Sorry again about the delay on this one, had massive issues regarding family, my government scholarship, and the hellish pits of government and non-government standardised testing. Thankfully, all that's finally over with, so I'm able to write in peace ^_^

Enjoy!

Chapter Six: Beasts of War

-February 3rd, 2525 a.t.b-

-The Parthenon Bar, Sydney, Australia, Earth-

The clinking of ice in an almost empty glass could be heard in the bar despite the noises of its patrons' conversations, steadily getting louder and louder as the customer who held it seemed to grow more and more impatient.

The bartender, however, continued polishing: trying to ignore the sound as he'd been told to do. He concentrated on rubbing the glass in his hands, getting out all the spots and marks, making sure that he didn't chip it, thinking about just how he was going to-

"Waiteeeeer~"

With a gulp, the bartender turned towards the beautiful sight he'd been trying to avoid staring, looked down, put on his best smile, and spoke, "M-Ma'am, I think you've had…enough to drink for now. This'll be your t-tenth…glass…"

"Don't look into her eyes. Don't look into her eyes. Don't look into her eye-"

The woman bent downwards, staring into his eyes as a grin came across her face. He froze, as the customer's alluring golden eyes transfixed him and saw right through him.

"Come on, waiter!" The woman spoke, displaying her empty glass to him as she smiled, "You're going to just leave a woman of means to sip on ice?"

"M…ma'am, first off; I'm a bartender…" The man spoke nervously, trying and failing to break the gaze, "Second…second off, you've gotta be drunk after all that; and I don't think you can walk back to ONI like-"

"Oh, so you know I'm a Spook do you~?" The woman asked, bending upwards as she trailed a finger across the man's cheek, "Then you know, that I can just erase you in the next minute if you don't give me my drink; don't you?"

The man gulped audibly, almost dropping the glass in his hands as the woman's predatory stare cut off any words he could've thought to say in reply. An ONI official was staring him down, threatening him, and running a finger across his face; there weren't many bartenders in Sydney who could take all that very easily.

"So, how's about you just get me my drink…bartender?" The golden-eyed woman spoke, twirling her lime-green hair with her fingers, "After all, you wouldn't refuse a lonely, tired woman like myself…would you~?"

The bartender tried to stammer out a response, before the glass slid out of his hand and shattered into a dozen pieces on the floor; snapping him out of his daze as he bend down and touched one of the pieces of gla-

"Shit!" He cried out, as he cut his finger on a shard of glass; standing upright as reached for a nearby towel. Before he could do so, however, the woman stopped him; reaching out and grabbing his hand as she smiled at him.

"Let me handle that, bartender…" She spoke with a coy grin, before taking his finger and sucking on the wound. The bartender spluttered as he instinctively flinched backwards, holding his hand as his face went flush with shock and embarrassment. The customer simply laughed, licking her bloodstained lips as she rested her hand against her chin.

"So, bartender. I'd like to have my martini now pleeeease…" She drawled out, "Don't forget the olive~"

The hurried nod and rush of the bartender was accentuated by a "Tsk tsk" coming from a seat next to her, which immediately buried the green-haired woman's grin beneath an exasperated sigh.

"Parangosky," She spoke, not even looking towards the source of the voice, "What is it? Can't I have a little fun once in a while around here?"

"Agent Cera Lamperouge, getting drunk on work hours, identifying yourself to the general public as an ONI officer through your drunken ramblings, and threatening a bartender with erasure is not anything I'd let any other ONI officer get away with without getting either suspended or flogged." The voice spoke, in a calm but terrifying tone

"Please don't call me Cera, Margaret." The golden-eyed woman stated with a groan

"Then please don't call me Margaret, C.C" Rear Admiral Parangosky immediately replied, "Come on, let's get out of here. You've had enough to drink."

C.C shrugged, looking towards the confused bartender and winking as she got off the barstool along with the Admiral at her side. As they walked out of the bar, Parangosky shot her a glare that would've made lesser men and women into gibbering wrecks; but Agent Cera, the immortal witch with a thousand past lives, simply did not give a damn as she stared up into the dusk sky.

"I'm starting to regret entering this whole Zero Requiem Pact thing, you know." Parangosky spoke, shaking her head, "ONI is supposed to be the ones with all the secrets, the manipulators. We're not supposed to be manipulated into serving your mystical agenda."

"And yet you are, Rear Admiral." C.C spoke with a sigh, "Because it's been this way for every Director of ONI since the foundation of the organization itself. You're one of the few normal humans to have ever even been told of the Pact, only because even we knew that trying to manipulate the UFNSC behind the shadows without consulting ONI first would've been idiotic."

Parangosky was silent for a moment, before she replied, "And the only reason we agreed to help you, was because you three each had some strange powers that nobody could just dismiss without being a complete idiot." She spoke, before turning to C.C and sighing, "But I don't exactly understand how, in this era of all times, your husband chose to enlist in the UFNSC as an officer. Refusing reassignment from that backwater Outer Colony the Navy sent him to, and in the process encountering what he encountered. Is 'the luck of the devil' also included in that 'Code' of his?"

C.C smiled, a rare honest smile, and spoke, "My husband felt the call of fate compel him, and so he followed it. We have, over the years, gotten used to the nuances of Time. To read the flow, to follow the paths; it's something any immortal worth his or her salt can do."

Parangosky raised an eyebrow, before raising two fingers to her forehead and rubbing it, "More nonsensical metaphysical concepts and mumbo jumbo; I don't want to hear it." She said, lowering her voice as she spoke, "What I do want to know, however, is what Lelouch's agenda actually is. You can't expect me to go along with this Pact on sheer faith in your intentions."

