Chapter 23

An: Well I'll be chopped and used for rations, an update? So fast? hehehe nah I'm just pulling yer legs. Update is still slow as ever but hope you guys enjoy it! 6k chap inbound.

֍

10 minutes prior to the Covenant's main fleet arrival

"...Oh my God." A quiet whisper echoed across the walls as Kaiden could not help but blink back in agreement. Every single UNSC personnel who saw the opening rifts could not help but pale in despair as the covenant arrived in mass.

There were hundreds. A thousand if the support ships were included. Their purple and bulbous shape carved hopelessness and dismay amongst the ranks of mankind. "We're doomed. There are so many of them..." The soft-growing despair strangled whatever courage they managed to muster prior to the alien's arrival.

Kaiden's shoulder sank as the inevitable demise he prepared for countless months had finally arrived. There was no escape, no victory to be found. Only death and destruction. Still, the aging admiral reignited the fire in his soul as he prepared one last struggle.

One last defiant scream before he and his men would be consumed by the cold darkness. Kaiden turned his attention to their newfound allies, preparing himself to order one last command when he saw the unimpressed- no, the look of utter boredom within Dominicus's eyes.

The admiral did not know when the giant had removed the helmet, but he would forever be grateful that Dominicus did in the coming future. Even a millennia after, Kaiden's firsthand experience and record would forever be cemented in mankind's history as to what the giant would do next.

Kaiden was about to voice out his surprise when the giant let out a heavy sigh that snapped everyone's despair back to the yellow giant. "Different galaxy, same shit." Men and women alike blinked in surprise. Hearing the giant cursed out for the first time was one thing, the giddy chuckle from the holographic admiral was entirely another.

"Aye captain, it seems the emperor has different plans for us." Vröshtien replied as Dominicus let out a groan. "It seems like it, admiral." Dominicus sighed as the holographic image of Vröshtien shook her head in amusement.

"U-um, sir?" One of the officers whispers in confusion as Dominicus turns with a soft smile, pushing the crushing despair for a moment. "Yes, guardsman?" Dominicus replied as the woman mustered the courage to speak. "A-are... are you not afraid?" The woman asked as Dominicus raised a brow in surprise.

"Afraid? Why would I?" The galaxy seemed to freeze for a moment as every man and woman alike, even Kaiden looked back in utter astonishment. "B-but there are thousands of them! W-we can't possibly hold them back!" The woman replied exasperatedly as Dominicus blinked.

The giant looked back in genuine confusion for a while when a burst of loud laughter broke through Vröshtien and Dominicus. The UNSC was stunned as even in the face of the coming annihilation, they still had the gall to laugh.

The two quickly snapped back to professionalism however as Dominicus replied. "Sorry about that guardsman, it's just that... you remind me of myself back when hive fleet Kraken arrived. If given the choice, I would gladly take these xenos for an entire year rather than spend another minute fighting Kraken." Dominicus said as Vröshtien quipped.

"You should have seen it lass. You could throw a black hole directly in them and they still outnumber you 10 to 1. Believe me, we've tried it once. You have no idea how lucky you are!" Vröshtien smiled at the shell-shocked personnel aboard. Even Claire was stunned. They were dying in the millions; the count must have been in the billions by now!

Innocent men and women are thrown into the meat grinder day after day. Countless worlds are turned into glass and death. Children are left to fend for themselves as countless more die of starvation and war. And they were supposed to be lucky?

A bad taste engulfed the room for a moment when Vröshtien's smile was suddenly twisted into a sadistic grin. "Ah, right. Thank you for your cooperation, Claire." Vröshtien smiled at the glowing ai before she turned back to the coming armada before her.

"Your calculations were impeccable; it is a shame lord Hyperion disapproves of your existence." Claire flinched as Vröshtien motioned her hand towards the alien armada. "Though I suppose that is a discussion for another time, enjoy the show." Vröshtien said as everyone turned back to the armada in confusion.

