be in serious fucking trouble, order the damn strike, you need us." He flashed Vice Admiral Canady a quick glare and shook his head before ending the transmission so he could once again focus his attention on the battle. The situation wasn't much better, the enemy ships had intensified their attacks on his ship despite their mounting casualties. Two more of their battleships had been destroyed, very few remained but the enemy battlecruisers were still dangerously numerous.
If the enemy fire didn't slacken they would be soon forced to put every inch of power the ship could muster into their shields, effectively neutering their weapon systems. With their guns silent, the enemy fleet would either continue to pummel them or maneuver to finish off the rest of his fleet. His clone's trap had to work, if it didn't the situation would be even more perilous. Vice Admiral Canady's words rang loudly in his ears. Where the hell is that empress of yours?
The Hiroshi were coming, along with their other allies, but when? And when was Treize going to get that damned shield generator operational? He had one last card to play in this deadly game and it was a rather small one, four old warships from an era long gone. With the invincibility of the Sangheili ships in question it was even more important that his clone's timing be right. It is time to prove your worth, will you live up to the legend that you were born into, or will you fall into disgrace and perish with the rest of your crew?
"Time to intercept… two minutes!" The nervousness of the crewman was blatantly obvious, his voice trembled as he called out his report. You should be nervous… if this attack doesn't go exactly according to plan… Kevin let his thoughts trail off, he couldn't bring himself to complete his grim thought. Checking over the squadron's trajectory one more time, he shook his head. No matter how many times you look at these numbers you're not going to see anything different. The enemy ships won't detect us until the last possible moment, our velocity won't change, we'll smash into them from behind before they even know what hit them.
The Leviathan's squadron was performing a slingshot maneuver around the moon, gaining what little velocity they could before they made contact with the enemy. They would come from behind, undetected, unexpected, and then perform a braking maneuver. Once in position their ships would begin to independently maneuver to stay behind their targets, each doing their best to avoid any counter-attack that may occur. The Leviathan and the Triton were to target the enemy battlecruisers while the Pisces and the Cancer attacked the smaller enemy vessels. The Leviathan's fighter squadrons would be unopposed, they would be free to perform strafing runs at will.
"Time to intercept… one minute!" The crewman's voice was harder now, the young man apparently having come to terms with his own mortality. Brave was the face when danger was imminent. Clutching Kate's cross through his uniform, Kevin did his best to come to terms with his own. He desperately wished that he could hear Kate's voice one last time before the end, should the worst happen.
"All squadrons launch!" Captain Noin's voice rang loud and true across the bridge, startling him back to the task at hand. "Give em' hell Zechs…" Noin's last words were added quietly, coming out as a ghostly whisper. Kevin's excellent hearing and his proximity to the young captain were the only reasons he managed to catch her near silent prayer. He didn't know who this Zechs was, but it was obvious how much she cared for him.
"Time to target… thirty seconds…" As the crewman's words trailed off the Sangheili's ships came into view, the enemy ships would be close behind them, hopefully not too close. Don't worry, you know exactly how fast the enemy ships are, they are going to be right where you expect them to be… unless they decelerated for some reason or broke off their pursuit, would they do that? There indeed had been no need to worry, the enemy ships were still in pursuit. Even better, his calculations had been perfect, the much larger enemy fleet was now in their sites.
"All ships, execute breaking maneuvers and open fire!" All at once the four ships fired with every weapon that they possessed. The Leviathan's own weaponry was nothing compared to her support ships, but every shot would count. The Cancer and the Pisces were destroyers, they had been designed to hit hard and fast, they were in their element. Their forward-facing weaponry obliterated their initial targets and both ships prepared to engage their next victims. Meanwhile the Triton's vastly heavier arsenal was making quick work of several targets at once.
The Triton was an old Hiroshi heavy cruiser, but she was still extremely deadly. She had four forward facing particle-based energy beam weapons, able to pivot slightly so she could engage multiple targets at once. These powerful weapons sliced through the unprotected flanks of four of the battlecruisers, causing massive damage to the larger ships. Their engines inoperable and many of their decks open to space, the ships were effectively out of the fight. Slowly pivoting as she decelerated, the Triton turned to engage a new set of targets while her six large 'assault-class' mass drivers fired massive high-velocity rounds that ripped other targets to shreds.
