Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my remastered Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover. Thank you for your support. I deeply appreciate any support that I can get for this crossover.
Keeping that in mind, for those that read this, please leave a review, even if you are a guest. Any feedback that I can get will help immensely with this crossover's growth as a story. Without good feedback, I can't make this better. As a writer and reader, it would be deeply appreciated if you left even a small amount of feedback for this crossover. Either way, thank you for your support, and I hope to see you in future chapters.
As always, leave a review and enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or MechWarrior/BattleTech franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Game Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, FASA Corporation, FASA Interactive, Catalyst Game Labs, Piranha Games Inc., etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to it's respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.
SLS Dallas
#4 Shipyard, Tribute
August 14th, 2552
Walking down the hallways of the WarShip, Chernenko was busy reading the progress report that had been sent to him, both eyes scanning the document with a practiced ease as he walked past crew members towards the bridge. So far, all seems to be going well, he thought as he looked at the report. Most of the damage to the WarShips was thermally related, mostly due to heat bleed through. Fortunately, it appears as though the larger WarShips, including my own, needed a minor refit. The smaller WarShips, though, will need their armor reinforced to withstand thermal damage.
He was engrossed enough in his reading that he nearly bumped into a new addition to the crew. Looking up, he barely avoided colliding with a Huragok that was working on installing what appeared to be a modified piece of flooring. He watched as the alien looked at him before giving him the equivalent of a thumbs up, before returning back to it's work.
That brought a smile to his face. It had been just over a day after they had brought the Huragok into the folds of the SLDF, with the crew affectionately calling them 'Engineers.' Once they had brought the Engineers onboard, they were surprised when the aliens broke up into groups of three, before gathering any organic material they could find. The crew had been wondering what was going on, only to be dumbstruck with amazement when one of the three groups created another Engineer.
When asked why they did this, the Engineers explained that Huragok were not born, but rather created. In order to create another Engineer, the 'parents' needed to gather as much organic material together in order to begin the process of assembly and creation, as it was found that the Engineers were actually biomechanical creatures instead of true, living organisms. Their primary reason for doing this, however, was that more Engineers were needed to service all SLDF WarShips. Once they showed them which materials were suitable, Chernenko had ordered them to get as much of the stuff together in order to allow for the creation of more Engineers.
By the time Chernenko had gotten some sleep, and gotten the progress report he was reading, the Engineers had quintupled in population, with over seventy five Engineers, and growing, scattered throughout the SLDF fleet. Already, the report could detail work orders that had been taken care of, thanks to the Engineers, with much of the backlog having been completely cleared out, allowing more important projects to be handled. Around 95% of the damaged WarShipsare back in working order, he read from the report. Impressive. Those Engineers certainly know their way around technology. We'll have to give some to the UNSC, as per our agreement, but so far, I'm pleased with what I'm seeing.
As he walked along, he noticed an addition that had him confused. Looking at the Engineer that was nearby, he snapped his fingers and made a loud, shrill whistle, which was the agreed-upon way of saying, 'Come here.' As soon as he did that, the Engineer finished up it's work and floated over to him. A moment later, a line of text came up on the DataPad, with the Engineer saying, "Is there something you need?"
"Yes," Chernenko typed back. "I was reading the progress report when I noticed a couple entries that have me somewhat intrigued." Motioning to a part of the report, he typed in, "For one, I noticed the addition of 'Gravity Plating.' Is that what I believe it to be?"
"Yes, Admiral. Only your WarShip Bridges had artificial gravity, not the rest of the WarShip. We have installed the final section of gravity plating for your WarShip. This will allow for the generation of artificial gravity inside of your WarShip."
"So no more floating around through the air to get from point A to point B?"
"Yes."
That will be useful, Chernenko decided. Having artificial gravity will prevent some of the symptoms of long term microgravity exposure. It will also make it easier to move around the ship. Nodding at that, he typed in, "Excellent work. I'm certain that will be greatly appreciated by the crew. How many other WarShips have the upgrade installed?"
"Only your ship has been equipped with Gravity Plating thus far," the Engineer replied. "We are currently upgrading the other military WarShips with artificial gravity. Estimated time of completion for remaining ships is 3-4 days."
