Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my remastered Halo - MechWarrior/BattleTech crossover. I have good news, people: I'm back! I apologize greatly for making you all wait so long for a new chapter. Rest assured, I will be posting new chapters for quite some time now. Thank you all for your patience.
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Also, for those of you who are wondering when more chapters for my Halo - Star Wars crossover are coming, I can say that they are coming soon. Once I've completed a rewrite of some chapters, I will gladly begin posting more chapters. Just be patient a little while longer, and you will be rewarded.
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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 their 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.
Ochre Wall – BattleTech OST
SLS Dallas
Approaching Reach Battle Zone
August 30th, 2552
Onboard the SLS Dallas, Chernenko could see the fierce naval battle that was being fought between the UNSC and the Covenant. From this distance, he could see MAC rounds and Archer missiles being hurled around like they were confetti, as well as plasma bolts and pulse lasers from Covenant WarShips. It was similar to the Fourth of July from the 21st century, only instead of fireworks and lights, there were munitions being hurled through space.
Still, even from here, he could see that the UNSC was losing the battle. Looking at the tactical readouts from the scanners, he could see just how bad the battle was faring for the UNSC. Only seventy five out of a hundred and fifty WarShips remaining, he thought to himself. Massive levels of casualties on the UNSC front, and we've lost half of the ODP's present over Reach. Fortunately, the Covenant had taken their own casualties, as only 165 of the originally 315 Covenant WarShips were remaining, though this was still too many for the UNSC to take on successfully.
Once more, he was reminded of the Age of War, when the Inner Sphere's Great Houses fought against each other in a seemingly endless battle for fame and supremacy. Reminds me of the Battle of Cholame that I learned about at Sakhara Academy. The Federated Suns and Draconis Combine lost 200+ WarShips in six weeks, a massive blow during the Succession War. It's only thanks to the Order of Succession Decree, and Paul Davion II's actions, that we ended the Succession War when we did.
Still, the fact that the UNSC had competent military personnel, but were suffering casualties like this, only told him what he knew about the Covenant. It's high time that we teach the Covenant a lesson they will not forget: never, ever, attempt to destroy Humanity. It will be a rough battle, but I have every belief that we will be victorious. We've bloodied the nose of the Covenant before, we can do it again.
With that in mind, he said, "All WarShip clusters, report in." As he said this, Persephone highlighted the five Naval Clusters that made up Naval Fleet Delta. Each Naval Cluster numbered twenty five WarShips each.
"SLS Lincoln, all WarShips are good to go."
"SLS Argo, WarShips ready."
"SLS Farragut, we're ready to rock."
"SLS Atlas, All WarShips ready."
"Good," Chernenko nodded, "because we've only got once shot at winning this battle. Lincoln, Argo, your Naval Clusters will engage the flanks of the enemy WarShip fleet. Atlas, your Naval Cluster will engage the rear of the enemy WarShip fleet, while my Naval Cluster will engage the enemy from the front. Farragut, you will provide support wherever necessary, but you will also terminate any Covenant WarShips that attempt to glass the surface of Reach.
"Remember, Covenant WarShips are vulnerable to EMP based weapons, so make liberal use of your Thunderstorm Anti-WarShip missiles. Once their shields are down, hammer them with everything you have before they come back online. Any Covenant WarShips that break off for the planet will be handled by the Farragut and Battle Cluster Epsilon. Understood?"
"Understood," was the collective reply from the other Captains.
"Good. Engage Null Signature Systems and get ready to engage the enemy WarShips."
As soon as Chernenko said this, the Naval Clusters split away from each other, moving along their assigned flight vectors and towards the Covenant WarShip fleet. As they did so, their Null Signature Systems activated, cloaking each WarShip's thermal and electronic signature. This, combined with the matte black paint on the WarShips, meant that any Covenant looking for those WarShips would see nothing but the blackness of space.
As they drew closer, he could clearly see the horrific scene that was the battle. UNSC WarShips were everywhere, with the majority of them having been blown apart by their superior Covenant counterparts. While he couldn't see any bodies, he had reason to believe that they were out there, as he could see massive hull breaches on some UNSC WarShips, with fires streaming out of compartments that were still venting atmosphere. Debris floated throughout the vacuum of space, making those areas hazardous to venture into, even for shielded WarShips.
This massacre ends here, he said to himself. The Covenant has committed multiple crimes against Humanity. The destruction of a sapient species, simply for who they are, is one of the few crimes that is unforgivable. Today, we will punish them for their crimes against Humanity, and secure a future for our species, if possible. With that in mind, he prepared himself for the one mission that he knew he was good at: waging war against the enemy.
