Chapter 5

Realization

This will finish up the First Contact War, and put the UNSC and RSN in contact with the citadel and the rest of the "Galactic Community". I will follow the majority of the plot, but expect me to derail something every once in awhile. By the way, I need to address an issue addressed in one of the reviews I got. I do not have any alcoholic relatives that drive me to put them in stories, it's just a useful plot device that I may have used one time too many, and I will use other devices from now on. The same reviewer addressed that it would be far fetched for a pregnant woman to be one a battlefield, and it is in reality. Still there is a reason she I put her here, and I by the end of this chapter you may figure out why.

"Looks like they're withdrawing," Damon said. He was standing in front of the city hall along with the UNSC and RSN soldiers.

"Yeah," Crystal said looking at the ships that were taking off and heading skyward. It had been half an hour since the city hall had been retaken and it appeared that all of the aliens had retreated to their ships, which were now taking off.

"But it may be all for naught," the SpecOp Officer said, looking upward at the fleeing alien ships, which were heading skyward. "The Vigilant Guardian is charging it's plasma torpedos, and from what we've seen of the aliens' shields, they do not block plasma, meaning those ships are as good as dead."

"Let's watch and see," Mack said. Over a dozen alien ships were heading upwards, apparently they had to escape the planet's atmosphere in order to use the faster than light capabilities on their ships. As the ships flew skywards, the Vigilant Guardian fired two plasma torpedos at a passing frigate, which exploded as they hit the underbelly of the ship.

Not falling out of step, the Vigilant Guardian fired two more plasma torpedos, one slamming into the bridge of a cruiser, and another slamming into the top of a frigate, both of which exploded. Having used all of the charged plasma torpedos, the Vigilant Guardian fired it's pulse lasers at the passing ships. Unfortunately they proved to not be as effective as the plasma torpedos, and although the scorched and burned the hull nearly all of the ships that it hit continuing to speed forward, only slightly slowing down. The sole exception was one frigate, who's engines took a direct hit, causing the ship to slowly fall back to the ground. By this point the other

ships had flown out of range of the Vigilant Guardian, within seconds they had broke free of Shanxi's atmosphere, and used technology similar to that of the relics to accelerate to faster than light speed.

"This is Captain Hall to all UNSC ground forces," came Hall's voice through the COM lines. "Alien forces have withdrawn from Shanxi. Dropships will be deployed to retrieve all forces that were deployed, stand by."

"So what happens now?" Damon asked, looking at Mack.

"I don't know Winters," Mack. "We don't know how big these people are, or who commands them. It could be a rouge group of pirates for all we know, best we can do it's be prepared for whatever comes, because..."

"OH YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!" Crystal shouted at the top of her lungs.

"What is it?" Damon asked as he and mack wheeled around. Crystal pointed up, at the disabled alien frigate, which was still falling towards the planet...and right towards them.

"RUN!" Mack shouted. Everyone ran for their life, trying to put as much distance between them and where they thought that the ship was going to crash as possible. There was an earsplitting crash as the ship slammed into the ground, sending out a massive shockwave that caused nearly everyone to be knocked over.

"Oh, god damn it," Damon swore as he got to his feet. As he did, he realized that a strange dark mist was swirling around him. Turning around, he saw that what ever it was was leaking out of the wrecked ship. "Uh, Mack what the Hell is this shit?

"No idea," Mack said, glancing at the dark mist "I got the feeling that it can't be good through."

Damon glanced at Crystal who was just getting to her feet. Apparently when she had been knocked over by the shockwave, her helmet had fallen off, revealing her soft brown hair. This sent panic through Damon's body, as it meant that she was inhaling the dark mist, not to mention that meant that her child was being exposed to it as well. Similar thoughts seemed to have occurred to Crystal, for she quickly grabbed her helmet and slid it over her head.

"Anyone else want a fucking vacation right about now?" Damon asked in an exhausted voice. Mack, Crystal and all of the Marines nodded. Even one of the Sangheili muttered something about rest being healthy for a warrior. "Pelican," Mack said, pointing up as he saw the dropship descending towards them. "Phantoms too," he added as bright purple dropships descended along with the green one.

