Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my remastered Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover. Thank you for your ongoing support for this crossover. I appreciate all the feedback that I'm geting.

Also, I will be writing an update for my Halo/Star Wars crossover either tomorrow or Wednesday. The reason why is because where I'm at, a heat wave is currently ongoing. Today, for instance, is going to be 111 degrees Fahrenheit, which is not fun at all. Once it cools down, I'll be able to write an update.

Also, my poll is going to end at the end of this week. If you haven't picked out any choices, or voted yet, please do so. I'll be starting another poll after that, but please vote on this one while it lasts.

Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in future chapters.

As always, leave a review and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.

MechWarrior 5: Heroes of The Inner Sphere OST – Annihilation Must Be Swift

Earth

New Mombasa

November 21st, 2552

The interior of the tunnel, despite the damage that the section they'd entered had taken, was well light, with powerful lights illuminating the interior. Spaced at regular intervals were powerful lights that cast a white glow onto the roadway. Evidence of the war was seen here as well, as Chief spotted what looked like wrecked cars on the APC camera feed.

In the Rifleman IVb, Deckard continued to advance forwards, as per his agreement with the APC driver and Chief. Darn, this here tunnel is nearly too tiny for this here 'Mech, he thought as he continued ahead. Every time this thing takes a step, the communications system's antenna nearly scrapes the ceiling. If I need to maneuver in here, I'll have ta get creative. At least this thing can take a beating in a fight.

As the 'Mech continued to move forwards, he thought he spotted something on the sensor readouts. Looking at the RADAR display on his HUD, he spotted a clump of bright red dots up ahead. Thinking quickly, he keyed his MILCOM and said, "Daryl, we've got some Covies incoming! Make sure yer armor 'n guns are ready to rock."

"Affirmative," Daryl replied. "We'll let ya handle any vehicles up ahead. We can handle infantry just fine."

"Got it." With that, Deckard continued to move forwards, with the 'Mech rounding the bend that was up ahead. The small clump of red dots turned out to be a small Covenant position. It was mostly Grunts and Jackals, with an Elite Minor leading the entire group. Positioned in the way, however, were vehicles that had been moved to make a blockade. Time for some road clearing.

Most of the weapons that the Covenant were using here were nothing to be worried about. As such, Deckard didn't bother engaging the Covenant; what he did do, however, was use the 'Mech to clear a path for the APC. Advanced Endo Steel and Ferro Fibrous smashed against inferior civilian alloys, sending sparks flying. Most of the Covenant dodged successfully, while a few were crushed under the vehicles that were moved.

With the way cleared, Deckard advanced, allowing Daryl to follow behind. Pulse lasers and bullets zipped through the air as Daryl's partner, who manned the guns, fired on the Covenant, pumping some full of bullets, while incinerating others with the A-MPL's. It wasn't long before they had forced their way past the Covenant and were advancing down the tunnel.

"Not bad," Cortana remarked. "When this war's over, we need to design a few BattleMechs of our own. Maybe the Star League will have a treaty that allows us to buy BattleMechs."

Chief nodded. Now that he'd seen SLDF 'Mechs in action, he knew they would be a force multiplier for the UNSC. ONI would probably attempt to steal the technology, but if he knew the Inner Sphere, that wouldn't work. Purchasing the technology will be more productive, he deicded. That will allow corporations like Misriah Armory to study and reverse engineer the technology.

As Chief considered the possibility of UNSC 'Mechs, Deckard continued to advance in the 'Mech he was using. Spotting more red blips on the RADAR, he looked ahead to see a brace of Ghosts that were advancing towards his position. They were barely an annoyance, with the 'Mech's MPL's tearing them apart before they could inflict any real damage.

As he dispatched the last Ghosts, he looked ahead to see that the roadway was damaged, with some of the panels curved upwards to make an impromptu ramp. Good thing this thing's flexible, he thought as he moved the 'Mech forwards. Crouching the 'Mech, he advanced over the damaged sections before pulling the 'Mech into an upright position once more.