"Show? What show?" One of the men said.

"Aren't we just fucked?" Another whispered in nihilism.

"What, are they going to make them disappear?" A woman snickered quietly.

"Now that would be a nice magic trick wouldn't it?" A wave of dry chuckles spread amongst the crew.

Kaiden snapped back to reality as he turned to Vröshtien. "Admiral, this is not the time for jokes. We need to prepare the-" Vröshtien raises a finger into her lips, making a shushing gesture. "You are about to miss it, dear." Vröshtien smiled warmly, giving a wink at the speechless admiral.

"Admiral, please! This is not the time for-"

"Wait that's... holy shit! Admiral, you have to see this!" Kaiden snapped back to Claire's urgent tone when he saw it. Eight of the imperial warships prow incandescently glowed in sapphire. It was the same death light Kaiden had seen before, only this time, they were blue and glowing far more intensely.

"Claire, what am I seeing?" Kaiden asked as silence fell across the men and women once more, drawn in into the sapphire light. "Energy spikes are off the roof. This is an entirely different category altogether. This is- holy shit the numbers! Hahaha! Look at all those numbers!" Kaiden instinctively flinched when he heard Claire laughing maniacally.

Several of the crew reflexively took a step back from the laughing ai as the same twisted grin was found on the ai's lips. "Admiral, everyone! Blink and you will miss it!" At Claire's foreboding words, they turned to look back at the glowing sapphire once more.

"Do you like what you saw dear?" Vröshtien asked as Claire energetically replied. "I love it! Do it now admiral! I want to see it! Hurry!" If the situation had not been dire, Kaiden would have laughed at her childish behavior. Like a little kid on Christmas.

Vröshtien chuckled deeply as she turned to her bridge. "Do you see those ships, master gunner?" Vröshtien asked. "Yes, admiral!" In the blink of an eye, the manic grin was gone. Replaced by a cold emotionless mask of apathy.

"I don't want to." The imperial admiral deathly whispered. "As you command!" It was the last thing Kaiden had heard before streaks of light raced toward the void. He barely had a second to register what just happened before his world was engulfed in blinding cobalt light.

"Oh fuck!"

"Holy shit!"

"Damn!"

Strings of curses were shared amongst the crew as they all shielded their eyes in the blinding light. Thankfully, it did not last long. "Admiral? Claire? What was that?" Kaiden shouted, demanding answers as he lowered his hands.

"Admiral I need answers! What in the world did you guys-" The air left Kaiden's lungs as well as every living soul within the ODP, save for a single smiling giant. The armada was gone. Everything from their warships down to their smallest escorts. They were gone, reduced to broken molten scraps.

"W-what? W-wait, wait I think my eyes are playing with me." One of the crew muttered, with shaky hands, he removed his glasses, rubbing his eyes furiously before putting his glasses back on with haste, fearing to wake up from the dream. The entire armada was still destroyed.

"H-hey guys?" The man gasped, barely breathing as his compatriots were doing the same.

"Y-yeah?" A whisper manages to reply.

"G-guys t-they're gone!" The man turned, eyeing his comrades as they did the same.

"I-I know." One after another, the crew saw the look of disbelief mirrored across the room.

"They are gone!" Eyes watering in disbelief as joy crawled into their throats.

"I know!" The crowd moves slowly to one another in manic disbelief and glee.

"Holy shit! They're gone!" The man roared running to the nearest crew member.

"I know!" Another reply came before running towards the man, embracing one another before the entire room erupted in deafening roars of cheers and celebration. Every man and woman aboard, be it old or young, race to find a partner before embracing in jubilation.

The crew was so drunk in joy that rank was seemingly thrown out the window as Kaiden rushed to join in the collective, laughing and hugging whoever he reaches. Claire was running amok in the counsels as they flickered brightly in her presence.

Not even Dominicus was safe as several of the crew rushed to embrace the giant, catching him by surprise. "Eat shit split lips!" One of the men laughed as Dominicus carefully watched his steps, lest he accidentally crushes one of them.

