Chapter 2: Discoveries by the Imperium of Man
Solar Admiral Forge Vilintium stood aboard the bridge of the Emperor class battleship Shining Vengeance and watched his fleet from behind the ancient elaborate spires and fine construction measures of the vessel. The command bridge looked out across the long hull of his ship. It's ancient bulkheads and hulls painted in the solemn black of the honor fleet. The paint had worn in many areas through the millennia of battle the ship had been subjected to, the patches and repairs to the archaic hull and systems. The very control systems and controls of the ship long since forgotten by any other than the Techpriests.
The Solar Admiral gazed out at the battle fleet arrayed around the flagship. It was a fleet that had never before been assembled for something so simple as a research mission for the Techpriests of Mars. Three battleships, the Shining Vengeance being the flagship of the fleet, it's direct escorts the Heroic Death and the Warriors Deliverance both Retribution class vessels, slightly smaller than the flagship, but boasting a considerable armament. Along with this, each battleship boasted a four- ship escort of an Overlord class Battle cruiser and three Mars class Battle cruisers. Around the periphery of the core fleet were forty smaller ships. Ten Gothic class cruisers made a potent force with their lance batteries. Twenty Tyrant class Cruisers with long-range broadside capabilities. Coupled with ten Dictator class cruisers and their fighter wings for interception. The detection force of ten roving Dauntless light cruisers were mere scouts, relaying their findings to the main fleet.
This was an impressive fleet, more powerful than any in the system. In any engagement Battle fleet Expidious would rule the day. No enemy force would be capable of withstanding the raw firepower presented by this fleet would decimate any Chaos force or Xeno incursion into Human space. But, this fleet wasn't arrayed against any enemy force. Oh no, and that was what made Solar Admiral Vilintium so angry.
This Battle fleet had been commissioned by the Techpriests of Mars by one of their surveyor units. Almost one year ago a surveyor unit had appeared in the Jutland sector and demanded an immediate levying of troops and ships. Using their substantial powers they commissioned a grand fleet, this fleet, and a massive number of ground troops and materials. They even summoned forth a battle barge of the Adeptus Astartes, the Blood Angels Order.
But even with this awesome might of firepower, ships and men, he still hated the fact he was doing little more than babysitting a group of Techpriests. He snarled as he thought about the Adeptus Mechanious members that had taken it upon themselves to order him and his men around like lowly conscripts.
Solar Admiral Vilintium looked at the Adeptus Mechanious vessels that his armada was guarding. If he could, he would destroy the vessels out of sheer annoyance, but he couldn't. They were loyal servants of the Emperor, and they held superiority over him. He contented himself with gazing up at the massive construction that lay before his fleet.
It was a giant ring hundreds of kilometers across, large enough for his entire fleet to pass through without breaking formation. He had been awestruck by the sheer size of the structure, slowly spinning in space. Even if it was a Xeno construct it was a wonder to behold. Even more amazing was the fact that inside the ring was a completely inhabitable ecosystem, as though it were a planet. The Techpriests had not deigned to explain what this structure was, or why they were so interested in it.
But for some reason they called it 'Halo'. When Vilintium pressured them for a reason as to why they called it that, the Techpriests merely said that they had no say in the matter, then bowed their heads. Such an act meant one thing... The God-Emperor had decreed an expedition to this structure, and the title it held. Vilintium had asked no more questions after that. The God-Emperor's will be done.
Vilintium caught movement from the corner of his eye. He looked around and saw another of the Imperial Guard transports boosting towards the ring. He had found it puzzling that so many troops had been marshaled for this expedition. No conquest was involved, and surely the presence of two Space marine battle barges and five strike cruisers would be more than enough to deal with any resistance....
But the Techpriests had called for nearly one hundred regiments to be assembled. Along with an epic number of support units and equipment, more than those available to Lord Solar Macanius during his great crusade, all this for a single world.
Vilintium shook his head. He did not ask questions of the God- Emperor's divine plan. He merely did his duty as it was called for.
"Solar Admiral?" A voice called from behind him. He turned slightly and saw the twisted form of a Techpriest standing behind him. He looked more machine than man. Nearly half of his face replaced with implants, the twisted façade of his skull covered with a hood. His right arm ending in a metallic claw that bristled with probes and feelers, only his left hand remained a human hand.
"Yes Techpriest?" Vilintium said.
"We have run into.... difficulties." The Techpriest said slowly, his voice held a grating mechanical texture, much like the machines that he oversaw.
"What kind of difficulties?" Vilintium asked not turning around to face the cyborg.
"An Xeno presence has been detected on the surface of the construct."
"Your point being?" Vilintium asked.
"We require the presence of the Blood Angels on the surface, along with a larger number of troops in certain areas to sterilize the infected portions."
"And why can't you merely bombard them with viral bombs and fusion ordinance?" Vilintium asked, taking out some of the rage he felt for being forced to watch these priests.
"There is vital information in the afflicted areas and we need it intact."
"I see. Well, carry on." Vilintium said.
"Oh, I was not asking permission Solar Admiral. I was merely doing a courtesy to inform you." The priest said and left the brooding Solar Admiral.
Vilintium snarled as he watched the Space Marine Battle barges and Strike Cruisers boost towards the ring. He returned to brooding as he watched the ring spin slowly in space.
Trooper Brown was not pleased to be where he was. He had been a farmer on Yavrnis 3, tending to his animals and minding his own business for the most part. Until those damn Techpriests had come into the sector a year ago and ordered the Governors to levy troops.
Well, 'levy troops' meant 'levy him', never 'levy somebody else'. The press gangs had come and taken him along with just about every man in the town. They'd had to drag most of the men to the training barracks, no one wanted to go off and fight. Nobody wanted to be drug from their farm, trained to kill, then left on some Emperor forsaken rock for the Throne only knows how long.
But right now he was standing in a trench looking out over a grassy plain along with the rest of his company. His olive fatigues stained with mud, and his black flak jacket boasting a few sticks for camouflage. He grumbled as he shifted and his boots squelched in the mud. It had rained in the morning, starting suddenly and ending suddenly, as though a Techpriest had decreed it.
No one thought about the weather too much, they were worried about what lay at the bottom of the hull across the valley. The small, tomblike entry looked alien and strange. The last squad that had gotten anywhere near it had said that it had some strange Xeno runes on it, nothing resembling High Gothic that was for sure.
But it wasn't the strange runes or construction that had the men casting a weary eye on it, rather it was what poured out of that small tomb.
