Remnants

by General Rage

From Halo's ashes, a mismatched Alliance is born. UNSC soldiers now serve alongside both Batarian deserters and shifty Jackal Space Pirates. Now Shepard and Master Chief have to keep these strange bedfellows from killing one another before they can stop an emergent new threat to the galaxy. The Next Swashbuckling Chapter of the Wormhole Chronicles.

53. Fortune & Glory

Chapter 47: Fortune and Glory

Goonies Never Say Die!

-Mikey Walsh

Snarlbeak stomped through his ship's bowels, foam at the sides of his beak, burning blood raging in his eyes. To come so close to finally achieving a goal he'd been seeking for decades, only for it to be usurped from him at the last second by a stupid little upstart. He wasn't about to let that stand. His crew avoided his gaze as he marched past them, his destination clear and ever present. He didn't even calm himself before entering the Reactor Room, pulling his energy cutlass out as the doors opened at the behest of the intruder. His murderous gaze immediately landed on Zek at the far end of the walkway, near the core itself.

Zek, by contrast, was cool and collected. There was nor a sign of quaking fear, no sense of smug bravado. His gaze was steely, most uncommon for someone Snarlbeak only knew as the miserable drunken shadow of Dread Feather. Despite his biting insults and taunts over the comm just a few minutes ago, Zek did not appear provocative. He stood at attention instead, the Astral Cutlass in his hand as he stared Snarlbeak down. He was not here to play, he was here to win. Too much was riding on this to act a fool now.

For his part, Snarlbeak didn't seem to care. Without even missing a beat, he began unloading a torrent of bile from his beak, meant to cut as deep into Zek as possible. His rage pouring out over the insult that Zek of all pirates could make a fool out of him. That this idiot had somehow wormed his way back into this race. Such an insult could not stand.

"You little shit, you really just don't know when to give up, do you?" Zhoc spat, his blade waving pointedly at Zek's direction. "Just like your stupid father, never could understand his limitations! It's what got him killed and it's gonna get you killed!"

Zek said nothing, retaining his fighting stance.

"What do you think you're going to accomplish here anyway?" Zhoc demanded to know with a derisive laugh. "You think those hags on their gilded thrones are going to listen to you? That you can lay claim to that sword and suddenly everyone is going to respect you? No, Zek, no one is ever going to respect you. You're a failed, unwanted son of an even bigger screwup who let his own stupid dreams lead him to his death, and everyone knows it."

Zek still said nothing, his expression unmoved.

"You don't deserve to hold that blade," Zhoc accused. "You didn't put the work into it like I did. The planning, the capital, the blood. You think you can just steal that from me? Why? So you can impress your ex? So you can waste away even faster drinking Ichor until you choke? Or do you actually think you can accomplish anything of value? That you can beat the Covenant with your human friends?"

Zek kept staring back, saying nothing. It only served to enrage Zhoc further.

"It doesn't matter, it's not happening," Zhoc growled, gritting through his beak. "You can't beat me, not even with the Astral Cutlass. And once I get it back, there will be no more doubts about my ability to lead the kig-yar into a new age. And since you won't live to see it, I'll let you know that my first order of business will be to skin Taq alive and slowly suffocate Retz in a vacuum! What do you say to that?!"

Zek, once more, said nothing. And after a few seconds of silence, Zhoc just exploded at him.

"Well!? Say something already!" He demanded.

And Zek, finally, complied.

"I'm sorry."

That was the last thing Snarlbeak had expected to hear, and it showed.

"What?" He said in utter disbelief. "Sorry? You're sorry? For what? Being a constant little pain in the ass? For not just dying when I wanted you to? For ruining my years of planning because you're a selfish spiteful idiot?"

"I'm sorry your sister died," Zek corrected him.

The anger left Zhoc in an instant, replaced instead with confusion. Now it was his turn to be speechless, as Zek pressed his point further.

"I never knew Zvaz, I wish I did," Zek explained earnestly. "Given how much you revere her even now, she must've been a great person. At the very least I can say she probably made you better just by being around. And that when she died, part of you died with her."

Zhoc scowled at him, but remained silent.

"You were right before, I could never understand what that was like," Zek confessed. "Even with my dad leaving my mom and me to fend for ourselves, I still had my mother. And then I had Retz. And for a time... I had Taq, before I fucked that up. I've always had at least someone watching out for me or sticking with me. Recently that was Varvok, Commander Shepard, fuck even that tightass Haverson and his commanding officers. I didn't realize how good I had it, before I almost torched it all again when it got too complicated."

Zhoc rolled his eyes, starting to get bored. Zek quickly returned to his original topic, walking forward just a bit.

"But I've been where you are at least in that sense, Zhoc," Zek exclaimed. "I've been at rock bottom more times than I can count and I kept digging myself deeper because it felt like the only out. And I think you did the same when your sister died. You buried yourself in all that anger and hate, just looking for that one thing, that one little thing you think can be that escape hatch. The thing that will make you feel good. For me, it was booze. For you... revenge. But not your revenge, you twisted it to be your sister's."

Zhoc's scowl deepened and he sneered at Zek.

"What do you know about what my sister wanted?" He demanded to know.

"I know that you've made this more about you than her in the process," Zek insisted. "Because that's really all it was for me. I was looking for something to give me an out. A reason to unload my own anger off on someone, anyone. My dad, the Covenant, the UNSC, but in the end... it always came back to me. I pretended it didn't, but that was the truth. That's how I know this isn't about what your sister wants, it's about what will make you feel better. To fill the empty part of yourself you've let grow since she died. Just like I've been trying to fill the empty part of myself, the part that thinks I'm a failure."

"You are a failure," Zhoc sniggered.

Zek looked unaffected, merely nodding lightly with the assessment.

"Yep, I've failed a lot of people, including myself," he admitted. "Because I've kept holding onto all the things that made me feel comfortable, but were just poisoning me in the end. My anger at my dad, my inability to commit, my guarded mistrust, my first instinct to just push people away rather than let them get close, it's all come back to bite me. But it's done worse for you, far worse."

Zhoc let out a low growl, gripping tightly on his sword.

"Deep down you know that Zvaz wouldn't want this for you," Zek insisted. "You just can't admit it because that's all that's been keeping you going. I had my desire to overshadow my dad and build my own fortune. You had your sister's revenge and your desire to do right by her in death for failing her in life. In the end, we've both let our hurt poison us, for far too long in fact."

"Stop talking like you think you know my sister!" Zhoc snapped wrathfully.

"I don't know Zvaz," Zek pleaded. "I know YOU, cause I WAS you! I've been on the road to becoming like you for a long fucking time and I almost fell completely into it."

The admission forced Zhoc to pause as Zek opened his arms and looked desperately apologetic towards his opponent.

"So whatever else happens today," The Fallen Serpent's shipmaster said earnestly, "I just want you to know I'm sorry. I wish someone had stopped you, I wish Zvaz had survived and been there for you. I wish you weren't alone for years with all that grief that got twisted into hatred. I wish that you could've lived for yourself, not the ghost you imagined in your mind."

Zhoc was quiet for a moment. His eyes were thoughtful, the corners of his beak turned down. His sword dropped slightly to his side. But Zek wasn't put off guard, because behind that presentation... he could still see the unfettered rage.

Then, Zhoc suddenly reached back to his holster and spoke.

"I wish I could kill you more than once."

Zhoc raised up his plasma pistol and fired it in the blink of an eye. Zek raised the Astral Cutlass and blocked the plasma bolt. He could hear Snarlbeak racing at him, screaming as he did. Zek pushed himself forward and blocked the incoming swing of Zhoc's blade. The Astral Cutlass crackled and sparked against Snarlbeak's own sword before the energy backlash and searing heat pushed them both backwards.

"Nothing will stop me from being the Pirate King and getting my sister what she deserves!" Snarlbeak howled.

He came at Zek again, a series of furious slashes hitting against the Astral Cutlass as Zek walked back. He blocked each swing, using a portion of the Cutlass' power to tell him what was about to occur. Then, Zek used the powerful energies within the sword to buffet Zhoc backwards from him. Snarlbeak's talon scraped across metal as Zek renewed the assault slashing hard at his opponent.

"You won't be a king, you'll be a puppet," Zek informed him. "That's what I keep trying to tell you, but you just don't want to get it."

Snarlbeak managed to parry one of his blows, but Zek quickly grasped the hilt of the sword differently. Time slowed just enough for him to avoid the follow up thrust and smash the guard of the cutlass into his opponent's face. It was a brief use of power and even that gave Zek a bit of a headache. Zhoc stumbled backwards in the meantime, but noticed Zek shaking his head violently.

"Ha, what's the matter, Zek?" He smirked at the young kig-yar. "Afraid of losing yourself to the power?"

"You've given me good reasons to be scared," Zek expressed.

"If you're not even willing to use that sword to its full potential, what good are you?" Zhoc laughed. "A Pirate should use every tool available to him. Do whatever it takes to win. Being among humans has made you soft."

Zhoc rushed forward, but Zek just stepped backwards as a slipspace portal opened behind him. Zhoc's sword met nothing but as he slashed at where Zek had been. Frantically, he searched for his opponent and then quickly turned to block a powerful strike from above as Zek fell onto him, descending from on high. The Astral Cutlass struck against Zhoc's blade hard and Zek kicked against the old bird's face. He spun about in the air before landing nimbly nearby.

"I've learned how to be tactical, Zhoc," Zek said, lightly holding the side of his skull as he did. "Look at me, I can barely do much with this thing already. How long do you think you'll last with it?"

"Long enough to put myself on the Covenant Throne of power," Snarlbeak declared cackling. "I have the willpower and the drive to resist the strain! The endless bottomless well of my ambitions will keep me sane, at least until I've set every wrong Zvaz suffered right!"

Zek activated his shield as Zhoc ran in, blocking his next Cutlass swing and forcing him off. Zek then took aim with the Astral Cutlass against the energy shield and began firing off red beams of power as he advanced.

Zhoc avoided, deflected or blocked what he could, but the shots were mostly to prevent him from moving not take him down. Snarlbeak's attempt to run at him again were stalled by every bolt he needed to dodge or tank. So when Zek closed the distance, he maintained momentum and was able to drive Zhoc back even more.

Zek tried to place himself beyond Zhoc's defenses, but even for an old bird Snarlbeak was still nimble enough with his footwork. The scarred kig-yar was able to lock blade and shift the focus of battle. They spun about each other before Zek was kicked back towards the reactor core. Zhoc lunged at him, but Zek rolled under the incoming blade, slowing down time just enough to pass beneath the hostile sword. He came up to lash towards Zhoc's back, but Snarlbeak turned quick enough to block it.

Pushing against the Astral Cutlass and Zek's shield, Zhoc forced the younger pirate down along the walkway, before Zek dipped low, disappeared in to a slipspace portal in the floor. Zhoc crashed down onto the metal and then rolled away as Zek's blade came crashing down at where he was. Energy crackled and sputtered as the platform was cut deep and Zek rose from his position.

Snarlbeak kept his composure even as he glared at Zek the whole time. The two of them paced about the walkway like wild animals, waiting for the moment to strike. Zek's grip on the Astral Cutlass tightened as he kept his shield close.

"Your old man wasn't much of a sword fighter when he started out," Snarlbeak laughed. "I taught him most of what he knew! And you're not even close to his level when he started."

"Just means I got something to shoot for," Zek shrugged.

"As long as you are handicapping yourself with that sword's most basic skills, you'll never win this," Zhoc insisted.

"You're just trying to make me go wild with it so I'll slip up and give you an opening," Zek reasoned.

"And you were just trying to get in my head before, let my guard down," Zhoc deduced. "But that's not happening, I have only one thought on my mind right now. It's taking that sword from your corpse."

"I was being honest before though," Zek assured him. "I am sorry Zvaz is dead. If she were here, she'd tell you the truth herself. She'd stop you from-"

"Shut up and fight already, Zek!" Snarlbeak demanded.

The older pirate lashed out as Zek blocked his incoming slashes. He managed to let off another powerful energy blast that knocked Zhoc back a bit, but he was back at it soon after. Zek kept parrying, blocking and assaulting Zhoc from every angle, but Old Scratch was simply too well-versed. Even if he hadn't fought anyone for years due to his fear of blood, Snarlbeak was still clearly in practice.

Zek needed an opening and soon, otherwise he would have to use the Astral Cutlass to its full effect. He just needed to get Zhoc positioned properly. Although that was a bit harder than he had hoped so far. He'd wait for all the pieces to fall into their place, but he was still concerned. Not for himself, but the others.

There wasn't much time left after all.

---

They didn't have much time. Unyielding Hierophant was now set to blow, it's reactors already preparing their overload process. Chief was keenly aware of that even as he flew frantically to keep pace with the other Spartans in their banshees. It wasn't that he was slower, he was just more than a bit distracted. His Spartans were watching out for hostile banshees. Keeping Shepard's phantom safe as they flew above the massive reactor core atrium. His concerns were split between that and searching for any sign of Linda down below them.

When a blaze of blue flew across his craft's nose, Chief pitched up and rolled out of the way. His search interrupted, he turned to engage the incoming enemy banshees. He laid into the lead with direct burst from his guns as he dove back down. The shots managed to rip off one of the hostile craft's stabilizer struts at it tried to roll away. Chief kept him in his sights and managed get a direct hit on the banshee's plasma core. The explosion ripped the aircraft apart with ease.

His wingman began flying up to engage Chief at this time. The Covie's shots nearly boxed the Spartan in, but that just gave him time to zero the enemy bandit. He fired a blast from the plasma cannon, a green fizzling burst launched towards the hostile. It collided with the Covie craft head on, ripping the cockpit apart at the seams.

Chief moved back towards the formation, watching as a swarm of banshees assaulted the Phantom and its Spartan escort. Cortana had been good enough to designate the friendly banshees on everyone's HUDs so they didn't accidentally shoot each other down. The Covenant likely didn't have the same ability, but they knew the Phantom at least was an enemy. Attacking it would reveal who was friend or foe when the Spartans moved to protect it.

Thankfully, Shepard's people were not defenseless. He could already see the dropships turrets firing red plasma in a constant stream. One Covenant bandit tried to come up come in from the side, taking aim at one of the forward turbines. Instead, the nose turret tore the bandit to shreds as it reacted defensively. Garrus was proving himself quite the pilot in the heat of the moment.

Another banshee tried to attack from the side, only for one of the turrets stationed there to open up on it. The banshee attempted to fire back, but one of the phantom's shots ignited its plasma coils. The Covie exploded violently and began to spin out.

Chief could see another pair of banshees firing on the phantom from above, hitting it with heavy cannon shots. Luckily, Fred and Kelly's designated banshees moved to intercept, lighting the hostiles up with blue plasma that tore into their underbellies. The hulking wrecks of the bandits began to descend towards the dropship, which carefully avoided the wrecks directly impact them. Although the remains of one strut smashed against the side of the dropship.

"We're getting swarmed here," Garrus groused over the radio. "We're not going to make it to the exit shaft at this rate!"

"Everyone, form a defensive screen around Shepard's Phantom," Chief ordered. "Kat and Jun, stay on the starboard. Fred, Kelly, keep to port. Watch above and below. I'll head back and keep the rear secure, it has the least coverage."

"You'll stick out like a sore thumb like that, Chief," Fred warned. "I know you can handle that heat but-"

"I'll be fine, Fred," Chief assured him. "You just keep them off of that Phantom."

As he spoke, bolts of blue sped past him from behind and impacted on one of his tail flaps. Chief turned sharply enough that he was suddenly facing and flying backwards. Two more Covie bandits, closing fast and firing hot. He let off a stream of his own bolts, firing the secondary cannon in the middle of them. As the lead moved to avoid the incoming blue burst, it caught the cannon in the stomach and exploded. The wingman rolled away, but came back with a vengeance, shooting at the Master Chief as it moved in from the left.

Chief rolled into the hostile's path, catching him in the turn. In response, the enemy banshee rolled in parallel to the Spartan's craft. Before long, both were spinning about and descending towards the reactor core floor, fast. As soon as Cortana noticed, she voiced the obvious concern.

"Well this is another fine mess you got us into," she observed.

"You wanna go back to talking with your copies?" Chief asked her.

"That is not a fair comparison to this and you know it," she chided.

Both banshees continued to spin against each other, their cockpits practically touching one another, just inches apart. There was a very real danger of their struts potentially getting tangled in the other at this point. And to top it all off, the ground was coming up fast.

"You can get us out of this any time now!" Cortana asked him.

"He'll blink," Chief assured her.

"Elites don't blink, Chief!" Cortana reminded him. "He'll happily crash and burn if it means you become Spartan Street Pizza! Pull up!"

"Wait!" Chief told her, the ground getting closer.

"Wait for what? In the next twenty seconds we're going to get very intimate with that platform!"

"Wait!" Chief assured her, still holding the sticks locked firmly into the spin.

"Damn it, Chief, ten seconds! Pull up! PULL UP!"

Chief gripped the sticks tighter as the enemy Banshee kept speed. Then, at the five second mark till impact, Chief throttled back and his craft's speed dropped. The Elite managed to pull out of his own spin, but not before smashing into the side of a nearby structure. He survived that hit, but was now smoking badly, his right strut obliterated. Chief lined up his crosshairs as his dancing partner flew ahead and let loose. He watched the banshee explode and its remains spin out to crash along the platform.

"You did that on purpose... again!" Cortana snapped at him in his ear.

"I told you we were fine," Chief replied.

"This cannot become a habit with you and banshees!" Cortana told him. "I'm serious, if your skull gets crushed while I'm in here, what do you think happens to me?"

Chief flew back out into the open space of the reactor core, angling himself behind another flight of Banshees moving in for the kill on the Phantom. He managed to lay into the backside of one before it could veer off and then chased to other one as it tried to evade him.

They weaved and turned through the sky, passing by the other Spartan banshees. Fred and Kelly were taking apart a pair of bandits with a weaving pattern. As Fred pitched in from the right, Kelly did so from the left, leaving the enemy banshee no place to really escape to. The Covie caught fire soon enough under the blaze of bolts and exploded moments later.

Chief's target led him on a chase back down to the reactor core, ducking through the structures and walkways that stretched across the atrium. Chief saw Kat's Banshee avoid one Banshee on her tail, causing her pursuer to crash into one of the upper catwalks. She then turned about sharply and opened fire with her cannon to finish off his wingman as it came at her. Jun was close by, guarding Kat's six, taking out a banshee as it tried to fly high and low towards her. A rake of plasma bolts ripped into the enemy bandit's side, splashing him in seconds under withering fire.

