A\N: Thanks to Dezagonj for helping me on this chapter from his gigantic Halo knowledge that got me through writing this chapter.

This is an AU edition of Halo, if some people are OOC I apologize. And I forgot to put a few technologies in the list, namely the in-atmosphere fighter for the TSA:

Drake class Mk III:

Looks similar to modern fighter jets

Has:

10 cm ablative armor

Class 2 mana well

Multi-phased energy shields

2 mini-PAM launchers

3 Plasma pulse disruptors

8 Point defense guns

I decided to go a little farther with this lemon because I felt like it's also taking things a bit farther than I would go normally. So be nice please? I've got a hard week of school ahead of me. (3 tests *whine*) Because of all the amazing reviews I have been getting, here's a big chapter and a bonus Aurix/Bloom scene ;)…that and this story is now over 100k words! 0_0

Chapter 28: The Battle of Reach

Planet Reach, Epsilon Eridani, three hours after the Greenleaf left Serenity in their original dimension.

On board a Halycon class Cruiser belonging to the United Nations Space Command or UNSC the scanners reported a massive energy surge.

"Energy surge 500,000 kilometers to starboard." A glowing figure on a pedestal reported.

"Let's see it." The Rear-Admiral ordered. "Is it Covenant?"

"No slipstream rupture detected." The intelligent AI reported. "A vessel is confirmed exiting the anomaly. Shape and size does not match any known configuration, Human or Covenant."

The ship was far longer than anything ever recorded, even the monstrous Covenant Super-Carriers. Easily 45 kilometers long, the ship was quite obviously advanced with writing on the side in English and two other unidentified languages. The markings identified it as the "TSA Greenleaf."

Onboard the Greenleaf, alarms blared, shields were raised, armor was deployed, and point defenses were readied. Fighters and destroyers were prepped for launch as technicians scurried about.

"We are in an inhabited system." Reported the Ops officer. "We are being painted by multiple MAC locks, missiles, and fighter locks as well. We are being hailed, audio only."

"Let's hear it." Darlana ordered.

"Unidentified starship you have entered UNSC space. Identify yourself or we will act with extreme prejudice." The voice on the comm ordered.

"Open hailing frequencies." Darlana ordered. "UNSC ship, this is the Star Dreadnought Greenleaf of the Terran Star Alliance. We apologize for intruding on your territory; we are testing a prototype dimensional drive and did not realize that this was your area of control."

Onboard the human ship, their sensor suddenly went wild. "Admiral! Massive slipstream ruptures. It's the Covenant." An officer cried.

"How many?" The man asked.

"One Super Carrier, multiple Corvettes. It's the advance fleet. Flash message from Fermion Remote Sensing Outpost, 314 additional ships inbound."

The Admiral nodded. "Very well. Under UNSC order bravo-tango-beta-five I am issuing orders for all ships in the area to aid in the defense of the system."

"Admiral we are still on with the new ship TSA Greenleaf." The officer mentioned.

Darlana smiled to herself, waited for attention to return to her and her ship.

"TSA Greenleaf, we ask for any assistance that you can give. A group of aliens called the Covenant is trying to destroy our race. If they beat us here there will be nothing between them and Earth."

"Well then, I think I can help as my ship and all aboard are sworn to defend our home world. Just happens to be another version of it." Darlana replied.

"You are from Earth?" The Rear-Admiral asked in surprise.

"In another dimension, yes." Darlana explained. "We can talk later Admiral. Mark my ship and all our fighters/destroyers as friendly. We'll send down one of the armies we are carrying."

"How many troops make up that army?" The Rear-Admiral asked.

"1.2 million." Darlana replied.

"Thank you Greenleaf!" The Admiral replied, the relief evident in his voice.

"Not a problem." Darlana smiled grimly. "If they are trying to exterminate humanity this Covenant will have to get past my ship. I am half human myself, after all. Until later Admiral."

Closing the connection, she turned to the men. "Launch all the Ixen class fighters! Have half them form up and aid the human fleet!"

24 Ixen class Heavy Destroyers, each launching forty Heavy Interceptors, formed up. Half of the Destroyers made an in system hyperspace jump to link up with the human ships. Gwenyn Interceptors met up with what were identified by the humans as Longsword Interceptors while the Greenleaf activated their subspace jammers to prevent all in system hyper jumps.

Looking at the various readouts, Dana both complained and complimented the other ship as her fighter swept around the Greenleaf. "Seriously? These human ships don't even have energy shields, just reactive armor! Clever concept against plasma though."

