The Next Great Journey
A/N: And I'm back with a new chapter. Thanks again to everyone who clicked favorite or follow and also to the ones that took the time to post a review.
IMPORTANT NOTICE #1: I want to thank Lord Izanagi for Beta read the chapter for all my grammatical errors, Thank you very much.
IMPORTANT NOTICE#2: I changed the format of the Codex of the story, I think that it will be easier to read and understand it in this new version. So if you want to check it out go ahead. :P It has been updated to current events in the story.
Now onto the chapter.
"Speaking"
'Thoughts'
[Radio Communications, Ground forces-Ground forces, and Ship-Ship]
{Ground to Ship Communications}
Flash back of previous chapter(s)
Flash Back
'Messages on Screen'
Sound Effects
Line Break just shows a change of scenery.
Disclaimer: I don't own Halo or Mass Effect, both belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 10: Phoenix's Defense, Part II
Buck looked outside only to see a wasted land down below. Smoke came from what he presumed were cities, Loyalist ships could be seen in the skies, bombarding the ground below them or in some cases using the energy projectors. Fighters were also present in the skies, fighting viciously between them. If he didn't know any better he would have thought that the dogfight in the skies was a free for all.
While he noticed the fight outside, he failed to see the incoming banshee. The pod kept descending, unbeknown to the banshee accelerating below. Normally the possibilities of hitting another object in the sky while descending were almost none, but today wasn't Buck's normal day.
The pod descended at high speeds crashing in the process with part of the banshee. As expected the banshee exploded because of the collision, while the pod went off course, spinning in multiple directions. Buck felt like throwing up at that moment, but he managed to hold it off in order to try and control the pod. He looked outside and saw as one of the building approached furiously, he took hold inside the pod before it made impact. Entering and exiting the building the pod crashed again in other building before implanting itself in another one.
The last thing that Buck saw was a Phantom flying above before succumbing to unconsciousness.
October 14, 2574, 2334 Hours, Systems Alliance Calendar, Deca-5 system, Lumity City, Phoenix Colony.
Buck awoke with a slight headache. Looking around he saw the state in which his insertion pod was. Putting it plainly, it was a complete mess. The ammunition for his weapons were scattered all around, sparks of electricity could be seen all around his peripheral vision, the glass that served as a window was cracked and Buck's helmet also had several cracks on the visor.
"Ugh, my head." Buck said as he grabbed his head with his two hands, "Stupid pod that can't fall right." He murmured.
Looking around he noticed that the front 'door' of the pod didn't opened automatically as it was supposed to do. 'Well, it looks like we are back to manual control.' He thought.
Pressing four buttons, each one of them in a corner of the door, the door hissed before being expulsed outward. Looking outside the pod, Buck noticed that he was in some kind of balcony. Once outside, he turned towards the pod and took his BR55HB SR, Battle Rifle, alongside three cartridges for the rifle.
Moving to the edge of the balcony, Buck saw as Longswords, Broadswords, Falcons, Phantoms, Seraphs, and Pelicans moved in the middle of the night towards the north at high speeds. Looking down he noticed that he was at least three floors from the ground, as well that there was a lot of debris on the streets below.
[Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck here, to any Systems Alliance units. Do you copy?]
[…] Static
[I repeat, Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck here, to any Systems Alliance units. Do you copy?]
[…]
"Dammit!" Buck said as he started to move inside the building.
Entering through one of the doors at the building, Buck activated the lantern attached to his Battle Rifle. Moving carefully through the hallway, he finally arrived at some emergency stairs. Opening the door he jumped backwards as the dead body of a fellow soldier dropped onto the floor.
He lined up his rifle at the stairs looking for any kind of threat. Finding nothing, he turned back towards the dead body to inspect it. Buck looked for anything useful, taking the helmet first in order to replace his broken one. Looking through the body a bit more, he found a pistol with only one magazine and a half a clip of ammunition left. Once the pistol was secured on his hip he took the dog-tags, putting them in one of his pockets before moving downstairs.
Buck deactivated the flashlight of his rifle in order to activate the night vision of his new helmet. Looking around the stairs, he spotted blood on the walls, a lot of blood of different colors. Ignoring the blood, he kept moving until arriving at another door that led to an alley adjacent to the building.
Once outside, Buck moved through the alley to the direction in which the drop and combat ships moved a while ago. Remembering his experience when he was in a similar situation back on New Mombasa (Earth) when the Covenant was invading the planet, he moved through the shadows trying to not step in the range of any street lights still functioning or making any kind of noise that would alert an awaiting sniper. Buck also took advantage of the destroyed vehicles on the streets, taking cover and surveying the streets with the scope of his Battle Rifle.
Having found no sign of activity, he moved ahead until he arrived at a plaza of sorts. He could see the remains of the defensive position in the area. Seeing the remains of what he supposed was a warthog being the first sign of any kind of ground combat in the area. He kept moving ahead, finding many bodies of both sides, his helmet still identifying the bodies as either friend or foe. Buck made sure that he took as many dog-tags as possible with him while looking for something useful.
After some minutes of inspecting the bodies, he decided to keep moving. Finally arriving at the building of a bank nearby, Buck spotted a still functioning terminal on the outside. Taking out a chip on the back of his helmet, he inserted it into the terminal.
'Mobile military memory unit detected. Please type your identification code:' It read on the screen.
Buck did as asked, typing his service number alongside his name and date of birth. The chip started to download the VI of the city, also known as the Superintendent. The chip, while similar to the ones that the SPARTANS use to bring AIs to combat with them, was a standard requirement for every soldier in the Systems Alliance military. This helped soldiers to better coordinate their attacks and locate zones of importance in the city(s) that they were fighting on.
Once the download finished, Buck started to move once again after locating an operations base in the map.
October 15, 2574, 0020 Hours, Systems Alliance Calendar, Deca-5 system, Lumity City, Phoenix Colony.
Lance Corporal Kojo 'Romeo' Agu looked through the scope of his SRS99D AM Sniper Rifle with the nocturnal vision of the scope activated. He took a deep breath before focusing the scope on the target. He waited a second and then pressed the trigger. The Zealot dropped dead, causing the rest of his unit to scatter, making them easy targets for the marines on the streets.
Hearing another shot next to him, he looked at the Turian that was helping him clear the zone. Returning to his task at hand, Romeo started to look for more targets.
"I have to admit it. Those Loyalist Covenant have good shield technology." The Turian commented.
"Really? It doesn't feel like it, after all I'm using the same amount of shots to kill the Sangheili." Romeo answered while shooting at an unsuspecting Kig-Yar.
"Well, it usually requires only one shot of the Widow to kill its target, two shots if the target is a strong biotic with good barriers. But here, I'm using two shots to kill the Loyalist Sangheili and they are using your standard shield." The Turian pointed out.
"Well Secuus, you are using you disruptor ammunition right?" At the Turian's nod he continues, "Then change it to your incendiary rounds, Loyalist energy shields are easier to shut down with any plasma based weaponry, and incendiary is as close as you would get to plasma right now."
