The Long Road Home

by PMOHWinters

In a bleak alternate universe, Humanity is banished from Earth and forced to roam the cold, unforgiving void. With their homeworld lost, it is up to a brave few to tread the dangerous path to reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

7. It's Always the Hard Way

Chapter 7: It's Always the Hard Way

Somm Asteroid Belt
Pegasus

Keyes looked out at the broad vista of distant stars and barren rock that made up the Somm Asteroid Belt, named after the Exile Fleet that had taken residence there for the past decade. Nobody thought much of it, but the Somm Fleet's work here had provided incalculable contributions to the Exiles in the form of raw minerals to working ships. Unfortunately, Imperial Covenant forces had discovered their presence within the belt and were organizing an attack force. Somm had sent a plea for aid to Keyes and Fleet Earth, since they had a reputation for aiding any Exile Fleet in need, and that they also had a long standing friendship between each other.

"Lieutenant Blackwater, what is the status of Somm's evacuation?" Keyes asked.

"They've evacuated seventy percent of their facilities." Jillian glanced at her data screens. "But they're having some trouble trying to get some of their large machinery out."

"This is what happens when you have a fleet full of scientists." Keyes shook his head. "What's the status on our defenses?"

"Everything is set up and in the green." Euryale chimed.

"What is the ETA for the Covenant fleet?"

"Twenty minutes with a five minute margin of error."

"If there's one thing we can depend on the Covenant for, it's that they're always on schedule." Keyes grinned. Order all ships to make the necessary preparations."

Nietzsche
Currently in Slipspace Transit

"So, can you tell us anything more about Reach?" Kyle asked John as they sat in the Nietzsche's briefing room. "I don't like going to a world I don't know anything about."

"Reach, environmentally, was a pretty standard world. The climate was stable, the weather was temperate, the air was fresh. It was very much like a second Earth."

"Sounds like a nice place." Lynn smiled.

"Yes." John nodded. "The environment and the planet's strategic location made it a natural site for military expansion. The main focus of our mission is the old CASTLE base located there."

"CASTLE?" Kyle cocked his head curiously.

"I remember hearing that somewhere." Sanah said. "Some vague references to a secret base on Reach, but nothing concrete."

"Well, it definitely exists." John continued. "Along with the coordinates, Cortana also left me with detailed schematics and information about the facility."

"I'm cross-checking the coordinates with our current stuff, but something doesn't seem to be right…" Kay narrowed her eyes and reentered the data into her terminal. "This can't be right."

"Let me try." Sanah bent down and drew a data plug from the back of her neck, plugging it into the terminal. "Running. I've got a match."

Kyle looked at the data screen and blanched. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Is this right?" Kay asked.

"With a 99.99989 percent certainty." Sanah confirmed.

"What's the problem?" Lynn cocked her head curiously. "What's this 'Outer Sanctuary' you're thinking about?"

"Only one of the most fortified and heavily protected Covenant Imperium colonies in the sector." Kyle sighed. "Let's just say you can't just fly your ship in and land anywhere you want."

"It is a rather inconvenient problem." Hal said blankly. "Perhaps we should consider our contacts within the Republic."

"I was thinking the same thing too." Kyle nodded. "Take care of the necessary stuff."

"Affirmative."

"I'm surprised you've managed to forge contacts with so many people in the Republic." Lynn leaned back in her seat.

"No you're not." Kyle snorted. "Quit pretending not to know everything I do."

"Aw, but it's less fun that way." Lynn pouted.

"There's still the issue of, you know, actually getting onto the planet?" Sanah interjected, tapping her finger impatiently.

"Well, hopefully, the problem will solve itself once we get there." Kyle go up from his seat. "Now, we've still got a couple of hours before we reach the place. John, if you'd like, me and Kay have a few surprises for you."

Somm Asteroid Belt

With a flash, the Fleet of Silent Penitence materialized in space just outside of the Somm Asteroid Belt. Being led by the mighty battlecruiser Heaven's Fist, a formidable fleet of over fifty warships charged quickly and confidently towards the belt.

Standing at his position on the bridge, Fleet Master Tazerin made a toothy, carnivorous grin. It would only be a matter of minutes before he and his mighty fleet would purge this backwater asteroid belt clean of the heretic plague.

