Star Wars: Odyssey of the Infinity

by IX404

During a routine safety test, the Slipstream Space Drive of the Infinity malfunctions, catapulting them into unknown space. Little do Lasky and the members of the Infinity know is that they will soon change the fate of a far away galaxy.

20. The Fall of Genarius Part Two

Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars crossover redux.

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

Here is the next part of the Battle of Genarius. For those of you that wanted to see what will happen next, this is the chapter for you.

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 respectve developers, producers 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 its original composers and/or artists.

---

Sabaton - Price of a Mile

Genarius

Outer City Zone, Despatar

August 5th, 0BBY, 1100 Hrs (March 16th, 2559, 1100 Hrs)

This could be going better, Brigadier General George Glenn thought as he looked at the holo-table. First, we take casualties getting all of the drop points, and now we're into the slow grind. They didn't tell me that this would be the case when it comes to being a Brigadier General.

He sighed, the sound loudly echoing in the command center. His mind drifted back to the day before, when they had landed their FOBs and Mammoths at the outer quadrants of the city.

. . .

One Day Earlier

"FOB November is now online," an aide reported to Glenn. "We're getting reports of casualties from FOBs Charlie and Alpha, and Epsilon is reporting some attacks by anti-fortification and anti-armor troops. However, we seem to be making excellent progress so far."

"Good," Glenn said. "The sooner we get those FOBs fully operational, the better of a chance we stand in beginning the next phase of Operation KOBANÎ. Can you get me a direct line to General Speakman? She'll be wanting a progress report."

"Understood," the aide replied. "Holo-COM call is ready when you are."

Keying the holotable, Glenn watched as Speakman's hologram came up. "Report," she said.

"FOB November is online," Glenn said. "We're getting casualty reports from Charlie and Alpha, and we've got hostiles attempting to break through at Epslon. We might want to bring down more ground troops when we can."

"I heard that report already. We'll be receiving more reinforcements before long, and we've got one more FOB to establish. Do you have any information on the POW's location."

Glenn frowned. "Negative. I sent a squad of ODSTs to investigate where Jyn was, in the hopes of rescuing her. Unfortunately, though, we couldn't find her where Cal planted the beacon. We think the slavers might've moved her deeper into the city in order to deny easy access to her."

"I see. Cortana, while we're discussing matters, can you hack into the city's security footage feeds and find out where Jyn is at?"

"Affirmative," Cortana said. "Beginning surveillance sweep now. I'm diverting a number of drones to check out possible locations to investigate."

"Good." Turning her attention back to Glenn, Speakman said, "There's also another person we need to discuss matters with. RADM Lasky was kind enough to send his Chief of Staff to help us coordinate with the Navy."

"Good," Glenn said. "Is he on?"

"Right here," came a man's voice. A man with dark brown hair and brown eyes walked into view. "Sorry I was late. I was just taking care of a few things."

"That's understandable," Glenn said. "Now, given that you're Lasky's representative on the ground, we're going to need fire support." Pulling up a holomap of the city, Glenn said, "According to Marine fireteams and squads that are pushing deeper into the city, they're receiving a lot of enemy fire from buildings that the criminal elements have fortified. I've marked out the buildings on the map in red. My question is can we use precision guided munitions to blast those buildings out and free up more parts of the city?"

Milius frowned. "It depends on the location of where the building is at, and who the occupants are. You're gonna hate me for this… you won't be able to bomb most of these buildings."

"Why not?"

Milius adjusted the map from his end of the HoloCOM call. "Notice where the buildings are located?"

Glenn examined them more thoroughly. "Well… shit!"

"Shit indeed. Quite a few of the buildings are located near residential complexes. If you bomb those, even with precision guided munitions, the blast will be powerful enough to damage the residential buildings and send shrapnel through their walls. You'd be killing the pirates in the building, but you'd also be harming the civilians as well. On top of that, intel suggests that some of the buildings are combination residential/commercial structures. Even if these buildings were far away from any civilian structures, you'd still run the risk of killing civilians the syndicates have got trapped in there, willingly or not."

Glenn facepalmed himself. "Damnit… and here I thought things were going to be easy to take care of. That was too much to hope for, I guess."

"Then what can we do?" Speakman asked. "We can't simply let the syndicate members be. They'll kill our own soldiers with impunity."

"You'll have to do building by building clearing," Milius said. "I don't like it anymore than you two do, but that's our only choice if we're going to be minimizing civilian casualties. There are structures that you can bomb that have been confirmed to have no civilians inside."

"And those would be?"

Milius adjusted the holomap. Several buildings were highlighted in yellow on the city map. "These structures. The surveillance footage and drones that Cortana's using to scan the city for any sign of Jyn have identified these structures as not having any civilians inside. Quite a few of these are the structures serving as chokepoints into the rest of the city. I would recommend a combination of Rapier missiles and Mark 208's converted into JDAMs. Any other explosives might cause unwanted collateral damage, and the Despatar City Council could use that to rile the civilian populace against us."

Glenn frowned. I'd prefer more powerful munitions, but Milius is right. I don't want to harm any civilians, nor do I want to have them start trying to kill us. He nodded. "All right. If that's what's necessary to take the city, then I agree to the recommendation. Can you stay on hand in case we need more advice from you?"

"Sure, I can do that. I'll have to rotate out with my colleagues to remain effective, but that's something I can do. I'll be on standby if you need me." Milius' hologram shimmered out.

At the same moment, Cortana said, "I've found her! I've found Jyn!"

"Where is she at?" Speakman asked.

"Near the center of the city. Apparently, Geotor rented a residential building near the center of the city. Surveillance and drone scans indicate that he's gone to great pains to make the building a veritable fortress. I wouldn't attack that building with anyone other than Blue Team and Fireteams Majestic, Crimson and Osiris, if I'm being honest."

"I see," Speakman said. "Inform Lasky that we've found where Jyn is at now. If he wants to rescue her, he is more than able to do so, though I would recommend waiting until we've secured more of the city before doing so. If we try to get at her now, they'll be behind enemy lines with no support. Milius?"

"I'm here," Milius said. "I caught the entire conversation. I'll inform Lasky of your recommendation. With any luck, we'll be able to take the city quickly enough to send those fireteams in and take the building."

"If we get there," Glenn added.

"Yes, if we get there, which I believe we will."

. . .

Present Day

The memory washed out of Glenn's mind. That was yesterday, he thought, and the criminal syndicates are proving to be more of a nuisance than we've thought. We've taken 10% casualties for all units so far, and we're having to use air support more often than not. Hell, we're going to need to use the Mammoth's as field artillery before long.

As if the Universe agreed with him, he heard a muted KA-BOOM from outside the command building. Outside, he could see an M400 Kodiak that had been set up at the FOB. Every few seconds, it would fire off an artillery shell powerful enough to gut two main battle tanks in one blow.

Just then, an aide came inside. "Sir, we've got some new reports from the front line," she said.

Glenn sighed. "How bad is it?"

"We've managed to take the southwest mid-outer quadrant of the city. We've also got reports that the other forces are taking the other quadrants, but they're taking casualties. Current total casualty reports indicate that we've lost 15% of the ground forces assigned to this operation, and projections believe we may lose another 5% before the day is out."

He scratched his head. That's not too bad, though I'd prefer it to be lower. "Understood," he said. "The sooner we can capture the mid-outer sections of the city, the sooner we can push into the mid-city and then the inner city. Has the fighting been more of the same?"

"Yes. We've got intense urban combat. We're literally fighting the pirates building by building, block by block and street by street. They're really fighting like mad to keep us out."

"Sounds like it," Glenn said. "Unfortunately for the syndicates, we're just as determined as they are to take the city, maybe even more so, now that we know what we're fighting against. Continue to send me reports and let me know if anything changes."

"Understood."

The aide walked out, leaving Glen to mull over the holomap. I can't imagine what it must be like for the front line forces right now, he thought. It must be hell over there.

. . .

The mood was quite similar on the Despatar City Council. Huddled up in one of the bunkers built into the superstructure of the city, each of them was talking with each other about what was going on. "This is bad," A Weequay by the name Jotik Hitur moaned. "First we had to buy off the Empire, which wasn't so bad to begin with, and now we're being systematically crushed by ths 'UNSC.' What did we do to piss them off so badly?"

"No idea," Botir, one of the Human members, said. "To be fair, something like this was going to happen, though I didn't expect it to be this bad. None of us did!"

"That's something we can agree on," one of the Twi'lek Council members said with an nod. "I'm getting constant reports from each of our syndicates that they're literally being crushed underfoot. Sure we are inflicting casualties, but for every solider in the UNSC that we kill, twenty more rush in to fill their place, while we lose thirty of our men in the process. These losses are not sustainable by any means."

"It was all because of that damned Geotor," Desir, another Human council member shouted. "It was because he brought that woman, Jyn, here that the UNSC chased after us! If it wasn't for him, we might've avoided detection by the UNSC!"

"Calm yourself," Joktkay, a Nemoidian, said. "There is still a chance that we can get out of this."

"How?" Botir asked.

"Simple, really: we give Jyn back and then pay off the UNSC to leave us alone. Even if they refuse the latter, they wll be mollified by the former. I even have a band of men ready to go to take her here so that we can hand over both her and Geotor to the UNSC."

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Desir grumbled. "They might just decide to kill us all anyways."

"It's either we resist and get destroyed, or we hand her over and survive. It's a risk we need to take."

"All in favor, say aye," Botir said. When all but one of the members said 'aye', he said, "Then it's settled. Joktkay, send your forces to retrieve Jyn. The rest of you will continue to try and delay the UNSC long enough to complete their objectives. After that, we'll see what happens. If all goes well, we will survive, just as we have done many times before."

. . .

Glenn's internal opinion on how bad the fighting at the front line was getting was more accurate than he had realized. Ducking down behind a crate, Master Sergeant Stacker barely avoided having his head taken clean off by a blaster bolt. Popping up out of cover, he fired his MA5D thrice, then ducked back down. On the other side, a howl of agony erupted as the criminal he fired at fell to the ground dead.

Shit, this is getting bad! he thought as he reloaded his rifle. Leaning out, he got a glimpse of what was going on. A number of Marine and Army trooper squads were busy attempting to flush some thugs out of a building on the corner of a street. The criminals, however, had dug in hard, and were peppering them with a hastily set up E-WEB.

One marine screamed as he went down, a molten crater on his chest armor. "FUCK!" he screamed. "I'M GONNA DIE! I'M GONNA DIE!"

"HOLD STILL!" a Corpsman shouted as he tore the armor off. Underneath the Marine's armor, a blackened crater of charred flesh the size of a man's fist could be seen by all. Bones were exposed, and blood weeped from cracks in the wound like lava. A wordless howl of pain and terror came from the Marine as the wound was exposed to the air. His body jerked around spasmodically, making it hard for the Corpsman to do his job "I need a few bodies over here!"

Several Marines came over and held their compatriot to the ground. "Bite on this," one of his friends said, pulling out a piece of gauze from his personal medical kit. The wounded man bit down hard, but a scream of agony bled through as the Corpsman began using biofoam, water gel and wound packing gauze to fill the hole. After slapping a large bandage onto the hole, he said, "He's stable! Keep him here until we can arrange for MEDIVAC!"