"Yes, faith isn't your strongest point…" C.C spoke, her expression turning back to a blank and emotionless one, "If you can't trust in our intentions, trust in the fact that humanity's about to undergo one heck of an upheaval thanks to these hostile aliens; so we aren't going to have much time to bicker amongst ourselves. We're all in this together, Parangosky. Either humanity joins together, fights together, and triumphs together in the sun…"

C.C raised a hand to the horizon, blocking out the setting sun on the horizon and grasping at it with her hand, as she whispered her next few words:

"Or we could be standing at the very twilight of our species, with nothing but dark days of night ahead of us."

Margaret Orlenda Parangosky regarded C.C's remark, looking at the immortal witch as she walked on ahead. Her long green hair blew in the dusk wind, and her words echoed within the ONI Director now, and for decades to come.

However.

"I don't give a single damn about your prophecy, your 'time nuances', your 'flow reading', or your 'path following'." Parangosky replied, gripping the surprised C.C's shoulder as her face scowled, "But what I do give a damn about, is this: Humanity isn't losing, because no matter the cost, regardless of the sacrifices; we will always pull through. Be it from the very beginning, or in the eleventh hour…"

The ONI Director locked her gaze with C.C, her own old and experienced eyes staring into golden orbs of incomprehensible depth and the wisdom of a thousand years.

"Humanity will win."

C.C's somewhat shocked expression soon turned into a small smile, as she brushed Parangosky's shoulder off of her without speaking a single word and continued on walking. Inwardly, however, she was reminded of a critical fact that she often forgot:

The courage of humanity could stand against any foe, the will of humanity could halt any adversary in his tracks, and the tenacity of humanity could triumph over any enemy. Were it humankind's will, and would it inspire humanity's courage and tenacity…

Humans could even stop the sun from setting.

-Outside the Rapid Conversion, Outer Colony of Harvest-

Staff Sergeant Johnson and Staff Sergeant Byrne looked at each other, loading their rifles as they -alongside several militiamen and UFNSC marines- took position at the front of the ship; near the hole created by the plasma torpedo. They would be entering the ship through the molten cavity, working their way through it and hopefully eliminating all alien resistance so that they could claim the ship and all of it's technology.

Both of them were thinking the same thought, as the lumbering form of the Horus behind them blocked the afternoon sun and the soldiers around them –both rookies and experienced soldiers- sweated nervously at what they were about to encounter:

"Commander Lamperouge…is out of his goddamned mind."

-Earlier, inside a G-10 Base-

The mobile and enormous G-10 Base hovered over the fields of wheat, it's massive FLOAT system displacing the cereal grains as it served as both a Command and Control center, and a field hospital for the UFNSC forces on the Valhalla Fields. Though numerous iterations, from the noble Britannian G-1 all the way up to its current generation of G-10, the large land-cruiser base had shown its versatility and usefulness in combat.

Next to the colossal alien cruiser, however, the G-10 looked like a small toy.

Inside the base, several military leaders stood around a holographic table; watching as the G-10's systems attempted to analyze the ship's interior.

"Commander," Aoi Sasaki spoke, looking at the red icons on her screen, "Our scans are failing to penetrate the ship's exterior, the strange composition of the alien's ship seems to be well-hardened against electromagnetic scans."

"Then we're going to be going in blind, is it?" Sergeant Byrne spoke, resting his hands against the table, "None of the militiamen are trained in ship-boarding, and I'm betting that most of your marines aren't all that great at it either; that's an ODST thing."

"You and Staff Sergeant Johnson seemed to have done well when boarding the other alien vessel," Spoke a voice from a blue cube hologram marked 'Terra la Britannia.', "If their layouts are at all similar, then we can use your experience in this boarding action."

"What I and my fellow Staff Sergeant did was the end result of two hardy-ass marines goin' against a bunch of surprised raggedy-ass buzzard pirates; and we still got some nasty injuries from it." Sergeant Johnson spoke, taking off his sunglasses as he spoke to the hologram, "Now, we've got rookies goin' up against big ass gorillas, dozens of bugs and little monkey things, with crazy-as-all-hell weapons and machines on their home turf. Now, I ain't sayin' that we can't do it, but I am sayin' that it's gonna be one hell of a bloodbath."

"The bloodbath is…optional, actually."

The room turned to Commander Leon Lamperouge, who stood at the head of the table; tapping a finger on his chair as he stared at the alien vessel with his violet eyes.

"From the camera feeds of your helmets during the incident, I've deduced a pattern in their ship's construction that differs greatly from ours." 'Leon' stated, to the surprise of Sergeant Byrne, "For one, their ships seem not to be built taking into account the possibility of repulsing boarding actions. From the look of the alien ship before us, actually, it appears as though the alien's rely on their technology and advanced materials in lieu of sensible, practical ship construction techniques."

The Commander crossed his arms, furrowing his brows in thought, "What this actually means…is anybody's guess, but it does indicate that we shouldn't expect the aliens to have much more precautions than simply throwing up hastily-constructed barricades and attempting to hold us back with small-arms fire."

"That's still a significant threat." Byrne replies, staring at Leon, "Their small arms fire includes energy weapons and gigantic spike projectiles; and if that golden armored ape is still alive and kicking after that battle, then we're gonna have a whole other kind of mess on our hands."

Lelouch considered Byrne's words, then spoke, "I'll provide your and our men with rocket launchers to breach barricades and eliminate this 'golden ape's' energy shielding, then." before turning to Johnson and speaking, "I'll give them to my marines who are trained in their usage, so be sure to use them as soon as you encounter the enemy leader."

Nolan Byrne's mouth fell open slightly. That was actually a very…practical idea, for the situation.

"Now, I do have a plan for this infiltration which will minimize the amount of casualties that we're going to suffer, but you'll all have to trust me implicitly in order for it to work." Commander Lamperouge stated, turning his gaze upon everybody in the room, "Any breaches in discipline could cost us the entire battle, so make sure that you and your men understand that unless you stick to the plan exactly and achieve it's objectives in time, many of you will needlessly die."

