Lmk if you get the Star Wars Reference ;)
Bellicose
Commander Burnam triumphantly orders her ancilla to teleport the Confirmer and herself aboard the Bellicose for interrogation. As she dematerializes from the captured Maethrillian and materializes into the Bellicose's brig, she felt pride like none she had ever felt in her life. For the first time in her life, she was proud to be human. Given her unorthodox upbringing with her Republic Super Soldier parents being killed by Klingons and then being raised by a Vulcan foster father and human foster mother, she was ridiculed for her human habits and behaviors throughout her life.
Burnam thought to herself deeply, "When my foster father Sarek chose Spock over me for the Vulcan Academy of Sciences, it devastated me but here with the Republic, these Humans are...where I feel at home with, at home with my species that love and understand me for who I am."
"You think you have won, Human?" Spat the now conscious Confirmer as he continues in a venomous voice "We have weapon systems you can not even dream of, weapons that can clea-"
Burnam cuts him off with a stern stare and curt voice, "You done?" She then continues and angrily says, "I may not be from this universe but I have seen what your kind did to humans, the genetic experimentations, we are not your lab rats and your weapons are weak plus the fate the Senate has for you is one you would quite enjoy..."
The senior ranking Warrior Servant Promethean looked with a bored expression at her and replied with, "And what is that, Human? I am already a dead man"
Burnam smiles deviously and replies with, "Does the term Tier 7 Hunter-Gatherer ring any bells?"
The Confirmer's face is drained of all color as he utters, "No...NO... you can't! We are the rightful holders of the mantle!"
Burnam laughs and walks away as the alloy cell closes itself like liquid mercury blending in with itself. Burnam takes a glimpse back at the now solid cell, with the Republic's mastery of neural physics, all matter now bends to the will of Human scientific brilliance.
Burnam can then feel Captain Lakhmu telepathically hailing her and she accepts the call. "Burnam!" Exclaimed the captain as the crew can be heard chatting quite happily in the background. The captain then continues, "With Alpha team still looking for the Didact, I want you to help with the demilitarization efforts, resisting Warrior Servants are to be killed on sight but do NOT harm any other rates, civilians or the defeated, you know the drill."
Burnam salutes and replies with a crisp, "Yes, sir" before, she heads over to one of Bellicose's massive hangars to take a Dropship towards the Maethrillian. She thought to herself, "I want to see the view of that metal onion they call the Maethrillian from the outside with my own eyes."
Wolf Faced Planet - Last Holdout of the Defenders of Charum Hakkor
Captain Pahas looked at his crew with solemn eyes and a warworn face as they awaited the Didact's fleet and face the end of their life song. The crew of the Diligence, a First-Rate Tuned Platform that had escaped the siege of Charum Hakkor along with 40 other ships, still worked tirelessly to deny the Forerunners this final victory.
"Are the Fibril Cutters charged?" Asked Captain Pahas as he asks his partially functional ancilla. "Y-yes, Captain." Answered the damaged ancilla. A Forerunner attenuation pulse and a couple of salvos from anti-matter beams had damaged the AI mainframe and with it his ancilla's functioning as well.
The Captain then looked solemnly at what appears to be the end of his road before what looks like a small 800m long Spec-Ops Corvette Prowler materialize to his port side. He can tell that the vessel is without doubt Human due to its design aesthetics and philosophies but it is a design not registered within any known databases!
Suddenly, Captain Pahas is brought back to reality by his damaged ancilla's voice, "C-captain, the u-unknown, vessel is hailing us, sir!"
Captain Pahas then replies with, "On screen." And a familiar male Human wearing a highly advanced combat skin greeted him, "Captain, I am Commander Aloros of Alpha team and no time to explain, we are here to Capture the Didact!"
Captain Pahas looks suspiciously at the famed Commander Aloros and replies, "Commander, your ship, the Bellicose was lost with all hands on Erde almost a thousand years ago and why didn't the Republic send help sooner if it had reinforcements?"
Commander Aloros then replies with a cheeky smile, "Long story short captain, we're from another time."
Before the Captain could process this incredulous news, large slipspace portals open up 300,000kms out from the ragtag Human fleet.
The Commander then replies curtly before cutting the transmission, "The Republic Senate wants the Didact brought to justice so try not to destroy the Mantle's Approach while we're on board!"
"M12 Marabou Dropship" - Razor Class Prowler
"Commander, I still can't believe that you named this Prowler 'M12 Marabou Dropship," Exclaims Marada as she smiles and shakes her head in disagreement.