Chief remained on his target, as it made its way back to the Phantom. He caught up to it as the enemy Banshee passed beneath the dropship once more, readying a shot at the larger craft's underbelly. Chief laid down a strip of fire before he could do that, forcing the hostile banshee to break off the attack. It sped away and then turned suddenly, rolling through the air and firing on Chief.

Unable to get a shot off on him, Chief pulled a reversal, slowing his speed and flipping his craft about. The enemy banshee sped past him, right into Chief's crosshairs. The Spartan let out a burst of blue bolts and struck one of his opponent's struts, breaking it clean off. The enemy banshee kept flying though, undeterred in its single-minded mission.

The bandit looped on itself as Chief pursued, trying to get behind him. Chief pulled back on the stick and fired off more plasma. The shots missed, but he kept pace with his opponent all the same. The Banshee continued to dodge and weave, zigging and zagging to prevent Chief from getting a decent lead on him. What he wouldn't give for lock-on missiles on this craft at this point.

Chief put the thought out of his mind as quickly as it arrived. He could let what he didn't have distract him. He needed to use what he did have. So he slowed the craft as he watched the banshee turn once more. Then, as the hostile began to turn into him, he laid down hard on the boost and rocketed forward.

The enemy banshee saw the move and quickly reacted, once again trying to loop and catch Chief unawares. But the Spartan was already ahead of him. This time, he didn't follow the loop, he stayed on course. He eased off on the throttle just a bit, but kept racing forward. And just as the hostile Banshee's loop reached its apex, Chief turned his craft hard and lined up his crosshairs right with the now on coming enemy.

"Gotcha," he said.

Chief fired his cannon shot and then switched back to rapid fire plasma just as quickly. The cannon shot impacted on the hostile banshee hard, buffeting the craft and blinding the Elite within to a degree. The rapid-fire shots simply tore into the Covie next, finishing him off. The remains of the banshee spun out, falling towards a large platform high in the air where they smashed into and shattered.

He didn't take time to celebrate, Chief was already heading back towards the Phantom. He could see its side gun tearing into Banshee coming up from the rear left. He watched as its struts were pruned away before the fuselage of the craft caught fire and exploded. The banshee then spun out towards the floor of the atrium, even as the phantom rocked slightly from the aftershock of the fighter's violent death.

Despite all the carnage though, Chief's thoughts remained on Linda. He kept searching for signs of her among the structures. A stray shot, a flash from her scope, anything to let him know she was there. So far nothing. Every second he didn't see her his heart sank.

Another Spartan gone. Another Spartan lost. Too soon. Always too soon. It couldn't happen again. Not to Linda, not to any of his people. He wouldn't let it if he could stop it. He just needed the chance to prevent it. The opening to make the choice. But so far, he had nothing.

It wasn't like him. Not the caring for his team part. The prioritization was the odd sensation in this moment. The mission came first, it was how he coped with the losses. It was the only way how. He always did whatever possible to prevent his Spartans from getting killed needlessly, but he did so while weighing the consequences of a mission's failure. And it hadn't affected the greater scope of said mission's success.

Well, until times like right now anyway.

He had remained at the rear because it was a strategically important position in the defense of the Phantom, yes. But he stayed there, equally, because it meant he'd have more of a chance to spot Linda and go after her. It was a bit selfish, foolhardy even, he admitted it. But he could ignore the feeling in his mind. His friend, his teammate, she was out there alone, in a station that was about to blow up.

He couldn't just leave her there.

And yet... it looked like he would have to. They needed to get out of here. He couldn't sacrifice all their lives for one soldier. For any one soldier. Not even Linda. The mission had to come first. That's what they told him. What they always told him. But then again, he always conflated the mission he was given with the one he had taken personally. That being, get his people back alive.

And whenever he failed that, even when they won, it wounded him. The thought of Linda being added to those failures hurt all the more. But what could he do? What could any of them do?

As he moved to engage another banshee on a direct attack run with the Phantom's engines, Cortana cut in suddenly.

"Chief, I picked up something!"

He finished off the enemy banshee, blowing him apart and then speeding through the debris.

"More enemy contacts?" He asked her.

"No, I think it's 058! Linda!" Cortana informed him. "Her transponder signal is reading more clearly! I think I have a location!"

"Where?" Chief asked, his voicing cracking slightly in desperation.

"About several hundred klicks behind us and only a little lower," Cortana explained. "I'm seeing a lot of enemy activity around her. Big sigs, most likely banshees."

Chief looked behind him and then back to the Phantom. They still needed help getting out, they couldn't divert from their course either. He knew the rest of the team could manage the dropship's defense on their own. But he couldn't ask them to come.

The mission came first. Always. But Chief always knew what his deeper mission was. This was no exception.

"Spartans," he barked through the radio. "I got a fix on Linda's position. I'm going after her."

"We'll get on your wing," Fred stated.

"No, you all have to stay with Shepard and his crew," he ordered. "Get them out. Reform around their wing and plow the road of Banshees. I'll pick up Linda and meet back up with you."

"You can't fly solo in all of this!" Kelly warned. "There are hostiles all over the place!"

"I have to and I will," Chief told them. "You stay, that's an order! I'll be back with Linda, but do not stop for anything! Get to the escape shaft no matter what!"

Chief broke off from the Phantom and raced back towards the waypoint location Cortana marked for him. He'd get her. He'd get her out. He would protect his team. He would not leave a Spartan behind again. Never again. He hit the banshee's boosters and gripped the sticks tightly as he raced through the sky.

---

This had not been what Kaz had signed up for when he joined the Fallen Serpent all those years ago. It was supposed to be a simple engineering job. Good pay, little action, lots of technical specs and just as much ichor. Just perfect for him. He did well, acclimated to the pirate life just fine. Even rose up in rank pretty fast given his aptitude for the work. He didn't think being promoted to lead engineer would result in him getting stuck as acting shipmaster in the middle of an actual battle. Keeping the engines running in that situation? Totally different from actually commanding from the big chair.

He was more than a little grateful for the Ascendant Justice sharing tactical telemetry data and for EDI of the Normandy assisting in carrying out defensive maneuvers with them. Lining up forward plasma lances on the enemy Corvettes moving into intercept range was a lot easier when you had help. And said help had a killer main gun that could crack an enemy's hull like it was made of eggshells.

Kaz really wished they had a Thanix Cannon of their own, that would've been a nice addition to their arsenal.

Currently they were doing better than the last time they were surrounded and outgunned by the Covenant Fleet at Halo, but again that was mostly because they weren't alone. They were holding their own, but they were still hopelessly surrounded and being pushed towards the nebula cloud all the same. This was about what Kaz expected though. The plan wasn't to win here, it was to survive long enough for Zek to arrive. If they just kept operational long enough, they could pull out a win here.

At the moment, their target was an enemy frigate moving into intercept range on the Gettysburg. The human vessel was still the only gun on the Ascendant Justice capable of taking out battlecruisers. And technically it wasn't really a part of the carrier. While the Justice did have plasma torpedo launchers, the Battlecruisers were stay well out of effective range for them, preferring to send the frigates and corvettes to assault the carrier directly.

They were lucky both were within the Serpent's and Normandy's weight class. If there was destroyer somewhere among Snarbeak's fleet they'd be in real trouble if they sent that on an intercept course. At least Kaz knew how to take on a frigate, especially when the Fallen Serpent was considerably more durable and better armed than most corvettes in its class.

The enemy frigate laid down a plasma bombardment screen on its approach, preventing the Fallen Serpent from keeping a clear target sight on the ship. The Corvette rose high to avoid the screen and turned sharply to port as it got above the bursts of plasma. Kaz then directed to dive downward, opening up with plasma mortars as they descended. The shots struck against the frigate's upper shields, weakening them severely as the Fallen Serpent slipped past.

"Broadside Plasma Cannons, fire!"

Kaz had prepared the cannons to fire in succession down the line. The blasts pummeled the side of the frigate hard, each shot landing more or less where the previous one had. The assault tore deep into the enemy ship's side, forcing it off its intercept course. Kaz then had the ship turn hard to starboard in order to position the forward plasma lances to target the engine core. A series of sustained beams cut deep into the frigate's belly, burning through the armored plate and tearing into the enemy vessel. A sudden explosion ripped through the ship and with that the Fallen Serpent disengaged.

"Frigate's engines took a serious hit," one of the deck hands said. "It's pulling away."

"Don't pursue," Kaz told them. "Stay on the defensive pattern, Zom is bound to send more our way."

As the Fallen Serpent moved back into the open, its anti-air defenses firing on a flight of pirate seraphs that had started gunning for it, Kaz spotted the Normandy ahead of them. It was firing forward guns at a pair of enemy corvettes that were opening up on it. As it dove in between them it suddenly pitched its nose up and fired the Thanix Cannon again. The blue beam of death ripped clean through one of the Corvettes, breaking the spin of the ship with relative ease.

The Normandy flew through the debris, spinning through the void before arching over to deliver another power shot that smashed the nose of the second enemy corvette to pieces. The frigate rolled around at it passed over the now burning hostile pirate vessel. The deck crew couldn't help but cheer uproariously at it all.

Joker was certainly one hell of a pilot if he could make a ship like the Normandy move like it was a fighter craft. Even Kaz, versed mostly in engineering and how ships functioned, could never pull that off with the Fallen Serpent. He was lucky that the human was essentially his wingman on this.

"Kaz, uh Shipmaster," one of the crewhands spoke up. "Targeting solutions from the Normandy's synthetic intelligence. Incoming frigate, acting as a screen for an approaching battlecruiser."

"Get the plasma torpedo launchers ready then," Kaz said. "Lay in a course for that frigate."

The Fallen Serpent quickly moved into the firing line. Already they could see the Normandy moving to engage the Snarly Frigate. The enemy ship cruised through the black, firing back on the Normandy as it danced around the vessel, taking shots where it could. The Thanix was an impressive weapon, but like any gun you couldn't overuse it too much. Joker was clearly saving it for something.

Meanwhile, Kaz looked to his screens, noticing they were encountering increased fighters off their port and starboard. Mostly banshees, but a few Seraphs were with them. Quickly, he contacted the defense batteries over the secure channels.

"Tighten defensive screen, fighters bearing down hard on all sides," he ordered.

The corvette rocked from the increased fire all the same. Despite their best efforts, they couldn't shoot every little fighter out of the sky. Kaz could only pour more power into the shields and head engines to full capacity. The defensive gunners would have to take care of the rest. But what he wouldn't give for some space-capable banshees of their own.

However, suddenly a whole squadron of the enemy vanished from the scope. He was concerned for a moment some of the fighters had cloaking tech. Instead, he picked up something else on the sensors. It was a large swept wing craft, rushing into the fray and firing on the enemy fighters.

"UNSC Longsword designation Xiphos-1 on your wing Fallen Serpent," a call came over the radio. "Here to assist!"

Kaz was a little relieved. He honestly hadn't expected the UNSC to move to defend them, given everything that had gone down. But he wasn't going to complain. He wasn't sure about the name of the fighter though. As he understood it, the only Longsword the humans had was the one the Spartan leader, the Master Chief, had escaped in. He would've suspected they'd have named it after him in someway.

"Uh, thank you, Longsword fighter, Xiphos-1?" he replied awkwardly through the comm. "Am I pronouncing that right?"

"It's a bit of an in-joke," the Longsword pilot replied. "Just keep flying to your target and tell Boz to keep belting out those tunes. We kinda missed them."

"I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that," Kaz laughed a little.

The Fallen Serpent closed on the enemy frigate, still being harassed by the Normandy. As they got into firing range, the human frigate veered away, moving behind the hostile pirate ship. Kaz, assuming this was part of the wider plan, continued with his own part in it. He locked the plasma torpedoes on the select coordinated EDI had readied. With a flip of a switch, he fired four out the tubes and into the black.

The enemy frigate soon spotted the incoming assault and moved to evade. However, the Normandy was lying in wait. It fired the Thanix Cannon at long last again and tore into the starboard thruster of the Snarly Frigate. The enemy ship was now leaning into the oncoming torpedo assault, its nose swinging towards the first of the four torpedoes directly.

The impact was sudden and blinding as the attack tore the frigate apart four times over with each successive hit. This frigate wouldn't get the chance to pull back, it was going down. Kaz watched as the Normandy flew out of the debris field, spinning about in celebration of the kill. He would've joined, had Admiral Whitcomb's voice not filled the bridge.

"Fallen Serpent, pull back we have a lock on an incoming Battlecruiser. We don't want you getting hit!"

Kaz instantly took heed and ordered the ship to veer off. However, he still kept an active feed on screen at his command section showing the enemy battlecruiser's position. The vessel was pushing forward, despite the gap in its defensive escort screen. There was another frigate moving to fill it, but it wouldn't make it in time, that much was obvious.

The powerful Plasma-MAC Cannon cut deeply into the incoming Battlecruiser's side. It tore a huge hole clean through its upper deck. It would've impacted the nose had they not turned into attack position too soon. The Battlecruiser wasn't blown to but, but it was considerably damaged and quickly began to drop out of sight.

However, out of the smoke and debris left in its wake appeared another mass of shapes. It turned out to be two other Battlecruisers, plus Fleet Master Zom's own ship. That was bad enough, but the appearance of two other shapes were soon confirmed to be Destroyers. That was definitely not good. Destroyers may not have been as powerful as a Battlecruiser, but they could really mess up your day.

Zom clearly wasn't happy with how the assault was going and he was taking things into his own hands. He probably suspected the MAC cannon needed time to recharge and the Ascendant Justice needed to turn in order to properly use it. They could detach the Gettysburg, but that would leave the carrier nearly defenseless otherwise.

Soon enough there was another call from Whitcomb.

"Normandy, Fallen Serpent," it began. "We're taking the carrier into the nebula cloud! We need the additional cover!"

"They're gonna box you in there!" Kaz warned.

"We'll last longer in there then out here at this rate," Whitcomb explained. "Cover our asses while we head in. If we can lure Zom into it with us, maybe we'll stand a chance."

A good idea, probably their only one. Kaz figured he could help with that.

"Fire a bombardment screen into the path of their flagship," he ordered. "We can divert them from intercepting the carrier and maybe force them to follow us all inside!"

"You think Zom would take that risk?" One of the deckhands asked.

"He's probably not happy this wasn't the easy pickings he was planning on," Kaz deduced. "If we can piss him off enough, he might just do something real stupid. It worked before back at Reach."

"Let's hope he hasn't learned his lesson then," the same deckhand stated.

He likely hadn't, but Kaz was still taking a gamble here. They all were really. As the bombardment struck along Zom's intended path, Kaz looked desperately at the tactical screens again. Still no slipspace ruptures, still no sign of Zek.

"Where are you, sir?" He asked nervously.

He had to believe in Zek, as hard as it was to do. He wouldn't abandon them again. Not this time. But there was always the fear that their leader wouldn't have a choice. Especially since he was going up against Snarlbeak himself. If he was still alive though, Kaz really hoped he got here soon. They could only hold out for so much longer.

---

The crash of the energy wave knocked both combatants down. Zek had put a bit too much juice into that last strike. He could feel it in his pounding head, he had lost control in that split second, got too eager. Zek got up, just in time to block few green plasma bolts with the Astral Cutlass. The rest he slowed with the cutlass' time powers. He swatted each of the bolts back at at Snarlbeak, who had to duck and dodge his own pistol's shots as he ran forward.

Zek braced hard, allowing the blade's power to reflect the incoming blow of Zhoc's energy cutlass back. Snarlbeak was more prepared this time, slowing himself down by slamming his blade into the walkway, digging it deep alongside his claws to prevent himself from falling down. As the old pirate got back up, Zek stared him down, raising the Astral Cutlass lengthwise up to his face.

Zhoc just grinned at it all.

"You feel it, don't you?" He asked. "I got a taste of it myself. Who's talking to you? Hmm? Which old friend long gone is giving you advice? Telling you how to use the sword properly? Are they pissed you're so bad at it?"

Zek could feel his head swimming with plans, ideas, ways to use the sword. The voices were a mix of a lot of people, so fast and so frequent he could rarely separate them. It wasn't even really voices, so much as foreign thoughts that felt different. At least at first. When he used that time stop move on the plasma bolts, something had come through more directly into his brain.

"Concentrate. Slow the flow. Time is an illusion for you."

It had sounded like Retz, but he knew it wasn't.

"Pour more of yourself into it. Let the power explode."

That had sounded like Varvok.

"Rip at the fabric of the veil. You can be anywhere. All at once."

And that one had been Taq's voice.

They were all feeding him ideas and within their voices he understood how to make it happen. The instructions poured into his mind. He could've ended this duel a thousand different ways. But the temptation meant losing himself. He could feel his grip on reality slipping the more he relied on the sword, his mind flashing with images he could not place in his memory.

At one moment Zhoc was in front of him. And when he blinked, it was a sangheili Flood Combat Form, armed with a plasma sword. Another blink and it was a tall striding, multi-armed creature that loomed over the whole reactor core. A reactor core that was replaced with some ancient ship's bridge, filled with other kig-yar as the strange eldritch creature stared him down, advancing ever so cautiously. Then, within a flash, all was normal again and even the voices vanished.

The more he gave himself to the sword, the more his mind began to crack. He was already reaching the limits of what he could do. Anything more advanced and he wouldn't be able to come back from it. He just knew.

"I bet one of them is Dread Feather," Zhoc chided. "Probably giving you some speech about how you can liberate the kig-yar and return us the Golden Age. That he's proud of you for following in his footsteps or some other asinine delusion."

"At least I'm not deluding myself," Zek said, taking rapid breaths. "It's just the sword."

"All the proof I need to know you're not fit to hold it," Zhoc declared.

He broke into a run and Zek moved the Astral Cutlass to block. Left, upper left, cross, back leg, forward push, kick, parry, strike! The instructions came at a dizzying pace and Zek reacted to each within a split second, managing to at last land a slash along Zhoc's front chest plate. As he backed away, he could see the sizzling metal and smoke rising up from the armor. But no blood.

"See?" Snarlbeak chortled. "No killer instinct. You keep holding back because you're scared of what the power can bring you."

"This thing isn't meant for beings like us, Zhoc," Zek argued. "You know that as well as I do. It's cracking my brain open already. What do you think it's gonna do to you? Sooner or later, the Covies are gonna catch on and kill you to take it for themselves, just like what happened to its first owner."

Snarlbeak shrugged, positioning his sword in an appropriate striking stance.