"Well, Commander, I ain't exactly the best at followin' orders." Sergeant Johnson replied immediately, "But I can probably find it within myself to trust you, if you tell me in how the hell are we gonna get past their first barricade without getting shredded to pieces."

Lelouch vi Britannia: The first scion of the vi Britannia line, the conqueror of armies, and the vanquisher of empires…simply smiled in response.

-Later-

The soldiers took position, aiming their guns into the cavernous hole as they awaited the order to charge and enter the belly of the beast. Sergeant Johnson estimated that there must have been dozens of aliens waiting for them right inside, aiming their weapons as they anticipated their arrival with itchy trigger fingers. No matter what strategy any sane commander would've made, this would have definitely cost quite a lot of blood for the UFNSC forces.

Luckily -Sergeants Johnson and Byrne simultaneously thought as the Horus positioned itself in front of them-, Commander Lamperouge was anything but sane.

The massive crimson Knightmare Frame brought down both of its guns, combining the Hadron and Baryon cannons to form its Fusion Cannon as it aimed into the slag-rimmed hole and energized its destructive particles. "Hadron-Baryon Fusion Cannon, Beam Mode, 50% power." Cassandra spoke, keeping her voice level as she pressed her thumbs upon the yokes in her hands.

"Firing."

The bellow of the Fusion Cannon boomed across the entire field, as a large crimson/gold beam of energy shot into the ship and ravaged its innards with extreme heat and power. The explosions of machines and screams of the dying could not be heard over the thundering roar of the magnificent weapon, which silenced them as it dimmed down and ended its destructive rampage.

The men of the UFNSC were standing in mute shock and astonishment at what had just occurred, before Sergeant Johnson took the lead and shouted, "Come on, men! We've got a whale to gut!"

A loud "Yes sir!" could be heard even through the devastated innards of the alien cruiser's energy projector chamber, waking the wounded aliens and alerting them to their imminent demise as the UFNSC forces charged through the breach.

-Inside the Rapid Conversion, same time-

"By…the Seven Rings, what…in all that is unholy…was that?" Tartatus thought with a groan, slowly getting up from the floor as his shields flickered and sparked from depletion

Tartarus had been on one of the platforms in the energy projector chamber, overseeing his men and leveling his spike rifle at the entrance...when –with a flash of brilliant light that had forced him to avert his eyes- what seemed like the roar of Rukt himself entered through the hole and blasted apart everything. Warning klaxons blared loudly and multiple lights across the chamber were flashing red, and the platform he was standing on had its supports melted by the beam; which caused it to crash down to the floor along with him right onto his men.

Fighting the wheezing cough which had afflicted him due to the dust and debris, he bellowed out, "R…retreat! Move back to the hallways!" He shouted, looking around at his disoriented and wounded troops, "Those that are too heavily wounded to move, or unconscious, are to be left behind!"

The loud shouts of the aliens outside was getting louder, and were soon accentuated by the gunfire of their primitive weapons as they entered through the cavity. Tartarus growled, firing at the aliens with his spike rifle alongside many of his fellow Jiralhanae. Several of the Unngoy or Yanme'e were too shocked or wounded to fire back, and were cut down by the human forces in an instant; but most of Tartarus' Jiralhanae who had survived the blast managed to focus their fire.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Tartarus shouted once more, "Move back to the second barricade," He yelled, looking around at the devastation and destruction of their barricades and defenses, "this position cannot be held! On the order of your Chieftain, fall back!"

His Jiralhanae finally seemed to listen to his words, falling back while firing at the enemy alongside the Yanme'e and Unggoy (the diminutive aliens having little issues with Tartarus' orders). They moved into a large rectangular door that slid open for them, closing behind them as Tartarus slammed his paw upon the door's locking controls. He took one last look at the chamber, gazing upon the badly maimed and wounded warriors being massacred by the aliens; their hands raised towards the closing door in pleading desperation as the 'humans' executed them one by one.

As the door closed shut, Tartarus fired a blast from his spike rifle at the door controls; piercing the controls with spikes before he turned around to his warriors who stood behind him.

The complete, unbridled rage on his face made even the eldest Jiralhanae among his warriors stand aside in fear. He strode past them, his heavy footfalls reverberating through the hallway before he turned to them, "Prepare the defenses!" He bellowed, "I want plasma cannons, barricades, and shield generators all manned and active! We will not let them pass this hallway!"

The Jiralhanae quickly sped towards the barricaders, readying the defenses alongside the lesser races as they all worked without complaint; fearing both the wrath of their commander and the advance of the aliens. Shields popped up one by one, surrounding plasma cannons and a few shade turrets as the Unngoy took position behind the more solid barricades; aiming their plasma pistols though the cracks. The Yanme'e, unsuited to fighting in such close quarters, were notably even more frantic and uneasy than the Unngoy; for they were not originally combat-trained drones in the first place.

Moments passed, as the audible resistance of their comrades who were left behind slowly faded. Then, there was nothing but silence. The uneasy breathes of the Unngoy, the restless chatters of the Yanme'e, and the heavy footfalls of the bristling Jiralhanae were all that could be heard…

Then, once more, the world became white.

-Rapid Conversion, energy projector chamber-

"Move, move, move!" Sergeant Johnson barked to his men, taking position against the side of the destroyed door, inwardly shaken by the sheer power of the Horus' missiles; getting through that thick door with C-12 would have been a nightmare, "Get those bastards while they're down! That blast had to have shaken the crap out of 'em!"

The marines and militiamen rushed into the blasted-open doorway, firing at the aliens and taking out a few of the disoriented ones, but quickly scrambled for cover as they were fired at by a hail of multi-colored lights: Searing hot plasma fired at them by the aliens en masse. Rather ironically, the tough metal of the enemy ship proved to be effective cover against the plasma. But those who didn't make it into cover quick enough were either pelted with enough plasma to melt them into puddles of flesh or suffered grievous injuries.

