Author's note; This chapter will be a little disturbing. I would like to make this warning up front even though I don't know if anyone listens when I put them up or not. But this chapter is going to be very dark and very geared towards making you hate the Covenant, and question how good the Sentient Coalition really is. That's the point, but I'm making this warning before the chapter starts. I actually felt ill writing part of this, but I felt that it needed to be written.

Alright?

On with the chapter.

Chapter 8: Desperate Measures...

Roman Colony World, "Pompei's Foundry",
Industrial Refinery Planet,
May 13th, 2552, 1423 Hours UST,
Under Covenant siege for the past 15 Days

Unit Leader Maricus Tranteis crouched behind the shattered concrete wall of what had been a modest sized refinery that had worked with smelting Coronoan ore into extremely useful Cronidinte. But now, after having been a strong point for the 3,408th Roman Legion. Innumerable strafing runs by Covenant Banshees and Goa'uld Death Gliders had managed to destroy any useful equipment in the factory. The ruined foundry still had it's uses. The towering monolith of ruined concrete, steel and equipment had commanding fields of fire and was perfectly situated to hold up the Covenant ground assault.
The Foundry facility was situated as a peninsula in the Roman line. It was jutting out on a small hill and it was prime real estate. But with this position, it was vulnerable to assault from nearly all angles and supplies only came in from one direction. That made this fortress a fragile position if the Covenant were to actually start thinking. If they planned to attack from any direction but the front, their might be a problem for the defenders.
They'd been dug in and on the defensive since the Covenant Hegemony had landed just over two weeks prior. It had been a bloody two weeks with nearly four chorts, a force of 400 men, being slaughtered in an attempt to hold onto the factory. But they'd managed to hold in the face of an overwhelming number of assaults.
Maricus Tranteis looked over the ruined wall and glanced around at the terrain. The surrounding foundry complex had been flatened by artillery fire and airstrikes, but the rubble was still more than ample enough to hide anything...including enemy armor.
Maricus brought his head back under cover just as the energy round from a Covenant Beam rifle smashed into the concrete next to his head. The veteran Legionare belly crawled away from the section of wall he was hiding behind, his armor scraping on the uneven terrain as he tried to get away from where the sniper had seen him. As he crawled, he heard the single sharp rapport of a Roman sniper rifle made itself clearly known on the battlefield. Even over the din of the battle that was raging across the planet, he heard the wabling cries of a Covenant Jackal in it's death throws.
He smiled grimly, the Covenant might not have snipers worth their salt, but a Roman could do far better than that. Maricus crawled for about 50 feet behind the stone wall before he squeezed through a small hole in a rubble heap and dropped into a ruined stairwell. He nodded to the pair of legionaries crouched with their Julius rifles leveled at him, at this range the 8-round clip of .30 cal rounds each rifle had could cut a man in half. They nodded and crawled up and out of the opening he'd just come through and into the battle that continued to rage.
The ruined stairwell led down into the multidue of lower chambers and passages beneath the foudry. Now they were packed with supplies and equipment for the defenders. As Maricus walked through the chambers, the concrete ceiling seemed to shake with the sounds of explosions just overhead. The Covenant would be making another press foreward soon.
He quickened his pace and arrived at the ad hoc command center for the foundry. He walked in and looked aroudn the cramped room. It's main fixture was an ammo crate with a battered map spread out on it. A few points were marked on it with chunks of rubble and other materials. Hunched over it was the Legion Commander, Spentirus Secandous. His own armor was just as beaten and ragged as Maricus's, the black armored breastplate and pads scraped and scarred from combat, and his terrocata and black tiger stripped fatigues were covered with dirt and grime from the two weeks of field duty. The Legion Commander nodded and glanced back at the map.
"We're supposed to be getting Coalition reinforcements within two weeks." Secandous said. He looked at the radio in the corner of the cramped command center and adjusted the dials on it.
"Supposed to be? It couldn't be too much to ask for a more definte statement from them could it?" Maricus asked with a growl in his voice.
"No." Secandous replied lifting the headset and listening intently.
"We send them our resources, soldiers, and equipment to aid in the war, and when our colonies get invaded all they can say is they're sending reinforcements? Typical arrogant Coalition." Maricus growled.
"Meanwhile, we do what we can. How many men are left to hold the Foundry?" Secandous asked.
"I've got four hundred and thirty two men ready and able. Walking wounded brings that number up to six hundred and two. Beyond that, they can't hold a weapon or move." Maricus said.
"You've held out well for two weeks, we should be getting reinforced in two days." Secandous said.
"With what?"
"9523rd Legion. They'll be comming in to strengthen the line in the city."
"I hope they hurry." Maricus said, saluted, and headed back up towards the surface, taking a different route this time. He detoured and crawled into a vent shaft in the wall. It was large enough for him to crawl through easily. He made his way through the vent system and emerged in a low culvert that had been dug by a crashing Death Glider. The gouge in the concrete had formed a low trench barely three feet deep. Maricus looked back and noted the light machinegun that had been set up in a small bunker that had been built beneath the wing of the fallen death glider. The gunner had a bandaged stump of a left arm, probably an amputation from a staff weapon blast. But he sat there with a grim look on his face and teeth gritted against the pain, manning the machinegun.
"Viva Roma." Maricus said loud enough for the legionare to hear him. He looked over and nodded, teeth clenched tighter at the motion. Maricus crawled down the low gouge of terrain and towards one of the forward strongpoints that had been set up.
When the death-glider had come down it had clipped a support column and brought down a section of wall. It had collapsed into a mound of concrete and steel. The defenders had dug it out and made a formidable fighting position out of it. Maricus crawled up to the position, and dropped into a dug out trench that ran along behind it. Maricus made his way up into the makeshift bunker and leaned against the rubble parapet.
He shared the position with five other soldiers and a heavy machinegun. The little bunker had a good field of fire along what was the most likely route of entry into the shattered foundry. The thick concrete wall had been ripped apart by the deathglider before it had crashed, and had been widened by a barrage of plasma fire from several Wraith tanks. It had been used before by the Covenant in an attempt to take the foundry. Bodies littered the large gash in the wall, a mixture of 'normal' Covenant races and what looked to be humans.
It didn't matter who they were though, since they had been doing their damndest to overrun the foundry, and that couldn't be allowed to happen.
Maricus glanced over the top of the rubble pile bunker and looked at the gash. The haze of the battlefield beyond the foundry walls was thicky. Smoke and dust filled the air, but far in the distance, blue and green flashes were visible in the haze. The Covenant might not have been pushing here, but they were always pushing against Roman lines.
"Are we going to get reinforced sir?"
"Yeah, 9523rd legion is comming up to bolster the defenses. We've got two days to ho-" Maricus said, before he was cut off by a howling cries from all over the perimiter.
"Incoming!" Echoed from all sides as blue plasma shells from Covenant Wraith tanks arched through the air towards the foundry. Along with this artillery barrage, wings of banshees came in low and fast across the ruined urban landscape, covering the foundry in plasma and fuel rod fire.
"Keep down and watch your fields of fire!" Maricus shouted, leaping from the bunker and runing down the small trench line. He need to see where the assault was comming from. But before he could, all around the foundry the clatter of automatic weapons and greneades rose up. It sounded as though every flank of the foundry was being pushed at once. The Covenant had finally decided to start thinking.
Maricus turned and returned to the bunker watching the gash in the wall. The Covenant might be hitting every side at once, but that was the easiest way into the Foundry's interior. He crawled back along the trench and into the rubble bunker just as the first wave of Covenant troops ran through the foundry wall. The crack Roman legionaries raised their rifles and started to blaze away at the approaching wall of Covenant troops. They fired and reloaded without pause, their rounds cutting down the armored humanoids as they charged with singleminded determination into the hole in the wall.