"This is where we part ways then," the SpecOp Officer said, looking at Mack and holding out his hand. As Mack took the hand and shook it, the SpecOp Officer continued "There is much to be done, but perhaps we will meet again one day.

Mack nodded as he climbed onto the Pelican along with Damon and Crystal as it closes. "Hey," Damon said to Crystal, uncertainty in his voice "I know that we didn't off on the best of terms, but would you like to, I don't know, get breakfast sometime?"

Crystal looked at Damon "I'd like that," she said, her smile hidden by her helmet.

"Crystal," Mack said, looking at the sniper "We're going to have to get you an MRI when we get to a facility that has one, you inhaled some of that shit and we need to make sure that you and Junior are alright." Crystal nodded.

On the Peacekeeper Hall took her hand away from her COM unit, letting out a sigh of exhaustion as she slid into a chair. She had just gotten word from General Williams, all of his forces were reporting that all alien forces had withdrawn from New Austin. Despite the fact that casualties were remarkably light compared to those of the Human Covenant War, things looked grim. 'This could mean war,' Hall through 'It might end up being even worse than the Human Covenant War, and even if it isn't war is still Hell.' She let out a sigh, as she glanced at the viewscreen which displayed the Vigilant Guardian exiting Shanxi's atmosphere. 'Well,' she thought, smiling slightly 'At lest we won't be heading into the storm alone.'

"Captain," said the Shipmaster of the Vigilant Guardian through Hall's COM unit "Our forces have been retrieved, we must return to Sangheilos. the clouds of war are gathering and the RSN Council must be notified of what happened here."

"The UNSC must be informed of the same thing," Hall replied.

"Very well," said the Shipmaster "Know this Captain, the RSN will not abandon Humanity in it's time of need."

"I'm glad to hear that Shipmaster," Hall said "But I really must be going. Ensign," Hall said, taking her hand away from her COM unit "As soon as all of the Pelicans are on board, make the jump to slipspace. Head to Earth."

June, 20, 2608 General Williams confirms complete alien withdrawal from Shanxi. Williams expressed that after the invasion, that he simply wanted to get back home and see his son, whose wife was expecting a baby.

June, 21, 2608 A massive mobilization of UNSC is conducted, ships are deployed to defend colonies while fleets are being formed to go on the offensive.

June, 22, 2608 The RSN council announces that it will be joining the war alongside humanity. Indirectly and unintentionally, this move dissolves much of the tension between the RSN and the UNSC.

June, 23 2608 All war efforts have been called off, the UNSC and the RSN have have been contacted by an organization of aliens that call themselves the Council. The claim that the Invasion of Shanxi was simply a misunderstanding. If they are to be believed, than the reason that the aliens, called Turians, attacked, was because we were using a relay that we had activated without, said Council's permission, apparently this is against Council law. Negotiators will be sent by both the UNSC and the RSN to a place called the Citadel, apparently the Capital of the Council.

June, 24, 2608 An odd message has been found all over various Human means of communication calling for a "Cerberus" to be formed to establish human dominance in the galaxy. Many people have dismissed this as the ravings of a lunatic, as they believe that very few Humans are stupid enough to think that the UNSC could dominate both the Council and the RSN. Still officials are keeping an eye out for sender of these messages, who is commonly referred to as an "Illusive Man"

Estimated causality rate of the First Contact war, factoring in that Turian ships have much smaller crews than UNSC ships.

Turians 1650

UNSC 1400

RSN 100

Yeah it was a little short but it was mainly wrapping up loose ends, still I think I managed to pull that off. Please review and tell me what you think. Also due to the fact that I can't make up my own mind about this, please tell me if you want a male or female Shepard and Inuboy I already know that you want a male so it isn't necessary for you to tell me. Please be informed that I will think it through who I pair Shepard with, if I pair him/her with anyone, after I tally the votes to see what Shepard's gender is. I'll give this poll 24 hours, so please vote and tell me what you want.