Johnson fired at one of the taller, ape-like aliens with his XBR55 Battle Rifle Coilgun, shooting triple-bursts of magnetically propelled FMJ semi-armor piercing rounds at the creature. The rounds hit against and bounced off of its shimmering shields (one bounced round actually killing a nearby insect alien by hitting it in the head), for two bursts before the shielding dropped and Johnson dropped it with the third burst.

Byrne was at his side, firing at the aliens who stuck their heads out of their barricades and purple energy shields and taking them down. A burst from one of the alien heavy guns then pinned down him and the troopers, pelting them with unending bursts of plasma. Sergeant Johnson reached for his belt, but Captain Ponder stopped him with his prosthetic arm; smiling as he raised a familiar object to Johnson's sight.

"Please, allow me." Ponder spoke, before pressing a red button on the grenade and chucking it at the aliens with a grunt

The M-9 High Explosive Dual Purpose Grenade did not have the power nor the flashiness of a Sakuradite Grenade, but those were rapidly being phased out in favor of the cheap and reproducible M-9. The grenade soared quickly through the air, bouncing off the ground near the enemy barricades, before coming to a stop underneath the brutish alien who manned the plasma gun who -in his fury and bloodlust- didn't even notice the grenade at his feet as he continued firing.

The detonation of the frag grenade instantly depleted the brute's shielding, tearing off his legs from the knee-down and filling his torso with shrapnel alongside some of the other aliens nearby. The sheer force the grenade blew up the plasma cannon as well, detonating its scorching-hot plasma and splashing nearby aliens with it.

The smaller aliens screeched and screamed as the plasma immolated their leathery hides, their wails dying alongside them within a few seconds as the plasma melted their innards. Johnson used the distraction to take out another one of the larger ape aliens, the UFNSC marines following his lead and peppering the aliens with volleys of copper-plated lead from their Assault Rifles. The marines and militiamen pushed through, roaring as they closed the distance between them and the aliens and took cover behind their own barricades while firing at the aliens.

The aliens moved back further, firing with their plasma weapons as they were pushed back; their energy shielding failing quickly under the massive bursts of human fire. Several marines and some militiamen were lost in the push, critically wounded or immediately killed as the plasma melted through their armor. One marine was impaled through the chest by a bolt of plasma, vaporizing his lungs and heart as he fell to the floor with an expression of shock on his still face.

The firefight continued for several more moments, with neither side gaining a decisive advantage. The exchange of plasma and lead seemed never ending, and Byrne had to dodge and roll away from an enemy blue…glowing grenade-like thing that stuck to the feet of one of the marines and turned him into a puddle of dissolved human. Byrne raised up and turned to fire back at the aliens, gritting his teeth with anger, before his eyes widened as a familiar sight came into view.

"Look sharp, Goldie's here!" He shouted, raising up and firing at the golden-armored ape with his Battle Rifle

The alien rushed forward, two of the huge rifles in his hands firing large heated spikes at the UFNSC men and tearing their bodies apart. They pulled back as the aliens, inspired by their leader's rush, also began rushing back. But the golden alien simply lunged at them with his powerful legs and sliced apart their necks with his axe-like bayonets, roaring and thrashing.

"Sir, I have him in my sights!" A marine spoke from behind him, taking cover behind an alien shield as he aimed at the alien leader with a Rocket Launcher, "Firing!"

A rocket fired from the twin-barreled M41 launcher, the 102mm HEAT shaped charge missile streaking through the air and almost immediately impacting against the golden brute with a large and loud explosion. The alien was flung back against a barricade by the force of the explosion, his shielding depleted and his armor damaged by the heat and strength of the blast as he lay crouched on the floor with his weapons flung far away from him.

The explosion took out several nearby aliens as well, forcing their advance to a halt as they took cover behind nearby walls and barricades. The marine with the rocket launcher, however, took the opportunity to aim his weapon at the alien leader to finish him off: Switching the barrel of the launcher as he took a deep breath and rested his finger on the trigger.

The alien got up slowly, his expression filled with ferocious rage as stared directly into the eyes of the marine; almost daring him to fire once more as he reached to his back and displayed his massive stone cudgel, gripping it tightly in his large hands.

The marine braced, forced himself to ignore the stare, took aim…

And fired.

"The One Who Sits Above All"

The world moved in slow motion for Tartarus, time dripping by at a snail's pace as he brought the cudgel in his hands back and activated the ancient mechanisms that his uncle swore never to use. The first gift of the Ancients to the Jiralhanae…

"The One Who Stands Astride the World"

The Hammer of Eradication and Rebirth, The Weapon of the Father of the Jiralhanae…

"The Spirit of the Jiralhanae, within only Him. For He is the One who Rewards the Zealous, and Smites the Heretic with his Wrath!"

The bright flash of the enemy rocket launcher firing almost blinded Tartarus, as the hammer sparked with electricity; imbuing Tartarus with a dark blue foggy aura as the cudgel blazed with life after being dormant for so many decades. He roared fiercely, bringing the weapon to bear as he faced the fiery rocket head on.

"His Wrath is True, His Wrath is Endless, His Wrath is his Fist!"

Tartarus swung the hammer, which crackled with overwhelming power.

"The Fist, of Rukt!"

The energy fields of the Hammer intersected with the rocket, but the powerful momentum of the missile was no match whatsoever for the gravity disruption of the first Gravity Hammer ever created. With a deafening thunder-like boom, the rocket was send flying back twice as fast towards the marine; detonating against the shield he took cover behind and killing him from the concussive force.