As soon as he did, he was promptly greeted with the sight of a Drone swarm. The chitinous creatures swarmed the 'Mech, using whatever weapons they could to get inside. "Get off me, you stupid bugs," Deckard snarled as one tried to pry open the hatch to the cockpit, to little avail. "If you don't leave, I'll use a nasty trick that I learned from some mercs that I know of!" When the Drones didn't get the message, he did what he said he would.

Contrary to popular belief, 'Mechs are not vulnerable to lightning. This is due to the fact that Advanced Ferro-Fibrous Armor, and Advanced Endo Steel, are excellent conductors of electricity. Any electricity that would normally go into a 'Mechs systems is safely diverted through the armor and into the ground, preventing damage to sensitive components.

During the Clan Offensive, many MechWarriors were annoyed by Clan Elementals leaping up on them in suits of Battle Armor to cause major damage to their 'Mechs. As such, many began looking for creative solutions for this problem. One such solution was to divert some of the electricity the Fusion Engine created into the armor itself, which caused major electrical disruption to anything touching the 'Mech. For someone that wasn't protected, the experience was akin to being severely, if not fatally, electrocuted.

What Deckard did was exactly that. Using his neurohelmet, he ordered the 'Mech's DNI to connect the normally inactive grounding system to the Fusion Engine. Once it did so, he had the DNI shunt some of the electricity generated into the armor.

The effect was almost immediate. Drones that had been touching the 'Mech promptly found themselves feeling the intense pain that came from having half an amp of electricity and thousands of volts coursing through their veins. The Drones touching the 'Mech were immediately killed, their exoskeletons cracking open as muscles powerfully, and uncontrollably, clenched and spasmed. Those nearby watched their comrades suffer this gruesome, and painful, death.

With the offending problem removed, Deckard disengaged the grounding system, allowing the 'Mech to continue normally. Before the Drones could move in to capitalize on this, bullets and pulse lasers tore through the air, with the APC behind the 'Mech quickly engaging the Drones. "Hang on," Daryl warned Chief and the others.

Just as he did, the APC flew into the air, courtesy of the impromptu ramp. There was a brief moment of weightlessness before the APC slammed into the roadway again, sparks flying from the undercarriage as the driver maintained control. At the same time, the gunner killed the last Drones. "Whew, Deckard," Daryl remarked. "Smells worse 'n my dog when she farts!"

"Had to fry them mosquitoes with electrified armor. Cooked them nice 'n pretty. They won't be a bother anymore."

"Hear ya on that. Mind if we keep moving?"

"Nah." With their dialogue finished, they kept advancing forwards.

As they did so, they came to a large, open area, likely where the two highways on either side could be accessed. Part of the ceiling here had collapsed, with a large, polycrete ramp leading down into the interior. Covenant positions were present here as well.

As they moved in, Deckard watched as a Warthog zoomed inside, it's engine roaring loudly. Suddenly, a cyan-green beam of plasma cut through the air, tearing the Warthog apart and sending the burning wreckage flying. "Ah, shit!" Daryl groaned. "The Covenant got themselves a Scarab!"

"Fuck," Deckard growled. "Them Covie bastards are turnin' up the heat! Let's get a move on!"

"Don't tell me twice!" Spotting the barricade up ahead, Deckard smashed through it, tearing apart the barricade with Daryl driving the APC closely behind him.

Looking up ahead, he spotted another Covenant vehicle, but he didn't recognize the design. Cortana did, as she said, "Covenant T-29 Shadows! The Covenant's trying to regroup. Don't let them!"

"I got this!" Deckard agreed. Moving the throttle to maximum, he fired his Autocannons and Pulse Lasers at the Shadows, blasting three of the four into scrap metal and debris. Catching up to the last one, he cored that one with a well aimed shot to the cockpit, putting the enemy vehicle out of action for good. "That was close. If the Covenant got to regroup… Nah, never mind. Let's just get to the darn exit."

With that, they continued to advance forwards, blowing past another Covenant barricade. Looking up, Dekcard spotted the exit to the tunnel. Gunning the throttle, he and Daryl quickly scaled the ramp and exited.