It wasn't long before they began to approach the active combat zone. As they approached, the various Naval Clusters began to move into position, ready to strike at the Covenant, which was preoccupied with destroying the UNSC WarShips and the remaining ODP's. As they approached, scans detected what appeared to be a Covenant WarShip beyond ODP range, with this one firing what appeared to be lances of plasma from long range.
Spotting the Covenant WarShip, he said, "Farragut, have some of your WarShips break off and engage the Covenant's 'Sniper' WarShip. We can't let them have the advantage." Moments later, three McKenna-II class WarShips broke off from Naval Cluster Epsilon and began moving towards the Covenant WarShip.
A moment later, they reached their positions. "Arm Thunderstorm missiles," he calmly ordered. "Send a signal for when you are ready. We will fire once everyone is ready." For the next minute, he waited for their response.
Exactly one minute later, he saw the symbols that indicated each Naval Cluster wink green in color, indicating they were ready to engage. As soon as they did so, Chernenko issued the order. "FIRE," he roared. "Launch all AeroSpace Fighters! Send these bastards to hell!"
Just like that, the SLDF entered what would be the largest naval battle it would have against a hostile alien power. At that order, each WarShip opened fire, sending hundreds of Thunderstorm Anti-WarShip missiles directly at the Covenant WarShips. As soon as they fired, they immediately changed position, so that by the time the Covenant detected the thermal flare from the firing of the missiles, the SLDF WarShips would be out of the way of any weapons fire. At the same time, the WarShips that were present launched off their AeroSpace Fighters, with each one moving to engage their Covenant counterparts.
It was clear that the surprise attack had caught the Covenant Fleet Masters off guard, as the missiles weren't fired upon until they were almost at the Covenant WarShips. Once the missiles were within four kilometers, the Covenant Ship Masters, spotting the threat, opened fire with their point defense weapons. While some missiles were destroyed, the rest performed evasive maneuvers that allowed them to get close enough to detonate their payload.
The effects were just like those suffered by the late Long Night of Solace. As soon as the missiles that survived detonated, the targeted Covenant WarShips immediately suffered a massive EMP. Lights, internal systems and weapons shut down as the computers on board were overloaded, forcing them to shut down. The shields on each affected WarShip also deactivated, having been overloaded by the sudden electromagnetic surge.
As soon as that happened, the attack began. "Engage the enemy WarShips," Chernenko ordered. "Disengage Null Signature Systems and move in to engage. Use your long range weaponry as much as possible before you move in."
With that, the SLDF WarShips moved in and began to engage their Covenant counterparts. Two McKenna II-class WarShips, the Perseus and Troy, flew in towards a pair of CCS-class BattleCruisers, firing their NPL's and N-PPC's at the enemy WarShips in question. As soon as they were close enough, the fight began in earnest.
The Perseus engaged a disabled BattleCruiser with a broadside attack, hammering at the unprotected hull of the enemy WarShip. Pulse Lasers tore into the enemy hull, cutting through the nanolaminate armor plating before tearing holes into the hull. N-PPC bolts vaporized large sections of nanolaminate, before ripping into the hull as well. Under the intense barrage of Pulse Lasers, N-PPC's and Naval Gauss Rifles, it wasn't long before the disabled WarShip's pinch fusion reactor fractured, with the enemy WarShip tearing itself apart in a nuclear explosion.
The Troy also engaged a disabled BattleCruiser, with the SLDF WarShip firing it's weapons into the enemy hull. As it approached from the rear, the Light Mass Driver onboard the WarShip charged, before firing a single ferrous slug into the rear of the enemy WarShip. Either through good placement, or sheer luck, the ferrous slug tore through the hull and ricocheted off of a harder component before tearing through the pinch fusion reactor onboard the enemy WarShip. Continuing on it's journey, the slug tore through the Bridge of the enemy WarShip, before exiting out the port bow, leaving behind a massive, ugly rent in the WarShip.
As the nuclear reactor was, practically speaking, destroyed, the enemy WarShip didn't explode. Instead, whatever systems were left shut down, leaving the derelict ship to drift through space, venting atmosphere and dying Covenant into the cold vacuum. With the enemy target neutralized, the Troy moved to engage any other enemy WarShips.
