0400 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Military Calendar)/ UNSC Achilles/ Over Reach, Epsilon Eridani System

The skeletons of destroyed UNSC ships floated through space, scraping against the alive vessels. Every few seconds, another human ship or two would join them, erupting into flame and its crew being sucked out into the vacuum of space. The Covenant fleet was unrelenting, pushing closer and closer to the planet. Longswords and Seraph's weaved between the fleets in an everlasting duel of metal and plasma. Out of all of the Covenant vessels, the battlestation was the one thing that seemed indestructible. Its shields held, never flickering, even after multiple Super-MAC hits.

Jon pointed at specific Covenant ships outside the viewport, and seconds later the ship would explode. "Focus fire on the battlestation!" he yelled.

All guns on the destroyer turned, and opened up on the battlestation.

"Sir, report coming in from FLEETCOM! Hydra Shipyards has been destroyed, no known survivors!" Lieutenant Cortez shouted.

"Jesus...," Lieutenant Covington whispered. "All missiles spent, captain!" he quickly added.

Suddenly, the Pillar of Autumn began moving away from the fleet, quickly moving towards the edge of space. It sure had left its mark; six carriers destroyed, twenty battlecruisers gone, forty other ships decimated, and one compromised station destroyed. Three Spartan's were aboard, by all reports. Seconds later, it vanished into Slipspace.

...

Thel watched the human ship begin to leave the system. This one ship had destroyed more than any lone human ship in this battle had. It could not get away.

"Shipmaster 'Rakalee, the Unyielding Hierophant is under your banner. Transfer my flag to the Seeker of Truth, have sixteen CCS battlecruisers follow, along with Ascendant Justice. May the Prophets guide you," Thel's voice boomed, as he rose from the command chair. The Shipmaster bowed his head. Tartarus blocked Thel's path.

"You are abandoning the fleet?" he mockingly asked.

"Shipmaster 'Rakalee is quite capable in his means of command, unlike yourself," Thel snarled.

"The Hierarchs shall not be pleased with this decision," Tartarus said.

"And what shall they do? Turn on the very commander that has brought them victory after victory? Neigh, I am quite comfortable with my decision," Thel replied, brushing past the Chieftain. As the Supreme Commander left the bridge, Tartarus chuckled, and looked at the Shipmaster ease into the command chair.

...

"Sir. A small Covenant force is breaking off.. they're chasing the Autumn!" Ensign Davidson cried.

"We can't help them, we've got to destroy that battlestation!" Jon shouted.

The destroyer jolted, and two slugs ripped apart a Covenant frigate. Seconds later, eighteen Covenant ships vanished, following the Pillar of Autumn. Then, all of the Covenant ships launched plasma torpedoes. More human ships exploded. The Achilles was hit seven times, shaking violently. Consoles on the bridge blew and sparks flew everywhere.

"Damage report!" shouted Jon.

"Decks 5 through 7 compromised, fires breaking out. Engine one is out," Davidson yelled.

Moments later, she added, "Sir, I'm detecting four hundred Slipspace contacts."

"Here we go again," DeSemple whispered.

"Oh, thank god! UNSC transponders! It's Admiral Cole!" Davidson jumped out her chair.

Four hundred holes popped open about a million kilometers out from the main battle, and they were quickly replaced by human ships. Six Yorktown-class carriers, twenty Marathon-class cruisers, thirty Halcyon-class light cruisers, one hundred destroyers, one hundred and fifty frigates, one Everest-class heavy cruiser, and two Invincible dreadnoughts entered the system. The remaining ships were all evacuation vessels. Seconds later, a massive volley of MAC rounds slammed into the Covenant fleet.

"This is Fleet Admiral Preston Cole to all UNSC ships. When I received word that Reach was under siege, I thought it was a cruel joke by FLEETCOM. But then the reports kept coming in. After completely wiping out three Covenant worlds, and two fleets, I made it my fleets priority to get here. And so, here we are. Reach is on fire, but we have not lost. We won't lose. We'll push these bastards back, and back, and back. Press the attack, Admiral Cole out," the radio crackled.

"He's sending a separate message to the Covenant fleet, open com," Cortez said.

"Listen in, but keep firing," Jon said.

The Covenant fleet started to slow its fire, and the UNSC began to pick up its storm.

"All Covenant ships, here my message. In the past, I have dealt you defeat after defeat, and on this day it will be delivered as well. But, for the Elites in your armada, you should know that on our most recent raid to your planets, we found information that detailed how your kind are to be betrayed by the Brutes. Doubt me if you will, but watch them closely. Fleet Admiral Preston J. Cole, United Nations Space Command Defense Force Navy, out."

The bridge fell silent. All eyes fell on the Captain.