"You got it!" Stacker shouted. Ducking down, he narrowly avoided an E-WEB bolt to the face. Keying his COM, he said, "Infinity Actual, this is Bravo 3-1! Requesting immediate fire support at Charlie 3-9-4. Got an E-WEB tearing us to shreds here! Designating target now!" Leaning out, he fired a beacon grenade from his rifle's grenade launcher

"Roland here," came the reply. "Lieutenant Melissa has redirected a Longsword to conduct close range fire support! Danger close! Repeat: danger close!"

"Understood! Bravo 3-1 over and out!" Closing the COM, Stacker shouted, "We've got fire support inbound! Danger close!"

"GET DOWN!" the corporal in the squad howled. "GET DOWN NOW!" Every Marine that was busy conducting suppressing fire on the E-WEB immediately threw themselves behind cover.

They were just in time.

Overhead, Stacker watched as a Longsword flew over head, a single bomb detaching from a rack carried inside of it. A loud screeching whistle rang through the air as the bomb, homing in on the beacon, flew down with a grace and speed that belied its size. Then, it impacted the building, tearing all the way into the bottom floor. For a moment, all was silent.

Then, just as Stacker thought the bomb was a dud, the world seemed to explode in a cacophony of sound. A loud BOOM tore through the air as the 500kg bomb detonated. Any pirates that were manning the E-WEB were promptly liquefied. The E-WEB itself was ripped and smashed into dozens of pieces by the explosive force from the bomb. Seconds later, the building's structure, unable to withstand the force of the detonation, collapsed in on itself, sending a cloud of dust billowing outwards.

Leaning out from behind cover, Stacker waited for the dust to clear. When it did, all that was left of the building was a massive pile of rubble and debris. Some of the rocks seemed to have had blood splattered onto them, while others had what looked like blue and green paint dumped onto them. "Fuck me!" a Marine shouted. "That was close!"

"Tell me about it!" Stacker said. "We just fucked up their day really badly! Move up and take the intersection! That's one chokepoint we can claim for ourselves now!"

The Marines in the squad hurriedly moved to comply with the order. A few Marines hefting an M343 Vulcan quickly ran up, while others carried armored barricades and sandbags with them. Before long, they had a makeshift checkpoint up and ready. "Come on, fellas!" Stacker shouted. "With me! We've got another building up ahead to secure!"

The building in question was one of the warehouses that were scattered haphazardly around the city. Currently, it was being besieged by Marines and Army personnel, who were firing their own weapons at thugs that were firing at them from the windows. Nearby, Stacker spotted Marines that were lying face down, bodies riddled full of blaster wounds. A few had been stripped down to the skeleton, the mirthless grins of their skulls plainly visible for all to see.

He put the foul images out of mind. Keep your head in the game, a part of himself cautioned him. Focus on your objectives, which are to help out any Marine and Army squads that you're diverted towards.

Crawling along the ground, he reached an Army Sergeant that was barking out orders. Seeing him, the man shouted, "What the fucking hell took you so long?! I requested ODST assistance ten mikes ago!"

"Got caught up at a barricade!" Stacker said, "and you're shouting at a Master Sergeant! What's the situation here?!"

"Got a fuckton of pirates and smugglers shooting down at us from the warehouse!" the Sergeant Major shouted. "We've also got reports of potential bioweapon inside, so we've got a HAZOP team ready to assist if we can kill these fucking bastards! Can you perform HAZOPs as well?!"

"Yeah!" Stacker shouted. "My armor's equipped for that!"

"Good! Get a sniper or DMR guy to take down the guys shooting at us! We can't send in the HAZOP team until they're gone!"

"Got it!" Stacker shouted. "James! McKinley! Take out those pirates! Any with disruptors are high value targets!"

"Got it!" James, the team's sniper, shouted. "Cover me!" Crawling along the ground, he moved to a favorable position, while Stacker began firing his MA5D at the thugs. The head of one thug promptly exploded, showering his compatriots with blood, bones and brain matter. One leaned out, ready to fire a disruptor at Stacker when a loud KRA-THOOM filled the air. That pirate's chest exploded, leaving a hole the size of a small plate in his chest.

Nearby, James smiled grimly as he switched targets. Oh no you don't! he thought when a pirate turned another disrutpor towards him. Another loud booming sound came from his rifle, while the pirate's head disappeared in a flash of blood and gore, his body toppling over the edge and to ground level with a THACK.

With the enemy snipers down, the Army and Marine troopers redoubled their efforts, filling the air with bullets. Realizing they were being overwhelmed, several criminals began to flee, only to be cut down by the ensuing fusillade. "They're running!" Stacker shouted. "Let's get inside!"

They were about to when they heard a loud roar, almost like something was being held inside. "What the hell was that?!" the leader of the HAZOP team asked.

"No idea," Stacker said, "but I've got a bad feeling that we're about to find out. Bravo team, on me!" The ODSTs with him quickly stacked up on the door, weapons locked and ready. Another ODST in the squad sprayed foaming explosives onto the door. "Get clear!" Stacker shouted. Once the team had done so, the ODST in question hit the detonator.

There was a loud WOMP-BANG as the C-7 foaming explosives detonated, tearing the doors straight out of their sliding rails and sending them flying. One thug was unlucky enough to be caught by one of the doors. Stacker winced when a spray of blood and gore erupted from behind the door. Ouch, he thought. That guy got pancaked!

Another firefight erupted again when the criminals realized their building had been breached. Several of them fired, with a couple killing a few Marines. The rest, however, opened up immediately on the criminals, pumping their bodies full of bullets. One of them, seeing the carnage, threw down his arms immediately. "WAIT!" he screamed. "DON'T KILL ME, PLEASE! I NEVER WANTED TO WORK FOR -"

His cries were silenced when a CAA Marshal assigned to the squad fired his taser, sending the thug to the ground with fifty thousand volts of electricity. The thug jerked once, then fell to the ground, his limbs twitching spasmodically as they attempted to move, only for the electricity from the taser keeping them in place. Another CAA Marshal came over and promptly handcuffed him. "Stay down, if you know what's good for you!" he growled.

Another roar came through the building. "Tell me that was your stomach," a Marine said to an Army trooper.

"That wasn't my stomach," the Army trooper in question said. "That was something else."

"We'll find out what it is soon," Stacker said. "Cortana, any idea of what's making that sound?"

"Affirmative," Cortana said. "You might want to keep your distance, though. Apparently, there's a baby 'Sarlacc' inside the building. As for what that is, I'll let you see for yourself. Take this route through the building. I'd rather not have our men eaten alive by it."

"Got it

The door in question was really a blast door located at the end of a hallway in the building. On it was a label that said, "Xenofauna Viewing Chamber." How ironic, Stacker thought. They break the law, and then they do something like this. This city keeps getting stranger by the second. "Place a charge on the door."

"On it," an ODST said. Placing a block of C-8 on the door, he said, "Stand back, people! It's about to get noisy!" Everyone in the squad quickly retreated. Then the block of C-8 detonated, blowing the doors inside and allowing everyone through

True to the labeling outside, it was an observational room, with large panes of transparisteel on one side, and computers and readouts on another. Looking down, Stacker saw what looked like a desert terrarium, but there was something off. What's that down below? he thought upon spying a depression in the ground. Is that…?

He very quickly got his answer when something moved. All of the people in the observation room threw themselves to the floor just as something smashed into the transparisteel windows, denting them inwards. Looking down below, Stacker now saw a pit lined with teeth, a beak-like mouth in the center, as well as long tendrils that extended out from areas in the pit. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

"Yep," Cortana said. "That's a Sarlacc, and a baby one at that."

"A baby?!" one ODST asked, shocked. "That thing looks like it could eat a pair of Hunters and have room for dessert! Just what kind of crazy-ass galaxy did we get ourselves into?!"

"I don't know, not anymore at least," Stacker admitted. "In fact, the more I see shit like this, the more I wonder if even wondering about this will drive me crazy." He gazed at part of the room. "Well, at least we're lucky. The guys down there…? Not so much."

The others looked to where he was pointing. Just in front of another door was the broken, twisted corpse of a man. His severed hand still clutched a heavy blaster pistol, while his head hung at an unnatural angle. On one of the Sarlacc's tentacles, they could see a blaster wound.

"Shit!" one ODST said. "Looks like they ran into here, thinking that the Sarlacc would pick us off. Good thing Cortana routed us to another part of the building entirely. Still, I'm not comfortable with that thing around."

"Me too," Stacker said. "Let's call in the HAZOP team and inform them of what we've got on our hands. I don't know why someone would want a baby Sarlacc in this city, but I say it's got to go. That thing's a mass casualty situation waiting to happen."

. . .

The sound of the Warthog's engine drowned out most other sounds as Stone scanned the area with the M343A2 Vulcan mounted to the vehicle. Spotting movement, he let loose with the weapon, the muzzle flashing as the weapon spat out high caliber rounds in a dull roar. Several criminal mercenaries were butchered by the rounds before they could get to cover. "Nice one!" he heard Alex shout.

"Thanks!" Stone said. "Practiced a long time to get to that level! What job did you have before you joined the Marines?"

"Rally racer!" Alex shouted.

"That explains your good driving," Mia said.

"Yep. I can drive with the best of 'em!"

The Warthog seemed eager to prove that point, as it seemed to fairly spurt forwards. The engine roared as Alex threw the vehicle into a series of sharp maneuvers that allowed them to get through the narrow streets. Spotting a group of thugs along their path, he gunned the throttle, then pulled the handbrake as he whipped the wheel to the left.

The back end of the Warthog swung outwards, careening towards the thugs. Stone barely had enough time to move before the rear end of the vehicle slammed into the thugs. A cacophony of cracking and snapping sounds rang out, while muted thumps resounded with each impact onto the vehicle. "Who's the coffee grinder, baby! Hahaha!"

Stone smiled. Alex has always been something of a jokester. Good thing his driving's as good as his wit. As they drove away, Stone thought he spotted a glint. "What's that?"

"No idea," Alex said. "I -" A loud blaster shot rang out, with Alex's head disappearing in a flash. His body slumped forwards, while his arms turned the wheel.

"STONE, LOOK OUT!" Mia shouted. Before he could react, the Warthog slammed into something, throwing the vehicle into a roll. Hurled from the back, Stone flew forwards, then hit the ground with a THUMP. The Marine rolled, then crashed into a makeshift barricade made from crates.

Dazed and confused, he began checking for his weapons while blaster fire erupted around him. Ow… he thought as sound, and clear vision, returned. My fucking head… what happened. "Mia, sound off!" he called out. "What's Alex's status?"

"He's fucking dead!" came Mia's response. "Sniper took his head clean off while we were in the Warthog!"

"Fuck!" Stone cursed. Of all the places to hit us on our way to the mission site, why did it have to be snipers? Does the Universe hate me? Shaking off his stupor, he began to fire back at the pirates. The comforting impact of his MA5D's buttstock helped him focus.

Still, the amount of gunfire coming their way was nothing short of stifling. More than once, he had to duck his head down to avoid being hit. "We're being overrun!" Mia shouted. "We need help!"

"I'll call for help!" Stone shouted. Leaning back into cover, he keyed his COM. "Zulu 4-2! Where are you?!"

"We're on our way man!" a voice with a southern accent said. "Yeehaw! We're gonna wrangle 'em criminals 'fore you know it!" Another Warthog came around the corner, M343A2 roaring as they fired on the pirates.

