Well, I know it's been a while since I posted to this story, and a lot of things have happened in the meantime. For starters, I've already written what is technically a sequel to this; Atmos Campaign, for those who don't already know about it.
Now, even though this isn't even finished, that story really doesn't have any major spoilers for this one, so if you'd like to read it, feel free. And if you have read it, well I hope you enjoy this one anyway.
Also, I should mention that this chapter has narrative ties to my other story Omega Chronicles, and one of the chapters in my compilation Catalog of War (wow, lots of continuity in one chapter), just in case you were wondering about some of the dialogue and story here.
Disclaimer: I do not own Halo, Mass Effect, Star Wars or anything else that appears in this story.
On the other side of Endor, dozens of colorful-armored figures swarmed around the forest. Several of them stayed back to guard their ships, which had landed in clearings in the woods. A couple Mantis gunships flitted in close proximity and altitude to the LZ, providing overwatch for any threats that came near.
Among the various soldiers, whispered conversations could be heard. Rumors abounded about why they had been assigned here as various mercenaries set to work on maintaining their vehicles and gearing up.
"Did you hear about what happened?"
"At the Cerberus station?"
"Yeah. Rumor has it that Maul was there himself."
"That's nothing. I heard they encountered a Spartan."
"No way! A fucking Spartan?!"
"Bullshit."
"Honest to god, it's true."
"How are they still alive?!"
"They're just that good."
"Oh, really? I heard they ran like cowards."
"Against a Spartan? That's the only option that makes sense."
These were the rumors that ran rampant through the ranks of the mercenaries. Still, they were professional enough to keep doing their jobs, as they turned the formerly abandoned Death Watch bunker into their latest staging area.
Here, they were preparing for a major slave raid against the inhabitants of this planet, particularily the Ewoks. The little furry creatures had made effective unwitting suicide bombers during the Zann Consortium's height, and now the Shadow Collective was willing to try that experiment again.
Inside, Bamak sat on a crate in the Death Watch bunker, with several other Blue Sun soldiers either relaxing or working. Blasters had been issued to the most elite units of the mercenaries, while others had to make do with what they had. Nearby, Eclipse soldiers were unloading their mechs and equipment, while the Blood Pack were prepared to do battle. Eventually, Bamak couldn't take it anymore.
"Why the hell are we all out here?" He asked no one in particular.
"Because the rest of the Shadow Collective is busy dealing with Cerberus, and we have enough manpower to do this job." This came from a Blood Pack krogan sitting nearby, grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, I know." Bamak huffed. "It was a rhetorical question. I just want to get off this stupid planet."
"Then why don't you take it up with Lord Maul?" The krogan smirked. "I'm sure he'll be happy to... accomodate you."
Bamak froze and backed down, eliciting snickering from those nearby. Then a younger human voice broke out;
"Wait, why ask Maul? We work for Aria, don't we?" This drew laughter from everyone within earshot.
"You haven't been here long, have you kid?" The krogan retorted.
"What are you talking about?" The young merc asked.
"Aria isn't in charge of us, kid." Bamak explained. "It was the Shadow Collective who recruited all of us, and it's Darth Maul who's got the real power."
"But Aria is the one who heads Omega... and controls the crime trade." The kid protested. Bamak snorted.
"Maybe on paper. But that Sith is slowly taking over the criminal underworld."
"Trust me, kid." The krogan interjected. "Aria T'Loak's days are numbered."
"And I'd rather be on the winning side," Bamak said. "Than join with that asari."
"A wise call." A filtered voice rang out through the air, causing everyone to turn towards it.
A squad of Zann Consortium soldiers and slavers entered the bunker, led by a red-armored Defiler. Several of the soldiers were carrying disrupters, which (while still illegal) had become much more widespread due to the existence of the Flood. The armed mercenaries were directly working for the Zabrak Sith Lord, and several had brought in their own hunting vornskrs.
As the canines entered, they drew some growling from the Blood Pack varren and responded with growls of their own. Before the two canine species could go at each other's throats, their handlers held them back.
