AN: My muse hasn't been cooperating as far as my ongoing stories are concerned. On the other hand, it did with this story idea - a crossover between the future of my RK stories, and Halo.
Disclaimer: I don't own either of the Halo or Star wars franchises. They belong to their respective creators and/or copyright owners. It is not for sale or rent.
Reunion in Fire
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Prologue: Latchkey baptised in blood
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For thirty years, humanity led by the United Nations Space Command has fought a war against the alien alliance called the Covenant. The Covenant glassed hundreds of colonies and killed billions.
Humanity is losing the war.
This has never been more obvious until now when the Covenant finally tracked UNSC to the fortress world of Reach – the last and greatest human bastion before Earth itself. When, not if, Reach falls, the UNSC would be able to prosecute the war for no more than a year at best, mere three months at worst.
While all available reinforcements race towards Reach, its defenders fight a desperate last stand.
At the same time, a galaxy away, the Federated Empire rises from the ashes of the Clone Wars and the Black Rebellion, slowly rebuilding. There are countless worlds to bring back into the fold, and the specter of a renewed war with the Confederate Remnant is always on the horizon. An uneasy balance between the powers of the Core, Mid-Rim Alliance and rising Mandalorian Freehold threatens to sunder the young nation before it could properly establish itself.
It is at this time, that the last of the Precursors decided to intervene. He would reunite the lost children of Erde-Tyrene, and potentially, plunge two galaxies into the flames of war.
A desperate gamble by Reach's defenders gives the Precursor the perfect opportunity to change the course of history…
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14.08.2552 UNSC Military Callendar/
Long Night of Solace
Reach
Milky Way Galaxy
Jorge watched how Six fell from the hangar, mentally calculating the distance needed to keep him reasonably safe from the blast. For once, it was a good thing that the Covenant ship was so big, otherwise, his fellow Spartan would inevitably land in the middle of the enemy base below.
Jorge pressed the button on the detonator. There was laughter and light. Time stretched and twisted, everything becoming blue, then impossibly white.
That wasn't how Jorge imagined dying. Blinking away white spots certainly wasn't it. Feeling static electricity zap all over him wasn't it either.
A thunderclap brought the world back into focus. Jorge was still on the edge of the hangar, watching out. Instead of Reach's wilderness, he was looking at an immense, unfamiliar megacity. Lights blinked out as far as he could see, and countless shuttles lost control, spinning towards fiery dearth. He quickly glanced down, but instead of seeing Six still falling, Jorge stared at a ravaged semi-circle going for as far as his eyes could see. It was as if someone took an immense spoon and used it to scoop a huge chunk of the city below, replacing it with parts of Reach. With the Covenant base, which hid the carrier until the Spartans took out enough of those cloaking and jamming devices.
"What the hell?!" Jorge spat. This wasn't supposed to happen!
Unfamiliar sirens roared to life all around the strange city. The Spartan looked up and saw the edge of what could only be the largest Slipspace portal he had ever seen. He blinked owlishly at it, then turned around to look at where the Slipspace drive was supposed to be.
The rear of the Pelican was gone. It was burned off, alongside a spherical part of the deck. The devastation merely stopped a meter away from Jorge.
For a moment, he was lost both for words and ideas on what to do.
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3 AIF (After Imperial Founding)/
14.08.2552 UNSC Military Callendar/
Senate Chambers
Senate Building
Reach
Milky Way Galaxy
Obi-Wan stood in one of the access corridors leading into the Senate Chamber, quietly watching Satine give a fiery speech in defense of the Empire's perspective constitution. All his warning that something went wrong was a sudden disturbance in the Force, one accompanied by shock and anger.
Light and unknown energies washed over, and through the Senate, giving Kenobi only a moment to instinctively shield himself with the Force. He could hear a peal of distant, inhuman laughter and satisfaction. The Force itself shacking with sudden fury. The building shook for what felt like an eternity. All Obi-Wan wanted to do was to run to Satine's side, yet he found himself unable to move for a moment that lasted an eternity.
Then, as suddenly as it began, the phenomena broke. Obi-Wan dashed forward, still blinking light off his eyes, letting the Force guide him. He could hear Cody shout behind him before the wail of sirens drowned his voice.
The Jedi jumped off the edge of the corridor leading to this level of the Chamber, using the Force for an impossible leap that unerringly led him to Satine's pod. The first thing Obi-Wan saw when his eyesight began to clear was his wife's intricately braided hair and the shocked expression of one of her aides.
"We need to move. Something is wrong." Obi-Wan stated the obvious just as the Senate's lights blinked off, only to be replaced with emergency lighting a second later.
Kenobi jumped into the pod from its edge and hugged Satine from behind while using the Force to guide the platform back to Cody and the waiting security detail.
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A few kilometers from the Senate building, on a plaza created after one of the battles Coruscant had to endure, the GAR built a military base meant to act as the first line of defense for the Senate. As soon as the light show ended, and people could see, alarms roared to life.