A cold pit formed in Stone's stomach. "Zulu 4-2, get out of the fucking vehicle! I think they're -"

Before he could finish, a missile streaked out of one of the buildings and into the Warthog. A massive explosion rang out as the missile tore through the vehicle, causing its fuel supply to explode. The wreckage of the vehicle landed with a loud CRASH, while flames billowed from it as a funeral pyre to the unfortunate souls inside.

"Damnit!" Mia shouted. "These Warthogs are fucking useless! Every time we use them, people die! Why the hell didn't the brass decide to make an IFV or some-fucking-thing like that?!"

"I'll ask them when we get back!" Stone said. "I'm just as angry and pissed off as you are, but that ain't gonna help us! We need a tank more than anything!" Leaning out of cover, he fired at the criminals.

Then something hit him in the chest. An explosion sent him flying through the air, like a giant had kicked him. Landing on his back, Stone was dimly aware of someone screaming, then it occurred to him. He was the one that was screaming. Looking up, he watched as Mia moved to help him, only for her head to explode. Several pirates came over, one of them laughing maliciously as he aimed a disruptor at Stone. Stone reached for his sidearm, ready to go out fighting.

Fortunately for him, he wouldn't need the sidearm.

Before the pirate thug could fire his weapon, a beam of blue-white energy tore through his head, splattering the ground with the thug's brains. The others with him scrambled away; another aimed at Stone, only for his head to explode as well. One man ran, only for something invisible to grab him. A twin pronged blade flashed into existence, just as the Sangheili Zealot holding it appeared out of thin air.

Seeing the alien, the pirate began to whimper, before screaming loudly while turning in a desperate attempt to evade the blow. The Sangheili Zealot merely snarled, then drove the blade through the pirate's gut and out his back. The man's whimpers turned into a long, shrill scream of agony as his insides were instantly cooked by high-intensity plasma. He jerked and spasmed in the Zealot's grip, only for the alien to swiftly decapitate him.

Up ahead, the other pirates quickly discovered the wrath of the aliens that had fired on them. One of the criminals toting a missile launcher aimed, only for a Beam Rifle shot to tear his arm clean off. Before he could so much as howl, another energy swore tore through his chest. Around him, his compatriots tried to run, only for plasma blades to pop out of thin air. Within seconds, all of the criminals and pirates had been butchered, like they were naught but animals.

Stone sighed, then screamed as pain erupted through his chest. Within seconds, the Zealot was over him. "Bring a healer here, now!" the Zealot roared. Her voice, as it was unmistakably feminine, notably softened when he turned to Stone. "You will be all right, Human," she said, her voice soft and comforting, like that of a mother speaking to a frightened child. "I will not allow you to die at the hands of criminal scum."

Stone nodded, fighting back tears of agony. "Help me!" he begged, hand shaking uncontrollable. "Help me, please!"

The Zealot shushed him. "It will be all right, young one. All will be well."

Several other Sangheili appeared moments later. Among them was a UNSC Corpsman that immediately ran over to Stone. "Shit!" he gasped, his voice so silent that only the Zealot over him could hear. Throwing his kit open, he quickly began dressing the wound that covered the entirety of Stone's chest. "Stone? Can you hear me?"

"I can," Stone whimpered. "It hurts so bad! What happened to me?!"

"You got lucky," the Corpsman said. "You just got slapped by a low powered disruptor bolt. One of the pirates you were fighting must've forgot to adjust his weapon. If it was a standard disruptor bolt, you would've died instantly. You don't feel it when one of those hits you." Pulling out a syringe, he jabbed it into Stone's neck.

Stone screamed, then sighed as the pain faded away, leaving a warm, fuzzy sensation throughout his body. A cool, soothing sensation replaced the heat on his chest as the medic applied water gel dressings. Sitting Stone up, he wrapped a bandage around Stone's chest, then laid him back down. "He won't be fighting for a couple weeks," he said. "We have to get him out of here."

"I will take him back," the Zealot that had saved Stone said. "Our apothecary at the ship will tend to his wounds."

"You sure?" the medic asked. "Human physiology is different from Sangheili physiology."

"Many of our healers have recently attended one of your 'hospitals.' Vrok 'Gesrom is one of our best, and he is a gentle soul. Stone will be safe in his company."

"Stone?" the medic asked. Rather than reply verbally, Stone nodded, the painkillers making the motion difficult. "All right. Just make sure he'll be all right. He'll need his fluids replenished daily and regular antibiotic treatments until the skin heals. I'd also check for bone fractures as well."

"I shall inform 'Gesrom of your recommendations," the Zealot said. Picking Stone up, she adjusted her grip until she was carrying him bridal style. With a practiced ease, she quickly picked up speed.

One of the Zealots frowned. "The battle goes well, but I fear for the Humans. We will need to provide them with more assistance than our leaders thought."

"We will do what we can," another reassured him. "For now, we must continue with our mission. That is all that we can do."

. . .

I hate multistory cities, Bisenski thought as he drove his M808D through the streets of Genarius. It reminds me of that time when I was at the Ark. Ended up having to drive up a series of ramps while dealing with the Covenant at the same fucking time. I miss fighting in cities like New Alexandria. He shrugged. Oh well… You can't have them all, I suppose.

He put the idle thoughts out of his mind as the Scorpion moved up one of the stairwells. One of the Marines riding shotgun, Sergeant Mitchell according to his IFF, pulled his legs up sharply. "Hey! Watch it!" he shouted. "I don't want my legs crushed!"

"Sorry," Bisenski said. "I'm doing the best I can. Whoever designed this city needs to be dragged out into the street and shot. Scorpions were not meant to drive on streets this narrow."

"Give Bisenski a break," another Marine, Corporal Janice, grumbled. "He's doing the best he can. Besides, he's right: I fucking hate the design of this city. Makes me want to tear my hair out."

Bisenski smiled. Nothing like banter to warm the day up, he thought. A familiar clanking sound alerted him to the tank finally entering flat ground.

Suddenly, a Marine howled loudly, just as an energy beam tore through his chest. "SNIPER!" another shouted. "GET TO COVER!"

"GET BEHIND THE TANK!" Mitchell shouted. "USE IT FOR COVER!" All of the Marines immediately disembarked, then scrambled to get behind the tank. Another Marine screamed as another beam tore through him.

"Where is he?!" Bisenksi shouted.

"THERE! AT THAT BUILDING!" A laser beam shot from behind the tank, highlighting a building to their right. "I think I see an anti-armor team there!"

True to form, a missile streaked out, aimed directly at the Scorpion. Impacting the tank, it detonated, shaking the interior of the cockpit. Nobody shoots at me when I'm around! Bisenski thought angrily. Switching to a MAHEM-F shell, he took aim, then let loose. There was a tremendous explosion as the MAHEM-F shell detonated, splattering the enemy anti-armor team all over the walls of the building they were in. The upper balconies quickly collapsed, removing the threat entirely.

"Good effect on target!"

"Good," Bisenski said. "Stay behind me! Do not get onto the track covers! It's a death trap out there, and I don't want more dead people on my conscience!" The marines looked hesitant, then huddled closer to the tank's rear. That's a start.

Sending a command to the computer, Bisenski began to move the tank forwards. Tracks clanked as the vehicle proceeded forwards, while the Marines remained behind the tank. Doesn't look like the damage is too bad, he thought as he ran a diagnostic. The armor appears to have stopped it.

His COM crackled then. "Cortana to Lima 2-1," a voice said. "Do you read me?"

"I copy," Bisenski said. "What's up?"

"You've got enemy Saber tanks up ahead! I'd recommend having the Marines move somewhere else in the meantime, or to assist if they have anti-tank weapons. Also, make sure you've got enough ammo for this fight. It's about to get dicey!"

"Understood," Bisenski said. "Marines, you heard the lady! Get yourselves somewhere safe if you can't help out! I've got a few enemy tanks to neutralize!"

"Copy that!" Mitchell said. "Colton, Barnard, you've got the spankers, you go with Bisenski! The rest of us will peel right and take any nearby buildings that might allow us to offer fire support! Move it!" The Marines quickly moved themselves towards the entrance to a tall building while Bisenski advanced. Rounding a four way intersection, he quickly spotted one of the Saber tanks up ahead.

"Target ahead," the computer informed him. At a command, it said, "Loading Sabot." A muffled whirring sound filtered through the cockpit canopy as the autoloader loaded the required shell into the breech. "Gun ready." Hearing those words, Bisenski depressed the firing stud.

A loud KRA-THOOM filled the air as the 105mm ETC gun fired, sending a tungsten alloy APFSDS shell down range at hypersonic velocities. Impacting the armor, the sabot round tore through the armored compartment, scattering shrapnel throughout the crew compartment. It then tore through the power regulators, causing them to explode, blasting off part of the upper portion of the tank in a large fireball.

"Target, traverse left," the computer reported. Moving his head slightly, Bisenski watched as the next tank came into view. Now that he had fired, all of the Saber tanks began to move and fire. Gunning the throttle, Bisenski presented the front of the tank, then fired another shell. Another Saber exploded as the sabot shell penetrated the main chassis, knocking its companion around.

Bisenski was about to continue forwards when the Scorpion lurched. Spotting the offending target, he was about to fire when a 109mm MAHEM-F missile flew into the enemy tank from above from Colton's position. A scream came from the thug manning the turret when the missile impacted. An explosion rang out as the molten jet of metal tore through the enemy tank, piercing it's power regulators and tearing into the crew. The turret of the tank promptly popped off, sending it flying while a jet of fire erupted from the central chassis.

"Good shot, Colton!" Bisenski shouted. "I couldn't have done better myself!"

"Thank you!" Colton said. "We'll keep moving through the buildings to provide fire support. The syndicate's thugs appear to have evacuated these buildings!"

Eventually, he found himself entering a plaza where a large number of enemy tanks were present. Well, shit, he thought. I can't take them all out without them scoring some damage on me. I'll have to play this smart. Keying his COM, he said, "Lima 2-1 to any UNSC and Sangheili armored divisions in the area. Does anyone copy? Over?" No answer. "Any UNSC or Sangheili armored divisions in the area, please respond. Over."

There was a crackle, then a Sangheili voice said, "Lima 2-1, this is Throk 'Jortakam, Vorseti 5-3 of the 23rd Sangheili Armored Division. Do you require assistance?"

"Yep. I've got roughly eight Saber tanks in the area, and I don't think I can take them all down without being destroyed. If you can kindly move your ass over here, I'd deeply appreciate it. I'll do what I can to take them down, but I don't know if I'll make it."

"Understood," Throk said. "Do what you can. I am on my way." Closing the COM channel, Bisenski took aim at one of the Sabers, then pulled the trigger. The moment the enemy tank explosively detonated, all hell broke loose.

All of the tanks immediately turned towards him, each one of them firing. Moving the tank behind a building, Bisenski barely avoided being slapped by several heavy blaster cannon bolts. Turning the turret around, he rotated the vehicle around, then slowly backed up. Once the gun was out of cover, he fired, blasting another Saber tank apart.

He had just pulled back behind cover when two more Scorpions drive up the ramp he had just driven up. "Bisenski?" a woman's voice asked. "You need help?"

"Definitely!" Bisenski said. "Where were you, Claire? I tried calling you and anyone else I could on COMs, but I got no response."

"We were dealing with a jammer in our area," Claire said. "Our COMs were being jammed so we had to take it out. We're here now, though. Harold here is more than ready to pitch in."

