Chapter 29

Trazyn the Infinite

Solemnace

"Now this is an interesting development." Said Trazyn as he waited for Orikan to arrive in order to deliver his message to him. The Overlord of Solemnace had been overseeing the procuration of another prized relic from his own people when he was informed that Orikan wished to speak to him. Something vital. Curious, the collector had gone back to Solemnace in order to see what Orikan wanted from him. Usually what Orikan spoke of, it usually something important, and Trazyn was intrigued to hear what important information the Cryptek had that he needed to speak to him about. Was it about his investment in Azeroth? Did the Silent King learn of his secretive exploits? If so, was the Cryptek coming to warn him about the Silent King's wrath? No, Orikan would never do such a thing. The Cryptek hated him for personal reasons. Not enough to refuse to work with Trazyn, but enough to care little about his safety unless his presence was needed for the future of their people, which is rather unlikely, given his resources. So, he was rather curious about what the Cryptek was coming to tell him about.

He didn't have much to ponder on his curiosity as he was informed rather quickly that Orikan had arrived and was making his way towards Trazyn. Waiting for the Cryptek at one of the main entrances to his galleries, Trazyn saw that Orikan was traveling alone.

"Ah, Orikan. What fine news did you bring me that you needed to tell me in person?" Asked Trazyn as Orikan made his saw to Trazyn. The Cryptek said nothing until he was only a few inches away from Trazyn. When he was close enough, he spoke.

"I've peered into the future, Trazyn." Said Orikan. "I've seen things that can affect our plans for the future of our people considerably. Enough that I've personally spoken to the Silent King about them. And they've all centered around Azeroth." If Trazyn could, he would be raising an eyebrow at this, intrigued.

"Isn't this interesting. Didn't you say previously that, if the Silent King found out about my investment, he'll punish me for my impudence?" Asked Trazyn, recalling what Orikan told him sometime ago.

"Yes, but what I've saw. What can happen if we exploit certain things. Then the Silent King will forgive your secret investments. He might even reward you for your discovery." Said Orikan before explaining everything to Trazyn, who listened intently after Orikan said that the Silent King will reward him.

Alternate Draenor

Shadowmoon Valley

"I must thank you all for your assistance in defeating the Shadowmoon clan. Though I must admit I didn't expect you to defeat them without spilling a bit of blood." Said Velen as he looked at the Twilight Hammer team as they delivered the news of their success against the Shadowmoon Orc clan. To Velen's great surprise, they not only managed to drive back the Shadowmoon clan, but also managed to do so without a single shed of blood. He had never thought it possible as it seemed all the Orcs followed their new leaders with such zeal that negotiations were impossible, even for someone such as Velen, yet they managed to achieve it.

"It is indeed true, Prophet Velen." Said Yrel with happiness in her voice. "I could scarcely believe it, but they negotiated with the Orcs and turned them back from their dark deeds and now have left us alone. Is that not wonderful?"

"It is, but I fear that it may bring even Orc clans to us once their leaders discover our victory." Said Velen. "Not to discredit your victory, of course, for it is a grand one indeed as it brought much hope to my people."

"No need to apologize, Prophet Velen." Said Derek as he looked at the prophet along with the rest of his team. "We know the stakes and we know how the Orcs think. Rest assured, we'll do whatever we can to keep the damage to your people to a minimum." Velen gave a nod of thanks to the man before speaking up again.

"I thank you. Moving on, we must find a way to deal with the Iron Horde before they can more warriors to end us." Said Velen as he pondered on what to do. As he was pondering, it was the Spartan that spoke up.

"If I may, sir, perhaps I can give advice on what to do." Said the Spartan as he looked at Velen, his posture showing that of someone that was ready for a fight at a moment notice, but also trying to be respectful as well. When Velen gave him permission to speak, the Spartan spoke. "If we kill or capture the leaders of the Iron Horde, we can deal them a crippling blow. Without their central command they'll be disordered and unable to create and effective resistance to us as we capture or destroy vital components in their infrastructure." Upon hearing that, Velen pursed his lips at that.

It was a sound plan, he wasn't going to lie, but it was a very high-risk operation. One that he didn't have the men to risk accomplishing. Nor ones with the skills necessary to achieve the goals. Then again, perhaps he did. The way this Spartan, why he didn't give anyone his name was not something that Velen was willing to pry for it was the man's wish to not reveal his identity, not yet anyway, handled himself. The self-confidence. His posture. The drive. It all spoke of a man that knew what he was doing and that he can accomplish things that Velen needed to be done in order to protect and guide his people to a better future.