"Kill them all! Leave not even their corpses to defile our ship with their rot!" Tartarus bellowed, charging forward with him hammer and roaring

He slammed down on a nearby human; the gravitic force of the Fist of Rukt coupled with its weight turning him and his armor into a mass of crushed bones and liquefied organs. Swinging around, he brought his hammer to bear against another enemy who fired at Tartarus with his primitive rifle. The solid rounds dissipated harmlessly against Tartarus' aura, and the golden chieftain grinned with triumph as he swung around and blasted the alien's torso apart with a swing of the hammer.

His fellow Jiralhanae followed his lead, charging forward and taking down the aliens in a brutal carnage of claws, blades, and spikes. The Unngoy and Yanme'e followed, unleashing hails of plasma as they supported the Jiralhanae advance. The aliens were soon sent falling back, with a gesture and a shout from their dark-skinned leader to retreat.

Tartarus chased after them, unwilling to let his prey escape as he charged and hefted his hammer high. His thundering mass caught up to a human who was running away, slamming him apart into the wall with his hammer. But the dark-skinned one turned to look back at him, as if to face him in combat. Tartarus smiled at the alien's bravery and impudence…before the man brought out two familiar-looking bright azure objects.

"This ain't over, Goldie." He heard the human say, before he activated the plasma grenades and tossed both of them towards Tartarus

The detonation of the plasma grenades nearly depleted Tartarus' defensive aura, only managing to blind him and cause him pause. But this was enough for the aliens to escape through the hole they made back into the hangar.

Tartarus grunted in annoyance, before turning to his men with a grin, "For those who walk the Path, the Gods have granted victory!" He roared, raising the Fist of Rukt into the air with one arm

The fellow Jiralhanae around him howled into the air loudly, their victorious cries drowning out the cheers of the lesser races and reverberating throughout the ship. The humans could hear them as they took position in the energy projector chamber, and it undoubtedly unnerved them more than they would care to admit. Tartarus walked through his cheering men, ignoring the corpses and bloodstains littering the hallway as he basked in his newfound power.

But as he looked to the many Jiralhanae who had fallen in battle, he realized that even with the aid of the Ancients; it would only be a matter of time before they fell to the waves of aliens who outnumbered them by a large margin. He offered a small prayer to the Forerunners, for all those of his brothers who had perished, before turning to his still-living men, "Gather the corpses of those who have fallen, and hold this position at all costs!" He spoke, before turning to leave

"Tartarus?" Vorenus asked in confusion, the older Jiralhanae approaching him, "What could possibly drive you away from this battle? We are in need of the blessing of the Ancients if we're to achieve victory!"

"There is no victory to be found here, Vorenus." Tartarus replied, turning back as he remembered his uncle's words, "Only meaningless struggle, and death."

The others in the hallway were shocked at Tartarus' statement, many of them looking crestfallen as they witnessed the 'defeatist' attitude of their leader, but the silver-haired Jiralhanae continued speaking, "And as such, I have had the Huragok prepare us a weapon; a Raiment of such great power that the 'Humans' will bow before it in submission, before I grant them the agonizing deaths that they deserve!"

With that, Tartarus turned and began walking down the hallway to the hanger bay. When he was out of sight of his men, his walk turned into a stride…before breaking out into a run as he holstered his cudgel. It was only a matter of time before the humans attacked once more, he would have to activate the machine before they did so and familiarize himself with it enough to fight against their flying machines. With any luck, the Yanme'e would be finished installing his preferred weapons by now.

"Once this is all over, the Jiralhanae shall rule once more; with the power I am about to attain, the Sangheili will be as mere insects to me!" Tartarus thought with a grin, "I will avenge Uncle, and realize his fervent desire. But most of all, I will destroy all those who threaten the Ascension of the Jiralhanae to the Great Journey; starting with the insolent whelp who dared to defy us in very beginning."

Tartarus grinned, gripping his fist as he continued running.

"I will rip apart your flesh and grind your bones to dust; so that you may face the true judgment and oblivion that await all of your pathetic race."

"Leon Lamperouge, your death will be at my hands!"

-Same time, inside the G-10 Base-

"Commander Lamperouge, we got our asses handed to us."

Lelouch sat back on his chair, his eyes widening in surprise as he regarded the words of Sergeant Byrne through the comms. He stroked his chin in thought, frowning as he replied, "How? What aspect of the plan failed? Did the enemy have a secret weapon of sorts?"

"Well, you could say that." Byrne replied angrily, "Remember that gold-armored alien, the one we warned you about?"

"Yes, I remember." Lelouch replied, not liking where the conversation was going, "Did he alone overwhelm the entire boarding team?"

"That stone hammer of his turned out to be some sort of magic mallet that blows up anything it touches, and gives him some kinda powerful shield aura." Byrne spoke with a sigh, "A lot of good men died trying to stop him, but he ran right through us like a speeding train."

Lelouch closed his eyes, gripping his fist as he considered the new situation. If the enemy leader could now do that, then the battle would become an agonizingly slow battle of attrition. "I have a limited amount of trained men to work with, so I doubt that even with the aliens' reduced numbers a victory would be possible…"

"In that case, Sergeant." Lelouch spoke, "Hold your position and wait for further orders, don't let them break out from that doorway at any cost. We'll play a waiting game with them; and judging from the aggressiveness those larger aliens displayed, patience is not their strong suit. Once they've lost their ability to wait and attempt a breakout, they'll be decimated by the turrets, emplacements, and explosives that you're going to lay in wait for them."

"And, Goldie?" Byrne asked

"If we kill everyone around 'Goldie', then taking him out alone with the firepower at our disposal will be child's play." Lelouch replied, grinning slightly, "We can then salvage their technology for analysis and study, and better prepare for their next attack."

"And what about that…thing, that you showed Captain Ponder?" Byrne asked, "Are we just gonna leave them to toy with that Knight Police frame and salvage our tech?"

"Rest assured, Sergeant." Lelouch spoke, the grin still present on his face, "I have that covered, you and your men can rest for now."