"Let's teach 'em a lesson!" Harold said.

"All right," Bisenski said. "Mitchell and his team are providing fire support from the nearby buildings! Let's go!" Rotating the tank around, Bisenski quickly drove back into view of the enemy Sabers. Upon seeing three Scorpions, a couple of them began to back up. Then a lot of them quickly began looking for cover as the trio of tanks opened fire.

"WHOOOHOOO!" Harold yelled. "Tank beats Saber! I could do this all day!"

"Clear the channel!" Claire shouted. "We need to clear this plaza out ASAP! Command wants it as another landing point!" Bisenski simply nodded, even as he blasted apart another enemy tank.

"Got another!" Colton shouted as another fighter tank exploded. "I'm starting to rack up the kills now!"

It was then that Bisenski spotted something off in the distance. It looked like another Saber at first, but then he noticed that the shape was all wrong. It had the same pod chassis look, but the armor appeared to be much thicker, and it was much larger. "What the hell is that?" he heard Harold ask.

"No idea," Claire said, "but I don't like the look of it. That could be a heavy hover tank, like a Wraith or something similar."

"Move into a defilade!" Bisenski ordered. "I'd rather not find out what that thing is!" All three Scorpions quickly moved into position, each one just out of sight of the new tank. "Wait for my signal, then we'll open fire. Colton, Barnard, be ready with those missile launchers!" The larger tank slowly moved forwards, its turret scanning to the left and right. "Wait for it! Wait for it…! NOW!"

All three Scorpions popped out of cover and fired their shells at the same time. Large portions of armor were ripped off of the enemy tank, while smoke billowed from the rear compartment. Two 109mm missiles streaked from the nearby building, tearing into more of the enemy tank's armor plating. Seeing the enemy turret turning towards Howard, he shouted, "Harold, evade!" Harold, seeing the danger, threw the tank into a reverse sprint.

It was too little, too late. Both guns on the enemy tank fired, blasting Harold's tank with enough firepower to gut a much larger vehicle. The central compartment on the Scorpion exploded, while the turret popped off, before crashing to the ground. Harold's scream came over the COM, then it was suddenly silenced.

"SHOOT!" Claire shouted. "SHOOT!" Both she and Bisenski fired the main guns on their tanks, peeling off more armor plating. Two more missiles streaked from the building, prompting the enemy tank to fire a missile towards it. "LOOK OUT!" Claire screamed.

The missile smacked into the nearby apartment complex with tremendous force, tearing the structure apart and sending a portion of it crashing to the ground "FUCK! This is Lima 2-3 to all UNSC and Sangheili forces! We need assistance! We need -" Her call for help was cut off when the enemy tank fired again, blasting her tank apart.

"CLAIRE, NO!" Bisenski screamed. Seeing the tank turning towards him, he was about to meet his maker when a beam of energy tore into the enemy hovertank, blasting it apart and sending the turret flying. To the left, he spotted what appeared to be four Wraiths of an unknown pattern approaching him. "Lima 2-3," Throk said. "You asked for help?"

"You got here in the nick of time!" Bisenski said. "Lima 2-3 and 2-4 are down! I think they're dead!"

"Not quite," came Claire's voice. "My tank compartment saved me from being turned into a shrapnel sandwich. I could use a hand in getting out. The hatch's been bent shut!"

"We're OK here!" Colton shouted. "We lost a couple people, but Mitchell got us out as soon as that tank started turning it's turret towards us. We lost Janice, though."

"Fuck!" Bisenski snarled. "At least that fucker won't be killing anyone else."

"Um, excuse me?" Claire said. "Can someone help me get out of the burning wreck of my tank? I'd rather not roast alive in here."

"One of my own will help you out," Throk said. A Sangheili quickly jumped out, before using an energy sword to cut the lid off of the tank's compartment. Moments later, a bruised and battered, but living, Claire stepped out.

"Thank you!" she said. "You're a life saver!" She frowned. "I wish we could've done the same for Harold. Poor bastard didn't stand a chance."

"You have my condolences as to your fallen compatriot," Throk said sympathetically. "He will be honored."

"Yeah," Bisenski said. "What kind of Wraith are you piloting? I've never seen it before."

"It is a new model that was created by the Arbiter's command during the Blooding Years. It is similar to the Kemu-pattern Wraith you are familiar with, but it is heavier and it mounts a plasma lance as its main weapon. We call it the Kemor-pattern of Wraiths. Think of it as being akin to the Grizzly that your government designed."

"I see," Bisenski said. "How come we haven't seen it until now?"

"We decided to keep it secret so that your ONI wouldn't raise a fuss about it. However, in light of the discovery of life in the Andromeda Galaxy, and as per our agreement with the UNSC, the Arbiter decided that it was time for this new pattern to come to light. As you can see, he made a very wise choice."

"Indeed," Bisenski noted. "Cortana, did you see what we just engaged?"

"I did," Cortana said. "You just survived a run-in with a Canderous-class assault hovertank. That thing sports twin Heavy Mass Drivers and a concussion missile launcher. Looks like 105mm won't cut it for that tank. We'll need 120mm at the least."

"Yeah. Might want to alert the higher ups as to that tank. Also, see if they can capture one intact. Might give us a few ideas on how to make our tanks better."

"Will do," Cortana said. "Anything that helps our military become better is a good one. I'm going to have Speakman deploy a few M820S Scorpions to the fight. Perhaps they'll give us the firepower that we'll need."

"Against something like a Canderous-assault tank? Definitely. I'm heading back to the FOB for repairs." Switching frequencies, he said, "Vorseti, you think you can hold this area down on your own?"

"That I can," Throk said. "My warriors and I will ensure that any pirates that come here will be crushed underfoot like the vermin they are."

. . .

In another part of the city, a similar was having her own unique challenges inside the Kemor-pattern Wraith. Vrota 'Horetam snarled under her breath as an enemy Saber tank came into view. "Enemy Saber!Take it out!" Mordrek 'Rhroktum, her co-pilot, shouted.

"It will be done!" Vrota shouted. Turning the Wraith, she brought it to bear on the enemy Saber before depressing the firing stud. The Type-60 Plasma Lance installed on her Wraith fired, pushing the tank backwards, and sending a beam of high energy plasma directly towards one of the Sabers. The enemy tank promptly exploded, showering the area with shrapnel and debris.

Several other Sabers quickly began moving towards Vrota's tank. "Incoming! Right flank!" Mordrek shouted.

"On it!" Vrota shouted. Manipulating the controls, she brought the tank around on the new targets. Targeting one, she fired the plasma lance, cutting off the turret and causing the power regulators on the enemy tank to explode. The driver of another Saber, seeing what had happened, immediately tried backing up. You shall not escape! Vrota snarled upon seeing the enemy pilot's cowardice. Rotating the tank around, she quickly fired the main gun, blasting the enemy tank apart.

"An excellent blow!" Mordrek shouted. "You are a fine Wraith pilot, Vrota!"

"You are too kind, Mordrek," Vrota said. "However, you are right in that it was an excellent blow."

Her BattleNet transceiver crackled at that moment. "Vorseti 1-1, this is Commander Lor 'Hatum. Respond, over."

She keyed her receiver quickly. "This is Vorseti 1-1, acknowledging your transmission. Do you have new orders for me?"

"Yes," Lor said. "I've received word of a squad of Human ODSTs and Lesser Demons that have been forced to retreat from an entrance to the southeast mid-quadrant of the city. The information they have provided indicates that the criminal scum have set up tanks and barricades in an effort to bar entry into that part of the city. Your orders are to head there and eliminate the enemy tanks with assistance from the infantry, while the Lesser Demons eliminate any barricades in the way."

"Understood," Vrota said. "I shall head there now and help the Humans drive the criminal scum from their warrens!"

"See that you do. If you need help, I can have tanks from the rest of your tank squad move to that position to provide cover fire. Remember, the Humans have a considerable aerospace force overhead, so if you need them to conduct precision bombings, you can call them for such."

"Understood," Vrota said. "Moving there now." Switching frequencies on the BattleNet, she said, "Vorseti 2, 3 and 4, did you get that?"

"We did," Vorseti 1-2 said, his voice rumbling over the channel. "We are moving there now. See you when we get there."

"Understood," Vrota said. Closing the BattleNet channel, she began directing her Kemor-pattern Wraith to the destination. As they coasted along the ground, she spotted a walkway up ahead. I could use that and cut down my travel time considerably. "Hold on!" she said to Mordrek. "I'm going to boost us up to the upper level!" Not waiting for a reply, she manipulated a control on her control sticks.

The quiet hum of the Wraith's anti-gravity engines sharply increased in volume as she fed power to them. Within a few seconds, the Wraith quite literally hopped a good thirty meters into the air. Expertly guiding the vehicle, she brought it down on the walkway they needed to be on. "You OK?" she asked Mordrek as she reduced power back down to normal levels.

"I am well!" he responded.

"Good." She continued to drive the Wraith along, while Mordrek continually scanned the buildings for any sign of trouble. Eventually, she spotted a large contingent of Marines and Army troopers, and a few ODSTs. Mixed in the group were four Spartans.

One of them, wearing armor designed for close quarters, came towards her tank. Bringing the tank to a stop, Vrota clambered up to the hatch and opened it. "Are you the Sangheili we were told to meet?" she heard the Spartan IV in question ask.

"Maybe? Are you one of the Lesser Demons heading towards the barricaded entrance?"

"Yep."

"Then you are in luck," she said. "I was assigned to help you out by any means necessary. May I know the honor of having your name?"

"Fireteam Leader Valdemar Møller, Fireteam Fenrir."

"Thank you," Vrota said. "What is the situation, Møller?"

"Got a Canderous tank at that barricade, along with a few Sabers. When we attacked it initially, we had to deal with a lot of E-WEBs. Most of the pirates are holed up inside what appears to be an old residential building. We did a scan, and we didn't find any civilians inside."

"Then here's the plan," Vrota said. "I will deal with the Canderous tanks, and the others here will help deal with the Sabers. I will call in air support from the fighters above and have the building leveled. Understood?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. Let's get it done." The contingent of Marines, Army troopers, ODSTs and Spartan IVs began moving out, with Vrota's Wraith taking the lead. Making sure the hatch was properly secured, she quickly began moving the tank through the barricade choked streets.

Eventually, they came to a three way intersection that led north and south. Møller was right, Vrota thought when she spotted the Canderous and Saber tanks in the intersection. It is time to destroy them. "Opening fire on the Canderous," she said. "Move on my go!"

"Copy that," Møller said. "Waiting on your go!" Smiling, Vrota turned the Plasma Lance towards the enemy tank, then depressed the firing stud.

A beam of blue-white plasma ripped out of the lance and into the enemy Canderous. Armor designed to withstand blaster cannon fire melted as high temperature plasma cut into the enemy tank. Surprisingly, the tank wasn't destroyed, with the turret quickly turning and firing. Two heavy mass driver shells flew towards the Wraith, only to ricochet off of the energy shields protecting it.

Firing again, Vrota directed the plasma beam towards the rear of the tank. This time, she got results, with the enemy tank immediately exploding as its fuel compartment was pierced. "NOW!" she thundered as the Sabres began firing at her tank.