"I'll use it more sparingly, for as long as possible," Zhoc claimed. "It'll be enough to get myself established. Then I won't need it so much anymore."

"You say that now," Zek warned, readying for the next attack. "What happens when you become a gibbering lunatic? Are you even gonna remember that plan?"

"Either way there's a consolation," Snarlbeak spat venomously. "I get to hear my sister's voice again."

Zhoc attacked suddenly, slashing at Zek violently as the two pirates clashed across the walkway. Zek poured power into the blade, turning it red and green as the amplifier's power surged with the hilt's focusing technology. He hoped it would be enough to overpower Zhoc and beat him down. But the Old Bird lashed out with his beak, stabbing it hard into a space between the neck and the shoulder. Zek reeled back and dropped into a portal to avoid the follow-up slash.

Zek emerged behind Snarlbeak and expelled the excess power from the Astral Cutlass in a tidal wave of energy. Zhoc ran from it for a bit in the opposite direction, before grabbing onto the rail of the walkway and leaning off the side. The blast rocked the railing, but Zhoc remained attached. He then flung himself off, back onto the walkway. His blade clashed with the Astral Cutlass again, and Zek kicked him away as the two swords locked.

Zhoc rolled to a stop and quickly forced himself to his feet as Zek tried to keep himself from kneeling.

"You just don't get it, Zek," Zhoc declared. "I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. I don't hold back anymore. You cured me of that when you killed Lurz!"

"I did you a favor," Zek spat, rising up again. "That psycho was only with you so he could get off killing people for ya."

"So what? He was loyal. He understood," Snarlbeak claimed spitefully. "That was all that mattered. He made people fear me. Just like they feared Zvaz. You tried to take that away from me, but instead you just forced me to become stronger."

Zek shook his head.

"People respected Zvaz," he corrected him. "She didn't rule her fleet through fear. And if she saw how you were running things, what you were planning to do, she'd be the first person trying to stop you."

Zhoc's expression turned to pure loathsome rage as he raised his sword in anger.

"You don't get to put words into my sister's mouth!" He screeched. "She loved me! She supported me! She would've been proud of everything I've done! All I built! All of this was for her! Everything I ever did, was for her!"

"You did it for yourself," Zek accused. "You just you started believing your own excuses. Trust me, I know, I've been exactly where you are."

Seething with hatred, Zhoc took a running sprint at Zek now. The young pirate raised the Astral Cutlass into the ready position in response, honing himself for the coming strike.

"You know nothing about who my sister was!" He declared. "You never even met her!"

"I know more than you think!" Zek replied, nimbly blocking the first slash from Zhoc.

Zek kept parrying blows while trying to swing his own strikes. He tried to slow down time, just a little around him, to swing faster than Zhoc. But it was only barely enough to leave a scratch on Zhoc's arm. Howling in pain, Snarlbeak lashed out with a mean right hook and lunged as Zek lurched about. But Zek quickly darted into a slipspace rupture and vanished from sight.

Zhoc looked around for a split second, trying to anticipate Zek's next move. Then, suddenly, he turned and lashed out at the air, just as Zek appeared to descend on him. Zek took a slash across his arm that hacked into his elbow. Zhoc then kicked the injured pirate away while he was still falling.

And in that moment, Zek lost his grip on the Astral Cutlass.

Zek crashed to the floor, sitting up as fast as he could. Just in time to see Zhoc grab the Astral Cutlass with his free hand and raise it high. He crossed both his energy cutlass with the legendary sword now, howling with laughter as he did. Energy crackled between both blades as a multicolored resonance flowed across Zhoc.

"Now, I'll show you what this sword can REALLY do, fledgling!" He laughed.

Zhoc lay the Astral Cutlass flat and began slicing at its wild untamed plasma blade with his Energy Cutlass. Huge resonant discs of multicolored light ejected off the surface of the legendary sword, flying directly at Zek. The pirate tried to run but felt as if time was speeding up around him while he remained nearly stagnant. He barely had enough time to put his shield in front of him as the discs of plasma flew off in wild directions.

Most struck machinery, damaging portions of the room, sending wires and breaking off pieces of equipment. Zek could hear the slow-motion wails of the Chorka in the tanks beneath his feet, all panicking as chaos broke out around them. Then, one of the energy discs hit his shield and he flew back into real time and sent hurtling into one of the reactor's consoles.

He smashed into the terminal hard, cracking it to pieces. As he tried to regain his senses, he saw a massive green crack traveling through the floor towards him. He was barely able to roll away in time before a massive plasma pillar ejected out of the platform flooring and nearly annihilated him. Zek rushed to move, only for a slipspace rupture to appear in front of him. Too late to stop, he put his shield out in front of him, blocking both the Astral and Energy Cutlass from chopping him down.

He looked up to see Zhoc's face emerge from the rupture, both of his eyes, scarred and unscarred, burning with a maddening intensity. Snarlbeak smiled down at him. A smile more sinister and unhinged then anything Lurz hard worn. And through his beak, the old pirate warlord just laughed at Zek, a twisted laugh that you only heard from drunkards, addicts and other people who were steadily losing their wits.

"All this power and you wasted it on parlor tricks!" Snarlbeak gloated. "You have no imagination, Zek! Too attached to what is! What you have! But I've waited too long and lost too much already! And I've had all that time to think about all the things I've ever wanted to do to people like you!"

"Neat," Zek said struggling. "I only needed a second to think of this!"

Zek thrust his plasma machete along the edge of his shield and stabbed deep into Zhoc's scar tissue along his face. He nearly took out the old man's eye, but it wasn't necessary. The hit was enough to injure the bastard and send him stumbling back. The dual blades no longer weighing him down, Zek bashed the plasma shield into Zhoc's face, forcing him off of him completely.

Snarlbeak, as expected, vanished through a slipspace rupture before Zek could seize the moment. Sensing what was to come, Zek vacated the immediate area. A smart idea, but it did little against the energy shockwave that exploded from the Astral Cutlass as it stabbed deep into the platform where Zek had stood just moments ago.

Zek rolled along the walkway, tanking the hit best he could. When he stopped, he scrambled to his feet as Zhoc continued to approach. The Astral Cutlass was burning wild now, the plasma dripping off of it as the cosmic energy coursed through it and into Snarlbeak himself. The old pirate was currently snickering, his other hand shaking wildly as it held his energy cutlass within its grasp.

"You know what, Zek, you're right," he declared, practically laughing. "This power is wasted on the Covenant as much as it is yourself. Forget submitting to them and working my way up from there. When I'm done with you, I'm going to take the Syndicate Fleet, I'll kill your human friends, demand an audience with those longnecked bug-eyed fuckwits, and then I'm going to MURDER them on the spot! I'll seize control of the Covenant! Kill every sangheili until they're begging for mercy! Then, I'll conquer the humans! Enslave them! And forge a new grander empire from the ashes of my old one! Fuck being Pirate King! I'll settle for nothing less than Supreme Pirate Emperor!"

Zek just sighed rather disappointedly, but was unable to hold back the very obvious fear he was now feeling.

"I was really kinda hoping you wouldn't go full nucking futz this quick," Zek told him tepidly. "You know, it's not too late to switch up the nature of the challenge. We can do a card game! How's a card game sound?"

"I'm gonna wear your skull as my crown!" Snarlbeak declared, a mad smile crossing his face, his eyes filling up with a flurry of colors.

"Ah fuck me," Zek groaned aloud.

Zek watched as Snarlbeak raced towards him, faster than expected. He was barely able to duck and roll sped-up series of slashes. Zek ran off as the cackling laughter echoed through the chamber. Zek wasn't quitting though. Zhoc might have wrestled the Cutlass away from him, but he still had some tricks on his side.

Now he just hoped he would have an opportunity to use them before Snarlbeak cut his head clean off.

---

Racing through the open atrium, Master Chief kept the banshee's engines screaming the whole way to Linda's position on the map. His eyes were focused completely on how far he was from that transponder signal. Cortana was barking something in his ear about the Reactor, updates on the Covenant's battlenet, he just didn't have time for it. It wasn't that he wanted to ignore her, he just didn't have time to parse it all.

As he finally closed the distance, his eyes scanned the area. Searching desperately for any sign of Linda. All he could see was a mess of banshees, buzzing around the area like mad. Nothing that suggested his squadmate was here. But the transponder was pointing here, there had to be some sign. He was about to ask Cortana for further clarification... when he got it for himself.

One of the banshees just exploded as its plasma coils detonated. Another moment later the cockpit of another was blown open, its armor behind it blown off. The pilot must've died as a result because the fighter just began to fall from the sky, spinning out towards the ground. Another banshee's engine got blown out and it dropped like a flaming stone. A fourth was struck in its projectile launcher's power source, the forth coming green explosion engulfed the fighter.

Chief traced where the shots had come from and couldn't believe what he was seeing. Although he was happy to see it at the very least. It was Linda, hanging upside down, tethered to a broken platform high in the air with a cable from the looks of it. She still had her rifle and she was still sniping, taking out banshees as they tried to shoot her. She rocked back and forth on the cable to avoid the shots, still shooting with expert precision and taking out banshees left and right.

"Holy crap," Cortana observed. "I thought she'd be hunkering down!

"We got to reach her," Chief stated, not missing a beat. "Make sure she knows not to shoot us!"

"I've already alerted her HUD, she should know we're friendly!" Cortana assured him.

Chief moved quickly to get to Linda, dodging and weaving through the mess of banshees swarming the area. He saw them continuing to take shots at or trying to ram Linda directly. She was able to avoid one attempting the latter, swinging out of the way just in time and turning to fire a shot at the fighter from behind. The shot cut into the cockpit, killing the pilot as the craft turned sharply and crashed against a structure.

The banshees got thicker as he got closer. He was forced to open fire, destroying two of the fighters and breaking up their formation with the plasma launcher. He sped through the newly formed hole in the mass of enemies. He flew through the green patch left behind by the blast and darted towards Linda, as other banshees converged.

With plasma bolts racing past him, Chief rolled the fighter left and right in quick succession as the banshees chased after him. Chief grew concerned about shaking them for a while, until one the banshees fell off the scope. He heard an explosion moments before and saw a sniper shot trail past his vision. A second shot followed by the sound of a banshee careening out of control suggested Linda had his back.

He finally closed the distance, stopping and hovering near Linda's hanging form. She raised a single finger to her helmet where her mouth would be. Chief just wagged the banshee's wings and then moved the craft into position. He positioned the struts of the fighter beneath Linda, as she cut the cable with her knife and dropped down. She grabbed onto the strut with one arm and then clambered onto it, position her foot inside and then looping her arm into it.

She then contacted Chief through the short-wave radio as they started flying out.

"Try not to zig and zag too much," she told him.

"What happened?" Chief asked as he raced back towards the others.

"Cannon Blast from a Banshee took out my armor's long-range transmitter," she explained. "I tried to get higher to see if I could still contact you that way or at least get above any interference. Then of course the damn platform got blown up, luckily I tied a cable to myself just in case something like that happened. So, how are we doing?"

"We're getting out of here," Chief explained. "Keep me covered best you can, I'm getting us back to the others."

"I got enough rounds to last," Linda assured. "Just keep us steady."

Chief flew quickly through the atrium's open skies. The banshee's boosters were certainly getting workout. He could hear Linda firing off shots towards their rear. More than likely pursuing banshees. Chief had to block it out, they needed to get back to Shepard and the others.

"How long until the core blows?" Linda asked between shots.

"We have time, but it's going to be close," Chief admitted.

A banshee started coming in from the left, speeding down from on high. Since Linda was on the right strut, she had no shot. Chief took aim at came in, the enemy craft bearing down on them. He spoke to Linda as it closed the distance.

"Hold on," he warned.

"Holding, but don't shake around too much," she told him.

Chief veered hard left as the enemy fighter opened fire. Chief rolled the craft a little over as they neared it, once they got close, he spoke to Linda again. Although it turned out she was already on the same page.

"Jump when I-"

"Got it, going!"

Linda jumped free of the banshee's strut and onto the enemy fighter. Chief rolled around to spot Linda popping the cockpit and dragging the elite inside clean out of it. She took his place and the banshee soared back into the air along side Chief's own fighter.

"Quick thinking," Linda congratulated. "Always nice when you use your brain. Especially when it gets me a ride."

"Let's get to the rendezvous, now."

Chief pushed the banshee's booster to accelerate and Linda followed. They sped quickly to meet back up with Shepard, leaving most of the banshees in pursuit far behind. They got a view of their friends before they actually met up with them. The phantom was still in flight, thankfully, as were all the escorting banshees. However, they'd run into something of a roadblock, that being a pair of enemy phantoms.

Between them and the exit shaft, the second and third phantoms kept vigil. It was opening fire on Shepard's phantom and the Spartan Banshees swarming it. They refused to budge and enemy banshees were still swarming the area, trying to take Shepard's dropship down.

The side of Shepard's phantom opened wide, revealing what Chief believed was the Commander himself as well as Zaeed. The mercenary was letting loose with his heavy machine gun, but Shepard had something else in store. Holding a large weapon in his hand, he aimed the device directly at a swarm of banshees going in for an attack run on the dropship.

In the next moment, a lightning strike exploded out of the into the open and hit all three banshees. The craft dropped away as more successive hits of electricity struck their ships, eventually shorting out their plasma cores. They spun down towards the ground as burning hulks of metal.

Seeing that Commander Shepard had things well in hand on his end, Chief decided to focus on the enemy phantoms blocking their path. He had an idea on how to manage that, but it would require some extra hands to pull off effectively. He contacted his team directly.

"Spartans, I have Linda, she's flying on my wing," he explained. "What is the situation?"

"Hostiles came out of the shaft, they knew our egress," Kat explained dutifully. "They're armed with some heavy plasma weapons. and came in with a fresh wing of banshees to boot. We've been dealing with the screen for a bit, holding position for you mostly."

"Grateful that you waited, but we need those dropships gone," Chief told her. "Spartans, form up on me. Our target are the power turbines on either side of the Phantoms. We breach one of them, the dropship is on borrowed time."

"We'll hold the fort here until you need an assist," Shepard cut in.

"No worries, Commander," Chief assured him. "They won't be a problem for long."

The Spartan banshees began to form up on Chief's wing as they moved on the Phantom. The dropships had limited cover from above, they'd be able to take them by surprise if they were fast enough. As they prepared to dive though, Cortana cut into Chief's comms.

"Chief, my copies just sent me an update on our people in the hangar," she explained. "Their forward perimeter has started to encounter Covenant assault teams. Apparently, they've caught onto how fishy it is you showed up around the same time the Crusty Chorka did."

"They need to start pulling back," Chief responded. "No sense in staying in a station that's about to be vapor."

"They've already started! My copies informed them to do so as soon as the reactor began to destabilize. But they were concerned about us having enough time to rejoin them," Cortana explained. "I've rerouted their rendezvous coordinates, we can meet them close to where this shaft exits. My copies are scrambling the station's sensors to prevent us from getting targeted and smokescreening us from the ships, but it probably won't last forever."

"Whatever gets us time," Chief told her.

As they got close to the phantoms, the side guns aimed up at them and fired. The Spartans scrambled to avoid the incoming shots as they began their dive. The reverse rain of plasma fire surrounded them as they made their dive bomb run.

"Fire your cannons at the left phantom's plasma turbine," he ordered. "Enough shots will crack the seal easily."

A torrent of blazing green fire descended from on high towards the phantoms. They collided with the phantom's turbine, breaking it into it with ease. The cascading explosions rippled through the dropship and the phantom careened sideways into its partner. The subsequent detonation of the craft sent shrapnel into the adjacent phantom, tearing pieces clean off of it. The burning debris descended to the floor far below them.

The Spartan banshees sped past the second, still functioning, hostile phantom. The dropship was damaged, but still functioning. It moved take over blocking position from its fallen brother and opened up its guns on the banshees as they began to swarm it.

As the phantom attempted to take down the Spartans, they responded in kind by going after the phantom's guns. Chief managed to take down one of the side turrets with a blaze of plasma bolts while the gunner was distracted going after Fred's banshee. However, the Spartans weren't the only ones getting into the fray.

Sure enough, Commander Shepard's phantom approached in due course, its forward gun raking one of the banshee's plasma turbines on its upper side. The shots took off the seal, opening the inner workings of the phantom's engines to the world. Chief quickly spotted it and flew back up into attack position. He took aim at the open turbine and let loose.

A series of plasma bolts and one cannon shot launched down the turbine's throat caused a similar catastrophic failure in the phantom. Similar to the first. It tried to move to smash into Shepard's dropship in response, as its structural integrity failed.

"Open up on it!" Chief ordered. "Finish it off!"

The Spartan launched a number of cannon shots and lay into the dropship with plasma bolts. The excessive fire eventually took its toll and the phantom exploded just feet in front of Shepard's dropship. The friendly phantom flew through the debris and headed towards the open shaft.

"We're in the clear," Shepard informed them. "Everyone on us! We're getting out of here!"

The Spartans formed up in front and behind the Phantom as it hurried into the maintenance shaft. It would be still a bit of a flight to get out of the station, but at least they were underway. With the danger on their end subsided for now, Chief looked for an update on the overall situation.

"How are things in the hangar?" Chief asked Cortana.

"They're pulling a fighting retreat back to the Corvette and everyone is just cramming themselves aboard at this point," Cortana explained. "Varvok's leading the defensive effort, along with the ODSTs. My copies are going to lockdown the hangar doors once everyone is in the clear. It should give them more time. They're also activating the station's defensive systems, they're trying to slow down the majority of the Covenant forces."

"Trying?" Chief asked confused.

"They're... not doing the best," Cortana explained. "There's so many of them now that their subtle hivemind is starting to affect each other. Their matrices are starting to decay at an accelerated rate the further down the copy of a copy line they get."

"What about the reactor?" Chief asked. "Is it still set to blow?"

"Critical phase is approaching fast," Cortana assured. "Don't worry, they're still on track to cause it to blow. But we still need to exfiltrate from the immediate area before the station takes us along with the Covenant Fleet."

"We just got to hope the Admiral will have a path out of here for us," Jun stated over the comm.

"Don't worry, Jun," Shepard cut in. "If everything goes well, we should have more than a few helping hands on our side by the time we get into open space."

Master Chief had no clue as to what the Commander was talking about. He realized he hadn't really discussed what had happened with Zek and that Astral Cutlass. There were more pressing issues after all. But they had a bit of a flight ahead of them, so they might as well share.