Dani nodded in her own fighter while the Greenleaf advanced onto the Covenant Corvettes and Super Carrier. Massive numbers of phaser arrays spat ruby beams of destruction onto the shield protecting the first Corvette. 2500 phaser arrays, all of them merely covering the prow section of the Greenleaf, blasted through the ship though it only took 100 phaser shots to claim the Corvette. The fact that it did not have shields mildly puzzled Darlana and Legolas.

"Tactical analysis." Darlana ordered.

"It appears they have the equivalent to our Mark 3 pulse cannons." The Tactical Officer reported. "The ship has both point defenses and exchange modes. It also has plasma torpedo emitters comparable to our PAM warheads from 100 years ago. Shields are comparable with levels from 125 years ago. Tactical analysis indicates that we are at least 110 years more advanced than this Covenant."

Suddenly, the Tac officer's screen flashed. "Alert! Massive system power up on the large carrier." He reported.

"Confirmed. It appears similar to our own plasma projectors but much weaker. All tertiary weapons, take it out." Darlana ordered.

As the ship responded, a pulse phased ion turret spat a glowing blue ball of negatively charged, partially phased energy at the smaller ship around the size of a pre-TSA dragon shaped Darlana class. The bolt phased through the obviously powerful shield, struck the vessel amidships, and vaporized half of the ship. The damaged vessel glowed blue then orange as it went nova, claiming the two other escorting Corvettes.

Onboard the human Super Carrier, the crew stared in shock. "One shot! That ship took out a Super Carrier in one shot through the shields! Who are these people?" A young lieutenant half-shouted in shock.

"Possibly our saviors." The Admiral mused. "As you were Lieutenant."

The man acknowledged the order. Soon another fifty-two UNSC ships joined the fleet in system. The Greenleaf formed up with its Destroyers and the human ships. On the ground, TSA Major-General Erunanethiel Starwalker deployed her division of 300,000 infantry along with 250 Drake class atmospheric fighters to ensure air support and superiority. The General was a native of Greenwood after her family moved there before her birth. Her delicate and beautiful Elven features earned many an appraising and envious gaze from the human UNSC forces as she directed her forces. Already her troops were linking up with the humans near the orbital defense platforms' power generators. Her outer elements soon encountered this Covenant but fortunately the humans had been kind enough to provide info on the separate races of the Covenant, allowing her to formulate a battle strategy.

Small sized aliens with breathers were called Unggoy or Grunts and served mainly as cannon fodder. Their standard weapon was a small plasma pistol though a good number used a gun called a Needler; it fired razor sharp crystals at full auto rates which penetrated and resonated together before detonating, causing massive wounds.

The Kig-Yar or Jackals were a band of mercenary pirates and resembled strange bird like beings. One set used a type of energy shield that reminded Erunanethiel of the large metal shields of antiquity during the early eras of Draconia. Some carried beam sniper rifles which the General intended to acquire for study.

The Sangheili or Elites were a race of experienced combatants who focused mainly on being honorable. Well over 8 feet tall, these beings were much stronger than humans and could even match a half-Dragon in terms of raw physical power. Their troops used plasma rifles or in rare cases Needlers. Most appeared to wear red or blue armor and were Commanders for the Covenant. Those in gold or silver armor carried energy swords similar to light-sabers.

The Jiralhanae or Brutes had a gorilla look to them, were incredibly strong, and somewhat behind half-Dragons in power. Incredibly aggressive, berserk rages were very common in this race.

The final group mentioned was the Lek'golo or Hunters. These creatures were massive telepathic worm colonies wrapped in powerful, dense suits of armor. They were equipped with an impenetrable shield on one arm and a powerful plasma cannon on the other. According to the humans' information, only massed fire or heavy artillery would kill them.

General Starwalker's forces quickly repulsed several assaults by the Covenant with no casualties, making the UNSC green with envy over the TSA's advanced power armor with energy shields, deployable ablative armor, and mana shields (though those were not used yet). An Elite found itself grabbed by a Dragon in its humanoid form and snapped in half, causing the UNSC personnel nearby to gawk in surprise. The UNSC began their own counter attack against the Covenant, supported by the troops of the TSA. With the aid of the more advanced TSA the Covenant attack stalled and was driven back, in no small part due to the alien alliances' lack of air support. True Dragons caught both the Covenant and UNSC by surprise as the humans' new supernatural allies began hurling spells, from small orbs of acid, to the far more powerful meteor swarms. Faced with the varied assaults from the Draconic sorcerers, the Covenant's assault failed utterly.