Though Velen loathed to endanger anyone, both his people and those that allied with them, in such dangerous assignments, he cannot deny that such acts must be done in order to best secure the future of his people. A sad thing that he learned long ago. Back when his people lived in their old homeworld, the planet Argus. Back when his friends, Archimonde and Kil'jaeden, didn't turn to the side of the demons and destroyed their civilization. With a sigh, Velen spoke out.

"If you believe you can achieve such a goal, then I see no reason to not help you on this journey." Said Velen, causing the Spartan to nod.

"Thank you, sir." Said the Spartan. "Just in case, the enemy send forth an army against you and your people, I'll be going alone. The rest of the team will stay here to defend the valley from attack." That caused a few looks be given to him by his team as well as the Draenei around him. Velen gave a hum at what he just said.

"Are you certain of this?" Asked Velen. "The Iron Horde will no doubt have their leaders well protected. And they are all certainly well versed in the arts of battle. Are you sure that you wish to proceed to venture in this dangerous task alone?" When asked this question, the Spartan nodded.

"Yes sir." Said the Spartan. "I've been trained for situation like this. I can handle it sir without assistance." Velen, stared at the Spartan for a few more seconds before nodding.

"Very well." Said Velen. "We'll give you what information we can tell you about the leaders of the Iron Horde. What little we have on them. However, before that, I recommend that you rest. You will need to be at your fullest potential if you wish to fight the leaders of the Iron Horde." The Spartan nodded, agreeing with Velen. With that, the Twilight Hammer team left for their quarters. As they were leaving, Derek spoke up.

"Are you sure you want to go in alone?" Asked Derek, concerned for his comrade in arms. He may not know much about the Spartan, but that didn't mean he shouldn't look out for his wellbeing. "Taking on an Orc leader is not something to be done lightly. Especially someone like Garrosh and Grom Hellscream." The Spartan just nodded at that.

"I know." Said the Spartan. "But don't worry. Like I said, I was trained for things like this. There's no need for concern." Upon hearing that, Kudius spoke up.

"That must be some crazy training you got if you think you can take on the Iron Horde leadership all by yourself." Said Kudius. "But if you can actually do what you say you can do, then I'll go out and fashion you a sword worthy of such an act because it deserves such a reward." The Spartan just gave him a nod of acknowledgement before turning to Gorl, who just gave him a look of respect. Obviously, the Orc respected the Spartan for choosing to go on such a powerful task along with no help.

With that, the Spartan looked on ahead, eager to rest up quickly so he can complete the task that was given to him and his team by N'Zoth. As they were leaving for their quarters, however, Velen was speaking to Yrel.

"Yrel, I must ask of you to keep an eye on our allies." Said Velen, causing his prodigy to look at him in shock.

"But why, prophet?" Asked Yrel, confused. "Are they not our allies? They've proven to be on our side, did they not?"

"They have." Agreed Velen. "But I fear that it is only to achieve something. What I do not know. I peered into the future regarding them, Yrel, and I found nothing. Something is blocking my ability to peer into the future. Something powerful." Yrel, though she was afraid of hearing the Velen's prophetic abilities were blocked, still did not think it was worthy of being suspicious of their allies when they've done so much for them. What he said next, however, was worthy of such suspicions. "However, such blocks are only done when I try to peer the futures of our allies. What they plan on doing after the Iron Horde is defeated and what they plan to do with us in the aftermath. Therefore, as a precaution, I ask you to observe them and nothing more. Hopefully, this is merely an attempt by the Iron Horde to divide us." Yrel nodded in understanding, upon hearing all that, hoping that it was so as well. After promising Velen that she will observe their allies for him, Yrel left for her quarters. Once she did, however, Velen pondered on what this all meant.

His prophetic powers were second to none. Near impossible for people to block or alter. To do so meant that they had either sufficient arcane prowess to either rival or surpass his own skills in the arcane. None of which the Orcs had in their possession for they had no arcane users amongst their ranks. So, what was preventing him from peering into the futures of his allies.

Was it the Void? No, it couldn't be. He didn't sense any traces of void energy during his attempts to peer into the future. The Orcs? He very much doubted they had the knowledge needed to block his prophetic visions. So, what was blocking them? Whatever it was, he hoped he could find it's source soon as he didn't want to suspect that his own allies were planning on betraying his people. Closing his eyes, he wondered what his allies' own homeworld was doing against the Iron Horde.