Strange creatures. They looked like giant flies from back home. Huge bulbous sacks the size of your head, and a probe sticking out the bottom of them. They looked fragile, and they were. But there were so many of them. Pouring out of the entrance with eerie regularity. They had washed over four platoons in about ten minutes before the officers ordered a retreat. Most of the men had run and thrown up a small trench line, but some watched the other platoons get over run.
It was, sickening. The creatures didn't rip apart the platoons like a Tyranid swarm would; no...they washed over the men like a flood of water. Simply covering them in their strange bodies until they stopped struggling. Then the things just swarmed back into the entrance, leaving a few of their forms clinging to every one of the soldiers.
Brown had wanted the sergeants to order the bodies torched right then and there. But he'd held his tongue. He wished he hadn't. About an hour after the things had left the bodies had started to...change. Bloating and morphing as though something had been growing inside of them. It was disturbing to watch, but the soldiers couldn't look away.
It had gone on for three more hours...before...before they started to get up. The infected soldiers had shambled at first. Uneasily and weakly, but with a few steps they acclimated and then reformed to attack the trench line. The officers had been too shocked to say anything. But the living Guardsmen in the trench line hadn't needed an order to shoot the abominations as they marched towards the entrenchments.
The las fire had been heavy, and those things had been hard to take down. But when enough las are pumped into something it'll go down. Especially when the Heavy Bolters started clattering late in the fight. That had taken out the rest of the things as they shambled forward.
Trooper Brown shook his head as he clicked another power cell into his lasgun. Whatever those things were he wanted them dead. He rested his lasgun on the edge of the trench line and watched the moth of the tomb.
At around nightfall, the whine of engines could be heard in the distance. Brown turned and looked up to see a dozen lights descending from the sky. He was curious, but thankful. Whatever was coming had to be reinforcements. He might get off this position yet.
As the lights drew closer he began to make out the shapes of the ships. They weren't assault transports that the Imperial Guard used; those were Thunderhawk Gunships, special transports reserved for the best.
The Space Marines were coming.
Brown and the rest of the company watched open mouthed as the dozen ships landed in perfect unison in perfect formation. As one their ramps dropped and the Crimson armored space marines marched out onto the grassy plain.
The Emperor's will be done; those things were going to get stamped out of existence by the Space Marines.
Brother Chaplin Anjek looked around as the men of his company formed up into ranks. His Marines were ordered, disciplined, and a shining example of the Emperor's most loyal servants. Just so long as they didn't have an enemy to face.
The Blood Angels stood ready in their Power armor. The Adumantium plate armor and muscle enhancements making the already formidable warriors massive. Its wearers meticulously maintained the armor and every suit was just as reliable as the day it had been blessed by the Machine God.
The boltguns held by the Marines were loaded and ready, along with a large amount of spare ammunition. Their chainswords were polished and honed, their plasma guns charged, their melta guns and flamers fueled.
A terminator squad lumbered forward. Their heavy assault armor reinforced with extra plates of Adumantium. Heavy auto cannons were mounted on their arms, rapid-fire storm bolters were slung across the chest armor plates. Lightening claws were affixed to the wrists of their armor. These Marines were capable of causing a tremendous amount of damage.
Brother Chaplin Anjek hoisted his Crozus Arcanium above his head and gestured towards the entrance to the tomb. Behind his elaborately decorated skull helmet he grinned in anticipation of the battle.
"Blood Angels! It is the God-Emperor's divine will that we should exterminate the Xeno scum that resides in this place. We shall not fail! By the Blood of Sanglinus we shall not fail!" Chaplin Anjek shouted and every man in the company echoed his words.
"By the blood of Sanglinus! For the Emperor!" They echoed, praising their primarch and their God.
The ordered columns and formations of men marched forward in lockstep. They harbored no doubt in their minds as they marched forward towards the strange tomb entrance. Brother Chaplin Anjek marched at the forefront of the line of marines. His deep black armor adorned with seals of purity and light, elaborate runes were transcribed over the surface of his armor as well. His helmet was an elaborately forged skull death mask of Sanglinus's own skull.
Around him marched his personal bodyguard of ten men of the Death Company. Brothers who had succumb to the red thirst and were waiting for glorious death in battle. Only Chaplin Anjek's presence kept them from storming head long into the alien structure.
Anjek cast a glance back towards the Thunderhawk Gunship and saw the Techpriests still waiting at the vessel. Chaplin Anjek cast a grim look back at the Techpriests. He did not enjoy taking orders from the Adeptus Mechanious. But they were brandishing orders that could possibly come from the God-Emperor himself, and such orders could not be ignored. To do so would invite the taint of Chaos.
Chaplin Anjek turned his attention back to the Xeno tomb. They were rapidly approaching it.
"Scout squads forward." Chaplin Anjek voxed as he stopped in place, at his command twenty men marched forward. They wore lightweight scout armor, a combination of Adumantium plate and the lightweight flak armor of the Imperial Guard. They were armed with boltguns, assault shotguns and auto guns, along with that; each man carried a power sword or a chainsword. These men were trained to scout out enemy positions and relay the information to their Captain. They were highly adept at close combat and showed no mercy and gave no quarter to their foes.
"Brother Kirel. Take your men into the structure and investigate the Xeno presence. When you make contact with them, engage and call forth your battle brothers." Chaplin Anjek ordered the other Marine.
"Yes, Brother Chaplin." Kirel said with a nod. He turned and motioned for his men to enter the structure. The men fanned out with their weapons ready. They hungered for battle. The moved quickly, and surprisingly silently for such large, heavily armored men. Soon, they disappeared into the structure.
Brother Chaplin Anjek heard his guard shift uneasily around him.
"Do not worry brothers, you shall have your chance soon enough." Chaplin Anjek said aloud.
Brother Kirel led his men through the Alien construct with diligence and caution. Blood Angels were never timid in combat, but these creatures warranted some degree of prudence in action. He moved slowly, the presence of his squad a comfort to his nerves. His boltgun was leveled at the hallway before him.
He paused he had heard something.
Something was tugging at the edge of his hearing. It was a shuffling sound. As though something were being dragged slowly.
"Do you hear it?" Brother Kirel said. His squad nodded in agreement. Kirel looked around with his boltgun leveled. This vaulted corridor did not give much cover for them, or something sneaking towards them.