"Excellent," Chernenko replied. "That is very helpful." Pointing at another item, he typed in, "What about this item? I don't recognize the numerical format for this component. Care to elaborate as to what this is?"
The reply caught him off guard. "Energy shields," the Engineer replied. "Your ship armor is excellent, but it lacks energy shielding. Why is that?"
"I can explain," Chernenko replied. "In the Inner Sphere, most of our R&D funds went towards developing a number of technologies. However, we didn't invest heavily into developing nanotechnology until after the Succession War. While energy shielding was theorized, it was found that developing the technology would not only take decades, it would prove to be prohibitively expensive. As such, we invested our R&D into developing advanced armor plating, which did the same thing: provide increased protection for our WarShips and ground vehicles."
"I understand. Without us, the development of energy shielding was impractical and unnecessary due to the development of armor such as Lamellor Ferro-Carbide. Thanks to your acceptance of us, however, we have worked to resolve this problem."
"How so?"
"During your rest, we developed schematics for WarShip energy shielding with the help of one of your AI's. Once the schematics were complete, we transmitted the information to the surface, during which we began making modifications to your armor design to allow for energy shield emitters. The upgrade will take two days, but once complete, your WarShip will have energy shielding that is identical in strength to that of Covenant WarShips. We have also upgraded the armor formula for increased thermal and ballistic resistance, while improving it's other properties."
"Ah, I see." Nodding in approval, Chernenko typed back, "Thank you for providing me with an explanation. What about the other WarShips? Will they be equipped with energy shielding soon?"
"No. Should the Covenant arrive in system, only a quarter of all SLDF WarShips will be equipped with energy shielding. However, installing the improved armor plating will be completed in just three days."
"I see. Well, at least our heavy hitters will have energy shielding, and we know that SLDF WarShips can hold their own against their Covenant counterparts. Carry on with your refits, but make no major changes until you consult with me, General Norman or Persephone." With that, the Engineer went back to work, while Chernenko entered the Bridge of the Dallas.
The Bridge of the Dallas was currently a firestorm of activity, with SLDF personnel going to and fro about their business. It was clear that the Engineers had gone to work here as well, as Chernenko could see a few of them floating around, working on maintaining and improving consoles in the room. Walking over to the holo-table in the room, he decided to see if there was anything important that needed tending to.
Just as he did, Director Stennings walked over, along with their newest Captain in the fleet. Apparently, Xhov had, thanks to the Engineers, acquired a modified SLDF Infantry Kit, as he was wearing a fully sealed body suit that was olive drab and gray in color. The Engineers had modified the suit to accommodate his alien biology, and it seemed to suit him well. His helmet was currently off, exposing his avian features. "Nice armor," Chernenko remarked. "It suits you."
"Thank you," Xhov nodded. "The Huragok felt that since I was a Captain now, I needed armor befitting my station. I must admit, it's lighter and more comfortable than the old combat harness that I wore." After rolling his neck to get rid of a few kinks, he said, "Right now, though, Director Stennings has urgent news for you."
"Do tell," Chernenko replied. Looking at Stennings, he said, "Proceed, Director."
"Thank you sir," Stennings replied. "While Captain Xhov states that I have something to tell you, it was actually his insurrection that did most of the leg work." Clearing his throat, he said, "Xhov's insurrection has, so far, gone off without a hitch. The Kig-Yar have started feeding us reliable intelligence on Covenant fleet formations, industrial worlds and civilian centers of population."
"When will we be acquiring this information?"
"Soon. According to Xhov, the Covenant closely monitor their FTL communications network, so they can't pass us information along those lines. They're using their own WarShips to send information back and forth physically in an effort to prevent eavesdropping. As such, we're waiting for one of their WarShips to arrive over Reach."
"Reminds me of the Age of War, before the invention of the HPG and the creation of the HPG Circuits."
"HPG Circuits," Xhov asked.