Secuus followed the suggestion before shooting at the last Loyalist Sangheili down in the street. He noticed that while the shot didn't kill him with only one projectile, it managed to bring the shields down and cause some collateral damage.
[Overlord to sniper team Echo, do you copy?] Someone in the command center said.
[Affirmative Overlord, I hear you. What is it that you need?] Romeo asked while Secuus kept firing at the remaining Loyalist forces in the streets.
[Our sensors detected that someone has downloaded the Superintendent program from the city's mainframe. We are currently tracking the program, it is two clicks (A/N: 1 Click equals 1 kilometer.) South of your position. Command wants your team to investigate.]
[Understood, do we have any support for this operation?]
[Negative, if we move more units to investigate, then the Loyalist forces will be able to breach our front lines. Good luck Echo team, Overlord out.]
"Well Secuus, it looks like we have some hunting to do, so let's move out." Romeo said.
Secuus nodded before standing and following Romeo through the roof that they were perched on. Arriving at one side of the roof, both soldiers used the ropes that they installed on the wall to climb down the building. Down on the streets, both of them moved through the sidewalks, glancing at every corner before moving ahead. Explosions and the sounds of weapons being fired, being the only sounds accompanying them through the streets.
Secuus followed Romeo through the destroyed streets that now adorned the city. All the while keeping an eye out for any kind of ambushes. Thinking about his current situation, Secuus was glad that the Systems Alliance was a somewhat ally of the Citadel Government. With the Loyalist Covenant as an enemy of the Alliance, he shuddered at the thought of having to face them without Alliance's support. He knew that if it came to that, the Citadel would have a higher chance of losing a war against the Loyalists, unless they acted with extreme intelligence and caution against an enemy with a superior technological advantage in space. In ground combat on the other hand, their technology was almost in par, where the Loyalist had the advantage of plasma weaponry that made their shields almost useless, the Citadel had the advantage in ammunition and rate of fire to compensate. 'If it comes to that, then we would have to unite all Citadel races against the enemy if we want a bigger chance of winning. After all the Humans managed to survive for almost three decades against an enemy that was technologically superior to them in almost every technological branch.' Secuus thought to himself.
"Get down, there's movement ahead of us." Romeo said, taking Secuus out of his thoughts.
Both of them dropped to the floor, taking cover next to some cars close to the sidewalk, or in the sidewalk in some cases. Looking through what used to be the window of the car, Romeo and Secuus watched as various Ghosts and some Wraiths moved towards the direction that they came from.
[Overlord, Sniper team Echo here, do you copy?] Romeo said.
[Affirmative Echo team, what's your status?]
[We got a convoy of Loyalist Wraiths and Ghosts heading through 42nd street.]
[Copy that Echo team, we got a drone inbound to track them. Thanks for the intel, Overlord out.]
After waiting until the convoy was out of sight, both snipers kept moving ahead, that is until a particle beam round deactivated Romeo's shields. Both Romeo and Secuus took cover inside a store that was next to them, just in time to avoid another shot from the sniper.
"We got at least two snipers on the roofs. One of them is just on the street crossing the 42nd. Did you managed to track where the second shot came from?" Romeo said.
"Affirmative. The second shot was from the bridge just ahead, if we get out of here through the front then we are dead. Any suggestions?" Secuus answered.
"Well, I got some smoke grenades, but that will only let us get out of the building to reach a better position to kill the sniper. That is, if the sniper doesn't find where we are hiding."
"Not necessarily. My Widow rifle has a thermal scope attached. You can throw the smoke grenade and then I finish the other sniper."
"Well that solves one of the snipers, but what about the other one?"
"We can deal with that problem once we get rid of the first one." Secuus shrugged.
"All right then." Romeo answered as he took out a smoke grenade.
Aiming just outside the front door, Romeo threw the grenade. The sidewalk in front of the store immediately filled with grey smoke, making a big cloud where seeing through it was impossible without the right equipment. Secuus immediately exited the store before kneeling in the sidewalk in order to take aim. Seeing through the thermal scope of his Widow rifle, he saw a red outline of a Kig-Yar just fifty meters ahead. Taking a breath to calm his pulse, he steadied his aim before taking the shot. The Kig-Yar fell from the small bridge, dead before hitting the ground.
"Alright he is down." Secuus said.
"Good, now we have to locate the second sniper. This is the plan, you will position yourself behind those destroyed cars," Romeo said while pointing at some cars in the middle of the street that had a good angle of the sniper's presumed position, "while I will lure him out."
"Works for me."
"Just so you know, if something happens to my ass out there, then I'll come back from the dead to hunt you and kill you myself." Romeo said with some humor.
Secuus nodded while stiffening a laugh, but failing at it. Romeo took a moment to calm himself a little, after some seconds he immediately started to run through the street towards a bus stop. The sound of a particle rifle round could be heard as it passed centimeters away from Romeo. Once in cover, Romeo took a pick to the ruffs, only to hide again as another particle rifle round passed through were his head used to be seconds ago. No sooner did the round hit the floor, the distinct sound of the Widow rifle was heard, followed by a cry of pain of a Kig-Yar.
Romeo let himself relax for a minute before composing himself and moving towards Secuus' position.
"Nice shot, though you took your time." Romeo said.
Secuus ignored the jab before asking, "How far away are we from our target?"
"According to the map, we should be some five-hundred meters south of our target's position."
"Then we should keep moving."
Romeo nodded before both of them started sprinting through the street. After some minutes, Romeo made a fist signal. Taking cover, Romeo took a pick through the corner of one building.
"Movement, thirty meters to my left." Romeo said as Secuus took cover in one of the cars, preparing his rifle to shoot at a moment's notice.
Using the zoom capabilities alongside the nocturnal vision of his helmet, Romeo zeroed in on the target. Noticing that it was humanoid in form, he signaled Secuus to hold fire.
[Be ready to shoot it if I give you the signal.] Romeo said.
[Affirmative, I got the target on sight.]
Aiming his own Sniper rifle, Romeo took a crouch position on the crossing street before saying, "Storm!"
The figure tensed a bit, aiming his own rifle at every side before Romeo screamed again, "Storm!"
This time tough, the unknown individual answered, "Lightning!"
Signaling Secuus to follow him, Romeo approached the individual. Once he was close enough he stopped on his tracks, surprise was noticed all over his posture.
"Buck?" Romeo said.
"Romeo? What you doing all the way over here?" Buck answered with equal surprise.
"Command sent us to find out the one who downloaded the Superintendent program. I take it that was you?"
"Affirmative. So Romeo, who's your friend?" Buck said while pointing at Secuus.
"Private Secuus, I'm with the second platoon on the New Horizon." Secuus said.
"Pleasure to meet you," Buck said while shaking hands with Secuus, "So, how's the situation over here?"
"Well…"
[Sniper team do you copy? Over.]
