Halo ships have been sized up 2.65 times according to Installation 00's scale corrections
Chapter 1: Contact
July 12th, 2561
UNSC Planet of Charis
The rain drummed heavily upon the humble fishing city of Rozvadze, a modest settlement on the outskirt colony of Charis. Despite its unassuming nature, Rozvadze offered all the necessary amenities for a comfortable life. This backwater planet had flourished in the aftermath of the Great War, with a burgeoning agricultural industry. On this particular night, the city was drenched by a relentless downpour, as a tempest unleashed its fury upon the streets. Amidst the inclement weather, a pair of UNSC Army Troopers dutifully patrolled the city, remaining vigilant for any unforeseen occurrences.
Amid the storm, a group of children clad in rain jackets approached one of the troopers, all of a young age. Recognizing them as the mischievous Kováč kids, notorious for their rowdy nature, the trooper in question, Corporal Cameron Crumb, warmly welcomed their rambunctious behavior. Crumb, himself a parent, found amusement in their lively antics and gladly allowed them to partake in a make-believe soldierly adventure alongside him and his squad. Together they marched in sync. It was a good time, a couple of them got the hang of it.
After some time, the children's father arrived, braving the rain to gather his youngsters for dinner. Expressing his gratitude to the young trooper Crumb, the elder Kováč acknowledged the hyperactivity of his offspring, confessing his uncertainty in handling their boundless energy. Additionally, he extended his appreciation for the trooper's service to the community. Crumb acknowledged the sentiment with a nod and reached out to shake the father's hand, replying, "It's no trouble at all, they seem like good kids."
The father left with his kids as they tugged around. Cam and his squad got to patrolling the block as the cool rain fell. As peace settled upon Crumb, his mind wandered back to the time he enlisted to fight in the war. The catalyst for his decision was the devastating obliteration of Reach, his cherished homeland, where he had grown up and tragically lost his family to the merciless destruction. However, that was many years ago, and he had since channeled his grief into his duties.
After an hour or so a glimmer in the sky caught Cameron's attention. Breaking through the storm clouds, a bright object descended, initially resembling a meteor. As it got closer though, it revealed itself to be a mysterious vessel, bearing no resemblance to anything human or Covenant in origin. It had a hammerhead design in the front. Cam's radio went off.
"All arms, proceed to the Northeast near the 23rd Victory street and remain on high alert. We have a UAP on our way, ETA in 13 minutes" crackled the voice over the radio, urging them into action.
Andromeda Galaxy.
Unknown Space.
BBY 0
For days the Star Destroyer had been chasing down a group of Alderaan Corvettes after the destruction of their home planet. The Ship had a tracker placed upon all Alderaan ships as they left. There was only one ship left. But just as they were about to be eliminated they made a random and dangerous Hyperspace jump. Now the Imperial officers stood in utmost confusion with a strange sight. It was a Ring. A massive ring the size of a planet with life blooming upon it. It seemed so advanced yet so ancient. In between it was a strange black hole. It was unlike anything recorded in the history of the galaxy. Meanwhile, the Corvette they were chasing went inside the black hole and was consumed by the darkness, much to the surprise of the Imperials.
"Admiral Voss!" the young officer yelled, snapping the captain out of his daze.
The Admiral glared at the officer, "Lower your tone officer,"
"My apologies but I'm detecting signals from that Corvette inside the anomaly,"
Voss turned, surprised by the young officer's statement, "They survived!?"
"It would appear so indeed," He replied nervously.
"Then we must follow into the anomaly, we cannot allow them to survive, for their existence is a crime against the order of the Empire! Send word out to my superiors and our location," Admiral Voss commanded.
At his word, all his ships began accelerating into the portal. The tip of his Star Destroyer entered the rift in space-time and soon the entire ship was engulfed in pure blackness as it was followed by the other 2 Destroyers.