"A way of describing a series of HPG linked together in a loop," Stennings explained. "The First Circuit, for instance, is composed of 500 main hubs on the worlds that were formerly part of the Terran Hegemony. You also have lower bandwidth HPG circuits that form the Outer Circuit, which are stations on every inhabited planet in the Inner Sphere."
As soon as Stennings said this, a crew member ran over to them. "Sir," he reported. "We've detected a Covenant WarShip entering our Aerospace Sector. It's weapons are powered down and they seem to be transmitting some kind of codeword." Moments later, a recording of an alien word came in over the speakers on the holo-table.
"I know that word," Xhov replied. "We use it as a means of identifying who's who. Can you open a MILCOM link?" Nodding, the crew member complied.
As soon as he did, Xhov responded using the countersign. As soon as he did, the face of a female Kig-Yar appeared on a screen projected by the holo-table. Unlike Xhov, who was a T'Vao, this Kig-Yar was an Ibie'shan, which were more reptilian in appearance than T'Vao or Ruuhtian, which were more avian in appearance. As soon as her face came up on the screen, Xhov said, "Ship Mistress Chiv'Kir. I take it your journey here was pleasant, yes?"
A moment later, Chiv'Kir nodded. When she spoke, her voice was guttural and deep, but distinctly feminine in tone and pitch. "Yes," she replied, scratching at her muscular neck as she spoke. "Nothing amiss happened."
"Were you followed?"
"No. We made certain of it. I performed a brief exit from Slipstream Space to check the hull of my Corvette for any hull mounted trackers. We found one and destroyed it. The Covenant do not know we are present here."
"Good," Xhov replied, relief suffusing his features. "We cannot risk the Covenant finding us while we are so vulnerable." After a moment, he said, "Do you have the information that we seek?"
"Yes," Chiv'Kir replied. "We will send the information using laser based communications. Can your ship host that?" The last question was directed at Chernenko.
"Yes," Chernenko replied. Looking at a crew member, he said, "Ensign, open a laser MILCOM link to the Covenant WarShip. They're an ally." Looking at Chiv'Kir, he said, "We're opening a MILCOM link now. Time to see if that espionage paid off."
"Good," Chiv'Kir nodded. "Transmitting information now." For a few seconds, the bandwidth of the MILCOM link was almost used up, with the information quickly being loaded into the computing systems onboard the ship. Once it was in, Persephone double and triple checked the information for any malicious programming inside; once it passed her thorough screening, she sent Chernenko an message telling him it was clean.
"Thank you," Chernenko replied. "Any information we can get on the Covenant's current plans is vital."
"Don't thank me," Chiv'Kir said modestly. "Thank the Kig-Yar that risked their lives to send this information to me and, by extension, you." Looking at Xhov, she said, "Stay safe, love."
"You too," Xhov purred out. Moments later, the MILCOM link ended, with the Kig-Yar WarShip entering Slipstream Space.
"Love," Stennings asked, his right eyebrow cocked.
Xhov smiled, though part of his beak flushed purple as he did so. "Chiv'Kir and I have been involved in an… ongoing relationship," he admitted. "She's always been like that towards me, though I do not know why."
"Maybe she likes you," Stennings remarked, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
Xhov merely fixed him with a glare before turning back to the business at hand, the purple tint on that part of his beak fading away. A moment later, he asked, "Persephone, did you analyze this information?"
"Yes," Persephone replied. "The information that Chiv'Kir transmitted has been swept for spyware. No spyware was detected and the information appears to be genuine. It is also recent, with the latest information being gathered roughly 12 hours ago."
"Up to date information," Chernenko beamed. "That's the best form of intelligence." Clearing his throat, he said, "What are we looking at?"
"The information inside appears to be the location of Covenant fleets, as well as their destinations and points of origin. Analysis indicates the presence of a number of planetary systems that have not been previously explored by the UNSC. Using Epsilon Eridanus and Terra as a point of reference, I believe that many of these star systems are located thousands of light years away from Terra."
"So, how can the Covenant get here so quickly?"
"The information that Chiv'Kir transmitted contains the specifications for the Covenant's Slipstream Space Drive, known as the 'Borer Drive'. Apparently, it has a maximum velocity that ranges between 950-1000lys per day. This would allow them to cover the distances between the UNSC and Covenant by a significant amount. Thanks to the information packet, I have gained access to the locations of many Covenant controlled planets."