"Brothers! There!" Brother Justin shouted and fired his autogun. The overpowering thunder of his squad opening fire soon drowned out the shouts of the men. Autogun clattered as they let loose a torrent of slugs. Assault shotguns thundered as they sent out the rapid-fire charges of flechette and slug rounds. Boltguns let out the crack-whoosh as their rocket-propelled projectiles flew forward and detonated.
All this fire was directed at the end of the corridor where a flood of the strange xenos was coming from. The clatter continued for a good half hour, and most of the men were low on ammunition. Kirel voxed the main force and told them he'd made contact with the enemy. After five more minutes of furious fighting, the vanguard of the troops made it to the embattled scout unit.
The terminator squad let lose with their autocannons, scything the alien forms to pieces through the torrent of shells. More boltgun fire and flamers decimated the aliens as they surged forth with mindless determination. The firefight pushed forward, simply slaughtering the xenos as they charged.
It was a very brutal slaughter and entirely one sided. The Blood Angels had nothing to worry about as they marched forward through the halls and chambers of the xeno structure. They left a trail of green gray blood in their wake as they moved, the pathetic creatures simply crushed beneath their armored boots.
Brother Chaplin Anjek emerged in the lowest level so far encountered in this structure. It was massive with a multitude of levels and passages that seemed to stretch through the entire planet. He had ordered the Imperial Guard units to move into the secured areas and hold them since his Blood Angels were getting spread thin.
He glanced about the chamber he had arrived in and was shocked at the size of it. Stretching high above him and far below him was a massive shaft. It seemed to stretch on for infinity. High above clouds could be glimpsed inside the immense structure. He stepped further forward along the walkway towards the platform before him. Surrounding this suspended platform was a massive hologram; it appeared to be of the world they were on.
Chaplin Anjek contained his awe at the breathtaking sight. He could not help but gawk at the spectacle.
"Call the Techpriests. Inform them that we have found something they may find...pertinent." Anjek said still examining the chamber itself.
High above Brother Chaplin Anjek's squad, Solar Admiral Vilintium continued his silent observations of the world. He had not moved from his spot on the bridge. So far, nothing had happened at all to make him want to move from this spot. Those Throne-damned Techpriests still ordered his fleet and men around. So he had nothing to do.
His eyes drifted from the immense ring, to his fleet, and then back to the ring itself. Vaguely, he wondered if his fleet held the firepower necessary to tear the ring asunder.
He was goaded from his daydream by the metallic clatter of his comms servitor. The human skull hovered above him and chattered in barely passable High Gothic.
"Dauntless scout ships report a strange energy signal emanating from the planet." The Servitor chattered from its skeletal jaws.
"Report!" Vilintium barked to his bridge crew.
"My Lord. Several energy pulses have been sent from Halo into a coalescing point in the center of the ring. The logic towers have no clue as to the purpose." One of the ratings on the bridge replied.
"Order all ships to battle stations, seal bulkheads, raise the void shields and run out the guns. All hands prepare for battle." Solar Admiral Vilintium ordered, a hunger in his voice. He looked out the bridge and saw white pulses being fired from the inner perimeter of the ring. They all seemed to collide in space and began to form a shimmering white sphere. The size of the energy sphere had to be immense, even from this distance it was massive.
"What is that?" One of the bridge crew murmured.
"Mind your station." Vilintium snapped, slightly thankful the rating had said what he was thinking. The Solar Admiral stood firm and watched the energy sphere slowly increase in size, then shudder. In a heartbeat it disappeared and in it's place were roughly thirty ships. Their largest was barely the size of a Mars class battlecruiser. Their sleek lines seemed to have no weapons systems at all. They appeared to be no kind of Imperium vessel.
"Report! What type of ships are those?" Vilintium snapped, he had never seen any kind of vessel that resembled those ships. They resembled the carapace of some exotic insect in color. Their shapes were much too sleek, even Tau or Eldar vessels were not that smooth in shape.
"Unknown sir, they don't match any type of vessel we have yet encountered. They're nothing that has seen the divine light of the Emperor, that's for sure." A rating said.
"Order the fleet to stand fast." Vilintium said.
"Sir, we're receiving a transmission!"
"Broadcast it over the bridge speakers." Vilintium said.
"Your destruction is the will of the Gods, and we are their instrument." The voice came over the speakers, eerily calm and artificial. As though a servitor had uttered the phrase.
"Blasphemy! These creatures dare speak of false gods before the shining light of the Emperor? May our weapons bring his eternal vengeance upon them!" Vilintium snarled.
"To war!" Vilintium howled.
Ship Master Guole 'Pushmanem stood upon the command bridge of the Resilient Duty. His golden armor glinted in the artificial lights of the bridge and the shimmers of the display units. His bridge crew of veteran elites preformed admirably in their duties, despite the odd orders the Prophets had given him and his fleet. From he had seen and experienced the prophets had deciphered the meanings of the Forerunner's HALO construct. He had been told that he was embarking on a new crusade to further the divine light of the Covenant Hegemony.
All he saw was that he had been taken from the battle against those near sentient primates and was thrust into an entirely different campaign.
All 'Pushmanem cared about was whether he and his fleet would have any form of glorious battle and honor in this galaxy. The humans had barely proved sporting, relying on sheer numbers to defeat the Covenant forces arrayed against them.
He snarled at the lack of entertainment such battles provided; the humans were still slaughtered in droves for their slightest victories.
'Pushmanem sighed and gazed back at the main display that showed the exterior view of the ship. Right now it was awash with white light from the Halo's transport system. As he watched the light flared and dissipated in his view screen.
Replaced with the view of a massive enemy fleet arrayed against him. He let out a small grunt of surprise. His bridge crew jumped into their duties without being prompted.
"The vessels seem to be transmitting on the same bandwidth as the humans from home, and in the same language. But the vessels do not match any Human ships we have ever encountered." Arit 'Olamenete said from his post as comms/sensors.
A million questions suddenly filled 'Pushmanem's mind.
Could the Humans have made it here first?
Could the Humans have created new classes of vessels without the Prophet's knowing of it?
What should he do?
Shoot first, let others sort out the details.
"Broadcast the message of their defeat to them. Then order the fleet to battle stations. Give them permission to fire at will. Let us eliminate this annoyance." 'Pushmanem ordered. His crew snapped to attention and carried out their combat duties.
"Solar Admiral, the heathen Xeno fleet seems to be powering up some sort of shielding systems. Along with other systems we are at a loss to identify." The sensor Lieutenant said shakily.