"Fleet Master, we are approaching the heretic positions." Tazerin's sensor officer announced. "We will approach the asteroid field in three minutes and the heretics in five."

"Continue at full speed." Tazerin said. "Send in our skirmishers ahead."

With that, a small flotilla of twelve ships, consisting of fast frigates, destroyers, and a pair of light cruisers, boosted forward. However, Tazerin's grin disappeared just as quickly as the ships as he saw the entire flotilla disappear in a wall of blazing nuclear fire. Tazerin berated himself for falling for one of the humans' most common tactics.

"Increase the power to our sensors and-"

"Fleet Master! Multiple missile locks have been detected on our flanks!" The sensor officer cried.

"What?!" Tazerin glanced as his ships began taking numerous hits from missiles. The cruisers shrugged off the projectiles, but his smaller pickets took some damage, with a few destroyers breaking up under the assault. "Track the missiles! Where did they come from!?"

"The heretics are on our flanks!"

"Redeploy our pickets and have them form a screen to intercept any more missiles!" Tazerin growled.

"Yes, Fleet Master!"

Pegasus

"They fell for the trap, sir." Jillian said proudly as Keyes glanced at the data screens.

"All according to plan." Keyes nodded. "Order all ships to move in."

I was a rather daring plan. In addition to the nuclear N2 minefield he had set up near the asteroid field, Keyes had also left hundreds of missiles drifting in space, all ready to be fired from a remote signal. The purpose was to confuse the Covenant and break up their formation, thereby buying more time for the Somm to evacuate.

However, just because this was a delaying action didn't necessarily mean Keyes couldn't bloody the Covenant's nose a bit. He planned to take advantage of this opportunity.

Like angry hornets, over seventy warships from both allied Exile Fleets shot out from their hiding places within the asteroids and began to open up with their signature attack, the MAC volley. Two centuries did little to weaken the power of a several thousand ton projectile being hurled at nearly the speed of light. The assault proved to be punishing, especially since the fact that the Covenant pickets were on the flanks. Keyes wasn't too concerned about taking out the picket ships, since they weren't really much of a threat and they were more often than not used as an extra layer of shields by Covenant commanders. The real threat was from the cruisers, which was why the initial missile volley was designed to draw the pickets away. The first few rounds rebounded off the cruisers' powerful shields like rubber balls. Keyes caught sight of at least one MAC round ricocheting and annihilating a stray Covenant frigate. However, as powerful as a cruiser's shield was, they could only stop one or two direct MAC round hits. The rest of the volley tore into the Covenant fleet, effectively halving their firepower before the fight even started.

"Give me some numbers. What's left for us to kill?"

"I'm only picking up about twenty active contacts." Jillian smiled at their wild success. "I'm estimating about ten frigates, five destroyers, four cruisers, and a carrier."

"All right." Keyes nodded. "Let's take Battlegroup Alpha straight in. Have the other battlegroups stay back in reserve."

"Roger that, sir."

"Eurale!" Keyes tapped his finger on his chair's armrest anxiously. "Give a status report on our weapons."

"Weapons are armed and loaded." Eurale chimed with her usual sweetness. "The MAC cannon had been reloaded, all missile pods are ready to fire, particle cannons are charged, and nuclear warheads one through five have had their safeties unlocked and are ready to fire."

"Good. Engage the Covenant flagship. Order Lincoln, Katrina, Morristown, and Monitor to engage the other cruisers and carrier. The rest of the battlegroup will take care of their pickets."

"Affirmative, Captain."

"Weapons, target and fire!" Keyes pointed straight at the Heaven's Fist like a laser rangefinder.

The ship comm soon devolved into a flurry of weapon launch confirmations as a torrent of projectiles and energy slammed into the Covenant cruiser. With its shields already weakened by a previous MAC hit, the Heaven's Fist had no hope of repelling the punishing assault. Particle lasers lanced straight through the ship while missiles ripped away armor plating and hull. The MAC round that had popped the cruiser's shield like a bubble was slightly off target and merely grazed the capital ship, taking a sizable chunk out of its bow section.

