Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars short story crossover collection.

Thank you all for your wonderful feedback and support. I deeply appreciate it.

This short story will fill in a plot hole that was opened up by the next chapter, which has yet to be posted. As such, I encourage all of you to share your thoughts on this short story.

As always, leave a review, and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Fox, Disney Films, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to it's original composers and/or artists.


IJS Centurion

Approaching Asteroid Belt

August 4th, 0BBY, 2000 Hrs (March 15th, 2559, 2000 Hrs)

Normally, patrols in the wider galaxy would be boring, Admiral Garris Garon thought as he looked at the sensor readouts. However, it appears as though the Cularin System is anything but boring right now. The sensor screens are lit up with activity.

It wasn't hard to see why. A video feed from a cloaked probe showed the heated battle taking place over the planet of Genarius between the crime syndicates of Despatar and the UNSC Navy. Beams of energy and high speed projectiles were answering the swarm of turbolaser bolts that the remaining pirate ships were hurling at them.

He smiled coldly. It warms my heart to see such criminal scum receiving their just reward. To think that, if it hadn't been for my brother and my nephews keeping the Judiciary Forces afloat, we'd be one of those pirates. A brief spark of hate formed in his heart as he cursed the Empire for the current situation they were in. Still, I must admit, I'm shocked, but also gladdened, to see the UNSC here.

Nearby his son, Lieutenant Anthony Garon, gazed at another video feed. "Hard to believe that Genarius has stood against the galaxy as a wretched hive of scum and villainy, only for this 'UNSC' to begin literally stomping on them. Whatever the criminals there did, it must've pissed off the UNSC considerably to warrant this level of a response."

"Indeed," Garris said. "How ironic in that the Empire holds us back from doing our jobs, only for the UNSC to come and take care of the problem all by themselves for us. It seems as though the universe has a very interesting sense of humor."

"I agree." Anthony's hands clenched into fists. "If it hadn't been for the Empire holding us back, we'd have cleansed this system of the criminal scum infesting it long ago! Damn Imperials and their desire for power!"

Garris shrugged. Anthony's anger at the Empire was justifiable. Ever since the Empire had formed, crime and slavery had blossomed across the entire galaxy. Worse still, the Empire doesn't even raise a finger to crush it, all in the name of conformity and loyalty to the Emperor. He fought the urge to spit on the ground.

His thoughts were interrupted when his XO, Ketris, came over to him. "Sir, our scouts in Cularin's asteroid belt have reported back. We have some news of a potential development there."

Garrin frowned. Developments are never good when it involves pirates and criminals. "What kind of development?"

"We believe that the Pike Syndicate forces in the asteroid belt, in response to the UNSC attack, are planning a counter-assault on their fleet. Around one hour ago, they detected energy surges in the asteroid belt near Genarius. They managed to acquire some scans, as well as video footage of the potential threat." He handed Garrin a datapad.

The seasoned officer flicked the 'pad on, and perused its contents. All right, he noted. They found an energy surge, as he said, and he had them investigate. Paging through the 'pad's contents, he found an image of what the source of the trouble was. The image showed a large asteroid that had various buildings and station modules attached to it. A large hole had been bored through the asteroid, with light from inside indicating structures deep within.

To most, it would've looked like your typical mining operation/asteroid colony. Garris, though, new exactly what they were looking at. "Looks like the Pike Syndicate has it's own private little space station in the asteroid belt. I take it that's not all, is there?"

"Not by a long shot," Ketris said. "We've detected numerous power sources, and the scouts found numerous ships, including a few Keldabe-class battleships around the base. We've also found what appears to be evidence of a much larger ship in the asteroid, though our scouts couldn't get close enough to identify the ship without alerting the pirates to our presence."

"How many ships are there?"

Ketis looked at the 'pad after taking it back. "Around twenty ships, sir, enough to perform a flanking maneuver on the UNSC forces."

Anthony Garon looked shocked. "Who in their right mind would think of attacking that many UNSC ships with such a paltry fleet?"

"The kind of people that are desperate, or know something that we and the UNSC don't," Garris said. "Either way, this is too large of a threat for us to ignore. Ketris, have some of the ships in our fleet jump to our coordinates. We'll need twenty five ships in order to successfully eliminate the pirate threat in the asteroid belt. Anthony, I want you coordinating the starfighter attack on the station. It is high time that we remind the pirates of Genarius that, even if the Empire doesn't think we exist, we are more than capable of eliminating them as a threat."