"What exactly happened out there, Commander?" He began to ask.

"A lot of crazy space pirate stuff to start with," Commander replied.

"What else is new?" Cortana sighed.

---

Joker had faced some stiff odds flying the Normandy, both of them. If he wasn't going toe to toe with a Reaper, he was facing a mad charge into and equally mad escape from the center of the galaxy. Since then it had only gotten more nuts, because of course it did. But he never expected to be surrounded by a space pirate fleet in a nebula with a half-dead carrier and a corvette full of oddball buccaneers blasting out ancient rock n' roll.

That was not even close to the bingo card, even after everything.

So far, their entry into the nebula cloud was at least a little less hectic than the open space. That didn't stop the random plasma lance or cannon bombardment from potentially wrecking their day. The purpose of it was obvious, they wanted to force the Ascendant Justice out into the open. Specifically so it would be right in front of the Covenant fleet when all was said and done.

Then both he and the Fallen Serpent would be easy pickings.

"Did I mention our whole plan relying on the screwup pirate captain winning a laser sword duel and recruiting the space bird pirate mafia to help us was an incredibly shit plan conception wise?" Joker asked EDI aloud.

"You did, Jeff," the AI replied. "At least four times. Five counting this latest comment."

"Well I just keep hating it the more I go along with it," Joker explained.

Another bombardment and plasma lance attack struck the Ascendant Justice. The shields were still holding, but it could only take so much punishment. Eventually the hull still took damage just from the heat of the attacks alone. However, despite most targeting instruments being down in this nebula cloud, Joker had something better. He had an AI with a mega powerful brain.

"You have enough data yet?" He asked her.

"I do, laying in manual targeting parameters," the AI informed. "Fire the Thanix at these coordinates."

Joker turned the Normandy sharply towards the targeting points on the cockpit screen. He fired three separate short burst streams with the Thanix. The attacks cut through the cloud and impacted something on the other end. With any luck, it was a few of the weapon batteries of the ships currently chasing after them.

As they were doing so, they got a call in from the Fallen Serpent on the secure line. It was Kaz, who else? For a jumpy nerdy engineer, Joker had to admit he wasn't that bad as a captain, or Ship Master, whatever these guys called the position. It had probably had something to do with EDI breaking all the strategies and tactical overlays with math.

Kaz seemed to really like math. As said previously, Joker considered the Jackal a huge math nerd. Which was probably the most insufferable sort of nerd but also the most useful. Especially in their profession.

"Normandy, we have a situation." Kaz reported.

"Yeah, you're gonna need to be more specific, because that basically encompasses everything right now," Joker explained. "Can you give any more details?"

"Destroyer, bearing down on us," Kaz explained. "We're moving to you!"

Great, a destroyer. Not as big as a Battlecruiser, but not something he wanted to face off against. Those things were pretty well-armed. If it was after the Fallen Serpent, that Corvette wouldn't last long, heavy class or not.

"Alright, we're moving to you then!" Joker assured. "EDI try to get a lock on them, use Boz's dumb radio show to position them if you have to. I don't want to shoot him down."

"Because you are listening to it and don't wish to cut it off in the middle of the song?" EDI asked.

"Well, yeah, but also because I don't want to kill our only support out here by accident," Joker clarified, before briefly realizing. "You were sorta teasing me just now, huh?"

"Somewhat," EDI replied simply.

The Normandy raced ahead all the same, encountering the Fallen Serpent as it pulled an evasive move. It avoided a series of plasma mortars cascading down around it. The ship dodged the falling plasma nimbly enough, but a near hit damaged the ship's shields.

"Fuck, fuck, minor damage, need to get out of this soup!" Kaz growled over the comms.

"We got your back, Fallen Serpent," Joker informed him. "Hang back, we'll handle this!"

Yeah, handle it. They'll handle the far bigger ship as always. Just because he had managed to survive a fight with a Covenant battlecruiser when this first started, mostly with a lot of luck, that didn't mean he relished this sort of thing. Sure, it was neat to kill a ship bigger than you, but it just always brought back some bad memories from when the SR1 got taken down.

The destroyer came into view, the nebula clouds parting. The cosmic gases swirled around the unique X-Shaped silhouette, the long body of the enemy vessel popping out into the open. It quickly targeted the Normandy, firing a series of plasma cannons in their direction.

EDI helped lay in a course to evade the incoming shots. Joker easily flew it, the attack bypassing just feet away from them as they raced between the plasma fire. All the same, he could hear the shield alarms blaring.

"Residual heat damage to shields," EDI warned. "Pooling extra power reserves. Advise tighter flying."

"I'm doing the bast I can," Joker told her. "Give me a course that gets me under their guns!"

EDI quickly calculated as Joker pulled hard to starboard, plasma lances reaching out through the void the moment he did. They narrowly missed the nimble frigate and Joker put everything he could into the boosters to rocket away.

"Tell Engineering to give me everything they have!" Joker told EDI. "We are not getting caught in the open out here!"

"Already done," EDI reported. "Laying in course to likely destroyer blind spot."

Joker turned back hard to port, using EDI guiding path to avoid incoming plasma cannon broadsides. As he did, he fired a missile swarm pod into the air. The projectiles coated the front of the screen, speeding towards the destroyer. The ship's defensive systems would likely deal with most, if not the shield, but that wasn't the point. He just needed some breathing room for the moment.

As the destroyer fired plasma broadsides in a wide berth, Joker was already diving down below, the missile launch masking their approach somewhat. As plasma flew above them, the Normandy traced the line that EDI had drawn for him. He then fired a long stream from the Thanix Cannon, tearing through the broadside batteries. The shields of the pirate ship went bright blue before turning white and partially giving out. The destroyer took a hit along two of its gun batteries, silencing them.

The destroyer responded with mortar fire. Arching plasma soon descended on Joker's direct path, forcing him to turn hard to avoid the incoming hail of death. To prevent getting struck directly by enemy fire, Joker executed a number of tight, sporadic turns, weaving through the cascading plasma as best he could.

The attacks started to dissipate the closer her got to the enemy shop, but that just meant having to avoid incoming plasma lances. Far more accurate and potentially more deadly. One nearly lashed out at the frigate's belly, had Joker not pulled a sharp turn to starboard. The shot instead passed just by the bow of the ship.

The Normandy probably would've been forced to continue the line of evasion, had the destroyer not been compelled to move itself. It pulled away suddenly, moving away from other incoming projectiles. Namely, a screen of torpedoes racing across the black. No doubt it was a salvo from the Fallen Serpent. Kaz was doing his part to keep Joker from getting shot out of the void. Joker would have to thank him for taking the heat off, if only for a little bit. But that was for later.

The destroyer turned to engage the corvette once more. It fired its own torpedoes at the ship, forcing the Fallen Serpent to turn sharply and boost away. The job was done though, Joker had gotten into position behind the destroyer. The massive X-Shape formed the perfect targeting reticle for him and Joker set the Thanix Cannon to maximum power.

"Time to make him take one right up the tail pipe!"

Joker fired a long-sustained Thanix shot right at the backside of the destroyer. The attack struck clean into one of the ship's engine thrusters, doing exactly as Joker proposed. It went straight down the shaft and detonated within the pirate ship. The explosion erupted right out of the thruster, purple and blue fire exploding out of it before the thruster itself flamed out and blew apart.

The destroyer itself was still active, but it quickly began pulling back, firing off plasma as it retreated. Fire and smoke poured out from behind it as it tried to reposition. It would've been an easy target for the Ascendant Justice if it stayed still after all. Joker fired the secondary guns at the pirate ship as it retreated, taking out another of the gun batteries as it passed by.

It linked back up with the Fallen Serpent as it launched its own heavy mortars at the destroyer. With slightly reduced speed and limited maneuverability, the destroyer took a hit along its port side from the Corvette's shots. It pulled away, debris falling off its destroyed decks. The Snarlies had been beaten back again, for now.

"They're gonna patch it up and send it back in with extra escorts next time," Kaz reported. "Meanwhile the Battlecruisers are still pushing us out of the cloud."

"Any word from Zek?" Joker asked.

"Nothing, but he has to be on his way by now, right?" Kaz asked.

That was assuming Zek had won his little duel though. They did hear from someone though, Admiral Whitcomb. Apparently, there had been some developments closer to them. However, it wasn't exactly great news.

"Long-range sensors are picking up increased energy building up from the Covenant station's reactor," Whitcomb reported. "It stands to reason our people have set the core to blow as planned. They should be already extracting from the combat zone as we speak."

"We're not exactly in the best position to help them, sir," Joker reminded him. "We still have Snarlbeak's fleet on our asses."

"I know, but if we don't act soon, they're going to be stuck in the middle of that Covenant fleet alone," Whitcomb stated. "We need to get out of this cloud, punch a hole in Zom's ships and make a break for the space station! We're trying to get as many weapon systems back online as possible, but it's not easy! Keep up your defensive actions, but be ready to move on my word!"

Wonderful, Joker thought. The Space Station was set to blow, but they couldn't move in to help carve a way out for the sabotage team. Which meant Shepard and most of the crew were just as stuck as everyone else.

But what could they do? They had Snarlbeak's boys boxing them inside this cloud and a huge enemy fleet waiting for them just outside. They had few active weapons, were hopelessly outnumbered and it was looking less and less likely they'd be able to get out of this system in time before the station blew up anyway.

There hopes really were pinned on Zek actually pulling out a win on his little laser sword duel. Just perfect, his life and those of all his friends were being entrusted to a pirate knife fight a whole solar system away that he had no control over. This was just not his day, not his day at all.

"Damn it, Zek, you better show up with one hell of a damn armada soon," the Normandy's pilot grimaced. "Because it looks like it's all coming down to you being reliable for once. I really hope Shepard was right about this stupid plan."

Joker, in the meantime turned up the radio. If he was gonna die, at least he'd go out listening to some great tunes. Though he'd never let Boz know that. Jerk would probably gloat and take all the credit for delivering all these songs to the masses, the damn musical glory hog.

---

A blade of light lashed out at Zek again, thrusting out from rupture portal, followed by a slashing wave. He dove away at the last second, deflecting the attack and being knocked into the railing. Snarlbeak ran out of the portal next, at breakneck speed. Zek barely avoided getting his head sliced off as the Astral Cutlass slashed apart the railing instead. As he ducked out of Snarlbeak's path, Zek delivered a blow to the back of the old pirate's leg.

Zek scrambled away as Snarlbeak roared. But it didn't last long. As soon as he had made the cut, it began to stitch back up, time reversing for Snarlbeak, his wound healing. Zek just groaned, this was becoming increasingly unfair, even for a pirate duel. Pulling out his needler, Zek tried to fire it on the still healing Snarlbeak. Only for a rupture to appear and swallow the damn needles up.

And Snarlbeak laughed.

"I knew you'd do that," he chortled, tapping his head. "Can you guess where they're going to come out?"

Zek didn't need to. He was already running as a portal above opened. From within it spewed forth a torrent of needles raining down on him. He raised his shield over his back to block them. But it did little to protect him from Snarlbeak's follow-up attack. The old pirate slammed the Astral Cutlass down to the ground, sending a shockwave across the floor. It connected with Zek's feet and sent him tumbling over himself across the platform.

As he rolled to a stop, Zek forced himself up once more. He glared at Snarlbeak as he approached, sending astral energy shots his way. Zek was barely able to deflect the blasts with his shield. One pushed him back, the second caused him to stumble, and the third threw him back to the ground. At this point Zek was getting sick of it. He was getting batted around like a ball while Snarlbeak just kept losing his marbles, letting his brain turn to scrambled eggs, and he was still winning.

"I have never felt so amazing in years!" Snarlbeak declared. "So much power! It's... it's incredible! I shouldn't have been so concerned! My mind isn't hurting, it's on fire! Renewed! I can hear so much, see so much! It's glorious!"

Zek shook his head at the ramblings. To think, this old bird had once been a logistical genius. Now, he was this. Some madman with a damn magic sword. It would be comical if Snarlbeak didn't stand a good chance at potentially killing him right here and now.

"And people call me the drunkard," Zek grumbled. "Ain't no buzz like cosmic energy, I guess."

"I've been weak and pathetic for so long, but now..." Snarlbeak laughed, grinning madly. "I'm finally what my sister wanted me to be and so much more."

"I think your sister wouldn't recognize you at this point, Zhoc," Zek told him.

"What a coincidence, you're not going to be recognizable to anyone in a second!"

Snarlbeak activated the Cutlass once more and several small slipspace ruptures appeared around him. Even more appeared around Zek. In a blur, Snarlbeak sent powerful beams and slashes through the ruptures. All of them appeared around Zek in an instant, lunging or blasting at him from all sides. He was surrounded by blades and energy pulses coming at him all at once. His body meanwhile felt like it was tar, sticky and slow, barely able to keep up with Snarlbeak's assault.

He used his Plasma Machete to deflect the onslaught, using his plasma shield to protect his rear. But he got hit more often than not. A stab, a searing burn, a slash at his arm, he had heard of the expression "death by a thousand cuts", he just never thought he'd be on the other end of it so literally. Eventually, one of the beams hit him in the back and sent him tumbling forward.

"You should've used this sword to its full-potential while you had the chance," Snarlbeak stated. "But like always, you're too much of a coward. Too afraid to risk everything, to lose all you covet. Pathetic."

Zek pushed himself up, his back still smoking from the beam that struck him. But while he was in pain, he kept his machete raised high and his shield levelled with his beak in a defensive posture. He was not out of this yet.

"I ain't quitting," he declared, pained breaths as he spoke. "I can't. Because unlike you, I got plenty more to lose. I see that now."

"You have the determination of your father at least," Snarlbeak cackled. "But at your core, you're still a stupid street rodent in over his head. Dread Feather must've known how much of a disappointment you'd turn out to be."

"Doubtful, my dad didn't care about me following his path," Zek stated, recalling his father's message. "He wanted me to be my own kig-yar, my own pirate, to not let his legacy determine my course in life."

Snarlbeak cocked his head.

"Ahh, you found his little farewell then, did ya?" He cackled. "Good, now you know just how much you've failed then. Cause you're gonna die accomplishing even less then he did!"

Snarlbeak sped into a portal and exiting out right over Zek's head. He was intent on delivering a finishing blow, that much was clear.

Unfortunately for the old warlord, Zek had no intention of letting him get the chance. He raised his plasma machete high, deflecting the blade away from his head at the last second. He slid his blade down the side of the Astral Cutlass, the plasma inches away Snarlbeak's eye. The older pirate quickly used his Energy Cutlass in his other hand, to block the incoming plasma machete from getting closer.

And that was when Zek grabbed for his needler and plugged two shots right into Snarlbeak's stomach. The needles shattered moments later as Snarlbeak dropped to the ground. Zek then ran forward, popping his plasma shield out again and smashing it hard into the mad warlord's face.

He kept running, even as Snarlbeak dropped through one Slipspace rupture, avoiding a follow-up slash from the plasma machete. Zek then turned around, anticipating the incoming amplified energy shockwave, as Snarlbeak slammed the Astral Cutlass into the ground from behind.

The blast sent Zek hurtling back, but this time he was more prepared for it. He did not falter, he did not stumble. The shield took the hit, his talons digging into the metal below his feet to stabilize him. Meanwhile, Snarlbeak got to his feet, his wounds healing as he used the time powers once more. He wasn't laughing though, not this time. No, now he just looked pissed.

"The fuck?" He demanded to know. "I was reading your mind! You were supposed to try and cut my head off with your sword!"

"Yeah, I thought about that real hard," Zek told him. "Because I knew it would be super satisfying. Really kept that at the forefront of my mind so you wouldn't think about what I had in the back of it."

"You think you're very clever don't you?" Snarlbeak asked, his beak sneering at Zek.

Zek shrugged.

"Nah, I'm just very good at pissing people the fuck off," he admitted. "It's my greatest defining characteristic. Just finally decided to use it to do some good for once."

"Good? You're not good, Zek," Snarlbeak spat. "You're a selfish little shit who even now can't get over the fact your dad never even wanted you. So much so you've let it dictate every decision you've ever made and it's only destroyed every relationship around you as a result."

"Oh you're picking up that too, huh?" Zek asked, chuckling as he tapped at his head. "Yeah, self-deprecation, another of my better qualities. Once I decided to not let it control me so much anyway. Way better to use it to my advantage here."

Snarlbeak cocked his head in confusion.

"You're right, Zhoc, I've fucked up a lot," Zek confessed to the warlord. "I let a lot of shit dictate my actions. And I'm not proud of a lot of them. I let my father's legacy control me one way or another for a long time. Just like you've let your image of your sister control your life. But I'm done doing that. I'm living for me now, and not letting my anger or fears cloud that."

"And I am? Is that what you're saying?" Snarlbeak snorted back. "I can feel your thoughts; I can sense your meaning! You're holding something back; I can taste it! I could rip your mind apart to find out what it is... but I'll settle for just splitting your skull!"

Snarlbeak raced towards Zek, picking up considerable speed. Zek waited for the right moment and then weaved away from the oncoming thrust and ducked the following slash. Snarlbeak may have had mind reading and time manipulation powers on his side, but Zek still had his brain working at full capacity. That was more than enough to keep him in this fight.

Zek connected his plasma machete to the energy cutlass that Snarlbeak attempted to slash downwards at him. His shield met and deflected the Astral Cutlass as it tried to follow up. The power of the strike nearly knocked Zek over, but he stood firm. He kicked out at Snarlbeak's knee, breaking his stance. Zek slashed upwards across the exposed armor chest plate, cutting into it hard. He followed the strike up, as Snarlbeak stumbled backwards, with a blow from his shield, smashing Snarlbeak along the scar on his face.

The Warlord fell back, time slowing around Zek. In the blink of an eye, Snarlbeak had retreated to a safe distance, avoiding the plasma machete's follow-up strike by mere inches. He was now well across the platform once again, his bleeding scar tissue mending as Snarlbeak called on the Astral Cutlass' power more and more.

"You think you can keep this up?" Snarlbeak barked in annoyance. "You think you can win? I have the Astral Cutlass! I have the ultimate power in the universe! You're nothing to me! NOTHING!"

Snarlbeak activated a slipspace rupture and jumped down into it. The exit portal was actually above the entrance portal, so now Zhoc was repeatedly falling. He then sped up time so he was going even faster through the ruptures. Zek realised what he was attempting pretty quickly and prepared himself.

The second the exit rupture changed positions, Snarlbeak launched out of it like a focus beam. He careened across the walkway, both swords raised and ready to strike. Zek prepared his shield, raising to protect himself, anticipating the collision.