The almighty roar of the heavy machinegun drowned out the smaller cracks of rifle fire as it let a torrent of .50 caliber rounds into the encroaching enemy, but it did little to slow their advance. Enemy troops were knocked down like stalks of wheat before a scythe as they were hit by the big .50 caliber machinegun rounds, but they pressed forward. Their own carbines lashed out with a large volume of fire that an 8 round roman rifle couldn't match.

"Grenades and withdrawl!" Maricus hollered. As one, the firing halted and the legionaries hurled their grenades. Two of them slung their rifles and grabbed the heavy machinegun, the rest of the squad fired continuously as they ran from the small redoubt.

The unit fell back as blue and green enemy fire sitched through the air over their helmets.

They ran over the low culvert that the Death Glider had dug and jumped into a series of shell craters that had been dug by enemy plasma artillery. The two legionaries set the .50 cal back up and started firing again it's loud thrum filling the air once more. Maricus puleld the small radio he had and tuned into the artillery channel. It was overwhelmed with frantic calls for support...the Covenant were pushing all over the Roman lines.

Maricus switched frequencies and hopped into the channel for a battery of 105mm guns that had been tasked specificly for the refinery defense.

"Fire mission at grid..." Maricus looked up over the edge of the crater and out at the encroaching horde of Covenant, "...just hammer available targets at coordinate zebra!" Maricus hollered and dropped the radio. He brought his Julius rifle to his shoulder and started firing. As the Covenant soldiers pressed on into the culvert, the wounded legionaire opened fire with his lighter, .30 caliber machinegun. At close range it was very effective, it looked like a hand was sweeping along the trench knocking down the enemy as it went.

But it just wasn't enough, the Covenant just kept comming, and in a few moments it would be hand to hand...

Every legionaire in the shell hole knew it and they paused for a split second to affix their bayonets. The thick foot long blades with serrated edges were very effective in close combat. The squad resumed firing, desperately trying to thin the ranks of the enemy but it was no use, for every enemy soldier that was killed, it seemed as though two more charged forward.

The light .30 cal fire fell silent and only the heavy thrum of the .50 cal continued on amidst the clatter of .30-06 rounds. With a final roar the wave of Covenant troops stormed up into the shell holes and into the roman legionaires.

It became a bloody melee of spearing and jabbing, bayonet fighting between the romans and the Covenant conscripts with their plasma bayonets. The pair of legionaires kept firing their .50 cal, the rest of the squad fighting to keep them from getting outflanked and killed. But the rest of the squad was getting outflanked themselves. The covenant soldiers were washing over them as though they were a rock in a river, they only paused because they were in the way of the advance.

The screaching of incomming human artillery fire drowned out the sound of combat, then deafened it with the ensuing explosions from the HE rounds. They dropped right on top of the massive wave of Covenant soldiers and blew gaping holes through their line. As one, the conscripts seem to waver in the face of this barrage.

"Withdrawl! Go to ground!" Maricus shouted, the troopers used the small waver in the assault to scatter for the small tunnels and fishers that led to the tunnels and passages below the foundry. Maricus dove across some rubble, scraping his armor badly, but making it through a small hole and into the protective tunnels beneath the foundry.

Maricus grabbed his rifle and started to go as deep into the network as he could.

It would not be long before the major bombardment hit, and flatenned anything on the surface.

Russian colony 'Victrof II',

Agricultural world,

May 14th, 2552, 1500 Hours UST,

Under Covenant Assault for 4 days,

"Covering fire!" Chester Jamenson screamed over the din of gauss and plasma fire. His M21 kicked against his shoulder and sent a stream of explosive needles towards the advancing Covenant forces. He vaguely wondered how he had gone from being a member of the CSA special forces stationed in Alabama, to being a member of one of the few Sentient Coalition Infantry divisions stationed on an alien world.

Around him the rest of the platoon oppened fire with the hellish volume of death that the platoon was capable of lashing out with. Even spread out as they were, they could deliver a potent counter to the wall of Covenant troops and heavy armor that was pushing towards them.

The standard issue infantry weapon of the Sentient Coalition had become the semi-automatic M21 Gauss rifle. With a rate of fire at 100 rounds per second and advanced holo-sights, AI aiming assisstance, and recoil inerters, it was the most technologically advanced and intelligent infantry weapon in the universe that was in full scale production. The standard squad support weapon was the tri-barreled M40 GPGMC/L, or General Purpose Gauss Machine Cannon/Light. With a cyclic rate of nearly 1,000 rounds per second it had been 'downgraded' due to the excessive rate of ammunition that could be burned through. A soldier could burn through his combat load of ammunition in ten seconds of full auto fire.

The heavy hitters of the platoon were the M90 GPGC, General Purpose Gauss Cannon, these eight barreled monstrosities were outfitted with anti-grav units to handle the weight of them, and even then they still were mounted on heavy power armor so the soldier could manage the akward nature of the weapon. The weapon had a firing rate of almost 10,000 rounds a second flat out, but unlike the M40 the M90 was equipped with something 'special'. The M90 had it's own portable replicator unit. The heavy power armor was needed to haul the set up, but the field replicator unit the weapon was attached to meant that the M90 would never run out of ammo so long as it's Elerium/Naquida hybrid power generator was fueled

Spread out through the platoon were an assortment of flamers, grenade launchers and flechette rifles that made up the vast amount of firepower that the unit could dish out. It wasn't good to be on the recieving end of such a massive volume of firepower.

Each squad also had an attached SMCU/FS-10, Sentient Machine Combat Unit -Fire Support, the humanoid bipeadal form was seven feet tall and was the heavy weapons platform of the Squad. It was armed with a pair of electromagnetic grenade launchers on it's back with a ten round selectable magazine. Each arm mounted a M90, with acompanying ammo replicators. Heavy duty Adumantium -Trinium armor and shielding units made them hard to scratch let alone destroy. A 'learning' AI unit was in charge of the unit, one of the most sophisticated combat computer algorithms ever made by the Sentient Machine Empire.

Corporal Jamenson knelt in the low irrigation ditch and fired for all he was worth. The field of grayish wheat that they were firing across had been mowed down from the sheer volume of fire that was being put out. But even in the face of this wave of fire, the Covenant still stormed across the field. They hadn't had any available use of artillery or air support so they were going back on what they had an abundance of, infantry.

Jameson couldn't help but think that he'd killed more Covenant trying to charge across the field. There had been so many that all he could do was aim, fire, aim, fire, over and over again.