While the three merc companies had landed here with the Consortium, Black Sun's ships had landed near their own bunker some distance away. Of course, none of them had any actual capital ships, as that would draw too much attention from the IDA.
Still though, considering Maul commanded the combined military forces of the Black Sun and the Zann Consortium, Bamak wondered why the Sith Lord even bothered with recruiting or enslaving anyone else to his cause when he could just annihilate them outright.
"Alright you maggots," The Defiler said. "Get your gear together and load up. We move out in five."
Unfortunately, the Shadow Collective forces on Endor didn't have much in the way of warships or orbital support. But they did have several transports worth of armored vehicles, including M-080s, Makos, swamp speeders, Missile Attack Launchers, Cloaking transports, Mobile Pulse Cannons, some MDUs and a pair of Canderous tanks.
All of these vehicles set off into openings in the underbrush, most escorted by infantry. Unfortunately, they didn't have much in the way of air support, but the MALs would counter any possible air attacks.
But from what? Bamak wondered. This all felt rather excessive for a simple slaving run on a primitive world like this. Granted, his people had done far worse in the name of making a profit from slaving, but this was still rather overkill. The only explanation that made sense were the rumors about ONI actively hunting Darth Maul down.
The Batarian felt a chill run up his spine at that thought. He'd hate to have to go up against the UNSC's best and most infamous. He knew enough about the Spartans to know that they were something to be feared, and if rumors about ONI's 'interrogation methods' were true, they crossed lines that even the worst Batarians wouldn't dream of doing.
Shaking out of that distressing train of thought, Bamak made his way to his assigned APC and got in with the rest of his squad. Minutes later, the M-080s and cloaking transports were on the move in their own convoy, while the smaller vehicles ran escort.
The convoy moved out at relatively quick pace, all the while many of the soldiers were getting the feeling that they were being watched.
Miles away on the opposite side of the forest, Imperial landing craft deployed dozens of black armored Shadow Troopers, Terror Troopers, Dark Troopers and Storm Commandos.
These were not the average forces of the Imperial Remnant. These were the soldiers of the First Order, a Private Military Corporation based under the trappings of the former Galactic Empire. Founded after the end of the Second Galactic Civil War by Snoke, one of the surviving members of the assassins personally trained by Darth Vader, their ultimate goal was to eventually restore the Empire to its rightful place in the galaxy.
Of course, that goal was stymied by the fact that they were able to get so few recruits, and more difficulty was provided when the multiverse was opened up to the galaxy. Naturally, this made things more difficult, but Snoke was nothing if not adaptable, and incorporated his plans to include the rest of the multiverse as well. But that was still a long ways away. For now, there was this mission.
The soldiers of the First Order were outfitted with the elite armor and weapons of the Empire's most fearsome soldiers, and were given the training of such. They had also reactivated several remaining Dark Troopers, and put them to work serving them.
Still, the soldiers of the First Order needed more 'real' training, and what better place to do that than the planet and the inhabitants that were responsible for the death Emperor Palpatine and the collapse of the Empire.
Captain Phasma, leader of the First Order's ground forces, grimly smiled under her Shadow Trooper helmet as she thought about why they had come here. The reasons for coming here was twofold:
The First Order troopers would get some training with minimal chance of discovery from outside forces, as well as learn not to underestimate their opponents. Secondly, it would allow them to scavenge any leftover technology that was still on the moon.
Of course, the Shadow trooper commander couldn't deny the catharsis of dealing with the creatures that had brought down the greatness of the Galactic Empire in the first place. The Ewoks deserved to burn for that insult.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a Storm Commando contacting her. It was one of the scouts she had sent ahead to recon the forest and ensure that those none of the Ewoks were preparing any sort of ambush.
"Report."
"Captain, I'm getting readings of active technology on the planet." The scout said. "I don't think we're alone on this world."
"Can you identify them?"
"Some of it appears to be old criminal technology." There was a pause. "I'm also detecting traces of element zero as well."