Blasted Lands

Courier

"God damnit." Thought Courier as he overheard the Horde and Alliance leaders arguing with each other over what to do regarding the Skaven below them. After his team came back and warned Varian about what happened, he assembled the Alliance leaders in the area, which were Shandris, Velen, Jaina, and Genn, to commence talks on this new enemy, the Skaven. At the same time, Sylvanas gathered the Horde leaders in the Blasted Lands to do the same thing, even telling them to speak with the Alliance to discuss potential cooperation in fighting the rats. Or that was Courier's hope. A naïve hope to say the least as the talks devolved to pointless arguing that benefitted anyone, except for the Skaven. Needless to say, it was frustrating to the human man to see them all argue with one another on what to do.

On the Alliance side, some of their leaders wanted to open negotiations with the Skaven. See if they can be negotiated with. That caused Ikit to snicker in amusement at how naïve they were. While other Alliance leaders wanted to exterminate them all, saying they've proven to be hostile and that they shouldn't risk any Alliance lives with attempting to negotiate with them. And the same issues were present in the Horde side, though more leaders opted for the exterminate route rather than attempting peace. As a result of these arguments, as well as past prejudices against one another, the two sides were arguing with each other, not getting anything done.

Sighing, Courier looked to see Varian was displeased at the lack of progress and was about to yell when Vol'jin did it for him.

"Enough!" Yelled Vol'jin with enough force that it caught everyone's attention. "This be getting us nowhere. All this arguing is doing nothing but giving our new enemies time to prepare for an attack on us. If this is all we be doing, then I'm leaving and the Horde will deal with these rats on our own." Upon hearing that, Baine tried to argue with Vol'jin when Varian spoke.

"Agreed." Said Varian as he stood up, looking at everyone assembled. "All this is nothing more than a waste of time if we can't do anything but argue. So, either hold back your grudges or you have no further input in any battle plans against these Skaven." A few grumbled at that, but otherwise remained silent. Looking at everyone again, to make sure they weren't going to pull anything funny, Varian spoke up again. "Good. Now, what do you know about these Skaven, Courier?" Seeing that it was his turn to speak up, Courier did so.

"Well, all this comes from my teammate, Ikit." Said Courier. "He's currently with my other two teammates recovering from the disastrous attempt by us to rescue people from those sinkholes. Chief is currently helping the Nightborne with something that threatens them, so that leaves me to help you out." Some grumbled at Chief not being here, but otherwise remained silent. "Anyway, what I can tell you is that those rats fight dirty. They're going to use whatever they can to kill us without any sort of regard to their own lives or if it's moral to do so. I've seen those things literally throw themselves at us just to have a slim chance to kill us. And there's thousands upon thousands of them in tunnels below us. I'm telling you know, these things are going to give us a hard time if we fight them conventionally."

"What do you propose we do then?" Asked Shandris, wondering what the Courier proposes they do. From the way he's talking, he was making the Skaven a much greater threat than they all thought they were. And unfortunately, they were.

"I don't think that fighting them conventionally is a good idea." Said Courier, knowing what he was going to say wasn't going to sit well with a whole lot of people from both Horde and Alliance. "I think that what we should do is flood their tunnels. Kill them all that way." As Courier expected, more than a few people immediately protested while a few others were stunned at what he said.

"You're asking us to kill them all through flooding them!?" Yelled Saurfang as he slammed his fist onto the table that everyone was using to discuss battleplans, glaring at Courier. "That will dishonor us if we resort to such cowardly tactics. We should fight these Skaven as honorable warriors." Sylvanas scoffed at that, obviously disagreeing with Saurfang on how to handle the Skaven. "If we can't fight with honor, then what is the point in life?"Courier wanted to sigh, but refrained from doing so, thinking it'll offend Saurfang, and he rather not face an giant Orc like him in combat, even though he faced more dangerous things than him. Especially with what he's going to say next.

"With respect, Saurfang, this isn't an enemy we can fight in honorable combat." Said Courier, trying his best to be respectful to the Orc as possible. "Even though I only saw a fraction of what the Skaven can do, it was more than enough to convince me that a straight up fight with them is nothing less than suicidal for your men. The sheer amount of Skaven that were sent in after us was enough to qualify to be a full battalion of soldiers. Maybe two. If it weren't for the tunnels preventing them from utilizing their numbers to the fullest potential, then none of the people we sent down there would be here to tell you what the heck is down there. And I get a good feeling that the Skaven have even more up their paws than what I saw down there." Saurfang wanted to argue when Sylvanas spoke up.