"Finally! About time someone teaches those bastards a lesson!" Another screamed as they roared back in approval. "Fuck around and find out assholes!" A woman screamed as they laughed in agreement and approval.

"Humanity!" One shouted and as if instincts kicked in despite their culture and heritage, they all screamed in unison. "Fuck yeah!" They roared as several tears of joy and anger seeped through. "Humanity!" Another screamed. "Fuck yeah!" And once more, they roared in unison.

So drunken in their victory they were, that they began dragging Dominicus in tow. Even with his enhanced body, Dominicus was dragged along with the crew as they jumped and shouted in festivity. It was only when Vröshtien lets out a loud cough that they realized what they were doing.

As if a spell has been broken, they quickly release Dominicus before an accident could really happen. "S-sorry about that sir." The crew shyly muttered as Dominicus laughed. "Don't be. I was also enjoying it myself.." Dominicus waved off as the crew let out a sigh of relief.

"Well, admiral? Did you enjoy the show?" Vröshtien quipped as Kaiden let out a cough. "I did admiral, thank you for asking." Kaiden said as the imperial admiral chuckled. "While I share your delight from these vermin's demise, there are still pressing matters to attend admiral." Kaiden finally snapped out of his livery.

"How many?" The air quickly turns back to stern focus, though the air is far lighter than it was previously. The sheer might the imperial navy had shown had sparked- no, it ignited confidence once more in their ability to fight.

Defeat seemingly vanished from their minds as they listened attentively to Vröshtien's command. "I don't have the exact numbers, but this is certainly far more than the previous estimate." Claire flinched; a pang of embarrassment invaded her program for the slight error.

"They should be arriving... now." In perfect synchronicity, several more tears erupted. Now, it was truly in the thousands. "Can't you do it again?" Kaiden asked as Vröshtien answered. "I need 7 minutes to rearm; by then they would close the distance. If you are up to friendly fire, then sure, my ships could do it." Kaiden flinched as he quickly dismissed the idea.

"Our options then?" Dominicus asked as Vröshtien sighed. "Old fashion way it is captain." Dominicus drowned out a groan as the crew around him grew back into focus. "Where do you need my ships?" Kaiden asked.

"A slight adjustment to the plans admiral. You will clear the rear for a speedy retreat but do not under any circumstances engage unless you are left with no choice. You are our weakest link; it would not do well if the enemy knew and forced us to split our forces.

We need to buy enough time for the cog heads to complete their buildings. Once done, we retreat to the edge of the system and hopefully fight in an even more favorable position and grind them down through attrition." Vröshtien said as Kaiden raised his concerns.

"Can't we just prevent them from landing?" Kaiden asked as Vröshtien shook her head. "Afraid not admiral. Brittle as their ships may be, we simply do not have the numbers. And I for one don't want to risk a single ship if I can. We fought tooth and nail already; I'll be damn if I let any one of our ships die here." Vröshtien said as Kaiden could not help but frown.

"But they will glass the planet if we pull back! We need to-" "As if they can." Vröshtien suddenly snorted in derision. "You don't have to worry too much admiral. From what I've heard, the cogheads are investing in this system. Your planet will not fall." Vröshtien reassured.

Kaiden hesitated before speaking once more. "And I have a guarantee for this?" Kaiden asked as Vröshtien chuckled. "If these vermin's cannot crack our shields singlehandedly, they might as well land their troops now. After all, an army has a much better chance of breaking a shielded world than an entire fleet can." Kaiden's eyes went wide as his thoughts froze.

"S-shield? Y-you mean a p-planetary shield??" All eyes went wide once more, their interest drawn fully to the admirals conversation. "Like I said, cogheads are already invested. You have no idea how lucky you are." At that, Kaiden could not help but feel the burden seemingly lifted from his shoulders. Now his failure wouldn't spell the doom of an entire system.