Meanwhile in space, the Covenant had managed to gather some reinforcements and jumped into the system with four hundred ships. The UNSC combined with the Greenleaf and her escorts had 180 vessels all told and twenty Super MAC defense platforms. The Covenant opened up with a huge barrage of plasma torpedoes before the Super MACs could fire. The UNSC were expecting to see their ships become burning and broken wrecks in addition to losing many of their ODPs. Had the forces of the TSA never arrived such events were to be expected but the point defenses of the TSA were meant for dealing with both non-plasmatic and plasmatic missile attacks. The point defenses absorbed all the torpedoes, the plasma of the PD disruptors interfering with the magnetic containment of the torpedoes and dissipating them.

"Coordinate PAM and PIT fire with all our Destroyers and the UNSC MAC fire." Legolas ordered. The MACs of all the UNSC ODPs and starships glowed bright yellow as electromagnetic coils surged with power, each ship firing their cannons. Smaller 600 ton slugs from the Frigates in addition to the truly massive 3,000 ton slugs from the ODPs combined their firepower with the tertiary-tiered weapons on the Greenleaf and her Destroyers. Combined with PAMs, the MACs took less than 3 seconds to impact the Covenant ships, causing their shields to glow brightly as they attempted to repel the excessive kinetic force. The ODP MACs smashed through 2-3 ships, occasionally crippling a 4th. Lighter MACs smashed into other ships, lowering shields and cracking their infrastructure under the force of the slugs. All told the Covenant lost 103 ships from the MAC fire within the first few moments. PAM and ion cannon fire quickly claimed another 95 Covenant ships.

"Ahead full! Divert power to all shield sectors." Darlana ordered as her massive ship sped forward to meet the Covenant's 200+ ships. The enemy immediately began returning fire. Blue light glowed as plasma torpedoes formed on the side of the Covenant ships.

"Incoming plasma torpedo fire!" The Tac officer warned.

The Greenleaf and the ships of the TSA used missiles containing a hybrid of plasma and anti-matter warheads. As such pure plasma seemed paltry in comparison, especially since they were vulnerable to the PD batteries of the Greenleaf. The Greenleaf broke from her escorts, telling them to assist the human fleet as the Greenleaf was powerful enough to take care of itself. The 45 kilometer starship began firing its multitudes of weapons with the enemy desperately returning fire. Pulse lasers began lashing out against the forward shields of the Greenleaf who returned fire with its own phasers.

"Heading 456 mark 667, present our ventral side." Legolas ordered.

"Prow shields holding at 90%. Now taking hits to ventral shields." The Helm officer replied from her station.

"Target the flanking Cruiser analogue, all starboard phasers and disruptors as they bear." Darlana ordered.

The 32 officers manning the large tactical station, each of them giving commands to other smaller command sections and controlling the weapons on the massive ship, delivered their orders with perfect efficiency. The disruptors and phasers spat red and green bolts of particle energy and plasma at the ship which returned fire and launched torpedoes at the Greenleaf. The PD batteries of the Greenleaf easily swatted them down, seemingly in disdain of their pitiful attacks. The shields flashed into the visual spectrum as the Greenleaf's defenses absorbed more return fire. The Cruiser's shields eventually collapsed and a PAM struck it amidships, piercing its reactors and causing the ship to explode as more ships continued to batter ineffectually at the Greenleaf.

"Shield status?" Darlana asked.

"Aft 100%, dorsal 94.6%, prow 88%, ventral 90%." Helm reported. The shield sectors set to these quadrants would absorb hits from starboard and port zones if they overlapped into the respecting quadrants.

"Divert 6% to prow shields from aft." Darlana ordered as the prow was getting hammered with pulse lasers. The prow batteries retaliated, slipping an ion bolt through the shields of an enemy Battle Cruiser. Suddenly a bright purple beam slammed into the prow shields.

"Prow shields down to 27%! Plasma projector hit to that sector, shields now down to 25%. Appears to be a lucky torpedo hit." The head Tactical officer reported.

"Switch from quadrant shielding to bubble configuration." Darlana ordered. The shield would be slower to regenerate but harder to break as the strength of the 4 quadrants combined into one.

"Shield at 76.5%." Tac reported.

"Find that ship and destroy it." Legolas ordered.

"Shield is taking hits from all sectors." A Tactical officer reported. "Scanning for the ship."

"Heading 959 mark 666, present full ventral axis. Put the ship's nose over the elliptical plane." Darlana ordered.

The ship slowly began pointing its nose towards the planet's equator as Legolas turned to a Tactical officer.

"Shield status?" Legolas asked.

"Holding now at 71%." The Tactical officer replied.

"Did you find that ship yet?" Legolas asked.

"Yes sir. It was engaged and destroyed by a human ship called Pillar of Autumn using a modified MAC. Nuclear warheads, 40 isotons each. Impressive, considering nuclear weapon limits." The officer suggested.