"The human speaks true." Said Sylvanas, entering the conversation. "These rats. These Skaven. They are reminiscent to the Scourge we faced sometime ago. The brutality. The numbers. The lack of care towards themselves and those around them. All of it is exactly the way the Scourge was when we fought them. And we all know the dead we suffered when we fought them in a conventional battle." Everyone just stayed silent as they remembered those days. The number of dead they had fighting the Scourge, both during and after the 3rd war. None wanted a repeat of those casualties, some were still adamant in fighting as honorable warriors. Like noble soldiers. Something that Sylvanas found laughable and naïve. If there was anything she learned as a banshee, there was nothing honorable in war.

War was meant to be fought with no regard to any set of rules or boundaries except the one that really mattered. Winning. A side shouldn't fight with concern to the other side's people or if what they're doing was honorable. They should only care about two things in war. Winning the war and looking out for one's people. Nothing more. Nothing less. A lesson she learned when becoming the ruler of the Forsaken and before that when she rebelled against Arthas. Which is why she was annoyed with people like Baine and Saurfang, who cared so greatly about honor and the integrity of the Horde that they risk their own people's lives just to satiate both desires. Pathetic. If it weren't for her own gripes with Garrosh, she could have stayed loyal to the Orc till it was clear that he would lose and that it benefitted her people more to ally with the Horde rebels.

So, it pleased her greatly when this Courier and his team of misfits saw the wisdom in the pragmatic approach. Unlike most leaders in the Horde and even Alliance for that matter. If only she could convert them fully into her control, then everything will be quite pleasing to her. But for now, she'll settle for letting them have their independence and their assistance to both the Horde and Alliance.

"I assume your experience with these rats have provided hard evidence that a conventional war with them is far too costly, Sylvanas?" Asked Lor'themar as he looked at the Forsaken leader. Sylvanas just nodded.

"They are quite…tenacious and ferocious." Said Sylvanas truthfully. "Quite deadly. Quite numerous. Quite intelligent in war. A deadly combination, wouldn't you say?" Lor'themar just nodded as he looked at Courier. Though the man wore his helmet, Lor'themar could tell that the man was hoping the Blood Elf would back them up on this. To which Lor'themar wasn't sure on what to do.

On one hand, he utterly despised the underhanded and even outright cruel methods of Sylvanas, much like the other leaders of the Horde, he cannot deny that her methods were effective. And, much it may anger some people, she, and team Sigma may be right in this matter.

These rat-men. These Skaven. Though he didn't know much about them or faced them in battle at all, he knew enough from the way Ikit Claw fights, which his team claims to be a Skaven. He saw how that mad rat fights during the battle for Orgrimmar and at Pandaria. How utterly mad he was. How insane he was in fighting. If even a fraction of Ikit's personality was present in the rest of his species, then Lor'themar knew they weren't exactly a race that can be fought honorably. At least not without expecting large casualties on their end. So, much as it may anger his allies, he had to side with Sylvanas on this one.

"Indeed." Said Lor'themar. "That is probably why we should do it your way, Sylvanas. Correct?" Sylvanas just nodded her head in agreement. "As much as it pains me to say, perhaps we should." Only shock prevented Saurfang and several other Horde leaders from staring at Lor'themar in shock at what he said. From across the Alliance side, he heard a scoff coming from Jaina Proudmoore, which he ignored before explaining his reasoning. "My friends. At the moment, we can't afford to lose much from a conflict with a new foe. Not when we have another opponent to face, one that has proven to be a hardy foe that is difficult for us to take down. As much as it pains me to admit, we should do what Sylvanas and our friends recommend. To take them down with a rather dishonorable way of dealing with these Skaven." Before anyone could protest at this, Varian spoke up.

"I must concur with Lor'themar." Said Varian, causing some shock to occur with some of the Alliance and Horde leaders. Not because of him accepting they need to do some dishonorable tactics, but for agreeing with a Horde leader on something. "My top advisors, with what little information we have about these Skaven, deemed that a conventional war with them will result in unacceptable casualties. Especially if the Iron Horde takes advantage of our fighting in order to hit vulnerable towns and villages. Simply put, the enemies have all the advantages. We'll be fighting in their territory, one which most of us have little experience in fighting, and they have magic and technology that we haven't seen before. And above all else, they have such numbers that any victory we have against them will be costly. Very costly. So, in order to avoid such death, I agree with the notion that we need to wipe them out in one fell swoop." Upon hearing that, Velen, leader of the Draenei spoke.