"I... this is... thank you..." It was all Kaiden could say when Dominicus laughed. "If you truly are grateful, you wouldn't mind if I also ask in return?" Kaiden did not hesitate for even a second. "Of course captain, I'll do what I can." Dominicus nodded back. "Please protect our noncombat ships behind. They are our biggest ships, can't miss it." Kaiden nodded before replying.

"Very well captain, though I have to ask. What are inside these ships?" Kaiden motions over the much larger vessels that dwarfed his flagship. "Guardsmen, materials, and of course, civilians." Kaiden nodded slowly in understanding when Vröshtien suddenly added in.

"One trillion lives are there admiral." Kaiden felt his heart skip a beat as well as every living soul who heard Vröshtien. The admiral turned back to Vröshtien as his legs suddenly felt weaker. "C-come again?" Kaiden gulped, the burden returning in full force.

"One trillion souls. Would have been ten if we had more time." Dominicus answered bitterly this time, a shadow of regret and guilt encapsulated the man before it disappeared. Kaiden froze for a moment before forcibly controlling his trembling hands.

300 billion. It was the total amount of the population before the war. Kaiden vividly lamented when he had to abandon 10 million souls. The sheer grief it caused him forcibly made him unfit for duty for several weeks on end.

Morbidly, Kaiden was secretly grateful. Terrible it may be, he only had to suffer the loss of 10 million, unlike his colleagues who almost went mad for the loss of hundreds, perhaps even a billion. Now a trillion souls were in his charge. If cowardice had ever graced his thoughts before, it was certainly burnt to ashes now.

To run away was to abandon a trillion souls. To retreat was to fail a trillion lives. To be defeated would mean the loss of a trillion human life. Victory was now a necessity, even if it meant forfeiting his life. Defeat is utterly and completely unacceptable.

Kaiden steeled his resolve as he met Dominicus's eyes. "We won't fail." Kaiden said as all UNSC's eyes were hardened with the same resolve. The incoming armada was nothing but a secondary fear now as failure was far more horrific and soul-crushingly painful.

"Thank you, admiral. I will take your word for it." Dominicus smiled before he donned his helmet one more time. "Brothers." Came his heavily distorted voice as Vröshtien began ordering the deployment of their fighters. "Prepare yourselves, I have targets I wish to commandeer."

From then on, Vröshtien coordinated the imperial fleet as Kaiden, and his crew braced for the ultimate burden as of yet. Dominicus on the other hand was preparing his brothers. Though their objectives were unknown, most of the crew knew what their target was. It was the alien's largest ship but more importantly, their flagship.

֍

Present day

"We need reinforcements now sir!" One of the pilots screamed over the coms as the battle rages on. "The humans are everywhere! We cannot fight like-" The pilot was abruptly cut off as the banshee was engulfed in flames.

"They are behind me! I can't shake them-" Another cry was silenced as the human craft raced off to find another target. "Damn it! The humans are too fast fleet master! We need to pull our fighters back within range of our point defense before they reduce to scraps!" One of the officers screamed as another banshee was torn into pieces.

Despite the chaos engulfing the bridge, Cevlu's calm remained still as the battle rages on. "Do it. Prioritize the defense of our escorts instead. We cannot cover every single auxiliary ship with our dwindling numbers. Raise the-" "Incoming!" "Damn it!" Cevlu felt his stomach lurch as his flagship narrowly dodged another volley. The same could not be said for his escorts, however.

Underneath the mask, the alien fleet master was beginning to buckle. The casualties were already horrific, and they were still climbing as the volley slammed across his fleet. 10 warships, along with several of their escorts, died in an instant.

As of today, nothing came close in terms of casualty as he was suffering now. It did not take a genius to know that by far the covenant was suffering the most horrendous casualties as of today that would have the fleet admiral's head rolling.

On any other day, he would be sweating and wracking his brain to keep his head from taking a vacation. Any other day, he would have been more concerned of his fleet. Today was certainly not one of those days as the jaws of dismay gnawed at his bones.