While the Perseus and Troy attacked their enemy targets, the Lincoln, and Naval Cluster Alpha, began to hammer the enemy WarShips from the rear. The Lincoln fired off it's twin Mass Drivers, sending ferrous slugs at a fraction of the speed of light towards a hostile CAS-class Assault Carrier. As the enemy WarShip's shields were not online yet, the twin slugs were devastating. The impact of both slugs was enough to practically split the Assault Carrier in half down the length of the hull. Moments later, an explosion ripped the enemy WarShip apart, sending debris flying everywhere.
Excellent, Chernenko thought as he watched the number of Covenant WarShips drop from 165 to 135. A perfect surprise attack. Now we've got to outlast the Covenant WarShips.
A moment later, a Bridge officer said, "Admiral, the other Covenant WarShips have regained power and shields. They're moving to engage our WarShips."
"Order the Naval Clusters to scatter," Chernenko ordered calmly. "Any that are severely damaged are to retreat to the Shipyards and YardShips at Tribute for battle damage repair and rearming. Those that are mission killed are to abandon ship and await rescue. As for those that are KIA, we will hold a service for them once victory has been achieved."
As the crew carried out his orders, Chernenko looked directly at the enemy Flagship, which was identified as the Seeker of Truth. I will win this battle, he thought to himself as he looked at the WarShip that held the Fleet Master of the combined Covenant fleet. I will not allow you or your cronies to kill anymore innocent people, not on my watch.
. . .
Onboard the Seeker of Truth, Thel 'Vadamee was scrambling to get his ships in order, orders flying from his mandibles in rapid fire fashion as he began attempting to counter the enemy attack. The battle had been going well for the most part, with the UNSC suffering heavy casualties during the attack. Now, he found that it was he that was under attack.
Looking at the tactical readouts, he spotted the WarShips that were responsible for the surprise attack on his fleet. Scans indicated 120 WarShips that were located all around the combined Covenant fleet he and the other Fleet Masters commanded. All of them were of varying size, but the largest ones, of which there were five, were the same size as the very ship he was onboard.
Already, he could tell that these new warships were not UNSC in origin, as they looked far too different from the others. Their hulls were a matte black color, with few, if any, accents of matte gray, making them extremely difficult for him to see. The only reason he knew they were there was because they had deactivated what he realized was some kind of stealth system. I need to determine their capabilities, he thought to himself. Looking up, he said, "Scan the new hostiles. We need to determine their capabilities."
"Yes, Fleet Master," a Sangheili Major replied. For a few seconds, the Major used the hyperscanner onboard the Seeker of Truth to get an idea of what the new enemies used. A moment later, he said, "Fleet Master, I am unable to identify their armaments. Their armor is interfering with the scan."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes, Fleet Master. I just ran a complete diagnostic of the hyperscanner. It is working normally."
As soon as the Sangheili Major said this, Thel felt a cold pit form in his stomach. Armor that defeats scanning, he thought, worried. If that is the case, then I am unable to determine what these newcomers are using for weapons. What also had him worried was if the enemy warships had energy shielding as well.
A moment later, he watched as the unknown warships closed in, having destroyed 35 warships already. Seconds after the newcomers began to move, they opened fire. He watched as what appeared to be pulse lasers and projectiles cut through the vacuum of space, along with bolts of energy from a weapon system he hadn't seen before. "Engage the enemy warships," Thel roared. "Continue assaulting the Humans protecting their colony."
As the crew in the Bridge carried out his orders, Thel looked at the five largest warships in the enemy fleet. One was beginning to move towards his own warship, along with several smaller ones. From this distance, now that he could see it, he could see gray words stenciled in the Human's barbaric language. Looking at the letters, he could read the word 'Dallas' stenciled on the hull. Who are you, he wondered. I've known about the UNSC for some time, but who are you?
. . .
Richard quickly hopped into the cockpit of his Firebird IV, his fingers quickly running over the controls as he powered up the AeroSpace Fighter. As he did so, he quickly threw his Nerohelmet on, making sure it was securely connected before donning the gloves that would allow him to control the ASF. Things are about to get rough, he thought as he got ready.
As he did so, his eyes fell onto a small piece of paper that was tapped to the left of one of the panels in the cockpit. The piece of paper was a photograph of a man with blond hair and green eyes standing next to a woman with brown hair and blue eyes, along with two children. Fingering the piece of paper, he smiled. When I get back to you, honey, I'll buy you anything you want, he thought. If I die, know Alexandria, that I went into battle with your name on my lips.
Bringing himself back to the present, he finished the pre-flight checklist that was standard for the Firebird he was in, before he keyed the MILCOM. "Sigma 1-1 to Dallas, requesting permission to take off."