And then... he whistled.

Suddenly, a wave of water cascaded across the reactor core walkway. It exploded forth from the aquarium tanks in miniature tidal waves, saturating the platform with liquid. Snarlbeak couldn't stop in time, he slipped on the water, no longer able to control his speed. He crashed hard onto the metal, tumbling over and splashing about.

Zek still didn't move though. For as the thrashing form of Snarlbeak slid towards him, he jumped up and then slammed his foot down on Zhoc's face as he passed by. He also took a slash downward, cutting into the slipping and sliding warlord's shoulder as sped away. As Zek landed nimbly enough, Snarlbeak smashed into the side of reactor... hard.

Groaning and growling, Snarlbeak rose to his feet, his hands trembling as he tried to stand. Water dripping off of him, his body soaked and his legs quaking, he did not look terribly imposing. Something he was very aware of and was not happy with.

"The fuck was that?" He demanded to know.

"You know I've never been surprised by how you treat your employees, Zhoc," Zek exclaimed. "For an accomplished business man, your style of management isn't exactly motivational. More screaming and demanding. I just figured you wouldn't use those tactics on all your underlings. Especially the ones who can't talk back to you."

The chirping and splashing of the Chorka in the aquariums echoed through the chamber. Their joy at humiliating Snarlbeak clear as day. Zhoc was incensed, as Zek suspected he'd be.

"You turned my private reserve against me!?" He screamed in disbelief.

"It wasn't that hard," Zek observed. "Of all the traditions you've trampled over to get here, the one you really should've heeded was one of the oldest and most important: Don't abuse the Chorka."

"As long as they pump out ichor who cares how much and how often I drain them!" Snarlbeak argued. "They're a commodity! They've always been that! We use them! I'm just more honest about it!"

"No, you're just cruel," Zek corrected, his tone less one of anger and more of disappointment. "It's been your one setting for decades now. You just don't see it that way because you look at your actions through a business lens and it shows."

"Credits is credits, Zek!" Snarlbeak glowered as he got to his feet. "That's all that should ever matter!"

He took aim to fire the Astral Cutlass, the blade resonating with power as it grew larger, ready to burst. But a stream of water sprayed him right in the face, hitting him hard enough to knock his aim off. The blast went wide, missing Zek entirely. Zhoc looked to the culprit, a Chorka that had spat the water spout right at his face and was currently eliciting clicking giggles and slapping the water in its tank with its fins.

"You insolent fucking little animal!" Snarlbeak declared, raising the Astral Cutlass once more. "How dare you-"

Zek rushed in before Zhoc could get closer to the Chorka, batting the Astral Cutlass away. The two exchanged several blows and strikes. Zek parried and dodged where he could, as the Chorka spewed water on Snarlbeak from all sides. The torrent of spouts kept knocking Snarlbeak off balance. He kept being forced to use the Astral Cutlass to reposition himself or try to rush away from the incoming water. But it was no use, the Chorka were splashing and spitting on him at every turn he tried to make.

All the while, Zek kept striking at Snarlbeak. His plasma machete struck hard, slashing against both swords held by the warlord constantly. When the older pirate tried to use time to speed himself up, or portal somewhere else, the splashing of water alerted him to where Zhoc had gone and he could quickly react. Snarlbeak was so addled mentally by his overuse of the Astral Cutlass at this point, that it was becoming increasingly hard to keep up with it all.

Zek managed to land a few blows, his plasma machete hitting Snarlbeak in a number of places. The old bastard healed the hits, but it took time away from trying to block the water spouts and tail splashes sent his way. All he was doing was using up even more of his brain power, letting the blade of legend corrupt his mind all the more.

However, even with the Chorka assisting him, and his opponent's mind slipping as much as his feet were for the moment, Zek was still facing off against an accomplished swordsman. Snarlbeak reacted to the ongoing assault with a determined defense, just waiting for his moment. When Zek overextended a strike, Snarlbeak saw his chance. He brought the pommel of his energy cutlass down on Zek's head and then used the Astral Cutlass to blast the young pirate off his ass.

Zek dropped down hard into the water-soaked platform, a tremendous splashing erupting around him. The Chorka all began to screech and cry aloud, splashing more water desperately as they did. Snarlbeak approached the fallen Zek, his blades held high.

"We'll see how loyal they are to you when I serve your body parts up for their next meal," The old mad warlord declared. "They'll need something to eat after I drain them dry for this!"

Zek raised his shield to block the incoming strikes and Snarlbeak kept lashing and slashing down at him. He cackled madly, using the Astral Cutlass to send burst of energy towards one of the Chorka tanks. The strike damaged some nearby engineering equipment and forced the Chorka to scatter. It was a brief reprieve as Snarlbeak went back to beating down on Zek's shield.

"You're done, fledgling!" Zhoc howled in delight. "You're all out of tricks!"

"Maybe," Zek acknowledged, before lightly smirking "But I know someone who's got plenty left!"

A pirate duel was hardly a noble affair. Or even a fair one. Kig-yar were not sangheili. They did not fight for honor, not in the same way. A duel was about overcoming your opponent by any means necessary. You could overpower them, yes, but it was all the more impressive if you out thought them and out guiled them. Ultimately, it didn't matter if you "cheated" so to speak. All that mattered was who was left standing.

And to that end, Zek called out his second ace in the hole.

"Look! A three-headed monkey!"

That was the code phrase he had been asked to give. He had no idea why Kasumi suggested it, but it did work to cause Zhoc to look in the opposite direction for a brief moment. That gave Ms. Goto her opening.

A disc flew out into the open, seemingly from thin air. As Zek shut his eyes, Zhoc looked up and saw the device explode in a brilliant display of light and deafening sound. Snarlbeak lurched away from Zek, dropping his energy cutlass as he tried to clutch at his eyes in pain. At the same time, Zek stood up and looked back towards where the disc had come from.

Kasumi Goto held tightly to an overhanging structural support along the ceiling. As her cloak began to fade, she gave a quick little salute while Zek looked up at her. The pirate laughed heartily at her gesture.

"Cutting it close, weren't you?" Kasumi asked.

Zek wasted little time in responding. He quickly rushed over to the still in pain Snarlbeak and socked him in the jaw with his plasma shield. The pirate warlord lifted off the ground and fell back to the floor, smashing against it, the Astral Cutlass sliding away from his grasp as the remaining water splashed about his form.

"Was waiting for the right moment," Zek explained to Kasumi as he reeled his arm back. He then grabbed at one of his pouches on his belt. "Now to play my final card."

Zek brought out the data storage device he had taken from Zhoc's cabin. The one that contained Zvaz's last message. He had needed Zhoc to be separated from the Astral Cutlass for this, so his mind would be a little more clear and capable of understanding what was about to happen.

As Snarlbeak struggled to reached the legendary sword that had slid just out of his reach, Zek tossed the device forward, activating it as he did. The packet landed in front of Snarlbeak, splashing down into the thin layer of water as its holographic message began to play.

"Wait is this-"

That was all Zhoc could say, recognizing the storage device, just seconds before Zvaz's translucent image revealed itself to him. Before his eyes now stood a tiny reflection of his long dead sister, clad in her trademark hat covering her bone-plate scalp, her magnificent quills jutting out from the side, her twinkling eyes and gorgeous smile across her prominent beak. She was exactly as Zhoc had remembered her.

And then, he heard her voice. Her real voice for the first time a long time.

"Hello brother," she began solemnly. "If you're watching this, it means I'm dead. And... I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise. I said I'd always be there to protect you and... now I won't be. That's my failing, not yours."

The ghostly image lowered her head sadly and Zhoc rose up to sit on his knees. When Zvaz spoke again, she practically looked at him directly.

"All I've wanted was to keep the people I cared about safe, you especially," she stated. "But, in the back of my mind, I knew that this profession... it likely meant I wouldn't be able to do that forever. As much as I want to stay with you physically, I know inevitably, my time will come."

Zhoc quivered as his sister spoke, his gaze locked onto her completely.

"I'm not afraid of dying, I've long since banished that fear," she explained. "I can't afford that in this life, it makes you hesitant, makes you selfish, makes you unwilling to put it all on the line for those you care about. That's not to say I've left fear behind. And what I'm actually afraid of now, more than my end, is leaving you alone."

Zek hung back as Zhoc watched the image. He didn't have to. He could've ended it now. He had the opportunity, the chance to finish this for good. But he had watched this entire message himself, and he wanted Zhoc to hear it, regardless of how it ultimately went.

"I need you to know something, Zhoc," Zvaz said poignantly. "You may think you owe me, but it's the other way around. I found my courage to save you from our father. You gave me the means to forge our fleet. You were the guile behind my reputation and I am forever grateful for that. I know you have the ability to make it without me, you could've at any time. I know you didn't want to, it's why I never pushed for it."

Zhoc looked at his sister's ghost, his expression one of genuine affection. His anger and confusion melting away under the praise of his sister. But Zvaz's expression turned my serious as she spoke.

"But I'm afraid, if I'm gone, you'll forget that or forget yourself," Zvaz explained sadly. "I'm afraid that you'll be so bitter and angry and inconsolable that... you won't know what else to do but follow my example. And that terrifies me."

Zhoc's confusion returned, his head lowering to the hologram's level.

"You are a brilliant, wonderful person, Zhoc, I think you forget that too often," Zvaz told him lovingly. "I see how you place me on a pedestal. I know how we've argued about me turning down the Syndicate's offers to join them. You think the universe of me and wish for me to own it, but I never wanted that. All I've ever wanted was to know you, my family, was safe. If I could trade this empire we've built and know you would be okay no matter what I'd do it in a heartbeat. Because it's not the power that matters to me, it's what that power can grant, a way to protect those that matter. That's the legacy I hope to leave behind, of the pirate who protected her family, more than any of the stories of my ruthlessness or blood-soaked victories."

Zhoc shook his head and began to breath heavily. Because this was wrong, this was all wrong. Zek knew that's how it would hit him and it was why he needed to see it.

"That's why I never took the Syndicate up on their invites. I knew the further I let ourselves get dragged into things, the more strings and obligations to others pirates with less concern about our safety, the harder it would all become," Zvaz expressed earnestly "I didn't want that to consume you, as I knew it would. Because I know you, Zhoc. You can't help but plan it all out, scheming is just hardwired into you. And it's a valuable trait. But if I joined the Syndicate, I feared it would overtake you, much like it has them."

Zhoc entirely body now shook once more. Not in rage, but in horrific denial.

"No, no, it was the Queens, not me!" He insisted. "I didn't stop her from taking her throne, it was them!"

"That's not what she's saying," Zek tried to clarify for him. "Listen closer!"

Zvaz continued, her holographic ghost unwavering despite the present-day kig-yar's words.

"The last thing I want is to see you go down a path that will turn you away from the brother I saved," she explained. "That's why I fear leaving you alone. I fear what my death will do to you. How, if I'm gone, you'll have no one to help you see past the logistics and the plan. To not look to power as something to take, but as something that must be used wisely. That's never been what's important to me. I killed our father to save you, Zhoc, not to seize his ship or take his place. You matter to me more than that, more than the Syndicate and the power it could give us."

Zek watched as Zhoc leaned over, his body still shaking as he began to sob. All the same, Zvaz kept going.

"If I'm gone, I hope you can take comfort in the crew, in others, that you won't need me, that you won't shut everyone else out because I'm not there," She spoke readily. "And more importantly, that you'll follow not in my footsteps but your own. That you'll forge a fleet with that wonderful brain of yours, instead of worrying about how strong you are. You're already strong, Zhoc, you always were. I know it, I hope you'll see it for yourself some day."

Zhoc dropped back against his legs, looking dumbfounded as tears streamed down his face.

"More importantly, never forget why we built this," Zvaz stated. "To free ourselves, to find a place where we could be who we were meant to be. Where we could be safe and happy. Never forget that and don't let your anger and your pain fester forever. Honor my life, don't cling to my death, however violent it likely was given our profession. Be a pirate who stands for something beyond profit and power. Be the symbol of freedom that we are meant to be and find those who share that philosophy. And help them, like you helped me."

Zhoc gripped at the sides of the data packet and raised it up towards him.

"I know you can do it, Zhoc," Zvaz encouraged. "I know you can be a great pirate and that you can do incredible wonderful things. You'll change things for the better, not through strength, but your mind. Never forget you are my brother and that's all you ever needed to be to earn my respect and love. If I can see it and risk my life for you above all else, others will too. So long as you let them."

Zhoc began to openly weep as he his sister's ghostly image leaned closer.

"I love you, little brother," she said sweetly. "I always will and I'll always be with you. Make me proud, soar free, and use that head of yours for something great. Show them what a pirate can truly be. I'll see you again one day, I know it. May the solar winds of the ever black take you to fortune and glory, Zhoc. I'll wait there for you, no matter how long it takes. Until then, live your life and make it a glorious one."

Zvaz's image vanished and Zhoc broke down in tears. His fist slammed into the walkway beneath him, splashing water about as he wailed horrifically. Zek moved tepidly closer, his plasma machete ready, but lowered.

"Why?" The old bird seethed. "Why did you show me that?! WHY?!"

"Cause you needed it," Zek told him plainly. "You never really fully grieved for your sister. Never said goodbye, and look what happened. Instead of honoring her legacy, you tainted it. Don't you get it? She never wanted you to do any of this. She wasn't a ruthless killer; she cared about the way piracy used to be. She... she was more like Dread Feather..." He took a moment, contemplating his thoughts even as he accepted them. "More like my dad than you realized."

Zhoc looked back, anger boiling through his sadness.

"No! No, Zvaz wasn't a failure like him! She was strong! And I had to be strong!" He screamed, the rage breaking through denial. "I had to be better! It was the only way! I didn't need Dread Feather! I didn't need my crew! I only needed my sister and she was stolen from me!"

"You still have her," Zek informed him. "She was a part of your life, and she still is. But you forgot. You forgot because it was easier to create a different Zvaz in your head. One that would agree with whatever you did out of your anger and grief. Just like I did with my dad."

"You never even knew Dread Feather," Zhoc spat. "You can't compare us!"

"I can, because I made up my own version of my dad to hate and you imagined a different version of your sister to love," Zek accused. "And in both our cases, it destroyed us, twisted us up and turned us into the exact opposite of what they wanted."

Zhoc glared at Zek, his disgusted sorrow piercing the young pirate's shared gaze.

"You think this honestly changes anything?" Zhoc demanded to know. "You think any of this matters? They're dead! They're both dead! And we're failures, both of us! You can't fix yourself any more than you can me!"

"It's not too late, I thought it was for me, but it isn't," Zek tried to plead. "We can be what they wanted us to be. Me, a pirate outside of my father's shadow. You, the pirate who stands for freedom."

Zhoc laughed through his tears at the suggestion.

"You? You think you can ever escape what Dread Feather left for you?" He chortled. "You're a drunk cowardly idiot, trapped as much in a stupid dream world as he was. You'll always be lesser than him."

"He didn't think so," Zek replied. "He believed I could do better than he did. And I'm going to try, starting by finishing what he couldn't start. And... who knows, maybe we could do it together? Like how he wanted."

Zhoc rolled his eyes, suppressing a sickened laugh.

"Join you? Fight the Covenant? With humans?" He snorted. "Please, be serious. You have no chance, Astral Cutlass or no. You're too broken." Zhoc's posture deflated, his shoulders slumping, his beak dipping low in a depressing funk. "We both are."

Zek shook his head.

"It's never too late to fix yourself, not if you make the effort," he spoke earnestly. "You don't have to be defined by that scar. And more importantly, you don't have to be alone."

"This scar is who I am," Zhoc growling in a low tone as he felt along his face. He turned away, his expression soured and spiteful. "A constant reminder of what I lost. Something you'll never understand no matter what you claim. So drop the sympathy act, I don't care."

"You should care, Zhoc," Zek pressed further, stepping ever closer. "Because your sister cared, about you. About your life. You need let go of that false image of her and remember her for who she was, because none of that was even true! And none of it matters anyway! All that matters is who you want to be and what you want to do with your life right now."

Zhoc raised his head, his eyes growing wide, seemingly with a sudden realization.

"You're right," he said, his tone uplifted, but just as clearly broken as ever. "And I think I know exactly what I want. Right here. Right now."

Zhoc's hand shot towards the Astral Cutlass' hilt and clutched at it hard. He began swinging it back towards Zek, fury in his sorrow-stricken eyes.

"To watch you choke on your own blood!"

Zek stepped back, avoiding the slash by mere inches as the tip of the Astral Cutlass sliced along the edge of his beak and across his cheek, just under his eye. Zhoc flung another slash, but it was wild, as was the next. He wasn't sure if it was due to him losing his mind or if the old bird was just too enraged to care. Either way, Zek saw his chance.

He parried the next slash with his plasma machete and stepped inward. He shoulder checked Snarlbeak in the face and blocked the retaliatory strike that followed. The Astral Cutlass pushed close to his face, but Zek was inside Zhoc's defenses. He kicked at the warlord's shin, forced the Astral Cutlass back and then twirled his plasma machete about. His blade caught onto the top of Zhoc's wrist, past the guard and Zek sliced down the arm.

Armor peeled away along with skin as the hot plasma cut deep. Snarlbeak howled in pain as Zek kicked him full in the stomach, his blade cutting into Zhoc's elbow. The old pirate's grip on the Astral Cutlass loosened and fell away as the warlord stumbled backwards. Zek reached out and grabbed the legendary sword with his free hand, firmly taking charge of the blade.

He turned to face Zhoc, who already had his plasma pistol out, charged to full capacity, at point blank range. Snarlbeak screamed aloud in a rage, blood pouring from his beak, a result of Zek shoulder checking him earlier. He only had one goal in mind left, killing Zek. In his blind rage he saw nothing else, not Zek moving to protect himself, not Kasumi from afar drawing her pistol. He believed he could let off the shot in time, that at least his hated rival would die.

His tunnel vision was so complete that he neither heard nor saw the splash of water or encroaching shadow coming at him. It was only at the last moment did both Zek and Zhoc see the large Chorka leaping out of its tank to smash down onto its abusive master.

The giant lumpy sea mammal crashed down onto Zhoc with the full force of its massive girth, its mouth closing hard on the trigger arm and forcing it away from Zek. The plasma bolt flew off, hitting the bulkhead at the far end of the room.

