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Chapter 11

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Part 3

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Seeker of Truth

staging area Resolution
Milky Way Galaxy

The Fleet of Particular Justice left Slipspace in a carefully choreographed transition. They were in battle formation, with light ships forming protective shells around the core of battlecruisers that were the heart of Thel'Vadam's command, which in turn protected his assault carrier.

The tall Sangheili stood relaxed in the middle of the bridge, placidly observing the work of his warriors. He was happy that the fleet's brief refit and resupply period did nothing to impact their effectiveness.

"Fleetmaster, we are being hailed," A Major standing near the primary communication's console crisply reported after the Minor stationed at it spoke quietly to him.

Thel'Vadam was reasonably certain the news was going to be good. His fleet would be required to aid in securing relics or redirected towards a new target. That was the purpose of this stop – to receive up-to-date intelligence and, if necessary, to shift to new targets instead of wasting time visiting already purged human worlds.

"Redirect the call to me, Major," the Fleetmaster nodded.

Before him, the holographic feed from the sensor arrays shifted and reformed in the holy image of the Prophet of Mercy. Authentication codes streamed around the visage of the holy one, confirming this was a legitimate message he was receiving and not a direct conversation.

"Supreme Commander Thel'Vadam, we have orders for you. Unforeseen developments and grave misjudgment by Kantar'Utaralee and Rho'Barutamee," The holy Prophet spat the names like curses, "have plunged us into a war with an alien alliance. By the time you receive this message, all Covenant forces assaulting the human world of Reach have been destroyed or forced to retreat. We also lost many valiant warriors and ships purging yet another human world due to the intervention of this new faction," The Prophet's gaze stared right into Thel'Vadam's soul as if judging his worth. "Your orders are simple, Supreme Commander. You will take your fleet to the human world of New Jerusalem and attempt to open contact with the interlopers. If at all possible, you are to convince them that the humans among them are heretics whose lives are forfeit. We have no quarrel with any other species in that alliance. If they have the wisdom to stand down and abandon the heretics to their fate, we will spare them and enlighten them in the fullness of time. If not, let them all understand that the human extinction is the will of the Gods, and we are their instrument!"

Mercy's voice carried over the deadly silent bridge. The Prophet huffed and leaned back into his floating chair.

"If those aliens prove foolish enough to stand with the humans, your orders are simple. Test their mettle and return to the staging ground with information about their capabilities. There you will await the arrival of the Righteous Vigilance and Holy Respite fleets, which will fall under your command alongside all Covenant forces currently deployed to human space. You will gather them into a mighty cleansing sword and use them to secure the human world of Reach and the portal there. All currently available information on the alien alliance is attached to this message. May the Gods illuminate your path, Supreme Commander."

The image of the holy one flickered out, only to be replaced by sensor logs and attached analysis of all engagement between the Covenant and the new threat.

"Contact High Charity and inform the Prophets that we have received their orders and will do our utmost to carry them out!" Thel'Vadam snapped his jaws closed. "Contact the garrison force and inquire if there are any further developments we must be aware of! Helm plot us a course for the human system containing New Jerusalem. We will leave Slipspace on the system's edge and send scouts first…" The Supreme Commander trailed off as he watched sensor logs showing Covenant ships burn. "Major, inform the Prophet of Stewardship of the situation. Humbly request an audience with him," While Thel'Vadam had no illusions about the Prophet receiving a message of his own, it was better not to make assumptions.

Besides, they had to discuss how to best approach the alien alliance. Then it would fall upon Stewardship to negotiate and attempt to avoid a pointless war.

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Unyielding Hierophant
Ealen System
Milky Way galaxy

Jiralhanae Chieftains stood in a semi-circle within the temple-like command center of the mobile station. Most of them were softly glowing holograms, present through highly encrypted communication channels.

Before them towered Mercy's figure, who was busy addressing the Covenant as a whole. Besides the massive hologram stood another, much smaller one, who was occasionally nodding at his colleague's words.

"We are facing a test from the Gods!" Mercy declared. "Our valiant warriors have encountered an alien alliance sheltering human heretics who desecrate Forerunner relics! This can not stand! They have murdered thousands of our warriors and destroyed dozens of our ships in a misguided attempt to shield the heretics. The Fleet of Particular Justice is now racing to confront this self-proclaimed Federated Empire and show them the light of the Gods. Despite their transgressions, we are ready to offer our hand in friendship and show them the way to the Great Journey, for we are the Covenant, the enlightened instruments of the Gods themselves!" Mercy paused, and his eyes blazed with determination.

"Yet, if they persist in sheltering the heretics in their abhorrent desecration of holy relics, we will have no choice but to cleanse them from the universe's face! We now have a most holy task in front of us! It is for the Federated Empire to decide if they will join us as friends under the light of the Gods in the Tenth Age of Reclamation or if we will enter a new Age of Conflict! No matter what those aliens will choose, one thing is certain! The human heretics have desecrated the legacy of the Gods for too long! It is time for the Covenant to go to war and end all heresy once and for all! Only then can we be rewarded for our piety and embrace the Great Journey!"