[Affirmative Overlord, we copy you.]
[Did you find the target?]
[Affirmative, Gunnery Sergeant Buck was the one that downloaded the program, over.]
[Understood, I got your position right now. I need your team alongside Gunnery Sergeant Buck to move to the 23rd street and Union Avenue. Our guys could use sniper support, over.]
[Understood, we will be there in ten. Sniper team over and out.]
"Well, it looks that we got a job to do, so let's move." Romeo said.
Secuus and Buck nodded before following Romeo through the streets. 'Well, this just got more interesting.' Romeo thought.
October 15, 2574, 0105 Hours, Systems Alliance Calendar, Deca-5 system, Intersection of 23rd Street and Union Avenue, Lumity City, Phoenix Colony.
"Open fire, Marines!" Someone shouted through the intense noise that explosions and guns made. The soldiers responded by opening fire at the enemy with weapons of all types and sizes. Assault Rifles tore through Loyalist Unggoy soldiers, tearing their methane tanks and making them explode on the spot. Machine guns gave fire support, forcing most of the Loyalist forces to take cover. Precise fire from DMRs. Battle Rifles, Carbines, Needle Rifles, and the like were taking enemies of opportunity down. Plasma weapons tore through enemy shields, forcing the wearer to take cover or being pinned down by eezo powered weapons with their rapid fire.
This was the scene that the intersection presented, or at least from the Alliance and Citadel's troops side. On the Loyalist side, the response could not be more deadly in the current situation. Plasma weapons burned and weakened the enemy soldiers' shields, armor, and skin. Fuel Rod Cannons destroyed what little cover was for the enemy. And as of five minutes ago, Wraith tanks and Ghosts provided support for the Loyalists.
Inside an abandoned store, a group of Marines tried to give some covering fire for the troops that were more exposed on the streets. Reloading his Carbine, Lieutenant Dex looked through what was previously a window, now little more than a big hole on the wall, and opened fire, taking down the shields of a Sangheili before it took cover. Switching targets, Dex fired at a Kig-Yar, one shot on an unprotected area on its leg followed by three more shots on the center mass and it fell down. Taking cover again, Dex reloaded his last radiation cell on the Carbine.
"Last cell for my Carbine!" The Kig-Yar shouted.
"Here, take this." A Human said, passing a BR55HB SR Battle Rifle.
Taking the rifle, Dex proceeded to empty his Carbine on a Jiralhanae before tossing it to the side and using the Battle Rifle. "Hey, since when did the Loyalist included the Jiralhanae in their group? I thought that not one Loyalist even liked them." He asked to no one in particular.
"Don't know, sir, last I heard of them they were bombing the crap out of each other on their home world." A Marine answered while taking cover.
"Bombing each other?" A Turian asked with surprise.
Dex opened fire on some Kig-Yars that were approaching the entrance of the building before answering.
"If there's something that the Loyalists and the Alliance agree on, it is that the Jiralhanae are a violent species by nature. Incapable of having peace, even with themselves, for more than a decade. If the Loyalist brought them here all the way from their home world, is only to accelerate the taking of the colony. Though they tend to act more with instinct than with brain, don't overestimate them, what they lack in intelligence they make up for it tenfold with their ability to withstand a lot of punishment."
The Turian looked at his fellow Turians on the building. "Well guys, switch to incendiary, just like the Krogan, aim for weak spots." The Turian said before opening fire with his Phaeston rifle on some Unggoy. If there was something that the Turians learned quickly about the Loyalist is that only the Sangheili and Kig-Yar have energy shields in one way or another (wrist shield or body shields), making the rest of their forces easy targets for the rapid rounds of the eezo powered weapons.
"Incoming!" Someone said just as a big plasma ball impacted the building. The force of the impact making the wall fall, killing some unfortunate soldiers, while the plasma burned through the shields and armor of some soldiers. And just as the wall fell, the enemy fire intensified. Without proper cover, most of the Marines and Turians inside perished to the Loyalist fire.
Thinking quickly, Dex moved over the counter in the store, some other marines and Turians following behind or moving to the storage room as quickly as they could. Firing the last round of his Battle rifle, Dex tossed it aside before taking out his dual plasma pistols. Firing an overcharged round at the methane container of an Unggoy, Dex watched as it exploded. The plasma igniting the flammable gas started a chain reaction, making the tank of another Unggoy that was close enough to explode alongside the plasma grenades that it carried.
"Sir! We need to retreat or get support now. We are barely holding as it is and we are down to only five soldiers." A Human next to Dex said.
"We can't retreat, if the Loyalists take this store, then they will be able to flank our troops on the intersection." Dex said before noticing that the marine had a communications unit with him, "Soldier pass me that radio, I'm calling for back up."
The Marine gave Dex his communication unit before popping out of cover firing his Assault rifle at the Loyalist inside the store.
[Overlord, do you copy? Delta squadron here, we need immediate assistance, over.] Dex said.
[Overlord copies you Delta squadron. Air Support is on its way, alongside a Sniper team. ETA two to three minutes, over and out.]
"Two minutes until assistance arrives! Come on Marines, let's show these Loyalists what we are made of."
"Frag out!" Someone shouted. Seeing the round explosive, the Loyalist forces rolled out of the way, but unfortunately for some of them, they got exposed. Taking chance of this, the remaining Alliance and Citadel soldiers opened fire on them. The few Sangheili that managed to stand before their shields were deployed completely, activated their energy swords and charged at the counter. Not being fast enough, a marine was grabbed and tossed to the other side of the counter before being slashed by the lethal sword. Having his head severed from his body, the Marine fell dead before his comrades killed the Sangheili.
That only seemed to increase the Loyalist purpose of killing the remaining non-Loyalist forces. Unggoy moved to the front with Fuel Rod Cannons, destroying the cover that the counter provided being their new objective. Seeing this, the remaining two Turians fired concussion shots, making the Unggoy fall from the impact just as it pressed the trigger. The Fuel Rod Cannon fired its round on the ceiling, making part of the roof fall on the heads of the Loyalist.
[Delta Squad, Wolf-1 here. I suggest you to take cover, we are deploying payload in ten, over.]
Hearing this, all of Delta squad took cover just in time as explosions could be heard. Outside, Shortswords and Seraphs passed through the sky of the intersection. Letting a payload of bombs fall in a display known as carpet bombing, the Wraiths, Ghosts, and infantry outside in the streets perished in a matter of seconds. Inside the store, the shockwave of the explosion killed some of the remaining Loyalists, while the rest were thrown to the floor.
Dex picked himself up once he recovered some hold of his senses. Seeing that there were only a few remaining Loyalist inside, he opened fire with his plasma pistols at the three Sangheili that were still alive. Seconds later the fire from a Phaeston rifle joined him alongside DMR fire. The Loyalist Sangheili were taken completely by surprise, not expecting their enemies to recover this quickly; two of them perished in seconds. The third one managed to take cover just as his shields were deactivated. The Sangheili was about to pop out of cover when two SRS99D AM Sniper Rifle rounds impacted him, falling to the floor, the Sangheili didn't stand any more.