The tunnel exited to the foot of what appeared to be a large suspension bridge, with the bridge leading into the inner portions of the city, where the skyscrapers and other buildings were located at. More wrecked vehicles were present, and Dekcard spotted the Scarab that had fired earlier. While it looked undamaged, he spotted what looked like a trail of smoke coming from it's right hind leg.

He was about to advance when he got a MILCOM burst, a text message. After a few moments of reading, he said, "Daryl, this is yer stop. There's too much resistance up ahead for the APC to handle."

"Got it," Daryl replied. "Chief, Cortana, Marines, this here is our destination. Get yer asses out there and kick the Covie's asses!" Moments later, he opened up the rear hatch, allowing Chief and the others to get out.

Walking out, Chief advanced past a Marine and to another one up ahead. Turning to face him, she pointed at the Scarab and said, "It blew right through us! Fifty cal, rockets… didn't do a thing. The only thing that worked was a Support Small Laser we had, and it didn't do much."

As she said this, Chief heard a familiar sound. Looking up, he watched as a Pelican came in, carrying what appeared to be a Scorpion. Almost immediately, he knew it had been modified, as the main gun looked completely different to what was normal for a Scorpion. The armor also looked different, and he thought he spotted what looked like heat sink vents.

Moments later, the Pelican descended to the ground, before letting the tank drop onto the ground. A second later, a familiar face jumped out of the Troop Bay and advanced forwards. Spotting one of the Marines, Johnson asked, "Where's the rest of your platoon?"

"Wasted, Sarge," she replied.

Another Marine who was there said, "And we will be too, if we don't get the hell out of here!" He was about to get onboard when Johnson stopped him, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

"You hit, Marine?" he asked.

"N-no, sir."

"Then listen up! When I joined the Corps, we didn't have any fancy-shmancy tanks. We had sticks! Two sticks, and a rock, for the whole platoon – and we had to share the rock! On top of that, this here is sixty tonnes of straight-up, HEAT spewing badassery! Buck up, boy! You're lucky to be a Marine!"

"What about the Scarab, sir?"

"We've all run the simulations. They're tough, but they ain't invincible." Sticking a cigar into his mouth, he said, "Stick with the Master Chief. He'll know what to do."

"Yes, sir," the Marine nodded.

"Thanks for the tank," Cortana added. "He never gets me anything."

As he primed the MG in the Pelican's Troop Bay, Johnson smiled. "Oh, I know what the ladies like."

As the Pelican with Johnson onboard left, Chief heard Deckard snickering over the COM. "Apparently, ladies like superior firepower," he snickered. "We've got that in spades, what with yer tank and my pretty lady of a 'Mech. We've got this in the bag." Chief nodded, even as he got inside of the Scorpion.

As soon as he got in, he linked his neural implants to the tank's systems. As soon as he did so, he heard a voice say, "Reactor: Online. Sensors: Online. Weapons: Online… All Systems: Nominal." Moments later, a video feed of the exterior appeared on his HUD, allowing him to see outside.

"Huh, interesting," Cortana remarked.

"What," he asked.

"Looks like the SLDF's techs gave the Scorpion the red carpet treatment. We've got an XL Fusion Engine in the rear, Advanced Ferro-Fibrous armor, as well as a… oh, that's nice."

"What?"

"They gave this thing a one hundred millimeter, Federated Autoloader/10-B Autocannon. That's a top-of-the-line AC/10, Chief. You won't find anything better in the same category anywhere else."

"In other words?"

"In other words, you barbarian, this tank will destroy any Covenant vehicles that get in the way. On top of that, they mounted a Small Pulse Laser in lieu of the standard MG, and another one where the coaxial turret used to be."

While Chief was outwardly neutral, he was impressed by what the SLDF had done to the Scorpion design. They've improved upon a venerable design. Let's see how it performs in the field. With that in mind, he waited for the other Marines to clamber onto the track covers before gunning the throttle.

