That nap was exactly what the Captain needed.
While, yes, it was true that the Captain still looked as ragged and tired as when she'd first arrived, Angela saw her more up and awake today than yesterday. The away team sent to test cohesion and report back to the Captain had returned and Adora had been kind enough to brief Angela on their cooperation with these mysterious soldiers, the Spartans.
Now, not to say the entire UNSC was not a mystery, but these men and women, these young soldiers were more of a mystery than all the weapons that the UNSC had brought to bear. Valerie's silence on them when asked irked the Queen, yet she wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. They had proven able to work with the Rebellion. That was enough for Angela.
Now? Now the Queen, Adora, Glimmer and Bow waited for their allies' aircraft to bring them aboard the large Supercarrier that was apparently high in orbit. The other Princesses had elected to go back to their kingdoms, to presumably tell their people about the newest developments regarding their new allies. Escorting her, the Captain and their two Princesses and Techmaster, Sergeant Reaver's team had tidied themselves up a fair bit. Their weapons were slung on their backs and Reaver had taken care to rally them up prim and proper, to head for the warship.
Angela's eyes locked with not a military transport, but rather a massive civilian shuttle. One that had probably been used to transport those million evacuees the Captain had mentioned. It was a large craft, with four engines and an aerodynamic shape. Slowly, it spun and touched down and its rear hatch opened. Climbing aboard, the Infantry and the VIPs were met by a few extra Marines and some more tired civilian crew.
Entering the craft, they were greeted by a spacious hold containing various crates and boxes, probably meant to assist in constructing some sort of timely settlement on the planet they were aiming toward. Upon being seated in the passenger compartment of the ship, the ship had done its final checkups rapidly, before lifting off. The queen and her escort soon felt the brute G-Forces pushing them into their seats while the Craft accelerated to escape velocity. It rattled as it flew through the turbulence provided by friction with Etherian air, working to breach the atmosphere...
The four eased back into their seats when the light blue sky changed into the dim, unforgiving and cold darkness of the void. The Captain walked... Well, floated up to their seats, a smile on her face as she said "I asked the crews to disable artificial gravity for a bit. If you want, you can unlock your harnesses."
"We're fine, thank you." Angela smiled at the mischievous captain, before seeing her own daughter floating and laughing next to Adora and Bow. The woman shook her head, then looked back to Valerie.
"Hey, kids." The captain called out "Get to the windows and look. We're comin' in."
The team did as asked. And Angela did understand the children's expressions of awe. Orbiting high above Etheria, almost a dozen warships of varying sizes surrounded the massive command vessel that had led the evacuation fleet to Etheria. She saw the traces of debris left from their violent transport into Despondos, she could see the damage left on the Eternity. But most terrifying of all, she could see Eternity.
Despite having been said to lack much of its armament, the massive vessel still bristled with armor and guns that no Etherian ship, be it in the sea or out here, could have hoped to match. Through missing portions, she could see the layering of armor bolted onto the big girl and the inner compartments, guarded by the same type of jet-black alloy that held the entire vessel together.
Around it, the first thing Angela laid her eyes upon were the smaller Frigates and Corvettes, all lined with the same armor and shaped much like the familiar weapons that the UNSC carried into battle. Around them, smaller, triangle-shaped craft flew patrols, the pilots and crew probably watching the approaching diplomatic craft through the windows of their cockpits.
Following them, four larger vessels which were undergoing some degree of repair hanged close to the Eternity, with a fifth ship of a smaller size and even blockier, geometric look, working on the repairs and rearmaments.
"Woah..." Adora wore a dumb smile on her face, while Glimmer and Bow seemed to show a combination of both awe and fear. Angela, too, was unable to hide her feelints toward what amounted to gigantic alien ships high in orbit above their homeworld. And with armament that looked like it could wipe Bright Moon, or perhaps the Fright Zone, off the map.
"That's incredible." Bow said "How does she keep steady? She must weigh a lot."
"Now, now, kiddo. Not nice to ask a mama about her or her girl's weight." The Captain smirked "Plus, we're in space. Her weight does not matter here."
"What about the smaller ships?" Glimmer asked
"A Halcyon-class refit for repair duty, several Marathon-class Cruisers, some Frigates in the Paris and Stalwart classes and Gladius Corvettes." The woman smiled proudly "Meanest fleet near your homeworld."
"And still not your biggest, I'd assume." Smiled Angela "What kind of weapons does your fleet bear?"
"Most of our ships have MAC Guns attached to them. The only one that's currently undergoing installation thereof is the Eternity herself, due to the fact of us leaving port wholly underequipped for our travels. Still, she'll be just right if we can salvage the entire debris field... Hell, some of our tech geeks are already considering ways to combine the smaller MACs into Supers." Smirked the woman, then she clarified "A MAC is a Mass Accelerator Cannon. A projectile of tungsten or some other really hard ferrous material is launched via magnetic propulsion out of the muzzle of the weapon at incredible speeds. If fired at maximum power, a Marathon-class's could probably level an entire city."