Darlana nodded in agreement. "Lock on to the nearest enemy Heavy Carrier analogue, all batteries as they bear."

Phasers and pulse disruptors on the Greenleaf spat death at the Covenant Super Carrier, its shields already collapsed by MAC impacts allowing for the plasmatic and particle weapons to cleave into the hull, disabling and destroying the fixed weapon mounts. In comparison, the Greenleaf and all TSA ships had vulnerable turrets recessed into the hull armor, offering better protection without compromising the firing arcs of the turrets. These protected turrets continued blasting the ship in their crosshairs, piercing the weaker armor. Suddenly a human frigate stole the kill by putting a MAC round through the Super Carrier amidships. The Carrier broke in half before exploding impressively. Adding insult to injury, the Super Carrier launched a couple of plasma torpedoes that destroyed a Covenant CCS Battle Cruiser. The humans were cheering as they saw how well they were beating back the Covenant. Thus far only a few Frigates had been destroyed and most of the crew had been able to abandon ship thanks to the matter transporters on the TSA ships.

So far, with their new allies, the humans had 175 ships against 203 Covenant ships; far better odds than anything they had ever faced before. The Pillar of Autumn fired a volley of rail gun slugs at a Covenant Corvette, compromising its point defenses before firing one of their standard 3 isoton Archer missiles into its bridge, incinerating the Corvette instantly. A UNSC Heavy Destroyer paired off against a standard Covenant Cruiser, its shields flaring as it deflected both 600 ton slugs from the MACs. Rail guns spat 1 ton slugs that were timed to meet with multiple Archer missiles. About half the Archer missiles were shot down before a Shiva 40 isoton missile overwhelmed the shields. Pulse lasers cored into the thick Titanium armor plating in retaliation.

As plasma torpedo struck the Destroyer, the Captain on board quickly gave orders. "Seal off that section and eject the affected armor plating! MAC status?"

"MAC 1 is at 50%!" An officer reported. "MAC 2 is following at 42%! Rail guns returning fire, launching Archers. Sir! TSA Destroyer Wings on the Wind is coming to assist us."

"Good! Another CCS is coming at us; we need the help we can get, especially from one of those TSA ships. Hail it, that…Ixen class I think the data package said."

The ship's AI, resembling the likeness of the famous American General Patton, confirmed the Captain's assessment. "Correct. A TSA Ixen class Heavy Destroyer. Ixen being the Draconic word for fire."

"Well, seeing actual Dragons was surprising."

"Indeed sir." A nearby ensign agreed. "Captain Adras Bronzewind is acknowledging our hail, sir." The picture of a man appeared on the view screen with bronze-colored eyes and a stylized badge representing a bronze dragon on his armor.

"Captain Bronzewind I was hoping you could help us against that CCS Battle Cruiser." The Admiral requested jovially.

"That's why we're here." The Captain smiled in return. "Once we finish up this Cruiser we'll come up on your dorsal side and cover your weakened plating there."

"Thank you Captain." The Admiral acknowledged.

The TSA Wings on the Wind and the UNSC Problem Solver swept forward, the point defenses on both ships claiming boarding craft and, for the Ixen class, plasma torpedoes heading their way. 30 Longsword Interceptors joined them covered by the Wings on the Wind's fighter group of 40 Gwenyn Interceptors. Both allied fighter groups guarded the ships against boarding craft and Covenant fighters such as Seraphs and space modified Banshees. Onboard the Wings on Wind the Captain looked over a tactical report. His ship had seen the most fighting with his shields holding at 12%. Fortunately his deployable armor had taken no damage and the armor was stronger than the shields.

"How long till shield regeneration?" The Captain asked.

"4 minutes. The human ships' MACs are ready." An officer replied.

"Not enough time, that Battle Cruiser will be in weapon range in less than 2." Captain Bronzewind grimaced. "Tell the Problem Solver to fire everything, we'll do the same."

The UNSC Problem Solver honored the request, its bow glowing yellow as both MAC cannons fired, followed by the slower pulse and regular phased ion cannons of the TSA Wings on the Wind. PAMs, Archers, and even a Shiva nuclear missile were launched at the Covenant Battle Cruiser. The enemy replied with its own pulse lasers in point defense mode, ignoring the Archer missiles as the two 700 ton slugs smashed into its shields, dropping them by 75%. Archers blanketed the ship, further dropping the shields. Seconds later, rail gun slugs, pulse disruptors, and phasers slammed into them, causing them to falter and fail under the onslaught. Desperate, the ship began to take evasive action, dodging ion blasts while PAMs were frantically incinerated by the pulse lasers, but the Shiva nuke made it through and smashed into the ship, consuming it in nuclear fire. A UNSC Halycon Light Cruiser was struck with 5 plasma torpedoes and exploded, despite its famed resilience. Another human Light Destroyer was claimed by multiple pulse laser fire and a plasma torpedo. The human ODPs fired again sending 38 Covenant ships into oblivion while another 3 Ixen class disabled a Covenant Super Carrier, the flagship of the enemy fleet that was assaulting the planet Reach itself.

