0558 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar)/ UNSC Pillar of Autumn, Epsilon Eridani System
"Okay Cortana do you have any more data on our guest?" Captain Keyes. "No sir other than there language I was unable to obtain any other files or records on them. They have some pretty dull but secretive AI. They almost caught me while I was in there network, which is why I could only obtain their language." Cortana said. "Huh? Oh well at least if they hail us you can translate for us." Keyes said. "Incoming video from that fleet, Sir should I Patch it through?" Lieutenant Dominique said from the Comms station. "Are you ready Cortana?" Keyes asked "Yes translation softwear up and running I will translate it to English" said Cortana. "very well Lieutenant patch it to the main screen." Keyes said "Aye Sir patching it through now." Dominique said, typing in commands on his keyboard. Suddenly a man appeared on screen. Even though only his face was showing it was huge. Dark hair shaved close to his skull, equally dark eyes stared out from his face. After a few seconds he spoke "Hail humans I am Chapter Master Mark Anthony of the Heralds of Light Space Marines. Who are you and what are you doing here?" seconds after he spoke his language which Keyes thought held some Latin origin, it was translated into English for every one on the bridge. Down in one of the cargo bays the remaining Spartans of the Spartan-II project huddled around a monitor watching intently. "Cortana translate my response in there language." Captain Keyes said. To the screen he said "I am Captain Jacob Keyes of the UNSC cruiser Pillar of Autumn and while I'd love to talk about politics and such the largest Covenant fleet we've ever seen is closing on Reach." Keyes said. Now he though we wait and see…
Mark Anthony sat in the command chair of the Harbinger of Dawn, located on the bridge. "Sensors where is the Xenos fleet?" Mark said. "It is rapidly approaching the planet Captain Keyes called Reach" the sensors serfsaid. Turning to the camera Mark said "Very well we will help you and your comrades fight off these Covenant scum." Turning to the Vox master he motioned form him to cut the transmission. "Fleet master send the order out, we mobilize for War!"
The Imperial fleet moved towards the planet Reach. As they were headed there a Covenant destroyer popped out of slipspace. Immediately it launched a volley of plasma torpedoes at the Harbinger of Dawn. The first torpedoes impacted on the void shield draining them down to 95. Unfortunately the destroyer didn't get to launch any more torpedoes. It was vaporized by at least six different lance beam salvos. "Those Xenos scum kind of pack a punch" Mark said jokingly. But still he thought better to be safe than sorry. "Brother Isaac bring the fourth generator online." Mark said "Yes Lord" Tech-Marine Isaac said. "Sensors are we in range of the enemy yet?" Mark asked "no sir not yet." The serf replied. "I was not asking with the lance batteries." Mark said "Emperor's bones you don't mean to use the Vortex Cannon do you?" Gregor asked, having been keeping his own council since the incident began. "Yes I do, but don't worry Gregor its only one shot" Mark said "Master of the Cannon prepare the Vortex Cannon to fire, and plot a course for the shot to do the maximum amount of damage." "Yes Sir" the Tech-Marine in charge of the maintenance and firing of the Vortex Cannon said trough the vox speaker in Mark's Command Chair.
Deep below decks on a scaffold overlooking the Vortex Cannon, Tech-Marine Brother Samuel studied the other Tech-Marines blessing and anointing the massive 500 ton Vortex shell being feed carefully into the breach of the Vortex Cannon. Turning from there preparations Samuel studied the Vortex Cannon remembering everything he knew about it. Built before the the start of the Great Crusade in the massive shipyards orbiting Terra then installed on the Harbinger of Dawn, the only Jupiter-class Battle Barge ever built before the start of the Horus Heresy. The others being destroyed before being completed in the space battles over Terra. The Vortex Cannon was in effect a Massive magnetic accelerator cannon that ran the length of the Harbinger of Dawn, firing a projectile that upon reaching its destination, opened a massive Warp tunnel that lasted for 5-10 seconds depending on its programming. But during those brief few seconds it sucked everything into the Warp. Now after being lovingly tended to for over 10,000 years the Vortex Cannon was being prepared to fire in anger at the Emperors enemies once again. After waiting another few minutes the shell was loaded and the Cannons capacitors charged Samuel reached up and pulled the firing cord. And the great gun spoke once more…
It took the projectile a little under three seconds to reach the center of the Covenant fleet formation; detonating right next to a monstrous Covenant flagship. Immediately three-fourths of the Covenant fleet were sucked into the howling madness of the Warp. But that still left over a hundred Covenant ships of various sizes. But several Nova cannon shots destroyed or disabled half that number so instead of suffering further orbital loses they immediately went to ground on the planet Reach. Making landfall the survivors disgorged over a hundred thousand Covenant ground troops, tens of thousands of Ghosts and Wraiths, and several hundred Scarabs. Before retreating to slipspace the Covenant ships launched a devastating but brief barrage of Reach. Leaving the garrisoned troops of Reach shell shocked and in disarray there was only one way to keep Reach from falling to the Covenant and turning the Super MAC guns in orbit on the humans. That was to send in the Space Marines!!!