"All squadrons, engage!" The Leviathan's strike craft joined the fight and attacked like an angry swarm of insects, stinging and harassing their targets. The enemy fleet reeled from the sudden strike, the heavier ships had no hope of turning to fight in time, but their escorts were significantly more agile. Kevin watched in horror as more than a dozen of the enemy destroyers and frigates began to maneuver to engage the Cancer and the Pisces.
"Triton, switch targets to those support ships, hit them now! Pisces, Cancer, evade!" Responding immediately to his orders the Triton's impressive array of weaponry began to blast apart the smaller ships as they tried to maneuver.
"All squadrons move to assist!" Noin was barking orders at her crew, harrying them to direct all of their weaponry to assist, but it was too late. The surviving enemy ships fired and within moments the Pisces simply ceased to exist. Lacking shields and the heavy armor of the Triton and the Leviathan, she had little protection from the onslaught. As the Pisces was torn apart the Cancer abandoned her evasive maneuvers and attacked.
He should have screamed at her captain to abandon her suicidal attack but he couldn't, the words were stuck in his throat. The Cancer's crew no longer cared about their own safety, their sister ship had just been destroyed, they wanted revenge. The enemy battlecruisers were slowly turning to join the fight, but their efforts were in vain. The Sangheili ships were far more agile and they had turned to join the fight. The remaining enemy ships were quickly and mercilessly torn to pieces, but not before the Cancer was reduced to a floating wreck, hundreds of escape pods blasting away from the doomed vessel.
There were no cheers in the victory that had just been won. Several dozen of the enemy ships had been destroyed, but Kevin had lost half of their fleet. Even worse, the rest of the fleet was in serious trouble themselves. The Night Hammer was taking such a beating that most of her weapons had gone silent, all power was being directed towards her shields. The massive ships' slow retreat had finally reunited it with the rest of the fleet and the smaller Star Destroyers were back in the fight, but the precious amount of time that had been purchased hadn't been enough.
All of the Victory-Class Star Destroyers had lost entire sections of their shields, their hulls were being riddled with explosions as they took increasing volumes of fire. The larger and more numerous Imperial-Class Star Destroyers were faring better, if just barely. Most of them still possessed operational shields, but how much longer would that last? Kevin's heart grew cold when he realized what needed to be done, what remained of his squadron needed to join the main fight. They needed to draw as many of the enemy away and hold their attention for as long as they could. Shipmaster Ryvu, it seemed, had the exact same idea.
The Sangheili ships accelerated towards the battle, seemingly unconcerned if Kevin's two remaining ships followed them. A communication from their cruiser startled him, Shipmaster Ryvu apparently wanted to talk. Even though he had never laid eyes on a Sangheili before, it was obvious that the being was surprised by what he saw, his words confirmed his suspicions.
"Honored Arbiter…?" Kevin quickly explained that he was a clone of his 'Honored Arbiter' and that he wasn't the same person. Seemingly more confused than he had been, Ryvu's hologram turned away for a moment and seemed to be conversing with someone behind him. After a few moments the shipmaster returned his attention to Kevin and spoke slowly, as if unsure of the right words. "You are not the Honored Arbiter… you are… a mimicry… a copy?" Mimicry… yes… that's what I am… my first battle and two of my ships are destroyed… I bet his 'Honored Arbiter' would have done better…
"That is correct shipmaster." If the Sangheili's mandibles were capable of frowning, the being probably would have. Letting out a guttural noise somewhere between a snort and a huff, the shipmaster shook his massive head.
"But… if you are a copy… then you are the Honored Arbiter… and yet… you insist that you are not." Having lost his patience with the conundrum, Shipmaster Ryvu slammed his fist down on the side of his command chair. "It matters not! The heretics are numerous and must be purged! We will draw more away from the main fight and bring them to you to be slaughtered. Together we will burn their mongrel hides, hurry and recover your fallen!" With a nod, the Shipmaster ended the transmission, his ships continuing to charge towards the enemy fleet.
Exhaling loudly, Kevin turned to Captain Noin who simply shook her head, clearly as amused as she could be at the moment. He understood her feelings, hundreds if not thousands of their comrades had died in that last engagement. Those that had managed to board the escape pods were being recovered, but they were far from safe. All too soon they would be thrown back into the fight. All too soon they might be scrambling off of another dying ship.