Commander Aloros smiles and confidently replies with, "Don't underestimate confusion, Marada."
Nab then laughs and places his arms around the commander and Marada's shoulders and remarks, "That is an ingenious name commander, our enemies will think that we are merely a little drop ship but then BAM! We hit them with our miniature cleansing beam!"
Before Alpha team could joke around anymore, a one hundred strong Forerunner fleet finishes emerging from within the slip space portals. The Mantle's Approach flanked by numerous Sojourner class Prime Dragoons, Fortresses, and many more Picket Cruisers all menacingly stare down the warn-worn and badly damaged Human fleet.
Commander Aloros, now in command of a ship of his own, orders his ancilla, "Cassa, engage our camouflage to that of a Forerunner Planet Breaker."
Cassa, the shipboard AI then dutifully replies with, "Yes, Commander."
The commander then commands his team to change their appearance to that of Warrior Servants much to the dismay of Alpha team and with it, the Bridge of the Prowler also changes into something reminiscent of a Planet Breaker's bridge.
With the Forerunners completely focused on the ragtag Republic fleet before them, they did not seem to notice a small "Planet Breaker" speed towards them.
Commander Aloros then orders his ancilla, "Open up a channel to the Mantle's Approach." To which Cassa happily obliges.
A Promethean adorned in a highly decorative combat skin appears on the holoscreen. He then says with a haughty voice, "Unidentified Planet Breaker, state your purpose."
Commander Aloros smirks underneath his disguise as he responds in perfect Warrior Servant Digon, "We tracked the Human Fleet to this system but our Vacuum energy reactor is badly damaged and we need immediate mechanical assistance."
The Promethean then looks off to the side as he checks the Planet Breaker's serial code clearance. Unbeknownst to him, Cassa has already inserted herself within the Mantle's Approach's mainframe, subdued the main ancilla, and has added false data to its main computer...
"It's an older code, but it checks out." Replied the Promethean Warrior Servant as he nods his head and then says, "Proceed to Hangar 4, we will pull you in via restraint fields."
Commander Aloros pilots his "Planet Breaker" to within the vicinity of Hangar 4 on the Mantle's Approach and slowly lets the restraint fields do the rest of the work. "I've traveled across universes and time but I still hate these tractor beam fields." Mused the commander as his stomach becomes unsettled by the field.
Once within the Didact's flagship, a Forerunner builder flanked with numerous armiger mechanics stroll up to the "Planet Breaker."
As Commander Aloros and Alpha team walked down the hardlight ramp and into the spacious hangar, Nab then joking telepathically says in Terran Standard, "That idiot still doesn't know!"
As the Forerunner builder pulls up his diagnostic device, Commander Aloros mentally decloaked his metaphysical carbine and pistol from behind his back. The Forerunner shakes his head and says to the approaching Commander in the Warrior Servant Digon dialect, "Your reactor definitely is broken because these readings indicate your ship has more energy than an entire universe, your lucky you haven't blown up getting here, I'm going to need to overhaul your entire ship Captain, it shouldn't take more than an hour."
He was in complete shock as Commander Aloros disengages his helmet and the Forerunner is face to face with the infamous leader of Alpha team.
Commander Aloros then deviously smiles and said, "Well, take good care of her." Before the Forerunner builder could fumble for his Z-110 pistol, Commander Aloros has already incapacitated his brain with his metaphysical pistol on coma mode, not unlike a cowboy standoff of Erde-Tyrene's past.
The other mechanics around the room stared with their mouths agape in shock as the Human raiding party then destroy the Armigers with ease like Deities smiting down their subjects.
A group of Forerunner builder mechanics attempts to rush to cover but with a wave of his hand, Kinziru has disabled their combat skins effectively locking them in place.
The Hangar is eerily silent as Cassa played a feedback loop to the security personnel tasked with preventing such a feat from happening. Being the fourth generation of trans-sentient Spec-Ops AI manufactured by New Haven Assembler Vats, she is superior to even most ancilla on large capital ships and as such has infiltrated and disabled the rest of the Forerunner ships in the fleet.
One of the builders can be heard exclaiming loudly in barely understandable Terran Standard, "You will pay for this, Humans, the Didact will upgrade his punishment towards your race!"
The builder is completely ignored by Alpha team as they make their way to the Didact's location.
Diligence - First Rate Timed Platform
Captain Pahas looked incredulously outside of his viewports and at the tactical displays as the Forerunner fleet do absolutely nothing. His damaged ancilla then makes a tactical analysis and informs her captain, "T-tactical analysis complete, c-captain, Forerunner fleet appears to have been disabled by an u-unknown Tier 0 entity!"