That was surprising. Element zero meant Mass Effect technology. They were a long way from home, that's for sure. Of course, that meant these were scavengers or mercenaries, looking for the same things they were. Quickly, she activated her comlink.
"General Snoke, it appears that there are offworld elements on Endor as well. Likely to scavenge some of the remaining technology."
"Well that won't do at all." Snoke replied. "Continue with your mission, Captain. Give our soldiers some real combat."
Phasma grinned behind her silver helmet. It seemed this training mission would be more interesting than they thought. "Yes sir." Turning off her comlink, she activated her speaker to address the gathering around her.
"Listen up!" She called, halting everyone in the vicinity. "It appears we have some scavengers on this planet, some of whom are from the Citadel galaxy." There were hostile murmers at that. "The mission has changed, we will have hostile elements against us, but it matters not! We will show these thugs what the First Order can do! Move out!"
There was a rush of activity as everyone began moving to their positions, arming themselves, checking their vehicles and weapons. There was a sense of unease that what was supposed to be a relatively easy semi-training mission would be a much harder fight than they had previously thought, but Phasma was looking forward to it.
This could actually be an interesting challenge. She knew that the newest recruits were nervous, but what better way to help them adapt than by getting their baptism by fire to use an old Earth term. If some of the soldiers didn't come back, then they were unworthy to have been recruited in the first place.
One by one, the soldiers and vehicles began moving towards the trees, repulsor tanks clearing a path for the AT-KTs that had been brought for this mission. Storm Commandos on speeder bikes shot ahead through the forest, finding the best route through the undergrowth.
Whoever was on the world had made a big mistake. The First Order would make sure that whoever was on this planet would regret ever coming here. With a grim smile, Phasma checked her weapons and readied herself for the coming battle.
Half an hour later, three large figures stood observing the path created by the movement of a small army. After scanning to make sure no one else was nearby, the three beings had decloaked to conserve power, revealing two Sangheili and one Jiralhanae. The Elite clad in silver Ascetic armor crouched down and looked at the tracks.
"It appears you are correct." Halmat murmered, running his hand through the flattened plant life. "We're not the only visitors to this world."
"Shall we alert the Shipmaster?" The Jiralhanae questioned.
"Yes, we must make sure he knows what has taken place here."
Suddenly, their comms crackled and the voice of Erda 'Renad came through the radio. "Commander Halmat, we're getting readings that Imperial signatures are nearby your position."
"We've found evidence to indicate the same." The Spec Ops commander replied. "I was about to inform the Shipmaster."
"The Shipmaster is aware of the situation." 'Renad replied. "He is gathering forces to deal with this nuisance, but he wishes to know what we're up against."
"Very well, I shall scout ahead personally. We will send our findings to him."
Halmat had just shut off his comms when the sound of blasterfire and explosions overtook the ambient sounds of the forest. After checking the position of where the rest of his soldiers were, Halmat was both relieved and confused when he saw that the fighting was nowhere near the rest of his soldiers.
Ordering them to stay put, Halmat gestured to his two escorts to activate their cloaking devices, and the three of them made their way towards the source of the battle. The trail of fallen trees and scorched plant life indicated they were going in the right direction, and the three Covenant warriors paused when they saw who was fighting.
"Well now, what do we have here?"
Phasma took cover behind a nearby fallen tree as blaster bolts and mass accelerator flew overhead. Explosions erupted all around them as the forces of the First Order returned fire, already destroying several APCs.
It was only a few minutes ago that the First Order had encountered what appeared to be the forces of the Shadow Collective and the Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse, and so far it wasn't great for either side.
Missiles launched from Storm Commandos had been able to bring down the Mantis gunships before they were even aware of what happened. But the criminal forces had retaliated with carbonite missiles launched from their MALs, which literally froze the scouts in their tracks.
The conflict between the First Order and their opponents was heating up, but Phasma was thankful it wasn't the full strength of the Zann Consortium or Black Sun. For their decades old black market technology, it was still surprisingly advanced... for their galaxy anyway.