[Romeo, got you covered, Delta Squad. What's the situation?] Dex heard through the radio alongside several rounds being fired.
[Thanks for the assistance, sniper team. We are down to four men, what's the situation outside?]
[A controlled chaos, our forces are pushing the remaining Loyalist off of the intersection.]
[Understood sniper team. We are moving with the main force on here, think you can provide some covering fire?]
[Ha! Don't worry Delta, we got you covered.]
"Alright people, let's move with the main force. Stay together and watch each other's flanks and six."
"Yes sir!"
Getting out of what used to be a decent store, Delta squad ran to the command center of the intersection. Killing some remaining Unggoys and Kig-Yar while Romeo's team took down a few Jiralhanae in the zone, Delta squad had no problem arriving at the allied camp.
"Sir! Delta squad reporting for duty." Dex saluted alongside the rest of his men.
"At ease Lieutenant, your squad did a good job today. Thanks to this victory, our supply routes are once again secure. Alright people gather around!" The Second-Class Lieutenant said. Once everyone in the camp was within hearing range he proceeded, "Alright people, command wants us to push the Loyalist off of this side of the city, so we can take out the Anti-Air Guns (AAG) on the Oxford field. Once we punch a hole in their AAG defenses, our Battlecruisers and Frigates will go in and destroy that Loyalist Super Carrier that is obstructing my vision of the horizon!"
"HOORA!" The Alliance's soldiers responded in unison, while the Turians watched with curiosity at the foreign expression but also listening to what the Second Lieutenant said.
"Once we take out the AAG, we are to proceed to a nearby Loyalist base and take it out with a predator drone that will be in the air as soon as the AAG are down. Now, we aren't going in alone, command is sending a pair of Grizzlies alongside four Spectres. Okay, prepare your gear that we are moving in ten. Whoever isn't ready by then is going to spend the next eighteen months cleaning latrines. Now move it, Marines!"
With a quick "Yes Sir!" from the soldiers, all of them dispersed to get ammunition, rations and equipment.
After listening to what the Second-class Lieutenant had to say, Buck went to a nearby armory to pick ammunition and a few weapons. Entering the armory, he spotted Romeo getting more ammo for his sniper rifle.
"Hey Romeo?" Buck said.
"Yes sir?"
"Any ideas as to where the rest of our squad is?"
"Last I heard Dutch was alongside the 3rd Tank Division, trying to get to the AAG. Mickey and Rookie were trying to hold off a Loyalist attack in one of our air bases in the city. Sorry boss, but that's all I know." Romeo said with some guilt at how little he knew of his teammates.
"No problem Romeo. Well, we should start heading out now, unless of course you want to clean latrines." Buck said with some humor.
"You wish," Romeo said, laughing a bit. "Besides, if I were to be cleaning latrines as you put it, then who will be out there to save your ass?"
"My gun and expert abilities of course."
"Will see about that."
Both soldiers headed out of the armory with all the ammunition that they could carry without slowing them down. Heading out of the camp, they saw that around thirty soldiers, both from the Alliance and the Citadel, where ready to start the counterassault. A pair of minutes passed before they started to hear the Grizzly tanks approaching.
"Alright Marines, it's time to show these Loyalist bastards what we are made of." The Second Lieutenant said, "Everyone, let's move!"
And with that the thirty and plus soldiers, alongside the tanks and Spectres started to move through the city. All of them ready to push the Loyalist out and end this conflict.
October 15, 2574, 0250 Hours, Systems Alliance Calendar, Deca-5 system, Planetary Defense Headquarters, Phoenix Colony.
"Sir, our troops on the Intersection of 23rd Street and Union Avenue are moving forward. Also, Loyalist activity on the planet is decreasing. It looks like they are retreating to Oxford field." The one in charge of satellite image, reconnaissance, and troop assistance of the planet said. He was also known by all combatant forces on the planet as Overlord.
"Noted. Do we have any forces close to Delta Force's path?" Commander K'wlin asked. He was the one in charge of planetary defense in ground and air operations, and was famous for his tactics used on Sangheilios during the civil war in the old Covenant.
"Hawk squad is one click from their current position. Do I signal them to join Delta Force?"
"Tell them to assist Delta force once they arrive at their position. What can you tell me of the sudden retreat of the Loyalist forces?"
"Affirmative sir. And it appears that they started to move back to their ship once we defeated their forces on the Intersection of 23rd Street and Union Avenue. They probably realized that we are going for their main camp. Also, I'm receiving reports of Scarabs defending the AAG, as well as one of them scouting the outskirts of Lumity city."
"Load Seraphs and Shortswords with cryokinetic bombs as well as a Predator Drone ready to strike the Scarab on the city once our troops encounter it. The Scarabs on the AAGs location will have to wait until we take down the AAGs."
"Our air bases are already on it, sir."
"Good, now I want you to locate that Scarab that is in the city. Keep Delta Force updated on the Scarab's moves."
"Sir! Admiral Petrovsky is hailing us." Communications said.
"Put him on screen, Private."
Commander K'wlin looked from the tactical display to a nearby terminal were the face of Admiral Petrovsky appeared.
[Admiral.] K'wlin saluted.
[At ease Commander. How's the situation down there?]
[All of our forces are now advancing towards Oxford field, sir. The AAG should be down in a matter of hours now, a day if the Loyalists put up a good resistance.]
[You'll have to do it in less time Commander. ONI intercepted enemy transmissions on the planet. The Loyalists are planning on opening a Slip-Space rupture inside atmosphere once most or all of their troops on the planet board the ship. I'm also getting reports that there are Loyalist reinforcements coming from the rest of the planet towards that Supercarrier.]
[Don't worry sir, we'll get that ship shut down before it jumps.]
[I hope so, if we can't destroy it in six hours then we are launching a massive air strike with a pair of Shivas. The damage would be less compared to the one that the Slip-Space entry could leave.]
[Understood sir.]
[Good luck Commander.] And with that Petrovsky cut the transmission.
"Overlord, tell all of our available forces to concentrate on puncturing a hole in that AAG defense line. If we don't manage to do it in six ours, send the retreat signal to all of our forces."
"Yes sir."
October 15, 2574, 0315 Hours, Systems Alliance Calendar, Deca-5 system, In Route to Oxford Field, Outskirts of Lumity City, Phoenix Colony.
Close to the outskirts of Lumity city, you could hear the sound of machinery and weapons fire. Flashes of blue, yellow, green, and purple could be seen going one way or another, just like fireworks. This was the impression that you would get from the air, but on the ground soldiers were running from cover to cover, opening fire on the enemy lines. Tanks and light assault vehicles opened fire, tearing through everything in their path. On the skies, a dogfight was ensuing, both sides fighting for the control that could turn the tables for those fighting in the ground.