Unlike the older Scorpion models, which had a very loud ICE, the one Chief was in was very silent, with only a quiet humming indicating that the Fusion Engine was handling the load. The tank was also much faster, as it quickly accelerated, taking much less time to reach it's new top speed, which was slightly faster than the older models.

It wasn't long before the Covenant forces decided to test the new MBT's firepower and durability. Looking ahead, Chief spotted a pair of Ghosts coming towards them, then another pair, making it four of the small vehicles. Taking aim, Chief fired off the AC/10.

The difference between the older M512 and newer FA/10-B Autocannons was practically night and day. There was a loud KRA-THOOM as the new autocannon fired, sending a 100mm HEAP shell flying through the air at high speed. The first Ghost was promptly shredded by the HEAT shell, while the second one, caught in the blast radius, was hurled to the side, it's driver dead.

That left the other Ghosts, which were closing in on their position. Aiming the turret, Chief fired the SPL mounted in the coaxial turret, while a Marine in the pintle mount fired at the other. Both Ghosts were quickly neutralized, with one exploding as it's power supply was compromised.

With the two Ghosts neutralized, Chief continued ahead, with the tracks of the tank silently working as they advanced forward. Eventually, he spotted what looked like a Wraith on the bridge, with the vehicle located squarely in the middle. "Is that tank in range?" he asked Cortana.

"Definitely," Cortana replied. With that in mind, Chief took aim with the main cannon. Once the Wraith was in his targeting reticule, he immediately depressed the firing stud.

Again, the cannon roared as it sent another 100mm shell down range, the shell flying fast enough that Chief saw it only as a yellow-white blur. In a handful of milliseconds, the shell smacked into the Wraith's armored hull. Against a HEAT shell fired from a tank that was now capable of taking on 'Mechs and heavy Combat Vehicles, the Wraith's armor stood little chance. The crew compartment was compromised by the shell, with the superplastic jet of metal piercing the power plant.

On the other side of the engagement, Chief watched as the Wraith detonated, the explosion tearing apart a slew of wrecked vehicles within a twenty meter radius. As the Scorpion drove closer, he could tell that the explosion had been powerful enough that the Wraith had been bisected. After making that tactical note, he continued forwards, the Fusion Engine quietly humming all the while.

As they drove along, Chief spotted a pair of Banshees that were approaching their position, along with a pair of Phantoms. Deckard immediately targeted them, each of his 'Mech's A-AC/5's firing cluster munitions at the offending vehicles. Both Banshees tried to dodge, bu the superior targeting/tracking system on the 'Mech made sure that Deckard's shots were on target.

That left the Phantoms, also began to be subjected to heavy firepower. High velocity HEAT shells hammered the chassis' of each Phantom, with one exploding after four shells tore through it's power plant. The other one escaped alive, but not before dropping the Wraith it was transporting. "I've got 'em, Chief," Deckard beamed. "If any more buzzards come around, I'll blast 'em to pieces."

"Thank you," Chief replied before continuing on. Now, they were driving down the incline, as the bridge arched upwards over the water. As he drove onward, he spotted more incoming Ghosts, as well as what he thought were Wraiths up ahead. "I've got 'em," Deckard shouted, firing HEAT shells at the incoming vehicles. "I'll handle the Ghosts, you take on the Wraiths. Any buzzards come around, I'll handle 'em too."

With their responsibilities clearly defined, both men went to work. Gunning the throttle, Chief drove down the incline and began firing on the Wraith in the area ahead. The first shell missed, but blasted a Ghost that was coming at them. The second shell hit the target dead on, blasting the Wraith into dozens of pieces.

With that, they arrived at the other side. A checkpoint was present, though the Covenant had destroyed it once they'd arrived. Up ahead were two tunnels, with one being closed, while the other as open. "That's quite a welcoming party," Cortana remarked. "Deckard, incoming Banshees!"

"I see 'em," was the reply. Four cannon blasts rang out, then, "All Banshees neutralized. Push up!"