Moments later, a map of the Orion-Cygnus Spur of the Milky Way Galaxy appeared over the holo-table. A scale appeared on the right side, indicating distances in light years, one of the standard units of astronomical measurement in the SLDF. Small areas turned purple, indicating Covenant territory, while another section turned green, indicating UNSC territory, with individual Covenant systems turning blue, making those dots appear red in color.
"According to my analysis," Persephone continued, "the Covenant's use of Borer Drives means that their empire is spread out over a larger area than the UNSC. However, due to the nature of Slipstream Space travel, they have colonized fewer systems than the Inner Sphere, around half that of the Inner Sphere to be precise. This is mostly in part to their policy on colonization, though that is irrelevant to this discussion. However, I have identified the locations of many Covenant worlds. Analysis indicates that the Covenant planet of Sangheilios, is located roughly 1200-1300 light years from Terra."
"What about their military plans," Chernenko replied. "We can focus on the locations of their homeworlds later."
"One moment," Persephone replied. A moment later, she said, "Admiral, I believe you need to see this." Moments later, she projected the information she had found onto a holographic panel.
Once it was visible, Chernenko began to read it, fully intent on learning what the Covenant was up to. The more and more he read it, though, the more and more his eyes widened in alarm. Eventually, he swiped at the hologram, causing it to disappear. "What's wrong," Xhov asked.
"I need to have a meeting with the UNSC immediately," Chernenko decided. Looking at Xhov and Stennings, he said, "This is a Priority One threat that can't wait." Looking at his XO, a shorter man named Cherenkov, he said, "Vice Admiral Cherenkov, you have command of the Dallas until I return."
"I'm coming too," Xhov replied.
"Are you sure that's wise," Chernenko asked. "They'll shoot you on sight before you can even walk within line of sight of Sword Base."
"I know," Xhov replied, "but it is a risk I must take. I risked being executed when I began my rebellion against the Covenant over twenty five years ago, Stennings. If I can't even gather up the courage to go with you, sir, then what was the point of my rebellion? If I can show the UNSC that I am not like the Covenant, then it is worth it, even if I die in the process."
For a moment, Chernenko was silent. At first, he thought that Xhov would stay here, as was normal for an alien whose species was vilified by the UNSC. The fact that he was willing to go, despite knowing that he might die, spoke volumes about Xhov's strength of character and courage. After a moment, he said, "Very well." With that, both men strode off of the Bridge, intent on carrying out their mission.
. . .
Around an hour later, Chernenko and Norman were inside the clandestine meeting room where they had first met the military leaders of the UNSC. Sitting in the chairs opposite them were Admiral Fremont, Vice Admiral Stanforth and Vice Admiral Whitcomb. Two Spartans guarded the door and two SLDF Elementals were nearby, weapons in the ready position.
Looking at Chernenko, Whitcomb could tell that the man was deeply alarmed by something, probably by whatever had prompted him to call this emergency meeting. General Norman also appeared to be alarmed, as he was subconsciously kneading a paper with his left hand. There was also a cloaked figure standing nearby Chernenko, though he had a feeling that there was something off about this figure. Still, he would have to wait until Chenrenko began to speak.
Once the room was sealed shut, Chernenko began to talk. Clearing his throat, he said, "Admiral Fremont, I must thank you for taking the time to hear me out. What we've learned is something so alarming that we must act on this information as soon as possible."
"What is it," Fremont asked. If there was something that was a potential threat, he wanted to know about it.
"We have obtained reliable intelligence that a massive Covenant WarShip fleet is on the way to Reach, and is projected to arrive here in four days time," Chernenko stated plainly.
Almost immediately, Fremont's face hardened, while Stanforth and Whitcomb's faces blanched. Leaning on his elbows, he asked, "How large is it?"