Or at least, that's how Buck saw it. He was currently taking cover in a destroyed Spectre that was victim of a plasma mortar, courtesy of a Wraith tank. While the vehicle was almost completely destroyed, the turret had managed to survive somehow, but trying to use it was almost suicide at the current moment. Buck opened fire, hitting an Unggoy with a three bullet burst of his Battle Rifle. Using his scope to locate another target, alongside his helmet's nocturnal vision.
Delta Force had been advancing towards the outskirts of the city at a steady pace, encountering small groups of resistance that were dealt with within a few seconds, minutes at most. But once they were getting closer to the outskirts, that resistance had increased exponentially, thus being the current situation of Delta Force. The initial assault of the massive ambush took Delta Force by surprise, losing a grand number of soldiers and one Grizzly. After they had recuperated from the initial shock, the remaining Grizzly was moved inside a warehouse where it could provide fire support and not be exposed. The remaining soldiers dispersed through the street and buildings, giving fire support to other groups of soldiers and also taking out any Loyalist soldier out there.
Taking cover to reload his rifle, Buck took a small breath before popping out again to shoot at any enemy that was stupid enough to be out of cover. Sangheili, Unggoy, Kig-Yar, Humans, Yanme'e, Jiralhanae and Turians fell alike on the battlefield by sniper rifle fire. Enemy Ghosts were destroyed by rocket launchers and the Grizzly's rounds. All in all, the current firefight was one of the more vicious on the planet so far.
"Incoming from above!" Someone next to Buck shouted.
Looking up, Buck saw as a Banshee dived towards the destroyed Spectre, opening fire with its twin plasma cannons. Taking cover as soon as he saw the Banshee, Buck waited until it passed. Looking around he noticed that not many had managed to evade the deathly barrage of plasma.
"Hold the line, Marines! Help is on the way." The Second Lieutenant from the briefing said to his troopers. "Gunnery Sergeant, come here!" He said to Buck.
Looking at the Lieutenant, Buck made his way towards his position before answering, "You need me, sir?"
"I need you to take a small squadron and flank the enemy through those buildings, Sergeant." The Lieutenant said as he pointed at an apartment complex. "Make sure to take a rocket launcher with you, your primary objective is to destroy those Wraiths. Your secondary objective is to find out what happened to our snipers that were on the coordinates that I'll give you. Once that's done provide covering fire from there. We will converge in the street in front of the building once the Wraiths are taken care of."
"Yes Sir!" Looking to the side, Buck spotted a group of three soldiers, one of them with a rocket launcher, "You three!" he shouted gaining their attention.
Moving towards Buck's position, the three soldiers took cover behind the wall in which Buck was. "You called for us sir?" one of them asked.
"Affirmative, you three are coming with me towards that apartment complex. We will flank the Loyalists and take out their Wraith support, any questions?" After none of them asked anything, Buck said, "Okay, let's move!"
The four soldiers moved towards the apartment complex, taking cover every time that they could to avoid being hit by enemy fire. Taking cover behind a few destroyed cars, Buck and another of his companions opened fire with their Battle Rifle and Assault Rifle respectively. The other two seeing this moved towards an alley, using the walls of the alley as cover, they opened suppressive fire on the Loyalist in order to give their two companions the opportunity to move towards their position.
Moving inside the alley, they spotted an emergency exit that lead inside the apartment complex. Taking positions at each side of the door, Buck gave it a powerful kick before moving out of the way so his three companions could secure the inside. Looking with their lanterns inside the rundown room, the three soldiers spotted nothing out of the usual.
"Clear!" The Sangheili of the group announced.
Once the four of them were inside Buck said, "All right people, turn off flashlights, from now on we use our nocturnal visors and radio communications only. If you spot any hostile individual, take it out stealthily, we don't want to make our presence known. Corporal," Buck said to the Sangheili, "I want you to stay in active camouflage all the time until we arrive at our designed position. Your job will be to scout ahead of us, but don't go that far away in case we need help. If you spot any Loyalist in the way take it out as you see fit without revealing your position, or radio us."
"Understood." The Corporal said before activating his camouflage and moving ahead.
Turning to his last two companions Buck said, "You two will be with me, keep a sharp eye out and have your knife at the ready."
"Yes sir." The two Privates responded.
Moving ahead, the three of them entered at a long corridor with no lights on. Accessing the Superintendent program in his helmet, Buck located the Corporal some twenty meters ahead. Sending the rendezvous coordinates to his three companions, Buck proceeded to move to the stairs ahead.
[Sergeant, do you copy? Corporal Yulle here. Over.]
[I copy you Yulle, what's the situation?] Buck answered.
[We got problems. I found the remains of some of our units on here. For the looks of it, it appears that they were eaten, or at least the bite marks suggest that.]
[Fuck. So we got Jiralhanae on the building. This complicate things.]
[Do I keep scouting ahead? If the Jiralhanae are here then they could spot my sent before I can dispose of them.]
[Affirmative keep scouting, if you spot any of those animals try to take them out stealthily. If you can't then have as much fun disposing of them as you want.] Buck said with a dry chuckle.
[It'll be my pleasure Sergeant. Yulle out.]
Arriving at the stairs, the three soldiers proceeded to check the upper levels before going up. Moving through the tight spaces of the stairs that offered little to no cover, the three of them where with their sights pointing up, each one of them covering the other as much as they could. Once on the third floor, where the navigation point was situated, the three of them moved to what appeared to be a small living room of sorts.
There they found the bodies of two Jiralhanae, as well as signs of a small fight on the vicinity. Ignoring the mess, the three of them kept moving ahead until arriving at the designed coordinates. There they found a balcony of sorts, with a good view of the street below. The three of them could see the vicious firefight below, and also they could pinpoint the location of the Wraiths.
[Yulle do you copy? Buck here. Where are you?]
[I copy you sergeant, I'm on the second floor persecuting some Jiralhanae. I'll be up there in, Oh Shit!] The sound of an explosion could be heard on the line and after that, the transmission was cut.
[Yulle do you copy? What's happening over there?] After receiving no answer Buck turned to one of his companions.
[Perez, go to the second floor and find out what happened to Yulle. If you need back up call us immediately.]
[Yes Sir!] And with that Perez was out and running towards Yulle's position.
[Ramirez, take position and ready the rocket. I'll use that sniper rifle to give you the targets.] Buck said.
Nodding, Ramirez loaded the two barrels of the rocket before aiming at the street. Buck in the meantime took the place of one of the dead snipers, using the sniper rifle, he zoomed at one of the Wraiths' position. Noticing that it was close by a gas station, Buck figured out a plan of action.
[Aim by the gas station, approximately ten meters left of the Wraith and open fire.]
Ramirez used the x2 scope of the Rocket Launcher to locate the target. Aiming at one of the resupply units of the gas station, he pressed the trigger. The rocket exited the barrel of the launcher before activating its own propulsion engines and accelerating at its target. In a matter of seconds the rocket impacted its target, exploding and making the station explode in a giant fireball.