"Understood," Ketris said. "We'll show those pirates what we're made of." Walking to the Comms officer, he said, "Inform twenty four of our ships to jump into the system. We're gonna be cleaning out some pirates."

"Understood," the Comms officer said. Keying his workstation, he quickly worked to send the message. "Message has been sent," he said. "They should be arriving in just two minutes." Within two minutes, all twenty four ships had arrived on station. "All ships accounted for, sir."

"Good," Garrin said. "Then it's about time that I speak with the crews and captains of those ships. Key the fleetwide HoloCommunications channel." The officer punched in a few commands, then gave Garrin a thumb's up.

Clearing his throat, Garrin spoke. "Comrades in arms. This is your fleet commander speaking. As you are aware, the UNSC is currently waging a war against the criminal syndicates of the planet Genarius. What you are likely not aware of is that the pirates will attempt to launch a counter attack on the UNSC while their flanks are exposed. While I'm certain the pirates will do some damage, and the UNSC will be victorious, the cost in terms of lives will be quite dire.

"As such, given the severity of the situation, I have ordered our ships to begin moving in on a Pike Syndicate owned shipyard in the asteroid belt. Now you may be wondering why we are involving ourselves in a battle that is not our own. To put it simply, if we allow these pirates to attack the UNSC, not only will we have the blood of innocent men and women on our hands, we will be committing dereliction of duty. We owe it to the UNSC as much as we do to the rest of the galaxy to help rid the galaxy of these pirate vermin!

"We will travel to the asteroid belt, assault the pirates, and relieve them of their ill-gotten bounty. We will show them that while the Galactic Empire might be willing to ignore them, we will not do the same! We will show them that, even in these dark times, justice will reign supreme!" The cheering on the HoloCom system was almost deafening. When it faded, he said, "Comrades, we march to war!" Closing the Com, he said, "Inform the Captains to prepare for a micro-jump."

"Copy that," Ketris said as the Comms Officer did his duty. Keying the ship intercom, he said, "All hands, prepare for micro-jump!"

Within a few seconds, each of the ships in the fleet quickly performed a micro-jump. For a brief few seconds, they were in hyperspace. Then the ships reemerged at the edge of the asteroid belt. "Particle shields to maximum!" Garrin ordered. "Helm, maneuver us through the asteroid belt and get us to that enemy shipyard! EWCom, engage the anti-scanner systems! I don't want those pirates to find out we're on top of them until its too late!"

"Yes, sir!" the officers shouted. Each one quickly flipped switches, touched dials and checked instruments. Before long, the ships were still detectable via visible means, but were now nearly invisible by artificial means. "We're good, sir!"

The ship shuddered as an asteroid scraped along the particle shields. "Damage Control?"

"Looking good still," the officer in question said, her voice calm and level. "Particle shields holding."

"Working my way through the asteroids as best I can, sir," the Navigator said. "It's really tricky navigating through these hazards. The possibility of successfully navigating asteroid belts is nearly four hundred thousand to one!"

"Don't tell me the odds," Garrin said. "Focus on the mission."

"Understood!"

The ships continued to slowly make their way through the asteroid belt, all the while their navigators worked overtime to maneuver them safely through the field. More than once, Garrin winced whenever an asteroid scraped against the particle shields preventing certain annihilation. Even after thousands of years, asteroids are still one of the greatest hazards to ships.

As the ships continued to move through the asteroid belt, the Comms officer said, "Sir! I've got news from the starfighter pilots we sent out! They've identified a corridor through the asteroids that leads directly to where the pirate shipyard is at!"

"Can they guide us there?" Garrin asked.

"Yes!"

Garrin smiled. "Take us there then!" On a sensor screen, several small dots formed up in front of the ship, with the Navigator quickly changing the ship's flight plan to match theirs. The ship moved and obeyed with a slow, lumbering grace.

Eventually, the asteroids began to thin out; while still present, they were now spaced apart far enough to avoid becoming too much of a hassle to deal with. "Good call on that channel. If we continued as we were, we would've lost some good people. Helm, continue to follow the vector the starfighters have sent us. At least we can get there without being dashed to pieces."