Meanwhile, the Chorka smashed onto the walkway platform hard and then rolled about on top of Snarlbeak. As the pirate warlord tried to crawl away from beneath the animal, the chorka raised its tail and then slammed it down, over and over again. It did this several times, before turning about, grabbing Zhoc's head in its jaws and flinging him straight into structural support pillar across the way from them.

Zhoc's crumpled form rolled lifelessly to the deck, as Zek stood over him stunned.

"Fuck, I was kinda thinking you'd just spray him again," Zek confessed, the yellow glow of the Astral Cutlass dissipating. "But uh... thanks."

The chorka let out an echoing chirp and bellow before squirming itself along the walkway back towards its tank below. It climbed up the railing, which bent beneath its weight and slid into the water, only splashing it about a little. Zek finished watching the spectacle and turned back to Zhoc, who now lay dead at his feet, crushed beneath a creature that had suffered most dearly under him.

Zek had at one time been dreaming of getting revenge on Zhoc. On ending the sellout and his mad scheme to destroy piracy forever. He would've been satisfied with this outcome about a week ago. Now, he could only feel pity.

Kasumi joined him promptly, though Zek's eyes didn't leave the corpse.

"I probably could've helped you end this way sooner," she noted.

"Sorry, I had to at least try to talk him down," Zek explained. "Saw too much of myself in him by the end."

The thief put a hand on his shoulder.

"Unfortunately, some people just don't want to be fixed, Zek," Kasumi said sympathetically. "But hey, I understand why you tried."

Zek nodded and raised up the Astral Cutlass in his hands. He could already feel the power of the blade returned to his grasp. With Zhoc dead, his reclamation of the blade was complete. He had actually pulled it off. He had gotten the Astral Cutlass back, he beat Snarlbeak, he had redeemed himself. Well, not quite yet with that last part, but he'd take care of that soon enough.

"Ms. Goto, get on the comms channel and contact the Syndicate Flagship," he ordered. "I need to cut us a deal."

"Aye, aye," Kasumi saluted haphazardly. "Hope you're faster with your negotiating than with your sword fighting skills. Our friends are probably in some deep shit we need to pull them out of now."

Kasumi was already on the console and Zek joined her. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, but even though he had failed to talk Zhoc down, he had a bit more faith in his abilities here. The queens were stubborn, sure, but even they could be convinced to act with the right incentive. And he did have the Cutlass, that had to count for something if they were about to hand over the keys to the kingdom just because Zhoc was holding it.

"I got a plan, don't worry," Zek assured Kasumi. "Those old crones might not like it, but I can talk some sense into them. I just gotta speak to them on the most basic of pirate levels... profit mostly."

"Is that gonna be enough?" Kasumi asked tepidly.

"We'll work the angles if it isn't," Zek assured her. "Just get me through, they should at least be happy to hear the first bit of news I have for them."

---

The holographic communication emiter at the center of the room came to life as the message was transferred over. In moments, Retz saw Zek, battered and bruised, but alive nonetheless. In his hands, he held the Astral Cutlass, which he raised high over his head. He had done it, he had beaten Snarlbeak, the legendary pirate sword was now his. The Queens, for their part, appeared apathetic. Which was expected, but it was better than being disappointed or angry.

"Pirate Queens of the Syndicate, I Zek, Son of Dread Feather, have slain Snarlbeak," Zek declared proudly. "As a result, I have reclaimed the Astral Cutlass. As the Code dictates, I now claim by right of plunder, all of Snarlbeak's holdings. His crew, his ship, his fleet, his operations, accounts, all of it. It's all mine now, along with the Cutlass."

"That is indeed your right," Zoth Gorb stated regally but with a hint of annoyance. "Congratulations on your victory, Zek. I'm sure it was well earned. Now, why don't you scamper off to drink yourself to death in some remote corner of the galaxy and we can all get back to our normal duties. Primarily lunch."

"YEAH! LUNCH!" Zor Bix shouted excitedly. "Let's hurry it up then! I want my zorma eels to still be wriggling in the sauce and not half dead because we're late!"

Zek sighed briefly, but kept on task.

"Actually, there's still more business to discuss," he continued "Given that my actions have removed a terrible threat to the Syndicate's very existence, and I now possess the Astral Cutlass itself to boot, I think I'm more than entitled to requesting a favor from this body. As per the codes, your highnesses."

Zoth Gorb just scoffed, but quickly smiled falsely.

"Oh of course, we'll get you your own planet and set you up there as a regent I guess," she reasoned. "Somewhere nice and remote where you won't bother us, how's that sound?"

"Tempting, but I was thinking something a little more proactive on your part," Zek replied, resolute in tone. "For starters, I'd appreciate the Syndicate legitimizing my claim over Snarlbeak's assets. I would prefer his employees not try anything on my person. Otherwise we're back at square one."

Zoth Gorb looked at Zek with a grimacing glare, but eventually sighed in reserved acceptance.

"Fine, we'll send people over to maintain order on the Trozken's Scourge while you consolidate matters," She relented.

"A good start, but there are a bunch of ships of Snarlbeak's that are attacking my business associates as we speak," Zek reminded her. "I would appreciate the Syndicate Fleet accompanying me to enforce matters."

"You have the Astral Cutlass now, you can handle that yourself," Zoth Gorb huffed with a slight laugh.

"Sure, but given it's part of the initial request, it wouldn't hurt for you come with," Zek stated.

Zoth looked to Zor and Zox. The former shrugged, her bone armor clacking, while the latter looked off lazily to the back of the room at the projected image of space.

"When did we get a window installed here?" She asked absent mindedly.

"Ugh, fine, we'll accompany you to settle any further disputes then," Zoth Gorb relented.

"Good," Zek grinned, a sly smile creeping on his face. "And since you'll be around the area, I would greatly appreciate if the Syndicate Fleet also assisted my business associates in a matter of their own interest."

Zoth, who had long guessed where this was going, slammed her sceptre down hard. Her glare had turned from annoyed to outright pissed, as she stared the holographic image of the belligerent pirate leader down.

"No, absolutely not!" She declared outright, her wrath and disdain echoing through the chamber. "It's one thing to join the Covenant, but helping the humans? Involving us in the war on their side? That's not just insane, it's suicidal! We have enough problems being criminals, now you want us to be named heretics too? Fuck that, Zek! That sword only gets you so much clout, don't push it!"

Zek's holographic form stood firm though, the Astral Cutlass held firmly in hand.

"You were prepared to surrender the whole of the Syndicate to Zhoc and throw in with the Covenant as a result," he reminded them all. "What makes joining the humans any worse? Don't tell you give a shit about being called heretics!"

"It carries considerably greater problems than being just labelled a pirate, you should know that better than most," Zoth Gorb sternly informed him. "Even if that wasn't the case, war isn't good for business. Profiting from it, yes. Fighting one, no."

"It is good fun though," Zor noted wistfully. "The fighting part I mean."

"Not now, Zor," Zoth hissed through her beak.

Zek quickly cut back in here before Zoth could regain the advantage.

"The pirate way of life is about more than profit," he reminded them, looking towards the wider team. "Or have you forgotten that? Zhoc was right about one thing, you preach about protecting the old ways, but you've forgotten a great deal about them. You've let your power go to your heads and neglected your purpose in favor of fortune. Where's the glory in hiding and skulking in the shadows? In killing other pirates because they cut in on a racket you control? Or because you want to install your own guy in their fleet? How can any of you call yourself pirates when you deny what we're about at our core?"

"What core?" Zor asked, sounding a little bored.

"Piracy is about freedom!" Zek declared. "It's about living beyond the bounds of what the authoritarian systems of the universe limit us to. In your efforts to protect our traditions, you've suffocated them with your own system of rules and regulations. You say it's to protect us, but all it's done is stagnate you. We've forgotten who we are. What we stood for."

He looked over to Retz and Taq, both smiling brightly at him and urging him to continue.

"The kig-yar pirate life has to be more than just making a profit," Zek insisted. "It's about taking a stand against those who would rob us and others of the freedom and adventure we crave. That's the glory that goes with the fortune! That's what we should stand for! That's what our heritage is!"

Zoth Gorb looked contemplative for a moment as Zek finished speaking. She rubbed the tip of her lower beak, her gaze going from Zek to the walls and ceiling around her, covered in the history of piracy. And then, as she took it all in, the depth of their legacy... she stuck out her tongue and blew hard.

"Glory, smory, none of us give a fucking shit about that," she declared. "We quite happy just being rich! Why should we put our lives on the line for a bunch of hairless apes, for you, just because what? You think you're a better pirate than us? Please! We know you, Zek! You're not exactly a picture perfect pirate yourself. You may better appreciate our traditions, but even with that sword, you're still the failure son of an idiot dreamer. And the Syndicate is no place for dreams, only reality and cold hard creds."

Zek grimaced and rolled his eyes. He had really thought doing a Shepard speech would help him out here. Unfortunately, whatever special sauce the Commander gave to his powers of persuasion just didn't translate so well into the pirate mindset. The queens weren't wide-eyed idealists. He'd have to rely more on other their less than noble quirks then.

"Fine, fuck being poetic about this," he declared exasperated. "Listen, we can hammer out further details later. But for right now, my human friends need help. And you're gonna give it to them."

"Oh, are you going to threaten us then, Zek?" She asked. "Come in here and force us?"

"That's what Zhoc wanted," Zek stated. "But it's not how I'm operating. I'm not going to use threats to get what I want. Nor am I going to fight you to force you to do anything."

"Please try!" Zor Bix requested, practically bouncing on her throne. "I really, REALLY want to kill someone today!"

"Well you can probably kill a lot of Covenant," Zek reminded her. "There's like five hundred of ships there, plenty of shit to explode and mutilate."

Zor Bix took that into consideration, her eyes practically dancing at the very notion.

"It does sound like a really fun fight," she spoke, salivating as she thought of the carnage she could sow. "Maybe we could even find a few survivors and crack their skulls open after an extended torture session. Oh, that would make my evening."

"Zor, can you reign in your bloodlust, just this once?" Zoth pleaded.

"But MURDER! PAIN! VI-O-LENCE, Zothy! Just a little bit of it!" Zor pleaded mournfully.

"No!" Zoth told her sternly, slapping at her throne with her sceptre "Do you seriously want to get into a conflict with the Covenant just to engage in wanton destruction?"

Zor Bix looked about sheepishly.

"Would you be mad if I said yes?" She asked.

Zoth Gorb flung herself back into her throne in anger.

"Fucking Ocean's Depths," She groaned.

"Additionally, I hold the Cutlass and flying with me under that banner is important to your very legitimacy," Zek stated, holding the blade high. "How is it going to look to your houses and the independent clans, when word gets out that when given the chance to plunder and loot with the most legendary pirate sword in history the Syndicate turned it down because they were still scared of the Covenant? Especially when the guy asking them for help was rejected. What if he falls in combat and the Astral Cutlass is taken by the Covenant as a result? Do you really want to be blamed for that fuck up?"

Zox Jek's attention was suddenly gained.

"What?" She shrieked. "We lost the Astral Cutlass? To the Covenant! Oh that's terrible!"

"No, you haven't," Zek assured her. "Not yet, but even if that doesn't happen, think of how that makes the Syndicate look anyway? You'd be throwing away a chance to increase your notoriety, your legend. You thrive on being feared, on being predators of the black. How does it look when a lowly pirate is braver than you and your entire fleet combined? Even with the services of the Astral Cutlass held in his hand to insure victory!"

"A short victory once the Covenant start to hunt us down," Zoth noted.

"Hunt? Is it time for the Red Skissher-Frill hunt yet!?" Zox Jek asked frantically. "Oh we can't miss that! I remember when my great auntie took me to them as a fledgling! Oh those were the days, did I ever tell you the time I poked my head overboard and my head was engulfed by a school of the little-"

"Zox! Focus for once!" Zoth Gorb ordered.

"Fork Up Four Conch? What in the Grotto's Abyss do you want my shell collection for?" Zox asked confused.

"Damn it, I'm just going to pay for the fucking ear surgery at this rate!" Zoth roared in anger.

It was then that Zek butted in once more.

"Queen Zox Jek, tell us, what does the Code say about honoring a call to arms from a fellow pirate?" He asked earnestly.

Zox was quick to snap her attention back over Zek, a big grin across her face as she did.

"Oh, that's an easy one little egg," she laughed. "A call from a friend true, must be followed through. So long as a pirate can offer equal and well-earned compensation, either in coin or infamy, then the pirate is required to honor the accord! More so if it is offered in recompense for services rendered."

"You are not helping," Zoth Gorb sneered at her fellow queen.

"And what happens if a pirate does not stand by his fellows and flees a battle offered before it is even properly fought?" Zek asked next.

"Run away, you're fair game," Zoc Jek noted. "The Code is clear. You cannot call yourself a pirate if you flee outright. Especially if its in service to a favor owed."

"And if they held the Astral Cutlass? Or some other powerful legendary weapon that promised victory?" Zek asked.

"Well, nothing specific, but it would reflect badly on the pirate in question," Zox admitted with a simple shrug. "You're basically abandoning a powerful ally and risking a treasured relic of pirate lore falling into the hands of those unworthy of our history. And to be left out of its continued story... oh that's even worse. It's literally denying the legend!"

"Denying the legend?" Zek asked, a smug grin across his face. "Well, that doesn't sound very Syndicate-like. In fact, it's downright antithetical. I mean, legends are basically the basis of tradition and heritage. You're supposed to be stewards of that and if you purposely remove yourself from that responsibility well..."

Zox Jek looked horrified and turned to Zoth Gorb frantically.

"Oh, we can't risk losing face with the clans," she insisted. "We must follow through on the accord at every stage! We must protect the lore! We must abide the code! Heritage is our anchor!" Then suddenly her mind drifted. "Has anyone seen my reading visor?"

"It's on your head, dear," A frustrated Zoth informed her.

"Oh so it is," Zox Jek sighed in relief as she reached up to her head and pulled a small visor down to her eyes, displaying a number of historical texts and Pirate Code references. "That was a scare for half a minute. Now then... we should probably go help these associates of this young bird then... and also check to see if my holostories have recorded properly. That system can be so confusing, I don't know if I'm using the thingy properly. So many buttons."

Zoth Gorb looked incensed at Zek.

"I know what you're doing, and it won't work," she chided. "I'm not so easily taken in by your little tricks. I perfected most of them, you little shit!"

"Well how's this then," Zek stated plainly. "You don't come, you won't get any choice salvage rights for the remains of the battle. It'll all get scooped up by whoever comes in to claim it first. If you're there, you get priority claim to ALL of the loot that survives the battle. Trust me, there's gonna be a lot of broken hulks to sift through at the end of it all. Better you hold claim to it all by making it clear you were there."

Zoth Gorb actually put some real thought into that. Profit was always more important than anything in her mind, Retz knew that well. The gears were clearly turning, but she remained adamant.

"No," she stated. "I won't risk what we've built for lofty promises. I will not rush off into battle to help a bunch of stupid humans for something that isn't only not our problem, but could mean the end of everything."

"Think of it as a trial run," Zek explained. "At the very least come with me now and I'll make my case later! I don't really have the time to push for more than this!"

"I have no interest in putting a death mark on my back for the sake of a bunch of primates," Zoth Gorb declared. "If you care about them so bad, go ahead and run off to them, but I will not destroy all we've built for them. You may not like what we are, you may say we've fallen from our original purpose, but the Syndicate has helped piracy endure through the millennia. And going head-to-head with the Covenant is something it simply can't afford."

At this moment, before Zek could plead further, Retz stepped in. He knew where this was going and he only had one card to play if he was going to change the outcome. It was a risk, but he had to take it.

"Queen Zoth Gorb, if I may, you're being most short-sighted about this," he claimed. "Think of what a grateful and desperate UNSC will do in order to reward the actions of the Syndicate saving their people from a terrible fate. Think of how much it will show the galaxy how the Syndicate will even dare to stand against the Covenant now. You have everything to gain from this, even if the greater long-term risk is present. Are you that chained to your ways, that you won't even consider the opportunity you're presented with?"

"I've had to listen to you for long enough today," Zoth Gorb glowered. "What makes you think you have any better a chance at convincing me than this idiot does?"

"Because if you truly believe the things you claim, you wouldn't be so adamant about denying my friend his request in payment for his services," Retz stated bluntly. "You're so afraid of change that you're willing sabotage yourself. I have to believe even you wouldn't fall so low."

"You never understood why all of this was necessary," Zoth Gorb snuffed back harshly. "Why the Syndicate does what it does. Always complaining about our methods, our practices. But we saw the bigger picture, Retz. While you got lost in the weeds."

"And you forgot everything you claimed to believe in the process," Retz countered, his words more sharp and accusatory than ever. "And now, you're risking destroying that very belief system yourself to save a way of doing things that is plainly not working. We got to this point because of how this organization operated, how you ran things. Snarlbeak never would've gotten nearly this close to ruining everything if he hadn't smelled the rot setting in here."

Zoth Gorb dropped back on her throne, her face turned away from Retz.

"I don't need to be lectured by a traitor," she declared. "I've kept this organization running smoothly despite Zor's carnage craving craziness and Zox's silly senior senility. It's worked just fine and will continue to do so, making us plenty of money and keeping our traditions safe."

"But it didn't keep them safe this time," Retz reminded her, pointing back to Zek. "He did. The failure, the drunk, the idiot pirate who you said wouldn't amount to nothing. He saved you and that warrants at least giving his way of doing things a chance."

Zoth Gorb remained unmoved, even as her colleagues and assorted Syndicate officers looked to her and muttered among themselves.

"You're asking me to change everything, uproot our whole organization, to save a bunch of hairless apes, for him," Zoth growled, pointing at Zek. "It's just ridiculous."

"Then don't do it for him," Retz pleaded. "Do it... as a favor. As one single wish... from your son."

A collective gasp rose from the assorted Syndicate officers. Taq's eyes went wide and even Zek looked on in shock.

"Wait, what?" He asked.

Kasumi's head appeared in the corner of the holographic image.

"Yeah, second that," she added. "What?!"

Zoth Gorb looked about frantically, anxiously and uncomfortably in her throne for the first time in a while.

"You're not my son," she said, nervously chuckling. "I have no son."

"Mother please, I know I've disappointed you, but you can't just deny our relations," Retz insisted. "I've never asked anything of you, I never wanted anything before then. All I want, in this moment, this singular point in time, is for you to trust my friend and trust me. Trust me when I say it's for the good of everyone, not just the Syndicate, or kig-yar, but for the galaxy. Nothing trumps that, not even profit."