Kevin found himself clutching Kate's cross once again as he watched dozens of enemy ships break off from the main fight to meet the Sangheili charge. Close to fifty enemy ships turned just in time to engage them. As the two groups met and exchanged a torrent of fire he found his grip on Kate's cross tighten. Four enemy ships ceased to exist while three more staggered away from the engagement, having suffered heavy damage. Only two of the Sangheili ships sped away from the engagement, a second of their destroyers was now gone.
It would be now four ships on forty. Luckily, their ships were just barely faster than their enemy.
"Noin… get us the hell out of here…" His words had been unnecessary, she was already frantically calling out orders. The time for fighting was over, it was time to run. If their four ships could tie up ten times their number while the rest of the fleet fought on, that was a victory in itself. As the Leviathan and the Triton slowly turned he hoped that this little victory would be enough to turn the tide.
"Full power to weapons!" The lights had gone out yet again, failing to turn back on for several long tense moments. The momentary darkness was a stark reminder that their power grid was overwhelmed.
"Shields dropping to below forty percent… are… you sure?" Kevin shot the panicked officer a fierce glare, forgetting that its effect would be muted by his mask. Or perhaps not, the man's resolve stiffened as his gaze bore into him.
"Our fleet is in danger, I will not hide behind what remains of our shields while they are slowly torn to pieces, open fire!"
"Aye sir, full power to weapons… all guns at maximum and… firing." The Night Hammer's extensive array of weapons came back to life, reminding the enemy fleet that she was still deadly, and vulnerable. Kevin turned his attention back to his tactical displays just in time to see the signal from the Reaver blink out. Captain Reinhardt… damnit…
"The Reaver's bridge has taken damage! We've lost communications… but… she's still fighting…" Heavily damaged, dozens of decks open to space, the Reaver grimly fought on. Most, if not all of her command crew had certainly perished when her bridge had been destroyed, but the crew refused to yield. The weapons that remained operational continued to fire as the crew fought on.
The situation was bad, but at least his clone had managed to succeed in his maneuver. A significant portion of the enemy fleet was now maneuvering away from the main fight. Roughly forty enemy ships were not his problem anymore. Kevin smiled grimly as the last remaining enemy battleship split in two, the rear section engulfed in a massive explosion. The force from the blast damaged several nearby ships which were quickly targeted by the Night Hammer's vengeful gunners.
His fleet was barely holding on, every ship at this point was taking increasing amounts of damage. The force was filled with screams and desperate cries as countless lives were cut short. This was the end, Treize had betrayed him one final time. The earth's planetary shield should have been operational at this point, the delay had to be deliberate. No… he wouldn't… would he?
An excited shout from one of his officers brought him out of his dark thoughts.
"The shield, the shield is up!" Reacting immediately Kevin felt a surge of relief flood into him, it's about damned time Treize!
"All ships, execute immediate hyperspace jumps, get the hell out of here! I repeat, all ships disengage and retreat!" They had planned for this, once the shield was up every ship would execute an immediate hyperspace jump, the fleet would regroup at Alpha Centuari. Now that the planet's shield was operational, it was safe, but his fleet was not. "All squadrons, scatter! We'll be back for you!" Precious time would be spent waiting for their strike craft to return, however, they would be safe enough once they disengaged from the enemy fleet.
Quickly checking over the grim status of his fleet he breathed a sigh of relief. His fleet was battered and nearly crippled, but all of his ships had working hyperdrive systems, their escape would soon be complete.
"Signal the Leviathan and the Sangheili, signal the retreat, all ships are to fall back!" Natasi's voice was still fierce, but he could sense the mounting tension in her voice. The battle was almost over, just one last effort remained.
"Spool up the hyperdrive and engage once our fleet makes it out, until then we will provide cover, engines at full, put us between our ships and the enemy!" A series of quick acknowledgements reached him as the crew followed their orders. One by one his fleet began to slip away. The enemy fire intensified as they quickly realized that their opponents were escaping. Their efforts were in vain, however, as the Night Hammer's massive hulk slowly began to eclipse the remainder of his fleet.
The Sangheili's remaining two ships made one last pass on their enemies, giving time for the Levaithan and the Triton to escape to the safety of hyperspace. Their attack run complete, they vanished into slipspace. Soon the Night Hammer was all that remained as the last of his ships completed their jumps. Kevin gave the order to retreat, even though it wasn't necessary. The crew was already scrambling to get their ship to safety. Their shields were dropping fast, their enemy was determined to prevent them from escaping, but it was too late.