"Intelligence indicates that it is roughly 60 WarShips in size," Chernenko replied. "This, combined with the ships from the enemy fleet that invaded the system, will bring it up to 68 WarShips in total. According to the intelligence we gathered, it is known as the 'Fleet of Particular Justice,' and is led by one Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee." When he said that, Fremont stiffened. Apparently, he knew who that was. "Do you know him," Chernenko asked.
"Not personally," Fremont replied. "We know of him due to ONI's intelligence gathering efforts. One of their agents wrote a target profile on him, indicating his actions against the UNSC as a whole. While most Covenant military leaders are predicable, the danger with Thel is that he's highly unpredictable. All of his military actions have resulted in Covenant victory in any engagement we have with him. He's devious, intelligence and ruthless."
"I see," Chernenko thought. Almost immediately, he found that Thel 'Vadamee reminded him of himself quite a bit. I've looked at his achievements, he thought, remembering when he read the information that Chiv'Kir had sent him on the Supreme Commander. The Supreme Commander is basically a Sangheili version of myself, only with a stronger adherence to abstract notions such as honor, though he is more practical than most Sangheili. After a moment, he said, "What can we expect from him?"
"Overwhelming force," Stanforth replied. "I've run into his fleet more than once. That Elite is incredibly fanatical and ruthless. You'd need an even bigger warship fleet, and an equally ruthless and brilliant tactical mind to outdo him."
"Good news in that regard," Chernenko nodded. "I've noticed from our intelligence that he is the Elite version of myself. Since that is the case, then I might be able to outmatch him in that regard. Still, with the size of this Covenant fleet, we will need to evacuate Reach."
"No argument here," Fremont nodded. "ONI might bitch about it, along with the Governor, but I think that this is sufficient cause to warrant evacuation." After a moment, he said, "Still, one thing bothers me, Chernenko. Where did you get this information?"
"Not everyone in the Covenant supports the war," Chernenko nodded, folding his hands before clasping them. That was the agree upon 'do it' signal, as moments later, the hooded figure pulled the hood back, revealing the visage of one Xhov Bavirk. "As you can see, one of their own became courageous enough to rebel against the Covenant."
As soon as Xhov removed the cowl around his head, things nearly escalated. The Spartan-II's aimed their weapons at Xhov, only for the SLDF Elementals to aim their M96IV rifles at the Spartans. Stanforth and Whitcomb visibly jumped, though Fremont remained seated. "What the hell," Stanforth stammered. "You brought the enemy to our doorstep!"
"They were already on the doorstep," Norman growled at the Vice Admiral. "Have you already forgotten that we had a CSO-class WarShip in orbit over our heads, a WarShip which is now lying in two separate pieces across the Viery Territory? If that is the case, then you're more foolish and short sighted than I thought."
"I brought the T'Vao you see here because he wanted to come," Chernenko added. "The fact that he was willing to come, despite knowing he might die, speaks volumes as to his moral integrity and character. Besides, he is directly responsible for how we got this information."
A moment later, Xhov made a slight bow, before he said, "Greetings, Admiral Fremont. I am Captain Xhov Bavirk, former T'Vao Champion of the Covenant and Captain of the SLS Repentance. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."
That seemed to snap Fremont out of his stare, as he looked at the guards. "Stand down," he ordered the Spartan-II's. "If Captain Xhov wanted to attack us, he'd be dead by now." For a few seconds, there was some reluctance on both sides part; moments later, the Spartan-II's lowered their weapons, with the Elementals doing the same.
Now that the guns had been lowered, Fremont said, "Thank you." Turning to Xhov, he asked, "You were responsible for getting the SLDF, and now us, this information?"
"Yes," Xhov replied, nodding his beaked head. "Me and thousands of other KigYar inside the Covenant. For over twenty five years, we've been planning to break away from the Covenant, partially due to, as Chernenko elegantly put it, 'sociopolitical reasons.' The greatest reason, however, is that the Covenant is murdering the very species that have been chosen to reclaim what the Forerunners left behind."
For a few minutes, he explained the Covenant's religious beliefs, from the Great Journey, to the recovery of Forerunner artifacts. He also told them of his discovery of Humanity's true importance to the Forerunners, and how they were chosen as the 'Reclaimers.' He also told them how he began to plan the KigYar's insurrection against the Covenant, and how he, and a handful of other KigYar, had worked with each other for twenty seven years to convince almost 75% of all KigYar to rebel against the Covenant. It wasn't every day that one was told that a member species of a genocidal alliance was about to rebel in order to save Humanity.