Terror Troopers sycthed through the jungles, their cloaking devices combined with their Kaleesh war masks and the way they just seemed to teleport around the battlefield struck fear into the members of the Shadow Collective.
Imperial-model Mobile Defense Units opened up and unfolded, revealing their unique configurations, in contrast to the Consortium's own MDUs. AT-KT's made their way through the forest, their unique design able to stand up to the inhabitants of Endor in ways the original AT-STs were unable to.
Vorcha armed with flamethrowers began burning their way through the woods, starting brush fires all over the place. Considering the hellish war between the factions, no one really cared. At least, no one from the Military factions.
All over the forest, the native inhabitants were reacting to the conflict between the First Order and the Shadow Collective in a really predictable manner: some chose to fight while the majority of them just ran, chased by blaster fire and mass accelerator rounds from some of the bored mercenaries.
One group was slightly braver and much more stealthy than the rest. Four Sanyassan Marauders watched as the battle between the criminal factions tore its way through the Ewok population. Normally, they would've been laughing and jeering at the forest inhabitant's misfortune, but the fight was a reminder of the time when the white-armored invaders took over, and now with the aliens that had leveled their fortress, this was just more bad news.
Reluctantly, the Marauders chose to retreat, but their lack of discipline or experience in actual warfare drew the attention of two experienced Batarian Blue Suns mercenaries. Turning to the disturbance with his weapon drawn, Bamak recognized the Sanyassans for what they were. They were uncouth and rather feral, but their technology actually had a chance of harming them.
With that in mind, Bamak and his partner sent a barrage of mass accelerator rounds at the Marauders, catching two of them in the chest while the other two briefly looked at their wounded comrades in horror before deciding to retreat. Seconds later, the two Batarians finished the wounded Sanyassans off before turning their attention to the other two.
The Sanyassan Marauders fled into the forest, chased by mass accelerator fire. Bamak laughed; those savages at least had intelligence to know when they were beat. Their primitive swords and axes were no match against the armor of each PMC, and their blasters were outdated in comparison to even the black market weapons held by the more elite of the Blue Suns, Eclipse and Blood Pack, let alone the Zann Constortium.
The two Sanyassans retreated into the dense forest, and Bamak, bloodlust up, gestured to his partner to follow. They ran through the forest, chasing at the heels of the fleeing Marauders. Hearing their prey grow closer, they rounded a tree-
And ran right into a massive figure, mandibles flared and energy blade ignited.
It was an Elite, one dressed in old Covenant garb. Behind it, Bamak could see a Brute and another Elite holding the Marauders by the head. With a crunch, the massive aliens turned the heads of the Marauders into a pulpy mass.
Before Bamak or his partner could even scream, the Sangheili warrior decapitated them both with one swing from his energy sword. As the bodies fell to the ground, another Elite decloaked nearby, this one clad in silver Ascetic armor.
"Fall back." The silver Elite ordered. "We have what we need."
Laccabeus was standing in the middle of the camp underneath the Intention's Eye, rallying his forces for the potential trouble. Standing off to the side were the forces of CAT6 and the Athame Sisters, who looked distinctly uncomfortable at everything going on. It was at that moment, Halmat called in, with Laccabeus and his nearest guards listening in.
"Shipmaster, we have found mercenary forces in conflict in the forest."
"Identification?" Laccabeus asked.
"We can't confirm, but we have reason to believe they're working for or with the Shadow Collective."
At that, Laccabeus felt his blood boil at the name, and from the senses around, it had a similar effect on the rest of his guards. It had been a piracy fleet under the command of the Shadow Collective that had stranded the Intention's Eye on that planet all those years ago.
The carrier had ultimately destroyed the fleet, but damage from the battle had kept the ship there until the arrival of the mercenaries. Laccabeus had every intention of repaying the Shadow Collective in blood for their transgression.
"All Banshees head in first." Laccabeus ordered before contacting the Eye. "I want a flight of Seraphs to bomb the area once the Banshees report troop positions. Once that's done, ground forces will move in and pick off the survivors."