"Order first squadron to come about and give the lead xeno vessel a broadside. Hit them hard and we'll see how well their shields work." Vilintium said with a sick smile. The comms Lieutenant relayed the orders and four vessels broke from the screen. One Gothic class cruiser, two Tyrant Class cruisers and a Dictator Class cruiser sped forward. Their plasma drives glowing a brilliant purple in the darkness of the void.
The four vessels moved in perfect unison, their flight path carrying them across the prows of the enemy vessels. The four vessels turned and presented their formidable broadsides to the enemy, and then in unison fired.
The Lance batteries of the Gothic Class Cruiser Yvarnis were first to impact. The large crimson spears of energy darted through space and splashed onto the enemy ship's prow. The energy hit and dissipated along the strange, shimmering shields that the alien ships had. They were clearly not void shields. The xeno's shields shimmered and weakened with the energy onslaught. But they remained, weakened, but still present.
The brother pair of Tyrant Cruisers fired their salvos in unison. The wave of heavy rounds sailed through the abyss of space and smacked into the xeno shields. The range was greater than that of the normal batteries of the rest of the fleet, but they packed just as much punch as any other ships broadside power. The torrent of fire hit and overloaded the xeno's shields. They flickered and died as some of the rounds penetrated and punched into the hull. The massive rounds tore immense gashes in the hull; two punched clean through the prow and holed the ship straight through.
The final deathblow came from the Dictator class cruiser. Normally the dictator class served the role as a raider ship with its fighter wings. But it could still cause havoc with its broadside cannon. The final salvo fired from the Dictator class ship Operian hit along the spine of the ship square amidships. The hail of fire ripped apart the strange alien metals and tore the ship asunder in space. Small secondary explosions played across the hull of the stricken ship. One of the shells punctured a plasma reserve, sending a brilliant gout of the blue white material spiraling off into space, and spinning half the ship like a giant top. As the explosions tracked up the rear portion of the hull and arrived at whatever heretical power source the xenos used. It detonated with a brilliant nova flare and shockwave.
Solar Admiral Vilintium smirked as the first kill of the engagement fell to the Imperium of Man. These xenos had chosen the wrong place to appear, and the wrong God to usurp.
'Pushmanem stared at the tactical readout in a state of pure shock. The Glorious Fervor had simply been annihilated without firing a shot. They hadn't even had time to maneuver. The human salvos had hit in precisely the right order to decimate the vessel's shields and overload them. If the data was to be believed, the humans had utilized a form of projected energy weapon. They had never shown they had the ability create or use such weapons.
He was simply aghast at the prospect of the situation.
"All ships fire at will. FIRE NOW!" 'Pushmanem shouted at the top of his lungs. His fleet had to avenge the loss of the Glorious Fervor, and recoup its honor.
The remaining twenty-nine Covenant vessels fired their salvos of Plasma in unison. The guided orbs of superheated plasma flew through space towards the Human fleet. Ten of the Plasma orbs tracked on the four vessels that had fired upon the Glorious Fervor.
The four ships went into emergency maneuvers to shake off the slow moving plasma, but were rudely surprised when the attackers changed their directions to follow the fleeing ships. There was no escape for the ships.
The Gothic cruiser Yavarnis took four plasma orbs all along its port side. It's port gun decks were vaporized in a split second, for the most part the crews of the lance batteries didn't know what hit them other than the intense heat for a few moments. The Yavarnis could still limp away, and tried to maneuver to present it's starboard quarter to the enemy.
The Tyrant cruisers each took two orbs of plasma. The Tiller took one orb on its dorsal decks and gutted the lower levels, but it was mere cosmetic damage. The ship could still fight. This was untrue in regards to the second orb. It struck close to the armored prow of the ship and burned clean through. The massive armored ram of the ship hung limply to the rest of the body. The Tiller would not be capable of combat without being rebuilt.
The Tyrant cruiser Turner took one orb in its port gun batteries. The plasma burned away the Adumantium reinforced gun decks like snow before a flamethrower. The orb stopped burning midway into the ship. The second orb smashed into the aft quarter of the ship, severing the plasma drive conduits and sending the ship adrift in space. It was out of the fight.
The Dictator Cruiser Operion received only one orb of plasma, despite its prominent role in the destruction of the Glorious Fervor. The massive orb of plasma hammered into the upper flight decks of the ship that were reserved for the Imperium bombers and fighters. The ships and crews were vaporized before they even had a chance to run. But regardless of this damage, the Operion could still maneuver and fight as normal.
The remainders of the enemy plasma orbs raced towards the Imperium fleet and were defeated by the point defenses and void shields of the human vessels. Such distances and defenses overcame the control the Covenant had on their weapons and the plasma began to dissipate.
Solar Admiral Vilintium was torn between sorrow for the loss of such fine crews and the defeat of the xeno weapons. He scowled and pointed at the enemy fleet.
"All escort ships are to enter standoff range and bombard the enemy with long range salvos. Core ships; fill ahead and into the jaws of these xeno heretics. Let us ram the might of the Emperor down their throats so they choke on it!" Vilintium ordered.
The three battleships and the twelve battlecruisers that made up the core of the Imperium fleet leapt forward in space and drove forward into the conflagration of xeno vessels, their prow torpedoes firing and slamming into the xeno vessels. The escort vessels branched out and began firing salvo after salvo into the enemy vessels.
It was fast and it was brutal. The Covenant weapons couldn't recharge soon enough to battle the charging ships, and the pulse lasers were too weak to stop the epic vessels. The fifteen-ship core of the Imperium force slammed into the ranks of the Covenant fleet.
The battleships and battlecruisers fired volley after point blank volley into the weakened xeno forces. Shields collapsed, vessels were destroyed in seconds under the onslaught. The much larger Imperium ships rammed some of the smaller, weakened, Covenant vessels.
In the space of half an hour, the battle was over. Five Imperium ships were damaged in addition to the four of first squadron. The Mars class battlecruiser Hibernia was destroyed when it took a plasma orb to its warp drive. The ensuing explosion took the xeno ship with it into the immaterium of the warp. One of the Covenant vessels had been boarded by the ratings of the battleship Heroic death. A teleport assault coupled with assault boats had placed enough ratings, stormtroopers and Imperial Guardsmen aboard the ship that the defenders were crushed by the waves of human attackers.
The battle for Halo was over for the Imperium of Man. It had been a stunning victory over the Covenant fleet that had been sent on a crusade to their galaxy.
They had fared much better than their cousins from across the stars. But they were not the only ones to face a Covenant force.
Keep your eyes open for the next chapter:
Chapter 3: The Republic science expedition.