"Granted," came the reply. "Move out with the rest of your squad and join AeroSpace Wing Sigma. Your orders are to engage any Covenant ASF's in your aerospace sector and to neutralize any boarding parties. How copy?"
"Solid copy," Richard replied. Moments later, he activated the ASF's STOL/VTOL mode, with the ASF elevating off of the deck of the hangar bay. As soon as it was at a safe height, he gunned the throttle, with the Firebird rocketing out of the hangar bay. "Sigma Squad, form up on me," he ordered. "Refer to me by my callsign of Falcon."
"Roger that," came the reply from another ASF fighter in his AeroSpace Squad. Soon, five more ASF's, Sigma 1-2 through 1-5, reached his position, forming a staggered chevron formation as they flew forwards. Once they were in formation, they quickly reached the other members of Sigma Wing, which included Tau Squad and Upsilon Squad.
As soon as they were in formation, they banked to the left and flew towards where the fighting was quickly becoming heated. As they flew along, Richard could see the results of the UNSC's earlier engagement in the battle. Cursing slightly, he narrowly dodged the body of a crew member that had been sucked into the vacuum of space, along with copious amounts of debris. Everywhere he looked, he could see fires coming out of ruined UNSC WarShips that were still venting atmosphere, along with bodies and pieces of debris. The horrid cost of war, he thought as they flew along.
A moment later, Sigma 1-3, known as Bullhammer, reported in. "Falcon, I've got enemy ASF's approaching our position. Permission to engage?"
"Granted," Richard replied, since he was in command of Sigma Wing. "All ASF's, engage the incoming Covenant fighters. Let's give them a warm welcome to the SLDF." As soon as he said that, the ASF's quickly began to spread out, in order to make it difficult for the Covenant to get easy kills. At the same time, Richard began scanning the area for any sign of the impending attack.
He didn't have to wait long. Looking at the scanner, he spotted several Covenant ASF's approaching them from a distance of 100km. Switching to missile systems, he RADAR locked onto a pair of Banshees with one of the Streak LRM-5's built into this configuration of the Firebird. As soon as he got a consistent tone, he opened fire, sending a flurry of missiles directly at the Covenant ASF's.
Missiles designed to penetrate Advanced Ferro-Aluminum armor zipped through the vacuum of space, quickly reaching hypersonic velocities as thrusters built into each one guided them on target. Richard watched as the blips representing the missiles quickly closed the distance, before impacting both Covenant ASF's. Apparently, five missiles was somewhat excessive, as both Banshees detonated, with three of the five missiles locking onto other Covenant ASF's that were within range. I'll have to consider that, he thought to himself.
Soon, the distance closed to 80km, then 40, then 20. Soon, he could see the Covenant AeroSpace Fighters, which consisted of a flight of Banshees as well as a wing of Seraph's. "Here we go," he told the others as they approached. "Take them out by any means necessary, but don't get cocky. If you're damaged, retreat for repairs and rearming. Understood?"
"Roger that," came the reply. As soon as they did, they maneuvered into position and began the attack.
Pulse lasers cut through the vacuum of space as the SLDF AeroSpace Fighters engaged their Covenant counterparts. Pulling a hard right bank, Richard watched his vision dim slightly before it quickly reverted to normal, with what would normally be a crushing turn becoming barely noticeable. Gotta thank the UNSC for handing us those inertial compensators, he thought to himself. Thanks to those, we can pull turns that would otherwise kill a normal pilot.
Focusing back on the battle at hand, he began zapping the Seraph he was pursuing with his Medium Pulse Lasers, hammering at the enemy ASF's shields and hull. It wasn't long before the shields failed, allowing the pulse lasers to tear into the armor plating. After a couple seconds, the enemy ASF was neutralized, with the Seraph spiraling out of control before it detonated, tearing itself apart in a blast of purple-white energy.
As he moved to engage another target, he heard a wing mate shout, "Bandit, bandit! On my six! Get him off me!"
Looking around, he quickly spotted the imperiled pilot, Chi 3-1. Apparently, that pilot had been unfortunate enough to have a Seraph fighter come in from behind. Now, the man was using whatever maneuvers he could to throw off his pursuer, with little success. "Hang on," he told the pilot. "I'm-"
As soon as he spoke, the Seraph fighter fired it's weapons. Two plasma bolts smacked into the unshielded fusion ramjet engines, destroying them instantly. Before Chi 3-1 could eject, the Lightning IV detonated, killing the unfortunate pilot in an instant.