Milky Way Galaxy, Above the Planet Charis
July 12th, 2560
Using the remaining power from its thrusters, the damaged Corvette executed a harrowing crash-landing. The hull ignited as the rushing air relentlessly struck against the hurtling vessel. With every passing second, the ground drew nearer, and at a 30-degree angle, the ship plunged into the terrain. The durasteel structure groaned and contorted, displaying signs of distress. Miraculously, everyone onboard emerged alive, at the very least, not dead. Among them was Captain Keissa Embitian, a young Alderaanian woman of twenty-six, who felt immense relief that all had survived the ordeal. She looked around at the carnage. So many were wounded. She too had hit her leg on the bridge. Keissa quickly guided everyone out of the destroyed Corvette.
In the distance, she noticed some kind of land vehicles. Perhaps the Empire had found them. After a while, once the vehicles arrived her fears were put down. While they were soldiers, they weren't Imperial. One of the soldiers, a CPL by the name of Cam, walked up to Keissa introduced himself, and asked if there were any wounded.
Keissa quickly told him their situation. In response to her request, the soldier motioned to his comrades, signaling them to bring forth the Warthogs. Swiftly, the wounded were carefully loaded onto the vehicles, ensuring they received the necessary medical aid as promptly as possible. The remaining members of the crew were then assisted onto the Warthogs, facilitating their transportation to safety. Keissa herself was brought onto the last transport once she was sure everyone was properly taken care of.
The Warthogs and ambulances passed through the city. It was small Keissa had to admit but she could sense a feeling of community on this planet. At last, their destination was ahead of them on the outskirts of the city. A fort of metal and mortar.
UNSC Fort Campbell
Keissa was escorted by two soldiers clad in green until they arrived at an office. The office was simple with a couple of flyers and military awards hanging but nothing else. Sitting in a chair was a man who Keissa assumed to be the commanding officer of this joint.
"I don't know how to thank you," Keissa said.
The man Keissa was talking to was Colonel Ivanov a man in his 40s with a tall build with a small mustache
"You dont need to, but you could explain to us how you got here, this whole thing is of a great question to me," he replied.
"If you wish. We came from the planet of Alderaan. My home. Or at least it used to be until the Empire turned to rubble using some sort of super weapon. I only made it out because I was in the Royal fleet. We flew out when it happened... Turned into a memory by the Empiire's hand," Keissa said, unraveling with each word. Tears forming quickly
"I understand what it's like. To have your home destroyed." Ivanov reassured.
Keissa nodded somberly.
"The horrible thing was they weren't done after there. They made sure to finish the job. One by one any Alderaanian ships escaping were captured and destroyed. I didn't have enough time before they destroyed us so I decided to punch it without any Hyperdrive calculations. We all had a low chance of survival. That's when we found it. A planet-sized ring in space with a strange rift in the middle. I decided to enter when we landed here." She continued
The Colonel's eyebrows perked up at her mention of a ring. He solemnly nodded as he escorted her out.
"Thank you for your testimony, I want to tell you that while you are with us, no harm will come to you and your people, courtesy of the UNSC,"
As Keissa nodded and left escorted by the same troopers. This was interesting he thought. He knew he had to tell ONI about this development. Quickly he sent orders to contact them. As he got back into his chair the local dumb AI, Campbell appeared in the shape of a constantly shifting geometric pattern that never repeated.
"Colonel, I have detected multiple energy signatures matching that of the Corvette," she said in a monotone voice.
Maybe it was more of those refugees, Ivanov thought hopefully.
Milky Way Galaxy BBY 0 July 12th, 2561
From a strange ring in space, a light emerged turning into a portal. From it, 3 Star Destroyers emerged with a swarm of tie fighters. This was an unknown sector the admiral thought. But what also didn't make sense was the position of the stars, which didn't match any known star maps. Still, those matters would have to be resolved later, they still had a Corvette to catch. After a rapid scan, they calculated a secure trajectory towards the Corvette's whereabouts and engaged the hyperdrive.