Solar Admiral Forge Vilintium stood aboard the bridge of the Emperor class battleship Shining Vengeance and watched his fleet from behind the ancient elaborate spires and fine construction measures of the vessel. The command bridge looked out across the long hull of his ship. It's ancient bulkheads and hulls painted in the solemn black of the honor fleet. The paint had worn in many areas through the millennia of battle the ship had been subjected to, the patches and repairs to the archaic hull and systems. The very control systems and controls of the ship long since forgotten by any other than the Techpriests.
The Solar Admiral gazed out at the battle fleet arrayed around the flagship. It was a fleet that had never before been assembled for something so simple as a research mission for the Techpriests of Mars. Three battleships, the Shining Vengeance being the flagship of the fleet, it's direct escorts the Heroic Death and the Warriors Deliverance both Retribution class vessels, slightly smaller than the flagship, but boasting a considerable armament. Along with this, each battleship boasted a four- ship escort of an Overlord class Battle cruiser and three Mars class Battle cruisers. Around the periphery of the core fleet were forty smaller ships. Ten Gothic class cruisers made a potent force with their lance batteries. Twenty Tyrant class Cruisers with long-range broadside capabilities. Coupled with ten Dictator class cruisers and their fighter wings for interception. The detection force of ten roving Dauntless light cruisers were mere scouts, relaying their findings to the main fleet.
This was an impressive fleet, more powerful than any in the system. In any engagement Battle fleet Expidious would rule the day. No enemy force would be capable of withstanding the raw firepower presented by this fleet would decimate any Chaos force or Xeno incursion into Human space. But, this fleet wasn't arrayed against any enemy force. Oh no, and that was what made Solar Admiral Vilintium so angry.
This Battle fleet had been commissioned by the Techpriests of Mars by one of their surveyor units. Almost one year ago a surveyor unit had appeared in the Jutland sector and demanded an immediate levying of troops and ships. Using their substantial powers they commissioned a grand fleet, this fleet, and a massive number of ground troops and materials. They even summoned forth a battle barge of the Adeptus Astartes, the Blood Angels Order.
But even with this awesome might of firepower, ships and men, he still hated the fact he was doing little more than babysitting a group of Techpriests. He snarled as he thought about the Adeptus Mechanious members that had taken it upon themselves to order him and his men around like lowly conscripts.
Solar Admiral Vilintium looked at the Adeptus Mechanious vessels that his armada was guarding. If he could, he would destroy the vessels out of sheer annoyance, but he couldn't. They were loyal servants of the Emperor, and they held superiority over him. He contented himself with gazing up at the massive construction that lay before his fleet.
It was a giant ring hundreds of kilometers across, large enough for his entire fleet to pass through without breaking formation. He had been awestruck by the sheer size of the structure, slowly spinning in space. Even if it was a Xeno construct it was a wonder to behold. Even more amazing was the fact that inside the ring was a completely inhabitable ecosystem, as though it were a planet. The Techpriests had not deigned to explain what this structure was, or why they were so interested in it.
But for some reason they called it 'Halo'. When Vilintium pressured them for a reason as to why they called it that, the Techpriests merely said that they had no say in the matter, then bowed their heads. Such an act meant one thing... The God-Emperor had decreed an expedition to this structure, and the title it held. Vilintium had asked no more questions after that. The God-Emperor's will be done.
Vilintium caught movement from the corner of his eye. He looked around and saw another of the Imperial Guard transports boosting towards the ring. He had found it puzzling that so many troops had been marshaled for this expedition. No conquest was involved, and surely the presence of two Space marine battle barges and five strike cruisers would be more than enough to deal with any resistance....
But the Techpriests had called for nearly one hundred regiments to be assembled. Along with an epic number of support units and equipment, more than those available to Lord Solar Macanius during his great crusade, all this for a single world.
Vilintium shook his head. He did not ask questions of the God- Emperor's divine plan. He merely did his duty as it was called for.
"Solar Admiral?" A voice called from behind him. He turned slightly and saw the twisted form of a Techpriest standing behind him. He looked more machine than man. Nearly half of his face replaced with implants, the twisted façade of his skull covered with a hood. His right arm ending in a metallic claw that bristled with probes and feelers, only his left hand remained a human hand.
"Yes Techpriest?" Vilintium said.
"We have run into.... difficulties." The Techpriest said slowly, his voice held a grating mechanical texture, much like the machines that he oversaw.
"What kind of difficulties?" Vilintium asked not turning around to face the cyborg.
"An Xeno presence has been detected on the surface of the construct."
"Your point being?" Vilintium asked.
"We require the presence of the Blood Angels on the surface, along with a larger number of troops in certain areas to sterilize the infected portions."
"And why can't you merely bombard them with viral bombs and fusion ordinance?" Vilintium asked, taking out some of the rage he felt for being forced to watch these priests.
"There is vital information in the afflicted areas and we need it intact."
"I see. Well, carry on." Vilintium said.
"Oh, I was not asking permission Solar Admiral. I was merely doing a courtesy to inform you." The priest said and left the brooding Solar Admiral.
Vilintium snarled as he watched the Space Marine Battle barges and Strike Cruisers boost towards the ring. He returned to brooding as he watched the ring spin slowly in space.
Trooper Brown was not pleased to be where he was. He had been a farmer on Yavrnis 3, tending to his animals and minding his own business for the most part. Until those damn Techpriests had come into the sector a year ago and ordered the Governors to levy troops.
Well, 'levy troops' meant 'levy him', never 'levy somebody else'. The press gangs had come and taken him along with just about every man in the town. They'd had to drag most of the men to the training barracks, no one wanted to go off and fight. Nobody wanted to be drug from their farm, trained to kill, then left on some Emperor forsaken rock for the Throne only knows how long.
But right now he was standing in a trench looking out over a grassy plain along with the rest of his company. His olive fatigues stained with mud, and his black flak jacket boasting a few sticks for camouflage. He grumbled as he shifted and his boots squelched in the mud. It had rained in the morning, starting suddenly and ending suddenly, as though a Techpriest had decreed it.
No one thought about the weather too much, they were worried about what lay at the bottom of the hull across the valley. The small, tomblike entry looked alien and strange. The last squad that had gotten anywhere near it had said that it had some strange Xeno runes on it, nothing resembling High Gothic that was for sure.
But it wasn't the strange runes or construction that had the men casting a weary eye on it, rather it was what poured out of that small tomb.