As the explosion faded, Richard felt a sense of loss, which was quickly replaced by rage. You bastard, he roared internally. I'll make you pay for that! Snarling, he threw his Firebird into a hard upwards bank, firing his weapons at the Covenant ASF.
That caught the enemy pilot's attention, as moments later, they were flying at each other, with Richard firing his weapons. It was like a game of chicken, only in this case, it was with AeroSpace Fighters. Thankfully, the nerve of the Covenant pilot broke, as the Seraph veered off to the left, allowing Richard to tear into the enemy fighter. Moments later, it detonated explosively.
That's for Eric, you son of a bitch, he snarled internally. Keying his MILCOM frequency, he said, "Status?"
"We're all good," Bullhammer reported in. "Eric was the only casualty. Poor sonovabitch never stood a chance. I tried to help him but…"
"Get a handle on yourself," Richard replied. "Eric knew the risks as well as we all do. When we get back aboard after this battle, the first round will be in his honor. Now, let's kill more Covenant bastards as a way of avenging him. Shall we?"
"Yes," Bullhammer nodded. With that, they continued fighting.
As they did, Richard spotted something flying directly towards the Dallas. It looked like a cylinder, only one end had an energy barrier inside a small tunnel, while another had engines. As soon as he saw it, he immediately realized what it was. Keying his MILCOM, he shouted, "Incoming boarding shuttles! Take them out!" Switching frequencies, he said, "Falcon to Dallas, we have incoming boarding craft. Get the crew ready for an assault!" As he said this, he and the others moved to engage the boarding craft.
. . .
As soon as Richard alerted Persephone of the attack, the SLDF AI immediately enacted boarding repulsion procedures. "All hands," she said over the InterCOM, "this is Persephone speaking. Incoming boarding craft detected. All hands, stand by to repel boarders. This is not a drill. Repeat: this is not a drill. Combat teams to potential boarding locations." With that, she returned to her normal duties.
On Deck 50, Corporal Jace O'Driscoll and several other SLDF Marines jogged down the hallway, the boots of their M45 AIAK's (Advanced Infantry Armor Kits) thumping on the metal floor of the hallway they were on. Looking around, he watched as doors to other parts of the ship sealed off, leaving only a few entry ways that soldiers could use to reinforce any boarded sections of a WarShip. Up ahead, he could see the area of the hull that was likely going to be breached: a long hallway that connected to one of the numerous Mess Halls on the Dallas.
Covenant chose the wrong WarShip to board, he thought as he and the others quickly got into position. Entering the Mess Hall on this deck, he and the others moved through the Mess Hall, with the Corporal taking cover behind an Advanced Ferro-Fibrous barricade that had been set up in the hallway. The hallway up ahead was one of the ones that was close to the hull of the WarShip, with the airlock to what he knew was an EVA access port present at the end.
According to his CO, Master Sergeant Ian O'Rourke, that was the likeliest place for the Covenant to enter. "It's one of the few parts of the interior exposed to the exterior, and it's easy to spot," the older man had told him. "If I was a member of the OpFor, and I'm not, that's where I would attempt to board the 'Ship."
As he remembered this, he heard a whirring sound from above his head. Looking behind himself, he could see a Laser Sentry Turret that was being deployed from the ceiling. Good thing we developed that technology, he thought to himself. Those Covenant are about to have a nasty day.
As soon as he thought this, the Covenant began boarding the WarShip. Using the exterior camera feeds, O'Driscoll could see Covenant Boarding Shuttles moving towards the WarShip. While the ASF's outside, and the Point Defense Systems were doing all they can, the Covenant had chosen an en mass attack. As such, some were going to get through. Which is why it's up to us to give the Covenant a… warm welcome.
Moments later, the deck shuddered slightly as a Boarding Shuttle latched on, with the Covenant planting charges on the other side. "Get ready," he told the others. "The Covenant want this WarShip, but we're not gonna let 'em have it! What they will have is a shitton of bullets for lunch, as well as a drink of their own blood!"
"Oooaahhh," the others replied, priming their weapons as they got ready.
As soon as they finished preparations, the Covenant attacked. A massive explosion tore through the airlock doors, sending one flying down the hallway, where it came to a stop not two inches from the barricade that O'Driscoll was at. As soon as the explosion faded, several Covenant burst through the new opening, mostly Grunts and Loyalist Jackals that were being led by Elites.