Gunfire erupted from behind her tank as the Marines and Army troopers leaned out. ODSTs and Spartan IVs added their own fire while breaching the buildings themselves. Eight missiles streaked out from behind Vrota's tank, each one tearing into the Sabers with lethal effect. "Good effects on target!" one marine shouted as the enemy E-WEBs opened fire.

Keying her BattleNet communicator, Vrota said, "Vorseti 1-1 to any UNSC or Swords of Sangheilios fighters. I'm requesting a strike on the building up ahead. Designating the target now!" A thin green laser shot from the tank's turret and towards the building.

"Copy that," a male Sangheili said. "This is Spectre 3-4. Coming in on my Seraph. Danger close!"

"You heard him!" Vrota shouted. "Behind the tank or into the buildings, now!" The UNSC forces quickly scrambled, with some going into the buildings, while others quickly got behind her tank.

And not a moment too soon. As soon as the last Marine had entered one of the buildings, the Seraph fighter in question swooped in from overhead. A large bomb containing a green glowing substance fell through the air, tearing through the upper levels of the building up ahead. Milliseconds later, there was a tremendous explosion of green-white plasma as the bomb detonated, vaporizing the entire building and causing parts of the nearby buildings to melt slightly.

"Good effect on target!" a Marine shouted.

"Good effect?!" an ODST shouted. "The entire building's fucking melted and shit! There ain't anyone inside."

"Nice work, Specter 3-4!" Møller said.

"Agreed," Spectre 3-4 said. "It is good to be working alongside your species, rather than attempting to destroy it."

"You worked in the Covenant?"

"Yes," Spectre 3-4 said. "I once rained down death from above on your cities, a decision that I deeply regret. Every chance I get to help you out, I see as a chance to attain redemption and forgiveness."

"Well, consider yourself well on the way, Spectre 3-4. Fenrir-1 over and out." Closing the COM, Møller said, "Well, Vrota, shall we continue along? I believe this is the start of an interesting friendship."

Vrota smiled. "Of course. I would never miss an opportunity to work with the Demons that saved the UNSC."

"I see. What do you mean by 'Demon?' Is that an insult, or a compliment?"

Vrota smiled again. "An insult and name coined for Spartans like you during our war against your kind to be sure, but one with a modicum of respect. Now, however, it is a title of utmost respect towards you and the other 'Spartans.' You may be a Lesser Demon, but that, in no way, diminishes our respect for you."

"All right. That makes sense. Still, refer to me as Fenrir-1 for the duration of this mission. Understood?"

"Indubitably," Vrota said. "Now hat this part of the city has been opened to us, I will continue ahead and eliminate any more Canderous and Saber tanks that we encounter."

"That will be nice."

. . .

This is fun, Vladimir Krakovski thought. Moving behind a large crate, he hefted the M739 SAW he brought with him onto a nearby crate. Smart-link targeting systems connected to his HUD identified where the bullets he fired would land. The moment it turned red, he immediately let loose.

A loud BRAKKA-TAKA-TAKA erupted as he fired a steady stream of rounds into the crowd of pirates and syndicate thugs up ahead. Bodies jerked and blood erupted from exit wounds as each criminal was cut down. Several of them, seeing the fusillade, quickly ran for any cover they could find. "Go ahead!" Krakovski shouted. "Run home to your tiny metal houses! I will come for you again!"

"Easy!" a Marine shouted. "Don't kill them all! I want some action too! Plus, the CAA Marshals with us want to snag a few as well."

Krakovski smiled. "Don't worry. There will be plenty of pirate сука for them to capture before the day is over! However, it is most annoying that they keep firing those вверх blaster bolts at us! Don't they know the Russian phrase пули слепы и глупы?"

"What does that mean?"

"Bullets are blind and stupid," Krakovski said.

"Ah, OK. That makes total sense."

"It does," Krakovski agreed. "Onward! We have to enter this base!"

The squad of Marines and CAA Marshals traveling with Krakovski quickly moved towards the building they were assigned to take. As they approached, one of the team's HAZOP members shouted, "Hold it! We've got unidentified life readings inside! Looks like some kind of creature!"

"Are we still cleared to enter?" Krakovski asked.

"We are, but be careful! We don't know what it is!"

They almost immediately got their answer when the door to the building opened, permitting a six legged lizard to come flying out of the building. Roaring loudly, it charged at them. Bullets flew as it knocked a Marine over, before tearing the man apart with its claws. The Marine screamed, only for that scream to be cut short when the lizard tore his head off with it's mouth. Spotting Krakovski, it charged at him.

It never got the chance to attack. Whipping out his shotgun, Krakovski fired a single blast from the M45D. The lizard's head promptly exploded, showering the area in blood and gore. It's body, however, careened forwards, smashing into the Russian native and sending him to the ground. He grunted as he landed hard on the ground.

The others ran over, worried that he was hurt. "Krakovski! Are you all right?!" a Marine shouted.

"I'm fine!" Krakovski said. "It'll take more than giant lizard to kill me! What was it, though?"

"No idea," the HAZOP member of the team said. "Whatever it was, it's lethal. Poor bastard in front of you didn't stand a chance."

"Let's move inside! CAA Marshals, Marines, with me! HAZOP, prepare to contain any biological weapons you find!" The CAA Marshals and Marines quickly stacked up onto the door, while the HAZOP team hung back in case something came out of the doors again. On a signal, they rushed through the malfunctioning door.

Inside, they found a series of stairs, as well as a number of locked doors. One CAA Marshal pulled out a large hydraulic claw and powered it on. Forcing into one of the doors, he flicked a switch. The two claw-like mandibles pushed outwards, forcing the doors open and leaving a prodigious dent in them. Three more moved in once the claw was out of the way, weapons raised and ready.

Krakovski was about to move in when gunfire erupted. "Drop your weapon!" a CAA Marshal yelled as a thug came out with a blaster in hand.

"Drop dead!" the thug shouted, raising his blaster. Before he could fire, the CAA Marshal beat him to the punch, nailing the thug in the head with a rifle round. Several more thugs came out, with one of them brandishing a vial filled with a bluish mist of some kind. Before he could smash it onto the ground, Krakovski fired his shotgun, blasting the man's chest apart, and sending him to the ground. The vial, unbroken in all the commotion, slowly rolled out of his hand, stopping by his boot.

"That doesn't look good," Krakovksi muttered.

"Yep," the HAZOP team member said. Taking out a large armored box, he picked up the vial and slipped it inside. Pressing a few buttons, he said, "Cortana, can you give me a fix on what's in this vial?"

"Already did," Cortana said. "You guys are supremely lucky that didn't break open. That contains a modified version of what the Galactic Empire calls the 'Blue Shadow Virus.' If you guys had breathed that stuff in, you'd be suffering from internal organ failure within forty eight hours."

The hairs on Krakovski's neck stood straight up. "They were going to infect us with something like the Ebola virus?"

"It would appear so. Fortunately, you acted quickly enough that your target couldn't smash the vial onto the ground. If he had, we'd be facing a major biohazard containment operation."

"And I'd be the unlucky smuck that would have to clean it up," the HAZOP member of the team said. "Good thing we stopped the thug from smashing it open. Let's check the rest of the building for any other surprises. I wouldn't be surprised if we found a full blown bioweapons manufacturing lab here."

It wasn't long before the HAZOP Team's suspicions were proven correct. Bashing down the door to the upper parts of the building, Krakovski found himself standing in the middle of what appeared to be a bioweapons lab. Several workers were about to shout when he raised his rifle. "Don't move!" he ordered. "Or I'll blast your бля brains all over the ground. Marhsals, HAZOP, move in!"

The aforementioned Marshals and HAZOP team members moved in, brandishing handcuffs and scanners. As the CAA Marshals handcuffed the workers in the biolab, one of the HAZOP workers whistled. "Good thing we're all in sealed bodysuits. I'm reading a lot of contagious diseases that are stored here, including a few brain rotting diseases."

"You're kidding, right?" Krasnikov asked. When the HAZOP team members shook their armored heads, he cursed. "ебать! And I thought I'd seen everything. Bag and tag everything you find, then we're going into quarantine. We can't let shit like this spread. It would be a major pandemic. otherwise."

. . .

The SOIEV launching bay for the Infinity was relatively calm, now that most of the ODSTs on the ship had deployed. A few were still present, a few having been recovered and repaired, while most were still at Despatar, waiting to be recovered and put back into service. Chief didn't care much about that, though. All he cared about was getting ready for the mission.

Slipping his rifle into the pod, he asked, "Cortana, do you have a fix on Jyn's location?"

"Affirmative," Cortana said. "She's currently being held in a converted apartment building roughly two clicks from the front lines." A holographic map appeared on Chief's HUD, with the building in question flashing yellow. "Intelligence gathered by my drones and the surveillance cameras inside indicate that she's being held in the basement where the other slaves are being kept at. Geotor is currently on the uppermost level, and he's not too happy."

Chief nodded. He has no one to blame but himself for his current predicament. "Understood. When will the others arrive?"

"Right now," came a voice. To the left, Buck came into view. "Fireteam Osiris is ready to deploy at your command."

"Good." Noting Buck's posture, he asked, "Is all well?"

"Yeah," Buck said. "I just… I'm just not sure if I'm ready to lead Fireteam Osiris. Sure, I've done a lot of good in the past few days, but… I just don't know if I'm command material."

"His records suggest otherwise, as do recent battlefield reports," Cortana told Chief on a private channel. "According to recent combat reports, Buck's done a stellar job in managing Fireteam Osiris. Hell, he even managed to turn a retreat into a major tactical victory when Fireteams Majestic, Wolf and Bailey were being assaulted by numerous anti-armor squads. Something tells me he'd be perfect for the job."

"Indeed," Chief agreed. Throughout this battle, Buck has shown that he commands the respect of his men and his peers, and he has the capability to lead. If he keeps this up, he might make Spartan Commander some day. "Your concerns are noted, Buck. I can say, however, that you've done quite well, if recent reports are any indicator."

Buck snorted. "The reports tend to exaggerate my feats, sir. I'm just trying to survive, like everyone else on this mission. Still, if that's what they say, then I won't argue with them. Doing so would only make me even more of a celebrity than I already am."

Chief nodded. He fully understood Buck's hesitation in that regard. He's a behind-the-scenes sort of person. The kind of man that prefers to get the job done, and to have the glory go to someone else. "Just focus on doing your job, and you'll come out all right. Everything else that happens after that will play out however it does."

Buck shrugged. "Lo que será, será. What will be, will be." He nodded. "All right. How about we get this show on the road?" Advancing to his pod, he quickly stowed his weapons away into it. "Been a long time since I've been in one of these. I never thought I'd say it, but it feels good to drop into hell feet first again."

Cortana smiled. "Once an Helljumper, always an Helljumper."

"Hell yeah."

Chief nodded in agreement as the others arrived. Advancing to a pod, Cal looked inside. "I thought we'd be deploying inside of a dropship," he said. "Is it true that you people really drop down in one of these things?"

"ODSTs and Spartans do it all the time," Cortana said. "I will admit, the earlier M8283 and M8900 SOIEVs were a bit janky by most standards. The new M9407 SOIEV, however, is a whole other animal entirely."

"Thank goodness for that," Buck said. "I'm lucky that I didn't end up digging my own grave."

Cal looked at him in confusion. "Pardon?"

"Ah, sorry. Allow me to explain. With the M8900 and M8283 SOIEVs, while reliable, their air brake system was known to fail occasionally. Most ODSTs refer to that as 'digging your own grave.'"