Zoth Gorb glowered at Retz, her glare venomous and cruel.

"You were always a little whiny fucking bastard since you were born," she spat. "The rest of your clutch were girls, they always knew better, understood how it worked. They never questioned, while you felt compelled to. It was infuriating to have to raise such an ungrateful whelp. Gave you everything all the same, and you turned on me."

"I turned on what this place became, and that wasn't even your doing, you were just accustomed to it," Retz countered. "But I've seen a better way. And I've more than earned the right to make a request of you. Even though I walked away from this place, I'm still your son. And offspring carry weight here, regardless of gender."

Zox leaned in close.

"The fledgling's right," she observed. "He is still your son. As a spawn of the head queen, his word carries certain weight. He is of your blood after all."

"But he's a traitor!" Zoth argued.

"Who's boss just killed a worse threat," Zor reminded her. "That carries a degree of penance."

"Oh you just want to kill things, you don't care about that!" Zoth snapped at her. She turned back to Retz who stood unwaveringly. And then to the assembled crowd before them. "Fucking bastard."

Retz simply grinned.

"Proud to be one, but I'm still yours," he said slyly.

Zoth let loose a gross sound in the back of her throat, guttural and primal as she tuned to Zek.

"I promise nothing after this," she declared. "Trust me on that."

She then slammed her scepter down on the floor three times and she looked up to the mass pirates within the chamber itself.

"Syndicate! By order of your queens! Set course and prepare the jump for Tau Ceti! Plunder awaits!"

A tremendous war cry rose up from the assembled court as many unsheathed their swords and raised their guns high. Retz looked on astonished at it all. He expected to force his mother's hand, he hadn't expected the rest of the Syndicate to turn about so quickly on the notion themselves. He could only assume that it wasn't entirely his doing, as he looked to Zek's holographic image as he whooped for joy.

Retz then spotted Zix nearby, looking dumbfounded and in shock.

"I can't believe it, we're following that moron into battle," she said in monotone horror.

"You're following the holder of the Astral Cutlass into battle," Retz corrected her. "That's an important distinction. And also the savior of your entire organization, thanks in no small part to me, in fact."

Zix just frowned in disgust at him.

"I hate you so much," she bluntly told him

"I know," Retz replied, grinning cheekily.

He then turned to Taq, but saw that she was over near Zek's hologram, seemingly congratulating him and getting a look at the Astral Cutlass proper. He suspected she wanted to head over and see it in person. Zek just looked at her with a joyful smile. One that Retz shared.

Although, there was little time dwell on their little victory in diplomacy, they had a battle to get to after all.

---

Despite being shadowed within the nebula, the Ascendant Justice continued to be bombarded by plasma bursts fired from outside. At the same time, pirate frigates launched plasma charges into the cloud directly, exploding all around them. Whitcomb wasn't taking the bait though, he knew what Zom and his men were doing, trying to force them into the open and closer to Unyielding Hierophant. They'd be an easy target for the Covenant at that point.

The Admiral had no intention of being outmaneuvered by Fleet Master Zom though. While the Jackal was clearly more adept at naval warfare than could be expected of his species, the thought of being outfought by this loud-mouthed sycophant was offensive to him. The problem was he couldn't get a good shot on Zom's ship without exposing the carrier to being hit from another angle.

However, Whitcomb still had the Normandy and the Fallen Serpent at his side, and they were proving to be more than capable at holding their own out here. Not to mention, their tactical assistance was tipping the scales just enough to keep them in the game. As of now, they were about to get these enemy frigates off their ass.

Haverson spoke up from the holomap, reading the tactical data as it came.

"Normandy has eyes on the lead enemy frigate," he informed him. "Fallen Serpent is harassing the other two, firing mortars to disrupt their plasma charge screens."

"Do we have an active battery that's in range of Normandy's target?" Whitcomb asked.

"One," Holland reported. "Engineers managed to get it back online! We need to run the bombardment though!"

"The charges are worse, they can blow clean through the hull, hit the engines, then we're screwed," Whitcomb stated. "Power to shields, move in to firing range and open up!"

The carrier moved forward through the descending rain of plasma. The bridge shook violently as a barrage struck along their upper starboard side. The ship held though, even as the shields dropped fast. They closed the distance quickly though and locked onto Normandy's target. Whitcomb ordered the battery to fire and blaze of plasma shot forth, up out of the nebula.

The shots collided with the enemy frigate's main plasma launcher, causing it to explode, detonating the weapons stockpile. The blast ripped through a number of decks, leaving it vulnerable as it listed towards port. Normandy rushed in, firing its main gun into the open wound. The pirate frigate was broken in half, its pieces drifting away from each other.

However, the shield alarms started to blare loudly, signaling the new danger the Ascendant Justice now faced. Their power systems were getting overtaxed. They had known for awhile, this nebula was messing with more than just their targeting. With the combined plasma bombardment, it had just finally taken its toll.

"Shields are down, sirs," a deckhand reported. "One of the blasts sent a blowback into the conduits. The Engineers are working on it, but the nebula's interference is disrupting our backup systems with it knocked out."

"We need to get out of the cloud," Whitcomb reasoned.

"We'll be exposed, sir," Haverson warned.

"We don't have many other options," Whitcomb explained. "Tell the Serpent to get us a solution on one of the battlecruisers. We'll fire the MAC as we leave! That should break them apart some!"

It was a desperate plan, but all they got. Thankfully, the pirate corvette managed to get them what they needed as the carrier rose up out of the gas. As soon as their nose started to push out of the nebula, they let off the plasma pulse. The beam sailed through the black and impacted on one of the battlecruisers escorting Zom's flagship. The blast cut through their lower hanger and caused one of its plasma torpedo launchers to detonate. The blast took out a few more decks and forced the ship to pull away, smoke pouring from everywhere.

As the Ascendent Justice fully revealed itself, it opened up with every remaining forward gun it had as Zom's flagship hit them in kind. Thankfully, they were able to get power into forward shields once they cleared the nebula, but they were still weak and falling again just as fast.

The Fallen Serpent moved in to fire a number of mortars towards Zom's gun batteries, but more pirate frigates moved to block the corvette's attack path. It seemed like it was going to be a slog of a fight, two massive ships duking it out with each other. Battling it out to take down the other's shields, cut through the other's armor, or get clear shot at the other's power core. One titan would inevitably give in.

And that's when the slipspace rupture alarms went off.

"Sir, multiple ruptures! Off our bow, right behind the enemy capital ship and the pirate fleet!"

Whitcomb turned to the holographic map and saw as hundreds of ships emerged from the black, popping into being as they slid out of slipspace and back into reality. The admiral felt his face go white and his knees begin to waver.

"Mother of God," he said, fearing the worst.

The newly arrived vessels congregated around the Snarlies. Massive carriers, giant battlecruisers, more destroyers, frigates and corvettes than any one ship alone could handle. At its head was a giant carrier of unique design and shape. And pulling out in front of it was a Battlecruiser, which long-range imaging sensors depicted with some kind of tentacle creature swarm painted along its hull. More horrifying though were the power readings it possessed. They were off the scale, not normal for a battlecruiser of its type.

"Sirs, enemy vessel moving into attack range!" A deckhand warned.

"Admiral, it's hailing us!" A communications officer reported. "And... linking in the pirate flagship?"

"Enemy vessel is patching into every ship in the immediate vicinity," DOT corrected. "I am interfacing the connection to the holomap now."

Appearing on screen was a rather unexpected sight, Zek! Kaz had kept insisting he would come, but Whitcomb had remained skeptical until this very moment. Still, he was wary of the arrival. He suspected these other ships he had brought with him were the Syndicate fleet, and he trusted those criminals even less than Zek.

"Admiral," Zek spoke, nodding quickly as he took notice. "Sorry I'm late, had to play pirate politics a bit. I assume you're still mad at me, but hopefully bringing along some help will start to make up for it."

"I'm... not opposed to it," Whitcomb said charitably, his arms crossed and face dower.

Zek shrugged in resignation.

"Fair enough," he relented. "But you're gonna wanna watch this, I bet."

Zek flicked some switches along his holographic imager's console. The main viewscreen near the command station on the bridge switched to show Fleet Master Zom, sitting in his command chair, looking perplexed.

"Zek! How are you even alive?!" He demanded to know.

"That's simple enough to explain," Zek told the sycophantic pirate. "By the rite of combat, I have laid claim to all holdings and assets of Snarlbeak's enterprise. As a result of him meeting his end by my hand in a duel." Zek paused for a moment and contemplated, before finally correcting himself. "Well... technically a chorka's fins did it, but I told it to... sorta."

Zom looked on dumbfounded.

"What?!"

"I'll repeat it since it seems you're deaf," Zek spoke once more, this time louder. "I killed Snarlbeak, I own all his stuff now. That includes the Astral Cutlass, this ship... and your ass, along with that fleet you're commanding."

Zom's glower deepened, his eyes full of burning hatred and disgust.

"Pirate Lord Snarlbeak is an unmatched swordsman and duelist! He can't be dead! You lie!" Zom accused viciously.

"My claim is backed up by the Syndicate itself," Zek informed him. "They're here to enforce that turnover directly. I possess the Astral Cutlass which is currently powering this ship's weapons systems. Your boss is dead, I'm the new one, simple as that. You are required, by the Pirate's Code, to accept this transition."

Zom was beside himself in disbelief, bolting out of his command chair and pointing accusingly at Zek's hologram from his perspective.

"You must've cheated!" He declared. "There can be no other explanation! You're an idiotic cowardly wretch! Snarlbeak was beyond the likes of you!"

The accusation just made Zek laugh.

"We're pirates," Zek chortled. "Cheating doesn't fucking matter. I won, he's dead. You have two options, Zom. Which as your new boss, I am obligated to give to you as terms. You can either fall in line... or you can get the fuck out of my way."

Zom looked at Zek with complete indignation. He then turned to his bridge crew.

"Blow this drunk usurping piece of razor shit out of the fucking black!"

Zek just sighed, holding the bridge of his beak.

"You cannot seriously be this stupid," he told him. "I just told you I have the Astral Cutlass and it's powering this thing's main gun. You know what that means, right?"

"Fuck you, Zek!" Fleet Master Zom declared. "I will never follow the likes of you! I'd rather throw myself on my own sword than submit to a pathetic, lowly, worthless little street thug who thinks he could ever hold a candle to the legendary father who abandoned him! Along with the disease-ridden whore that spawned-"

The moment Zom called Zek's mother a "whore" was the very second Zek signaled something to his bridge crew with his hand. And in the very next moment, the Battlecruiser with the insane power readings opened fire. A massive plasma lance that resonated red and green flew through the void of space and impacted Zom's flagship. Whitcomb watched it all go down on the external ship cameras. He saw Zom's ship quake under the devastating impact. He watched as the shields failed, then the hull. He witnessed the battlecruiser bend, buckle and melt before his eyes. Zom's face on the view screen screamed aloud as a powerful light engulfed him and the screen went dead.

In the very next second, the battlecruiser exploded in a violent display of plasma fire. When the dust settled, its smoking twisted wreckage was floating lifelessly about in space. No life signs, no survivors. It was all just gone. Whitcomb was a little put off, as much as he was elated. That kind of power was insane. Zek quickly followed it up by speaking the remains of Snarlbeak's fleet.

"Well, anyone else want to add their own objections to my claim?" He asked casually.

A cacophony of voices spoke up randomly from the interfaced comm system.

"No, I'm good."

"I'm fine this."

"No objections here."

"Nay, Fleet Master Zek!"

"Seems above board."

"Totally cool with this."

"Never liked working for the other guy anyway!"

"So long as we keep the dental plan I'm down."

"Alright, nice to hear the enthusiasm out there," Zek congratulated. "Now then, first order of business, uh stop attacking the Ascendant Justice and any ships aligned with it. That includes the Normandy and the Fallen Serpent, and anything else being piloted by a human out there. Second, form up on the carrier itself and prepare to move. We have ourselves a new target to go after!"

All at once, a collective cry from the comms echoed through the bridge.

"Aye, Aye, Fleet Master!"

The transmissions terminated and Zek turned back to Whitcomb directly. The human Admiral's expression was not much different from before. It was a little harder to maintain his composure due to what he just witnessed, yes, but he remained resolute.

"I have... concerns," he expressed openly.

"We can go over them later," Zek promised. "Right now, we have to finish up this operation of ours. What's the situation?"

"Unyielding Hierophant is about to blow, but we need to extract our assault teams before that happens," Haverson explained. "They're still in the middle of that whole blasted fleet."

"Then we'll get them out," Zek declared, a strange, uncharacteristic look of stern readiness in his tone. "Get in close to the lead Syndicate carrier, designation Queen's Fortune, she'll guide you in and share her escort with you so you can conduct the assault from a degree of safety. At least until you can patch yourselves up. You best get started without me."

"You're not coming?" Holland questioned, confused by the statement.

"Oh I am," Zek assured. "But not in this thing. As badass a ship as it is... I have to be with my real crew and I need to get something before I head back over. See you at the firing line, Zek out."

Zek's hologram vanished, leaving the UNSC Leadership just as stunned as they were pleased. However, Admiral Whitcomb had no intention of wasting time on it. Not when they had people in danger.

"Contact this Syndicate Carrier and let them know we're on approach," he orders the bridge. "We just got pulled out of the fire here, people. Let's do the same for our strike team now. All engines to full, prepare to assault the Covenant Fleet!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Haverson concurred as Holland saluted.

Whitcomb settled back into his command position as the red pirate ships on the holomap turned green and moved to fly with them instead of against them. Mere minutes ago, they were just looking for a way to get out of this alive. Now, they had a chance to finish what they had set out to do.

They were going to bring this Covenant invasion to a screeching halt.

---

The end of the shaft finally came into view, enabling their exit from the station at long last. The Spartans kept close and tight to the dropship, as Shepard monitored the situation over Garrus and Legion's shoulders. They weren't out of danger yet, but at least they weren't in a small enclosed space. Shepard kept worrying about getting ambushed by more Covenant while flying through it. Thankfully that ambush never materialized. They kept close to the station regardless. It was best not to make themselves targets.

"How are we on time?" Shepard asked.

"Approximately thirty minutes until reactor core detonation," Legion stated.

"Best get back to our friends in the hangar and get the hell out of here before the fireworks start," Garrus reasoned. "I'll try to raise them on comms again, maybe we'll have a better connection out here than inside that shaft."

Cortana had been able to relay information from her copies, for a while anyway. The strike team's extraction process was already underway and they had been getting people back to the Corvette. Varvok's people were at the forefront of the defense, claiming they had their own exfiltration strategy. Shepard hoped he did and the batarians wasn't trying to prove his loyalty to the cause. Varvok was a capable leader though, Shepard trusted him. If he had an out, he had an out.

As for the main body of UNSC Personnel they were rapidly getting onto the Crusty Chorka. And that was about all Cortana could get from her copies before they started breaking down. The one Cortana spoke to just kept muttering "So Many of Us. So Many." Shepard knew they weren't fully sentient like Cortana, just Dumb AI copies of her, but it was still terrible to hear the double begin to fade.

"I got something," Garrus said. "Patching us through."

There was a lot of static at first, but it began to clear up as they flew along. From out of the comm came the voice of Sergeant Avery Johnson, barking loudly over the radio.

"Say again, if any UNSC personnel can hear me on this frequency please respond!" He demanded "This is the Covert Corvette Insertion team, we pulling out, can you give us your sitrep over?"

Shepard wasted no time in replying, hitting the contact button.

"Sergeant, this is Commander Shepard, we are free and clear of the station, what is your status?"

"Commander? Here I thought you had missed this party!" Johnson replied in disbelief. "Good to hear from you! We're exiting out of the hangar, all hands aboard. Had to open fire on the Covenant as we pulled out of dock, but we made it. McKay's on the bridge, directing us out."

"And Varvok?" Shepard asked. "Where's he?"

"He was holding the upper levels of the hangar," Johnson explained. "Said he was moving his team to get the hell out."

"Have you been able to reach him?" Shepard asked.

"Trying to," Johnson said. "We got an ID on their transponders, but we haven't heard from them."

"He'd contact us if he was in trouble," Shepard said, reassuring himself almost as much as the others. "We should proceed to extract from the area, this station is about to blow."

"We got a lot of Covenant between us and open space," Johnson warned. "Might get messy. And I don't see the Ascendant Justice anywhere."

"They'll be here," Shepard assured. "Just keep close to the station until we have our window."

As Shepard spoke with the Sergeant, the began to get a visual on the Crusty Chorka directly. The ship was cruising, backing away from the station. It was beginning to reorient itself to face away from Unyielding Hierophant when Shepard spotted them. A flight of banshees were approaching the corvette hard and fast on an attack run, screaming in towards the side of the ship, aimed for the ship's hangar.

"Johnson, you have Banshees coming in on starboard at nine o'clock!" The Commander warned the Sergeant. "Approaching you at high speed!"

"Copy that, we're spooling up the anti-air now!" Johnson replied in kind. "Marines, secure yourselves! We got company!"

As the banshees closed in, they began firing on the Crusty Chorka, raking its shields with plasma fire. Shepard urged Garrus to move the dropship in to cover them, as the Spartans were already doing. However, they wouldn't get the chance to do so before something emerged from a secondary hangar. It was another Phantom. It moved into open view, right behind the banshees.

"Secondary heavy target," Legion stated. "Readying long-range weapons."

"Wait," Shepard told the Geth.

He noticed the dropship getting close behind the flight of banshees and spooling its weapons. But its guns were pointed directly ahead of it, not at the Corvette. His suspicions were confirmed when the heavy weapons of the dropship let loose on the banshees. The plasma cannons tore into the fighters before they could figure out was happening. The remains of the craft exploded, their remains floating in the ether of space.

"I think we found Varvok's means of escape," Shepard reasoned.

Sure enough, the batarian voice was soon heard over the secure channel.

"Lieutenant Commander Varvok to Crusty Chorka, you're in the clear," he reported. "On your starboard."

Shepard isolated Varvok's signal and contacted him directly.

"Varvok, good to see you! So to speak," he stated.

"Shepard? Where are you?" The batarian asked confused.

"To your twelve O'clock," Shepard assured. "The other phantom and the banshees coming in."

"Ah, I see we had similar ideas," Varvok observed.

"Technically its on loan from the Fallen Serpent," Garrus corrected. "We didn't steal it."

"You found Zek then?" Varvok asked hopefully.

"Yeah, but it got complicated," Shepard confirmed. "We'll fill you in later, what's your status?"