Heaven's Fist responded with its own volley, but it was a paltry fireworks show compared to the sheer ferocity of the Pegasus. Only two of its seven plasma turrets managed to fire, and the Pegasus's undamaged shields easily shrugged off the damage. In return, the Heaven's Fist ate another missile volley before its shields could recharge. The Heaven's Fist now looked as if an incredibly large person had repeatedly stabbed it with an armor piercing pencil. It was so full of holes and pockmarks, Keyes was surprised it was still in one piece. However, before Keyes could give the order to finish it off, Heaven's Fist disappeared in a flash of light.

"The Covenant cruiser has just made a Slipspace jump." Eurale announced.

"So he decided to run." Keyes glanced at the rest of the battle. "And decided to leave behind his own fleet."

Without their flagship, the rest of the Covenant fleet was lost and confused in the face of a determined enemy. The battle at that stage turned into a rout and what few ships that weren't utterly destroyed made a run for the relative safety of Slipspace.

"Good job, people!" Keyes said proudly. "We've probably bought Somm another day or two with that excellent show! Return to your previous positions and hold for further orders."

Even though it was technically against regulation, there were cheers among the various captains and crews from the fleet. After months of running and the occasional hit and run, it had been a long time since the Fleet had went up head to head with another Covenant battlefleet. This battle reconfirmed the fact that they could withstand anything the Covenant could throw at them. At least, for the time being. Keyes was still worried about the rumors of a cease fire between the Covenant Imperium and Republic. If they were true, then uniting the Exile Fleets would have to become a bigger priority than ever. Not even Exile Fleet Earth could withstand the full might of the Covenant Imperium by itself.

"Captain." Jillian strode up next to Keyes and leaned down so only he could hear her. "I've just received a private comm from Minister Tuuran. He wishes to speak with you in person."

"I'll get right to it. At ease, Lieutenant." Once Jillian returned to her post, Keyes activated his comm. "Eurale, prepare a shuttle for me and have it ready leave in ten minutes."

Heaven's Fist
Currently in Slipspace Transit

In a fury, Tazerin slammed his fist down on his control console, literally shattering and crumpling the steel structure. His fellow Jiralhanae looked on nervously as Tazerin vented his rage on the console until it was just a lump of twisted metal and shattered glass.

How could have this happened? Tazerin's once mighty battlefleet had been completely annihilated by a handful of heretics! The entire notion was preposterous! Already, Tazerin could see himself being ridiculed and punished for his failure. However, duty came first. He had to reach a friendly port for repairs and to report that heretic resistance was much greater than anticipated. Seeing that his Slipspace drives were damaged, Tazerin checked his charts for any planets with the facilities that were necessary for the amount of repairs Heaven's Fist required.

"Malechan, send a message to Outer Sanctuary and inform them of our arrival. We need them to clear a space for us in the repair dock."

"At once, Fleet Master!"

"And somebody fix this accursed console!" Tazerin growled. Still simmering with anger and frustration, he stormed out of the bridge. Perhaps some combat training would help put his mind at ease.

Nietzsche
Two Light Years from Reach aka "Outer Sanctuary"

"Are you sure he's going to come?" Kay asked in a bored tone, staring at the empty stars. "We've been waiting here for hours."

"He'll come." Kyle said in a reassuring voice.

"You know, while we aren't doing anything, there's still the issue of those two prisoners." Sanah said.

"Yes, ever since they have been aboard, I have noticed a .02 percent drop in the efficiency of the life support systems." Hal said. "Shall I vent their cells?"

"No!" Everybody said at once.

"I was only asking."

"They're really no threat anyways." Lynn stretched her arms. "They're actually more scared than angry. I'm sure we can eventually find a use for them."

"Well, if you say so." Kyle shrugged.

"I have a contact on sensors." Hal warned. "Signature matches that of the Astral Winds."

"Looks like he's here." Kyle grinned and activated his comm unit. "Halaan, I see that you're late as always."

"I'm not late." A slightly gruff and alien voice replied. "You're just early."

"Yeah yeah, you and your excuses." Kyle laughed. "Let's dock and I'll meet you in five."

Astral Wind Conference Room, Five Minutes Later

"You're absolutely crazy." Halaan gasped.

Halaan Ralamee was a Sangheili intelligence officer, which obviously meant that he was a part of the Covenant Republic. While not officially allied, the Republic greatly sympathized with the Exiles and often provided support like supplies, weapons, and hiding places. The underlying belief was that the Exiles were a constant thorn in the Imperium's side, which would do nothing but benefit the Republic. Halaan in particular was a great proponent in helping the Exiles. He and Kyle had rather close ties, as both had helped each other a great deal. However, there were some things that not even Halaan would ever imagine doing.