"Are you certain of this, Varian?" Asked Velen as he addressed the High King of the Alliance. "Such a measure can be quite corrupting to one's mind. Especially if one justifies it as a way to protect their people from death." Varian nodded in agreement and was about to speak when a soldier immediately emerged into the tent, eyes wide.

"My king!" Yelled the soldier as he caught his breath while everyone looked at the human soldier. Once he finished catching his breath, he spoke up. "Sir, our forward outposts are under attack by rats walking on two legs! They're getting slaughtered." Everyone either widened their eyes in shock or narrowed their eyes in anger.

"Well shit." Said Courier as he saw Varian narrow his eyes as he clenched his fists. It didn't take long until he got up and drew out his sword.

"Marshall the men. We must repel these foes." Ordered Varian to the soldier as he exited out of the tent with some of his military officers, leaving everyone else to decide on what to do. Eventually, Sylvanas got up, claiming she's going out to check on the forward Horde outposts, to see if they're under attack as well, before leaving. She was soon followed by Lor'themar and Saurfang. Eventually, everyone else followed them until only Courier and Shandris Feathermoon remained. Shandris, walking over to Courier, spoke up.

"I imagine these Skaven aren't a typical foe, are they?" Asked Shandris, looking at Courier in concern. As general to the Sentinel army, it was up to her to ensure the safety of her fellow warriors and soldiers. So, she needed as much information as possible in order to ensure their safety as much as humanly possible. Unfortunately, that meeting provided nothing of actual note. The others were arguing too much to provide any real information, even Sylvanas. So, in order to gain that information, she turned to the only one that can provide her that information. At least reliably.

"No. You haven't seen Ikit fight, but he's a good indicator on how they fight." Said Courier as he turned to Shandris. "They fight dirty. No regard to the lives around them, including their own, and seem to be rather…insane. At least to our standards." Shandris just nodded at that before asking if there was anything more to add, like tactics and what she should expect. "A lot. Ikit was rather informative of his people's tactics, surprisingly, but I wouldn't be surprised if these Skaven have made things that are different to the Skaven Ikits' used to." Courier then began to tell Shandris what Ikit had told them all before. All of their common tactics. All their typical tricks and machines. Everything related to combat. And as he kept telling her thing after thing, Shandris grew concerned on fighting such a race. A race that was capable of so many different things and excelled at them, even if some of their weapons of war exploded in their face. More often than what she would deem practical and safe. Nevertheless, she was worried on fighting such a race on the battlefield and that the casualties that Varian was worried about were a reality. Perhaps even more so. Once Courier was finished, she spoke.

"They sound like a…dangerous race to face." Said Shandris after Courier was finished. Courier just nodded in agreement. "It is a shame that your leader isn't here to help us. Where is he?"

"He's out helping the Nightborne." Said Courier. "An Iron Horde fleet was spotted near their shores. As a result of our alliance with them, we have to help them out. It would bad for us if we didn't help them, right?" Shandris just sighed in agreement at that. "Don't worry though. Once he's done with dealing with the Iron Horde, he'll come back to assist us in dealing with the Skaven." Shandris just nodded at that. Even as she nodded, however, she felt that team Sigma's duties were becoming overbearing. There were too few of them and so many obligations for them to do from so many organizations with little to no reward for their services. She made a note to talk to Tyrande and Varian about rewarding them for their services, but until then, she couldn't help but feel pity and sorrow for them. Something that actually caught the eye of Courier.

"Something on your mind?" Asked Courier, noticing a slight change in Shandris's posture. The question caused the Night Elf to blink in surprise. She was astonished at his quick reflexes and ability to detect the changes in her emotions. Not many humans, as far as she knew, can do that. Nevertheless, she spoke up, feeling he deserved to know.

"I can't help but feel a bit sorry for your people." Said Shandris truthfully. "Doing all this. So much for us all with little in return. It must be exhausting to do so with so few people."

"Well, you get used to it." Said Courier. "I'm certainly used to being the one that has to saving everyone's hide. Back in my home, I had to save so many people from so many threats, usually with only a handful of people helping me, but with so little downtime. I can tell you a story of them if you want, though I think we should go and help your people first." Shandris nodded at that before leaving the tent with Courier. As they left, Courier wondered what Master Chief was doing right now.