"... Well..." Adora sighed "You're getting scarier by the day, captain."
"Good." The woman flashed a grin at Adora, "Means your lil' Horde pals will hate meeting us."
"Approaching the hangars, ladies! Strap in!" The pilot called out over the PA. As the group floated back to their seats, then strapped in, they felt the artificial gravity field of the massive Supercarrier take hold. On approach, they saw just how truly massive the Eternity was. Kilometers long, armored and armed to face an entire fleet all on her own, the warship-turned-ark further cemented the joy that the girls felt at the thought that they were allied.
A few military-looking transport ships floated off the deck, moving vehicles and equipment to the landing site chosen by the UNSC troops and deploying the items there. The transport ship made its descent onto a landing pad in the rear of the hangar, giving a clean picture of how massive this old girl was. The little group of diplomats disembarked from the civilian ship and onto the active deck of the military dreadnought.
Marine Corps units boarded transports, boots cracking against metal grates as they boarded Pelicans and even larger transports. Some of the ships carried what looked like...
"Tanks...?" Adora raised a brow, watching as a mean-looking machine on treads was loaded onto a Pelican's back hold, before the bird left the hangar.
"Tanks." Smirked the Captain, "As well as Force Application Vehicles and ATVs for offroad operation."
The woman then pointed at the four-wheeler vehicles on the deck. Lightly armored, with one being a small two-person vic and the other barely fitting three persons in what looked like a combat modification set. They also had a troop version, with a seat and cage in the back for holding on to. All of it was being hauled down by the same aircraft. Pelicans and heavy-duty drop ships.
"I see the SeaBees are busy." The Captain quipped, watching as troopers wearing what looked like badges with armed bees on them worked on loading the supplies into aircraft, then boarding said aircraft and leaving with them.
"Someone needs to build the facilities downstairs, Captain." They all heard the voice of the admiral and turned to greet him. The Captain saluted the man, which surprised the girls and boy present. Then again, the woman did mention the Admiral once? How there were higher ranks than her in the UNSC Navy. Queen Angela approached the two, then nodded to the Admiral.
"Your highness." The admiral bowed, "The captain mentioned you in her reports. An honor to finally meet you."
"The feeling is mutual, admiral." The Queen nodded.
"Please, follow me. Our first visit will be in the cryo-bays, to alleviate any sort of concern that we would be lying about those we have on board."
"C'mon, lads! Charlie Company's scouts just got engaged downstairs! Looks like the enemy's sending a welcoming party our way!" A marine hollered to his soldiers, garnering the attention of the officer cadre and the present Princess Alliance members. A Sergeant-Major gathered his men for the deployment, aboard another of the UNSC's Pelican drop-ships. The squadron of 12 boarded the transport and it took off to another part of the planet, a long distance away from Bright Moon.
"Huh... Must've met the enemy." The Captain noted, "I'll ping Sergeant Reaver and his men once we're on the bridge. Tell them to deploy and assist."
"Good." The Admiral nodded. He motioned to the ladies of the group to follow, taking them across the massive hangar bay toward the main halls. Within the hallways of the warship, they found the crew working on repairing damage to the walls, re-attaching panels and folding up wiring that had fallen from the ceiling behind its containment panels. Military Police also moved through, stun batons attached to their belts. They saluted the Admiral and Captain as they passed with the guests.
Most of the crew that they met along the way greeted them with smiles and salutes, trying to be as friendly as possible, which was normal. If one took into consideration the fact that they were basically offering these people a new home on Etheria, the warm welcome was standard and the least one would expect. The trip was silent, however, even with Bow, Glimmer and Adora quipping in the background.
Speaking of them, Adora stopped by a window. She walked up to it, mouth slightly agape, then leaned onto it. Etheria shined like a blue gemstone below them. A world so full of life that they'd sworn to protect. She saw the UNSC transports going down to the surface from here. A never-ending line of lights and engine exhaust that bore a renewed hope for the Resistance. It felt so odd to think that hope came in the form of an armed force of aliens.
She turned to the others, all of whom stopped to wait for her. The Captain smiled at the girl, then waved her forward. Bow and Glimmer reassured Adora with smiles as they all moved forward. This was their home. And the UNSC was here to help them, for both sides' gain. 20 minutes of walking later, the group had made it to the lifts that went down to the Cryo area.
The elevator descended, the rear windows opening up to the sight of it. Hundreds of thousands of cryopods were stacked from the ceiling to the unseen bottom of the massive bay, lined in multiple rows and with catwalks on each level, around each stack and wall of the life-keeping machines. With disbelief, the Etherians leaned to look, seeing Technicians patrolling the girders and catwalks with data-pads in their hands, ensuring each pod functioned for the forseeable future.
The elevator halted on the first level, the doors opening and letting the group move into the cavernous hold. Adora took the first steps toward a pod, wiping the window to look inside. She gasped, catching a glimpse of a young girl leaning against the cryopod's less-than-comfortable interior, crystals of ice formed on her face, on her brows and on her skin. In her left hand, she held tightly a frozen plush rabbit.