Cal winced. "Ouch. That must've been rough."

"It was. However, the new M9407s eliminated that problem entirely. When you drop in one of those, you'll always get to where you're going. No ifs, ands or buts."

Cal frowned, then looked at the SOIEV again. "This is not a good idea," he mumbled, before clambering inside of the pod. "You going to be all right, Merrin?"

"Of course," Merrin said. "I have my magick, which should keep me alive if things go wrong. How about BD?" In response to her question, BD came running around the corner, before hopping into the SOIEV that Cal was now getting into. "That answers that."

"Yep." Leaning out of the pod, Cal noticed that one of the pods was different. Unlike the other pods, which were small, blocky one man affairs, this one was curved, sleek and quite large. "Who's using that one?"

"We are," a voice said. Looking towards the entrance, Cal watched as N'tho, Usze and a few other Sangheili walked inside. "It took the UNSC some time to modify their drop bay to accommodate the Breaching Carapace that we will be using to reach the surface. Now, enough idle chatter. It is time to go."

"No need to tell me twice." Making sure he was comfortably inside, Cal watched as the hatch to the pod lowered, sealing him inside. Cameras flickered on, with the faces of those inside of the pods appearing. Before long, everyone was inside of a SOIEV, or a Breaching Carapace when it came to N'tho and his squad.

"Chief?" Cortana asked.

"I have it," Chief said. "Squads, listen up. ONI intelligence, with assistance from Cortana, has confirmed where Jyn Erso is being held at: a converted apartment complex roughly 2.1 clicks from the front lines. Our mission is to drop in and rescue Jyn Erso, while securing the crime lord Geotor.

"Our pods will land roughly 1.2 kilometers from the building that Jyn is being held in. Once we have landed, we will begin making our way to the apartment complex. Fireteam Osiris and N'tho's squad will be accompanying us for this trip. Cal Kestus and Merrin will provide assistance while we make our way to the complex.

"Once we've reached it, we will breach the entrance to the facility and split into three squads. Fireteam Osiris will accompany Blue Team into the structure while Fireteam Bravo secures the entrance to the facility. Cal Kestus will accompany us inside, while Merrin assists Fireteam Bravo in keeping the entrances secure. Understood?"

"Understood," the others said.

"Then prepare yourselves for the drop. We're going in."

The drop pods and breaching carapace shuddered as the loading system quickly deployed them to the launch tubes. "RDML-117, come in please," General Speakman said.

"Go ahead, General."

"Cortana has informed me that we have large scale movements of hostile forces in the area you're dropping into," Speakman said. "Expect increased resistance from hostile combatants in the area. Intel suggests that there's an increased concentration of disruptor sniper teams in the area, along with anti-armor squads. Just sending you a heads up in case you didn't know."

Chief nodded. "Understood. We'll be fine."

"I hope so. It wouldn't do well for me if you got your ass killed. General Speakman over and out."

"Roger that," Chief said. "Cortana, countdown to the launch."

"Affirmative," Cortana said. "Cal, Merrin, you might want to hold onto your lunches. SOIEV and Breaching Carapace launch in three… two… one… now!"

Inside of his pod, Cal could feel the rocket thrusters fire up. The SOIEV began to shake, then it seemed to fairly spurt out of the launching bay and into the atmosphere of Genarius. White clouds whipped past the pod's viewports as it shot down through them and towards the city of Despatar. Feeling something pinch his outfit, he found BD-1 clutching tightly to him feet. "We'll be OK, buddy," he said. "I promise." BD merely beeped back a few times. Keying the COM earpiece he was given, he asked, "Merrin, are you all right?"

"Just… being… bumped around!" Merrin said, her voice shaking in tune with her pod.

"We'll be fine, Merrin. I promise."

"I hope so!" Merrin said. "I've never… had a trip… as bumpy as… this one!" Call merely smiled.

Far ahead of the others, Chief's pod broke through the clouds over the city of Despatar. Looking down, he could see numerous Broadswords, Longswords, Banshees and Seraph fighters conducting fire support for the infantry squads fighting in the city below. Nearby, UNSC ships were engaged in combat against syndicate ships that were trying to dock, eahc one exchanging weapons fire with the UNSC fleet. "Air brakes deploying!" Cortana said. "Mind the bump!"

The pod shuddered as the air brakes deployed. Powerful rockets underneath the pod fired, slowing the SOIEV down until it was within safe levels for human beings. Indicator readings displayed on his HUD showed Chief that all of the pods and the breaching carapace had deployed their own air braking systems. Before long, the tops of buildings whipped past the pod's viewports. Then the pod landed with a crashing THUD. The bottom armor plating crumpled slightly, while the metal ground below it crumpled some more. "Damnit! The door's blocked!"

"Not for long," Chief said. In a blur of motion, he kicked the door to the pod… hard. A loud screech came from the door's hinges, then the entire contraption flew away from Chief with tremendous force. A criminal on the other end only had enough time for his eyes to widen, before the door crushed him under its immense weight, killing said criminal instantly.

"Could we possibly make anymore noise?" Cortana asked. In response, Chief grabbed his MA5D, along with the M41 SPNKr he had stowed away in the pod. "I guess so."

"Update my HUD on the other's landing zones," Chief ordered. Seconds later, several red circles appeared in the plaza they had landed in. Seconds later, all of the SOIEV pods, including the Breaching Carapace, landed hard onto the ground. Doors blew off, with each of the occupants scrambling out.

As the door to his pod blew off, Cal stumbled out, his face looking pale. "Ugh," he grumbled. "That was… unpleasant. Those ODSTs must be crazy to do this."

"It wasn't that bad," Merrin said, having extricated herself from her own pod. "I rather enjoyed it, other than the turbulent trip down, which could've been better. Still, we're alive and in one piece. That's all that counts."

"Agreed," N'tho said. "We must press onward now. Every moment we delay gives the enemy time to react.

"Yep," Buck said. "It's the golden hour now. Rear Admiral, orders?"

"Form up into your fireteams," Chief said. "We'll travel to the target location using any means necessary. Merrin, you'll scout out ahead and soften up any resistance you find. Cal, you'll travel with N'tho's squad and take out any sniper and anti-armor teams you find. Linda, work with N'tho's team and assist them in their goals. Move out!"

All of the squads began to move out, weapons at the ready as they advanced through the seemingly empty streets. "Fireteam Osiris, take point," Chief ordered.

"You got it, boss," Buck said. "Locke, Vale, Tanaka, with me!"

As they moved out, Locke said, "I wonder why Buck was made team leader recently. Don't get me wrong, I won't question the Rear Admiral's orders. I just don't know why Buck has his attention."

"He's showing a lot of promise," Tanaka said. "Didn't ONI give you command of Osiris by doing the same? Besides, Buck's led ODSTs before, and after Mombasa, he was made an officer and a Spartan. Who better to lead than him?"

Locke shrugged. "Fair point. I'm not trying to contest Buck's position. I just want to understand the Rear Admiral's motives. Comes with being from ONI."

"Well, you can have that part of you turned off for the time being. We've got orders, let's carry them out."

"Same here," Vale said.

They continued along the streets in silence for some time, eyes peeled for any signs of trouble. Suddenly, Buck raised a fist and crouched onto a knee. Following suit with the others, Locke asked, "What is it?"

"Enemy forces up ahead!" Buck said. "Looks like a few criminals, one of which… aw hell."

"What is it?"

"One of them looks like a literal walking pig," Buck growled. "Hang on." Keying his COM, he said, "Osiris-1 to Blue Team."

"Go ahead," Chief said. "SitRep?"

"We've got enemy forces up ahead. Looks like a few humans, including what appears to be a pig of some kind. Sending you the images now."

"Receiving them now," Chief said. There was a moment of silence, then he said, "Engage at your discretion, but be wary of the alien. Cortana's intel says that it's a member of the species known as the Gamorreans. They're stronger than human standard, but their intelligence is low. Engage with caution."

"Copy that," Buck said. Closing the COM, he activated the TEAMCOM and said, "Locke, Tanaka, you'll engage the human hostiles. Vale, you're with me. We'll take on piggy wiggy and his compatriot. Understood?"

"You've got it," the others said.

"All right. On the count of three. One… two… three!" The Spartan IVs exploded into motion, rounding the corner and opening fire on the criminals ahead. Two of the six humans immediately went down, bullets tearing through their armor and into their bodies. As the two hostile forces clashed, Buck and Vale immediately targeted the twin Gamorreans in the group.

"You one ugly motherfucker," Buck said as he moved to engage. The Gamorrean merely squealed, then swung an axe directly at him. Buck quickly batted it aside with an armored gauntlet. Chief's right, he thought when he felt the force of the blow. These pigs are really strong. Lashing out with a fist, he delivered a powerful blow to the alien's face.

The Gamorrean staggered as one of it's tusks snapped. Instead of backing down, however, the Gamorrean squealed loudly, then charged at him, singing its axe at him. Stopping the charge as he dodged the axe, Buck's eyes widened when he felt himself slid back an inch or two. Pushing back hard, he delivered a hard jab to its face, then ripped the weapon out of the Gamorrean's hand.

Sliding below another blow, he slashed at the back of its leg, severing tendons and forcing it to a knee, before plunging the axe into the back of the alien's head, killing it instantly.. You're tough, he thought. Unfortunately for you, you're not particularly smart. A good solider is always smart enough to counter his enemy and never uses the same tactic twice.

Nearby, Vale was having a similar fight with the other Gamorrean. Thinking she was easier prey, the porkly alien grunted, then charged in an attempt to tackle her. Vale easily dodged the telegraphed attempt, then rushed in with a knife. There was a loud SSHHNNKK as the hardened blade tore through the alien's poorly armored neck and into its spine, sending the alien to the ground almost instantly.

Nearby, Locke and Tanaka easily had the situation in hand. One of the pirates, pulling out an energy baton, charged at Locke, only for his face to become very well acquainted with the ground a split second later. The other one tried firing a disruptor at Tanaka, only for her to immediately bat the weapon away, before tearing it out of the pirate's hand, breaking all the bones in his hand. The man's howl of agony was cut short when she fired the disruptor, reducing the hostile to a charred skeleton.

Within just fifteen seconds, the fight had ended. Keying his COM, Buck said, "Osiris-1 to Blue Team, targets neutralized. You were right, Chief. Those Gamorreans are fucking tough, but they're as dumb as a box of rocks."

"Affirmative. "Blue team is approaching hostile facility. Merrin, status?"

"One second," Merrin said. Through the COM channel, they could hear a buzzing sound as she dematerialized, then the sounds of combat as she tore through whatever opponents she was facing. "Status is good so far. These pirates do not seem to understand that, when I am unseen, they cannot harm me. Continuing to scout ahead."

Buck shook his head. "That lady creeps me out."

"Why?" Vale asked. "Is it because of her ability to teleport?"

"Yep," Buck said. "I wouldn't be surprised if she used it just to satisfy her curiosity." He shivered at the implications…

Meanwhile, N'tho and the others were quickly moving ahead. Landing on another rooftop, N'tho watched as Cal landed and rolled with the grace of a dancer. His lightsaber was a blur of blue-white light as he deftly deflected blaster and disruptor bolts. One pirate fired a disruptor, only for Cal to perfectly reflect the bolt back at the man. The pirate screamed, then his body disintegrated into ash.