Byrne raised an eyebrow, but decided against pressing the matter; saluting before speaking, "Well, whatever it is; it'd better be worth all the men we just threw into the grinder."

As the comms shut, Lelouch turned towards Kei, "What's the current position of the El Alamein?" He asked, hoping that the corvettes that had escaped from the earlier battle had all followed his orders to return to Harvest's orbit

"The El Alamein is currently in orbit above our position," Kei replied, "It's asking if it wants us to send down the Capta-"

"Patch me through." 'Leon' interjected, resting his head against his fist

The nervous visage of a Britannian-looking ship commander greeted Lelouch, his pale complexion and anxious expression betraying his inexperience as he spoke, "C-commander Lamperouge, sir!"

"The answer to your question is no Commander Lawson, you are not to even place her Frame in its pod until I order it." Lelouch ordered, weary of Lawson and his like, "And I don't care how much she complains about it; you outrank her."

"Commander Lamperouge…" Lawson began, rubbing his forehead, "she's of the li Britannia line. My men would sooner listen to her than they would to-"

"And that, Lawson, is none of my business." Commander Lamperouge replied, "Detain her if you have to, that Knightmare does not leave your ship without my explicit permission."

Lawson sighed, nodding silently.

"Good, now listen carefully." Lelouch spoke, "I need you to fire a salvo of Archer missile pods at the coordinates I'm about to send you, do not err the targeting even by the slightest margin, and we'll have victory within our grasp. The strike must be with surgical precision, do you understand?"

The Britannian commander nodded, "Yes, Commander Lamperouge. I've faith in the ability of my men to do a simple ground strike, but…why so precise? We're going to bombard the enemy ship aren't we?"

"No, we're going to open a hole and gut them of everything valuable they have." Lelouch replied, tapping his fingers against his chair, "I wouldn't want to damage anything important beyond salvage, nor would I want the missile to just harmlessly detonate against their hull. I had the ship's point-defenses all destroyed precisely for this reason, don't waste it."

Lelouch cut off the comm link just as Lawson saluted and replied, staring at the enemy ship's second hangar as he stroked his chin. He suddenly regretted not living as a mortal long enough to start growing facial hair; it would have made his current disguise of a different hairstyle much more convincing. He was thankful that most people were too rational to believe that he was the 'Demon King's Reincarnation', though.

"Well, it didn't fool Parangosky." He thought, grimacing as he thought of the vile woman, "The Britannian OSI of all things was less invasive than ONI is under her leadership…"

Lelouch absentmindedly pressed an icon on his screen to send the coordinates of the strike to Lawson as he thought of how 'Zero' was handling the situation on his end. "No doubt with great difficulty…" He thought with a knowing sigh

-Zero's Chambers, Britannian Embassy, Sydney, Australia-

"Zero."

Poke.

"Zero…"

Poke.

"Zeeeeeerooooo…."

Po-

The obsidian mask knocked the finger out of the way, as the Savior of the World quickly turned to the green-haired annoyance; his angered stare obvious even without being able to see his eyes. "Yes, C.C?" He asked, the voice distortion of his mask doing nothing to hide his irritation as he turned away from the computer he was typing on

C.C's eyes narrowed in amusement, as she smiled and rested her cheek against her hand, "Well, I was just wondering what you were doing while my husband's out fighting aliens. But if being called Zero annoys you that much, I might as well just start calling you Su-"

Zero tensed, gripping his gloved fist tightly.

"-zy, Suzy sounds nice~"

The masked crusader sighed, "C.C, not here, not now. I about to speak to the Empress about our discussion in the HIGHCOM meeting and I seriously don't need you distracting me right now!"

"I'm the only one you can speak to like that anymore, huh Suzy?" C.C asked, with a more serious expression on her face, "You don't need me to write you speeches anymore, since you've been consumed by Zero, but you still can't bury the proud Japanese hiding under that mask."

Zero didn't respond, turning back to his computer after a moment of pause. C.C sighed, coming up closer to him and gripping his shoulders softly through the costume.

"Immortality sucks, doesn't it?" C.C asked, smiling bitterly as she rubbed his shoulders, "You can take off the mask. I locked the door when I came in."

The man who the burden of Zero had been thrust upon paused for another moment before clicking open the mechanism of his helmet. With a single open palm, he reached up and removed the helmet from his face. Immediately covering it as the bright light of his computer assaulted his unprepared eyes. They burned and pained, until after a few seconds they adjusted; allowing the man within the helmet to see once more.

A shiver ran down C.C's spine, as she saw that familiar face once more after so many years.

His hair was grey, having long since lost its brown pigmentation. His skin pale and scarred: Telling the tale of hundreds of years in battles and political struggles underneath the cover of the mask. The only sign that there was still a man underneath said façade, the only beacon remaining that this was the one who bore the curse of Geass yet remained unbroken, was his eyes.

Bright…emerald green irises. Though they had been dulled over the years by war, strife, and burdens that no one man should have to bear; a spark of life still shone within them. A flicker of endless duty and pride, of hope and promises made which allowed the former Japanese soldier to stay strong through the centuries.

"Suzaku Kururugi, the man cursed in the past to Live at all costs; sustained by the power of a Geass Command as he bears the mantle of Zero through the ages…" C.C thought, looking into his eyes, "He will never break or falter in his duty, through the sheer strength of his will…"

"What a sad existence."

Suzaku placed the helmet on his desk, rubbing his forehead as he looked towards C.C and smiled, "I haven't taken that thing off in a month, the 'Live' curse lets my eyes adjust quickly though; it's too much of a 'risk to my life' to be caught unaware." He spoke, ruffling his hair slightly, "It's useful sometimes, ever since I learnt how to manipulate it."

"You should clean the mask, Suzaku." C.C replied with a sigh, smiling right back, "It's probably as dusty as the inside of your skull."

"Eh," Suzaku replied with a shrug and a small laugh, "You get used to it, really. At least I'm not using Lelouch's old mask."