Exiting hyperspace, the Star Destroyer found itself confronted by a planet. It boasted vast oceans and a rugged terrain, adorned with expansive yellow plains that spanned its surface. Truly, it was a planet steeped in resplendent gold hues. The Imperials observed only a solitary vessel in orbit around this enigmatic planet. It bore a resemblance in terms of size, yet diverged significantly in appearance. Rather unsightly and angular, it bore a shape close to that of a cannon, unlike the sleek elegance exuded by their Star Destroyers. The distance between them and this unidentified faction measured approximately 6880 kilometers.
"Open up our coms," Admiral Voss said to which the crew immediately complied.
"This is the Admiral Voss of the Galactic Empire. Do you read?"
The Coms crackled before the Admiral. "Yes, I read this is Colonel Ivanov of the UNSC,"
"UNSC? I've never heard of them, but onto the point, there has been a Corvette that has landed on your planet. We ask that you provide any information or hand over the sip if you have obtained it."
"Look I haven't seen anything, I think you might be mistaken."
"I think you do know. One does not ignore a Corvette, which according to our signal is right beside that city. Don't try to fool me, we know you're harboring the scum! You will either hand it over alongside any of the passengers, or we will fire. So, make your decision or we will raze you to the ground.!"
The Colonel paused for a second, "Look I'm sure you meant that nicely," he said with honeyed sarcasm, "But we can't give you them, perhaps we can negotiate it."
"Why you! You do not negotiate with the Empire!," he spat in fury.
He began ordering the crew to get within firing range and power their turbo lasers to engage the outnumbered bastards.
"Do not approach us, or we will fire," the Colonel warned.
"Against three Imperial class ships? I think not!"
The Officer turned to the enraged Admiral, "Sir, I am detecting major energy spikes from that ship!"
"At this range!?" yelled the Admiral.
In a little more than 8 seconds the UNSC Paris Class ship Lone Wolf fired. The Star Destroyer to the left of Voss was hit by the heavy Tungsten Rod at a percentage of light. The rod violently flew through the ship with no problem as the ship began to split in half, sending pieces of durasteel flying.
"What was that!?" The Admiral exclaimed.
The officer read his scans, "Sir it appears to be some sort of mass driver,"
The power of the driver amazed the Admiral. Never in the history of the Galaxy had a mass driver destroyed a ship in one fell strike.
"Set thrust at full power!" ordered the Admiral
The Admiral immediately ordered that all ships put up their particle shields, and to send out their fighters. Perhaps they would have a hard time going through these instead. Another impact came which depleted the shields 77% of the way. Within 1-2 more the ship would be obliterated in 30 seconds. They were nearing engagement distance at around 1000km.
"How much time until we're in range?" asked the Admiral.
"About... now!"
All cannons fired upon the ship. The combined turbo lasers' barrage depleted the ship's Covenant-adapted shields to 50% within 30 seconds. To the left, the other ship imploded as a miniature sun emerged and collapsed. The Admiral almost breached his shields when his ship rocked. He had less than 20 seconds to live. The Lone Wolf's shields finally broke under the laser fire but soon another flash of light came and within a few seconds later the great Star Destroyers of the Imperials ceased to exist.
A huge number of Tie Fighters were just arriving at their destination when behind them their capital ship exploded into nothingness.
"Those Kriffing bastards!" One of the pilots cursed.
The tie fighters swarmed the Lone Wolf as point gun defenses launched. The 50mm rounds shredded through the tie fighter's plating. Multiple windows were painted red with blood.
"What the... they're using slugs!?"
The radio chatter was chaotic as the confusion set in. They launched their bombs and retreated as the "slugs" ravaged their ships. The proton bombs tore open the hull sending great chunks flying. In return, multiple archer missiles ended the threat as they destroyed the rest of the fighters.
UNSC Lone Wolf
The entire crew cheered as they took down the last fighter. Still, the captain of the Lone Wolf nodded calmly, not being overtaken by emotion.