Thankfully, Admiral Fremont took it rather well. Taking a deep breath, he let it out before saying, "I feel like I'm going to throw up." Looking at Xhov, he said, "This Covenant that you're rebelling against has been lied to all this time? I find it hard to believe, but the fact you're standing here is evidence that it might be all true."
"That's not all," Chernenko added. "Xhov's been spying on the Covenant since he began his insurrection. One of his people, a KigYar named Chiv'Kir, delivered the intelligence that we shared with your earlier."
"That is not all," Xhov added. "When she returns two days from now, I will instruct her to inform the other KigYar to begin their rebellion against the Covenant. We will sabotage their industrial capabilities and then slink into the shadows to begin an extended guerrilla warfare campaign against them. The schism itself will cause a great deal of confusion among the ranks of the Covenant. We have also convinced some Unggoy to rebel as well."
"Really," Fremont remarked. When Xhov nodded, he said, "Well, shit. If someone told me that there were members of the Covenant that were sympathetic to our cause, I would've laughed. Still, Chernenko and Norman have helped us out considerably, enough that I know they're men of their word. If they say we can trust you, then who are we not to do so. Besides, we can't be picky about our allies in this war. Beggars can't be choosers, after all."
"That's my line," Whitcomb mock-protested, bringing a smirk to Fremont's face.
A moment later, the room became somber as Stanforth added in his own piece. "What about the impending invasion," he asked. "We've got millions of tonnes of Covenant WarShips bearing down on us. Can we discuss strategies on how to counteract that problem?"
"A sound idea," Norman nodded. Looking at Chernenko, he asked, "I don't suppose you have plan, yes?"
"I do have one," Chernenko replied. "One of the alien species that Xhov brought along with him was an alien race known as the 'Huragok', or 'Engineers' as we call them." Pulling up a hologram of a Huragok, he said, "According to interviews with defecting Covenant personnel, the Covenant make use of the Huragok in order to repair, maintain and upgrade their equipment."
"Looks like a gasbag," Whitcomb remarked.
"That would be the case," Xhov added, "but they are far more than that. The Huragok are partly responsible for the Covenant's level of sophistication. They helped the San'Shyuum break down Forerunner technology in order to reach the level of technology they are at. Without them, the Covenant would lose the ability to manufacture and repair much of the technology they have."
"Let me guess," Stanforth remarked. "You have been using these 'Huragok' to upgrade your own fleet, yes?"
"Correct," Chernenko nodded. "Due to their method of… reproduction, we now have more than seventy five Engineers at our disposal, and that number is growing even as we speak. Due to their strategic importance, they're a part of the strategy that I've come up with."
Using the holoprojector, he brought up the in-system map of Epsilon Eridanus. "Here's my plan," he said as he began to manipulate parts of the projection. "During the four days we have to prepare, the SLDF will send half of the Engineers that are created from today onwards to the UNSC, which will allow you to repair and rebuild any WarShips that were lost. We will also use the Engineers to retrofit our WarShips with energy shielding, which will give us a fighting chance against the Covenant. At the same time, since we've overhauled the manufacturing facilities on Tribute, we'll begin sharing some of our weaponry with you and the rest of the UNSC.
"Once the Fleet of Particular Justice arrives, this is the strategy we will employ. The Dallas, Farragut and Argo will engage the enemy flagships, with UNSC Halcyon-class and Marathon-class WarShips working with Riga IV and McKenna II class WarShips to provide support. This will constitute the main attack force, which will work to disable the enemy flagships. The other WarShips will be on standby to provide reinforcements in the event we need to swap out WarShips.
"However, we will use the Orbital Defense Platforms to our advantage here. Admiral Fremont, how many Moncton-class Orbital Weapons Platforms does Reach have in orbit?"
"We've got twenty ODP's in orbit right now," Fremont replied.