"Second squad, Jamenson...come in..." The corporal's helmet comm snarled at him. Nestled within the protective cocoon of the Jager-Panzer armor he wore, the comm came in clear and crisp. The lightweight armor had been designed in a joint venture by X-Com and the Rhienland military it was filled with all the bells and whistles that an infantry soldier could want, protection, intell, and comfort in a combat zone. Not nearly the same caliber as MLJINOR Next-Gen armor, it was still pretty nice.

"Here, sir." Jamenson responded effortlessly as he kept firing.

"This is Lt. Sung, we're getting pulled out for evac. We're being enveloped and have to go. Airsupport in ten sec's and counting." Jamenson heard in a slightly acented voice.

"Yessir." Jamenson said as he aimed the grenade launcher slung beneath his M21 and fired. The plasma grenade arched high over the encroaching Covenant soldiers and discharged, raining fire down on them. Several kept walking, covered in fire, before falling. Jamenson couldn't help but look at them in awe because of their calm and determined assault. He'd seen a line of soldiers walk into a wall of gauss rounds, being cut in half from the sheer volume of the fire before.

"Alright, prepare to withdrawl." Jamenson said over the squad comm, a few grumbles came back. They'd been fighting and falling back for the past four days now, not giving the Covenant a desicive engagement to wipe out the scattered Sentient Coalition forces on the planet. The native russian forces had been wiped out in a single battle, leaving the SC forces to try and bog down the Covenant as long as possible. They were doing their job but they were running hard and fast out of space to manuver away from the enemy. The Covenant kept landing more and more forces, they had enough warm bodies to overwhelm the far fewer in number SC troops.

Jamenson reloaded his M21 as the airsupport swept in over the wall of Covenant forces. AS-42's were an old vehicle that the Human Alliance had stored in abundance, the hybrid troop transport/gunship was reliable and hard to take down. A phased plasma cannon on the nose of the sleek black ship combined with a series of guided missile pods and dumb rocket pods made it a decent enough weapons platform.

Volleys of plasma and high explosives ripped huge gaps through the carpet of Covenant conscripts. It was bloody and brutal, but it was the only way to buy enough time for the troops to withdrawl. The trio of menacing ships swept up and down the line and droped as much ordinance as they could.

"Let's move it people, transports are here and let's get going." Lt. Sung said over the platoon channel.

As one the entire unit rose and fell back to the other AS-42's that were comming to a hover behind their position. The four anti-grav thruster pods around the fusulage made no sound, but ruffled the wheat and plants beneath them violently, the only signs they kicked out any thrust at all. Reflexively, the platoon ducked low as the door gunners opened fire with heavy fusion guns and screamers, giving the platoon enough time to get to the transports without being overrun.

Jamenson looked down at the rapidly dissapearing Covenant and looked at the mission status information inside his helmet, thye were going to the troop ship and then off to another world, this one was gone...

...like how many others?

I edited out this section because I felt that it would be too graphic and disturbing to put on even with the maximum rating on it. I do believe that it is an integral part of this chapter, but I could not add it, although I do not think that the chapter could be complete without having it included.

It is very disturbing and extremely upsetting to anyone that holds any kind of feelings about the Holocaust. This small part draws a stark picture of what the Covenant are and their goals, not just in my eyes, but hinted at in 'The Fall of Reach'.

I'll email this edited section to anyone that requests it when reviewing, but it must specifically be requested due to the images and ideas that I'm writing about.

Sentient Coalition High Command,

Filmar IV, Approx. 22 Miles beneath the planet's surface,

May 18th, 2554, 1300 Hours UST

Vallin Complin sat in his office silently, the only glow being cast coming from the holo map that dominated one wall of the spartan room. No pictures or artwork adorned the walls, there wasn't even any kind of incricate wall coverings, just plain His dark brown grell wood pipe sat in it's small holder on one side of his desk a small tendril of smoke coming from it, the only sign that it had been lit recently. The simple metal desk in front of him was covered in paper reports, datapads, neral chips, and clear plastic data sheets. Complin leaned back with his boots up on the desk corner and looked at the holomap.

It was a sight he did not wish to see. Even when he commanded troops during the Rebellion he had never thought he would see such an un-even array of forces. What had been a weakness and counterattack from an ambush had become a gash torn in the Coalition frontier five galaxies across. Covenant forces were pouring through the hole and engulfing world after world, tearing a conduit of destruction through what were some of the richest areas of the Coalition.

The map was real time, and he could see movement on it. The map represented nearly 6 Trillion lightyears on one side and he could see the Covenant advance in motion across galaxies. It was miniscule and nearly inperceptable, but if you watched in the darkness you could see movement on it.

Complin sighed and sat up in his chair, leaning forward and reaching for one of the lower desk drawers. He deftly hit the release stud and the drawer slid open silently and stopped with the soft chink of glass against glass. He reached in and withdrew a small glass and a bottle whose only insignia was a single black and blue lightning bolt on the container of clear fluid.

The grizzled Cardian officer poured himself a measure of the fluid and turned his chair to the other set of drawers in his desk. As he sipped at the coarse harsh drink his hand dropped to the lowest file drawer and carefully tapped a few points on the drawer in the right series of locations with his fingers. The motions had to be carried out exactly in order with the correct finger tips, otherwise a small plasma charge would destroy the contents of the drawer, and anyone inside the room as well.

The drawer slid open and artificial smoke wafted out, testifying to the fact that the drawer had remained sealed and untouched. Complin reached down through the clouds and withdrew a single chip from the foggy depths of the drawer. It had been hand delivered by courier the day before, traveling nearly a billion lightyears under an armed guard of a Spartan team.

It was a simple data chit, nothing complicated, but it held information on one of the most lethal counterattacks that the Coalition had at it's command.

The data chit slid into the reader on his desk and a hologram came to life in the air. The holo was a jumble of incoherent shapes and forms as the decryption program activated and made sense of the heavily encoded files.

To: General Vallin Himelstoos Complin, Commanding General of the Sentient Coalition ground forces.

From: Doctor General Kaile Militofivic Quilerov, Chief Researcher at Wildfire Bio-Warfare Research Instalation

Re: Bio-Warfare capablilties of the Sentient Coalition

Complin watched as the words disolved and were replaced by a human wearing the sterile white outfit that was synonimous with that of a researcher, complete with the thick glasses, receeding hairline and gray whispy hair. But beneath the white lab coat was the dark green uniform of the US Army, along with the stars of a General. The insignia on his shoulder patches was unusual for a military unit, but not unfamiliar to him.

"Greetings General. I hope this comunique finds you as well as can be expected. Although if reports are accurate the war itself has taken a nasty turn against our forces." Doctor General Quilerov said softly.

"In acordance with the requests from high command I have assembled the following information on our most potent and effective strains of Biological weapons that we have available. I've compiled this short report for you, although much of the data is far too sensitive to be transported. I can give you a basic run down of what...microbes we have available for use." The holo said. The image shifted over slightly, the Doctor was on one side, and a few images appeared on the other.

Complin's forte was ground combat and command, not microbiology. He had very little background on the topic, but he did recognize a virus when he saw one.