"It probably is, but that doesn't mean we still can't do it." Kyle smiled. "We need you to find a way to sneak us into Outer Sanctuary."

"You certainly like to burn your favors." Halaan sighed and picked up a data disc.

"Hey, you still owe me for that little firefight back on Larilel Nine."

"I am aware of that." Halaan inserted the disc into a data console and a holographic display of Outer Sanctuary appeared. "As you know, Outer Sanctuary is heavily defended, very much like the human settlement that was there before."

Now, the thought had occurred to Kyle to try and ask the Covenant Republic about the location of Earth, but truth be told, nobody within the Republic really knew either. Shortly after Earth was attacked, none of the Covenant ships that had gone there returned. Shortly thereafter, the Prophets inexplicably instituted an Inquisition that quickly and brutally silenced any and all who had any inkling about the location of the planet. This was one of the primary factors that contributed to the schism between the Imperium and Republic.

"There is a fleet of roughly forty ships stationed at the planet, with roughly another hundred on call from nearby sectors. There are seven orbital defense platforms, a comprehensive sensor net, and countless ground troops standing in your way." Halaan continued.

"So… let's get to the hard part."

"Always concentrated on the objective." Halaan shook his head. "During observation, we've noticed that the planetary sensor net suffers from a huge flaw."

The holographic display zoomed in closer to Outer Sanctuary, and colored circles representing sensor coverage materialized. Halaan pointed to a few of the circles.

"Some of the sensor stations, especially the ones at the poles, are actually working well below their expected efficiency. This leaves a two hundred fifty meter gap in the planetary sensor net."

"That's a pretty tight fit." Kyle frowned.

"Yes, but it's more than enough for a small ship to slip through. Then all it has to do is fly in terrain mode below the sensor ceiling and it can pretty much go anywhere undetected." Halaan grinned. "However, the main issue is penetrating the planet's orbital sensors. Standards on those are much more stringent so you can't quite go through unaided."

"You have that smile on your face. I suppose something has happened that conveniently works in our favor."

"As a matter of fact…" Halaan activated another data screen. "We've intercepted a transmission from a warship called Heaven's Fist. Apparently, they got into a nasty scuffle with some Exiles and now they are coming to Outer Sanctuary for emergency repairs."

"And this has to do with us… how?"

"That's your ticket in, of course." Halaan smiled. "With kind of damage Heaven's Fist suffered and your shuttle in stealth mode, you can easily sneak up to it and latch onto the hull. Then, you piggyback on the ship and use its sensor shadow to hide from the orbital sensors. Then you cause a small explosion and use the falling debris to cover your entry. The Imperials will think it is a secondary explosion."

"Pretty complicated plan." Kyle grinned.

"To go with a complicated objective." Halaan shrugged. "As with what you do once you get down there, well, you're on your own."

"Good to know you've got my back." Kyle sighed.

Nietzsche
Outskirts of Outer Sanctuary

"Jeez, what did we get ourselves into?" Kay lamented as she loaded more weapons into Puddlejumper's hold. "Sneaking into an Imperial-held world? That's suicide."

"Aw, you're just saying that." Kyle said as he inserted the last mod chip into John's armor. "There, finished! You feel any different?"

John flexed his arms a couple of times. "Not much."

"Good, then your performance probably won't be adversely affected." Kyle grinned. "If you thought your armor was mean before, wait till you see this baby in combat! We've upgraded your shields, sensors, and slightly increased your strength and response time. Your armor now also has the capability to use full-scale optic camouflage, limited external propulsion, and a few more tricks."

"How does all this work?"

"You pretty much think it and the armor does the rest."

Suddenly, John disappeared from sight. The only thing to suggest something physical was there was the thin, almost indistinguishable line of distortion in the air. Then, just as quickly, John rematerialized.

"Nifty."

"You're going to need it." Kyle smiled at his handiwork.

"Hey, where the hell did Lynn go?" Kay grunted "It would make moving this crap a whole lot easier. Hell, I wish that android were here."

Kay was prepping the Puddlejumper for the upcoming mission. Of course, the need for a lot of weapons and ammunition was high due to the number of Covenant they would probably be facing. However, weapons alone weren't enough. You also had to have the people to carry and fire them as well.

