"The enemy ship destroyed... and ten of ours obliterated. It did not bode well." -Vice Admiral Cole Preston.
Be Hybrid
Chapter 5: Retaking Harvest
LOCATION: [Classified]. DATE: 01/08/2526 Military Time: 16:47
Vice Admiral Cole Preston walked through the steel doors, stepping down the hallway, and then turned, entering a room full of what most UNSC officers and soldiers classify as... ONI Spooks. Personally, the Admiral felt like he entered the principle's office at school. These Spooks and their uptight regulations and falsified personalities did little to even ease him of his discomfort. Give him a ship, some orders, and he'll gladly do it for the UNSC. Send him to the Spooks, and he'll call you crazy.
The Admiral had recently received the order of retaliation against unknowns on Harvest. He is to collect a sizable fleet of UNSC ships to destroy any opposing enemies within the lost system. The enemy appeared to be aliens by the words of his superiors, and had Plasma weaponry, PLASMA! But then has he left to collect his fleet, the Spooks called him.
And here he was...
'God dammit, why did the Spooks have to call on me?' He thought.
"Cole Preston, your dedication and tactical mind and recent promotion to full Admiral is admirable. You've been called by us to be informed of a most recent event. Last year, on the four mouth and twenty-first day, in the Chi Ceti system. An alien vessel attacked a UNSC frigate by the name of Commonwealth, the vessel showed superior fire power and advanced energy shielding technology." One of the Spooks said.
Cole's mind already turned into overdrive in a simulation of what happened as the Spook explained further.
"During the battle, all attacks proved ineffective until the moment when Commonwealth Mac round pierced through the alien vessel's nose at the same time they fired a plasma round causing major damage to the Commonwealth. This appeared to have damaged their sheild generator and allowed a Nuclear armament to further damage their vessel before a boarding them detonated a vessel from the inside out." The Spook finished.
"So why am I here, exactly?"
"We only ask of one thing, should you and your fleet capture an alien specimen. Interrogate it for reasons of why they had declared war on humanity. Also, steal some technology for research."
Cole nodded, best to just agree, thankfully they weren't asking him to sacrifice anything or anyone, he always hated that.
"You are dismissed."
LOCATION: Epsilon Indi System. DATA: 3/07/2526 Military Time: 18:17
In the depths of space, multiple discs of blue energy suddenly erupted forth. At least a forty UNSC ships consisting of ten Halcyon-class light cruisers, nine Frigates, and the Marathon class heavy cruiser UNSC Everest, left the eleventh dimension of slip-space. Now collecting themselves from the jump just a few months earlier, the ships ignited their engines and closed in toward Harvest. It was then, that the crews caught their first glimpse of what used to be a agricultural marvel, Planet Harvest.
A half of the entire planetary body appeared lit up in flame and scorched rock. Water from the oceans rushed to cool the flames of what remained of previous oceans, but the results only worsened the planet's already destroyed condition. And then,they saw it, a symbol, like that of a horseshoe with a small block in the middle, engraved in liquid molten earth across Harvest's landscape.
Admiral Cole, who lead the retaliation group from on board the UNSC Everest, issued out orders "Prime the engines, charge up chi shields, and bring weapon systems online. Relay orders to the rest of the fleet to perform a gravitational sling shot 'round Harvest's gravity field."
"Admiral, scans show unknown vessel located on the other side of the planet." A navy women said.
"Exactly why I issued the orders." Cole replied calmly and with authority.
The UNSC ships of varying sizes ignited their engines, going along the planet side's gravity gave them a boost to meet and engage another ship of unknown origins, but Cole knew it was the so called aliens that declared war on Humanity, somewhere in his mind he hoped this war didn't last long.
The unbeknownst Covenant vessel was a two kilometer long Battleship, it had a sleek purplish design with some seemingly blue lining here and there to give it a more alien appearance, or at least to the UNSC. And so, three UNSC frigates closed in to the target, eager to avenge the people of Harvest. When suddenly, the alien vessel reacted.
Multiple blue streaks of plasma energy shot forward at an incredible speed from the battleship, advancing closer until it impact with green chi shields that desperately struggled to protect their human vessels from destruction. The three UNSC vessels shook violently, their chi shields shattered under the stress of the plasma energy which then proceeded to cause a massive amount of damage upon the now unprotected human warships. By some miracle of God, they survived the crew within recovering from the shock of the attack and started working overtime to prevent the ships from exploding.
Admiral Cole opened communication with the three UNSC vessels. "Retreat back immediately!" He ordered. He turned toward a navy man, "I want firing solutions upon that ship!"