In the meantime, Dani and Dana were aiding the UNSC in their fighters. Dani jammed a fighter-sized PAM up a Covenant Seraphs' plasma drive. Dani swung under her twin's fighter and peppered a light interceptor Banshee with her smaller PD cannons, blowing the lightly armored and unshielded ship apart.

"Hey Dani! Want to raid that Corvette?" Dana asked her twin over the comm.

"You know it Dana. Pulse phased cannon ready, sync your alpha strike with me." Dani ordered.

"On it myvish." (1) Dana said. Both Interceptors swept forward, firing on the pulse lasers of the Corvette with her larger weapons.

"Umm Dana, is this a strafing raid or a boarding?" Dani asked.

"Strafing, you kidding? Mother and father would kill us!" Dana retorted.

"Thank Bahamut you're not insane." Dani remarked.

"You'd be too if I was." Dana replied,

"50-50."

Dana snorted at her sister's answer and fired her pulse phased ion cannons simultaneously with her twin. Both bolts smashed huge chunks out of the ship, as both had impacted just shy of the engines of the Corvette. The blasts apparently hit something vital as the ship was quickly engulfed in flames.

"Ha ha! Take that you murderous molmonsore waeth di vobit!" (2) Dani winced at her mother's howl of annoyance over the comm channel.

"Dani watch your mouth!"

Five minutes later, at the edge of the system, another slipstream rupture opened up outside the Greenleaf's jamming zone and another 300 UNSC ships arrived. At this the Covenant broke, their formation collapsing as the rest of the ships were smashed by MAC rounds. Under command of Admiral Black, the newly reformed 7th fleet opened hailing frequencies to the defending fleet.

"Sorry we're late to the party. Looks like you picked up some new friends there." Admiral Black said with a small smirk to Admiral Roland Freemont.

"Yes, I'll open the comm-channels to them again… Greenleaf that ship your forces disabled, would you mind if we sent over joint boarding parties?"

"Not at all Admiral." Darlana replied.

"Thank you Greenleaf. You have saved our system, our people, and our hopes for winning this war."

"Just doing our job." She stated. "We're from Earth so it would be poor form to let it fall."

"Perhaps we should meet face to face, can you meet us on the surface after… never mind one of your Destroyers just finished off the last bit of the Covenant army." Admiral Freemont said.

Darlana could obviously hear the smile in his voice and the cheers of the bridge crews. "Will do. Would you suggest a time?"

"Perhaps in one hour?"

"That works fine." She replied. Closing the comm-channel she turned to her men. "Recall all fighters beyond the CAP and send boarding parties to that disabled Super Carrier." Darlana ordered.

"Allow me Darlana." Legolas said with a smirk.

"You sure?" She asked him, uncertainly.

"Trust me." The Elf smiled.

"I do." Darlana said softly, her eyes still uncertain.

"Hey it's me." Legolas said in an easygoing manner.

"That's what worries me." Darlana said teasingly.

'Minx, you will pay for that.' Legolas sent through the bond.

'Oh! How may I earn your forgiveness, oh mighty Elven lord?' Darlana asked sarcastically.

Legolas glowered at her before walking away.

'Are you actually mad at me?' She asked him mentally.

'Yes. Lately you have been focusing too much on other things, making yourself too busy and then too tired for anything. I wake in the night because you are working and not with me. Darlana you've done this many times over. You need to learn to delegate more. This is a Star Dreadnought; nobody incompetent can manage such a posting.'

'That's true. You're right my love.' Darlana said with a mental sigh. 'I promise I'll delegate more.'

'See you soon Darlana.' Legolas said through the bond as he walked off.

Legolas quickly joined the boarding teams in full armor. He gave orders to capture officers and to defer to the UNSC forces for information on leaders while taking the ship. The Elf prince led a team of 3 elite squadrons of 12 marines each. They transported into a corridor near a team of UNSC marines in tan armor led by a tall figure in green armor with a reflective gold faceplate. Another team of TSA marines were nearby.

"Lord Greenleaf, this is Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan 117. He's leading most of the forces here."

"Master Chief, what's the situation here?" Legolas asked.