"We moved to the upper levels of the hangar to keep it secure from Covenant assault," Varvok explained. "We located this dropship, we think its more of a support gunboat. Heavy weapons, should be useful covering our way out of here."

They were already moving to fly alongside the Crusty Chroka as completed its turn. The Corvette was now pointed towards open space. Now they just had to somehow get past a whole host of Covenant ships that were in their way. Although, it appeared a number of them were trying to scatter.

"There's a little more space than we suspected," Garrus observed.

"I'm afraid the Covenant are wise to the station's impending doom," Cortana informed them over the open channel. "The invasion force commanders have issues a general dispersal order to move away from the station to a minimum safe distance."

Shepard grimaced at the news.

"We can't let that happen," he said. "If the fleet escapes..."

"...Then all of this was for nothing," Chief added. "We need to contact the carrier, fill them in on the situation, maybe they can assist us."

"I'm directing what copies are left to scramble traffic control to delay their progress," Cortana added in. "But I agree, we need to regroup with the Ascendant Justice and determine a course of action quickly."

Something they could get behind really.

"Alright, we have a bit more wiggle room now," Shepard said, noting the parting of ships. "Maybe we can a run for it before more enemy fighters show up."

"The possibility of intercept is substantially high," Legion warned.

"We should check in with Joker," Garrus added. "See how they're handling Snarlbeak's fleet."

"Let's open a channel but maintain security," Shepard ordered. "Cortana's copies may be masking our signature, but they're going to realize we're out of place soon enough. Let's not speed that along."

As Garrus prepared to open a channel to the Normandy though, it turned out he wouldn't have to. Shepard got a call on his omni-tool directly. The ID signature notified him that it was Joker on the other end. He activated it, hoping for some good news on his end.

"Joker, Shepard here," he answered. "What's going on?"

"Quite a bit, Commander," Joker confessed. "I'm just calling to tell you to hold your position, we're about to plow the road for you."

Shepard didn't even have a chance to clarify what Joker was saying. Plow the road? What did that entail? The answer came swiftly, as two large beams cut clean through the Covenant lines. A number of smaller ships in their paths were obliterated, the a much larger Battlecruiser had a huge chunk of itself torn away. Shepard struggled to place where the beams had come from. One looked like a Covenant Glassing beam, similar to those he saw on Reach. The other was unlike any weapon discharge he had seen in this or even his universe.

That was when McKay contacted the Commander.

"Shepard, McKay here, we got something on our long-range scopes! Transmitting it to you now!"

The holographic display between the pilot seats soon revealed what McKay was seeing. Beyond Unyielding Hierophant's perimeter were a series of blips of varying sizes. For a brief moment, Shepard worried these were more Covenant ships, but that didn't make any sense. From the look of things, the shot that just cut through the fleet had come the direction of the blips themselves.

It clicked in Shepard's mind what this was and he beamed broadly. Finally looking through the hole that had cut through the Covenant fleet, he saw it with his own eyes. Laid out in a firing line, practically surrounding the area of space before them, was a massive fleet of ships.

"This is Admiral Whitcomb to Operation Strike Team, your road is plowed," The Admiral's voice cut in over the comms. "Get your asses the hell out of there now! We'll keep the Covenant busy!"

That was when another voice cried over the open comms.

"Syndicate Fleet!" An old scraggily but feminine voice cried out. "Rip 'em to shreds! None leave alive!"

The opposing fleet now opened up on the Covenant ships as they tried to break ranks and scramble away from the doomed space station. Plasma torpedoes erupted in the distance, destroying fleeing vessels. At the same time repeated cannon bombardments struck about station's perimeter, blocking further avenues of escape.

That same powerful plasma beam came in again, demolishing a Covenant Destroyer that was attempting to move into their escape path.

"What are you guys waiting for? Get the Crusty Chorka out of there! I only loaned it to you!"

That was clearly Zek. Shepard could only assume that meant his plan had worked and that he now possessed the Astral Cutlass. That was where the beam was coming from. Before the Commander could even reply to Zek, McKay had made the call.

"Strike Team, all ahead full! We have our window, best we take it!"

The Corvette rocketed to full speed, the Spartans rushing beside it in their banshees, while Varvok's gunboat kept pace and Garrus ignited their dropship's boosters. Meanwhile, Shepard contacted Zek directly.

"Zek, you pulled it off! You brought the Syndicate!" He stated.

"They're technically here for the plunder. And to not get a black mark on their name for refusing to fly into battle at my request. Which would be pretty big mark since I'm the pirate who now holds the badass space sword," Zek brazenly explained. "But I'll figure out how to make this something a bit more substantial after we're all safely away."

The strike team flight kept moving as fast as possible through the open gap Zek and the Ascendant Justice had made for them. As they did, Shepard and his crew watched as Covenant ships were set ablaze. Not just by Zek firing off that Astral Cutlass-powered plasma beam, but by every other ship in the Syndicate fleet.

Every make of ship, from the smallest corvette to the mightiest battlecruiser unleashed a torrent of fire onto the Covenant. Some of the invasion force was outright destroyed, like one battlecruiser that took several plasma torpedoes all across its stern and keel. But for the most part the Syndicate was merely corralling the Covenant, preventing them from leaving the station's perimeter.

No sense in wasting energy destroying ships that were bound to be blasted into oblivion soon enough.

The bigger battlecruisers were easy prey though. It was the smaller ships in the invasion force that stood a better chance at escape. They tried to break away through gaps in the firing line, but they too encountered resistance. Syndicate Pirate fighter craft moved in to assault any smaller ships trying to break the quarantine, going after their engines, disabling their ability to flee fast enough.

Shepard watched as a flight of Syndicate Seraphs rained fire down on one frigate's engine thrusters, completely shutting them down. Pirate gunboats began to bombard the frigate's superstructure, tearing the armor off with super plasma cannons. The green energy burned away what was left of the shields and demolished the gun batteries trying to feebly fight back.

The Syndicate's flagship did a lot of the heavy lifting. The massive carrier repeatedly launched volleys of plasma torpedoes at various targeting vectors along the station's perimeter. The Covenant found themselves boxed in, unable to move lest they be destroyed. The carrier's energy projectors also assisted in that goal.

This wasn't to say the Ascendant Justice wasn't pulling its own weight. Despite being very badly damaged, the Gettysburg was still attached to it and still firing its Plasma-Capable MAC Gun. While it paled in comparison to what Zek now possessed, it was still an awe-inspiring sight to watch it smash into enemy vessel, cutting through them with ease.

At its side were a host of other battlecruisers, firing their own weapons into the massive Covenant fleet. They also provided a protective screen for the Ascendant Justice, moving into defensive positions after the MAC fired to give it time to prepare another shot without threat of reprisal. They were very punctual in doing it in fact.

As for the Fallen Serpent, the closer they got to exiting the perimeter of the station, the more it seemed to resonate with power. Energy crackled from its guns every time it fired, which seemed to be faster than usual. Also more accurate, as it easily knocked out the engines of the opposing craft that came towards the Crusty Chorka and all that were flying with it. Clearly, the power of the Astral Cutlass, even confined to a smaller ship like the Serpent, was still overwhelming.

It wasn't just in the weapons either. Shepard watched as a Destroyer broke ranks and attempted to fire on the Fallen Serpent with plasma torpedoes and a long-range energy projector. However, said torpedoes were suddenly sucked into a slipspace rupture that appeared out of nowhere to block their path. As for the energy projector, it practically bounced off the shield of the Corvette. And before the Covenant ship could register that, the torpedoes it had fired emerged from an exit rupture off its starboard side.

The very plasma torpedoes that the Destroyer had fired now slammed into its hull, causing half the vessel to explode violently. As debris scattered about the immediate area, other Covenant ships started to give the devastated destroyer a wide berth, alongside the targeting sights of the Corvette that had decimated it.

Of course, they weren't about to slack off on their own defense. There were still fighters and smaller ships that were trying to block their way. Even as the station was about to explode, they weren't about to let those responsible escape so easily.

A flight of Seraphs moved in as another Covenant Corvette tried to "Cross The T" of the Crusty Chorka. In response, Varvok's gunboat opened up on the heavy fighter craft. The superlaser managed to bring down the shields of the fighters while Fred and Kelly's banshees came at the fighters from below, hitting them with cannon shots they broke through their armor and exploded their plasma cores. One of the seraphs did get through, but it was targeted with anti-air plasma fire, that took it down before it could fire off a shot.

The Crusty Chorka fired forward plasma lances at the enemy corvette. The Covenant ship responded by unleashing a full broadside with its plasma cannons. The Crusty Chorka's lances cut a swatch across the gun batteries in response and picked up speed, focusing plasma fire on the enemy Corvette's hangar. The intense fire, followed by a single plasma torpedo launch would end the attempted blockade in a hail of blue fire that split the Covenant vessel in two, allowing the Crusty Chorka to sail right on through.

McKay was definitely earning her Captain's chevrons today, Shepard thought.

As they kept pushing forward, Shepard could spot incoming Covenant Banshee fighters, streaming along their port side. While not individually dangerous, they could slow the escape significantly if they got a target on the engine thrusters. They needed to prevent that. With Varvok busy dealing with more Seraphs coming in on their starboard, that just left him and whatever Spartans were available.

"Chief, I'm directing us to defend the Chorka's thrusters," Shepard informed him.

"On your wing," Chief replied.

Garrus took the Phantom into the approach path for the dropships. The Covie fighter craft opened fire as soon as they did. Luckily, Shepard was prepared for that.

"Tali!" He called back. "How are we on the shields!?"

"I've managed to boost their power as much as possible," she explained. "Needed to divert from several redundant systems. Its risky, but so long as they hold out we should be fine."

"They'll hold," Shepard called back to her, turning to the dropship's synthetic co-pilot. "Legion, are you still connected?"

"Automated turret system is functional," the geth reported.

Because they were now in space, the side turrets on the dropship were somewhat useless. No one could operate them without going out into the vacuum. And while they could do that, the risk of getting knocked off in the middle of a fire fight was simply too great. Luckily, Legion had used their extended time in the station maintenance shaft to install a linkup, from the guns to their own targeting systems.

As Legion's eye len narrowed, the geth gripped the controls and let loose. A hail of plasma fire in all directions assaulted the Banshee fighters. The squadron broke apart as energy bolts filled the black. One banshee took several direct shots and exploded, its cockpit lid coming clean off. Another had its strut ripped off before one of its plasma coils took a hit. There was little left of the front of the fighter after that.

Assisting as well came the Spartans, Chief and Linda. They assaulted the embattled Covenant fighters, cutting through their swarm as they tried to get to the Crusty Chorka's engines. Chief rolled in on one, firing rapid plasma that enveloped his target, tearing through his tail flaps and ripping through the armor. The banshee was stripped bare by the time it exploded, the various electronic bits under the hood exposed.

Linda caught two banshees unawares with a cannon blast, tearing off their struts before she laid down a stream of bolts that ripped one apart. She then directly collided into the side of the other banshee, only slightly, just enough to send it flying into the direction of one of Legion's turrets sightlines, where the plasma bolts from that gun finished it off.

Despite this, a pair of the banshees broke through the screen and made a beeline for the thrusters. Garrus was quickly on their tail, taking shots at the two craft with the phantom's main gun. Even as he closed, they were already firing cannon shots at the engines and increasing speed as they did.

"I have them," Garrus assured as he felt Shepard's gaze on him. "I have them."

"I know, just get them faster," Shepard insisted.

With that remark, Garrus unleashed a steady stream of bolts that collided with strut of the lead Banshee. He then laid into it enough, that a small explosion from the plasma coils being exposed sent the banshee spinning off course, smashing into its wingman. The lead banshee broke apart after that, while the wingman struggled to regain its flight path.

Easy pickings for Garrus, he lay into the fighter with one last stream, cutting him down with ease. The banshee exploded, just before it could launch another cannon volley at the engines.

"Knew you had him," Shepard commented.

Garrus grunted a little. But the good-natured ribbing ended when their dropship shook violently. Another banshee had gotten behind them and out of the direct sight line of their guns. It fired volley after volley from its cannon, trying to bring down the shield that was slowly being buffeted.

"Systems are taxed! Shields down to thirty! Twenty! Ten Percent!" Tali shouted aloud, before ripping open a panel to the ship's main plasma core. "Need to stabilize injectors, activate failsafe! Get it off us!"

"I'm trying!" Garrus yelled in response, fritting through his mandibles. "This thing handles like a brick!"

The shields blared loudly, signalling they were about to fail, as the enemy banshee held close. It continued to fire, ready to assault the plasma turbines and blow them all to pieces.

Thankfully, Shepard's dropship was not alone out here. Rushing in from above, the Master Chief lay down a stream of fire, cutting into the cockpit of the banshee. A following cannon shot lobbed its way finished the job, obliterating the Covie fighter for good.

"Close save," Shepard sighed with relief. "You're racking up a lot of those with me."

"I don't really keep score, sir," Chief told him.

"I do though," Cortana added. "Bit of a hobby to keep a tally of things so far. Keeps me busy in the off hours."

At the last leg of the journey, the Crusty Chorka's boosters went into overdrive, speeding them away from the invasion fleet. By now though, the Covenant had bigger issues, considering the reactor was reaching critical. Unyielding Hierophant was about to explode and no one could stop it, but the Covenant could escape it still.

While a direct escape was not advisable, there were other ways. The Covenant could be seen spreading out, moving away from the Syndicate's firing range. The Spartans in their banshees were moving to dock with the Crusty Chorka at this time. Varvok's gunship was doing the same, and Shepard's Phantom followed them into the hangar bay. While the did so, Shepard kept an eye on the Invasion fleet itself. It was plain to see that they were spreading out, moving away from the perimeter, leaving via the extreme flank of the Syndicate Fleet's effective range.

As he watched it happen, and the Phantom entered the hangar alongside Varvok's gunship, Shepard contacted the Ascendant Justice.

"Admiral, they're breaking off," He informed them. "Half of the fleet is going to escape the immediate blast radius!"

"We can see it, but there's only so much we could do," Whitcomb confessed. "We're boxing them in, but they're finding cracks and the reactor is still well off from exploding!"

"Then we need to speed it up," Shepard explained. "Cut off their escape route somehow."

"We'd need a secondary blast to do that at this point," Holland stated.

"Wait, we could make one," Chief cut in through the call. "We have that warhead we stole from Snarlbeak's plunder nest."

"Yes! That could work!" Cortana concurred enthusiastically. "They're escaping along the far left of the station. If we detonated the Warhead there, not only would it cut off their avenue, it would potentially cause a secondary catastrophic reactor detonation in the other section of the station."

"Do we even have the time to make that kind of shot?" Holland asked anxiously. "We can fire it out of one of MAC, disable the plasma charge and explosive charge so it will reach its destination, but it's still going to need time. Not to mention get through a heap of ships to its precise coordinates."

That was a problem indeed, however, there was a solution. From a most unlikely source.

"I can do it for you," Zek explained. "The Cutlass gives us the power to manipulate slipspace ruptures. You can fire the warhead into the slipspace rupture and it will appear at the exit point!"

"You'd need some really precise telemetry data for that," Cortana cautioned.

"The Normandy can calculate those, their SlipMass Drive is more precise and faster than anything, right?" Zek asked. "Send me the data and I can have the Serpent open a rift right into their escape path!"

Admiral Whitcomb barely took a second to make the call.

"Do it! But be ready to haul ass out of here! This is going to be damn close!"

Getting the telemetry data to Zek was the easiest part. EDI could calculate faster than anyone. The Warhead needed to be rushed into the MAC Cannon. Thankfully, the Engineers assisted the Gunnery Servicemen in preparing the nuke for launch. They had been wise enough to store it in the MAC Cannon's primary weapons bay, just in case they needed to use it. So it didn't take long to get it ready.

The difficult part came down to Zek. While the telemetry data was necessary to make it work, it would come down to his focus. Was he capable enough with the Astral Cutlass, separated to a degree only by the controls of the ship itself, to pull this off? At this point though, everyone was committed to the plan, so there was no changing their minds. They were going through with it one way or another.

"Nuke is set, Zek," Haverson reported. "You ready to go?"

"As I'll ever be," Zek confirmed.

With Shepard and Varvok's Phantoms now secure inside Crusty Chorka, they all began to exit the crafts and prepared, along with everyone else, what was about to come next. Not just the launch of the nuke, but what would happen after it. The escape from the inevitable shockwave.

"Get ready to jump the Normandy the second the nuke hits," Shepard informed Joker through the comm.

Whitcomb gave the order to fire, ejecting the warhead into the black at tremendous speeds. At the same time, a slipspace rupture formed just off the Fallen Serpent's bow. The warhead entered it at top speed and the rupture closed.

For a tense few seconds, everyone held their breath.

Then, out in the distance, they saw a slipspace rupture tear open just along at the left teardrop of the space station. Moments later there was a flash, a bright light engulfing the entire left end of the invasion fleet.

"Go! GO!" Shepard called to Joker through the comm.

"All ships! Jump!" Whitcomb ordered.

"Syndicate, fade to shadow!" The scraggily whizzed voice declared.

The fleet began to jump away, vanishing into their own ruptures, as the reactor cores on both ends of Unyielding Hierophant exploded. The detonation all encompassing as the Covenant invasion was engulfed in a bright, terrible, all-consuming light. One that was brighter than a thousand suns three times over.

The last anyone saw of the artificial supernova burning through the Covenant Invasion was watching it vanish behind them as they launched through their respective slipspace ruptures.

When they finally exited back into real space, Shepard picked himself off the floor and listened in on the comms,

"Cortana, do we have anything on long-range?" Admiral Whitcomb asked. "What's the damage?"

There was a brief moment of silence. And then Cortana spoke.

"Covenant Battlenet has gone silent," she reported. "We'd need visual but... I think we did it. I think we just annihilated their Invasion Fleet. There's nothing left! Mission accomplished!"

And then, despite the fact there was no sound in space, Shepard could've sworn he heard the entire allied fleet rejoice in unison and cheer in victory. The Commander simply dropped into a sitting position on the floor and let out a sigh of relief.

Operation: First Strike was complete. Earth was safe... for now.

---

AN: Wow, I think we are three for three on explosive finales at this point. However, even with Snarlbeak dead and the Invasion Fleet destroyed, we are still not done. Tune in tomorrow for the final chapter and the epilogue. And keep an eye out for Boz the Buzzard to make his triumphant rocking return in the conclusion to his own side story!

We are near the end people, I hope to see you all there for it.