Captain Pahas's crew turns around to look at him in excitement and confusion and the Captain wonders out loud, "The Precursors have come to save us, by why?!"
His first officer, Commander Arua then replies with, "Sir, I don't think it is the Precursors, they didn't intervene during the earlier stages of our war and won't intervene now, perhaps it was Alpha team..."
At this revelation, the bridge crew starts mumbling with curiosity at their new fate but the Captain then orders, "Whoever it is, we will continue with our duty in denying the Forerunners this final victory, target the lead Fortress, we will go down with honor!"
The crew of the Diligence then hastily gets back to work as they prepare the ship for battle. The charged Fibril Cutter unleashes its beam of metaphysical energy towards the lead Fortress class ship and its shields instantly fail and crumble as the entire ship is engulfed in light. The light spreads to two other ships in its vicinity before dissipating into the vacuum of space.
"Forerunner ships show no sign of energy buildup or retaliation!" The first officer reported.
Mantle's Approach - Main Bridge
The Didact is furious he is locked out of his ship's systems but can hear the screams and pleas for assistance from his captains as they are picked off one by one by the rag-tag Human fleet.
"My lord Didact, our systems indicate a massive breach by what appears to be a Tier 0 trans-sentient entity!" Reports the Promethean to the Didact's right.
The Didact then growls, "Impossible, the Precursors are dormant and they have long since deactivated their Knoldedge Engines(AI)." He then looks intensely at his subordinate and says, "Get to the bottom of this, I want systems back on online and those Humans refugees exterminated, within the minute!"
The Promethean stares incredulously at his controls as he runs thousands of scenarios within his augmented mind on how to regain access. After a few attempts at rerouting power, he is finally able to gain access to the ship's security feed although he highly suspects that the entity allowed him to do so.
He cycles through the Mantle's Approach's cameras with lightning-quick reflexes and finally focuses on an altercation occurring within the engine room. As he tries to get a better view by panning the camera, the sight that befell his eyes shook him to the core and filled him with doubt.
"My lord Didact, you need to come to see this!" Exclaimed the Promethean as he kept his eyes peeled to the holoscreen.
Mantle's Approach - Engine Room 2
Commander Aloros slashed the Promethean guard his signature hardlight dagger, given to him by his mother. The blade ripped apart the Promethean's shields and as he tried to respond with his counter-attack, the commander Aloros has already rammed the dagger into the Promethean's abdomen and pulled it back out. Ichor spills out of the wound as the Promethean looks down at his stomach in shock. With a hard kick from the commander, the Promethean falls down the shaft only to be vaporized by the energy fields down below.
"Disable the engines, Nab, I don't want the Mantle's Approach moving anywhere on her own power," Ordered Commander Aloros.
With a swift and dutiful, "Happily, Commander," Nab then "disables" the last engine on the Mantle's Approach. With fast movements of his fingers on the Forerunner holo-screen, he jettisons the engine down below.
The Commander lets out a bellowing laugh as he witnesses what Nab has done. Alpha team then trudges their way through Forerunner Warrior Servant corpses and out of the engine room as Cassa had disabled the ship's main teleportation grid.
Mantle's Approach - Main Bridge
The Didact scowls as he sees what appears to be five Humans massacring his Prometheans. "Humans were always superb fighters, but this is something else, they are dressed as Humans but their prowess is much superior to anything we've seen Humanity be capable of." Remarked a Promethean.
Another Promethean then replies with, "That is the infamous Alpha team, I recognize the winged saber tooth tiger on one of the member's pauldron."
As the Didact is still deep in thought, the first Promethean scoffs and says, "Alpha team died almost a thousand years ago and they most certainly don't have Precursor tech on their side!"
His comrade then asked, "Then how do you explain Commander Aloros's signature blue hardlight dagger with the broken pommel?"
At the name Commander Aloros, a female Promethean then walks up to the trio and remarks, "Wait a minute, that dagger, I've seen it before-"
She is interrupted as five Humans materialize in front of them. She is taken back as slipspace has been disabled in the system by the unknown Tier 0 entity but Alpha team has managed to still be able to use an alternate form of FTL!
Commander Aloros spots the female and after scanning beneath her helmet he is consumed with a rage he has not felt in years. "The same face, the hair, and the combat skin, this (redacted) killed my mother!" Thought the commander.