"Lord Greenleaf, much of the ship is still under Covenant control. We have secured the airlocks and disabled the weapons on the ship. We are currently bringing in more troops to help secure the vessel. Your matter transporters are of great assistance in this regard."

"Happy to help Master Chief. Now which way would you suggest?" Legolas asked.

"This way." The officer pointed. "Be ready, the Covenant are nearby." He cautioned.

The troops marched forwards and spotted a group of the shield bearing Jackals. The Master Chief threw a grenade which killed half of them, the shrapnel ripping them apart. Legolas took down four more with headshots from his plasma rifle. The rest of the UNSC troops took out the two remaining Jackals. As the group proceeded onwards they discovered most of the Covenant was being overpowered by the UNSC and TSA forces. With the TSA's ability to transport troops anywhere within the ship, the Covenant's forces were spread thin trying to defend as much of the Super Carrier as possible and were being overrun. Turning a corner, Legolas activated one of his two light-sabers and cut through the blast doors surrounding the bridge. Inside were at least 50 Covenant troops with one in gold armor and a two pronged energy sword facing the doors. Seeing Legolas as the leader of the group he roared a challenge.

"Stop! I'll handle this." He ordered his men sharply before turning to the challenger with a gleam in his eye. "Now as for the rest of your forces…" Legolas said opening his free hand "Zexenuma." (3)

Invoking Bahamut's power, the force of the god's might rushed over the Covenant forces, freezing them where they stood.

"Just to make sure your forces cannot interfere." Legolas smiled grimly. "Now face me!" He ordered, bringing his other blade up and activated it. The gold-armored leader rushed forward with a cry but Legolas parried the blow easily as the creature warbled in surprise. Legolas grinned and launched forwards spinning both blades around. The first blow from the Elf lord's right blade was parried but he quickly countered with the same blade knocked the enemy's weapon aside. The first blow from Legolas' left blade brought down the shields surrounding the soldier, severing its hand a moment later.

"Elves are much stronger and faster than humans." Legolas said to the disabled leader with a grin as it was subdued by the UNSC forces to be taken for questioning.

Turning, the Elf left the bridge and made his way back to the Greenleaf. Making a call, he asked the UNSC leaders to meet him and his family on the surface as soon as they could. An hour later, the Greenleaf family members were down on the surface with Admirals Roland Freemont, Michael Stanforth, Vice Admiral Danforth Whitcomb, and diplomat Dr. Franklin Harrison.

"Admirals, I am Legolas Greenleaf." The Elf stated before gesturing to Darlana. "My wife Darlana and our 16 year old twins Dani and Dana. Our eldest son Oropher is not onboard our ship."

"A pleasure." Admiral Freemont stated, shaking their hands. "What is the TSA if you don't mind my asking?"

"Not at all." Darlana said. "The TSA or Terran Star Alliance is an alliance of the realms of our Earth, the Dragon realms of Draconia which I am from, the Elven realms of Greenwood which Legolas and his family come from, as well as the Elven kingdoms of Lothlorien and Imladris. The Dwarven realms of Erebor and the Iron Hills are included in the alliance as well as the human realms of Gondor, and Rohan. It was signed 500 years ago by our calendars." Darlana explained.

"How much Dragon blood do you have? So far we have seen only full Dragons." One of the men asked.

"I am a little more than half-Dragon, though I am much stronger than humans not including all the magical changes I have put myself through." Darlana explained.

"Ah, perhaps a mutual exchange of histories would be in order?" Dr. Franklin suggested.

"That would be best to help understand one another's ways and laws." Legolas agreed.

"Perhaps we should retire for the night and return to the discussion table tomorrow; it has been a long day." Darlana suggested.

Everyone nodded as Dani and Dana were stifling yawns having been fighting for over 5 hours hunting down and mopping up enemy fighters. Returning to the ship, Darlana entered her chambers with Legolas. Legolas went to take a shower leaving Darlana to change her clothes.

Mature content begins

Deciding to give Legolas a nice surprise, Darlana slipped on her slave outfit. She smirked slightly as she recalled she had once hated this outfit. Now she actually enjoyed being in it and the reaction it caused in her lover, using it as a bribe to get Legolas to do what she wanted in many cases. Legolas walked out in a towel and stopped at the sight of Darlana.

"Oh! Well I am grateful I did not need to ask." He smiled.

"Yes my love. I enjoy doing this now as I have for quite some time, though you'll have to be REALLY good if you want me to call you master for another time." Darlana said playfully.

"Well I look forward to that time." Legolas said grinning.

"The two days in Jabba's palace was not enough for you?" Darlana inquired.

"No, that was just acting, something I had to do. I would like it if you were willing to call me master of your own will."