"... I..." The blonde swallowed, feeling a slight chill shooting up her spine "They're still alive... Right?"
"Suspended animation." The Admiral nodded, "Cryogenics ensure that our people can survive long-distance trips utilizing either FTL or sublight travel, the latter in the worst cases. They're alive, but fast asleep and unable to age or die."
Angela approached that same pod Adora was next to, hand over her mouth and eyes wide. She looked back to the Captain and Admiral, both of whom seemed less than happy about the idea of having their people frozen like this, instead of walking around and enjoying their lives, or mourning those they'd lost in their conflict. The Captain paused, her communication bead crackling to life. She smirked.
"Something up?" Glimmer asked, looking to the Captain.
She nodded, then said to the Admiral "Task Force, requesting order OVERLORD."
The Admiral's stern face grew into a proud smirk, "OVERLORD, authorized."
"Authorized." The girl repeated in her com bead, "Everyone, to the CIC! The General wants to intro the Horde to us early, it looks like! And he's found a target!"
The group of Etherians looked to one-another with slight concern...
Horde Outpost, 10 miles out from the Whispering Woods
Horde soldiers and war bots scrambled to man the defensive walls of the outpost, raising the laser cannons in preparation for the arrival of an enemy force. Radar had picked up something advancing toward the Outpost not too long ago, but from early reports, it was flying. Could easily have been any of the massive local Fauna, but it paid to be prepared, so some of the Horde soldiers thought.
When the first missiles struck a cannon, however, that confidence that they must've felt immediately faded. Several combat aircraft crested the horizon, ranging from small, light scouts to what looked like superheavy Gunships from which the hellfire that was currently being unleashed was coming. Several dozen more missiles arched high into the sky as heavy cannons thundered.
While the Horde's defenses were almost instantly broken by the rocket barrage, several of the smaller craft swept in with autocannons, raking the surroundings of the outpost and killing several more troopers and wardroids. Following them, half the ships present descended to the ground and disgorged an assault team of almost a hundred men and women.
The Horde's surviving troops rallied to form a defense. Where gunfire raked the walls and punched through the tin cover that these soldiers had, the Horde's troops responded with laser and energy weapon fire. The gate to the outpost had been broken by the initial bombardment, allowing the Marines to push through into the courtyard, finding the cover of buildings, debris and overturned supply boxes inside.
The captain leading the hundred-strong UNSC Marine unit ordered a flanking maneuver while he and the central command battalion held the line. Above them, aircraft continued their flying harassment mission on the enemy. Missiles from Hornets struck the ground, autocannons and machine guns forced the enemy into cover and the Pelicans' chain-guns gutted combat droids.
Marines continued their advance under the cover of air power, their MA5s chattering, DMRs barking and shotguns cracking as they kicked in doors to the camp's small huts and to the control center. A shot from one of the Horde's energy weapons caught a Marine in the chest, sending the man tumbling to the floor, dead, but his comrades were quick to return fire. Five rifles and one Squad Automatic Weapon raked the droid and the handler that had gotten one of theirs killed, painting the wall behind the man in black oil and red blood.
The Lieutenant of the squad motioned to their technician to push through and check the computer system while they secured what remained of the Command Post. Calmly and as they've been trained, Marines swept through each room methodically, wasting every fucker that moved and aimed a weapon of any kind at them. Human, alien or whatever, they put them down.
Outside, the Marines continued their advance, dividing the pockets of resistance and conquering them by sheer superior firepower, while the aircraft chased the retreating bots and Horde auxiliary personnel with autocannons and missiles. Climbing the walls to get a clear sight picture on the bastards that were running, the troops proceeded to waste every last one of them they caught in range of their rifles, while Snipers picked off what looked like officers trying to rally them for a staggered retreat.
The Marines had been itching for a fight for days, to take out their anger, though the Covenant was not around. The Horde's soldiers seemed to do, for the time being. No Marine hesitated when shooting the bastards, no single infantryman cared enough about attempts to surrender, because not many of them even got to raise a hand up while they were firing. And the pilots and gunners on-station didn't care much either.
To the latter, it must've been like squishing an anthill. The Vulture gunships trailed behind the Horde's forces, rockets leaving their tubes at steady intervals, barraging an entire area with hellfire and ensuring a total wipeout of the remnants of the Horde outpost's garrison. A general ceasefire was ordered from the top just as the last missile left the tube and the last group of Horde soldiers were decimated, along with their combat mechs.
Reaver, who'd just arrived to witness the death knell of the enemy force, smirked as he disembarked from his Pelican. He set the safety of his rifle back to on, before approaching the commander of the strike force and patting him on the back. The man nodded, wordlessly watching the soldiers dragging the two casualties they had and setting them down in the courtyard for EVAC.
Reaver cued his com and said "That's a helluva wake-up call, sir. OVERLORD, total wipeout of enemy outpost achieved. Order completed."
... In the Fright Zone... Catra had gone pale after watching the slaughter, Scorpia had fainted behind her and Entrapta simply stared.
What in the good lord's name had Adora brought in?