Meanwhile

Iron Horde fleet

"There it is." Said a Nightborne soldier as he pointed to the Iron Horde ships that were making their way to Suramar. "That's the fleet that has been moving it's way towards Suramar. We've been monitoring them since they've entered our territories. So far, they've been none the wiser to our outposts, but it's only a matter of time before they reach Suramar." Chief just stayed silent as he viewed the Iron Horde fleet through his helmet's zoom function. The two were safely observing the fleet from outer edges of the shores of the Broken Isles. The enemy hadn't detected them as yet, for which Chief was grateful for, as that gave him the opportunity to study his opponents and pick out his targets.

There were five ships all around, all of which held a massive cannon on the prow. All of them seemed to hold a sizable amount of Orcs along with heavy vehicles and war beasts. Though Chief wasn't sure the exacts of Suramar's defenses, he was certain that, if those ships arrived to Suramar, there was going to be much damage be inflicted on the Nightborne and Chief wasn't going to let that happen.

Looking at the ship's defenses, Chief determined that they lacked any adequate defenses against any attacks from the air. The cannons mounted on the ships seemed to be designed for ship-to-ship combat and bombardments of land targets. They weren't made to attack things in the air. So, with that information, Chief went with his original plan, which was conducting an air attack on the Iron Horde ships, sinking them all and stopping the Iron Horde from ever reaching Suramar city that way. Baring anything from magic, then he should be fine to attack them completely safe from harm.

He already told Thalyssra about his plan and how it would work. Having seen and heard about their flying machines, Thalyssra was amazed that a single thing metallic object can do such damage all on it's own. She thought that nothing, baring a powerful dragon or a mage of exceptional prowess in the arcane arts, could do such a feat, but Chief assured her that their fighters can do it, if they're properly protected or against the proper foes, of course. With that assurance, Thalyssra left him with those responsible for monitoring the Iron Horde fleet while she went to inform Elisande of the situation and it's solution.

While all this was happening, Chief contacted Cortana and had her ready up a Pelican gunship variant loaded up with anti-ship weaponry. That had been thirty minutes ago and the gunship should be arriving soon. Once it did, he'll pilot it and begin the task of annihilating the Iron Horde ships.

"Pardon me, sir." Said the soldier with Chief. When the Spartan looked at the man, he spoke up again. "But how are you planning on dealing with all them by yourself? Are you a mage? Or do you have a powerful dragon on your side?" The soldier hadn't been with Chief when he explained his plan with Thalyssra, so he was in the dark on what was going to happen.

"Something like the that." Said Chief simply. "We just have to make sure we take them out here and now before they could reach into firing range on Suramar. You're certain these are the only ships?"

"Yes." Said the Nightborne soldier. "Nothing else with those colors and symbols are coming to Suramar at this moment. If we strike now, we eliminate perhaps the current greatest threat to Suramar."

"That is if the Skaven don't here." Thought Chief as he remembered the Skaven in the Blasted Lands. He needed to end this job quickly so that he can get back to his team, who were no doubt exhausted from their previous fight, crippling their ability to be of any help to the Alliance and Horde against both the Iron Horde in the Blasted Lands as well as the Skaven. He'll also may need to bring some Nightborne assistance as well. Thalyssra promised to give them aid once all this was over, but Chief wasn't certain of how much of that it'll be. Whatever it was, it better be a sufficient amount because he was certain they'll need it for the battles to come.

As soon as he was done thinking about his team, he got a call from Cortana, telling him that his gunship was here. As soon as she said that, Chief heard the sounds of a Pelican gunship speeding towards his location. Looking to where the sound was coming from, Chief saw the silhouette of the Pelican coming closer and closer to his location from behind them, away from the Iron Horde ships. The Nightborne soldier with him cried in alarm and was about to run when Chief stopped him.

"Easy now." Said Chief as he tried to calm down the soldier. "It's with me." The Nightborne soldier still looked nervous, but remained where he was. When the gunship landed, Chief let go of the soldier before going towards the gunship. "If you want to come, you're welcome to, but I think it's best if you stay here. Observe from a distance." The Nightborne soldier looked between the gunship and the Iron Horde fleet, doing this for a few more minutes, before making his decision.