"D'you think he was telling the truth?" Ensign Davidson asked.

"Admiral Cole never lies... but that streak ends now, I guess," Lieutenant Covington asked.

The UNSC fleet continued pulverizing the defenseless Covenant fleet. Longsword fighters weaved between the alien warships, blasting away at the shields. Seconds later, the enemy fleet shimmered away into Slipspace. Admiral Cole's fleet scattered, taking up the area from where the Covenant ships were. The two Invincible dreadnoughts hung in the middle, while the UNSC Everest pulled high above the fleets.

"All ships, this is Admiral Whitcomb. Stay frosty, we're trying to figure out what has happened," the radio cracked.

"Casualty reports, Mister Whitcomb?" Fleet Admiral Cole asked.

"Sending reports over now. It's good to have you here, old buddy," Admiral Whitcomb said.

"Captain, we're spent on missiles. Davidson, send a weapons request to the nearest station," Covington said.

"Got it, Will," Karen said.

...

Green bolts whizzed over the marines' heads as the Covenant forces were pushed further back into the city. Their backs were against the wall, with human forces closing in from all sides. The wreckage of a Covenant cruiser, shattered by an orbital round, created massive chunks of cover all throughout the city. Thousands of fresh faced human soldiers poured into the battle, vastly outnumbering the aliens. The dead covered the ground, forming a sort of second layer of ground.

A marine armed with an assault rifle jumped up from behind cover and let out a burst, dropping six Grunts.

"They're dug in pretty deep!" he shouted.

His squad leader, armed with a battle rifle, aimed and killed an Elite, yelling, "Keep up the fire until reinforcements arrive!"

"Ammo!" the squad's gunner cried.

A soldier from the rear of the line ran up, carrying two boxes overflowing with bullets.

"I got some fresh ammo for you sirs!" he announced, right before receiving a plasma round to the chest. The ammo boxes clattered on the ground, and bullets spilled out.

"Jesus!" the gunner cried. He quickly loaded his M739 SAW and began chattering away at the Covenant. Suddenly, five Elites uncloaked less than three yards away from the squad, killing two. Then, a Warthog drifted into the aliens, splattering them into the dirt. The Warthog drove down the road, gunning down Covenant ground forces. Seconds later, a plasma grenade landed in the lap of the driver. The vehicle exploded, sending the burning wreckage flying into a charred piece of rubble.

Banshee fliers soared overhead, pursued by Broadsword fighters. The marines pressed forward, and the Covenant ground troops were helpless against the horde of humans.

Two Paris-class frigates hung in low orbit, unloading shells into the enemy perimeter. The crew of the ships were beginning an early celebration; they were completely destroying the Covenant attack!

"Sir, guns 4 through 9 are spent on 75mm, loading in 50mm rounds," an officer on the lead frigate said.

"Good, focus fire on the center of the Covenant force, explosive rounds," the captain said.

The frigate started blasting away at the Covenant, coating man and alien alike with dust and dirt.

"Sir, we have a radiation spike in atmosphere! My god, it's a Slipspace rupture!" another officer cried.

"Excuse me?" the captain exclaimed.

Across the planet, hundreds of Covenant ships appeared in the skies. Fourteen assault carriers and sixteen cruisers jumped into high orbit of the city, immediately destroying the two frigates. Then, the armada unleashed swarms of Banshees and dropships to the surface. They also opened fire on many of the highrise buildings, melting the steel frames.

...

Jon's eyes darted across the rapidly growing list of reports coming from the surface. Hundreds of Covenant ships, presumably the fleet from minutes earlier, had suddenly jumped into atmosphere of Reach, forcing any UNSC counterattacks to end. Without authority from FLEETCOM or the Admiralty, the massive human fleet was only allowed to watch their planet fall. The massive Covenant battlestation and its escorts had jumped into range of Tantalus, an agricultural planet that supplied most of the fleet's food. Reports from there were varying, from "UNSC defeated in space and ground is being lost" to "all is lost, abandon the planet".

"Sir, priority message from Admiral Whitcomb."

Jon nodded at Ensign Cortez.

"This is the Admiral. Moments ago, we received word of an attack on Reach's surface. We all know of the current ground offensives undertaken by our marines and soldiers on the ground, but what we just found out is that the Covenant armada we just engaged has jumped into Reach's atmosphere. We are quickly losing ground, and we have lost all contact with FLEETCOM. As a result of this, Admiral Cole, Stanforth, and myself are authorizing any and all non-nuclear ordinance on Covenant ships. Battlegroup G will break off of the main fleet and execute an attack on the Covenant battlestation in orbit of Tantalus, assisted by squadrons from the carriers Yorktown, Enterprise, and Musashi. All ships are cleared to fire non-nuclear ordinance on the Covenant ships in high Reach orbit. Whitcomb out."