"Mercy is correct," Truth announced as soon as the proclamation to the whole Covenant ended. "It matters not what these new aliens choose to do. It is high time we ended the humans once and for all. This is an opportunity for all Jiralhanae in light of the Sangheili's recent failures. Suppose Supreme Commander Tiel'Vadame fails to convince the Empire to shed itself of its human corruption. In that case, we shall cleanse them all in holy fire. They will stand aside and leave us to do our holy duty if they see reason. Either way, you are going to be our sword! Gather your clans, Chieftains! Soon, you will strike at Reach, secure the relics there, and burn the heresy away! If necessary, you will crush the Empire and show them the truth of the Covenant, that we are the Gods' chosen instruments!"

Ten of the most powerful and influential Jiralhanae Chieftains roared as one.

Truth smiled benevolently at them, and his image dissolved to be replaced by the Covenant's emblem.

The Jiralhanae Chieftains looked at each other and began discussing what forces they could gather in the coming days and who would have the honor and privilege of proving their kind's superiority in front of the Prophets and in the eyes of their Gods.

Meanwhile, countless transports kept streaming from and to the Unyielding Hierophant. On the way down, they carried industrial equipment needed to finish the latest expansion of the refineries and storage facilities upon Ealen IV. Those returning brought back plasma required both for the factories on board the massive station and as ammunition for the war effort. Refined metals and ore ready for processing flowed from dispersed mines built all over the system, exploiting any viable resource concentration. In return, the transports brought fresh rations and spare parts. More than a few ships brought parts of the mining crews and their security to relax and pray on the extensive facilities built into the support station.

At the same time, more and more ships arrived in the system. Some were from battle groups scouting human space for targets. Others were recalled reinforcements, initially meant for the assault on Reach. The first fleets not taking part in the pacification of the humans were already mobilizing, with advance parties en route to scout paths and locations for logistic bases.

For the first time in Ages, the Covenant as a whole was mobilizing for war.

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Part 4

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CASDS(Corellian Alliance System Defense Ship) Liberation

high orbit above Corellia

Corellian system

Corcusca galaxy

Cold water splashed over Jole's face, ensuring he quickly became fully awake and alert. He groaned at the harsh, self-inflicted treatment. The bite of the cold water flowing over his body was proof enough that he was no longer dreaming, and with that came an unwelcome realization.

The last few days were not a deranged nightmare caused by all he had experienced during the war.

That insanity was over. Jole didn't have to see more worlds burn. He didn't have to send good people to die far from home again and again. Yet, he had no illusions about the peace they all enjoyed. It was a fragile, precious thing that couldn't last. The Confederacy was still around, even if it was a pale shadow of its former glory. The Federated Empire was no different compared to the Republic at its height.

Jole pressed a button, and the cold water quickly warmed up, filling the fresher with steam. He knew the peace wouldn't last, and his home might be in danger again. That was one of the primary reasons why Jole didn't retire from the military after the war officially ended and instead accepted a post as an instructor in one of Corellia's most prestigious military academies. He couldn't watch Corellia burn again and would do everything he could to prevent it. He vowed so years ago while a Droid army turned Coronet City into a battlefield.

Nevertheless, part of Jole hoped that he would never again find himself as a front-line commander, even if he felt conflicted at the very thought. A part of him hoped the war would not reignite until he had retired for good and would be too old to be called back. At the same time, the last thing Jole wanted was to leave the conflict unresolved, so Han would need to finish it when his boy grew up. Seven Hells, his son was already eager to join the military when he graduated!

Jole shut down the shower and tried to push those treacherous thoughts away. War air buffered him, ensuring he would get rapidly dry. That was a luxurious feature that no wartime-built ship could offer. The Liberation was different. She was built to last, with the space for upgrades over its projected years of service. Creature comforts were essential to keep morale up and help retain highly qualified personnel when the civilian market and reconstruction efforts across the galaxy were ravenous for workers, ready to pay premium wages to get them. Sadly, that would likely not be a problem now. Jole grimaced at the reminder of what happened on Coruscant. The confirmed casualties were close to a billion, with hundreds of millions confirmed dead.

The Imperial military and system defense forces would not have an issue finding willing volunteers after such an atrocity. The only question would be how many of those people would have to die before the madness ended this time.

For Jole, the more important question was how many people he would have to order to their deaths this time around, and wasn't that a kriffed-up thing to do for a former small-time freighter captain.

He left the fresher wide awake and in a morose mood. His uniform was where he had left it, waiting on the rather large, very comfortable bed dominating his quarters. That was yet another mocking reminder that no matter how much things changed, war was again here and ready to ravenous devour countless people.

Jole donned his uniform and made sure his rank insignia and the tabs signifying his rewards and credentials as a commander were in their place. He spent a few moments ensuring that he had his head on straight and left checked if he had received any new messages before heading for the nearby flag bridge. The usual administrative updates scrolled down the computer screen built into his desk. Jole wasn't surprised by the lack of high-priority missives. They were set to trigger a loud enough alarm he couldn't miss.