"We'll see." Darlana replied evenly. "Now sit down and watch. You can look but if you try to touch or physically stop me at all before I say, you'll need another shower, a cold one this time." Darlana threatened playfully.

Legolas nodded.

"Besides," Darlana continued with a glint of warning in her tone, "when I do decide to grant you such an opportunity just remember what I am capable of before you get too frisky with your 'slave girl.'"

Legolas nodded at Darlana as she walked in front of Legolas but out of reach.

Darlana started a similar routine to what she had used before, putting her hands on her hips and swaying them gently from side to side. She then rotated her pelvis in the air, the skirts swaying in time with her movements. Darlana started moving her chest as she danced, then crossed her wrists over her head before continuing to sway only her hips. Darlana spun around and undid her bra clasp before turning back and acting as if she was going to let it fall off. But all she exposed was a slight bit of skin before putting it back.

Legolas groaned quietly in frustration.

'I love the sight of your beautiful body Darlana.' Legolas said through their soul bond.

Darlana smiled as she continued her sensual dance, swaying her hips. The skirts swayed in time with her movements as she stepped gracefully forwards and leaned down letting Legolas glimpse her cleavage. She shook her chest a bit with a saucy smile, making her breasts bounce.

Legolas' eyes were somewhat wider than usual.

"I said I had to learn this sort of thing to infiltrate the Drow's noble houses." She murmured to him. "I just didn't say how well I learned." She smiled. "Besides it's amazing how different one can look with a skin change." Darlana suggested as her skin color change from gold to red, her eyes becoming a gleaming yellow while her cranial ridges shrank a bit. Eyeing her new features, Legolas admitted to himself that if he hadn't known her so closely he would have sworn it was a completely different woman.

"Besides, those who saw anything of note are long dead." She stated coolly. "It was necessary for me to do it. I was powerful enough and skillful enough to go against any matron and end them."

Deciding she could not put it off any longer she chose to end the dance early, removing her top and walking towards the bed with her husband sitting on it.

'I need you Legolas.' Darlana said through the bond.

'I knew you would be unable to wait.' Legolas said with a mental smile as he got off the bed and began kissing Darlana. After a moment he pushed her onto the bed and pinned her before kissing her again. He spirit soared, knowing her soul and heart only beat for him and his did for hers. Shadows bound Darlana to the bed and blindfolded her while Legolas continued kissing her. One of his hands snaked up, cupping her breast. A squeeze brought out a muffled moan as Legolas massaged it lovingly. The bond was an amazing connection; he knew almost instinctively how to make Darlana writhe and cry out in pleasure. Legolas pulled off the skirts and rubbed Darlana's nub with a thumb, making her whine in pleasure.

"Legolas! Please!" Darlana moaned before crying out in pleasure as he entered her. Darlana began crying out encouragements to her husband, slipping into her native Draconic in her mindless passion. Darlana and Legolas finally collapsed together after making love 4 times that night.

Bonus lemon scene (Aurix and Bloom)

Aurix grinned at his wife as she proclaimed: "Well, oh mighty Dragon, if you want me, come and claim me!" Bloom spun and fled through the apartments. With a joyful roar Aurix took off after her. Bloom rolled under Aurix's leg, forcing the huge Dragon to turn and chase after her again.

"Come on Aurix! You can do better than that-EEK." The yelp was from Aurix's claw shredding Bloom's T-shirt, though his claws did not harm her due to the considerable protections Bloom had cast upon herself and the rituals she had undergone. The T-shirt tore free, leaving Bloom in her black bra and panties.

"Come on you over grown lizard! Catch me!" Bloom called as she dove under a table and rolling to her feet. Aurix grinned, exposing teeth much larger than his wife's body before he sent out ribbons of shadow at his wife. Bloom ducked one having sensed it coming. The second ribbon that she tried jumping over but the dexterous shadow wrapped around her mouth instead of her eyes.

"Gotcha!" Aurix cried in triumph as another shadow wrapped around her but Bloom slipped free at the cost of her sports bra as she ran towards the treasure room. Another failed dodge caused her wrists to be pulled and bound behind her by another strand of shadow before she succeeded in passing into the treasure room. This room was surrounded by some of the most powerful defenses ever conceived and was second only to the powerful wards around Bloom and Aurix's chambers. These wards had the power to hold back the full combined power of the TSA Darkwielder, TSA Lasgalen, and the TSA Greenleaf before they would break after some time.