"I think so as well." Agreed the soldier as he stood back as Chief entered the Pelican gunship.

The D77H-TCI Pelican dropship was the latest version of the UNSC's D77-TC Pelican line. Introduced late in the Human Covenant war, the D77H was an upgrade of the D77-TC, featuring improved aviation controls, troop bay, and weaponry. The D77H was a worthy upgrade to the UNSC's premiere troop transport. And it was the ship that Chief was going to use against the Iron Horde ships.

The D77H he was piloting was gunship variant of the Pelican, which featured more missiles, chain guns, and even a large cannon at the front of the ship. It had less carrying capacity than the dropship version in order to carry sufficient munitions for everyone, but that didn't matter in the slightest for Chief at the moment as he planned to use everything the gunship had to destroy the Iron Horde.

Getting in the pilot's seat, Chief then got a call from Cortana, who used the Pelican's communications array to speak with him.

"So, big guy, you think you can take on an entire fleet of primitives on your own?" Asked Cortana, knowing full well that Chief dealt with worser things than Orcs in metal armor.

"I can handle it." Said Chief simply as he prepared to take off in the Pelican. As the Pelican was taking off, Cortana spoke up again.

"So, Thalyssra. You doing all this alone to impress her?" Asked Cortana with a smile. Chief, knowing where this was going, spoke up.

"I spoke to her about her growing feelings for me." Said Chief, causing Cortana to raise an eyebrow, having a bad feeling that something bad happened. "I told her that we can't be together along with the reasons why. She took it hard initially, but she moved on since." Cortana sighed at that. Of course, Chief would do that. She should have expected that from him. Looks like she needed to do something to prevent Chief from making a huge mistake.

"You know, Chief." Said Cortana as Chief took off to engage the Iron Horde. "There have been military men that have successful marriages with non-combatants. Even ones that are from different nations. The same could be the done for you and her. Get a kid and whatnot." Upon hearing that, Chief spoke up.

"What's this about, Cortana?" Asked Chief, getting straight to the point. "Do you want me to have a lover?" Cortana sighed before answering.

"Yes, I do, big guy." Said Cortana as she appeared in Chief's visor. "Don't you think that, after all that you did in life, you deserve to be with someone that makes you happy? Someone that can be there for you when you need them. Someone that can…give you a family."

"What I want is not an option." Said Chief as he continued flying towards the Iron Horde fleet. "People depend on soldiers like me to protect them from threats to their lives and their families. I can't afford to be distracted with something like a lover. Especially if we're from two different people. Do I choose her over the people that raised me? Besides, once we figured out a way back home, we won't be seeing Thalyssra anymore. Or anyone here for that matter. Jack may stay because of Vereesa, but I can't. The UNSC will always need soldiers like. Always." Cortana just sighed at that, knowing that he was telling the truth. The UNSC did need soldiers like him. Unquestioning loyalty and was both strong and competent to do whatever the UNSC needed of him. The UNSC wasn't a saint organization by any stretch of the imagination, but it was still something worth fighting for. And Chief will continue being that soldier until he was physically unable to do so anymore. And as much as Cortana admired that part of him, she wanted him to also be happy with someone. Someone that can be there for him when she was gone. Cortana was about to speak up when Chief did first.

"I need to stop this, Cortana." Said Chief as he was nearly in combat range for the Pelican gunship. "I'll radio you back when it's all over." Cortana just nodded at that, knowing they'll have to continue the conversation later.

"Good luck, Chief. Though you don't really need luck where you'll be going." Said Cortana. Chief didn't respond to that as Cortana ended the call. Once she was gone, Chief readied himself for a fight. Aiming at the closets ship, Chief locked onto it before firing four missiles at it. One missile hit the prow of the ship, another hit the cannon, destroying it, while the last two missiles hit the center of the ship, causing a massive explosion that sent bodies and shrapnel everywhere. Chief then used the cannon to finish the ship off. While that ship was sinking, Chief went to focus on the other four while they were in shock. By the time that they recovered, Chief had already destroyed another ship and crippled another.

When they recovered, they instantly went into action. They tried to take down the strange flying contraption that was destroying their ships by shooting at it with their cannons, but every time they aimed their guns at it, the flying metal creature moved out of range or flew of the projectile's path, being far to fast for the slow-moving cannons. Because of this, it destroyed the crippled ship before damaging another with it's loud, rapid fire guns. Just as it destroyed it's fourth ship, the last Iron Horde ship opened fire on it, this time finally hitting it on it's left wing. A few Orcs cheered at this, but were then stupefied when the flying machine was still intact. There were flames coming out from where it was hit, but it was still flying and capable of fighting.