"This specimen is known as Ebola, there are three naturally occuring strains of the disease that have been coded Ebola, Ebola Zaire, and Ebola 3. Also, Ebola Motaba and Ebola Brahman are also natural strains from other worlds. The highest lethality of this disease is Ebola Motaba at 100 lethality. It's spread is by direct being to being contact. However, a mutation of this strain, known as Ebola Motaba/Cedar Creek is spread much like the flu and is just as deadly." The holo said as small tags appeared on the virus highlighting different features.

"Next we have Smallpox. Spread through the air and very virulent, but it's lethality is at a lower 45-60. None the less, effective against the very young and elderly with weakened immune systems."

"One of the more exotic microorganisms is this...the Andromeda Strain. It's a spaceborne organism that spreads rapidly through the air and kills via blood cloting in most subjects. It's lethality is at 100 barring...unusual cirumstances."

"Various other org-"

Complin cut the holo short as the door to his office opened. In stepped the form of Kurrs Anjek, his Grand Admiral's uniform looking immaculate in white. Complin did not rise, even though Anjek was the chairman of High Command, technically his boss. Complin remained where he was.

"I see that you recived the communication from Wildefire." Anjek said, his voice calm and even.

"Yes I have." Complin said, his voice also calm, but cold.

"I take it that you don't approve of it." Anjek said.

"No. I take it you requested the information?" Complin replied.

"Yes I did." Anjek said.

"Why?" Complin asked with a cold tone.

Anjek slowly walked up and sat down on one of the simple chairs in front of Complin's desk.

"We're loosing Vallin. If this Covenant invasion continues, we have maybe a month, probably less before they reach Republic space and overrun our shipyards, along with the Asguard colonies. Then they'll be within striking distance of the Human Alliance. And if they fall, our military can't hope to stand." Anjek said.

"What of the Federation? Or the SGC?" Complin asked, already knowing the answer.

"Their forces are few and weak, you know as well as I that the heavy hitters in this war are the Imperial and Republic fleet, along with the Human Alliance and the United Stellar States everyone else is secondary, or ground troops." Anjek said.

"So you want to resort to this?" Complin asked and turned the holo back on, Doctor General Quilerov continuing his descriptions, oblivious to the two members of High Command.

"It's an option."

"Like frell it is." Complin snarled.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?"

"We've both been through the Cardia academy. You and I both know the book on the use of Biolocgical and Chemical weapons. 'Use of said munitions is less than effective against shielded trained forces, optimal dispersal and effectiveness is best achieved against unprepared formations.'. You, me, anyone that's gone through the academy has read that passage and knows exactly what it means...civilians." Complin said.

"I know. Just as the Covenant have eradicated countless others with plasma bombardment." Anjek said.

"This is different Kurrs, and you know it. They aren't all civilians they aren't all Covenant civilians, they're slaves and conquests. They don't want to be under the yoke of the Covenant any more than we would."

"Give me one race that the Covenant have conqured that are worth redemption. The Yevetha? The Yhuuzhan Vong? The Goa'uld? They're just as bad as the Covenant, if not worse. Even if they were freed, do you think that they would go about their existence peacefully? No, they'd eradicate us just the same as any other. Or use these same weapons against us."

"We're soldiers. Have you ever heard of the rules of war? Even we were taught that in the Imperial academy. We can't use these weapons in their best role, we can't use them at all." Complin said.

"It's an edge, we try to fight a stand up war against the Covenant and we're crushed, and then what? We'll be a footnote, that's it."

"What else are we going to use? Sun Crushers? Galaxy Guns? Nova Bomb torpedoes? What next? Will we stop at this abomination against all sentient beings or will we expand out into other realms of destruction? It will be worse than the Clone Wars, worse than the Rebellion, worse than the Vong invasion!" Complin said.

"We'll survive Complin, and at least we'll leave our ancestors to fight the next war, and the next, like the Complins and the Anjeks have always done Counsin. I'm giving you a direct order that we'll be using these weapons, we need to break the back of the Covenant invasion. We need time to make a counter attack and prepare for the next step."

"And what's the next step?"

"Victory or death."

Complin frowned as Anjek stood and walked out of the room. He lifted his glass and drained it before hitting the small comm unit on his desk.

"Yessir?" The comm chirped.

"I want on the next available stargate run to the Wildfire facility. As soon as possible." Complin snarled.

"Immedeately sir!"

Complin cut the comm and leaned back in his chair.

If he was to be the destroyer of the honor of the Coalition's military, he should at least know what he was using.

Earth 342323-000953

Wildfire Research Faciltiy, Nevada Desert,

May 18th, 2554, 1500 Hours, UST

Complin found his trip surreal and even slighty funny. In a trip from one galaxy to another, the longest part of the journey wasn't crossing the vast stellar distances, or the flight on an extreemely primitive aircraft...

No...it was the drive up to the facility in a four wheeled, internal combustion engine powered ground vehicle. Such savages...

Complin stared out through the dust caked window across the seemingly limitless desert that stretched as far as the eye could see. Of course, Wildfire was in an isolated location on this earth, origionally designed to research diseases and bacteria that were brought from a very primitive series of experiments into the possiblilty of life forms in the upper reaches of the Earth's atmosphere.

But now, the facility had been redesigned using technology from across the Coalition and it had been made into the most advanced research facility in Coalition space. Filled with the greatest minds available, it was the best that there was.

Although it was frell'in hard to get to.

"Almost there General." The driver of the groundcar said. He didn't have any insignia or identifying markings but he identified himself as a captain when he picked Complin up at the small asphalt landing strip. The car jostled over a pair of ruts in the road and complin's teeth cracked together. He was an infantry man, but he couldn't fathom what it would be like to wage a war with this type of primitive technology. Athough the outfit that he had been given was supposedly 'native' and inconspicuous...he had to wonder what 'tie-dye' was, or this strange fabric known as 'polyester'.

The car came around a low hill that had dominated the horizion for nearly an hour before hand, in the dwindling light, he could make out the ocasional form running through the dark brush and sand. He couldn't make out the shapes clearly, but he couldn't help but feel that if he left the groundcar, something...unfortunate would occur...

The car mwound around the hill and exposed what looked like a weather-beaten building surrounded by crops and farm equipment. It did not look like a top secret biological weapons research facility. More like a farm.

"It looks like a frell'in farmstead." Complin said.

"That's the general idea sir." The driver replied.

The ground car bumped along down the path and to the facility. Harsh lights cast errie shadows in the grwoing darkness as the car drove through a simple gate in the chainlink fence. Nothing seemed to be too heavily guarded at this facility.

The car rolled up to the base of the wodden farm house and Complin got out, more than happy to be out of the primitive device. He looked around, trying to catch the slightest sign that there were guards, or something there watching the facility, he couldn't detect any.

"This way sir." The captain said and gestured up the stairs. Complin nodded and walked up. The Captain reached the door and opened it, stepping through and into a small office.

The facade of a hidden facility evaporated in the face of a fully armed and armored Spartan team standing in the entrance office. Their SM-1's were raised and amied directly at Complins head. Even if they were Spartans, and more than capable of recognizing the Commanding General of the Sentient Coalition Army, they didn't go lax in their protocol.