Inside the treasure room were gems as well as stacks of gold and platinum that were taller than Aurix, making them the perfect hiding place for the redhead as the goal of this game was to avoid Aurix catching her as long as possible. At this point Bloom was rather vulnerable considering her breasts were exposed, her arms were bound, and she was gagged by magic. Bloom skirted around a pile of gold as tall as the great Dragon before climbing it. Bloom hissed uncomfortably at the feel of the cold metal on her bare skin. A moment later Aurix entered the room, his gold eyes flicking back and forth in search of his wife. Bloom watched as Aurix searched around before a pair of human arms suddenly wrapped around her waist.

"Gotcha!" Aurix exclaimed at Bloom's squeak of surprise. "Illusions are nice, aren't they?" He asked in a vaguely rhetorical tone as Bloom whined in playful protest. A ribbon of shadow wrapped over Bloom's eyes as she tried to escape. The ritually-enhanced woman strained with all her strength but Aurix's physical might outclassed hers by orders of magnitude. The Dragon effortlessly threw Bloom over his shoulder, carrying her to the bedroom as she squirmed, trying to free herself.

"Hmm…It seems I need to tame you first." Aurix muttered as he walked to a chair. Sitting in it, he noted she kept her legs closed.

"Open them love." Aurix ordered softly.

Bloom shook her head making protesting noises.

"I can force you to open them quite easily." He stated darkly, his voice deep and threatening. "Now open your legs."

Bloom let out a muffled sigh before opening her legs, but ground her shapely butt into Aurix eliciting a possessive growl. Aurix's hand followed the fabric of Bloom's panties while his other hand gently caressed her side. Feeling the soft toned skin, his hand moved upward before enclosing around a perfect pale orb. Bloom moaned as Aurix massaged her breast, his fingers gently brushing her hard nipple as his other hand found the wet spot on Bloom's panties. Rubbing his fingers against the flesh underneath, Bloom's moans and struggles were more pleasure than playful protest at this point. Aurix kept teasing her before deciding to be a bit wicked and added a minor vibration spell to his hand as he rubbed Bloom. She moaned louder in response before crying out as the pleasure hit her limit and she climaxed. Aurix picked up his limp wife and teleported to the bed before he threw her onto it. After removing the last of her clothes, Aurix altered the bindings so his wife was spread eagled on it.

"I hope you enjoyed that Bloom because now I am going to give you the sweetest torture that you have ever had." Aurix warned her.

"Do you remember that time in Rohan?" He asked. "When I told you that when I decided how and when you wouldn't know what I was planning? When I told you that you were going to beg me for mercy and I would not grant it?"

Here it is." Aurix stated before returning to what he was doing earlier. Bloom whined again as the pleasure built up once more. Aurix kept Bloom teased to the very edge, causing her to whine loudly in pleasure. The moment Bloom was about to enter into ecstasy Aurix hit her with a mild frost hex to cool her down. The frustrated woman cried out a muffled protest but her cries fell on deaf ears as Aurix teased Bloom to the edge 5 times, each time casting a frost spell to cool her down before he stopped.

"How badly do you want me?" Aurix asked teasingly, breathing in the divine scent of his heavily excited wife. Bloom bucked frantically towards Aurix in answer. Fortunately, regardless of how much he enjoyed teasing Bloom, the Dragon could not wait any longer. Aruix removed his clothing with magic before he entered his wife, their bond magically preventing Aurix from crushing every bone in her body with his much greater strength. Bloom cried out in pleasure as Aurix took her, the ribbon around her mouth fading with a flick of his will.

"Call my name." He managed to grind out through gritted teeth.

"Oh Aurix! Itovir! Sia itov, kwi! Itovir, petranas, itov, tonnilt, kwi axun, tonnilt, temepilt. Axun! KWI…AURIX!" (4) Bloom cried out in Draconic in her passion.

Aurix took her through the heights of pleasure for the entire night and much of the next day. Finally, Aurix collapsed next to his wife, the ribbon of shadow around her mouth fading again.

"How was that?" He asked.

Bloom groaned and snuggled into Aurix as her answer. The Dragon Emperor laughed quietly as he fell asleep with Bloom in his arms.

_Mature content ends_

A/N: Well, 6.7k words, not bad eh? Next up is Alpha Halo, installation 04 ;). Stay tuned and please for the love of the gods… REVIEW! Make me feel appreciated! Aurix is in character, this is the way a Dragon will 'play' with their mate, establishing their dominance and power (in a loving manner).

Translations:

Note: Vobit can be used in two contexts, to mean crap (usually used by younger Dragon bloods) or shit for teenager and elder ones.

1) Draconic: Sister

2) Draconic: Sad sacks of shit

3) Draconic: Stay (Legolas is casting the spell Hold Person)

4) Mature content section: lover! my love, oh! Lover, please, love, harder, oh yes, harder, faster. yes! oh…AURIX