With that, they drove into the tunnel ahead. The tank continued to rumble as it proceeded inside, with the vehicle rounding a right hand bend up ahead. As they did so, Chief frowned: there was a large barricade that was in the way, preventing him from taking the tank any further. "Everyone off," he ordered. "This is our stop."

"Got it," the others replied.

Dismounting, Chief was about to head towards the barricade when a Marine tossed him a shotgun. "It's tight quarters in the back, Chief. Use this." Nodding, he proceeded inside.

The area up ahead certainly was tight quarters. Debris was scattered everywhere, creating a lot of cover, as well as hiding places for both friend and foe. In addition, the area was poorly lit, forcing Chief to use his night vision in order to see in the dark. Marines that were present did the same.

What had Chief worried was that it was too quiet. We're walking into an ambush, he thought as he made sure the shotgun was ready. Just as he did that, all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, gunfire erupted as a squad of Grunts and Sangheili Majors appeared from behind cover, firing their weaponry at the Marines. Three Marines were cut down before the others scrambled into cover, with Chief and the others retaliating. Chief felt the shotgun in his hands as he fired, blowing the chest of an Elite wide open.

Moving up, he was forced to duck into cover when Jackal Snipers began firing at him. "Snipers," he reported. "Neutralize them."

"Got it," a Marine shouted. Moments later, two loud gunshots rang out, with both Jackals falling over dead. "You're clear! Move up!"

With the Sniper threat neutralized, the Marines and Chief were able to move up. Covenant forces fired on their position, but the Marines were more aggressive than anticipated. It wasn't long before a number of Covenant personnel had been killed.

Moving up, Chief spotted an Elite Zealot that was in the area. He was about to shoot when an Energy Sword erupted out of the Elite's chest. Moments later, the Zealot's corpse was dropped to the ground as another Sangheili appeared out of thin air. "Hold your fire, Demon," the Sangheili asked Chief. "It's me: 'Qualomee."

"What are you doing here?" Chief asked. Looking at 'Qualomee's armor, he could tell that it wasn't Covenant make.

'Qualomee's answer explained everything. "I was sent here by Xhov to assist your efforts. When the Covenant invaded, I pretended to have recently escaped. The Zealot handed me a weapon and asked me to help him.

"As for why I am a warrior once more, Alex Conners saw fit to promote me to the Warrior Caste of his Clan. The armor I wear is the finest make that the SLDF has provided me. Now, what do you need of me?"

"We're moving towards the Carrier in order to board it. Can you help us?"

"Yes. It will be done." As they moved out 'Qualomee remembered something and said, "Demon, be careful. There are more Covenant up ahead." Nodding at that, Chief and the others proceeded forwards.

The way out was a sewage tunnel that had been opened for maintenance. Proceeding through, they found themselves entering a large park. The park was large, enough to hold a pair of Leopard DropShips with some room to spare. Concrete platforms were present in the middle, with ramps providing access. Over their heads was a large, ampitheater dome that partially covered the park itself. Water was present in the park, with elegant water fountains showcasing the beauty of the place.

The Covenant had gotten here as well, as Chief spotted Jackals on the platforms, as well as Elites and Grunts. Moving forwards, he dropped down an incline, landing on the ground before proceeding forwards. As he did so, he heard a vehicle moving towards him, with a Gauss Warthog stopping near him moments later. "Good to see you, Chief," Sergeant Stacker beamed. "Managed to hitch a ride here on a Pelican."

"What's the status of the sector?" Chief asked.

"Covenant picked a really bad place to invade," Stacker replied. "We're driving them out of the city and back towards the carrier. I've also gotten word that the SLDF destroyed the invading fleet. All we've got to do is eliminate the enemy ground forces and take the carrier. Once we do that, Earth is safe again.

"As for here, we're still fighting the Covenant. Speaking of which, I could use you on the gun, Chief. Your alien partner'll have to sit shotgun."

"Understood." With that, Chief manned the Gauss turret, while 'Qualomee got into the passenger seat. Once they were all inside, Stacker gunned the engine.