Suddenly, a series of warnings cascaded onto his displays, something was wrong. As his officers began to frantically call out their reports he felt his heart sink.
"Hyperdrive inoperable! Engines losing power!"
"Weapons going offline, gunnery reports all bow batteries non-functional!"
"Power fluctuations across the ships… we're losing critical systems one after the other!"
"Multiple cyber-attacks detected! Firewalls breached!"
"The enemy fleet has ceased their attacks… our shields are gone!" Natasi was on her feet amidst the chaos, shouting out orders. Kevin didn't have time to listen, he had his own orders to issue.
"All hands, prepare to repel boarders! Combat teams, move to primary defensive positions, we've got incoming!" The enemy transports that had been meant for the invasion of earth had just appeared. Under the cover of the enemy fleet, they were slowly approaching the Night Hammer, there wasn't much time, the enemy would soon be upon them. The earth was safe, for the moment, but the battle was far from over.
Cheers had erupted throughout the room, others reacting more slowly as they figured out what had happened. The shield was now up, the earth was safe, they were safe. The defending fleet slipped away, their task complete. Silence now consumed the room, the celebrations cut short when the Night Hammer failed to retreat. The mighty, seemingly indestructible ship was now slowly being surrounded by the enemy fleet. Hundreds of shuttles and boarding craft were swarming around her, she was about to be boarded.
She wanted to ask far too many questions, but she found herself speechless. A tight knot had formed itself in her throat. Pulling Max closer to her she continued to stare at the holoprojector with a growing sense of helplessness. Some of the junior officers were talking quietly amongst themselves, they were insisting to each other that everything would be alright.
"The grand admiral is going to wreck them, they don't stand a chance." Others encouraged by the words began to speak in more excited tones.
"Hell yeah, I heard once he took on like a hundred dudes by himself, like all at once!"
"That's nothing Ruiz, I heard that he took out a while Imperial garrison, hundreds of soldiers! Best part is, he was a little kid at the time!"
"What about the time he fought and killed… seven? Was it seven? Yeah… seven dark Jedi all at once, like these guys were badass, I mean powerful, and he took them all out… and their soldiers too!"
Slowly, the dread and worry was driven out of the room as the infectiously positive attitudes of the younger officer's spread. Chloe began to feel somewhat hopeful as well, if this grand admiral dude was half as badass as these guys said he was, the crew of the Night Hammer should be fine, right?
"Captain… what do you think?" The room went quiet, the scattered conversations that had sprung up abruptly died. Everyone was seemingly holding their breath, awaiting the veteran soldier's response. The man chewed on his words for a moment, casting a quick glance in Kimberly's direction.
"The fighting is going to be… intense… our boys will have the home-field advantage which should balance out the disparity in numbers… and quite obviously… the Night Hammer is big. Yeah I know… who knew right? But you don't really understand just how damned big that ship is until you're nice and close. You could spend days just walking aboard her and still not have covered half of the damn thing… The enemy won't be familiar with the terrain, will have no idea where to go, our boys are going to have a huge advantage. I bet that they'll funnel those bastards into choke-points, taking away their advantage of numbers. It's going to be one hell of a fight… but I think our boys can hold out… for a while…" The captain let his words trail off, realizing too late that he shouldn't have said anything more.
A grim mood set in around the room, everyone knew exactly what the captain had been referring too. The crew of the Night Hammer would hold, they would fight tooth and nail against their enemy, but for how long? How long until their ammunition ran out? How long until too many of them had fallen? How long until exhaustion gripped their hearts and their will to fight left them? Hours, days?
"Is there any way we can find out what's happening aboard the ship?" Kimberly surprised everyone with her question. All eyes turned towards the young woman, she seemed entirely unconcerned. Her eyes were locked onto Captain Cage's as she patiently awaited his response. The veteran soldier took stock of the young woman for a moment, quickly judging her resolve. She must have passed his inspection because he turned to one of his charges.
"Well? Can you do it Sebastian?" The young man paled when the weight of the room's attention sunk into him.
"What… me?" Clearly not used to the overwhelming amount of attention the young man stiffened, his eyes nervously darting around the room.
"Yes, you. You're the tech expert in the room… can you do it? Patch into their communications or something?" Chloe wondered if the youth had ever been referred to as an expert of anything before but the young man seemed to take courage in his superior's words.