"Aye, sir." the Navigator said.

Eventually, after a few minutes of teeth clenched navigation through the asteroids, they soon came across what they were looking for. At the other end of the channel, inside of a large void in the asteroid belt was a large asteroid that had numerous buildings anchored to its surface. While a mere speck in the distance, Garrin could see the pirate shipyard, while the sensors showed a swarm of activity around the area.

"That's not good," The SenOps Officer muttered. "Looks like we've got a few Keldabe-class ships to worry about, along with a pair of Crusader-corvettes and a couple Acclamator-class frigates. I'm also seeing another sensor contact in there, but I can't determine what it is."

"Ketris?" Garris asked.

"Same here," Ketris said. "We've also got swarms of starfighters. How they're able to fly through that mess of asteroids is beyond me. I'm also picking up a strange, radiological signature."

How strange, Garris thought. Could they be mining radioactive minerals. That thought led to another, one that he didn't wish to consider. "That settles it then," he said. "Launch all fighters, bring up the ray shields and prepare for battle!"

"Copy that," Lieutenant Garon said. "Fighters have been launched! They're homing in on the enemy forces!"

"Hostile ships are inbound!" Ketris reported. The pirates know we're here now!"

"Divert power to weapons and shields!" Garris ordered. "Order the smaller ships to move in and begin engaging at close range!" As those ships moved in, he focused intently on the asteroid. "Once more, we are at war."

As the ships moved to engage one another, the pirates began firing their weapons. At this range, much of the turbolaser fire missed, with only a few bolts splashing against the Defiance-class battlecruiser's ray shields. As they moved closer, one of the Crusader-class corvettes in Garrin's fleet began firing its own weapons, while also activating it's point defense system. Missiles fired by one of the hostile Crusader-class corvettes were promptly zapped out of existence by powerful proton beam cannons.

Eventually, the ships moved close enough to where all of them began to fire. "Concentrate fire on the Keldabe-class battleships," Garrin calmly ordered. "Order the fighters to begin moving in on the enemy ships. They can use the asteroids for cover if need be."

"Yes, sir," Anthony said.

At that moment, the ship shuddered as a swarm of turbolaser bolts smacked into the ray shields protecting the ship. "Enemy fire increasing in intensity and effectiveness!" one of the officers called out. "Ray shields still holding strong, but we might get a pounding before long!"

"Understood," Garrin said.

. . .

The space between the ships and asteroids was alight with laser cannon fire and proton torpedoes. Throwing his flight column to the right, starfighter pilot Rikin barely avoided a stream of laser cannon fire that would've torn through his deflector shields and into the ARC-170 that he was piloting. You're good, but I'm better, he thought.

Pulling back on the control yoke, he quickly threw a series of switches and levers in the cockpit. The starfigther shuddered as the engines quickly reversed their thrust. The pirate attacking him attempted to slow down, only to zip past in his StarViper-attack platform. Gunning the throttles, Rikin quickly caught up, before firing his ARC-170's own laser cannons. The pirate fighter's deflector shields stopped some of the laser bolts, only to collapse before long. There was a tremendous explosion as a laser bolt penetrated the fuel compartment, blasting the StarViper into a thousand small pieces of debris.

"Blue-3 to Blue-1, do you copy?" a voice said over the comm. "Rikin, do you copy? Come in!"

"I'm all right," Rikin said. "Just had an unwanted enemy fighter on me. SitRep?"

"We've got a number of pirate commandeered Y-Wings approaching one of our Crusader corvettes. Get over there and take them out!"

"Copy that. Moving to engage," Rikin said.

It didn't take him long to find the ship that was in trouble. One of the Crusader corvettes was starting to drift to starboard, its engines flickering on and off. Four Y-Wings were seen approaching the ship. "This is Captain Getrix of the Yokande to any Judiciary Forces! We need help ASAP!"

"Blue-1 to Getrix, I'm coming in," Rikin said. "Blue Squadron, form up on me!" Six more starfighters quickly formed up on Rikin, before flying straight towards the enemy starfighters.