"Damage report?" asked the captain
The AI Campbell responded, "Hull integrity 67%,"
"Damn that was close," the captain remarked, "Send a slipstream packet to HQ. They are going to want to hear about this,"
"On it s- energy signature detected; energy signature detected, energy -," she said tone decreasing with every word.
The captain looked through his window. Outside a large armada appeared one by one. The captain's heart sank. The Lone Wolf managed to take out two of them before the turbo lasers barraged the ship. Each shot tore away huge chunks of the Paris Class before it finally exploded in an abrupt violent manner. The Imperials circled Charis. On the ground, everyone watched in fear as these looming arrowhead-like ships flooded the sky entering through the stormy clouds. For moments, they hovered until suddenly heavy green bolts shot out and stuck into the ground, sending large amounts of land to fly into the air, leaving behind massive craters. For every UNSC personnel, an evacuation order was sent. Cameron and Keissa along with the other troopers raced for the nearest Pelican. They were almost there when it blew up after a turbo laser took it out. There were no more crafts left. However, there were still a few Hogs left. Seeing his chance, Cameron took a warthog as the rest of the base crumbled under the bombardment. The Warthog sped off dodging and weaving through the concentrated turbo laser fire.
Only four Warthogs made it out of the bombardment zone. Cameron looked back at the base and the city. Just like Reach, he thought. Up in the air six Tie fighters came down on the Warthogs. Emerald-colored medium-sized bolts passed the Warthogs, a few of them destroying one of the Hogs. Cameron cursed
The trooper quickly turned to Keissa and yelled at her to take the wheel, "Take the wheel!"
Nodding immediately, she switched seats as he quickly mounted the Warthog Turret, yet another Warthog went down. The 12.7x99mm rounds ricocheted at the durasteel before piercing through. The bullets tore open the tie fighter's guts as he slumped over in a bloody mess against his controls causing them to shift left. The fighter crashed into the other in a great ball of fire. The other tie fighter went down as the other surviving Warthog fired its turrets. Immediately the other Hog was taken down in revenge. The bolts shot out in front of their Hog sending it flying. The Tie Fighters sped off from their kill. Underneath the burning wreckage, a man and a woman crawled out of the wreckage. Cam and Keissa began to run but overhead a trooper transport flew over them. The ship quickly landed near them and deployed a regiment of faceless soldiers who immediately apprehended them, quickly digging their faces into the wet mud.
They were shoved into a hovering prisoner transport. There Ivanov's second in command stood, alongside many of the UNSC survivors
"He didn't make it did it?" Cam somberly asked. The second in command nodded slowly. The transport bumped along the scorched dirt as up ahead a quickly built FOB appeared. They made it the outside of the FOB where about 32 UNSC personnel were shoved along in a line to a freshly dug trench. Quickly the Stormtroopers lined up, prepared to fire on them. So, this was it Cam thought. After a few hours, the surviving civilians were brought in to watch the execution. Each of them was shaken by the destruction of their planet and cities. The Stormtrooper shoved the prisoners into a neat little line so that they would land in the trenches properly.
"Any last words, scum?" one of them taunted as he prodded Cameron
"Fuck you," Cam said looking up at the dark black visors.
The Stormtrooper paused in momentary confusion.
"Yah go back to hell ya pansy ass bitches!" an older Irish trooper yelled.
Immediately all of the UNSC soldiers began launching foul curses at the faceless troopers. The Stormtroopers were all confused at these foreign yet clearly insulting words.
Keissa turned to the Stormtrooper, "I think what they mean is die you Fierfe-"
She never got to finish it as the Stormtroopers fired on them. Leaving them with golf ball-sized holes and burns on their bodies. On their corpses, the heavy rain fell onto the Defiant 32. Behind them were the remains of the destroyed city. The fires still raged on despite the downpour. Nothing was left by the Imperials. Only a small burning Church somehow managed to survive.