(A/N) I do not own Halo or Star Wars besides the characters I made up.
Chapter 6: Nerf…It's What's for Dinner
The three humans and the elite were sitting at Admiral Varick's personal dining table. The mercenary didn't like taking his meals there, most often he just ate with his men in the mess hall. However for the sake of diplomacy he would sit at a real table and eat real food.
"We've been fighting the covenant for the majority of the past year," Ehren explained between bites of nerf steak. "We've only been on the defensive once: when they first made contact with us. My mercenaries and I have been doing our best to make their lives miserable. It probably explains why the UNSC hasn't been having as much trouble lately. With me around the covenant has to split its forces between two enemies, not an ideal situation." Ehren looked at the Arbiter to see if he had a reaction to any of this before he continued, "You have mentioned these 'Halos,' artificial worlds that have the ability to destroy all life as we know it within a certain range. I agree with your solution, they must be either neutralized or destroyed, and I have just the ship to do it."
Pushing a few command buttons, the Admiral pointed to the holographic image of the Iron Wolf. "As I mentioned earlier, this ship has a scaled-down superlaser. It has merely enough power to crack the crust of a planet; however it should be enough to—"
Miranda interrupted when it became apparent that the Admiral was going off-topic, "Admiral, with all due respect, you haven't answered my question. Why exactly are you fighting the covenant?"
The mercenary paused, and frowned. He didn't want to answer that question, not yet; the pain was still too real. However he also knew she wasn't going to let this one slip, and with a sigh he related his story, "About ten standard months ago unidentified ships attacked my system. They called themselves the covenant and that they were commanded by the gods to destroy me." He adjusted himself in his seat and closed his eyes. "My fleet retaliated, however most were not fully through the process of putting on the quantum armor. In fact the only fully-armored ships available were a few Blockade Runners and a Victory-Class Star Destroyer. My planet didn't have many planetary-based weapons or shields, just enough to cover vital areas. I took a lot of casualties, and the covenant began to glass the planet even though the armored ships were still a threat." Pause. "That's when I showed up." Ehren shuddered at the memory of coming out of hyperspace to witness his fleet in ruin and his planet burning. "I was in the Iron Wolf on another mercenary gig to bring home the bacon. Even though I have the secret to making quantum armor, I still need money to pay for it." He stood and strode towards the window looking out into space. "The covenant managed to glass a nice chunk of farmland and cities before I could scare them away. Thousands died, and my resources were stretched very thin. I stayed long enough to help pay for damages and to get things back in order. I now have some decon droids trying to reclaim the lost land, but they won't succeed. In order to keep the covenant from returning I took the offensive, and for the past few months I've been herding them ahead of me like tame banthas."
He turned and looked at his allies, "Did I answer your question?"
"Yes, you did," Master Chief said quietly, looking at the Admiral in a new light. This was a man they could trust with their salvation. He wasn't on a mission of revenge; he was simply protecting the world he loved, just like the marines were. The Arbiter shook his head in admiration: this single ship, this one leader of a mercenary group, had been enough to make real warriors flee in terror. Miranda looked upon him with the utmost sympathy; she knew what it was like to have lost.
"Oooooo! FOOD!" A very wet Sergeant Johnson walked into the dining room, grabbed a bite of nerf steak and popped it greedily into his mouth.
"HEY!"
Laughter erupted in the room as the Admiral grabbed his plate out of the Sergeant's reach. The com. beeped and a very tired tech's voice hushed the merriment, "Admiral, all repairs have been made, and the UNSC Star Galleon is ready for departure."
"Thank you, Lieutenant, let your men rest and have hanger control stand by for further orders."
"Yes, Sir."
As the tech signed off the laughter returned, the Admiral chiding Avery as though he was a child and then ordering food to be brought for the hungry Sergeant. Then they were free to return to business.
Miranda had another question, "So, if you are the leader of the planet why aren't you taking responsibility and staying there instead of directly fighting the covenant?"
"Good question, but technically I'm not in charge of the government, I just bring in the dough and any goods we need that are not already produced on Triad. However, I do take part in most of the political aspects as well. We have an elected president to handle the world's politics, but I'm the only ambassador to the outside universe, and so I'm used to being known as the leader of Triad." He turned to look out the window. "In fact the people of the world and the president himself see me as the same. So I understand it as me being the visual figure of power while the president pulls the strings with my input. It is really more complicated but since this is just a crash course—" He broke off as warning alarms wailed throughout the ship. The stern voice of Captain Mendoza snapped over the com. "We are under attack by a covenant fleet! I repeat, we are under attack by a covenant fleet, this is not a drill! All personnel report to their stations and prepare for battle! I repeat this is not a drill!"
The Admiral turned to face the astonished allies with a look of grim determination on his face, any traces of insanity disappeared the moment danger approached. He was again the warrior his troops knew and loved. The adrenaline was flowing; Ehren Varick was ready to fight.