Seeing the incoming attack, the enemy Y-Wings quickly peeled off, before a flight of StarVipers moved into attack formation. Laser cannon fire was soon being exchanged between the two squadrons. Throwing his fighter into a hard left bank, Rikin barely avoided being blasted apart by an enemy StarViper. Keying his proton torpedoes, he quickly locked onto the enemy fighter, then sent a pair of torpedoes directly towards the enemy fighter. While one torpedo managed to land a direct hit, the pirate threw his fighter into a hard right bank, barely dodging the other enemy fighter. You're not getting away from me so easily, pirate scum!

Throwing his fighter into another hard bank, Rikin continued to pursue the enemy fighter. The frame of his ARC-170 groaned in protest, g forces threatening to attempt to tear the fighter apart. Keeping up pressure on the flight column, Rikin lined up the enemy fighter, before blasting it apart.

His victory was short lived, as he heard another pilot shouting. "This is Green-3! I need help! I can't shake this pirate off my ass!"

"Hang on, I'm coming!" Rikin shouted. Banking his fighter hard to port, he searched for the beleaguered pilot. Before long, he spotted an X-Wing that was being pursued by another StarViper. Smoke from an internal fire poured out of the X-Wing's right engine. Pieces of metal were being ripped off as the fighter pilot desperately worked to avoid destruction by the pirate fighter.

Just as Rikin moved to intervene, everything went to hell. The pirate, getting a lucky shot, landed a hit on the failing engine. In just milliseconds, the entire fighter promptly exploded. Shrapnel filled the void of space between the two ships as the X-Wing was shredded by the blast. The detonation was so powerful that he didn't see the pilot.

His heart, however, burned with a cold rage. Gunning the throttles, he began to pursue the pirate with single minded tenacity. The enemy pilot, realizing he was in trouble, threw his fighter into a series of evasive maneuvers. You might have killed one of my friends, Rikin thought, but you will not escape me. Firing his fighter's laser cannons, he quickly blew the enemy pirate apart.

Switching his attention back to the beleaguered Crusader corvette, he watched as several escape pods launched off from the ship. In a callous act of piracy, several pirate starfigthters fired on the escape pods, blasting two of them into atoms. "Not so fast!" one starfighter pilot shouted before he and his squadron ripped into the pirate fighters, blasting them into pieces.

"Good catch," Rikin said. "I wasn't able to get there in time!"

"Anytime!" the other starfighter pilot said. "We'll escort the Crusader corvette out of the asteroid belt! Keep focusing on neutralizing the other enemy fighters! We'll make sure none get past you!"

"Copy that. Blue Squadron, form up on me!"

. . .

Onboard one of the fleet's Keldabe-class battleships, the Sundari, Captain Mekarde could feel sweat beading on his forehead as the ship began a broadside attack on another Keldabe in the pirate fleet. "Concentrate fire on the power distribution system!" he ordered. "Take that out, and they'll be a sitting duck!"

"Copy that!" the Fire Control Officer shouted. "Designating targets. The gunners are about to have a really good time!" Outside, the two ships began their broadside, with the pirate ship opening up. While most of the heavy turbolaser bolts hit, some missed, sailing off into the vacuum of space.

The fire from the Sundari, however, was significantly more accurate and effective. As the ship shuddered, a vicious grin of triumph nearly split Mekarde's face as the turbolaser bolts finally punched through the deflector shields, digging out craters in the hull of the pirate ship. Soon, there was an explosion as the enemy ship's power distribution system was disabled.

"Enemy ship disabled!" the Fire Control Officer shouted. "That ship's a sitting duck!"

"Send the boarding parties aboard!" Mekarde ordered. "Send these foul pirate back into the abyss from whence they came…!"

Down in one of the hangar bays, a squad of soldiers had quickly loaded up onto a boarding ship destined for the downed Keldabe. Checking his Z-6 Rotary Blaster for the last time, Mikhaion smirked when he saw that it was in perfect condition. Good, he thought. It'll be time to mulch all of those itty, bitty, tiny pirate scumbags.

A hand thumped on his shoulder, leading him to look at one of the men in the boarding vessel. "You all right, Mikhaion?"

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"Doing good," the soldier said. "I'm itching to try out those modifications to my WESTAR M5. Plus, what better test than to use it against the pirate vermin infesting this system?"

Mikhaion smiled. "Yeah. Always a good day to be killing pirate scumbags."

All conversation inside of the ship promptly halted when the intercom said, "Boarding procedures in effect. ETA Boarding: one minute." At that, everyone immediately fell silent. Weapons were primed one more time, those with a religious upbringing said their prayers, and all attention focused on the incoming ordeal.