"I'll try sir, if… if the Night Hammer has been…disabled by electronic warfare I might not be able to do anything… but it seems some of her systems are still operational so it might be something else… comms… I can get you comms… I should be able to… I mean, sir." His captain smiled as the youth set to work. Sebastian, with his superior's permission, even began to delegate small tasks to his comrades.
"Good man." As Captain Cage nodded towards Kimberly he received a thankful nod in response. Chloe wished that she could help, she wanted, needed to do something other than watch. But what could she do, she barely understood the what was going on, despite the massive amount of information that she had managed to absorb in such a small amount of time. She needed to help, but what could she do?
If I was aboard the Night Hammer with David I could fight, firing a gun isn't hard… Max would hate it… but I could do it… I could fight… Feeling Max's heavy gaze upon her she turned to face her and immediately regretted her previous thoughts. Somehow, Max had read her mind or guessed her thoughts, she wore a sad, but fierce expression. Words were unnecessary, Max wanted her here, needed her here. Smiling sadly, Chloe drew Max into a tight embrace.
As she clutched her partner to her chest she regarded the surrounded and besieged Night Hammer. Max was right, all that mattered was that they were together. Still, she wished that there was something she could do.
Quiet, half-mumbled words found her ears. Slowly, Max extricated herself from her arms and together they turned towards the source of the sound. Kate seemed to be feverishly praying, her head bowed, her words escaping her lips in short bursts. Her family was hovering around her, a series of concerned expressions painting their faces. Despite their concern, they gave Kate her space as she continued her prayers.
Turning away from the girl, feeling ashamed for trying to listen in, a few words reached her ears. She wasn't sure, but it sounded like Kate said something about a 'last stand,' which made sense. As far as she knew, Kevin wasn't aboard the Night Hammer, or at least not Kate's Kevin. But what if he was? What if he was in for the fight of his life, perhaps that was what worried Kate. Swallowing hard, forcing her shaking hands to steady, she typed in a few commands on her console.
Smiling to herself with pride, she turned back towards Kate.
"Don't worry Kate, Kevin's not on that ship, Commander Boal was aboard the Leviathan when it jumped away, he's safe." However, despite her news Kate's mood failed to improve. Without opening her eyes, she made her response, her voice grave, but firm.
"I know… but he'll be back… he'll get aboard… somehow." Confused, Chloe blurt out a response without thinking.
"Wait… why would he do that?" Kate's eyes flung open and she turned to face her, her eyes suddenly welling with tears.
"Because… 'Far from their land as they made their stand… A disregarded demand… It's surrender or die and the stakes are high… They live or they die, there's no time for goodbye…'" Kate's words trailed off, her voice wavering as she became overwhelmed with grief. Chloe looked at Max who shrugged, failing to grasp the meaning of Kate's cryptic words. I ask the girl a simple question and she quotes a bible verse or some shit…
"Umm… Kate… not all of us know the bible by heart, what did all that mean?" Kate's mother snorted, casting a fierce gaze towards her, but said nothing despite her sudden outburst. Adding further to her mounting confusion, one of the younger officers cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Uh… that's from a song, it's not from the bible…"
"A song, what song?"
"It's uh… by Sabaton…it's-."
"Who?" The young man gave her a reproachful look before collecting himself once again.
"She um, she didn't finish-."
"What? Speak up!"
"She didn't finish the lyric…"
"Well, what's the rest?"
"…Weapon in hand… they made their stand… Still disregarding demand… They would never comply… they would rather die…" For fuck's sake, no wonder she didn't finish… this is grim… who sings about this kind of shit? "…Broke through the blockade, they were finally saved…"
"Well… at least it has a happy ending… right Kate? I still don't understand why you think Kevin will end up aboard that ship but even if he does… according to your song… there's help on the way… right?" Max was squeezing her hand, she was really trying to cheer Kate up, even if she was doing a terrible job at it. She still didn't know what the hell Kate was doing quoting a song like that. Does she really listen to music like that or is it Kevin's fault… it's probably Kevin's fault, five bucks says it is.
Kate nodded, seeming somewhat less upset, but she remained silent. Chloe shook her head as she squeezed Max's hand, returning her earlier gesture. Directing her attention back towards the Night Hammer the lyrics replayed in her head. She had to admit they were rather fitting for the situation, but she doubted that Kevin would return and end up aboard the besieged ship. It just didn't make any sense, and even if it did, he wouldn't be stupid enough to do such a thing, right?