Most importantly, he had a brief message from Kashyyyk, where Han and Traaw were on vacation. He was supposed to join them in a few days. That was, of course, before the butchery on Coruscant and the new war.

Due to the state of the holonet across the galaxy after the Clone Wars, even someone with his rank and money to burn if needed couldn't get real-time communications with Kashyyk from Corellia without paying cutthroat fees. Well, not for a personal matter, but instead of an official government or military one. The brief video messages he could reasonably get away with were more bandwidth than trillions could dream for nowadays.

Security scans and decompression took tedious long seconds before Jole could see his son and old friend. Han's bright smile appeared on the screen, next to the shaggy mane of Traaw.

"Dad, I hope you are all right! It's great out here!" Han babbled excitedly."Of course, I am staying out of trouble!" The teen grumbled after Traaw's rumbling roar interrupted him. "We got to see one of the Trandoshan expeditions preparing to go to a Hunt to the Shadowlands!"

To this day, Jole didn't know what space magic the Sith used to convince the Trandoshans to stop raiding Kashyyk and hunt Wookies to get ahead in front of their goddess, but instead, pay for the privilege to go hunt in the many deadly regions of the Wookie's homeworld. However, he could make an educated guess – that happened shortly after Bothawui, and everyone was taking Veil deadly seriously once the news broke across the galaxy.

On the bright side, the new arrangement worked great for anyone but the Confederacy, who faced many Wookie and Trandoshan heavy infantry later in the war. It worked even better for the countless people saved from rogue murderous droids by such units.

Traaw confirmed they saw a real spectacle consisting of ritual preparation for a hunt by a large group of Trandoshan warriors. The best thing was that Han now looked as animated and almost carefree as he was before the Confederacy invaded Corellia, and he ended up cut off in Coronet City for months.

Recalling those days dampened Jole's joy at hearing from his son and best friend. Seeing Han's joy drain off his face didn't help.

"They decided that given what happened, it would be better hunting those Covenant bastards!" Han pumped a fist in the air. "We will watch a parade of Wookie volunteers heading for Coruscant later today! I wish you were here, Dad," Han sighed before perking up. "Give them hell, Dad! I know they'll send you to stop those things from attacking again!"

The short message ended with Traaw promising to get Han back home to Corellia safely and ensure that the boy remained that way this time.

Not for the first time, Jole Solo wasn't sure if he should be proud of his adopted son or wonder where he went wrong as a parent. Even a few years ago, he could credibly blame most things on Han's misspent early years and the crowd he ended up with. Nowadays? Not so much. He could still blame himself, and that never sufficiently damned Clone Wars, so there was that.

Eventually, Jole gathered his thoughts, put forth his best professional expression, and marched out of his quarters. He soon reached the Flag Bridge, where part of his staff was hard at work.

"Admiral on deck!" Declared the security detail stationed in the compartment.

"Carry on," Jole spoke in his Captain's voice.

Before the Black Rebellion, even at the height of the Clone Wars, it would be rare to find constant, fully kitted security details in every vital compartment on a warship. After the hell those insane Droids unleashed upon the galaxy, Jole was glad that nowadays he could move through his flagship without at least two squads of infantry trailing him everywhere. He was also delighted to be able to go to the fresher without power-armored soldiers checking it first for nasty surprises every damned time.

"Update me on the fleet's status," Jole addressed his Operation Officer.

"We're at sixty percent, Admiral. The most important change from last night is the arrival of the rest of our supply ships. Logistics are finally green across the board. The rest of our assigned ships should have their crews fully recalled and ready for deployment by tomorrow afternoon. In that regard, the schedule remains unchanged."

And wasn't that a surprise? From what he could gather about the Empire-wide mobilization, in some cases, the plans were significantly more optimistic than reality allowed. However, in others, the required mobilization speed did prove conservative. So far, they were within their expected parameters in the Corellian system. It remained to be seen if that would change, and if so, for the better or worse.

Jole looked at the main holotank, which displayed the local space. Three of his four fleet carriers were in position, surrounded by cruiser squadrons and escorts. Unfortunately, he didn't have any of the big Corellian cruisers. They were Corellia's answer to Kuat's love affair with super capitals. Considering that monster of a ship that attacked Coruscant first, they would need battlecruisers and star dreadnoughts to even the odds.

Relying on Kuat after the bastards hung them to dry during the Confederacy's Grand Offensive stung Jole's Corellian pride. Unfortunately, the Corellian Engineering Corporation could only rebuild that capacity recently, and they were yet to lay down the first new super capital. Instead, they were busy with the handful of survivors from the war, which were now in deep overhaul and upgrade cycles. Before the new war, they were expected to lay down the new Freedom early next year.

Realistically, the war would end before she and her sister ships were ready. Who knew, they might come online just in time to deal with the Confederacy once and for all…