Instead of driving out of the park, he drove around the concrete platforms in a loop, allowing Chief and 'Qualomee to target the Covenant in the area. Again, Chief noted that the SLDF had given the Gauss Warthog the red carpet treatment, as it was moving fast and quietly. The Gauss turret was also quite powerful, with each shot blasting apart an enemy. One Elite was unlucky enough to be in the way, with the alien exploding as the ferrous slug tore through it's body.

With all hostiles eliminated in that section of the park, they advanced to the next area. The next area was a smaller section of the park, with a couple pools of water, as well as water walls and fountains. Ghosts were present, and a Wraith was guarding the exit tunnel. "Here we go," Stacker shouted as as they drove inside.

Fortunately, they weren't alone. In that moment, a small hovercraft vehicle zoomed over the walls of the park and landed inside. Pulse lasers cut into the Ghosts, allowing Chief to engage the Wraith. As the Gauss turret wasn't designed to take on heavy vehicles, he had to hit the thing repeatedly. On top of that, the Wraith nearly scored direct hits, with each plasma shell smacking next to them. One nearly sent the Warthog flipping head over heels, with only Chief's weight keeping it on all fours.

Eventually, however, one ferrous slug tore into the Wraith, killing the crew in the compartment. "Thanks for the assist," Stacker said over the COM to the hovercraft, a Harasser if Chief recalled correctly. "Thought we were going to be killed."

"You're welcome," the Harasser pilot replied. "Command informed us that you were heading for the UNSC outpost in Sector B. My orders are to get you there. The SLDF's secured the area."

"Got it." With that, they drove through the tunnel and into the inner heart of the city. Here, one could see well kept polycrete roads, towering skyscrapers and walkways galore. Turning to the left, they approached a building that had walkways nearby. Here, Pattons as well as what appeared to be a massive tank with two gun barrels.

"Whoa," Cortana remarked. "Chief, that's a Challenger X, one of the SLDF's heaviest tanks out there. If they've sent one here, then it must be serious."

"Agreed," Chief replied as the Warthog came to a stop.

As he dismounted, a Marine came up to him. "Sir, Coporal Perez. CP's this way." As they walked inside the building and began moving up the floors, Perez informed Chief of what was happening. "The Lieutenant got hit as soon as we dropped in."

"Who's in charge now?" Cortana asked.

"Sergeant Banks. He's up top. Come on, I'll show you." With that, they reached the balcony. The balcony was a small walkway that led to a larger floor above them, with the street below plainly visible.

Two men were present. One was a spotter, while another was Sergeant Banks. Turning around, Banks' eyebrows went up and he said, "When I asked for reinforcements, I didn't think they'd send a Spartan."

"We've got trouble," his spotter told him. Looking ahead, Chief spotted the Scarab he'd seen earlier entering the area. As soon as it spotted the Challenger, it fired it's main projector cannon. Cyan-green plasma smacked into the tank, boiling off armor plating as the tank backed up. When the blast ended, Chief thought the tank had been destroyed, though the smoke present made it impossible to tell.

He got his answer when two shells blasted out of the smoke, with said smoke clearing to reveal the Challenger. The tank was badly damaged, with most of it's armor having been melted away, and components exposed to the air. Despite the damage, it was still going strong, as the vehicle began to move away.

The same couldn't be said of the Scarab. Both shells tore into the main projector on the Scarab's front, tearing into vital components. With those two blasts, the Scarab's main weapon was rendered completely inoperable. Apparently, the Scarab operators knew this, as they began to advance forwards.

"Incoming," Banks spotter shouted, with the team ducking down as the Scarab moved overhead.

"That thing's really starting to PISS ME OFF!" Banks roared. "Marines, it's time to kill us a Scarab!"

"This way," Perez shouted. "It's heading for the water canal behind the building!" Nodding, Chief followed Perez inside of the building, with the two heading up a floor. They exited the building onto a catwalk that was over the canal, with the Scarab plainly visible for all to see.

"There it is," Cortana beamed. "We've got it trapped. Chief, you have to get onboard it!"