As Commander Aloros orders his team to secure the Didact, he chases after his mortal enemy. The Promethean was fast and agile as she ran for cover, she shot beams of energy at him and peppered his shields as he closed the distance. Normally, a single binary rifle shot would be enough to break his shields and lightly damage his combat skin but alas he was wearing a combat skin powered by neural physics and his shield did not even flicker as the beams of energy ricochet off.
Finally, he tackles the Promethean and with sparks flying yanks off her helmet while he disengages his own. He is met with eyes of fear and contempt as she hisses, "What are you waiting for? Kill me now, Human, you have won!"
Commander Aloros then shouts at her, "Do you remember this phrase Promethean?" He then repeats the phrase, "These animals fight tough but not tough enough for a binary rifle."
It takes a moment for the Promethean to understand the revelation and once she remembered, she cackled, "I took every pleasure in killing her Aloros while you hid like a coward, you are NOT a Terran of the Fatherland, Human!"
Commander Aloros then punches her right in the face and resisted every urge to kill her as he then locks her armor and returns to the fight.
The Didact is fierce and dodged bolt after bolt of paralyzing metaphysical energy from Alpha team. He then throws Merodach aside like a ball after the latter tried to bum rush him. Merodach then impacts a hardlight wall and disables it but not before getting up completely unaffected.
Commander Aloros walks up to the Didact and shouts, "It's over, Didact, we have won, surrender yourself!
The Didact then looks at Commander Aloros and replies, "We have conquered your final holdout, your last-ditch attempt is futile!"
The commander smiles and then says, "So you have chosen pain!"
Commander Aloros then takes out his hardlight dagger and with the strength and speed lent to him by pure willpower and hatred, he rushes the Didact and feels pressure on his blade holding arm as his antique dagger makes contact with the Didact's left leg and cuts it cleanly off!
The Didact howls in agonizing pain and with a wave of his fingers, the Commander orders Marada to cauterize the Didact's wound and ready him for transport.
Commander Aloros then steps behind the defeated and crippled Didact and hails the Diligence.
A completely stunned Captain Pahas answers the hail as he feasts his war-weary eyes upon the defeated Commander in Chief of the Forerunner Military.
"By the Precursors, YOU, Alpha team, were the Tier 0 entity!" Said the captain.
All of Alpha team smiles and the Commander then replies, "Yes, Humanity has achieved Tier 0 status in her thousand century-long exile." The Commander then looks at Captain Pahas intensely and says, "Captain, please use this wreckage to repair your ships, and then I will send a Republic representative to escort your refugee fleet to our Forward Operating Base."
To which Captain Pahas replies with a crisp Terran salute and a smile before ending the transmission.
Commander Aloros watches as Alpha team transports the Didact back to their Prowler as he still has unfinished business to do. The Commander walks over to his mother's murderer and disengages her from her armor. As she struggled and shouted, "I know what you are doing Human and my death changes nothing, Humanity has already been defeated!"
He paid her no mind as he manhandled her to the airlock and unceremoniously threw her out. For the first time in his life, he felt free from the insatiable desire for vengeance and he wonders humorously what grade of food the fabricators aboard his ship can produce. Then with a smile, he transports himself back onto his "M12 Marabou Dropship" Prowler as well.
Diligence - First Rate Tuned Platform
The bridge is alive with conversation as the entire crew conversed about their change of fates.
An engineering officer walks up to Captain Pahas, salutes him, and reports, "Captain, repairs to our shipboard ancilla is complete and we are back at 100% functionality."
Captain Pahas returns the salute and says, "Excellent, we will wait for the Republic to lead us to their FOB(Forward Operation Base) while we guard the Mantle's Approach."
The captain is still in shock but keeps a stoic face as he thought to himself, "A single fireteam of five managed to disable one of the most important and powerful ships in the Forerunner Navy and what thousand-century long exile?"
He shakes his head and continues thinking, "Well, Alpha team sure pulled a nice one from their sleeve and just in the knick of time."
Suddenly, a massive 150kms long vessel along with her escort and space tugs materialize near the Mantle's Approach.
The bridge is alive with excitement as crew members can be heard exclaiming, "They just materialized just like Alpha team's prowler, have we really mastered another form of FTL?!"
The Diligence's now fixed ancilla's voice then cuts through the rabble and says, "Ships with unknown Republic serial codes are hailing us, sir!"
Captain Pahas responds to the hail and is faced with a Human female dressed in a combat skin unlike any he has seen before. The female introduces herself, "I am Admiral Omarosa of the 1st Republic Relief Fleet, who am I speaking with?"
