0923 Hours, November 6th, 2552 (Human Military Calendar)/ Sublime Transcendence/ Over New Carthage, Arcturus System

Thel 'Vadam, having dropped the "-ee" suffix from his name with the rest of the Sangheili as a sign of their absence from the Covenant, stood on the small observation deck on the massive Covenant supercarrier, looking over the human colony below him. If he were here less than a week ago, he would probably be on the planet's surface, fighting human soldiers. It would have been a hard battle, as there were hundreds of ships on standby for any so called "Inner Colonies" under attack. New Carthage's fleet was quite impressive, with over a dozen Marathon cruisers stationed there, and four older dreadnoughts. The Combined Fleet of Righteous purpose was broken up into smaller fleets, and spread out to battlefields across the galaxy. Hundreds of Sangheili worlds were besieged or about to be, Sangheilios included. Word from the battle over High Charity was that the city had jumped away, along with most of the Defense Fleet, and because of this the Sangheili ships were gaining the upper hand in the battle of the Halo ring.

Thel watched a lone Pelican dropship soar up from the planet, and quickly go towards a closely passing human frigate. The humans weren't very happy that now their sworn enemy of nearly thirty years was now their friends. Riots had broken out on many worlds, including this one. Human military officials were trying to coerce the public into calm, instead of giving the blunt truth: they would be extinct unless the two species' worked together. Imperial Admiral Wattinree, the only Sangheili that did not change his name, was coordinating well with human commanders, giving tactical advice, sending ships to assist, etc. Thel had also been consulted on many occasions, but most humans kept their distance: Thel had killed at least one billion of them in his campaigns.

New Carthage was definitely a beautiful planet. The oceans were blue. The air was crisp. Everything about it just screamed "life".

Thel heard footsteps from behind him, and his comrade Rtas 'Vadum approached, standing by his side.

"It's like a dream," Rtas said quietly, crossing his arms and staring at the planet.

"And we tried to destroy it," Thel replied.

The two were silent. They looked at the planet; the storms forming, the city lights, everything.

"We aren't now, brother. The Prophets and the Brutes have betrayed us, and now we are allies with true warriors," Rtas said.

"Yes, but it doesn't make up for what we have done. It brings dishonor to my name," Thel replied.

"Do not say that, my friend. You are one of our best warriors, and we are honored to have you with us, Arbiter or not," Rtas replied.

Thel nodded in gratitude, and then said, "We will have our revenge. We will avenge our fallen brothers and sisters." He watched a large human cruiser fly by, very close to the supercarrier. "And nothing shall stop us."

"The humans hopefully understand our plight. The Prophets know of all of our worlds... something the humans do not experience," Rtas then said, nodding in agreement with Thel.

"We will see our home again," Thel replied, facing Rtas.

"And the betrayers shall see theirs burn," Rtas snarled.

...

Three hours later:

Imperial Admiral Wattinree stood over a holographic table on the massive bridge of the supercarrier. He tapped on the table, flipping through reports from across Sangheili space. Two billion dead, less wounded. The surviving fleets had massive damage, and were regrouping at the fortress world of Joyous Exultation. The Brutes, knowing that the world was a strategic and cultural center for the Sangheili, had sent some scout ships to seemingly assess the defenses. His fleets were being stretched thin, not being able to keep a finger on all worlds under attack. The last Jiralhanae ships at Halo had either been destroyed or retreated, and at least three hundred Sangheili ships were in the process of glassing the surface of Halo to contain the Flood.

"Imperial Admiral, priority message," a Sangheili Minor said, handing a data pad to the Admiral. He bowed, and then turned, heading back to his station

The Admiral looked down at the data pad. Sixteen Sangheili colonies destroyed. Millions dead. He sighed, frowned, and then threw the pad down on the ground, shattering into tiny pieces. The bridge crew fell silent, none willing to speak during the Admiral's outburst.

"Navigation!" he shouted.

"Yes, Admiral!"

"New coordinates. Have the Combined Fleet cancel all current operations and plot a course for the Jiralhanae homeworld," Xytan growled.

"Doisac, Admiral?" the officer asked, a bit confused.

"Indeed. We are striking back, whether the humans want us to or not," the Imperial Admiral said. "Open a shipwide transmission," he then added.