Quick reaction forces standing at alert status for any kind of an unanticipated disaster were the first to react. Troopers and pilots jumped away from tables where they waited, did necessary paperwork, or played card games. They raced toward waiting transports, fighters, and mobile armors, all securely hidden under armored and shielded hangars.
Outside, groups of soldiers out for an evening run before dinner and some time off shook themselves from the light show. Some of them gaped at the glimmering portal above what used to be the Senate building and the super capital ship hanging below it. That lasted until Sergeants and the odd Officer barked orders, and everyone raced towards the nearest armory.
At the same time, in orbit, Fleet Admiral Coburn, the CO of Coruscant's Home Fleet, wasted a few precious seconds staring at the incursion that bypassed his fleet. His mind raced with the implications of potentially losing the Senate, and the Imperial family in one fell swoop.
"Set Condition One throughout the fleet." The old human snapped. "Deploy quick reaction forces to contain this incursion. Securing Republica 500 and the heir to the throne is of absolute priority! Activate the Black Channel. Contingencies Crownfall, Fell Strike, and Maverik are in effect. As per the Emperor and Empres's final orders, General Veil is now Acting Supreme Commander of all Imperial Forces." Coburn closed his eyes for a moment, imagining the kriff-storm coming. "Contact Mandalore and inform the Regent of his new status. Get our local forces to secure the persons of the designated Regency Council. Someone inform Fleet Admiral Tarkin that he is now Grand Moff and leader of the Regency Council."
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Bridge
Long Night of Solace
Coruscant
Corcusca Galaxy
Rho 'Barutamee blinked away divine light and looked around. Some of his crew were on their knees, praying, while others looked around in confusion. Various stations beeped in warning, while no one paid attention.
"Back to your stations!" The Shangrelli Fleetmaster ordered. "Give me a status report! What happened!"
"Fleetmaster, you need to see this!" One of the Sensor operators exclaimed. "There is a Slipspace portal above us! We're no longer above the same world if my sensors are correct, yet most of the forces we deployed are below us, alongside… part of a mountain?" The Shangrelli trailed off in disbelief.
Rho 'Barutamee focused on his command console and called data from the sensors, having it displayed in front of him. He could see much of the forces his ship deployed to the human world of Reach, where they were supposed to be – below the supercarrier. Cameras, IFFs, and all kinds of assorted sensors confirmed their location. The ground they were deployed was the same, alongside a severed chunk of a mountain they used as an additional cover and defensive terrain just in case.
Everything else the sensors displayed was wrong. They were in the middle of an incredibly large city, stretching as far as sensors and cameras could see.
"Shipmaster, there the Luminaries detect relics nearby! Sensors show many humans as well, alongside unknown aliens!" A second Sensor Operator reported.
Sensor feeds showed a large nearby building with at least three brightly shining relics inside. At the same time, cameras focused on the locals, and indeed many of them were Humans. There were all kinds of unfamiliar aliens running around as well.
"Secure the Relics! Kill the humans and anyone who aids them. Otherwise, ignore the local aliens. Send a ship through the portal and contact the rest of the fleet." Rho 'Barutamee reluctantly ordered.
Like it or not, he didn't have the forces to take or burn two worlds as defended as Reach. From what he already saw of this one, it was only a matter of time before heavy enemy resistance materialized. He needed to seize the precious relics and get away. The reinforcing fleets could then deal with the Human presence, while he returned to High Charity with the real prizes!
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Chapter 1 Part 1
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3 AIF (After Imperial Founding)/
14.08.2552 UNSC Military Callendar/
Senate Building
Reach
Milky Way Galaxy
Obi-Wan walked into one of the infirmary stations spread out throughout the Senate, a new feature incorporated after its rebuilt during the late Clone Wars. He had an uninvited guest to speak with, in order to hopefully find answers. It wasn't every day a huge blue portal appeared in the sky and transported a chunk of Coruscant to an unknown world. At the same time, it wasn't every day someone fell on top of the Senate Building through said portal, and presumably kilometers of height, then survived, if knocked unconscious of the impact.
The Emperor waited for the security at the door to confirm his identity, nodding in appreciation of their professionalism, even if the brief waste of time was frustrating.
"Sir, we have confirmation – the theater shield is operational and will stay that way for no less than two days if we're attacked. We have power reserves for about a week or so for the auxiliary generators, close to a month accounting for what we have available in Aegis base. The same can't be said for the surrounding buildings. We've got close to a hundred thousand civilians, most of them working government jobs in the affected area. Coruscant security forces and military personnel has so far been keeping order, but that might not last…" Cody trailed off.
"We still can't punch a signal through that portal?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Negative, sir. So far, the CAP has been staying away from it. They keep detecting odd power spikes in orbit. There have been hundreds of them since the initial interference of the event cleared up. We can detect no familiar frequencies or chatter in the air. What the military can get is using odd frequencies and encryption. Aegis' CO has his available specialists working on it."
"Get a droid-controlled craft through that portal, and call for help if it leads back to Coruscant. If not, we need to know where it leads." Obi-Wan ordered, then finally entered the small, state-of-the-art medical center.