The boarding craft impacted and mag-locked to one of the airlocks of the Keldabe, sending vibrations shooting throughout the ship. Once an airtight seal was created, the door opened, allowing two men to attach a pair of small, spider-like droids to the hull. Sparks flew as the two droids cut a rectangular hole as tall as a man and as wide as two men walking abreast. Once the sparks ceased flying, another soldier attached an explosive device to the section of hull. Once everyone had backed up, he pressed a detonator.

There was a loud WOMP-BANG. In an instant, the airlock door that had been cut was blasted inwards, crushing an unfortunate pirate on the other side. Everyone in the boarding party spilled out into the ship, weapons blazing away at the pirates inside. Mmikhaion, seeing the chaos, charged in and took cover.

Peering out of cover, he watched as two soldiers attempted to move up, only for their bodies to be instantly immolated by pirates wielding disruptors. Two sharp blaster bolts rang out, just as another soldier came into view. Mikhaion smiled when he saw a familiar chevron on the armor. "Cetrius! You all right?"

"Fine," Cetrius said. "Disruptor pirates down. Need heavy fire support!" Nodding, Mikhaion stood up. Bringing his Z-6 to bear, he took aim at the pirates and depressed the firing trigger.

There was a brief whine as the barrels spun up, then a stream of blue-white blaster bolts began flying out of the emitter muzzles at blistering speeds. Pirates unfortunate enough to be caught in the maelstrom of blaster bolts were instantly ripped to shreds. Others tried to fire at Mikhaion, only for the other soldiers to gun them down.

By the time Mikhaion stopped firing, the entire hallway before them was nothing short of ruined. Crates and makeshift barricades were riddled with blast craters, corpses had been mulched into chunks of charred meat, and the lights had been shot out, casting the hallway into darkness.

"By the Force!" one soldier said. "When you get to shredding, Mikhaion, you really get to it."

"That's why they call me Mikhaion the Mulcher," Mikhaion said with a smile. "When I mulch the enemy, I mulch them good. Now, let's go. We've still got a ship to capture."

. . .

Onboard the Centurion, Garris watched as the fighting continued to progress. "Casualties are mounting up," Ketris said to him. "The Captain of the Sundaris has reported that he's got a boarding team on one of the Keldabe-class battleships the pirates have in their possession. We should have the enemy ship under our control before long."

"Good," Garris said. "What's the status on the other ships?"

Ketris frowned. "We've lost two of our Crusader-class corvettes. One of our Acclamator-class frigates is down, and we've got damage to some of our other ships. I'm also still detecting that radiological signature further ahead in the asteroid."

"Understood," Garris said. "Continue to mop up the pirates. Once they've been dealt with, we'll move to the asteroid and find out what it is that the pirates are trying very hard to defend."

"Sir!" one officer shouted. "I've got incoming sensor signatures. I think it's the UNSC!"

"Get a message ready to be sent to them!" Garris said. "I'd rather not have an incident!"

. . .

Onboard the Infinity, Lasky found himself having a conversation with Roland. "What do you mean that we've got more pressing matters?" he asked Roland. "I thought we were doing fine until now."

"We are," Roland reassured him. "However, ONI agents checking the system for more pirates have reported a disturbing development." A holographic map of the Cularin System appeared, with one area being highlighted. "According to ONI Prowlers scouting the system, we've just gotten wind of an assault that unidentified forces are conducting in this part of the asteroid belt. Scans from our friends in ONI suggest that we've got another pirate fleet that's ready to jump in and attack us."

Lasky frowned. "That can't be a good thing. However, I'm certain that there's more to the story than we think."

"There is," Roland said. "Scans also picked up faint radiological signatures within an asteroid. Probes indicate that it's an asteroid that's been converted into a shipyard for a group calling itself the 'Pike Syndicate.' I don't know about you sir, but when I hear the word 'radiological', that's when I start getting nervous."

And with good reason, Lasky agreed. The presence of radiological signatures can mean only one thing: nuclear weapons, or radioactive ores, both of which are never good news. "Then that means we're going to have to head to the source of those signatures and find out what's going on. Roland, inform some of the ships in Battle Group Rho come with the Infinity to the source of this signal. Battle Group Chi will take over temporarily. Once we've dealt with the new problem, we'll return to Genarius to finish the fight."