"Yes, sir," the Sangheili replied, and then nodded to the Admiral.

...

"This is the Imperial Admiral. Moments ago, I received a notification that sixteen of our defenseless worlds were destroyed by the Loyalist Covenant. As of this moment, we strike back against the Prophets, and the Brutes that support them! No longer shall we patrol human systems while our own are being destroyed! No longer shall the Brutes burn our worlds unanswered! Today, we shall scorch the planet of Doisac with our Combined Fleet until it is naught but dust! You know what you shall do. Honor. Courage. Commitment."

...

The three ship patrol sped across black space, their weapons down. They weren't expecting anything, until a gigantic Slipspace hole tore open, and a massive supercarrier came through, crashing through one of the patrol ships. Following it in many other Slipspace portals were hundreds of cruisers, carriers, frigates, and destroyers, quickly dismantling the patrol fleet. The Combined Fleet of Righteous Purpose came out at top speed, all going to one location: Doisac. The Sublime Transcendence led the charge, charging its main cannon. RCS-class armored cruisers covered the flanks of the fleet, launching all squadrons of fighters. Long range scanners detected a moderately sized defense fleet, consisting of around two supercarriers, thirty assault carriers, three hundred cruisers of various types, one hundred destroyers, and around two hundred frigates. The Combined Fleet jumped in at close proximity to Doisac, catching the Jiralhanae fleet off guard. The carriers scrambled all available fighters, and the Sangheili and Jiralhanae fighters quickly engaged in a massive dogfight.

The armored cruisers covering the flanks unleashed a flurry of point defense lasers and plasma rounds. The Brute fleet turned to engage, responding with a salvo of their own. The Sublime Transcendence absorbed many plasma torpedoes, and then shattered six CCS-class battlecruisers with its armament. The two CSO-class supercarriers fell into the center of the Brute defense fleet, using the smaller vessels as a shield. The Sangheili controlled carrier Shadow of Intent, commanded by Rtas 'Vadum, rolled ahead of the flagship, firing a burst of plasma torpedoes. The burst brought down the shields of a Brute carrier, and then boiled a hole in the armor. The Sangheili fleet ripped apart the unprepared and unskilled Brutes.

"All ships of the Combined Fleet! Finish their fleet, and burn their wretched hides!" the Imperial Admiral roared. The Brute fleet fought furiously, but was simply no match for the skill of the Sangheili. The two supercarriers exploded in quick succession as the Sublime Transcendence passed by. Then, lines of Separatist CCS-class battlecruisers broke through the Loyalist main force, carving a clear path for the fleet. A Sangheili assault carrier then split into pieces, exploding. It had been rammed by a Brute ship. The fleets continued battling, and more Sangheili ships arrived. The Shadow of Intent came into high atmosphere of Doisac, waiting for the Imperial Admiral to give the order.

"This is Shipmaster 'Barak. The Seeker of Truth and my escorts are in a holding pattern over the southern hemisphere. Weapons are ready, Imperitor," one commander reported.

On the surface of Doisac, Jiralhanae civilians rushed for cover as they saw Sangheili ships pierce the clouds and cover their skies. Ground based fighter aircraft rushed upwards, but were shot down by the Sangheili point defense lasers. The Ship Masters, while they hadn't been given clearance to glass just yet, were unleashing a hellstorm of plasma torpedoes onto the jungles of Doisac, starting fires. Covenant Loyalist infantry were helpless to put out jungle fires as they were killed by Sangheili plasma fire. In the cities organized by the Prophets, thousands of civilians stormed the few bunkers scattered across them.

Xytan 'Jar Wattinree looked over the hologram of the battle, and his fleet status, and then got on the comm to all ships.

"This is the Admiral. All ships in position, you are clear to fire."

There was a brief moment of silence among the orbiting Sangheili ships. Then, with a rush of energy, their massive beams lashed out at the surface, vaporizing the civilian populace. Shockwaves rippled across the surface, disintegrating the great jungle villages built by the Brutes. The bunkers in the cities weren't sealed, and so those inside who thought they were safe... were slaughtered. The Sangheili ships swarmed over the planet like sharks, going all over the surface and glassing untouched patches of land.