Once the smoke of the explosion was out of the way, Buck saw the remains of the Wraith as well as multiple Loyalists burnt to a crisp. Moving the scope he spotted the next Wraith. Giving the position to Ramirez, he watched as the Wraith was impacted by two rockets before being blown to pieces.
[Sir, Buck here, the Wraiths have been destroyed. I repeat, the Wraiths have been destroyed.]
[Good job Sergeant, move to the rendezvous point. What can you tell me about our snipers up there?]
[They are KIA sir. There were Jiralhanae on the building, right now I have two of my men cleaning the place.]
[Damn animals. Tell your team that they did a good job, Sergeant. Now move to the streets. Over and Out.]
[Yulle, Perez, what's the situation over there?]
[We finished off all Jiralhanae resistance on the building sir, but Perez was hit by a Spike Rifle.]
[How's he Corporal?]
[He'll be fine. But he probably won't be able to use his arm for a while.]
[Understood, let's head back to the street, we can call a medic there. Over and out.]
Looking at Ramirez, Buck signaled him to follow before moving back inside the building and down the stairs.
Back on the street, the Second Lieutenant was coordinating his troops and the Grizzly in order to finish off the remaining Loyalist resistance. 'Hmm, at this rate we will be at the AAG position in no time. Though this was too easy of a battle, especially when this was the last defense line before the AAG. I wonder what they are planning.' The Lieutenant thought. And just as if some divine force had heard his thought process, the sound of a falling building in the distance could be heard. Looking at the sound's direction the Lieutenant saw as a T-47 UHAP Scarab entered the street through the building.
The Scarab stopped on the street, firing at any enemy fighter on the sky with its back cannon, while at the same time it charged its primary cannon before opening fire on the Grizzly, destroying it and anyone close enough of the deadly barrage of plasma. All the Alliance and Citadel soldiers took cover immediately, none of them wanting to be the next prey of that walking platform of destruction.
"By the spirits! What's that thing?" The Lieutenant heard a Turian close by ask with surprise and a bit of fear in his voice.
"That my friend," The Lieutenant began answering, "is a Scarab. So take cover and don't be stupid enough to get its attention unless you got orbital or heavy air support backing you up."
Watching the Turian nod his understanding, the Lieutenant proceeded to call command.
[Overlord, leader of Delta Force here. We need immediate assistance, there's a Scarab blocking our way, and we lost the Grizzlies. Over.]
[Don't worry, air support is on the way. T-minus thirty seconds, over.]
"Alright, everyone stay on cover! Air support is on the way!" He said to all the nearby soldiers while those soldiers passed the order.
The Scarab opened fire again at one of the buildings, destroying part of its structure before the upper floors collapsed on the ones below. Some seconds later, the Lieutenant spotted a Shortsword flanked by three Sabers, all of them coming towards the Scarab's position. But sadly, he wasn't the only one who spotted them, a Banshee on the firefight took notice and started to persecute them. One of the Sabers pull up a vertical one hundred and eighty degree maneuver in order to situate itself behind the Banshee. Once behind its target, the Saber opened fire with its primary cannon. Bullets tore through the protective armor of the Banshee before it exploded in a blue and purple explosion.
Once the Shortsword was in range, it deployed a single bomb before being hit by the back canon of the Scarab. The Shortsword fell through the sky, but not before the pilots ejected themselves from the doomed bomber. In the meantime, the bomb accelerated through the air, until it impacted the Scarab. The Scarab was covered in a thick cap of ice that made the Scarab stay in its place. Not able to defend itself, the Scarab could not move out of the way of a barrage of missiles coming from five Predator Drones. The already weakened armor of the Scarab could not support the oncoming payload, and like any other weakened structure, it gave up at the increase of kinetic force.
The soldiers on the streets watched in amazement and relief as the Scarab fell like a pile of rubble. Pelicans, Spirits and Phantoms descended towards the soldiers' position. All of them deploying Scorpions, Wraiths, Revenants, and more troops.
"I see that you are still alive, boss. Did you pray or stayed behind cover all the time." Someone said to Buck, gaining his attention.
Turning around, Buck saw that that someone was none other than Romeo, "Ha ha," Buck laughed without humor. "Look who's talking, the king of campers himself." Buck rebooted.
The both of them stayed silent for a second before laughing out loud, "Good to see you in good shape boss." Romeo said.
"Same here Romeo," Buck said before spotting someone in the distance, "Hey, isn't that one Mickey?"
Turning around, Romeo spotted the one that Buck was referring to, "Yea I think that's him, and it looks like the Rookie is with him."
The both of them proceeded to move towards their friend's position. Having noticing them, Rookie signaled Mickey of their oncoming friends.
"Hey boss," Mickey said while he and Rookie saluted his superior, "I thought you were dead alongside the Exodus."
"At ease you two," Buck said returning the salute, "and Mickey, you know me, there's no way in heaven and hell that I'll die in space."
"HA, good to see you boss. So by the looks of it, this mute here and I, "Mickey said with good humor while pointing at Rookie, who was giving Mickey his personal helmet glare for the mute comment, "missed a good firefight."
"It looks like it. So what exactly where the two of you doing all this time?" Buck asked.
"We were at the Northern Airport. Apparently the Loyalist wanted to take one of our more direct air support bases and it was both our jobs to defend it. Once that was done we were ordered to come here and help Delta Force take the AAG down."
"Well I'm glad to have you guys here, we only need Dutch, and the family is complete." Romeo said.
"Everyone! We are moving ahead, so stop siting on your ass and put those legs of yours to work. We got Loyalist butt to kick so move it Marines!" The Lieutenant shouted.
Immediately every soldier started to move ahead, every one of them ready to finish this fight today, and make the Loyalists pay for the destruction that they caused to their city.
Age of Resurrection, Loyalist Covenant Calendar, Deca-5 System, Phoenix Colony, Oxford Field, Aboard CSO-Class Super Carrier Holy Guidance.
"Fleet Master, our last line of defense has been annihilated, the Alliance and the unknown aliens are pushing forward to our AAG. Also the Scarab on the city was destroyed." Someone managing communications said.
"Call the rest of our forces and prepare the ship to enter Slip-Space." The Fleet Master said.
"But Fleet Master, are you suggesting that we retreat? We can still take that scum down. We only need more time." Someone protested.
"Know your place, Ultra. I can order your execution right now for insubordination. We are pulling a tactical retreat, so we will be back with more forces to take this entire system. Now go out there and coordinate the troops."
"Of course Fleet Master." The Sangheili bowed before leaving the bridge.
The Fleet Master turned back to the tactical hologram in the middle of the bridge, seeing as most of the Alliance's forces were converging on his position he decided that it was time to leave the planet.
"Communications, tell the Scarabs to return to the ship, as well as our forces on the AAG. Just leave enough troops to hold off the Alliance long enough for the ship to be ready to enter Slip-Space."