N'tho growled in admiration. "Impressive," he said. "Not many humans possess such skill. You and I will have to spar when we find the time."

"Not many humans have Jedi reflexes," Cal said. "Still, I do find the prospect of a spar with you strangely appealing. There's much we could learn from each other." He stopped for a moment.

"What?"

"Sniper team up ahead," Cal said. "They intend to block Blue Team's progress."

"Then we shall defeat them utterly," Usze said. "Make haste!" Every Sangheili in the group quickly sprinted, while Cal followed behind them. Spotting the sniper team, N'tho and the others opened fire with their plasma weapons.

Criminals and pirates screamed in agony as intensely hot plasma tore through their armor and into their flesh. One pirate, raising his disruptor, fired a shot at N'tho. For a moment, Usze thought that N'tho was going to meet a grisly fate.

Then, to his amazement, N'tho seemed to flow around the bolt, his head and upper body moving so fast that his eyes could barely track him. When another bolt came, N'tho, quick drawing his Energy Sword, slapped it away, whereupon it tore into a crate nearby. Then Cal jumped in, swinging his lightsaber down. The pirate was promptly split in half from head to navel, the two halves of his body falling away. "You all right?" he asked N'tho.

"I am well," N'tho said.

Usze frowned. "How did you dodge that disruptor bolt? You moved so fast I could barely track you, then you slapped another one away with your energy sword. How was that possible? No swordsman I know of, besides the late Bero 'Kusovai, could move with that speed."

N'tho shrugged. "I've always been able to move that quickly for a long time. It's something of a mystery to me, but it's as though I can see the danger coming before it strikes. That is not relevant to our mission right now. We will discuss it at a later time."

While Usze seemed to accept this explanation, Cal frowned. There's no way he could've moved that fast, he thought. Not as a normal Sangheili… unless… Now that I think about it, the glow I sensed on the Infinity is present here as well. I'll have to ask N'tho about it while we spar. I'm seeing all the signs that there's more to him than we think.

. . .

While Cal was pondering N'tho's ability to dodge attacks with seemingly preternatural reflexes, Chief and the rest of Blue Team were quickly making their way through the streets that would lead them to the facility. Vaulting over a pair of crates, Chief slammed his rifle's buttplate into the face of a mercenary, shattering the bones in the man's face. A loud CRACK erupted as the man's neck snapped, killing him instantly.

It was a similar case when it came to the rest of Blue Team. One man howled as Kelly plunged a knife into his chest, then tore it, and a good portion of his lungs, heart and ribs, out. Fred, on the other hand, decided to use brute force, with the Spartan II utterly crushing a mercenary's head with a fist. Keying his COM, Chief said, "Kelly, status?"

There was a loud KRA-THOOM, then a howl of agony as a syndicate sniper fell from his perch, landing on the ground with a wet THUD. "Green," came her reply. "Target rich environment up here. Lots of enemy armor teams ahead. I think the sniper were meant to soften us up, if not eliminate us entirely."

"Understood," Chief said.

"CHIEF!" Cortana shouted. Looking up, Chief watched as a pirate, laughing maniacally, fired a pair of missiles directly at him.

Immediately, the adrenal glands in Chief's body fired up. Adrenaline and a cocktail of other chemicals rushed through his body like a tsunami. His vision sharpened, with objects and other things in the environment appearing to become so sharp that he could cut his finger on them. Time seemed to slow down, with the missile now lazily drifting towards him as though it was flying through molasses. In an instant, Chief had entered a phenomena know simply as 'Spartan Time.'

Moving with superhuman speed and agility, Chief ducked underneath the first missile, the explosive missing his armored helmet by mere millimeters. Bending up, he ran forwards, then slapped the rear of the other missile, redirecting it towards the pirate that had fired them. The pirate only had a second to gawk in shock, before the redirected missile slammed into him, blasting the criminal into hundreds of steaming bits.

Merrin, who had been about to jump in, whistled. "Impressive," she said. "You have Jedi reflexes to move that quickly."

"Spartan Time," Chief said as the effects of the chemical cocktail faded as quickly as they came. "Spartans achieve their full potential in that state."

"I see. I'll have to study this 'Spartan Time' more thoroughly at another time." She promptly dematerialized, before rematerializing a couple hundred meters away.

"That teleporting ability's quite useful," Fred said.

"Wouldn't want it anyways," Kelly said. "I'm already fast enough as it is."

"Enough," Chief said. "Merrin's abilities are unique, but we have to focus on the mission."

On the rooftop ahead, Cal whistled as he watched the fight unfold. "Chief's no Force Sensitive, but he definitely moves like one," he murmured. "Might even give Vader a run for his money."He smiled at the thought…

Eventually, they reached the building that Cortana had found Jyn in. Standing five stories tall, the entire facility was surrounded by a wide courtyard on all sides. A wall surrounded the perimeter, complete with watchtowers and spotlights. Down below, guards milled about on the ground, each one warily watching for any intruders.

By now, the three Fireteams had gathered together, with Linda and the others looking down into the courtyard from a nearby rooftop. "Well fortified, and the guards are paying close attention," Linda noted. "These aren't your typical mercenaries." Spotting one, she noticed something. "That's interesting."

"What?" Chief asked.

"The mercenaries have the symbol of a blue white star with yellow-gold lining on the rays."

"Cortana, can you identify any mercenary units with that symbol?" Chief asked.

"Scanning…" Cortana said. "According to my intelligence, those are mercenaries belonging to the mercenary company known as Nova Force. We should be careful. They're affiliated with the Black Sun crime syndicate, one of the largest and most professional criminal syndicates in the galaxy."

"Understood. Kelly, Usze, you two will target the enemy snipers. N'tho, you, Cal, Buck, Kelly and Tanaka will move in and engage at close range. Fred, Locke, Vale and I will provide cover fire for you. Got it?"

"Yes," N'tho said. "It will be done." While Usze and Linda quickly set up with the Sangheili squad as their guards, Cal and the people Chief assigned to close range combat quickly dropped down. "We will strike when the Demon and Usze terminate the sniper teams," N'tho said.

"On the count of three," Chief said. "One… two… three!" His words had barely escaped his lips when Usze and Linda opened fire. A beam rifle shot split a Nova Force sniper in half, while a 14mm round tore another one in half, sending their bodies tumbling to the ground below.

To their credit, the syndicate mercenaries and thugs didn't panic. Instead, they drew their weapons and took cover, before searching for the source of the gunfire. None of them had any time to react, though, when N'tho and the others slammed into them from the flank.

Dashing forwards, Cal split a pirate in half, before deflecting several blaster bolts back towards their origins. N'tho, favoring speed and brute force, raced forwards and slammed into several mercenaries. His energy sword was a blur as he cut down any mercenary dumb enough to try and attack him. Again, he seemed to flow with preternatural speed around several blaster bolts fired at him, distracting the attackers long enough for Chief and the others to terminate them.

Before long, all hostile attackers in the courtyard had been terminated. "Textbook assault," Fred said as he snapped the neck of a Gamorrean with ease. "Now for the hard part."

"Agreed," Chief said. "Fireteam Bravo, cover the entrance! Fireteam Osiris, clear the upper floors. Blue Team, with me! We're taking the sub-levels and basement!" N'tho and his squad obeyed without hesitation, while the others quickly moved into the building.

"Chief, I've got some intel," Cortana said. "Remember that first group of pirates?"

"Yes."

"Well, apparently, they were sent by the Despatar City Council to take Geotor into custody in order to hand him over. Apparently, Lasky made a bigger impression than we thought. Either way, we were going to get her back and screw over the Despatar City Council at the same time."

"Yes," Chief said. While I can understand their desire to make amends, I cannot tolerate their actions, he thought. They have committed multiple crimes, including accessory to abduction and murder. They won't escape their crimes regardless of what they do.

Moving through the former receptionist area, the two teams reached a pair of elevator doors. Pulling out their magnetic zipline hooks, Chief and Blue Team quickly traveled down, while Cal jumped from wall to wall to follow them. Buck and the others quickly moved up towards the upper floors…

Detaching from his zipline, Buck said, "Shotguns and pistols out, people. Something tells me we're in for a welcoming party. Move in and clear out the rooms."

The Spartan IVs quickly moved in, with Merrin following closely behind. Dematerializing, she popped in and out of various rooms before returning to Buck. "Most of the rooms are empty. One isn't however. I can sense fear and defiance coming from the room up ahead." She pointed towards the door that would take them into the penthouse suite.

"Got it," Buck said. "Everyone, stack up on the door!"

All of the Spartan IVs quickly stacked up. Buck was about to have Tanaka plant explosives when Merrin said, "Wait! I know a technique we can use. Gather around me."

"Sir?" Vale asked.

"Go ahead," Buck said. "I think Merrin's about to do what she did with Cal and Olivia onboard the Infinity. I know how you feel. To be honest, it creeps me out, but it'll give us the shock value we need." Once they were close enough, he said, "Go ahead."

Merrin closed her eyes, then reached out into the Force and deep within herself. Buck watched as the color in the world seemed to leach out, with blacks and greens becoming more prominent, while reds and blues appeared faded. At the same time, he felt oddly detached, like he was an impartial observer watching the entire scene with a quiet interest. His suit's motion detector went crazy, but everything else appeared to operate nominally.

Then his view of the world shifted, revealing the interior of the penthouse suite. It wasn't as large as the ones Buck was familiar with, but it was posh enough to let him know that Geotor wasn't lacking in terms of money. Then the colors returned, and that odd feeling of mental detachment went away.

Inside, the syndicate thugs and mercenaries jumped when they heard loud, ghostly whispering. Whirling around, their eyes went wide and their mouths dropped when they saw Merrin and Fireteam Osiris behind them. The mercenaries dropped their weapons, while the thugs attempted to fire, only for Buck and the others to cut them down.

"Drop your weapons!" Locke thundered. "Do not attempt to resist!"

"Do as the man says!" Merrin said. "Do so, and you may earn your lives."

One of the mercenaries, a tall man with thinning brown hair, dropped his blaster onto the ground. "Boys, stand down!" he said. "The UNSC has won this fight! I'm not willing to die over someone's personal grudge." Raising his hands, he didn't protest as Merrin used her abilities to bind the mercenaries hands.

"Where's your boss?" Buck asked.

"He's not up here," the mercenary said. "He went down to the basement, said something about a 'hostage.' I don't know who he was referring to, but I know enough about that bastard to know that he'll try and weasel out of this situation."

"Copy that," Buck said. Keying his COM, he said. "Chief, Geotor is down in the basement. He might try and take Jyn hostage."

"Understood," Chief said. "Cortana has pinpointed her vital signs. Secure the upper floors and have Fireteam Bravo move in. A Phantom has been rerouted to pick us up when we give the signal. Another ship has deployed ODSTs to secure the local airspace."

"Wilco," Buck said…

Down below, in the building's basements, Chief, Cal and Blue Team moved through the building, weapons aimed and ready. Cal wrinkled his nose. "Ugh! What's that smell?!"

"I've got a feeling we're about to find out," Kelly said. Stacking up on a door, the team breached it. Blaster fire erupted, only for the slavers to be gunned down. Once the fight was over, they looked over what they had come across

Inside of the room were dozens of cages, each one packed full of people of varying species, ages and genders. All of them were caked with filth and blood, and most of them looked emaciated. "Fuck!" Fred growled in a rare moment of profanity. "What the hell were those slavers doing?!"