Strange creatures. They looked like giant flies from back home. Huge bulbous sacks the size of your head, and a probe sticking out the bottom of them. They looked fragile, and they were. But there were so many of them. Pouring out of the entrance with eerie regularity. They had washed over four platoons in about ten minutes before the officers ordered a retreat. Most of the men had run and thrown up a small trench line, but some watched the other platoons get over run.
It was, sickening. The creatures didn't rip apart the platoons like a Tyranid swarm would; no...they washed over the men like a flood of water. Simply covering them in their strange bodies until they stopped struggling. Then the things just swarmed back into the entrance, leaving a few of their forms clinging to every one of the soldiers.
Brown had wanted the sergeants to order the bodies torched right then and there. But he'd held his tongue. He wished he hadn't. About an hour after the things had left the bodies had started to...change. Bloating and morphing as though something had been growing inside of them. It was disturbing to watch, but the soldiers couldn't look away.
It had gone on for three more hours...before...before they started to get up. The infected soldiers had shambled at first. Uneasily and weakly, but with a few steps they acclimated and then reformed to attack the trench line. The officers had been too shocked to say anything. But the living Guardsmen in the trench line hadn't needed an order to shoot the abominations as they marched towards the entrenchments.
The las fire had been heavy, and those things had been hard to take down. But when enough las are pumped into something it'll go down. Especially when the Heavy Bolters started clattering late in the fight. That had taken out the rest of the things as they shambled forward.
Trooper Brown shook his head as he clicked another power cell into his lasgun. Whatever those things were he wanted them dead. He rested his lasgun on the edge of the trench line and watched the moth of the tomb.
At around nightfall, the whine of engines could be heard in the distance. Brown turned and looked up to see a dozen lights descending from the sky. He was curious, but thankful. Whatever was coming had to be reinforcements. He might get off this position yet.
As the lights drew closer he began to make out the shapes of the ships. They weren't assault transports that the Imperial Guard used; those were Thunderhawk Gunships, special transports reserved for the best.
The Space Marines were coming.
Brown and the rest of the company watched open mouthed as the dozen ships landed in perfect unison in perfect formation. As one their ramps dropped and the Crimson armored space marines marched out onto the grassy plain.
The Emperor's will be done; those things were going to get stamped out of existence by the Space Marines.
Brother Chaplin Anjek looked around as the men of his company formed up into ranks. His Marines were ordered, disciplined, and a shining example of the Emperor's most loyal servants. Just so long as they didn't have an enemy to face.
The Blood Angels stood ready in their Power armor. The Adumantium plate armor and muscle enhancements making the already formidable warriors massive. Its wearers meticulously maintained the armor and every suit was just as reliable as the day it had been blessed by the Machine God.
The boltguns held by the Marines were loaded and ready, along with a large amount of spare ammunition. Their chainswords were polished and honed, their plasma guns charged, their melta guns and flamers fueled.
A terminator squad lumbered forward. Their heavy assault armor reinforced with extra plates of Adumantium. Heavy auto cannons were mounted on their arms, rapid-fire storm bolters were slung across the chest armor plates. Lightening claws were affixed to the wrists of their armor. These Marines were capable of causing a tremendous amount of damage.
Brother Chaplin Anjek hoisted his Crozus Arcanium above his head and gestured towards the entrance to the tomb. Behind his elaborately decorated skull helmet he grinned in anticipation of the battle.
"Blood Angels! It is the God-Emperor's divine will that we should exterminate the Xeno scum that resides in this place. We shall not fail! By the Blood of Sanglinus we shall not fail!" Chaplin Anjek shouted and every man in the company echoed his words.
"By the blood of Sanglinus! For the Emperor!" They echoed, praising their primarch and their God.
The ordered columns and formations of men marched forward in lockstep. They harbored no doubt in their minds as they marched forward towards the strange tomb entrance. Brother Chaplin Anjek marched at the forefront of the line of marines. His deep black armor adorned with seals of purity and light, elaborate runes were transcribed over the surface of his armor as well. His helmet was an elaborately forged skull death mask of Sanglinus's own skull.
Around him marched his personal bodyguard of ten men of the Death Company. Brothers who had succumb to the red thirst and were waiting for glorious death in battle. Only Chaplin Anjek's presence kept them from storming head long into the alien structure.
Anjek cast a glance back towards the Thunderhawk Gunship and saw the Techpriests still waiting at the vessel. Chaplin Anjek cast a grim look back at the Techpriests. He did not enjoy taking orders from the Adeptus Mechanious. But they were brandishing orders that could possibly come from the God-Emperor himself, and such orders could not be ignored. To do so would invite the taint of Chaos.
Chaplin Anjek turned his attention back to the Xeno tomb. They were rapidly approaching it.
"Scout squads forward." Chaplin Anjek voxed as he stopped in place, at his command twenty men marched forward. They wore lightweight scout armor, a combination of Adumantium plate and the lightweight flak armor of the Imperial Guard. They were armed with boltguns, assault shotguns and auto guns, along with that; each man carried a power sword or a chainsword. These men were trained to scout out enemy positions and relay the information to their Captain. They were highly adept at close combat and showed no mercy and gave no quarter to their foes.
"Brother Kirel. Take your men into the structure and investigate the Xeno presence. When you make contact with them, engage and call forth your battle brothers." Chaplin Anjek ordered the other Marine.
"Yes, Brother Chaplin." Kirel said with a nod. He turned and motioned for his men to enter the structure. The men fanned out with their weapons ready. They hungered for battle. The moved quickly, and surprisingly silently for such large, heavily armored men. Soon, they disappeared into the structure.
Brother Chaplin Anjek heard his guard shift uneasily around him.
"Do not worry brothers, you shall have your chance soon enough." Chaplin Anjek said aloud.
Brother Kirel led his men through the Alien construct with diligence and caution. Blood Angels were never timid in combat, but these creatures warranted some degree of prudence in action. He moved slowly, the presence of his squad a comfort to his nerves. His boltgun was leveled at the hallway before him.
He paused he had heard something.
Something was tugging at the edge of his hearing. It was a shuffling sound. As though something were being dragged slowly.
"Do you hear it?" Brother Kirel said. His squad nodded in agreement. Kirel looked around with his boltgun leveled. This vaulted corridor did not give much cover for them, or something sneaking towards them.