Everyone looks to Captain Pahas as he clears his throat and replies, "I am Captain Pahas of the Diligence and acting Admiral of our refugee fleet, we need immediate medical support as we have many wounded."
Admiral Omarosa then nods and replies, "Medical and Engineering personnel will be sent to your fleet to aid your wounded and perform final repairs, after which you will head to these coordinates." The Admiral then sends a complicated list of coordinates which Captain Pahas instantly recognized as Forerunner territory.
He then replies with his heart full of suspicion and doubts, "Admiral, these coordinates are deep within Forerunner space, what you are asking is suicide!"
The Admiral looks at the man with compassion and says, "Captain Pahas, 80% of the Forerunner ecumene has already been dismantled." She looks at the amazed and incredulous expression on the captain before continuing, "Long live Humanity!"
Captain Pahas could not believe his ears, just yesterday the Human Republic's capital had fallen and now this unknown Admiral is telling him that the Forerunners have been defeated. Before he could reply, his first officer, Commander Arua interrupts him with a status report. "Sir, Medical and Engineering Personnel have materialized on board and are healing the sick and wounded!"
Captain Pahas nods at Commander Arua before solemnly saluting the Admiral and saying, "Long live Humanity." After which the feed is cut.
The trip through slipspace was uneventful as it took almost an hour to travel 30,000 lightyears to reach the coordinates Admiral Omarosa gave to Captain Pahas. Having expected to encounter Forerunner interdictors along the way, the Captain had his CIWS and secondary weapons charged throughout the whole journey but to his surprise, no foe interdicted the refugee fleet.
As the shipboard ancilla reported that they will be exiting slipspace in 10 seconds, the Captain looks out of the viewport in anticipation.
The sight that met his sore eyes was one that also made his jaw drop to the ground.
Star roads with Human patterns surround what appears to a moderately damaged Maethrillian and millions of Human ships buzz about with their own business and all of which are highly advanced designs unfamiliar to him.
"By the Precursors," Muttered Commander Arua as he took in the view.
Captain Pahas shook his head in amazement and said, "We did it, somehow we did it!"
Suddenly, the ancilla reports that they are being hailed and the Captain instantly replies, "On screen."
The Lord of Admirals himself appeared on the holoscreen dressed in a highly unfamiliar combat skin pattern and said with a smile, "Captain Pahas, my old friend, you were always a thorn at my side and a fiercer thorn in the Didact's side, you fought valiantly to what you thought was the end, but now I welcome you to our new FOB, offload your weary crew to the space station orbiting the Maethrillian, I am sure they could use a little R&R."
Captain Pahas is elated to see his old friend and replies, "My Lord, but how is this possible, you surrendered yourself on Charum Hakkor yesterday!"
The Lord of Admiral's face looks solemn and his expression changes to that of sadness before he continued, "It pained me to leave Charum Hakkor with 5 million of our people in exile for a different universe and I would have much rathered died in battle than surrender a clone of myself but the bigger picture is always at play, and Humanity will not and does not die with a whimper!"
Commander Arua can be heard muttering, "Amen" as he was a highly religious individual and not one to ever give up on Humanity.
Captain Pahas then says with almost tearful eyes and barely able to contain his emotion, "You have brought about an almost impossible victory and we are grateful for it, my Lord."
The Lord of Admiral's nod and with swiftness he places his right fist on his left chest before extending his right arm out in a Terran salute and saying, "Long live Humanity, Diligence."
The bridge crew of the Diligence all watching the interaction intently then salute Lord of Admirals with all the fanfare they can muster as he ends the transmission.
Maethrillian
Commander Burnam looks out the cockpit of the dropship and marvels at the technological wonder that is the Maethrillian. "No race in my home universe could've constructed something so grand and the Humans here pried it apart like an oyster with their metaphysical structures!" Burnam thought to herself.
She lands in her designated hangar and walks out of the dropship. Hundreds of Warrior Servants some of which are Prometheans stripped of their combat skin sit dejectedly in one side of the hangar. While many more Warrior Servants in constraint fields are being processed.
She walks up to a Promethean that is in the middle of removing his armor and he looks up at her and asks, "Have you come to gloat? The Didact himself will take notice of this and respond with unparalleled fur-"
Burnam interrupts him as she disabled the part of his brain that is responsible for speech and then sends him off to the rest of the defeated.
Charum Hakkor
The Librarian was just about to compose her first batch of humans with her sublimation devices when she was interrupted by Chant-to-Green, "Ma'am, we have lost contact with the Maethrillian along with 80% of the Forerunner ecumene, the rest of which report strange fleets of Humans and star roads working in unison..."