"Protecting their assets," Linda said coldly.

"Shit," Cal groaned. "Not even animals are treated this badly! Chief, we have to get these people out of here! We can't just leave them to die!"

Chief nodded. "Fred, Linda, open the cages and get the civilians topside. Cal, you, Kelly and I will breach the room past the door." Once they moved to the door, he said, "This is it. Jyn and Geotor are behind this door. Weapons tight unless you are fired upon, but do not hit Geotor or Jyn. We want both of them alive. Understood?"

"Got it," Kelly said.

"Cortana, breach the door!"

"Opening the door in three… two… one… now!" The doors slid open, allowing Chief and the others to move inside. Blaster fire rang out as the thugs and mercenaries in the room attempted to gun them down. Chief and the others responded in kind, slaughtering the mercenaries and thugs while Cal did the same.

In the back of the room stood Geotor and Jyn. Chief frowned when he say Jyn being held hostage, her naked body caked in blood and filth. When he moved forwards, the crime lord held a blaster pistol to her head. "Don't come any closer!" he snarled. "You come closer, she dies!"

Blue Team kept their weapons raised. "You can't run," Cal said. "The UNSC has the entire city blockaded and all entrances sealed off. You've got no more moves. Let Jyn go, and your life might be spared."

Geotor sneered. "Of course you had to bring a Jedi with you. Well, Jedi or not, I'm not letting you have her! I want a ship out of here to the Core Worlds, or I will kill her and every slave in the building!"

"Cortana?" Chief asked.

"I'm detecting radio signals coming from Geotor's implants," Cortana said. "I think he's got nano-explosives implanted into the heads of each slave, Jyn included!"

"Can you disable them?"

"Yes," Cortana said. "Just give me a moment. I can use the radio channels the nano-explosives are using to upload a virus. It should give you the window you need."

"Do it."

"Say what?" Geotor asked. Then, he roared in agony as his cybernetic eye began short circuiting. In his agony, he let go of Jyn, who gave a screech before clobbering him on the head with her bound hands. Rage and hate was written on her face as she began having her rightful vengeance on the man that had tortured and imprisoned her. Blow after blow rained down on Geotor's face, the man howling as his nose was shattered and his cheekbones broken.

Blue Team quickly moved in, binding Geotor while Chief held Jyn back. "Jyn!" Chief said as she struggled against him. "JYN! It's me! You're all right!"

Jyn was about to struggle some more when Cal came over. "Jyn," he said, waving his hand before her. "It's all right. You can stop fighting now. Geotor can't hurt you anymore." The sound of his voice, combined with the comforting words, caused her to stop. Blinking her bloodshot eyes, she looked at Cal. "You can let her go now," Cal said.

Chief released Jyn, who promptly embraced Cal in a tight hug. She sobbed into his shoulder, tears of relief and joy streaming down her face. "Cal!" she sobbed, her entire body quivering. "You came back for me!"

Cal smiled, patted her on the back. "We came back, just as I promised we would."

"Is she all right?" Chief asked Cortana.

"Aside from malnutrition, and the need to get cleaned up, she's fine," Cortana said. "She's got wounds consistent with torture on her body, though. I also recommend that we check her over for any other surprises. I wouldn't be surprised if the pirates had raped her. She'll also need psychiatric help too."

"Well make sure she gets it," Chief said.

"What about the others?" Jyn asked when she stopped sobbing. "Are they…?"

"They're all right," Cal said. "We encountered them before coming here. We've freed them as well. "

"Fireteams Bravo and Osiris, form up on the rooftop," Chief ordered. "Fred?"

"I've got her," Fred said. Jyn hesitated as he came over, then she let him carry her in a fireman's carry.

"I've got Geotor," Kelly said, tossing the unconscious crime lord over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes. "Let's get out of here!"

As they traveled up the elevator shaft and took the stairs to the roof, Jyn felt as though she was at cloud nine as they walked towards the Phantom. I'm free, she thought, joy and happiness suffusing her entire being. For the moment, all the pain and terror she felt seemed like a distant, far off nightmare, a nightmare that had come to an end. I can go home now!

. . .

Onboard the Infinity, Lasky paced around as he waited for news on the status of RDML-117's situation. I hope that he's doing all right, he thought. He is Humanity's hero, but even I'm worried about what he might find down there. I just hope it isn't all that bad.

He was so deep in thought that he jumped when Roland said, "Sir, I've got good news! Chief's found and rescued Jyn!"

It was like the world, which had been inside out, went back to normal. "You sure?" Lasky asked.

"Affirmative," came Chief's voice. "Jyn has been secured, and we are en route to the Infinity. The mission was a complete success."

"And Geotor…?"

"We have him in custody. Once we're onboard, military police will escort him to the brig."

Lasky's slight frown turned into a wide grin. "Nicely done, all of you! We've just completed our first primary objective. Now to complete our second primary objective. Stand by for further orders." Closing the COM, he opened another one and said, "Dr. Halsey, we've got her back, and some interest."

"You did?" Halsey asked. "That's wonderful news! Is Jyn all right?"

"She is, but we're going to be checking her over to be sure. She got beat up pretty badly down there. Sending you a video feed now."

Halsey was silent after the feed was sent. "Those... those monsters!" she hissed. "They threw a shock collar onto her throat, like she was nothing but an animal to them!"

"On top of that, they kept her in filthy conditions!" Olivia, who had also seen the footage, added. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that whoever hurt her like that were subhuman monsters. In fact, they are subhuman monsters just for what they've done!"

"Agreed," Lasky said. "They're just digging themselves into a grave. She'll be onboard shortly, then we're taking her to the medical ward."

"Good," Halsey said. "Lasky, remind those monsters of what happens when the UNSC find them."

"That I will. Lasky out." Closing the COM, he said, "Roland, call the Despatar City Council. It's time for us to make our move."

"Yes, sir," Roland said, his face wearing the biggest grin he ever had.

The holographic images of the Despatar City Council appeared. Most of the councilors now looked more disheveled, with one barely even having gotten sleep. "What do you want now?!" one of them demanded. "You've come into our city, blockaded our planet! What more do you want now!? We'll give you Jyn and Geotor if that'll get you to leave us alone!"

Lasky smiled coldly. "I'm afraid that is no longer an option for you, gentlemen. My operatives have rescued Jyn, taken Geotor captive, and they have eliminated your men as well. As such, I am here to demand your unconditional surrender. Cease fighting immediately, hand over all weapons and technologies to the UNSC. Comply, and we will be occupying your city for an indefinite period of time."

One council member's face blanced. "You can't do that! You may have won this battle, but we will fight on to the bitter end!"

"Is that bravado I hear?" Lasky asked. "Well, since that's the case, allow me to shed some light on your situation. You're outnumbered, outgunned and you have no support coming in from your supposed allies. In fact, I could recall my troops right now and inflict the worst punishment possible upon you."

"And that might be?"

Lasky muted the mike. "Roland, how far away can we detonate a Mark 2556 MFDD HAVOK without EMP'ing the entire city?"

"Around 15 kilometers," Roland said. "The atmospheric composition of Genarius isn't terribly conductive to an nuclear electromagnetic pulse, but I wouldn't take any chances. At that distance, they'll still be able to see and hear the bomb and the overpressure blast won't destroy any residential houses. They'll certainly feel the heat too."

"Understood." Turning to Austen, he said, "Austen, Roland, I'm authorizing the launch of a Mark 2556 MFDD HAVOK. I'm declaring code BANDERSNATCH. Repeat: BANDERSNATCH."

"Affirmative," Austen said. "Roland, did you send the code out?"

"Affirmative," Roland said. "Code BANDERSNATCH has been declared. Targeting solution applied."

Lasky keyed in his authorization code, and the authorization code that HIGHCOM had granted him. Nearby, Captain Conners pulled out a thin piece of plastic from within his coat, with Lasky doing the same. Both men inserted the nuclear launch keys. "Launch keys and codes have been put in. Codes and keys are good. Launch is a go."

"Copy that," Austen said. "Coordinates confirmed. Bomb will detonate roughly 20 klicks away from the city. Launching in five… four… three… two… one… now!" He promptly depressed the firing button.

Outside, a launch tube opened up, with a missile streaking out of it seconds later. Lasky watched as the missile quickly reached top speed as it zipped along towards its target. He looked away towards a video feed. "Detonation in five… four… three… two… one… zero!"

Outside, the skies near Despatar were promptly lit up as the HAVOK detonated in mid air. The blinding white light continued for a second, then faded to reveal a rapidly expanding circle of clouds surrounding a round ball of cloud formed by the nuclear detonation. Seconds later, the shockwave of the bomb reached the city. A loud KRA-THOOM filled the air as the blast wave rushed over the city. Windows shattered, eardrums popped and an intense heat could be felt by all within the city. Electronics briefly fizzled, then returned to normal operation.

Onboard the ship, Lasky could feel the Infinity shake slightly from the nuclear detonation, while the blinding light was blocked out by the auto-darkening viewports. Unmuting the mike, he could hear cries of shock and terror coming from the Despatar City Council. "What was that?!" one of the council members shouted.

"That," Lasky said, "was a 30 megaton clean thermonuclear bomb being detonated just twenty kilometers from your city. I have nearly two hundred thermonculear bombs onboard the ship, each one with enough firepower to literally atomize your city. In fact, I wouldn't even need to atomize your city; the nuclear electromagnetic pulse alone would fry your repulsorlifts and send your city hurtling down past crush depth. Again, I will repeat my ultimatum: surrender now, or I will be forced to withdraw my forces and nuke the city with the nuclear arsenal onboard my ship."

"You wouldn't dare!" one council member whined. "Nukes are for barbarians only!"

"Do you really want to take that chance?" Lasky asked. "Besides, if you think that using nulcear weapons is for barbarians, then why did you have nearly forty nuclear weapons in your arsenal? If anything, it is you that are the barbarians! You that would use them in order to allow your foul criminal enterprise to continue its wretched existence! So, again, I will say it: stand down, or be completely and utterly annihilated. It's your choice."

The looks on the Despatar City Council's face was the eptiome of agonized terror. Finally, one of them said, "ENOUGH! You win, Lasky! We're telling our forces to surrender now! Just don't nuke us!" Keying another HoloCOM, he said, "All forces, this is the Despatar City Council! Cease fire now! The UNSC has won this battle!" Closing the COM, he said, "Are you happy now?!"

Lasky smiled coldly. "Yes. Now, I expect you to keep to your word. If you do not, I'll follow through with my threat. Am I understood?"

"Perfectly."

"Good." Closing the HoloCOM, Lasky sighed and rubbed his face. Finally, after days of fighting, we've won! We've beaten the odds! Keying the COM, he said, "Fleetmistress 'Juran? Did you catch that?"

"I did," 'Juran said. "My enforcers and your CAA Marshals are moving to arrest the remaining criminals as we speak. We have won this battle, Lasky."

"Indeed," Lasky said. "All forces, this is RADM Lasky. Nicely done! Begin securing all enemy assets! The city of Despatar is ours! Begin moving in ground forces to take the city now that they've surrendered!"

"That's not all," Jespersen said. "I'm getting reports all over the fleet that the other city-states of Genarius and Cularin are surrendering to us. We've just taken the system!"

"Excellent!" Lasky said. "Inform HIGHCOM of this development. Cularin is ours!"