"Brothers! There!" Brother Justin shouted and fired his autogun. The overpowering thunder of his squad opening fire soon drowned out the shouts of the men. Autogun clattered as they let loose a torrent of slugs. Assault shotguns thundered as they sent out the rapid-fire charges of flechette and slug rounds. Boltguns let out the crack-whoosh as their rocket-propelled projectiles flew forward and detonated.
All this fire was directed at the end of the corridor where a flood of the strange xenos was coming from. The clatter continued for a good half hour, and most of the men were low on ammunition. Kirel voxed the main force and told them he'd made contact with the enemy. After five more minutes of furious fighting, the vanguard of the troops made it to the embattled scout unit.
The terminator squad let lose with their autocannons, scything the alien forms to pieces through the torrent of shells. More boltgun fire and flamers decimated the aliens as they surged forth with mindless determination. The firefight pushed forward, simply slaughtering the xenos as they charged.
It was a very brutal slaughter and entirely one sided. The Blood Angels had nothing to worry about as they marched forward through the halls and chambers of the xeno structure. They left a trail of green gray blood in their wake as they moved, the pathetic creatures simply crushed beneath their armored boots.
Brother Chaplin Anjek emerged in the lowest level so far encountered in this structure. It was massive with a multitude of levels and passages that seemed to stretch through the entire planet. He had ordered the Imperial Guard units to move into the secured areas and hold them since his Blood Angels were getting spread thin.
He glanced about the chamber he had arrived in and was shocked at the size of it. Stretching high above him and far below him was a massive shaft. It seemed to stretch on for infinity. High above clouds could be glimpsed inside the immense structure. He stepped further forward along the walkway towards the platform before him. Surrounding this suspended platform was a massive hologram; it appeared to be of the world they were on.
Chaplin Anjek contained his awe at the breathtaking sight. He could not help but gawk at the spectacle.
"Call the Techpriests. Inform them that we have found something they may find...pertinent." Anjek said still examining the chamber itself.
High above Brother Chaplin Anjek's squad, Solar Admiral Vilintium continued his silent observations of the world. He had not moved from his spot on the bridge. So far, nothing had happened at all to make him want to move from this spot. Those Throne-damned Techpriests still ordered his fleet and men around. So he had nothing to do.
His eyes drifted from the immense ring, to his fleet, and then back to the ring itself. Vaguely, he wondered if his fleet held the firepower necessary to tear the ring asunder.
He was goaded from his daydream by the metallic clatter of his comms servitor. The human skull hovered above him and chattered in barely passable High Gothic.
"Dauntless scout ships report a strange energy signal emanating from the planet." The Servitor chattered from its skeletal jaws.
"Report!" Vilintium barked to his bridge crew.
"My Lord. Several energy pulses have been sent from Halo into a coalescing point in the center of the ring. The logic towers have no clue as to the purpose." One of the ratings on the bridge replied.
"Order all ships to battle stations, seal bulkheads, raise the void shields and run out the guns. All hands prepare for battle." Solar Admiral Vilintium ordered, a hunger in his voice. He looked out the bridge and saw white pulses being fired from the inner perimeter of the ring. They all seemed to collide in space and began to form a shimmering white sphere. The size of the energy sphere had to be immense, even from this distance it was massive.
"What is that?" One of the bridge crew murmured.
"Mind your station." Vilintium snapped, slightly thankful the rating had said what he was thinking. The Solar Admiral stood firm and watched the energy sphere slowly increase in size, then shudder. In a heartbeat it disappeared and in it's place were roughly thirty ships. Their largest was barely the size of a Mars class battlecruiser. Their sleek lines seemed to have no weapons systems at all. They appeared to be no kind of Imperium vessel.
"Report! What type of ships are those?" Vilintium snapped, he had never seen any kind of vessel that resembled those ships. They resembled the carapace of some exotic insect in color. Their shapes were much too sleek, even Tau or Eldar vessels were not that smooth in shape.
"Unknown sir, they don't match any type of vessel we have yet encountered. They're nothing that has seen the divine light of the Emperor, that's for sure." A rating said.
"Order the fleet to stand fast." Vilintium said.
"Sir, we're receiving a transmission!"
"Broadcast it over the bridge speakers." Vilintium said.
"Your destruction is the will of the Gods, and we are their instrument." The voice came over the speakers, eerily calm and artificial. As though a servitor had uttered the phrase.
"Blasphemy! These creatures dare speak of false gods before the shining light of the Emperor? May our weapons bring his eternal vengeance upon them!" Vilintium snarled.
"To war!" Vilintium howled.
Ship Master Guole 'Pushmanem stood upon the command bridge of the Resilient Duty. His golden armor glinted in the artificial lights of the bridge and the shimmers of the display units. His bridge crew of veteran elites preformed admirably in their duties, despite the odd orders the Prophets had given him and his fleet. From he had seen and experienced the prophets had deciphered the meanings of the Forerunner's HALO construct. He had been told that he was embarking on a new crusade to further the divine light of the Covenant Hegemony.
All he saw was that he had been taken from the battle against those near sentient primates and was thrust into an entirely different campaign.
All 'Pushmanem cared about was whether he and his fleet would have any form of glorious battle and honor in this galaxy. The humans had barely proved sporting, relying on sheer numbers to defeat the Covenant forces arrayed against them.
He snarled at the lack of entertainment such battles provided; the humans were still slaughtered in droves for their slightest victories.
'Pushmanem sighed and gazed back at the main display that showed the exterior view of the ship. Right now it was awash with white light from the Halo's transport system. As he watched the light flared and dissipated in his view screen.
Replaced with the view of a massive enemy fleet arrayed against him. He let out a small grunt of surprise. His bridge crew jumped into their duties without being prompted.
"The vessels seem to be transmitting on the same bandwidth as the humans from home, and in the same language. But the vessels do not match any Human ships we have ever encountered." Arit 'Olamenete said from his post as comms/sensors.
A million questions suddenly filled 'Pushmanem's mind.
Could the Humans have made it here first?
Could the Humans have created new classes of vessels without the Prophet's knowing of it?
What should he do?
Shoot first, let others sort out the details.
"Broadcast the message of their defeat to them. Then order the fleet to battle stations. Give them permission to fire at will. Let us eliminate this annoyance." 'Pushmanem ordered. His crew snapped to attention and carried out their combat duties.
"Solar Admiral, the heathen Xeno fleet seems to be powering up some sort of shielding systems. Along with other systems we are at a loss to identify." The sensor Lieutenant said shakily.