Nodding, Chief took a running start, with the Spartan leaping off of the catwalk. Myomers installed into his armor enhanced the motion, allowing him to leap the distance to the Scarab's upper deck. The deck dented as he landed, the metal crumpling under his weight. At the same time, 'Qualomeemade the jump, with the Sangheili grunting as he landed.

As soon as they landed, they met heavy resistance. Chief's rifle roared as he fired on some Elites and Grunts, with 'Qualomee providing assistance. "They will send a pair of waves at us," 'Qualomee informed Chief as he sliced an Elite in half. "I was stationed on one of these before. That's how I know."

"Got it," Chief nodded. Just as 'Qualomee predicted, two more waves of Covenant personnel charged at them. Once they were eliminated, they moved inside.

The interior of the Scarab was fairly spacious by UNSC standards, with enough room to house a full squad of Elites. Near the front was an access hatch, as well as the controls to control the vehicle. Two Sangheili Majors were piloting the vehicle, while an Elite Ultra stood behind them.

"Be careful," Cortana told Chief. "That Elite's an Ultra, and the pilots are no pushovers either."

"I will handle the Majors," 'Qualomee told Chief. "You handle the Zealot."

"Got it." Pulling out a grenade, Chief threw it at the Ultra, forcing the alien to dodge. While he did that, 'Qualomee advanced forwards, Energy Sword drawn.

"Demon," the Ultra roared, pulling out it's own energy sword. "You will die by my hand today!" The arrogance of the Elite was clear for all to see, as it charged headlong at Chief.

Instead of doing the same, Chief smoothly slid out of the way, before grabbing the Elite's arm. Using the Elite's arm like a lever, he threw the alien into the column behind the pilots, denting the metal before smashing his armored knee into the Elite. Blood erupted out of the Ultra's mouth before Chief stabbed the alien in the head with his knife.

Hearing sounds of a struggle, he looked around the column to see 'Qualomee dispatching the last Major. Turning to Chief, he said, "I've disabled the pilots. We must disable the Scarab. The access hatch you saw earlier leads to the engines."

"Got it."

. . .

Outside, the Scarab fell apart as an explosion tore through it's internal chasiss, destroying valuable components in the process. As it fell over, Chief and 'Qualomee exited the interior, reaching the outer deck. Looking into the distance, Chief watched as the Solemn Penance deactivated it's gravity lift.

As it did so, Chief turned to see a Pelican rising behind him. "That's right, you mothers!" Johnson crowed. "RUN!"

"Not if we can help it," Miranda Keyes added as her ship flew overhead. "Extract Chief and 'Qualomee, then return to the In Amber Clad."

"Roger that," Johnson nodded.

Switching COM frequencies, Commander Keyes said, "Sir, the Prophet is bugging out! Requesting permission to engage."

"Negative, Commander," Admiral Hood replied. "I'll vector two heavies for starside intercept." Just as he said this, Miranda watched as a portal opened up ahead of the Solemn Penance.

"Ma'am," an ensign shouted, "slipspace rupture off the target's bow! Its going to jump inside the city!"

"Admiral, there's no time," Miranda countered.

"Green light! Green light to engage!" As the In Amber Clad moved forwards, Johnson's Pelican, with Chief and 'Qualomee aboard, docked to the underside.

"Punch it," Miranda ordered. "Get us in close!" With that, the engines on the In Amber Clad roared, with the frigate closing in on the carrier.

"Ma'am, without a destination solution-"

"We are not losing that ship!" With that, the In Amber Clad zoomed closer and closer. Then, just as the portal would've closed, the frigate zipped inside, close enough to the Solemn Penance to survive a slipstream space trip.

As soon as the portal closed, a colossal explosion ripped out of the ruptured area. A blast of electromagnetic energy whipped out from the area. Vehicles that weren't tied down were thrown into the air, while heavily damaged buildings collapsed. SLDF and UNSC forces that were present were forced to take cover in buildings or in their vehicles. While some personnel were lost, most survived.

With that blast, the Battle of New Mombasa ended in a total victory for the UNSC and SLDF. Soon, however, a new battle would be waged, one that would decide the fate of the Universe.