"Name, rank and purpose of visit." One of the Spartans said, her words hard and rapid. If they were nervous, it wasn't visible.

"Vallin Himelstoos Complin, Sector General- CurrentlyCommanding Sentient Coalition Ground Forces. I'm here to examine the facilities current programs." Complin said clearly and calmly, knowing that if he so much as slurred a consonant he would cease to be in very short order.

"Confirmed sir." The female Spartan said. As one the four trooper team lowered their SM-1's and saluted in unison.

"I'm glad to hear it." Complin said and returned the salue.

"This way sir." The Captain said and led the way past the four monolithic forms of the Spartans. Complin nodded to them as he pasted. Like good Super-warriors they didn't move. The captain led the way down the hall and into a small closet filled with gardening tools. The captain stepped in, followed by Complin. The door closed and the room was enveloped in darkness.

With a click, Complin felt movement, and the floor began to descend. It was a short trip, but Complin had the sense that he was moving very fast. But as soon as the drop began, it ended, and Complin was looking at an empty room.

"Just step in sir, and they'll take it from here." The Captain said. Complin nodded and stepped into the room. Silently, the closet ascended and the room was once again empty. The only light cast into the room came from a central lamp, recessed into the ceiling. Complin looked around but couldn't see any type of amperature that eluded to a door or portal.

But even before Complin could make a full circut of the room he felt a slight tingling sensation running across his body for a split second before all the light in the room seemed to amplify rapidly, until his vision was completely white. The blazing white that filled his vision subsided quickly, and the blank room changed into a very elaborate and high tech transporter room.

Once again Complin was face to face with the barrels of weapons once more. No less than 20 M21 Gauss rifles were leveled at him. Complin felt the stares from the soldiers, even from behind their tinted faceplates and black combat armor.

"Step forward off the transporter pad." One of the soldiers said. Complin stepped forward, and just as smoothly, the soldiers moved and encircled him.

"Place your hands on the podium." Another ordered. Complin walked to a small waist high podium and placed both his hands on it, palms down and fingers spread out. With a small flash on the podium's glass top, the soldiers lowered their weapons and saluted, not as mechanically as the Spartans, but with military precision none the less.

"Welcome to Wildfire, General." One said and stepped forward, the chest plate of his armor had a Captain's bars painted onto it. His M21 was held across his chest by a tactical sling, but his hand did not leave the rear grip.

"I can't say it's good to be here Captain, I've come to examine the weapons under development at this facility." Complin said. The captain nodded.

"Follow me sir, I'll take you to the General's office." He said, and led the way out of the room. His boot steps were muffled by carpet as they stepped out of the transporter room, but before they did, Complin heard the foot falls of four soldiers, he was recieving a formidable escort through the facility, even if he was the highest ranking soldier in Coalition space.

The passages of the Wildfire facility resembled those of a Federation starship, beige and gray, no colors beyond those of the small light bars that ran down the walls at roughly chest height. Right now they were a dark blue, reflecting the night on the surface aparently. The passages had various signs that seemed either simple - such as 'Cafateria' or 'Trooper Barracks'- or unfamiliar -'Quantum resonance Imaging Chamber' and 'Genome Enzyme Synthesis Control'.

Complin was suprised that he saw so many people up and about despite the late hour. He passed various species of alien as he was escorted through the passages, Humans, Asguard, Psilon, and others he was completely unfamiliar with. While most of the aliens either wore unfamiliar clothing or none at all, the Humans all wore the steryotypical white lab coat with patches to show their perspective 'cultures'. Complin noted the Federation, Human Alliance, United Stellar States, New Republic, Empire, X-Com, SGC, Tollan, and Tok'ra as being the most prominent. Along with some more suprising insigna from everything from the Australian Empire, to the Peoples Republic of Brazil.

A few saluted as he passed, but most did not, Complin wasn't suprised. Most of the best and brightest researchers in the Coalition weren't in the employ of the Military, they were civilians that were 'forceably volunteered' in other words, drafted into service for the duration of the war.

The New Republic General was taken past a floor to ceiling section of wall, and paused.

"Main research floor sir." The Captain supplied. Complin looked out at the massive expanse. It was easily a half a mile long. Glowing energy fields and transperisteel labs filled the interior of the huge chamber. Dozens of sprawling labs filled the floor below him, hundreds of beings working diligently on refining and perfecting the various deadly microbes available to the Coalition.

"This is the general isolation area, it's more of the 'Pure Research' area, to keep the scientists happy. They're given free reign down there to research whatever they want to that's related to the biological and Genetics fields. Keeps them from getting restless." The Captain said. It was then that Complin noted the black armored forms that wandered through the huge cavern, both alone and in squads. And he noted the small remotes and droids that hovered high above, no doubt watching everything that went on with intrest.

"So this isn't the death factory?" Complin said with disdain.

"The Bioweapons research labs are deeper down and much more extensive." The Captain replied, Complin didn't see the scowl that his comment had caused, but he felt it.

Complin made one last glance over the chamber and nodded to the Captain, he resumed his position as guide. There were no other viewports looking out onto massive chambers filled with scientists, rather, there was the occasional view of endless expanses of desert, or exotic worlds.

"Helps keep things somewhat normal around here, if you're going to work underground without any kind of acess to the surface, it helps to think there is a view." The Captain explained. Complin nodded in response.

But Complin noticed something else about the facility, the guards along the hallways. They stood stiff and motionless with their hands on their weapons, but no doubt their eyes tracked him as he moved by.

Complin couldn't help but find this...unsettling. The Captain led them through another checkpoint, this one watched over by ten soldiers, two of which watched him through the gun sights of M90's, the rest behind small. But they moved through without even a cursory ID check.

"Nothing this far in Captain?" Complin said as they walked through the checkpoint.

"If you're this far in sir, then you're supposed to be here." The Captain said. Complin nodded. A few more turns in the dull passages and they were outside the hatch marked 'Doctor General Kaile Militofivic Quilerov'

Complin walked right up to the door and through it as it slid open. The interior of the office was much like the halls, beige carpets and gray walls. No windows or artwork on the walls, but they were instead covered with hard data printouts. Pieces of paper covered in incomprehensible data and diagrams that Complin couldn't even begin to understand. Stacks of paper and hard copy printouts sat in tidy little stacks on chairs, table tops, even the floor as covered. None of it was messy though, it was all extremely neat and ordered, it didn't give the impression of being a mess, just a vast quantity of information held in one place.

"General. I'm surpised that you've come to this facility." Quilerov said with some small hint of suprise. He sat behind his desk, also covered in papers, and obscured slightly by a three dimensional holo of what looked like a DNA strand.

"Don't be General. I'm here to examine your...projects." Complin said.

"You can go captain..." Doctor General Quilerov said to the black armored guard. He saluted and left with his men. "...and General, would you care for a tour of our facility?"

"While we walk General, I want to see the weapons. Now." Complin said, more an order than a gentel encouragement.

"Yes sir." Quilerov said. He motioned out into the hall and they began to walk.