"I'd slap you if you did, that mask's mine." C.C spoke with a coy grin, leaning on her chair, "The last memento of my lover's past, harkening back to a more…fun age~"

Suzaku's smile dimmed slightly, as he looked down and shook his head "It…wasn't all that fun for me, actually."

"I think Euphemia would be a bit offended at that." C.C replied immediately, "As would Nunnally, Shirley, Rivalz, Milly, and even your bestest friend Lulu."

Suzaku looked towards C.C, emerald eyes meeting golden orbs, and replied with a sigh, "They would, wouldn't they?' He spoke, running a hand across his mask, "I haven't visited their graves in a while."

"You never visited Lelouch's grave even once, Suzaku." C.C replied with a playful grin, twirling a finger in her hair

"I pay my respects to the dead," Suzaku replied immediately, closing his eyes with a small smile, "Not those stubborn enough to cheat death."

C.C got up, turning towards the door, "Well, I've got to leave. Catherine wants to talk about using my genes for that 'Spartan' project of hers and I've got to explain to her that it doesn't work that way…" She said, "Do you have anything to say to me before I leave, Suzaku?"

"Well, Lelouch is getting reinforcements soon; so you don't have to worry about that I guess…" Suzaku replied, taking his mask in his hands

"I was never worried about him, Suzaku." C.C replied with a small laugh, walking towards the door, "He's faced much worse odds and came out a victor before, I see no reason for him to break that routine. I'm more worried about if you're about to crack or not."

Suzaku looked at C.C one last time, before placing the mask upon his head without the slightest hesitation and turning towards his system, "Ask me again in another hundred years, and my answer'll be the same:" He spoke, activating his computer as the familiar symbol of the Black Knights appeared on the screen, "I don't break promises, not anymore, and I don't intend to break that one even if my body breaks first."

C.C unlocked the door, striding out with a neutral expression on her face as she thought while glancing at the weary and aged man before her,

"It's not your body that I worry about, Suzaku…"

-Rapid Conversion, Outside Hanger Bay No. 3-

"Why can I not see the finishing touches of my creation?" Lighter Than Some signed with some irritation

Dadab perspired nervously, feeling as if he had to physically stop his friend from going back inside the hanger; but he knew the Huragok was much stronger physically than him, so it would be a meaningless effort. He absolutely could not let Lighter Than Some know that weapons were currently being affixed to the machine he created by the Yanme'e, for then the peaceful Huragok would surely object and learn of the Jiralhanae chieftain's true intentions!

He signed back, in the Huragok sign language that only the two of them on this ship could speak, "The…Chieftain wishes to have you work on another project immediately!" He lied, "It…involves repairing the damaged systems of this ship!"

"Damaged systems?" The Huragok asked with confusion, "The piloting error of the Jiralhanae caused damage to the ship's components?"

Dadab was reminded of one of the many lies he'd earlier told the Huragok: That the ship had crashed because the Jiralhanae were terrible ship pilots and didn't adjust for the planet's gravity as they made their landing. He'd also told it that the humans had destroyed the 'Choppers' because it was offensive to them and that -alongside the Kig-Yar's earlier actions- had sparked a battle. He was finding it more and more difficult to hide the Jiralhanae's aggression from the naïve Huragok…

"Yes! The…engine has been damaged severely by the crash landing!" Dadab signed, smiling underneath his breathing mask, "The Chieftain wanted you to look at it as soon as you were finished with that machine!"

The Huragok mulled over it for a few moments, before looking towards Dadab and nodding, "That seems like a reasonable request." It signed, much to Dadab's relief, "I will assess the extent of the damage before-"

"Huragok! Deacon!" Bellowed a thundering voice, as Dadab's spine chilled and breath paused with fear, "Where. Is. My. Warmachine?!"

Lighter Than Some turned towards the silver-haired Tartarus, clapping his tentacles once in joy at being able to show the Chieftain his machine. But Dadab was faster, quickly blocking the Huragok's path as he turned towards the Chieftain, "I-It's just beyond this door! The Y-Yanme'e should be f-finished with your modifications by now, Chieftain!" He cried out, mentally kicking himself as he realized just how panicked he sounded

Tartarus raised a furry eyebrow, but dismissed the panic as typical Unngoy cowardice, "Then, bring me to it immediately." He stated, "We do not have much time left until the aliens launch another assault."

Dadab gulped with fear, signing to his friend to 'Wait here' with his shaky hands as he opened the door to the hanger bay. The Chieftain followed him through the doors, and immediately he was greeted to the sight of several Yanme'e crowding around the heavily modified humanoid machine; affixing the finishing touches to its weapons. Tartarus smiled, looking upon the deadly combination of Spiker barrels, blades, and Brute Shot barrels affixed to the arms and shoulders of the machine. The designs had been based on simplistic Brute designs for their pre-Covenant vehicles, easy enough for the dull Yanme'e to affix.

"This…machine, it shall be our salvation in this fight!" Tartarus exclaimed, taking out his hammer and pounding it's hilt against the ground, "With the protection of the Ancients, and the strengths of our will and technological might, the 'Humans' will cower before me in fear and awe!"

He turned towards Dadab, his bloodthirsty expression making the Unngoy take a step back in fear, "Where is the Huragok, why is he not here to share this glorious moment with us?"

A bead of sweat ran down Dadab's forehead as he nervously replied, "The…Huragok went off to make repairs on the ship, he wishes to attempt to restore functionality to our engines."

Tartarus turned back to the machine, "No matter, then." He stated with a wave of his large hand, "Affix me to the machine, Deacon."

Dadab sighed in relief that the Huragok had shown him how the machine worked as he moved towards the robot, but before he got so much as a step forward-

A familiar, cool touch grasped his shoulder.