"Order first squadron to come about and give the lead xeno vessel a broadside. Hit them hard and we'll see how well their shields work." Vilintium said with a sick smile. The comms Lieutenant relayed the orders and four vessels broke from the screen. One Gothic class cruiser, two Tyrant Class cruisers and a Dictator Class cruiser sped forward. Their plasma drives glowing a brilliant purple in the darkness of the void.
The four vessels moved in perfect unison, their flight path carrying them across the prows of the enemy vessels. The four vessels turned and presented their formidable broadsides to the enemy, and then in unison fired.
The Lance batteries of the Gothic Class Cruiser Yvarnis were first to impact. The large crimson spears of energy darted through space and splashed onto the enemy ship's prow. The energy hit and dissipated along the strange, shimmering shields that the alien ships had. They were clearly not void shields. The xeno's shields shimmered and weakened with the energy onslaught. But they remained, weakened, but still present.
The brother pair of Tyrant Cruisers fired their salvos in unison. The wave of heavy rounds sailed through the abyss of space and smacked into the xeno shields. The range was greater than that of the normal batteries of the rest of the fleet, but they packed just as much punch as any other ships broadside power. The torrent of fire hit and overloaded the xeno's shields. They flickered and died as some of the rounds penetrated and punched into the hull. The massive rounds tore immense gashes in the hull; two punched clean through the prow and holed the ship straight through.
The final deathblow came from the Dictator class cruiser. Normally the dictator class served the role as a raider ship with its fighter wings. But it could still cause havoc with its broadside cannon. The final salvo fired from the Dictator class ship Operian hit along the spine of the ship square amidships. The hail of fire ripped apart the strange alien metals and tore the ship asunder in space. Small secondary explosions played across the hull of the stricken ship. One of the shells punctured a plasma reserve, sending a brilliant gout of the blue white material spiraling off into space, and spinning half the ship like a giant top. As the explosions tracked up the rear portion of the hull and arrived at whatever heretical power source the xenos used. It detonated with a brilliant nova flare and shockwave.
Solar Admiral Vilintium smirked as the first kill of the engagement fell to the Imperium of Man. These xenos had chosen the wrong place to appear, and the wrong God to usurp.
'Pushmanem stared at the tactical readout in a state of pure shock. The Glorious Fervor had simply been annihilated without firing a shot. They hadn't even had time to maneuver. The human salvos had hit in precisely the right order to decimate the vessel's shields and overload them. If the data was to be believed, the humans had utilized a form of projected energy weapon. They had never shown they had the ability create or use such weapons.
He was simply aghast at the prospect of the situation.
"All ships fire at will. FIRE NOW!" 'Pushmanem shouted at the top of his lungs. His fleet had to avenge the loss of the Glorious Fervor, and recoup its honor.
The remaining twenty-nine Covenant vessels fired their salvos of Plasma in unison. The guided orbs of superheated plasma flew through space towards the Human fleet. Ten of the Plasma orbs tracked on the four vessels that had fired upon the Glorious Fervor.
The four ships went into emergency maneuvers to shake off the slow moving plasma, but were rudely surprised when the attackers changed their directions to follow the fleeing ships. There was no escape for the ships.
The Gothic cruiser Yavarnis took four plasma orbs all along its port side. It's port gun decks were vaporized in a split second, for the most part the crews of the lance batteries didn't know what hit them other than the intense heat for a few moments. The Yavarnis could still limp away, and tried to maneuver to present it's starboard quarter to the enemy.
The Tyrant cruisers each took two orbs of plasma. The Tiller took one orb on its dorsal decks and gutted the lower levels, but it was mere cosmetic damage. The ship could still fight. This was untrue in regards to the second orb. It struck close to the armored prow of the ship and burned clean through. The massive armored ram of the ship hung limply to the rest of the body. The Tiller would not be capable of combat without being rebuilt.
The Tyrant cruiser Turner took one orb in its port gun batteries. The plasma burned away the Adumantium reinforced gun decks like snow before a flamethrower. The orb stopped burning midway into the ship. The second orb smashed into the aft quarter of the ship, severing the plasma drive conduits and sending the ship adrift in space. It was out of the fight.
The Dictator Cruiser Operion received only one orb of plasma, despite its prominent role in the destruction of the Glorious Fervor. The massive orb of plasma hammered into the upper flight decks of the ship that were reserved for the Imperium bombers and fighters. The ships and crews were vaporized before they even had a chance to run. But regardless of this damage, the Operion could still maneuver and fight as normal.
The remainders of the enemy plasma orbs raced towards the Imperium fleet and were defeated by the point defenses and void shields of the human vessels. Such distances and defenses overcame the control the Covenant had on their weapons and the plasma began to dissipate.
Solar Admiral Vilintium was torn between sorrow for the loss of such fine crews and the defeat of the xeno weapons. He scowled and pointed at the enemy fleet.
"All escort ships are to enter standoff range and bombard the enemy with long range salvos. Core ships; fill ahead and into the jaws of these xeno heretics. Let us ram the might of the Emperor down their throats so they choke on it!" Vilintium ordered.
The three battleships and the twelve battlecruisers that made up the core of the Imperium fleet leapt forward in space and drove forward into the conflagration of xeno vessels, their prow torpedoes firing and slamming into the xeno vessels. The escort vessels branched out and began firing salvo after salvo into the enemy vessels.
It was fast and it was brutal. The Covenant weapons couldn't recharge soon enough to battle the charging ships, and the pulse lasers were too weak to stop the epic vessels. The fifteen-ship core of the Imperium force slammed into the ranks of the Covenant fleet.
The battleships and battlecruisers fired volley after point blank volley into the weakened xeno forces. Shields collapsed, vessels were destroyed in seconds under the onslaught. The much larger Imperium ships rammed some of the smaller, weakened, Covenant vessels.
In the space of half an hour, the battle was over. Five Imperium ships were damaged in addition to the four of first squadron. The Mars class battlecruiser Hibernia was destroyed when it took a plasma orb to its warp drive. The ensuing explosion took the xeno ship with it into the immaterium of the warp. One of the Covenant vessels had been boarded by the ratings of the battleship Heroic death. A teleport assault coupled with assault boats had placed enough ratings, stormtroopers and Imperial Guardsmen aboard the ship that the defenders were crushed by the waves of human attackers.
The battle for Halo was over for the Imperium of Man. It had been a stunning victory over the Covenant fleet that had been sent on a crusade to their galaxy.
They had fared much better than their cousins from across the stars. But they were not the only ones to face a Covenant force.
Keep your eyes open for the next chapter:
Chapter 3: The Republic science expedition.