"Aye, commander," Roland said. "I've just sent a message to RDML James. He says that he's got his ship and forty others ready for a Slipspace jump to the coordinates. All ships in his fleet are ready."

"Then it's time to go. Get us away from the city enough to where the Slipspace portal won't suck it in!" Outside, the powerful engines on the Infinity roared to life, propelling the massive ship through Genarius' atmosphere. Before long, they had broken free of the atmosphere and entered the vacuum of space.

At that moment, Roland fired up the Slipspace Drive, with the Infinity disappearing into the portal. For a minute, the ship traveled through the non-dimension of Slipspace. Then the ship reemerged back into realspace. An asteroid ahead of the ship was promptly pulverized upon impact with the powerful energy shields protecting the Infinity.

"Well, ain't this a pretty picnic?" Roland muttered sarcastically.

For Lasky, it wasn't hard to see why. Everywhere he looked outside the viewports, he could see asteroids, from small ones that were barely pebbles, to massive asteroids that dwarfed the Infinity. "Now I can't bring the Infinity through that," he said. "Can you bring up RDML James on the line?"

"I'm here," James said. "Those pirates certainly picked a real pea-souper of an asteroid belt."

"Can you maneuver your ships through the asteroid field?"

"Yeah," James said. "Our ships are built tough, and the energy shields installed during the refit have been paying for themselves. We'll head in there and find out what the pirates are up to. You can count on that."

"Roger that," Lasky said. "We'll head back to Genarius and continue supporting the troops there."

"You do that," James said. "We'll report back on what we've found over here. If it's anything serious, we'll inform you immediately. RDML James out."

"Understood. RADM Lasky over and out." Closing the HoloCOM, he said, "Roland, get us back to Genarius. We can't abandon them just yet!"

"You got it, Admiral," Roland said…

Onboard his flagship, the Song of The West, James turned to face the others. "You heard the Rear Admiral! Let's get in there and find out what's going on!"

"Roger that," Nimitz, the ship's AI, said. "I've compiled a flight plan that should allow us to weave through the asteroid belt with little trouble. Keep in mind that it's going to be constantly updating due to the motion of the asteroids."

"Can our shields withstand a direct hit?"

"Yes," Nimitz said. "However, I wouldn't want to hit the asteroids all the time. Each hit's going to be like several MAC cannons hitting the ship. We'll lose our shields fast, and I'd rather not test the durability of our ship's cross-braced structure against Mother Nature."

"Understood," James said. "Send orders to the captains of the smaller ships. They'll move in ahead of us as they're more agile. We'll follow in from behind. Helm, follow the flight plan the AI has created."

"Yes, sir!" the two individuals said. Keying his systems, the Navigator began to carefully maneuver the ship through the asteroid belt. While immensely tricky, the ship was able to maneuver around the most dangerous asteroids.

A loud CLANG caused James to wince. I really hope the shields and the armor plating can stand up to this abuse, he thought. I'd rather not find out the hard way what happens when an asteroid decides to say 'fuck-ah-you!' to the hull of the ship.

His XO, Harold, gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "We'll be fine, sir," he said. "These Autumn-class Heavy Cruisers are built tough. It'll take a whole lot more than this to take her out for good."

James sighed. "I know. I guess I'm just really worried about what might happen if we crash into one of these asteroids at full speed. I trust that you and Nimitz, along with our navigator, will safely navigate us through the asteroid belt." For the next several minutes, he alternated between wincing and sighing every time an asteroid bumped into the ship.

He was so alert that he nearly jumped when the HoloCOM chimed. "Yes?" he asked.

"Sir, we've got something up ahead!" the Captain of the Stalwart-class frigate Ad Astra, Per Aspera said. "Looks like an asteroid that's been hollowed out. Scanners are picking up human life signs."

"Anything else?" James asked.

"Yeah. There's a fucking huge furball up ahead sir. We've got a fleet of twenty five unknown ships duking it out against a fleet of twenty ships. My guess is that we're looking at a rival pirate faction having a grudge match against another. We've also confirmed that the radiological source is from the asteroid."

"Copy that," James said. "Begin fleet engagement immediately. We'll be with you in just two minutes." Closing the COM, he said, "All hands, General Quarters. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill."