"This entire facility was rebuilt and redesigned in a year after the founding of the Coalition. The origional base still exists, but mainly as a decoy in case of Covenant attack. It was five levels deep, and the containment and production facilites were woefully primitive. In this facility we've incorporated the most advanced equipment and technology in the Coalition. Everything was mined using Tok'ra crystals and created with Federation replicators, no massive amounts of material moved in or out. Much simpler and more secretive that way, with the added benifit of secrecy." Quilerov said stepping into a turbolift. Complin followed. The Doctor General hit the touch pannel and the lift began to descend.

"We're completely isolated from the outside world, not so much as a crack will penetrate from this facility to the surface, since we're nearly two miles buried in solid granite. Also, we've made key reinforcements around the facility, durasteel, neo-titanium, and other metals form a sealed box around the base. Nothing can escape. We used transporters to move anyone in or out of the base, it's much safer. We've got a completely self sufficient system available here, replicators provide all we need, aside from subjects and cultures, but other than that we're independent of the rest of the planet. If the Covenant Glass this place, we'll keep functioning without stoping."

"It's ten levels. The top seven are general equipment and laboratories, third from the bottom is the nano-weapons lab, and the bottom two are devoted to weapons researach. One is biological weapons, the other is Bio-weapons." Quilerov said.

"What's the difference?" Complin asked.

"Biological weapons are viruses, bacteria, other mono-celled or simple organisims that are capable of being made into weapons. Bio-weapons are complexe beings engineered to be weapons, either small like insects or bugs, or as large as you and I."

The turbolift halted and they stepped out onto the lowest level. Emblazoned on the wall opposite the turbolift was a massive biohazard symbol, with the words: Level 10, Bio-weapons development and Multiple testing level.

"This is where the demonstration chambers are." Quilerov said. Quilerov led the way down the corridors and through the maze like areas. But instead of the completely barren passages, they walked through a transperisteel encased catwalk, risen over a large lab floor. But it wasn't entirely a lab floor...

Some parts seemed to be more like a slaughterhouse, or some demonic operating theater. There were creatures being...worked upon...beneath him that made him question the existence of any kind of higher being that could allow such affronts to nature and god exist.

Creatures that ran the gamunt from humanoid with massive claws, to strange reptilian creatures, and even formless masses of flesh and bone. Blood seemed to coat the floor, and the blue isolation suits the doctors and technicians wore. Red, green, blue, orange, black, every imaginable color was smeared across the formerly sterile stainless-durasteel. Off hand, Complin counted that there were nearly fifty operating tables on the floor, each filled with a creature that Complin couldn't identify.

Complin also saw the guards.

Many more than the upper levels, and each wearing a full scale powered armor suit with the now standard dual M90 weapons load out. There was an immense amount of firepower available in that room. And along with them, Complin saw that there were turrets in the ceiling, and more guards walking on catwalks with M21's, and MS21's, the Sniper rifle variant. Suddenly all the security that he'd passed through on the way in made sense, it wasn't just to keep people out...

It was to keep them in incase the unforseen happened.

"My...god..." Complin said. His face had tuend white, his jaw set.

"The Bio-weapons production lab. Quite exsquisite aren't they?" A voice said. Complin looked around and saw a rather plain looking man walking up to him. The man wore a lab coat just like so many others, but without any kind of military insignia...the only identifier he had was a small circle, cut off into small slices of alternating red and white.

"Ah, General Complin, this is Dr. Birkin, one of the lead biological weapons researchers. One of his more interesting creations is in use down there, a virus in use to augment strength and deaden pain responses, what was it Dr?."

"My precious G Virus, much more dangerous than the T or T-Veronica strains..." Birkin said looking down into the chamber. His voice had trailed off, as though he felt his words wasted on speaking to the two Generals.

"Dr. Birkin is from the Umbrella Corporation, a rather...diverse pharmaceutical corporation."

"Yes...We've made great medical and...militant advaces in the name of science."

Complin looked up at the doctor and then back down into the chamber. He couldn't help but feel two conflicting emotions, disgust and resignation. Disgust that such a place existed, that such research was going on, disgust that it was being carried out by the Coalition...

But resignation, resignation to the fact that it was a nessicary evil, no matter how reprehensible it was...it had to be done.

"This way please general, I'd like to demonstrate our weapons to your first hand." Quilerov said, Complin followed, along with Birkin, who seemed to follow them with a slightly detached attitude. Complin didn't think much of it, he'd run into much less sociable researchers, but this attitude was nothing new to him. Those that made the weapons rarely seemed interested in the input from those that had to use the weapons.

A few more turns and they passed though another checkpoint, the troopers there armed with M21's and flamethrowers. Doctor General Quilerov and Complin nodded as they passed through, Birkin didn't even blink.

"The main production facilities for the weapons are based on each level, but we have the testing labs here so that we could isolate the area sufficiently. It would be rather unfortunate if something escaped." Quilerov said, and Complin wondered if he was talking about a microbe, a bio-weapon...or a researcher. They passed through with as much ease as the other checkpoints and were in another of the seemingly numerous transperisteel passages, this one however did not look out into a large chamber, rather it looked into smaller rooms and cells.

"Our first stop General is the most lethal bio-weapon we have that is naturally occuring. Ebola Motaba." Quilerov said and they paused in front of a smaller booth that held the remains of a pair of Covenant Elites. Complin looked at the interior of the chamber and at first wondered if a bomb had gone off inside each of them. Their blood covered the walls, floor and ceiling of the room as though it had been put their by a spray unit. Each of them was covered in leisions and welts that blood had poured out of. Blood looked like it had come out of every oriface and opening in the dead alien's bodies...

"Deadly." Complin said softly.

"Yes, 100 mortality rate among the infected. Airborne transmission among a mutation strain, and an incubation period of apporximately 1-2 days among most Covenant races. Given what we know about Covenant medical and biological technology, it is highly unlikely they could adequetly contain any kind of outbreak beyond draconian isolation measures." Quilerov said.

"I see. So what would be the most common methods used to counter an outbreak?" Complin said.

"Isolation by force. People don't want to stay around an outbreak of a deadly disease, even if they're already sick. Martial law and complete isolation are the only possible means to keep a population from spreading the disease." Quilerov said. Complin nodded, fully aware of the nesessity of such actions.

"This next weapon is one of Dr. Birkin's more...interesting creations. The T-Virus." Quilerov said and they stood before another chamber. This one had a single Yevetha in it, the alien was standing and shambling around the small chamber.

But one of it's arms was missing completely he merely had a ragged stump at the shoulder, and there were other places on it's body that looked as though they had rotted out and decayed. It's eyes were empty and expressionless, it's face was blank. The only noise it made was a dull rasping moan as it shambled around the chamber.

"It is unique in the fact that it reanimates dead tissue, an unforseen side effect from it's intended use, it was origionally a precursor to the G-Virus, designed for use in Bio-Weapons as a means to increase strenght, resilience and agression. But the base strain had unforseen reactions to living tissue. It burns out sections of the brain, destroying all higher logic functions, and it reduces the being to a mindless...zombie." Quilerov said.

"Primitive but effective none the less." Birkin said.