"Your hands were shaky, I did not understand your message." Lighter Than Some signed as Dadab turned towards him with horror, "What did you mean by, 'Bait near'?"

"Huragok?" Tartarus spoke with confusion, turning towards Dadab "Was he not going to repair the engines?"

Dadab's mind whirled as he sought any way out of the situation, any way Tartarus would not suspect the truth, any way his friend would not see the added modifications the Chieftain had ordered!

"What…are those…doing on the machine?" Lighter Than Some signed with confusion and shock, looking towards the modified Knightmare "Why are there…weapons, on the offering?"

"Deacon…" Tartarus spoke with suspicion, walking towards Dadab "You have lied to me, why?"

"W-why…weapons?" The Huragok asked, the expression on his worm-like face appearing pained, "Did you…deceive me, friend?"

Dadab stepped back, almost falling to his knees as the mountain of lies he had built began crashing around him. "I never wanted this, I didn't want it to come to this! Why, why have the Forerunners forsaken me so?!" He thought with anguish, as the Chieftain grew more and more angry and his friend grew more and more restless and confused, "We're going to die. The Chieftain will kill us both! I…I've…failed, I've failed!"

Tartarus picked up his hammer in his hands, gritting his teeth as his mind began to put the pieces together: Making him even angrier by the second.

"I've fail-!"

"Chieftain!"

A voice from the heavens suddenly interjected, distracting Tartarus as he looked up to the ship's loudspeakers with alarm and shock. Dadab was unable to hear what the loudspeaker said, muddled and sunken in his own failure, but the second broadcast he managed to hear very well:

"It's headed straight for the hangar! Take cover Chieftain!"

A loud roar nearly deafened Dadab, throwing him to the floor as the entire ship shook with a tremendous impact and explosion. The Yanme'e scattered loudly, startled by the explosion as the large and heavy metal doors of their secondary hangar burst open from the sheer force of the explosion; the intense heat of the rushing air nearly burning the fallen Deacon's skin. His Huragok friend thankfully reached out and grabbed Dadab's methane canister so that its gas sack would not be thrown away by the gust of air, but it moaned in discomfort and pain from the effort and the heated air. The standing Chieftain, however, was thrown against the machine; his golden armor doing little to protect him from the impact force as he was nearly knocked unconscious. In this, however, Dadab saw an opportunity.

"Come!" Dadab quickly signed to his friend, grabbing onto a tentacle and leading him out through the burst chamber doors

The two rushed towards the exit after a little hesitation from Lighter Than Some, with little objection from either the pained Chieftain or the Yanme'e. Dadab swore he could hear Tartarus' angered roar just as he escaped the hangar, but he was soon confronted by an even more horrifying sight as he looked at the destruction and devastation in the main hanger: Multiple stasis pods carrying badly injured allies had broken or been compromised: Spelling doom for their occupants as they either thrashed wildly in pain or slept as death took them. The area was filled with the wreckage of dropships, vehicles, and machinery. Additionally, the hanger itself and all the ship's armor above it had been torn through and ripped apart, leaving large pieces of metal to fall dangerously upon the ground.

Most horrifying of all, however, was what could be seen approaching the ship from afar through the massive hole.

"The winged machines, the automaton juggernauts!" Dadab thought with horror, as he witnessed two of the nightmarish alien weapons descending into the hangar from above; their wings aglow with shimmering energies as their armaments were raised high

His friend ooh-ed again in curiosity…before Dadab quickly ran and dragged it away to a hallway that would take them both deeper into the ship. There was no time for thought; anywhere was better than being in that hangar right now. His friend, however, suddenly tugged its tentacle away just as they had entered the hallway; speeding down a different hallway that went deeper into the bowels of the ship.

Dadab was left flabbergasted in confusion, before he chased after Lighter Than Some, running towards it as he contemplated firing at it with his plasma pistol to grab its attention and stop it. He could not catch up to the fast Huragok with his stubby Unngoy legs, but that did not stop him from chasing after his friend anyway.

"Perhaps the guidance of the Ancients has not forsaken Lighter Than Some yet!" Dadab thought with desperation as he ran, "We would need some sort of miracle, to make it out alive in our situation now..."

Dadab turned back for the slightest moment, thinking of the death machine his friend had inadvertently built as a pang of guilt ran down his throat.

"Just as the Humans will need a miracle to get out of theirs."

I'm sorry I was unable to deliver on some of the stuff I'd promised last chapter, couldn't manage to squeeze it into this one and figured that I'd better release the chapter before you guys got too bored of the story.

The current Zero is Suzaku, big surprise! I know a few guessed it from before, but I think I managed to make the longevity believable taking into account the power of Geass and the medical factors which involve the process of ageing itself (he takes a lot of supplements and such, so it's not entirely Geass-reliant). His body's biological age is the equivalent of around 45 years old, which means he's still spring enough to kick some ass if anybody's concerned about that (and he doesn't look too bad either). There are quite a few other Code Geass characters and personas I've managed to realistically keep in this fic through various means, but you'll see them as the story goes on.

C.C acts differently depending on who she's with and what she feels like, I hope I managed to capture some of her eccentricity well in this chapter; but she'll stay herself alongside the other Code Geass and Halo characters throughout the fic. The Covenant PoVs are going to get less frequent as this arc progresses, but they'll be a mainstay of this fic unless I receive enough feedback to the contrary. I apologise for not being able to shed more light upon the Spartans right now, but I realise that this exact time period is somewhat of a continuity black hole in terms of what the books have provided us (the months before were all training, and next month are the augmentations). I will have some more John-117 in the next chapter, so you all can look forward to that.

The exposition on our pilots'll have to wait. They'll fight the promised epic battle of this arc in the next chapter, which should come sooner than this one since I've already got all it's ideas laid down.

As always, thank you all for reading! I'd really appreciate any comment or feedback anybody has to provide, so please post a review too!

See you next chapter!