"She's talking with the prisoners. She's very sure that she can turn them to our side."

"What, is she going to mind-control them or something?"

"She doesn't work like that." Kyle snorted.

"Sure, whatever." Kay shrugged. "Still, wish she'd use those powers of hers to actually freaking help us out with the heavy lifting."

"I'll help." John said, picking up two weapons crates simultaneously with both hands.

"You just picked up a rocket launcher AND a beam rifle." Kay said incredulously.

"So?"

"Do you know how goddamn heavy just one of those weapons can be?"

The Spartan simply tossed the crates into the air and caught them again. "Don't feel a thing."

Brig

"So, you want to have a shot at redeeming yourselves?" Lynn smiled sweetly as she looked at the pair of rather dismayed scavs sitting the cell. "We're willing to forgive you for all that stuff you did back there if you help us for this one job."

The two scavs were the prisoners that they had taken earlier on the Pillar of Autumn. Kyle and Kay had half a mind to get rid of them. After all, they were a part of the gang that had tried to kill them on the ship. However, Lynn genuinely felt that they were just a pair of misguided kids who could be turned to the right path. The scav on the left was a brunette girl with crimson red eyes. The scav on the right was a bright eyed boy with short, dirty blond hair who definitely looked as if he was regretting some past decisions in his life. He stayed silent, but the girl spoke.

"And what do we get out of helping you?" She asked.

"Well…" Lynn cocked her head curiously. "If my friends had their way, they'd probably just shove you both out of an airlock and that'll be the end of it."

Lynn noticed with hidden amusement that the girl was frowning and her compatriot had paled quite significantly. She then continued.

"Of course, if you help us out, we can both be happy, and alive as well."

"All right, I'm in." The girl shrugged.

"Me too." The boy nodded furiously.

"That's great!" Lynn smiled. "I'll be sure to let my friends know."

"Wait… why are you so quick to trust us?" The girl narrowed her eyes.

"Oh yeah…" Lynn scratched her head. "I might as well get this out in the open. I've pretty much been reading your minds this whole time, so… I know that you guys are telling the truth. Besides, you should've noticed that I've never asked for you names."

"Yeah, well what are they?" The boy asked.

"Melissa Richards and…. Williams." Lynn said confidently. "You prefer to be called Williams because you don't like your first name. Don't worry, you're secret is safe with me."

"Holy shit." Williams' eyes widened in awe and horror. "You can read minds!"

"Oh yeah." Lynn nodded. "Something of a special skill of mine."

"Well, as long as we're being truthful to each other…" Melissa stood up and snapped one of her fingers. A small ball of flame like a firecracker popped out the air above her hand.

"Pyrokinetic, huh?" Lynn grinned. It wasn't often she could meet another meta-human, and even rarer when it wasn't a "trying to kill each other" affair.

"Yeah."

"Well, just promise to behave yourselves and I won't fry you brains." Lynn saw the look on Williams' face and laughed. "Don't worry, I'm only joking. If you actually did try and backstab us, Kyle and Kay would probably have you shot and tossed out of the airlock."

Melissa and Williams both looked at each other. Melissa shrugged and Williams whimpered.

Heaven's Fist
En route to Outer Sanctuary

It was certainly a sight to behold.

Once one of the proud icons of the Imperial Covenant Armada, the mighty cruiser Heaven's Fist limped back to friendly territory. The entire ship was propelling itself on a single engine and had countless tears and pockmarks in her once pristine armor plating and hull. The damage was so severe, that bits and pieces of the ship were still breaking off, forming a straggled trail of debris. This made the perfect line of approach for a small Pelican transport which bunnyhopped from one piece of wreckage to the next to avoid detection. It really was unnecessary, as most of Heaven's Fist's sensor equipment was either destroyed or offline to conserve power. Either way, it was a simple task to find a hole in the hull large enough to snuggle Puddlejumper into and wait.

After that, it was simply a matter of choosing the right time to disengage from the battered ship. With a bit of luck (and some of Lynn's "mental encouragement" on a nearby sensor station), the Pelican managed to slip through the once-thought impenetrable defenses of Outer Sanctuary.

However, none of its occupants knew what awaited them once they reached their destination.