Complin looked at te two and only nodded. The deeper that he went into this hall of horrors the more unsettled he became. These weren't weapons that soldiers could fathom using...they were tools of planetary murder.

"Next we have the Andromeda Strain. Very quick killer in most cases, it clots the entire blood volume of the victim. Quick, effective, and airborne. It's a very tidy way to eliminate a large population, we've even modified it to become inert after initial dispersal, making it capable for troops to immedeately take the location." Quilerov said. The Jaffa in the next room was simply lying on the floor, nothing looked as though the warrioir was dead, he was lying there, motionless.

"Much cleaner a killer than any other microbe." Birkin added.

"Those are the primary microbes taht we've settled on, for lethality and ease of transmission." Quilerov said.

"I see." Complin replied, looking down the hall, there were many other test chambers...no doubt filled with other enemy soldiers that had met gruesome ends. It was no way for a soldier to die...for any soldier to die.

"We do have facilities to prod-" Quilerov said.

"You've been given approval for full scale production?" Complin asked.

"Yes, three months ago. We've produced nearly four thousand tons of liquid suspension Ebola, the Motaba strain with airborne transmission. Two thousand tons of liquid suspension T-Virus, and three thousand tons of powdered Andromeda. Also we're one thousand tons into primary production of the G-Virus in a liquid suspension. Five thousand tons of powedered Anthrax, one thousand five hundred tons of powdered Smallpox, a thousand tons of powdered Maurburg, and we just began production of five thousand Tyrant units and two thousand Nemesis units. We've also produced fifty thousand Hunter Beta units, and an additional seventy five thousand 'Licker' units. We've produced lesser amounts of other microbes, but these are all ready to be deployed on Human Alliance long range bombers, and drop tubes on Coalition starships. Also, Bio-Weapons production is about to be stepped up, but for the moment we're limited. The units we have produced are ready to be deployed in combat operations." Quilerov said.

"Antidotes? Countermeasures?"

"Pan-immunity innoculations that are standard for our ground forces will protect against all these microbes. Blood-Cops, and other nano-tech immunity boosters can handle an infection. However, in most of our cultures, such advancements are unknown, much less in common usage. We've synthesized vaccines for each of these and have been placing them in mass poduction on other worlds. In the past three weeks we've produced enough to give total protection to approximately seventy billion people."

"But the total population of the Coalition is estimated at nearly seven hundred trillion and growing with every people and galaxy we join with."

"Unfortunate General. Very unfortunate." Birkin said.

Complin drew a ragged breath and steeled himself.

"Prepare to begin moving stocks to forward marshaling points to be utilized in the defense of Coalition space." Complin said. With those words, he felt as though he had become a greater mass murder than Palpitine or Tarkin.

He probably had.

Sentient Coalition High Command,

Filmar IV, Approx. 22 Miles beneath the planet's surface,

May 18th, 2554, 2100 Hours UST

The trip back to Filmar IV had been as rapid as the trip to Wildfire. That was something that General Complin never got used to. The wonders of the Coalition and the Forerunner Alliance were never ceasing. A trip that would have taken millenia for a normal hyperdrive to complete took less than a minute when traveling by Stargate.

But right now, coming from that devils laboratory back to the table of the Joint Chiefs of the Coalition was a trip that seemed to have taken eons, the weight of what was about to be done terrified even a hardened veteran like Complin. He couldn't help but feel as though he had aged considerably on that journey.

They sat there again, something that the complete joint chiefs hadn't done for some time. They'd been torn apart and fragmented trying to defend against the Covenant advance. But right now they had been drawn together for what would be a defineing moment in Coalition military thinking.

For a few in the room, they felt it would be their first steps toward the Dark Side.

For others, sealing their fate in hell.

For one, it was a simple mathematical equation.

The mirrored grell-wood table was completely clear, it's shine reflecting the hologram that was hovering in the air above it.

Covenant forces ground forward with the speed and weight of an avilanche, nothing could slow it, and even on a hologram that represented such an epic area...you could see the movement. It was more pronounced now than it had been a few hours before. The fact that the advance had swallowed an entire galaxy in just over two weeks. The strategic situation was not looking good, wheither it had been planned or not, the main thrust of the Covenant was sending the entire Coaltion military for a loop. All across the front lines, the Covenant were advancing, taking planets and systems despite tenacious fighting.

Raiders were hitting deep behind the front lines and dirsupting any chance of either reinforcement or withdrawl. The front was turning into battles of annihilation, either by purpose or accident, the Covenant were eradicating the unified front line units that boasted the best technology in the Coalition. Resistance was beginning to collapse.

Grand Admiral Anjek stood and looked at the hologram. He raised his cane and jabed it at the center of the glowing image.

"Gentelbeings...As you know, we're losing." Anjek said. A few nods came from the table. "Right now, we have been given political authroization for the use of weapons of mass destruction."

"Weapons of mass murder Grand Admiral." General Vitrans said, his antenae twitched slightly.

"I agree, while those that fight against the Republic and the Coalition deserve to burn in the fires of hell for their sins, such indescriminate murder is an affront to God." General Calarathi said, his tail flicked around tensely, the anger in his voice clear.

"We cannot win with this course of action, we're being wiped out. We need to send the Covenant a message that we have weapons that are worse than theirs." Spartan -9421 said from within his MLJINOR NextGen armor.

"If we use these weapons we'll invite them to do the same." General Complin said.

"You know that we have absolutely no intelligence that suggest the Covenant have even the most rudementary ability to research biological agents. Let alone the ability to mass produce them and to disseminate them on a large scale." X-J2423-FP said.

"But we don't even know how large the Covenant's territory is." Vitrans countered.

"Not relevant." X-J2423-FP said dissmissively.

"We know full well that the Goa'uld have the ability to produce an extremely lethal host of biological and chemical agents, and have proven they have the force of will to use them." Vitrans said.

"All the more reason to use our own first, fast and in large amounts. The psychological edge involved in using these weapons first." Anjek said.

"If the Goa'uld have these weapons, why haven't they used them yet?" Complin asked.

"The Covenant have used their subject races as slaves, not as allies. They're cannon fodder, not valued allies and partners. They take their orders and that's it." Anjek said.

"But the fact remains that we haven't had provocation t-" Calarathi said. Anjek cut the large Trianii off, fast.

"We do have provocation, and the political desicion has been made to regard our use of these weapons as a valid first strike weapon. We have the authroity and we're make that desicion tonight." Anjek said quickly.

"That's easy for you to say human!" Calarathi snarled, literaly... "you weren't infected with Kyritos! You never saw the hospitals filled with the sick, waiting for bacta, waiting for help...while they died, horribly. These weapons are horrific devices and no one should ever use them. Ever." Calarathi said.

"The fact is, the Covenant have used their own versions of these weapons before, and they are more than willing to use their own versions again. But right now we are facing eradication, and we can't afford to ignore that fact, ever. Numerically, we are out classed, and we're running out of time. We need to use a weapon that we can garantee a notable response from the Covenant with. A weapon that we can use and make sure that they know we used it. That is the only way to slow their advance and bring them to the barganing table." X-J2423-FP said.