"We can't just sit here and do nothing! We have to go back and help them!" Kevin was now shouting at the older man who stood before him. He had been ordered to report to Vice Admiral Canady who was now in command of what remained of the fleet. The man was slightly overweight, grey haired, and was clearly past the prime of his life. Despite this, his crisp blue eyes were firm with resolve and his voice was hard and commanding.
"We aren't doing nothing! We got damn near torn to pieces back there, our ships need time to refit and repair!" Kevin scoffed at this which was a mistake, the man cleared the distance between them in a heartbeat. Letho Canady's eyes devoured his, the strength and intelligence behind them all too apparent. "You think you're special, don't you? You think that because you look like the grand admiral that I won't tear you down? Listen closely, damn you, you are nothing to me, nothing! I've been leading men into battle since before you were born, since before he was born! I don't take shit from him and I certainly won't take any shit from you! Why the hell do you think I'm in the position that I am?"
The man hadn't shouted at him, Kevin almost wished he had, it would have been less terrifying. Admiral Canady had quickly and effectively torn him to pieces, he was simply speechless. Seeing this the man withdrew a pace and smiled, a monstrously effective smirk that sent a shiver down Kevin's spine. Thankful that this man was on his side, he made a mental note to do what he could to get on his good side, if he had a good side.
Canady returned to the chair behind his desk and cast his formidable gaze upon his monitors while Kevin recovered. They were in the vice admiral's stateroom aboard the Imperial-Class Star Destroyer Conqueror. The damage to the ship was extensive, nearly half of her weapons batteries had been put out of action and several of her decks were still open to space. The rest of the fleet was in a similar state, if not worse off than the Conqueror. Shaking his head Kevin regretted his words from earlier, attacking the enemy fleet at this point was suicide, but they had to help the crew of the Night Hammer, buy them some time somehow.
His face must have changed as an idea formed in the back of his mind because Admiral Canady turned and fixed his powerful gaze upon him once more.
"Well, speak your mind commander, if I'm not mistaken it looks as if you've got something to say that isn't entirely worthless this time." Refusing to be baited, Kevin exhaled slowly and met the man's gaze, doing his best not to shrink before him.
"Sir, what if we were to reinforce the garrison aboard the Night Hammer… land reinforcements to assist them in defending the ship while the fleet recovers?" As ludicrous as the plan sounded, Canady didn't immediately dismiss it. He seemed to chew on the idea for a moment before responding with a question of his own.
"How the hell do you suggest we do that, commander?" A deep voice from his left startled him before he could answer. He had forgotten that there was a third occupant inside Canady's stateroom, Shipmaster Ryvu 'Tusamai had remained silent for a long time, but no longer.
"Our transports are equipped with… cloaking fields. Aid can easily be brought to our embattled allies; my warriors stand ready to aid the Honored Arbiter." Cloaked transports! That's it! We can load them full of soldiers and sneak right by the enemy fleet, it's not much but it's something.
"Forgive me, Shipmaster, but I was speaking to the young commander, I wanted to see if he had the brains to come up with such a plan himself, but yes, I approve, make the preparations. If there's room I would like to send a detachment of our soldiers as well." Shipmaster Ryvu was on his feet in a flash, his voice booming as his toothy mandibles flapped awkwardly around his words.
"Apologies are unnecessary, my warriors will be ready, room will be made, together we shall strike at the heart of the heretics. For the arbiter!" The massive creature had left the room before another word could be said, his steps echoing down the empty corridor as the door slowly slid shit behind him. Admiral Canady mumbled something under his breath as he shook his head, returning his gaze to his monitors.
"Sir, I'm going with them, request permission to-."
"Well of course you bloody are! You're just like him it seems, the damn fool that you are! Very well, permission granted... Report to the main hangar, I'll have a shuttle standing by with a detachment of my best men. You are to leave immediately for the Sangheili cruiser. We're going to need to collect our starfighters that we left behind so the fleet will be jumping back with you… not to fight of course, but that should distract some of the bastards for you..." Feeling a surge of excitement flood though his body, Kevin hastily saluted and turned to leave, only to be shouted back to attention.
"I wasn't finished, damn you!" The man was on his feet once again, but as Kevin turned to face him he detected none of the hostility in the him that he had previously. Canady sighed, nodding his bulbous head acceptingly towards him. "Good luck, commander, and… may the force be with you… and all that bullocks... go, before I change my damned mind!"