1425 hours June 10 2552 (Military Calendar)
Tribute system Casbah docks 122nd Marine Battalion
Corporal Robert hills held on to the base of the M68 Gauss cannon screaming "Firing!" a moment before pulling the trigger. With a metallic clang the half pound tungsten projectile shot out of the barrel before punching a fist sized hole through the Covenant Wraith up ahead,
The entirety of the defensive fleet had left responding to the assault on the nearby world of Troy leaving only a few frigates and corvettes behind to ensure the covenant couldn't land any more troops.
A high pitched scream made him look to the top of a nearby warehouse as a Banshee started to lift off "Banshee four o'clock high, Firing!" He pulled the trigger again sending the small atmospheric fighter spinning out of control. As a flight five longswords escorted a trio of Broadswords in to hammer the last pocket of Covenant ground troops on this continent as far as the 122nd knew.
As he and Michal Dailu cruised in their Gausshog heading towards the sound of heavy fighting a emergency signal came over TACCOM from the UNSC Scorpian a Halberd class Destroyer that had been too badly damaged to redeploy to Troy, it had been left in command of the remaining fleet assets in the system.
"More covenant emerging from slipspace" a pause and the "INCOMING" rang out before the message died at the source.
Pulling a com-pad from his harness Michal looked at the alert "FUUUUUUUUCK" he groaned "Covenant reinforcements nine ships. He gunned the engine running over three grunts who rounded the corner without looking.
"That means Covie reinforcements."Hills says kicking his friend's shoulder "but hey at least all the civies are still in the bunkers."
Michal snorts "that was a …." a pink shard in the neck followed quickly by three more cuts him off as the shards detonate and throw the hog into a wall. Followed quickly my Robert as he flies over the gun and slams back first into the wall laying flat against the wall and the floor on the verge of passing out.
Chittering is the last thing he hears before passing out.
Robert Hills awakes with a start. Looking around and seeing the dozen other people, some in military fatigues and others in civilian clothes in the room with him talking. Rubbing his eyes he looks around and stops at the walls and the floors they were purple all of it was and then he saw the energy barrier instead of bars and cursed
"When did the covenant start taking prisoners?" he said out loud.
"They're not not technically covenant." said a man sitting on the deck, his back against the wall. "Their pirates."
"Pirates? What do you mean?" Robert asked the man "this is a covenant brig and last thing i remember before blacking out was the covenant arriving insystem while the majority of the fleet was deployed."
"Yes the Covenant did not attack the planet you were stationed on." he looked Roger up and down "Marine?" he guessed Robert nodded affirmative and he continued holding his hand out " Lieutenant commander Mathew Reading formerly of the frigate Minotaur."
Roger nodded his head in an informal salute and shook his hand "Corporal Robert Hills 122nd Marine battalion Sir." he paused as the name Minotaur clicked "the same Minotaur that launched Archers in support of a ground operation on Cassino?" he asked, remembering the frigate had come under fire from multiple Covenant Tyrants to flush its pods against not only the guns but also covenant landing zones shields.
"The one and only." he chuckled as Robert tightened his handshake.
"Back to what you were saying, what did you mean these things are pirates?" Robert asked again.
Mathew opened his mouth to answer but the sound of approaching talons on metal stopped him "Just see for yourself."
Mathew looked at the transparent force field just as a double column of six jackals walked up; they were holding a mix of Covenant carbines and plasma pistols and human MA5Bs and Magnums.
As they stopped in front of the force field a purple datapad and began speaking into it a series of hisses squeaks and chirps after a moment the pad spoke in a robotic synthesized voice "Human Navy People Follow Or All Die." the aliens leveled their mix of weapons and the field came down.
After a moment the jackal with the pad raised its human MD6 aiming it at a man wearing bright orange coveralls and pulled the trigger putting a bullet in the man's chest "All Human Navy People Now."
Five of the eleven remaining humans stood to leave as Robert also stood to follow, As soon as the naval personnel and Robert had left the field raised again and the Jackals spoke through the translator "Move."
The humans were led at gunpoint to the hangar of the small CPV heavy corvette where they saw along the way various other humans and aliens doing scut work with Jackals being the only ones with weapons. "The jackals are Pirates using slaves of other species to do the work considered below them." Mathew said nodding at the small purple device on the workers wrist "if they disobey they get shocked if they try to run..boom."
As the transparent forcefield came into view the humans could see the corvette wasn't alone; another corvette Mathew recognized as a Makar class was with them. But what confused him the most was the five human ships in between them.
Mathew with a quick professional glance took in the ships at a glance three Mako class corvettes, a paris and two Charon class frigates. The occasional sparks along the ship's hulls drew his eyes but before he could get a good look. The doors opened to the hanger and he turned to watch as thirty more Jackals entered followed by one on a modified Ghost with a Engineer dragged along by a purple metal chain.
The Jackal on the Ghost started speaking before a much more refined datapad translated for it "I am ship mistress Tau'cha you humans are now my property to do with as i please." To emphasize this she spoke again and the forty Jackals likewise armed with both Covenant and Human weapons raised them towards the assembled humans. Who to their credit did not flinch or try and run stood their ground unwilling to show these bastards fear.
"However." Tau'cha continued as her troops lowered their weapons at a clawed signal "I have need of you so serve or die here."
The humans decided in hushed whispers alternating in German, French and Russian in the hopes that the more advanced pad couldn't understand multiple languages spoken together to translate to play along if at the least they can take a few down with them as they die rather than be gunned down like animals.
Mathew was chosen as a spokesperson as the highest rank among the humans. He stepped forward "very well we will assist as long as we are treated humanely."
"Excellent," she said, "slaves are expensive; however should any one of you try to betray me four will die."
The next week the humans play along waiting for the perfect opportunity to spring their trap picking through the ships remaining networks they learn that the ships had been deployed to several outer colonies and destroyed there in combat the ship's security camera system never stopping so long as the ship had power.
What was witnessed in vastly accelerated form was weeks or even months of the ships being repaired using materials and supplies from more damaged UNSC ships, occasional weapons or other equipment swapped with the shattered remains of covenant warships.
And then a few weeks later during a trip through slipspace to Reach which had finally fallen the eleven pirate ships: two CPV corvettes, two Mako class corvettes, two Charon class frigates, a Paris class frigate, a Diligence class destroyer, and a single massive Covenant origin freighter carrying hundreds of Jackals as well as other pieces of salvage. Suddenly found themselves somewhere they were under attack.
Hey guys i forgot to mention in the last chapter to check the reviews i will star leaving notes down there every now and then instead of dedicating a entire update to answer questions or thank people for reading anyway hope you guys have a great day.