It was commonly accepted that the Coalition didn't have a chance at beating the Covenant if it took the high route, but the route to victory was not one that many in the Coalition wanted to tread because it was filled with acts that rivaled those of the Covenant.

The Coalition's only option was to do something so substatial that the only thing the Covenant could do was come to a peace accord. But defeating the Covenant was not an option, the Coalition did not posess the type of force to overwhelm the Covenant and take them down. Peace was the only option, peace through strength.

"I'm calling a vote on the table. Majority wins, and then we decide the next corse of action." Anjek said. The others looked at him, suprised. Anjek gave them no reply, instead he simply shook his head.

"I say no." Calarathi said firmly.
"I agree, we can't use these weapons." Vitrans added.

"We have no other likely course of action, it is either use them, or lose the war." X-J2423-FP said.

"As much as I destest this concept, the cold hard facts are we cannot maintain a conventional war with the Covenant, we need to increase our force utilized, and this is the only valid option." Spartan -9421 said.

"I of course support the use of these weapons as the only valid option. I must make it clear, I hate the thought of wholesale slaughter, but this is our only choice." Anjek said.

All eyes at the table looked to Complin. With one vote he could tie the desicion, drag out the debate longer, and possibly take the Coalition away from this horrific corse of action. He sat silent for several long seconds before raising his head.

"We must...use these weapons." He said.

"What! You're a soldier of the Republic!" Calarathi shouted with a growl.

"You have managed to doom millions, if not billions of civilians to death!" Vitrans shouted.

"And how many of our civilians will die if we don't? How many soldiers will die if we don't? You seem to forget that simple fact, don't become so focused on the rights of the enemy and the rules of war to forget the rights of our own civilians, and the fact that the Covenant ignored the rules of war since the first minute of this conflict!" Complin said, his voice raising in tone until he was screaming at the others in the room.

"General, maintain some sense of composure..." X-J2423-FP said.

"No, when this moment is looked back on by future generations, when I am seen as a murderer for the desicion I just made, then let them also know, that if I had it in my power to spare every Covenant civilian the horrors of war...I would. If I could make this war leave their innocence alone, if I could pass them by, I would. But the Covenant have seen fit to make sure that our own civilians have not even been spared from death, let alone violation of their liberties. And for that, I cast this vote not out of vengance or spirit of malice...I do it to spare innocent men women and children somewhere from facing the horrors of war!" Complin shouted.

"I'm doing this to protect others, but I know damn well that this desicion will leave the blood of billions, if not trillions on my hands. And I accept that." Complin said finally.

The room was silent, the others merely stared down at the table top, lost in their own thoughts. Complin stood and walked out, past Anjek and into the halls.

"Complin." Anjek said.

Slowly, the Republic General paused and looked at the Grand Admiral.

"Were you following orders, or was that your own thoughts?" Anjek asked bluntly.

"With all due respect, sir, to hell with your orders." Complin snarled and kept walking.

Sentient Coalition Deep-Strike Bomber Detachment,

High Orbit over Hirearch's Shining Prases, Covenant Planet,

May 20th, 2554, 0900, 2554, UST

Approximate population; 23 Billion sentient beings.

"All crews report ready." Wing commander Eldrige Hatch asked across the comm. This close to a Covenant world, the crews were edgy, very edgy. If they were detected, they were dead. Covenant picket and patrol ships were coming close enough to touch, but all the bombers were completely concealed by their temporal cloaks. Nothing detected them, or their shielded micro-pulse transmissions.

"Bangman -1 all systems go, weapons green."

"Bangman -2, all go, all green."

"Banggirl -3, all G."

"Bangman -4, all go, all weapons green."

"Bangman -5, good and green.

"Banggirl -6, all systems go and green."

"Bangbeing -7, all G."

"Bangman lead, all are go." Hatch said finaly.

The detachment was sitting around the planet, spaced out perfectly and formed up for maximum dispersal of their ordinance. It had been harrowing, and sneaking this far into Covenant space was no small feat, especially considering the current state of the war. Temporal cloaking had kept them safe and hidden, nobody even suspected they were there. But they'd get the idea that something was up soon enough.

Normally, the Deep-Strike bombers would hit fleet assembles, stations and fortified locations deep behind enemy lines, or planets like this. But their weapons were normally conventional, or limited yeild weapons. This was the first time that they had been used for a terror bombing or biological weapons.

The bombs had been loaded two days prior, and they were told that they were carrying some of the most advanced ordinance in the Coalition, but after they'd been told what their mission was...things had gotten messy.

Two pilots had outright refused to go, and threatened to tell whatever news outlet they could find about the plan. They had been arrested quickly. The other four had simply refused, they hadn't been arrested, but they had been taken off flight status and re-assigned to infantry units.

After that, the units had been shuffled, and a volunteer team was set up, without weapons officers. Those were replaced with agents from the 'Sentient Coalition Peacekeeping Forces', as they identified themselves. Which was why the man sitting in the weapons officer seat behind him had a sidearm, and enough knowledge on how to launch the warheads, and that was it.

Hatch had no intent of disobeying his orders now, but the thought had cropped up when he had been issued them.

The small element of eight ships carried in total, one ton of liquid agent Ebola, one ton of liquid agent T-Virus, and less than one half a ton of dry agent G-Virus. That was enough - if properly distrubuted mind you - to muder three hundred billion beings. And with the warheads, it was garanteed for maximum dispersal over the populace.

Specially designed warheads, with sprayers, internal cloaking, propulsion, sensors and AI units, were capable of dispersing the correct amounts of microbe to maximize infection rates, dispersal, and cut down on the possiblity of natural immunity, or recovery.

Hatch felt sick, but he had his orders, and a faceless, monolith of a man behind him willing to kill him and do it anyway.

"Launch warheads and return to base on my mark." Hatch said, his hand flicking a toggle and resting his finger on the firing stud. Almost softly, a voice in the back of his head pleaded with him not to fire...but he had a job to do.

"Fire." Hatch said.

He couldn't see the weapons, or the rest of his unit, but he knew they were there. Along with other units like his, dozens, enough to kill another dozen worlds. It was sick in it's simplicity, even for all the lives that were going to die in the next few days, even for all that was going to occur, it wasn't a desicive stroke...

It was only a message.

A message that would have billions of signatures on it...signatures of the dead.

"All units, RTB, I say again, return to base. Our mission is done. And my god have mercy on our souls for completing it."

Current Casuilty totals as of;

June 1, 2554

Coalition;

Military Personnel KIA 83,996,443,223

Military Personnel WIA 192,003,023,132

Civilians KIA 123,543,221,332

Civilians WIA 0

Starships Destroyed in action 23,004

Worlds Lost 2,394

Covenant;

Military Personel KIA 304,447,987,379

Military Personel WIA 95,127,999,457

Civilians KIA 91,731,942,123

Civilans WIA 0

Starships Destroyed in action 32,032

Worlds Lost 34

And chappie.

I do appologise for the time this one took. Lotta things happened to me that made life suck for a while, plus I got banned from twice and that killed my creativity for a little.

But I'm back and I hope you all like the chapter.

The next one will come sooner,

Chapter 9: Back to the Wall