A crew member yelled out. "She's spinning up MAC cannon!" Before a beep sounded out and he continued, "UNSC Waterloo and Constantinople are firing Archer missiles!"
Two giant pods from said ships entered the darkness of space, before bursting outward, unleashing dozens upon dozens of missiles which flew at the covenant vessel. The covenant battleship's light blue energy shields appeared into existence, absorbing the ballistic weaponry's firepower upon the missiles contact.
"MAC cannon primed and ready to fire, Admiral!"
Cole didn't waste any time, "Open fire!"
Streaks of yellow colored the blackness of space, as the two cannons from the UNSC Everest made direct hits with the alien battleship. An additional array of Archer missiles also sieges the vessel, courtesy of the Lance Held High and Sacramento. However, just like beforehand, the enemy's energy shields absorbed the attacks. The covenant battleship retaliated, shooting plasma beams toward all three ships that fired upon it just seconds before. A beam narrowly missed the Everest but struck the UNSC Lorentz behind it, tearing through their chi shields and making it explode in a fury of fire. The two other beams fired upon the Lance Held High and Sacramento causing their destruction as well.
An officer besides Cole reported the casualties. "Admiral, the Lance Held High, Lorentz, and Sacramento were completely destroyed, no survivors." He paused for a second, before saying, "The previous damaged Austerlitz, Tharsis, and Midway has reached safety."
Admiral Cole clenched his fist, and gritted his teeth. "This is far too many losses."
A communicator said to Cole, "Admiral, the Maelstrom is requesting permission to use nuclear weaponry."
Cole looked up, and nodded. "Permission granted."
So, Admiral Cole watched on screen as the UNSC Maelstrom launched a small pod toward the alien battleship. The moment before impact the pod opened up, releasing the nuclear weapon within which made contact with the covenant vessel. In just a few milliseconds, the darkness of space lit up in a fireball of orange and yellow radiation.
The military men and women of the UNSC retaliation force cheered in victory, nothing could stop a nuke at that range! Congratulations of each other with promises of drinks went all round in their moment of joy. But Cole's eyes soon widened, as the screen lit up revealing a beam of plasma energy that outright decimated and destroyed the Maelstrom, nothing survived.
The event was instantaneous, and it lasted minutes; which seemed to be like hours.
Every single UNSC vessel fought like made, dozens of MAC rounds, Archer Missiles, and nuclear weaponry streaked across the reaches of space as they fought against the Covenant vessel. Covenant battleship strikes back with a vengeance, destroying five loyal UNSC frigates. It also damaged the two that attack it earlier, which were the UNSC Waterloo and Constantinople.
"We have to do something; otherwise we might as well perish one after another against that monster of a ship!" A marine yelled.
"Sir, I suggest we retreat, we're taking a beating." An officer suggested.
"Quiet, let me thing!" Cole yelled to get order. His mind raced, dozens of battle plans, strategies, tactics, and general warfare information coursed around his brain. "ONI was right about Chi Ceti... Advanced energy shield technology... Let's see if it stops everything at the same time."
Admiral Cole turned to his crew, "Command all vessels to hold fire, they are to strike at the exact moment I say with all weapons!" In instant of silence, everyone preparing. "Ready... Hold... Now!"
All at once, thirty ships opened fire with MAC rounds, Archer Missiles, Nuclear arsenals, everything they had. A giant light blue shield enveloped the covenant battleship at the weapons siege its walls. Pounding again and again, the mighty impenetrable barrier finally broke and the human firepower annihilated the sleek purple vessel in a continuous effect of explosions.
The result inside the ship was a cheer of joy.
"Yeah!" A marine yelled out. "Take that ya bastards! UNSC, UNSC, UNSC!" The crew started to chant with him in victory.
"Don't start celebrating yet," Cole said. "We still have to retake Harvest on the ground."
And so, they started to do just that. In the meantime, Cole will have a coffee as he awaited further orders from HIGHCOM. But he had a feeling, this war was only getting started.
And he was right, for at the same time, outer colonies started to black out, as the genocidal Covenant started its mission of wiping out humanity from the stars, and all those allied to them. For it's only a matter of time before the saiyans become involved in the war for survival.
I apologize for it being short this time guys/gals. School has been getting in the way so much.
Anyway! This chapter doesn't have much change from cannon. But those chi shields seemed to have saved three ships! Yay! Be sure to review, and feel free to ask questions about the story! Next chapter should have some ground combat on a planet! :D