Thel stood on the bridge of the Shadow of Intent, and then said, "Satisfying."

Rtas looked at the battle map on the holographic table, "Hmm?"

"This will teach the Loyalists not to break an oath to the Sangheili," the Arbiter said.

"Indeed. I wonder how the humans shall react to this," Rtas replied, looking up at the Arbiter.

"I feel as though they will appreciate that we have handled a homeworld of one of the Covenant races, but our method... they will not approve," Thel explained. Thel rubbed his eyes; he hadn't slept in days.

"There are more worlds to burn. Most of the Brutes are elsewhere," Rtas pointed out.

"And now that they have most of the fleets...," Thel said.

"A hard war, this will be," Rtas added.

"Truly, a Great Schism," Thel concluded.

Then, the ship shook violently, throwing most of the crew to the deck. Thel was the first one up, and demanded a status report. "Multiple detonations, starboard side!" an officer yelled. Then, a message flashed up on the table. The explosion was radioactive in nature.

"The Brutes used nuclear weapons against us?! Imbeciles!" Rtas exclaimed, half laughing.

In space, the Doisac Defense Fleet was continuing to fight, even though its numbers were going down rapidly. Of course, there were Sangheili ships being destroyed as well, but it was mainly frigates and corvettes. The Sublime Transcendence was flying circles around three Covenant assault carriers, its squadrons engaging the Brutes. Smaller CRS-class light cruisers weaved between the carriers, shooting out plasma torpedoes. The Imperial Admiral was making short work of the planet's defenses, and the surface of the world was quickly turning to glass.

"Admiral, two Slipstream contacts! It's the humans!" shouted a bridge officer.

Two United Nations Space Command dreadnoughts, the Acropolis and Cydonia, entered the system about one hundred and fifty thousand kilometers away from the main battle. They fired their main guns, ripping through two CCS-class battlecruisers. The dreadnoughts then launched squadrons of Longsword fighters, who led a large force of Loyalist Seraphs away. The human pilots kept their distance, dogfighting without the help of the Sangheili. The dreadnoughts pressed the attack, firing Archer missiles. The Imperial Admiral notified the humans that he acknowledged their presence, and ordered the orbiting units to continue glassing. The Acropolis roared ahead, firing all three of its MAC guns simultaneously. The Cydonia trailed behind.

"This is Task Element Acropolis, we are engaging the enemy!" the human commander yelled over the comm.

The Longswords mopped up the Seraphs with help from the dreadnoughts' point defense guns, and then turned to engage the main Brute fleet, ripping apart fighters with their main cannons. The dreadnoughts destroyed two more Brute vessels, and then lowered their speeds. Many small Jiralhanae ships intercepted the human vessels, skimming lasers across the surface of the dreadnoughts. The 50mm cannons spread across the sides of the heavily armed human ships put up a field of flak, with shells impacting on the enemy's shields.

The Shadow of Intent, having glassed much of its designated area, left the atmosphere quickly, rejoining the battle. It quickly destroyed two Brute frigates, and then screamed over the Acropolis, almost scraping the ship. It crashed through one of the ships attacking the human vessel, debris being all that remained. The assault carrier launched swarms of fighters, rushing to destroy the Brute fleet.

Doisac was on fire. Its oceans were boiled away, its lush jungles melting away. Its people were reduced to ash, and the planet was silent. No longer would the sound of birds awaken the sleeping. No longer would eager Jiralhanae youth fight for dominance. No longer would Doisac support the rich population it had in the past. No longer would Doisac have a population.

The Brute fleet suddenly broke off combat and assembled around one of the planet's moons. Seconds later, twenty CCS-class battlecruiser popped into the system. Then, hundreds of ships entered the system, charging weapons. "Imperial Admiral! More Loyalist ships! We are outnumbered four to one!" shouted a bridge officer on the Sublime Transcendence. Then, the order came down, and the Separatist fleet jumped away into Slipstream, after recovering the fighters. The two UNSC dreadnoughts recovered their Longswords and entered Slipspace, exiting the battlefield.

The Combined Fleet broke out into cheers, as they had finally struck back against the traitors. The Imperial Admiral rose from his command chair, and rose his right arm, roaring in triumph.