Not ideal, Chernenko thought, but it'll have to do for now. After a moment, he said, "Very well. We will position our WarShips behind the ODP's, which have an extended range from what I can tell. That will force the Covenant WarShips to send in smaller ships in order to disable them, ships that our AeroSpace Fighters and some modified Leopard IV DropShips can neutralize. Should the enemy fleet move in, we will engage them as well." Turning to the other Admirals, he asked, "Any questions?"
"No," Whitcomb replied. "That's a damn fine strategy if I've ever seen one: keep them at range and drag out the fight. Make it too expensive for them to keep going."
"Same here," Stanforth replied. "It's a strategy that I think we've never been able to use until now." Turning to Fremont, he asked, "What about you, Admiral?"
Fremont looked at the hologram of the proposed attack strategy carefully, noting some of the strengths and weaknesses of the attack stratagem. The more he examined it, the more he found that it was actually a very sensible plan of defense. Keeping the enemy at range will allow us to perform hit-and-run attacks on their warships without risking an invasion of the planet. Plus, those SLDF WarShips are worth their weight in gold.
After a moment, he said, "Admiral Chernenko, I believe that you're a better Admiral than I am in that regard." Standing up, he said, "If you believe that this will get us a hard earned victory, then I am all for it."
"Then it is agreed," Chernenko nodded. Looking at General Norman, he asked, "If the Covenant gets onto the planet, can you make life a living hell for them?"
"Yes," Norman nodded. "Operation ANVIL STRIKE made it clear that the Covenant is not prepared for the level of violence the Star League is capable of unleashing. If they invade the ground, we'll bag 'em and tag 'em like their game animals on Kentares IV."
"Then it's settled then," Fremont nodded. "Stanforth, Whitcomb, make sure your forces are ready to go. Once the Covenant arrives, be sure to give them a… warm welcome." As they began to leave, along with Xhov, he said, "Chernenko, would you stay here for a moment more please." Nodding, Chernenko stood off to the side, waiting for the others to leave.
Once they did so, he watched as Fremont seemed to become older all of a sudden. The life and vitality he had seemed to be sucked out of him, as the man sat down with a weary expression on his face. "Before you and your fleet came along, I thought this was the end," he began, shushing Chernenko as he spoke. "The Covenant has been kicking our asses since the start of the war. Everything we've done has only slowed them down. Despite our more recent successes, I thought that the Covenant would be able to claim Earth and crow it's victory to the stars."
Looking at Chernenko, he regained some of that vitality when he said, "That's when you came along. Initially, I was worried, but everything you've done has been for the defense of Earth and her colonies. You've shown us thus far that the Covenant is not an unbeatable force, that they can be defeated. There was no stronger piece of evidence when your WarShips, as you put it, zapped that CSO-class Supercarrier and then blew it's fucking ass into oblivion. It was like the Fourth of July was going on in space.
"When that happened, I knew it then. For the first time in nearly twenty five years, Chernenko, I felt a feeling that I thought I would never feel again: hope." Sitting upright, he said, "You've given us hope, Chernenko. Hope that the Covenant can be destroyed, hope that we can wrestle a hard-won victory from the clutches of defeat. Most importantly, though, you've shown that no matter which universe Humans come from, there's one thing that is universal about them: no matter what happens, when push comes to shove, we will band together and stop our own destruction.
"I can safely say now that we will, with one unified voice, shout at the Covenant 'hippy, hoppity, get off my property,' and back that up with WarShips, and nuclear weapons by the fucking gigaton. Should we win this battle, it will be a blow that the Covenant will never forget. If we can pry victory from the hands of defeat, we can show them that we will not go gently into that good night." Standing up fully, he walked over and shook Chenenko's hand, saying, "As such, Admiral Chernenko, whatever happens next, it's been an honor serving with you."
"Likewise," Chernenko replied. "We will destroy the Fleet of Particular Justice, and show them that we will no longer take this sitting down anymore. I fully believe it is time that we begin our own offensive., one that will shake the Covenant to it's core."
"I couldn't agree more." With that, both Admirals left the room.
. . .