Battlegroup G, consisting of the cruisers Cannae, Phillipi, Say My Name, and Columbia, ten destroyers, and the dreadnought Indomitable split off from the fleet and started speeding away to the far away planet. The rest of the fleet spun around, bringing all guns to bear on the Covenant ships. The smaller guns let off first, a wall of hot metal soaring down into atmosphere. The twenty orbital guns fired, and brought twenty Covenant ships crashing to the earth. In response, the Covenant started glassing the surface. Thousands of humans, military and civilian, vanished in the blink of an eye.

...

0700 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Military Calendar)/ UNSC Achilles/ Over Reach, Epsilon Eridani System

The Covenant had retreated. All space forces... had withdrawn. The UNSC had lost one fifth of their battle fleet. The ground fight was far from over. Battlegroup G had failed in destroying the Covenant battlestation, but succeeded in defending Tantalus. The Indomitable had sustained heavy damage, and half of its crew was dead. ONI prowlers trailed the Covenant fleet; the Covenant were gone. Chances were that they would come back. Should this happen, the UNSC fleet would be more prepared. Reach, for now, had survived.

...

1242 Hours, August 31st, 2552 (Human Military Calendar)/Council Chambers/ High Charity/ Korfo System

"The Supreme Commander did what?!" the Prophet of Truth roared.

"Supreme Commander 'Vadamee felt it necessary to pursue a lone profligate ship, one that destroyed dozens of our mighty warships. With a small force, he gave chase, leaving myself in command," Shipmaster 'Rakalee explained, looking at the fuming Prophet.

"And under your command, the humans pushed you back?!" the Hierarch spat.

"Under my command, the fleet jumped into the world's atmosphere, and slaughtered millions of the heretics, bypassing their fleet. Our armies are still planetside, crushing the humans at every turn. Under my command, my noble hierarchs, I gave our fleet a chance," Shipmaster 'Rakalee said triumphantly, his hand forming a fist.

"Coward!" a voice boomed from the entrance to the chambers. All eyes turned to open doorway, and the humongous figure of Tartarus stood, flanked by two smaller Jiralhanae. The Brute walked down the main aisle, brushing past the crowd.

"Tartarus. A joy to have you here," the Prophet of Truth said, his voice now soft.

The Chieftain stood to the right of the Shipmaster, and said, "The Supreme Commander abandoned the fleet, leaving us in the control of an incompetent fool! He blindly charged into the human guns, getting most of the fleet destroyed!"

"You are the liar here, as you always are!" 'Rakalee shouted at the much larger Jiralhanae.

"That's enough, the both of you!" the Prophet of Regret bellowed.

The chamber was in uproar. The entire crowd seemed to be in favor of Shipmaster 'Rakalee.

"In the case of the Supreme Commander, I have received contact with him. His fleet is in pursuit, and the destination is unknown. What Commander 'Vadamee does know is that he would not have left his beloved fleet in the hands of an incompetent fool, as Tartarus says," Regret said.

"The Sangheili have failed at Reach, Regret. Failed," Mercy grumbled.

"Lies! Lies are what come from your mouth!" a Sangheili councilor roared.

"Guards! Kill that Heretic!" the Prophet of Truth shouted, pointing at the Sangheili. He was ushered out of the chamber.

Seconds later, 'Rakalee shouted, "You favor the Brutes! You have forsaken the Writ of Union!"

"Neigh, we have done nothing of the sort. If anything, it is your kind that have broken the union," the Prophet of Mercy said.

The chamber was in uproar.

'Rakalee held up his hand, silencing the crowd.

He took a step forward, "The Sangheili have been most loyal to your cause. As acting commander of the Fleet of Particular Justice, I demand that more ships be given for another atta..."

"You don't make demands of the Hierarchs," Tartarus spat.

'Rakalee glared at the Brute, and continued. "More ships are needed for another attack."

"There shan't be another attack. Wait for further orders. From me," Truth said, floating backwards.

"Quorum dismissed!" shouted Mercy.

...

1200 Hours, September 9th, 2552 (Military Calendar)/ UNSC Achilles/ Over Reach, Epsilon Eridani System

Just over a week ago, the planet Reach was under heavy siege. Covenant warships were bombarding the surface; alien soldiers were overrunning UNSC positions, slaughtering civilian and soldier alike. Millions of human corpses blanketed the surface, a sort of fleshy dirt. Much of the planet was still on fire, and the fleet was dispatching firefighting crews worldwide. But they had won. It was a common theory across the Navy that if the Covenant don't launch another attack after five days, chances are they won't attack again for a while.