Before long, the Song of The West entered what appeared to be a void in the asteroid belt. Up ahead, he could see the asteroid in question, as well as the ships that were busy duking it out with each other. On one hand were the pirate ships he recognized, which were a dull gray color, while the others were quite odd. Their hulls were bright white, with yellow and blue trimming on various sections of the hull.

Already, the UNSC Frigates were moving into position, ready to open fire on the enemy fleet. "Target all enemy ships!" James ordered. "Have the frigates, light carriers, destroyers and the heavy carriers we could bring target the ships in both fleets. Given our current numbers, this should be an easy battle."

"MAC fully charged!" Nimitz reported. "Ready to fire on your command!

James was about to give the order to fire when the COM Officer said, "Sir! I've got an incoming transmission from one of the ships"

"Open a HoloCOM channel immediately!" Stepping to the holo-table, James watched as the holographic image of a man with graying hair and green eyes appeared. "This is RDML James of the Song of The West. Identify yourself immediately or we will fire on your ships!"

"This is Rear Admiral Garris Garon of the IJS Centurion," the man said. "Do not fire on our ships! We're friendlies!"

"Why are you here? Are you another pirate gang causing trouble."

"Absolutely not!" Garris said. "We are members of the Imperial Judiciary Forces. We came here to deal with a pirate incursion before it could affect your ships."

"Nimitz?"

"I've just accessed his ship," Nimitz said over James' earpiece. "According to what I can tell, he's telling the truth. However, I can't determine much else, as there's something interfering with my scans of his ship."

James frowned. "Sounds like you're telling the truth. Garris. However, once this battle is done, you will retreat outside of the star system. This is a UNSC operation, and we cannot have any interference in it, benevolent or otherwise."

"Understandable," Garris said. "We're sending you the IFF codes to our ships. Be advised, we've picked up radiological signatures inside of the asteroid."

"We're aware of that," James said. "Let's clean up the mess here. RDML James over and out." Closing the HoloCOM, he watched as all of the ships with white, blue and yellow colors went from being marked yellow to green, while the gray ones turned red. "All ships, target the hostile ships!"

"MAC ready!" Nimitz reminded him.

"FIRE!"

In that instant, all forty UNSC ships fired their primary weapons. Ultra-dense slugs shot across the vacuum of space at speeds that no ship could dodge effectively at the distances they were at. One of the pirate Keldabe's promptly exploded, while another was split into two pieces midship. Several other pirate ships were promptly obliterated.

After the initial salvo, the UNSC ships moved in. A Mulsanne light frigate zipped past a pirate Acclamator, it's laser and MAC batteries firing. Large gashes were cut into the hull of the enemy ship, while the lasers began to whittle down the ray shields. Before long, the lasers were cutting ugly gashes into the hull of the ship.

Nearby, a Halberd-class destroyer began engaging an enemy Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser. The cruiser fired its main weapons, which splashed harmlessly against the Halberd's strong energy shields. Moments later, the Halberd, moving fast, began firing it's MAC batteries in a broadside maneuver. Smashing through the particle shields, the MAC slugs tore massive rents and divots into the hull of the enemy ship. One slug tore into the engineering compartment, causing an explosion that sheared the enemy ship in half.

As the fighting progressed, Nimitz said, "Sir! I've got an enemy ship exiting the asteroid! Hyperscanner readouts indicate that it's 1.36 kilometers in length, and it's the source of the radiological readings!"

"Isolate the ship and get it on screen!" James shouted. The holographic image of the ship appeared on the screen. Looks like an upside down boat from an ocean, he thought. "Garrin, what's that ship?" he asked.

"That's a Kandosii-type dreadnought!" Garrin shouted. "Those are some of the rarest Mandalorian ships out there! If it's the source of the radiological signature…"

"… then we've got a major problem on our hands! Target that ship and prepare a boarding team! We'll need to capture that shi -"

"Incoming nuclear missile!" Nimitz shouted. "Point defense systems activated!" Several laser beams erupted from the Song of The West, swatting a series of missiles out of existence. One managed to get through, whereupon it smacked into the energy shields.

For a brief instant, the area outside of the ship was filled with a white flash of light. James felt the hull lurch under his feet, sending him to the ground. The hull creaked and groaned as the shock wave of the blast reverberated throughout its superstructure. "STATUS?!" he shouted.