"As you command Fleet Master."
October 15, 2574, 0540 Hours, Systems Alliance Calendar, Deca-5 system, Oxford Field, Outskirts of Lumity City, Phoenix Colony.
"Strange. Hey Romeo, what do you think that the Loyalists are doing?"
"I don't know Seccus, but from the looks of it they are retreating. Hell, they're even setting up charges on their base." Romeo answered.
"But why would they? With all those defensive lines in there and that monster of a ship, they should have not a lot of problems to hold us back until we get more reinforcements." Seccus said.
"I'm not sure, but if there is something that I know about them is that they never, and I mean never retreat. At least not this easily."
"We should contact the Lieutenant."
"Yeah, you're right."
Activating his radio, Romeo proceeded to call the leader of Delta Force.
[Sir, do you copy? Recon team here. Over.]
[I copy you recon team, what's the situation?]
[It looks like the Loyalists are retreating. Most of the Scarabs around the AAG have returned to their ship, also they are setting up charges around their base. What do we do?]
[Looks like ONI was right. Know it all bastards,] The Lieutenant said with a dry laugh, [stay where you are, recon, we are going in now before that ship enters Slip-Space. Feel free to take on any Loyalist forces once we start our assault. For now, concentrate on the enemy snipers, over and out.]
"Well boys, you heard the boss."
With that, both snipers started to look for any Loyalist with a sniper or carbine. Seccus was the first to find one in the cup of the trees. Using his thermal scope, the outline of several Kig-Yar and some Sangheili were revealed to him. Aiming at the farthest Kig-Yar, Seccus pressed the trigger of his Widow rifle. The sound of the projectile exiting the barrel of the gun could be heard alongside two more, those two being of two other Turians alongside Seccus and Romeo. In total, three Kig-Yar dropped dead, and as soon as they fell another three followed.
Not wanting to stay behind of his companions, Romeo opened fire on the few Sangheili that where on the forest area. Sending two rapid projectiles to the heads of each Sangheili, their numbers started to decrease at an exponential rate.
On the field the tank division that accompanied Delta Force, moved inside Oxford field. The Loyalist defenses responded to the incoming threat. Shade turrets and plasma launchers opened fire on the incoming tanks. At that moment, Ghosts, Warthogs, and Spectres speeded through the field, while Wraiths provided covering fire with their mortars.
The remaining two Scarabs opened fire on the incoming fast vehicles, but most of them evaded the deadly plasma barrage of the Scarabs. Once on range, the Scorpions opened fire at the Shade turrets, destroying them in the dozens. Warthogs, Spectres, and Ghosts opened fire on the ground troops, cutting through their lines like knife on butter.
Arriving at their designated targets, the Warthogs deployed their passengers, all of them being experts in demolition. The small squadron units entered to the inside of four AAG while the Warthogs' turrets provided covering fire. Once the charges were set up on the power supply, the soldiers retreated immediately to the warthogs. Once the soldiers where back on their vehicles, they speeded off before detonating the charges. Four columns of fire were seen, all of them consuming the four AAG and punching a hole through the line.
Immediately after that, Falcons, Hornets, Pelicans, Banshees, Seraphs, Sabers, and Phantoms invaded the skies of Oxford field. Most of the air support speeded off towards the Supercarrier, all of them with the intent of destroying the retreating Loyalist forces. The ships that stayed alongside the tanks and light vehicles opened fire on the two Scarabs. Both Scarabs for their part managed to destroy many of the Alliance's air support and Tank Division before succumbing to the immense amount of firepower.
Just as the Scarabs exploded, Oxford field was covered by multiple shadows. Looking up, the ground troops could see one CCS-Class Battlecruiser, three UNSC Stalwart Light Frigates, and two SDV-Class Heavy Corvettes. The two corvettes, and one of the frigates immediately opened fire on the remaining AAG, while the battlecruiser and the other two frigates fired at the Supercarrier. The carrier for its part responded in kind, firing multiple plasma torpedoes and pulse lasers at the incoming ships.
Inside the bridge of the UNSC Stalwart-class Frigate Fair Weather, Captain Stuart looked at the enemy ship through the big window of the bridge. The carrier for its part was putting up a good fight, its hundreds of pulse lasers intercepted a grand quantity of missiles sent its way, while its own plasma torpedoes intercepted Alliance's own torpedoes. He saw as the carrier took the four MAC projectiles. Its shields managing to withstand the impact of three before the fourth tore through its shields and impacted the ship, causing massive damage to its hull. 'With that kind of damage, they won't be able to enter Slip-Space without risking compromising the integrity of the whole ship.' Stuart thought.
"Captain! Increase of energy signatures detected. They are coming from the carrier." Raven, the AI of the ship said.
"What?!" The Captain said surprised. "Are they entering Slip-space?"
"Affirmative, but they are also separating part of the ship."
"What do you mean with that?"
"The front of the ship is separating itself from the rest of the ship, and are also creating a Slip-Space portal. With this kind of readings, the Slip-Space entry will emit an EMP that will cover all of Oxford field. Our ships will be able to withstand the EMP with minimal damage, but our ground troops and vehicles will have no such luck."
"Lieutenant Rogers, send a message to all of our ground and air forces on Oxford field, tell them to pull back to the city now."
"Yes sir." Rogers answered.
Looking at the tactical screen, Stuart could see all of the Alliance and Citadel forces retreating towards the city. He could also see that the Loyalist carrier was taking massive damage. But the part of the ship that was separating itself from the rest of it, had strong shields that were resisting a high quantity of fire power.
"Sir, we have a Slip-space entry confirmed." Raven said.
Looking outside of the ship through the window, he saw as a purple-blue portal opened. The now separated part of the carrier immediately accelerated and entered the portal, leaving the rest of the ship to fall on Oxford field like a pile of rubble. The portal closed itself, before sending a shockwave of pure electromagnetic energy. The lights of the Frigate flickered a bit, as well as some screens on the bridge turned pitch black. And just as fast as that happened, every system returned back to normal.
"Damage report!" Stuart said to no one in particular.
"All ships are in working conditions sir, we only got some minor system failures, but nothing to worry about. It looks like all of our air forces managed to retreat to the city on time. We have lost communications with some of our ground troops, and most of our vehicles suffered the aftereffects of the EMP. Don't worry about those too much, all our vehicles should be functional in minutes." Raven answered.
"What's the situation of the planet?"
"Ten percent of the planet's surface has been glassed, most mayor cities are in ruins. But overall, any remaining Loyalist troops on the planet will be cleaned in two to four hours."
"Understood. Raven put us back in orbit. Rogers, give me a line with HQ in my headquarters."
"Yes sir." Rogers responded while Raven flicked out of visual existence to put the ship on orbit.
Age of Resurrection, Loyalist Covenant Calendar, Slip-Space, Aboard CSO-Class Super Carrier Holy Guidance.