"Understood, Shipmaster."
"Listen up!" Laccabeus shouted. "The forces of the Shadow Collective are in our midst." There was a roar of anger at those words. "It's time to take our vengeance against those thugs for their transgressions. We move out, now!"
There was a collective battle cry at his words, and the troops started mobilizing with a renewed fire. As they did, Laccabeus became aware as Sato walked up to him. "So, where do you want us?"
"You want to assist us?"
"We have no love for the Shadow Collective." Sato replied. "If you're going to hurt them, count CAT6 in."
"Very well, then." The Shipmaster gestured to their tanks. "Try to keep up."
Laccabeus then gave the order for his Lich to return, intending to lead the battle personally. Chieftain Wrakus joined him, hefting his fuel rod gun. Once onboard, the two Chieftains stood at the edge of the troop bay, silently watching as the forest flew by.
At the knowledge of the Shadow Collective's presence, both D'ranna and Sato were filled with rage, albeit for different reasons than Laccabeus. The Athame Sisters and CAT6 had watched as Darth Maul's criminal syndicate had slowly but surely took over most other PMCs.
Because of Maul's new monopoly thanks to his control over the Blue Suns, Blood Pack and Eclipse, CAT6 and the Athame Sisters had struggled to gain any business of their own. In fact, it was because of this that both PMCs had been on salvage runs in the first place: they were that strapped for cash.
But both had different reactions: Sato intended to help fight the Shadow Collective, it was true. But while the Covenant were preoccupied, she intended to hijack one of the mercenary ships and leave this world behind.
D'ranna, on the other hand, saw the opportunity the Athame Sisters needed, and decided to stay put. With Laccabeus and his top commanders leading their army in 'glorious battle', the Intention's Eye was ripe for the taking.
...
The soldiers of the First Order were facing a tough fight, but were ultimately getting the best of the Shadow Collective and their PMC allies. For all their technology and weapons, they were just criminals with guns, facing warriors hardened by Imperial-style training. On and on, the battle continued, drowning out any other noise in the vicinity. As a result, no one could hear the fighters approaching until they had dropped their payloads.
Plasma explosives scythed through the air, melting any tree branches and leaves in their paths. They came down hard on the lines of both forces, vaporizing dozens of soldiers in an instant. On the First Order side, the plasma bomb struck to close to one of the deployed MDUs, which overloaded and exploded, sending shrapnel everywhere.
More plasma bolts and green explosives followed in the wake of the first shots, stitching several soldiers and leaving them screaming in agony as their armor melted on to their skin.
Disoriented by the unexpected attack, the two sides stopped firing on each other, regrouping just in time for the massive bulk of a Scarab walker to crash through several nearby trees, followed by another of the walkers, with Covenant infantry and vehicles following in their wake.
With an animal-like roar, the Scarab's focus cannon scythed through the trees and the underbrush, carving a path through the forest, as well as any enemy forces unfortunate enough to be caught in the beam's path. This allowed infantry forces to advance easily and unhindered through the woods.
Plasma mortars blasted through the forests, vaporizing leaves and branches as they fell. Fortunately for the two mercenary forces, the shots were off by a considerable amount, with minimal casualties.
One AT-KT bravely (or stupidly) attempted to halt the Scarab's advance, firing its main blaster cannons at the Covenant vehicle. This only succeeded in mildly pockmarking the purple hull and gaining the Scarab's attention, which promptly obliterated the Walker's head with a single stream from the focus cannon.
On the Shadow Collective's side, a pair of Mobile pulse cannons fired a shot each into the other Scarab. That the Scarab withstood an attack that could bring down an AT-AT was telling of the Covenant walker's resiliency.
Annoyed, the Lekgolo aboard shook off the damage and charged the main cannon. A stream of plasma discharged into the leftmost pulse cannon, its shields holding for a second, but ultimately collapsed under the barrage, and the vehicle itself was reduced to a pile of molten slag.