"Enemy nuclear attack!" Nimitz shouted. "Damage to ship minimal! Energy shields at 90%!"

"Take them down!" James shouted. "Disable the enemy's launchers and hack into their systems!"

"You've got it!"

All the while, the enemy ship fired some of its nuclear missiles at other UNSC and Imperial Judiciary Force ships. One Mulsanne took a direct hit from a nuclear missile. Sections of hull on the ship ablated away, while the shields wavered but remained sold…

Onboard the Centurion, Garris gripped his command chair tightly as another nuclear missile smacked into the particle shields. "Gundarks are using nukes against us!" Ketris shouted. "Damned barbarians!"

"You sure about that?" Garris asked. "We use nuclear weapons too."

"Yes, but unlike those pirates, we at least know the dangers of using them!

"We need to take them out!" Anthony shouted. "Our shields won't last too long against a concentrated salvo! We have to destroy the enemy ship, or it'll tear us apart!"

"Agreed!" Garris shouted. "That ship may be of historic value, but it's trying to destroy us! We…" He trailed off when the Song of The West shot forwards, firing its main batteries at the enemy ship. In just a few hits, the particle shields failed, with two slugs tearing into the missile launchers on the ship. "Never mind," he said. "The UNSC took care of them. What's the status of the other ships?"

"They've been taken out!" Ketris reported. "All pirate ships have been terminated!"

"Good. James, do you read me?"

"I copy," James said. "What is it?"

"We would like to send a boarding party aboard to secure the ship. If we capture it, we can find out how the pirates got their hands on it."

James was silent for a moment. "No," he said. "They just fired nuclear weapons at us! By UNSC protocol, we are to seize the enemy ship immediately. In addition, you're technically trespassing into a UNSC operation. I cannot allow you to have this ship."

Garris frowned. That makes sense, he thought. It's his operation. He decides how he wants to conduct it. "Understood," he said. "I would advise that you destroy the enemy shipyard while you're at it, though. If you don't, the pirates will come back and try to use it for their own purposes."

"Don't worry," James said. "I've got that sorted out. Hyperscanner readings show that the pirates are abandoning the base. Apparently, they value their skins more than their fancy new toy." Outside, the Song of the West charged up its main gun, then fired a full powered shot.

If it's relatively first shot was remarkable, this one was even more so. The ultra-dense MAC slug tore into the asteroid, sending powerful shock waves throughout it's internal structure. The entire asteroid shattered like glass, with hundreds of pieces flying everywhere. Garris whistled. "Well done," he said. "If that is all, we'll begin leaving."

"Not yet," James said. "I've just informed my boss about what's happened. He would like to speak to you."

"Then we shall wait." Moments later, the holographic image of James' boss appeared. How very interesting, Garris thought. He's quite a handsome looking young man. Time to see if he's just as smart. Clearing his throat, he said, "This is Rear Admiral Garris Garon of the IJS Centurion. To whom am I speaking to?"

"RADM Thomas Lasky of the UNSC Infinity," came the reply. "According to my subordinate, you were trespassing into a UNSC operation. Is that true?"

"Partially," Garris said. "We were observing the battle from a safe distance when we detected pirate activity in the asteroid belt. When we did a scan, we discovered that the Pike Syndicate was building up for a flaking attack on your ships. One of their ships, a Kandosii-type dreadnought, was planning a nuclear attack on your ships. We were busy mopping up the pirates when your forces arrived."

Lasky pursed his lips. "That's pretty much spot on to what James is saying. James, what's the status of the Kandosii dreadnought?"

"Boarding crews are taking it over right now," James said. "Nimitz has vented parts of the ship to kill the pirates. They should have the ship under UNSC control soon."

"Excellent. As for you Garris, while I commend your efforts to give us some relief, I do agree in that you were trespassing. Given what was going on, though, I'll forgive it this once."

"Good," Garris said. "That being said, should you win the battle here, I might think about joining your forces. You could use people experienced in fighting against pirates."

"I'll consider it. Right now, I have a military operation to conduct."

"Understandable," Garris said. "I shall see myself and my forces out. Rear Admiral Garris Garon over and out."

"Understood. RADM Lasky over and out."

Closing the HoloCOM call, Garris said, "Helm, move us out of the asteroid belt. We have completed our mission here."