Admiral Cole had squadrons consisting of three frigates and a destroyer patrolling the system, at TAC CON Alpha 2. All UNSC Army units were mobilized and ready, with at least four full divisions in each major city. The Pillar of Autumn had no contact, and its location was unknown. Spartan teams were deployed all over Reach, joining the Army in crushing the last Covenant pockets of resistance. Repair stations had arrived from Earth, and all damaged ships were being repaired.

Even better news, the UNSC Infinity had come off of its deployment, and was going to be sent to Reach as soon as possible. Also, the new supercarrier Pegasus was being deployed to Reach. Word was spreading fast of a massive counterattack on all fronts, galaxy-wide. The final Invincible-class dreadnought was in its final stages of construction, and would begin trials soon.

"Well, Jon, we did it," Will said, kicking his feet up on the desk.

"You've said that every day since the 31st, Will," Jon said, flipping through papers. The two sat in his quarters, sharing a cigar.

"It's kinda unbelievable, actually. We were quite outnumbered. But we came through," he added.

"I just want our damn shore leave. It's been weeks since we were supposed to dock," Will said, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah, weren't we supposed to be at Hydra two weeks ago?" asked Jon, now going through casualty reports.

"Well, before it was destroyed, yeah," Will said.

"How could Hydra be destroyed?! That's my question. I mean, there are always heavy ships there. Surely, the Covenant didn't know it was there," Jon said.

"Well, surely they didn't know Reach is here. It's all chance, my friend."

"Christ, we lost three Outer Colonies yesterday," Jon said solemnly.

"Casualties?"

"Preliminary reports say all ships destroyed, majority of civilian populations wiped out," Jon read.

"Which colonies?" asked Will.

"Eirene, Estuary, and Mamore."

"I think I visited Estuary before the war. Total tourist planet," Will said.

"Not anymore," Jon said.

"How many ships did we have there?" Will asked, taking a puff from the cigar.

Jon flipped through the sheets of paper, and then said, "Across the three systems, just fourteen total. Nine frigates, a corvette, two destroyers, and a cruiser."

"Damn. So no defense at all," Will replied.

"Yeah, doesn't look like it," Jon said.

Then, the door hissed open, and Jon, without looking up, said, "I said I wasn't to be bothered. Thank you."

"I don't think you want me to leave, do you son?" a voice said. Jon immediately went wide eyed and jumped to attention. Will turned around and did the same, putting down the cigar.

"Admiral Whitcomb, sir!" Jon said, saluting.

"Take a seat, boys," Admiral Whitcomb said, sitting down in the chair next to William.

"What brings you to the Achilles, Admiral?" asked Jon, pushing the papers off to the side.

"Well, I looked at your battle reports, and I noticed that your ship alone destroyed over twenty Covenant ships. That's more than most ships can claim during their whole career," Admiral Whitcomb explained, relaxing.

"Thank you, sir," Captain Graham said.

"Tell me, son: how do you do it?" asked the Admiral.

"Sir?"

"How are you able to keep going? Keep fighting. Keep doing this," the Admiral said.

Will looked at his friend, waiting for an answer.

"I just like to think that's what anyone would do, sir," Jon finally said.

"Son, don't give me that cliche answer. I know your record. There's a reason you're in command of a Jupiter destroyer. When you were on the Benghazi, the youngest captain ever, at age twenty five, you took on three Covenant battlecruisers and held them off until reinforcements arrived. So, why do you do it?" asked Whitcomb.

"Well... when I saw Harvest on fire I... I felt a mix of anger and... sadness... then my father was killed and my mom died of cancer and... I dunno... my brother's been a source of encouragement... he's a command...," Jon began.

"Yes, Commander Graham, UNSC Colossus, flagship of the Second Fleet. Answers only to Admiral Cain, who's gone missing," Whitcomb said.

"He's a good man," Jon said.

"Indeed, he is. Now, I spoke with Admiral Cole and... we agreed that you deserve something special," Whitcomb said, getting up.

"Sir?"

Admiral Whitcomb smiled, and reached into his breast pocket. He pulled out a tiny cardboard box, and stuck out his hand. Jon stood, and picked it up from the Admiral's hand. He opened the box, and in it were the bars of a Rear Admiral.

His eyes went wide, and he stumbled over his words. "S-sir, I... I don't know what to say."

Will smiled, and saluted the newly promoted Admiral.

"Thank you, sir," Jon said, looking up at Admiral Whicomb.

"You earned it, Admiral," he replied, a small smile forming on his face. He stuck out his hand and Jon quickly took it, shaking it.

"Well, Admiral Graham, I think I should take my leave. I'll see you at FLEETCOM headquarters, 0500 hours tomorrow. Be there," Vice Admiral Whitcomb said, before leaving the quarters.

Will turned to his friend, and happily said, "Well? What now, Admiral?"