The place was currently cramped. A pair of Medical Droids were busy treating a large middle-aged human, who wore an odd suit of light power armor.
A Doctor and a couple of nurses studied a holographic image of what had to be the stranger's insides. Obi-Wan didn't need to be a healer or medic to recognize the signs of heavy cybernetic enhancements.
A squad of infantry watched their guest like hungry birds of prey, making the decent-sized facility feel particularly cramped.
"Doctor, what can you tell me about our guest? When can we talk with him?"
"He has a significant level of cybernetic and genetic augmentation, similar to what we're offering our special forces, and otherwise cripples soldiers. From what we can see, the surgeries he had been subjected to were crude but effective. Sir, if I was a betting woman," The Twi'lek female turned to look at Obi-Wan, "I would say we might be looking at what inspired our research. These procedures were done before we gathered all the pieces and began enhancing volunteers en masse, and in a crude way too."
"And you know this, how Doctor?" Obi-Wan inquired.
"Before retiring to this cozy position from the military, I used to patch up and enhance our soldiers during the war. Most of my colleagues working in the Senate, or designated to put you back together are veterans with the necessary clearance and experience." The red-skinned woman dryly explained. "As for waking him up? If I administer stimulants, he'll be up soon. He's practically asleep now after being knocked out by the shock of the fall. His armor had decent kinetic shields that absorbed some of the impacts. It was also locked and has a very interesting gel layer that spread and diminished the impact, keeping the user alive. In that regard, it's similar to the latest models of power armor I've seen before I retired from the military. What's odd is the outer hard layer – it's made of a curious titanium alloy, decidedly inferior to what we've been using for a long time in high-end armors. For anything else, you'll need a proper facility and specialists to look it over."
"That's good to know, Doctor. Now, please awake our guest and keep out of the way if he turns out to be a fussy patient."
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Republica 500
Coruscant
Corcusca Galaxy
Anakin blinked off white spots and stared at the glowing blue portal above where the Senate Building used to be. Where Padme no longer was. He could see a huge purple form stretching for kilometers towards the horizon, illuminated by an odd blue glow. Below, a molten semi-circle marked the boundary where Coruscant's metal landscape ended, to be replaced by settling down shattered rock. The distance was just enough for Anakin to recognize odd glowing alien structures nested under a sundered part of a mountain that wasn't there moments ago.
Sirens roared to life, even as whole areas of Coruscant lost power and went dark. In places, emergency generators or reactors came online. That was true for Republica 500, too, though Skywalker only noted it when the room's lights came shining back with a vengeance.
The Imperial Knight idly noted the security detail that remained outside storm in, sweeping the apartment for hostiles. Leia's hasp finally broke the spell, and he looked away from the window.
His daughter was on the floor, sitting on a thick carpet with her best friend, Obi-Wan's little girl.
"Lady Veil, Knight Kenobi, we need to get o a secure location now!"
"Hold on, little one." The Mandalorian woman surged to her feet, holding her niece in a tight grip.
"We aren't taking flight in the range of that thing." Anakin pointed back to the window. "There is a rail station right beside the building. We're taking it until it's safe to get airborne."
The piercing wail of sirens washed over the building, clearly heard even with its excellent sound tampering.
"We've got incoming!" One of the troopers shouted. He had taken position near the window and was busy observing the purple craft outside. "Whoever they are, they're heading right at us!"
"We're displacing, now." Bo-Katan declared.
"Right," Anakin nodded. "Pooja, carry Leia." He addressed one of Padme's Naboo attendants, doubling down as a babysitter these days.
The demure young woman wasted no time and scooped Leia up. Moments later they were on the way out, surrounded by a wall of Imperial Guardsmen.
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near the border of the event
Coruscant
Corcusca Galaxy
"It's the Droids! They've come to murder us all! The night is high! Repent!" A shabby-dressed Duros fell to his knees, openly weeping at the newest calamity to strike Coruscant.
All kinds of air vehicles fell from the sky in the wake of the event, crashing into buildings and walkways. People screamed as shards of hot metal and shattered glass rained from above.
A few people here and there simply stared at the changing landscape where the Senate used to be. Yet, most people wasted no time and tried to get away, even as sirens announced the unfolding disaster for everyone to hear.
Sounds similar, yet different to repulsors came from the rocky ground that replaced many square kilometers of Coruscant's top level. Odd, purple vehicles surged forth, followed by hordes of unfamiliar aliens. Prongs-shaped drop ships took to the sky, escorted by strange-looking small craft.
More importantly, the huge capital ship hanging above where the Senate Building used to be, opened fire with blinding lasers. Its weapons scythed out of the sky any air transport that survived the event or had the good fortune to be outside its area of effect.
Here and there, members of Coruscant's Security Services tried to lead the panicking crowds away from the disaster, while screaming in their comms for backup. Howling pink craft descended, raining blue plasma upon the scattering civilians. Behind them, the odd-shaped transports added their firepower, using turrets, or what resembled shielded repeating blasters mounted to the sides.
For the first time since the end of the Clone Wars, Coruscant burned.