Back at the Dallas, Chernenko was in a private meeting with General Norman, and a number of SLDF Captains that were in the meeting room onboard the WarShip. The room was fairly small, large enough to house twenty people comfortably, with an ebony wood table in the center of the room, a few cabinets with coffee and small snacks, as well as a coffee machine and cooker. all of the chairs were occupied, and the others were standing.
There was a long silence before Chernenko said, "It has come to my attention that people are wondering if we will ever be able to return home to our universe. I would like to discuss possible solutions to that problem, now that we have some breathing room. If you have any ideas, lay them out."
"I don't know if we can return to our universe of origin," Captain Albert, who commanded the Columbia, frowned. "Scientists have never really investigated many of the nuances of K-F Drive travel, other than the technical aspects f course. We still don't know a lot on how K-F Drives interact with spatial anomalies."
"Are you saying that we might have to consign ourselves to a permanent maroon in this reality," Captain Lee of the Argo asked.
"Possibly."
"I refuse to accept that possibility," Captain Anders of the Farragut snarled loudly. "I promised my wife that I would return home when the operation against the Clans was finished. Are you saying that I cannot see the face of my wife again, nor see the faces of my children?! If so, then you are a complete fool!"
At that, the room was immediately filled with the sounds of arguing as each of the Captains unleashed the pent-up anger and dismay of their situation. Accusations, counter-accusations and insults were hurled at each other as discipline broke down. The only thing that kept fists from flying was the fact that they were in Chernenko's presence.
While that was good, Chernenko wouldn't stand for this fighting one bit. "ENOUGH," he roared, silencing all the arguing in the room. "Arguing with each other is not the answer to our current mess. If we do that, the Covenant will exploit our division and prevent us from ever seeing our loved ones again." Toning down his voice, he said, "Now, we know that the scientists haven't explored that area of K-F science yet. That doesn't mean that it is impossible, only that it hasn't been explored. Are any of our support WarShips science ones?"
"No," Captain William of the Riga IV replied, "but I do know someone that might be able to help us: Dr. Halsey."
"The UNSC scientist," Albert asked, surprised. "Are you certain you want an UNSC scientist, and an ONI scientist at that, poke around the schematics for the K-F Drive?"
"I know your hesitation," William reassured his fellow Captains. "To be honest, I'm hesitant to consider that possibility, but it is the only one that stands the best chance of getting us back home. If Slipstream Space can interact with other dimensions, and our own K-F Drives do too, then who's to say that we can't travel to other realities as well? We could modify our K-F Drives to recreate the same scenario that yanked us into this alternate reality."
When he said that, a number of Admirals began to nod. "That... is a possibility," Anders remarked. "Though, it would involve letting ONI in on our greatest secret."
"Not exactly," William countered. "As long as Dr. Halsey is sworn to secrecy, then we need not worry. Besides, the woman isn't liked by ONI very much, and she doesn't like them much either. Colonel Ackerson is one such reason why."
"True," Captain Rodgers of the Houston nodded. "Still, we have to be careful. If we do follow through with such a plan, she might use it to benefit the UNSC, and not help us find a way back home."
"It is a risk that we have to take in order to get back home," William defended.
"I don't think it's a good idea," Captain Albert frowned. "She'll probably use it as leverage against us. Besides, we have no idea that it will work. We could end up trapped in another universe, or worse, disintegrated."
"It's either that, or remain trapped here forever."
"It's an interesting idea, and one worth considering," Chernenko nodded. "Whatever happens, however, the decision will fall to me when it is time. Also, inform your crews that we are working on a solution to our current predicament. However, we will leave only after the war against the Covenant is completed. Understood?"
"Yes, Admiral," the others replied.
"Good. Dismissed." As the others left, Chernenko mulled over William's proposal. His idea carried risk, but all great ideas carried risk, and this one could be worth the risk. I'm not naive, he thought as he walked along. I have to agree with Captain Albert on this one: Halsey might attempt to pull a nasty trick. I'll see if Persphone can keep an eye on her, along with some SLDF Elementals. With that, he left to begin preparations for what he knew was going to be the riskiest SLDF operation in his career: having someone help them find a way home.