[You have failed me, Fleet Master. Not only did you lose to those weaklings when you outmatched them in odds of three to one, but you also lost every single ship under your command in what should have been an easy victory!] The High Prophet of Vengeance said angrily via intercom.
[Your Highness, you'll surely understand that when the Alliance's reinforcements arrived…]
[Excuses! Don't try to excuse your shameful defeat Fleet Master. Did you managed to get the information?]
[Yes, Your Excellence. We got star charts of this 'Citadel Space'. We also managed to hack into one of their ships, it appears that technologically they are at the Human's level during the start of the Great War. But what they lack in technology, they compensate in numbers and firing rate of their weapons.]
[Good. It appears that you managed to evict your own execution, for now anyways. Keep me posted in any more findings that you make. And Fleet Master?]
[Yes, Your Excellence?]
[Don't fail me again, or I'll assure you that it will be your last.] And with that Vengeance cut the transmission.
October 15, 2172, 1400 Hours, Citadel Council Calendar, Widow System, Citadel Station, Presidium, Council Personal Chambers.
[…that will be all Councilor.] Captain Palilus finished his debriefing on the battle that occurred on Phoenix.
Sighting with relief, Sparatus cut the transmission. The past twenty-four hours had been stressing to say the least. He wasn't sure how the Alliance would take to working alongside Citadel forces, but apparently it had been good. He was even surprised the reaction time that the Alliance took to send reinforcements to an outer world colony, in reference to their territory, he also was surprised by how the Alliance had handled the situation. For what he read on the report sent to him, the Alliance was ready to use nuclear devices to take out that monstrosity of a ship if they didn't dispose of her in the given time frame.
That in itself was what worried him the most. But when he read the reasons behind such a decision he couldn't disagree in the fact that it was a better option. Apparently if one ship with a Slip-Space engine enters Slip-Space inside the atmosphere of a planet, it could cause an EMP energy emission to a massive nuclear explosion on the given area, depending of the ship's size and energy used to create the portal. He was glad that the Alliance punished such an action, even in war times, with execution to the one(s) responsible, having many ships doing that could be catastrophic.
Looking at the report one last time, he sent a copy to both Valern and Tevos, they surely will want to discuss the ramifications of this event at first time tomorrow. Exiting the chamber, Sparatus headed back to his quarters to take a rest, after all tomorrow was going to be a stressful day, especially with the press. 'Spirits how I hate reporters.' He thought to himself.
October 15, 2574, 2000 Hours, Systems Alliance Calendar, Horsehead Nebula, Unknown System, Cronos Station.
The Illusive Man, or T.I.M. for short, sat on his chair looking at multiple displays in front of him, while the bright red-blue star in the background provided natural light to the dark room. The displays that acted more as hologram screens, where the product of the new science field which specialized in the use of Eezo and its applications. Each hologram showed information, mostly of the various individuals and agents that were part of CERBERUS. It also showed the progress that his scientists and archeologists had made with the information sent to them corresponding to the Omega-4 Relay and some Prothean ruins.
Other screens showed the status of the many agents in the Terminus and Citadel space, both of Alliance and non-Alliance citizenship. Four profiles in particular interested him. One of them being a former Alliance soldier, Jacob Taylor, his skills and experience on the field and cover operations would be a great bust to his organization, he just needed to convince him to join, which in itself wasn't a hard task once he tell him of CERBERUS' true motives.
Another individual was a Spec-Ops trained Spartan IV, Kai Leng. Like Jacob, he wouldn't be a problem to recruit. The next one on the list was Miranda Lawson, in contrast to the two individuals before her on the list, she wasn't Alliance, but she had extensive training in hand-hand combat as well as a strategic mind. She could be a really good ally to have, with the proper espionage training, she could become one of his best agents. The matter was that in her current situation she wouldn't want to join CERBERUS, unless he extended an olive branch and helped her keep her family safe from her father's hand. T.I.M. didn't had a problem with that, he would even do it gladly if she asked without expecting nothing in return from her, after all he disliked the man for what he had read on him. In his opinion he should be locked in a cell far away from any sentient being, but sadly he didn't had the resources, yet anyways. In conclusion he would help her, being the first to extend the hand of help would not only ensure Miranda's loyalty to CERBERUS if she joined, but it will also show her that there is people out there that she could rely on and trust.
The final candidate on the list was a Turian. A current C-Sec officer by the name of Garrus Vakarian, whose skills as a marksman where one of the best out there. He couldn't approach him yet, not without endangering his operations. He would have to wait till the time is right before approaching him. While T.I.M. was sure that Garrus would refuse to work with an organization that will make the Citadel government and by extension the Turian Hierarchy see them as a terrorist organization, he could appeal to the side of his that wanted to do the right thing no matter what. If he mentioned the sightings of the unknown ship that was working alongside the Geth, he would manage to pick his curiosity on the matter. He will then offer him the resources to investigate such an anomaly and possible treat, if he didn't found proof enough that the unknown ship represented a threat then he would let him leave the organization. But if it represented a threat that the Council would do nothing to prevent then he would be easier to convince. He will just have to make clear that every operation that he gave Garrus, would only be in relationship with the Geth problem and by extension that unknown ship.
Turning off the terminals, T.I.M. lighted one of his cigarettes, taking on the feeling of the flavor and smoke, he let himself admire the battle that was currently happening on the star in front of him. A battle of dominance between the vibrant blue side of the star and the vibrant red side of the star.
Close to Starting the next Cycle, Reapers Calendar, The Sea of Storms System.
In the black void of space, multiple ships could be seen orbiting a space station. But the one that called the most attention was the 2.5km long ship or Reaper for those who knew what it really was. After the successful mission in Magna Colony, Sovereign had managed to create thousands of Turian husks or Marauders as the organics had labeled them. But to his annoyance, he hadn't managed to get the information that he went looking for in the first place, it wasn't a great set back per see, after all the organics were already dealing with that plague known as the Flood. He will just have to be patient before making his next strike.
Suddenly an incoming signal made itself known. Checking why it was requesting his personal attention, Sovereign proceeded to open the encrypted transmission. Receiving all the information in seconds, he allowed himself to be as happy as he could for this new development. One of his many agents, indoctrinated of course, had sent him the report of one battle that happened in Systems Alliance space. Not only contained some of the capabilities of this new government, but it also provided the capabilities and motives of their foes. This 'Loyalist Covenant' could be useful to him in the nearby future, he just needed to provide the right incentive and they would become useful agents just like the Collectors.
A/N: And here the end of another chapter. I want to apologize for the long wait, but I suffered writers block :/ that and some personal issues stated to make themselves known to me. Also I'm sorry to inform that I won't be having internet for a while, I'm not sure for how long, so if I don't post anything for a while is because of that and because I'm moving from the state that I'm currently at. Don't worry though, if I don't post in a long time (a month or so, because of the internet problem) I submit two chapters instead of one, once I regain the internet access.
Anyways, Please Review, I want to know what you people are thinking about this story. Until next time. (: