"General Pallonis. I want my men to lead the attack. This is our world, and we should be a part in fighting for it." Major Leonard Ross said sternly. He inputted some information into the holographic table. "I've scraped together a regiment of tanks, and whatever meagre air support I've been able to call in from across the planet. Whatever happens today, the men of New Ghent will be part of it."
"The remaining civilians from the city have all been evacuated, and your forces in what cities remain are more than capable of holding them. But my men -need- to be a part of this. We can't sit back and watch as you save our world for us." He pointed at the new formation he'd put on the map. "If I call up whatever UNSC marine forces survive, and form them up with local UNSC army units, then I'll be able to field two-thousand men. As well as an armored regiment's worth of material."
Pallonis was taken aback at how aggressive the Major was about this, but also couldn't help but smile at it. There was fire in these humans. A real fighting spirit.
"I won't deny you the chance to fight for your homeworld. But lets first see what we know of Covenant troop dispositions." Pallonis said, turning the view to the camera drones flying high above the battle, mapping out Covenant positions.
The Covenant Battlecruiser and its gravity lift was the center of the formation, with defensive circles drawn around said battlecruiser. First was eight large Covenant bases, each defended with energy shields, and surrounded with defensive emplacements.
These could all provide fire support to surrounding bases, and were defended against an attack from all directions. At the center of each was a massive anti-aircraft cannon, and batteries of Covenant plasma artillery. Each base would be a tough nut to crack. But due to their positioning, an attacker would have to attack two at a time, while two more were able to fire into their forces.
Then south of this, was a thinner defensive line. Also made up of those circular defensive positions. Not meant to stop an advance, but fire into advancing forces from all directions. They were mostly manned by grunts, and a handful of elites by the looks of things. Hitting them with artillery was an option.
"If ces can punch a hole in the southern Covenant line, then I can send my tank forces through to widen the gap, and take out the remaining Covenant bases of the southern line. As we do this. You'll need to attack one of the larger Covenant bases with your armor, then land your pelicans alongside a few of my shuttles for an aerial drop inside the base. While your tanks attack it from outside."
"I have five Pelican dropships, and twelve Hornets. It's not much. But if you can punch through the gap in their lines and begin harassing attacks on the closest four Covenant bases. We can use my forces as the tip of the spear on one of them. Even if my forces don't take the base, it could open an opportunity for your forces to exploit."
Pallonis ran the calculations and the odds in his head. They didn't look good. "Your men are going to get slaughtered in a frontal assault. How would you suggest we avoid that?" He noted grimly, even though he suspected the Major wouldn't be phased by it.
"So be it. But we must work together to win this. Your forces may outnumber the Covenant for now, but you're not in a situation where you can refuse assistance. But we're low on long ranged munition. If you were to assign some of your Jiris vehicles under the command of my armored regiment, we could more quickly and easily call in air support."
Pallonis didn't know what to think of that. turians commanded by humans? The idea sounded ridiculous. But these Humans had more experience in a situation like this. And it would simplify the lines of communication. It would also help build trust with the Humans, which was still in short supply.
Fighting back to back against overwhelming odds formed bonds and connections that almost nothing could break. It was a friendship forged in fire and blood, and precious in a way few other connections could be.
He'd need a compromise though, something to make it palatable for his own forces.
"I would agree, but Turian High Command would have my hide if this wasn't a mutual agreement. I can assign support units to your command, if you put your Pelicans and Hornets under my command. I'll form them up with my own forces to create a crack air-assault force." He proposed, trying to sound sincere.
The Major looked thoughtful for a moment. "That's acceptable. If I were in your position, I'd be just as hesitant." The major glanced at Rickard, who'd appeared in the room. Still standing where he'd stood before. Exact same posture as before. "I'm sure HIGHCOM will agree that this was the best course of action."
"Likewise for the Hierarchy." Pallonis nodded. "So long as we get results, I am not worried about a backlash."
Shipmaster Vado'Mavamee observed the human forces forming up for their advance. He's set his troops up the best way he know to counter human forces.
A forward line manned by grunts and jackals, consisting of small fortified locations defended against an attack from all side. There were three layers of there, positioned in such a way that anyone who bypassed the first line would head directly into the next line. Where Grunts equipped with Fuel Rod cannons could provide overlapping fields of fire.
Cheap. Effective. And utterly expendable. These could provide excellent intelligence on how the enemy would advance, and hopefully deal some damage.
After this came his real defences. The new arrivals armored forces were far too fast for him to depend on a static defence. So instead he'd deployed half his forces forces in eight fortified locations that encircled the base camp at the gravity lift. Each of which could use its long-ranged weaponry to assist the four closest bases, while the normal weaponry could hit the two closest ones. Each of these had a potent shield-generator at the center, which would nullify the enemy's love of massive aerial-attacks, and which could be selectively lowered to allow his anti-air to fire back. At least so long as the shields held.
The final base was formed around the gravity lift. It contained every piece of material he hadn't been able to set up at any of the other bases, and the majority of his forces as a strategic reserve. This wouldn't hold in the long run, but it would for long enough.
He'd also finally received word of reinforcements. Of a sort. The Ministry of Discovery had dispatched a DAV-class light corvette to evacuate both him, his Sangheili, and his ship's computer logs. The rest of the Ministry's ships were in far flung corners of the Covenant Empire, mapping new slipspace routes and expanding territory.
Vado'Mavamee would ask the Minister of Discovery just what was actually going on at the frontier. This was nothing like what the Ministry of Resolution was saying. For the first time since he heard of the war with the humans, he doubted just what they were fighting. If a group as martial and fierce as these outsiders sided with the Humans, then what were the humans really? How could a race like the outsiders side with those obviously unclean? He had looking through all the combat footage, and he hadnt noticed a single outside run, break, or fall back. They all died on their feet.
He put the thought aside for now. He had to finish his task.
The Slipspace routes he and his fleet had managed to chart would serve the MInistry of Discovery well. So would the luminary readings, although his search parties had not managed to recover anything yet. He transferred this information to a storage device and slipped it into his armor.
Honor told him to go down with his ship. But duty told him that he had to deliver this information to his Ministry. And the Ministry of Conversion had to know his eye-witness account of this new race.
He sent a discrete message to the stealth-corvette.
"I am in possession of vital information and require retrieval. Meet me at the starboard docking bay, so the enemy can't fire directly at your ship. I need to return to High Charity to resolve matters of doctrine."
Pallonis and Gedrus had both moved outside the ONI complex, making a brief inspection of the troops there, and sharing some encouraging words with the men, all the while the two discussed their plans.
"Julian!" came a feminine scream. They both turned to look at a female Marine damn near drop her rifle and run up to a turian soldier stepping out of a cargo shuttle transporting the wounded. The turian was unharmed, but was holding a human child. The turian was quickly approached by human medics who took the child from his arms. Only for the Marine who'd yelled to push past and embrace the child, tears flowing down her face. "I thought I'd lost you." She said as she clung tightly to the child, who began crying as well.
The turian soldier awkwardly tried to sneak away from the emotional moment, only for one of the Marines to start clapping him on the shoulder. The turian froze, not knowing how to deal with the social gesture.
Pallonis saw that other marines and civilians were gathering around the mother and her child. Some were crying at the sight, while others balled their fists in barely contained anger.
"Thank you so much!" The female marine said. "I thought I'd lost him." Grabbing his hand and shaking it hard.
"Please. I'm just doing my duty." The soldier said. He sounded incredibly ill at ease while given so much attention.
The Major walked up to the turian and took his hand, shaking it. "Thank you for saving one of our children. You don't know how much it means for us to see a bit of hope. What's your name, soldier?"
"Private Gedrus. Gedrus Vallterion." The soldier said, snapping off a brief salute at the human leader. Pallonis had instructed his soldiers to show the human officers respect, but not obey their commands, unless ordered to by a turian
Pallonis approached the soldier. "You did good, soldier. I'll see you promoted for your bravery, for this. Get some food, and prepare to ship out with the next transport." He said, motioning for a group of turian soldiers gathering and preparing to ship out.
The soldier nodded and walked off.
Pallonis called up the soldiers information from the VI network running combat operations, taking a look at his prior performances and skills. The soldier's record was unremarkable, no discipline issues, no crimes on record, but neither anything truly remarkable, just a normal soldier. His combat record was excellent however, although lacking in the social graces. Pallonis would see him and his squad leader transferred to the Armiger Legion for their actions.
The Major was telling something to the woman, and there was some verbal disagreement, but he couldn't make out what they said.
"I've sent her to guard the refugees to the evacuation site." The Major said.
"She was going to join the assault?" Pallonis asked.
"Yes. But after seeing that, losing her would ruin morale. I want to keep her alive, if only as a symbol of hope." The Major said. Pallonis could hear just how tired and pained the Major was. His icy and stern exterior had cracked completely at the sight of hope.
The Major coughed and composed himself. "I don't know what's overcome me. It's just… its been so long since we had any hope.. I don't know how to deal with it." The Major laughed, and Pallonis laughed with him at the absurdity of the situation.
Gedrus finished his rations and neatly began to clean up after himself. Taking the packaging and utensils and putting them in the proper disposal bins. It had been good to eat something and have a refreshing drink.
"You're thinking about recycling -here-?!" A human marine asked him incredulously.
"Yes." He answered bluntly. Not sure what the human was going at.
"Why?" The marine asked, confused.
"Because war is not an excuse for ill discipline, human. Nothing is." He said, and continued neatly sorting his trash.
"Well. I guess if the Elites get close, you can switch to the stick up your ass as a backup weapon." The marine giggled, then walked off.
Gedrus turned to look at another turian, who just shrugged in confusion. "I don't know. I think its a compliment."
Did the human call me flexible, or disciplined? He wondered, then decided he'd ask a xenologist when he had the time.
A sergeant approached the gathered turian soldiers. "We're moving out. We're short on transport, so the Humans will be providing some commandeered civilian transport." The soldiers complied and followed the sergeant to the motor pool. The turian quartermaster began assiging people to vehicles.
"Gedrus. You go with the Marines in that Warthog." The quartermaster pointed at a large vehicle with a cage on the back that looked quite uncomfortable to ride in. It looked like the vehicles he'd seen around the base, but without a rear gun. A transport variant?
Gedrus dutifully walked up and climbed into the rear of the vehicle.
"What's your name Big Bird?" The driver asked.
"Big Bird?" Gedrus inquired. Confused at the term.
"Yeah. Your species. You look a bit like birds. Big bird people." The driver said. Gedrus thought he sounded a bit like a backwards yokel. Not a real soldier. But he this.
"Gedrus. Private Gedrus."
"Well it's a pleasure to have ya', private Gedrus." The driver said enthusiastically, then hit the pedals, and the vehicle drove off at high speed. Gedrus had never travelled in a vehicle without mass effect-based stabilisation and he immediately got thrown back and forth, much to the laughter of the marines, as the driver took a series of far too tight turns.
Gedrus joined the laughter. It felt the only right thing to do. "Your inertial stabilisation is horrible!" He said jokingly.
"Oh you think that is horrible? you should listen to our music!" The driver said, laughing hearthily, then turning on the radio. "You should listen to our mustic!"
watch?v=T2c7tZc792U
He looked at his internal HUD. It was gonna take at least an hour to get to the rally point. He screamed internally.