Chapter 3
" What exactly happened?" Zurak asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"The solar flare must have affected the slipspace portal and our navigation." answered the helmsman. "Our sensors don't recognize this solar system or any of the nearby stars. We are lost, Shipmaster."
"What's the status of the ship?"
"Shields are offline. Engines and slipspace drive are functioning, barely. Weapons are at fifty percent power."
Zurak considered this. They were stranded who-knew-where, aboard a warship with little power. Not an encouraging situation.
"Shipmaster!" called the helmsman. "There are seven ships approaching our position."
"Show me." ordered Zurak.
The inbound ships then appeared on the view screen. The ships had a strange design unlike anything in the Covenant or UNSC. Three of them were about half the size of Divine Justice, the other four were much smaller. The larger ships reminded Zurak of a creature he had once seen on a Human colony. The humans had called it a stingray.
"They're charging their weapons and trying block our communications." one Zurak's Majors reported. The control room shook as the ships on the viewscreen fired and Divine Justice took one hit after another. "Return fire!" Zurak bellowed. The crew hurried to follow his orders.
The larger enemy ships were providing cover as the smaller ones approached Divine Justice. The control room shook again and one of Zurak's officers shouted "We've been boarded! One of the enemy ships has docked with us."
Zurak cursed under his breath. "Contact Larem!" he said. " Tell him we have intruders aboard."
Endeavor emerged from hyperspace. The first thing that Jerrod saw when he looked out the viewport of the bridge was a stray laser bolt heading towards him. The laser was deflected by Endeavor's shields. Jerrod followed the laser bolt's path to its source. Six ships( three of them freighters, three of them boarding vessels) were attacking a warship unlike any Jerrod had seen before.
"Identify those ships." said Captain Shryne, who stood nearby.
"The freighters and boarding craft belong to a Hutt crimelord." replied Lieutenant Freb.
"Pirates!" said Shryne, the word dripping with contempt.
"The other ship isn't in our database, but it's well armed." Freb continued. "Definitely a warship."
"Warship or not, they need our help, Captain." said Jerrod urgently.
"I agree with my apprentice." said Brax. The two Jedi looked at each other in solemn silence. They both sensed it. Although neither of them could have explained it to someone like Captain Shryne, they both knew, beyond a doubt. Their presence in that part of the galaxy, at that time, was the will of the Force. The light side of the Force wanted them to help the people aboard the unknown ship.
"Target the nearest freighter, Lieutenant. Fire when ready." ordered Shryne. It seemed that the Jedi didn't need to explain the will of the Force to the captain after all.
The walls of the corridor shook again. The Sangheili escorting Michelle's squad of Marines tensed, some of them reaching for weapons. The Unggoy whimpered. Their commanding officer, an Elite in crimson armor, halted the group and stood still as if listening to something.
"This is Rodhim Larem." said the crimson-armored Sangheili. He continued listenting. "Intruders, where? Understood. Their deaths will be most painful."
Rodhim Larem turned to speak the other Sangheili and Unggoy. "Divine Justice has been boarded. Prepare for combat!" He then spoke to the Marines and ODSTs. "Do you have enough ammunition for a skirmish?"
Michelle checked the ammo in her MA5B. The other Marines did the same. At their encouraging nods Michelle turned to Rodhim and said " We'll manage."
"Very well, then-" That was as far as Rodhim got when a green laser bolt hit him in the back. His energy shield flared for a few seconds. With a growl Rodhim spun around and raised his Plasma rifle. "Take cover!" he shouted. The rest of the Sangheili, Unggoy, and Marines took cover behind two groups of crates stacked along the walls of the corridor. Rodhim fired a few shots at their attackers before diving behind one of the crates.
Michelle peeked around the edge of a crate and got her first look at her at the enemy. They were a variety of different alien species, none of whom Michelle had ever seen before. At the moment they weren't shooting at Michelle and her companions, the aliens were in a defensive formation with some of them taking cover behind crates as Michelle and her companions had done. They intended to hold their current position.
Rodhim had other ideas. He ordered his troops to open fire on the aliens. The aliens also fired and suddenly the corridor was filled with blue and green plasma bolts for several minutes.
Rodhim turned to Michelle and said "Blair-human, give us cover fire!"
"What the hell are you going to do, Commander?" replied Michelle, but Rodhim and two other Sangheili were already running down the corridor, back the way they had come moments earlier. Michelle returned her attention to the fight at hand, providing cover fire. When she looked over her shoulder again the three Sangheili turned a corner and disappeared. Michelle had never known Sangheili to run from a fight.
The stalemate between the intruders and Michelle's companions continued for another five minutes. Then angry shouting erupted from the intruders as two of them fell dead. The rest began to retreat. Suddenly Michelle heard a familiar voice yelling "Cowards! Face death with honor!". Rodhim appeared around a corner to the left of where the aliens had been holding their ground moments earlier. Somehow he had managed to flank the aliens. "Come along, Blair-human. There's more intruders to kill." called Rodhim.
Shaking her head in disbelief, Michelle and the rest of her companions rushed to catch up with Rodhim as he and the other two Sangheili pursued the fleeing aliens.
"You should have told me that you were planning to flank them." Michelle stated as caught up to Rodhim who was grappling with a fur-covered intruder. Rodhim punched the alien in the face and threw it into a bulkhead, where it slumped to the floor and lay very still. The rest of the intruders were either unconscious or dead by that point.
Rodhim gave the Sangheili version of a shrug. "There wasn't time for explanations." he said nonchalantly. "Lets get the surviving intruders to the brig."
Zurak watched scene unfolding on the viewscreen with satisfaction and disbelief. Another warship had appeared, basically out of no where, and attacked the flotilla that had been assaulting Divine Justice. The newcomer also had a contingent of fighters with it. Divine Justice coupled with the other warship and its fighters proved to be too much for the marauding flotilla. All but one of the enemy ships was destroyed. The last freighter just barely managed to escape.
"Shipmaster, 'Larem reports that the intruders have been neutralized." said one Sangheili officer.
"Send him here at once." replied Zurak. He turned to another officer and said "Contact that other warship." To himself he said "They saved our lives."
Zurak spoke into the COM to the other ship. "This is Zurak Fulsam, Shipmaster of Divine Justice. Identify yourself." As Zurak waited for a response Rodhim Larem entered accompanied by a female human. "This is the human's commander, Blair." said Rodhim.
"When this is over you and I must have a conversation." Zurak said to the woman. Blair regarded the golden-armored Sangheili stoically. Before she could respond Zurak's greeting to the other ship over the COM was answered.
The voice that spoke sounded... human? "I am Gell Shryne, Captain of Endeavor. I hope we didn't arrive to late to be of assistance."
"You did not." replied Zurak. "Some of them did board my ship, but they've been neutralized."
"I see, perhaps I should come aboard... Divine Justice was it? My crew and would be more than happy to take them off your hands." said Shryne.
"That would be wise." Zurak commented. "You know more of this foe than I do."
The reviews, favorite alerts, and followers have all been great. But so far they haven't told what you really think of this story other than "It's good." I'm three chapters in and I don't know how the characters and plot come across. Be honest, I want your opinions. So in that spirit, any questions?