As soon as they came in, the SLDF Marines opened fire. O'Driscoll let loose with a long burst from his rifle, the rifle barking loudly as though it was eager to end the lives of the Covenant boarders. Nearby, a crew member opened fire with an M44 Plasma Rifle, while others used the more conventional M96IV. Pulse lasers, plasma bolts and 7mm projectiles zipped through the air, directly towards the Covenant boarders.
While the Covenant were well prepared for boarding UNSC WarShips, they were not prepared for boarding the more advanced SLDF WarShip they were attempting to capture. Pulse lasers and plasma bolts tore through the shielding on the Elites, allowing the 7mm projectiles from the M42D's being used to penetrate the armor plating, before detonating inside the Elites. Both Elite Majors fell to the ground dead, and it wasn't long before their Jackal and and Grunt counterparts fell as well.
Those weren't the only ones, however, as O'Driscoll spotted something in the Boarding Shuttle. Moments later, two Hunters strode out, armor plating glinting as they advanced. "Oohhhh! THAT'S NOT FAIR," he shouted as the others scrambled for their SRM Launchers. As they did, the Hunters opened fire, sending bolts of green incendiary gel directly at the SLDF Marines.
Most were fortunate enough to get into cover, with the Advanced Ferro-Fibrous barricades providing the most protection. Unfortunately, two were not fast enough, as they were coated in the incendiary material. O'Driscoll could hear both victims screaming in agony as the fire licked and consumed their bodies, before they fell and went still.
Spotting an SRM Launcher, he dropped his M42D, with the rifle bouncing on it's sling as he picked up the SRM Launcher, after checking the munition to make sure it was safe for use inside the WarShip. "Motherfucker," he shouted as he took aim. "Eat this shit!"
Pulling the trigger, he launched an SRM missile directly at the Hunters. One of the Hunters roared as it's body was ripped apart by the explosive, while the other was severely injured. Before it could retaliate, he fired off another SRM, killing it as well. Dropping the launcher, he shouted, "Everyone OK?"
"We're good," one man shouted.
"Connors and Alfred are gone," an SLDF Marine shouted, the man clearly about to go hysterical. "They just killed them! They-"
Walking over, O'Driscoll punched the man in the face, not enough to cause injury, but enough to get his attention. "Get a hold of yourself," he shouted drill sergeant style into the man's face. "We can kill them, so get your act together." With that, he began gathering the others in preparation for another boarding action.
. . .
At the Bridge of the Dallas, Chernenko could tell that the battle was going well, but it was clear that his fleet was taking casualties. Looking out the viewport, he could see some SLDF WarShips that were drifting helplessly, their hulls spouting fire in areas, along with large amounts of debris. Rescue DropShips were already picking up escape pods and rescuing survivors, but it was clear that there were casualties. Even from this distance, he could see corpses floating in the vacuum of space.
Two hours in, and we're taking some casualties, he thought. The only thing that comforted him was that the Covenant was starting to falter. The number of Covenant WarShips had dropped from 135 to just fifty WarShips, though this had come at a great cost. The UNSC WarShip fleet was practically decimated, with only thirty UNSC WarShips that were still in the fight, with the Leviathan being one of them. Our own WarShips are faring better, but we're down to ninety five WarShips now. Some can be salvaged and repaired, but we're going to be losing some. Already, he could tell that they had lost well over 1000 people in the assault.
So far, though, only a few Covenant WarShips had broken off for Reach, with Naval Cluster Delta intercepting them. Only one had gotten through, but the SLS Jaguar was in hot pursuit. Reach will be partially glassed, apparently, he thought, but it's a good thing we've evacuated everyone. No civilians are in the crossfire.
As the fighting continued, Persephone said, "Captain, I'm detecting another WarShip entering space. It's the Pillar of Autumn." As she said this, Chernenko spotted the heavily modified Halcyon-class Light Cruiser fleeing reach. As soon as he saw the WarShip, he smiled. "Should I hail them?," Persephone asked.
"No," Chernenko replied. "They have their own mission, and I have mine."
As he said this, a Bridge officer said, "Admiral, several Covenant WarShips are breaking off from the rest of the invading fleet. They're in pursuit of the Autumn. Permission to-" As he said this, the Covenant WarShips in question vanished into Slipstream Space.
"Damn," Chernenko growled. "We can't stop them from engaging the Autumn now," he remarked, "but we can, however defeat the Covenant here. Captain Keyes is on his own now." As the battle continued to rage on, he looked at where the Autumn had vanished into Slipstream Space. Good luck, Captain Keyes, he said to himself. If that information Halsey found is correct, we might be able to break the Covenant once and for all.