Turning towards the last ship, the flying machine opened fire with everything it had, firing large white objects at them while firing it's own cannon at the final Iron Horde ship, obliterating it completely. As it blew up, the flying machine flew away from the wreckages, back to where it came from.

As all this was happening, a lone Nightborne soldier was watching all this in awe and shock. Never had he seen such a display of power before in his entire life. Never had he seen anything non magical come even close to what he had just seen. And he knew it was nonmagical because Thalyssra and Elisande made it clear that their allies from this team Sigma were all non-magical baring the rodent. At first, the soldier had been skeptical of how useful they were to Suramar due to their numbness to the Arcane arts as well as their small numbers, but now he saw one of them in action and saw just how powerful they really are. When the gunship landed and the Master Chief came out of it, the soldier came up to him.

"Sir, that was the most astounding display of power that I had ever witnessed from those that lack any prowess in the arcane arts." Said the soldier as he looked at Chief in awe. "I never thought you could defeat that fleet all by yourself, but you proved me wrong." Chief just nodded at that. "I also never thought your flying contraption will be so powerful as well. No wonder Thalyssra and Elisande accepted your proposal for an alliance. It's far better to have a strong people be your allies rather than enemies." Chief just stayed silent as the Nightborne soldier continued to speak. Eventually, he spoke something important. "We should report this to Elisande. Of how you managed to defeat our enemies all by yourself. She will be pleased to hear of such a feat and that we do not have to worry of this Iron Horde coming to ravage Suramar. At least for the time being." Chief just nodded at that before looking at the gunship. It took a hit from the Iron Horde, but the damage wasn't anything to bad. It can make a trip to Suramar intact as well go back to Torrington base so long as it doesn't suffer anymore damage in that spot.

"Do you want to fly with me?" Asked Chief as he looked at the soldier with him. The Nightborne widened his eyes at that before nodding. With that, the two entered the gunship and began flying back towards Suramar. As he was flying, Chief wondered why Cortana was so sent on him getting together with Thalyssra. Was she keeping something from him? If so, what was it?

Meanwhile

Trazyn

"How Orikan. How quaint of you to provide me an escort during our ventures to seeing the Silent King." Said Trazyn as he and Orikan were flying towards the Silent King's personal ship, the Song of Oblivion, where he was waiting for them. Orikan said nothing as his crew was piloting their ship towards the Song of Oblivion's position.

Soon, the personal ship of Orikan arrived to where the Song of Oblivion was. But there was no ship. Nothing but a empty void with a single celestial body that was black as night and had green energy flowing through it. Upon seeing the celestial body, Trazyn couldn't help but speak.

"Ah, the Song of Oblivion. The personal ship of the Silent King himself. What joy it is to see it with my own optics once again." Said Trazyn as he looked at the Song of Oblivion through a console on the bridge. Yes, the celestial object was the Song of Oblivion. A massive planet-shaped warship that rivaled even the largest of planets in size. Such was grand feats of architecture weren't even the greatest achievements for Trazyn's and Orikan's people. And there were many of them. Before Orikan could even comment on Trazyn's words, they suddenly received a transmission from the Song of Oblivion.

"Zodiac's Fury, you are clear to land in this landing location." Said a metallic voice as coordinates were being uploaded in the minds of the bridge crew. "An escort of Lychguard will be there to escort you to our king." With that information, Orikan ordered the bridge crew to follow the coordinates given to them, which they did. Soon, the ship landed on the northern hemisphere of the Song of Oblivion. Upon landing, Orikan and Trazyn soon departed from it via teleportation. Once they were on the surface of the Song of Oblivion, they were immediately beset by a mass green mist. Once the mist subsided, a large company of well-armored warriors, similar in appearance to them, surrounded them, wielding massive shields and swords. Unlike Trazyn and Orikan, these warriors were colored primarily with bronze and some gray mixed in. These warriors were Lychguard, the royal protectors of their people's leaders that served their every whim with complete loyalty.

Staying vigilant, Orikan spoke.

"We are here." Said Orikan as he held his staff. "Take us to meet with the Silent King." The Lychguard just stayed silent before they encircled them. Once the two were completely surrounded, the warriors began escorting the two towards their liege. The liege of all their people, the Silent King.