The second pulse cannon moved away as the focus cannon targeted it, managing to escape with its shields low, but otherwise intact. That changed when a lucky plasma mortar from a nearby Wraith impacted the tank head on, igniting the main reactor.
The Wraith's victory was short lived, as a barrage of rockets from a Zann Consortium MAL hit the tank's main hull, shattering it and igniting the volatile plasma mortar just as it discharged. The resulting fireball consumed the tank and several soldiers who were too close when it exploded.
Ghosts and Choppers moved to the artillery piece in question, running down any infantry that got in their way. The smaller vehicles harrassed the larger one, wearing it down with plasma bolts and autocannon shots until it was nothing more than scrap metal. With that done, the Ghosts began chasing down some nearby speeder bikes, while the Choppers moved elsewhere.
It was at that point that the Covenant infantry had joined the battle with the forces of the Shadow Collective and PMC. The result was brutal for the mercenaries. Sangheili and Jiralhanae literally tore their opponents apart at close range, with Spec Ops forces taking down the heavily armored Dark Troopers and countering the stealthy Terror Troopers before they even knew the aliens were there.
At range, it was more fair, with the Storm Commandos proving to be just as adept at sniping as the Kig-Yar. Still, with their armored forces destroyed, the Shadow Collective and First Order were facing a losing battle.
Laccabeus watched from his position above the forest as his forces were decimating those below. He didn't know who those Imperial soldiers were, but they were an obstacle which needed to be removed. Once that was done, the Shadow Collective would be ripe for the taking.
It was proving to be a very good day.
D'ranna and her asari commandos made their way through the now empty halls of the Intention's Eye, heading directly to the bridge. It had been easy to get up the gravity lift, as they told the sole Unggoy guard that they needed to grab their own weapons... which were already on the surface.
Shaking those amusing thoughts away, the ex-Spectre focused on the task at hand. They hadn't exactly been given the grand tour of this vessel, but she had been able to study what little the Council could learn about the Covenant, which included basic ship design philosophy.
Like most Covenant ships, the bridge was located in the heart of the vessel, to protect it from all but the most critical of attacks. Unfortunately, the ship was simply a maze of purple corridors, with no signs or anything that would indicate which way the bridge was.
Eventually, they came to a four way intersection, where all the other doors were locked. "Now where do we go?" One of the Sisters asked. D'ranna was about to reply when the door ahead of them opened up, and a red and black armored Chieftain walked through, pausing when he spotted the asari.
"What are you doing up here?" The Chieftain demanded. In response, half of the Sisters raised their weapons and the other half flared their biotics.
"We're taking the ship." D'ranna declared. "You will help us get to the bridge, or we will kill you where you stand."
To their dread, Makterbus only smirked at the threat. "No, you're not."
At his words, the nearby doors opend up, and two dozen heavily armed Sangheili and Jiralhanae ran into the room, with their weapons raised and aimed at the asari. Before they could even think about retreating, a pair of thunderous footsteps came from behind, and several asari turned to see a pair of Hunters cutting off their retreat, with their shields raised and assault cannons aimed.
"Did you really believe we wouldn't notice your little plot?" Makterbus laughed. "And I thought you Asari were patient. Drop your weapons, or you will be cut down where you stand."
D'ranna hesitated, fearing for the lives of her Sisters, who she had blindly led into this trap. On one hand, if they dropped their weapons, the Covenant forces could just open fire and kill them all. On the other hand, if they had wanted them dead, they would've shot them already.
Either way, resisting didn't do much good when the Covenant could easily break their defenses and their own could hold against the asari's. She grimaced, asari commandos were the best warriors in their galaxy, but even they couldn't do a whole lot with their backs against the wall. The Reapers had shown them that the hard way.
Hesitantly, D'ranna placed her gun on the floor and put her hands in the air.
Well, that ended on a cliffhanger. I know the Covenant seem to be rather forgiving considering how bloodthirsty they are, but Laccabeus isn't really the type to kill people that he can make use of, even if they try to betray him. Of course, that doesn't mean he'll remain patient forever...
Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and reviews are always welcome.