They've changed. Cevlu had to bitterly acknowledge Zydo's nightmarish reports as they turned into reality. Ship after ship, volley after volley, the truth of his friend's words was hammered again and again as they realized all too late what they were dealing with.

They were not fighting a humanity that they had grown to butcher, but bitterly respect. They were fighting a humanity that now stood equal- no, that now glares down from above. Suddenly, a cold reality seeps through the minds of every covenant within the fleet.

A reality where the humans could actually kill and strike back. The bravery, the courage, and the sheer unrelenting will to survive had already proven to be a challenge most officers chose to ignore, be it pride or hubris. Now, they were forced to acknowledge the same race armed with true weapons this time.

The war of extermination, of righteous crusade had suddenly turned into a war of survival. Every officer knew the possibility then, as much as they wished to deny it. The possibility of the same ship hovering over their world had suddenly turned into a frightening prospect that the men truly felt fear. And it was through this fear that they pushed on despite the appalling casualties.

"Tell them to double time damn it! I don't care if we burn half our fuel, just get us a clear shot!" Cevlu roared as the men roared back in approval. "Acknowledge sir!" The helmsman screamed as every ship within the assigned battle group barreled down the gap.

A flash of crimson appeared once more, 7 were destroyed this time. "900,000km and closing sir! It will take-!!! Sir, the humans are pulling back!" Cevlu's eyes narrowed as several of humanity's new warships had finally emerged from the asteroids.

For the first time since the battle, Cevlu had a clear look at their ships. "...What horrid designs are these?" One of the officers cursed as Cevlu could not help but nod back in agreement. To say it was unsightly was a severe understatement.

The fleet admiral did not know what gave them the idea to forge such horrid creations, but his focus was elsewhere. "I want those ships broken." Cevlu growled, pointing at the lead ships as the crew eagerly agreed in kind. "Fire!"

In perfect coordination, the fleet opened fire at the designated targets. Plasma lances and torpedoes raced across the void as several human interceptors tried to whittle down the overwhelming amount of torpedoes with little success.

The human's point defense turrets meanwhile were proving to be a challenge. Across the thousands-kilometer vessels, hundreds of turrets roared to life. Spewing tremendous amount of shells and lasers, the turrets kept the incoming onslaught for a while, but it was not meant to last as even they were overwhelmed by sheer numbers alone.

Several of the shots went wide, but most of the lances aim was true as the torpedoes found their targets. 7 of the human's horrendous ships were engulfed in brilliant white light. It quickly dies down, leaving clouds of smoke spiking in radiation. All across the fleet, men roared to a cheer as Cevlu allowed a smirk to grace his face.

"Finally! It's about time!" One of the officers roared.

"They can try, but the forerunner's light will always prevail!" A shout echoed as it was answered with mocking laughs.

"Justice is swift and merciless! Death to the heathens!" Another roared as they screamed in agreement.

The air sang with celebration and mockery as even the most stoic officer could not help but smile. "Enough, now is not the time." Cevlu, however, quickly regained his focus as he eyed the remaining ships. There was still a battle to be won.

"Ready the fleet! We will take down the next-" A brilliant flash erupted from the smokes, 37 were destroyed. As one, the crew blinked in confusion before their eyes widened in horror. The cries of joy were quickly smothered by the claws of despair when reality proved to be far more cruel and unforgiving.

"No, no no no. T-that's- this is impossible!" The celebrated air quickly morphs into horror as all 7 emerges without so much as a scratch.

"H-how?? It should have destroyed them! Why are they still here?!" The cries of despair continued as even Cevlu was floored. It was then another cruel reality had struck the covenant armada. Overwhelming fire was not enough. Not this time.

They had grown accustomed to fighting on favorable grounds, be it land or space. Superior tech, overwhelming numbers, and more importantly, a clandestine grip and monopoly on fear. Not once in their battle had they feared the human ships... until now.

So assured were they in their victory that it never crossed their minds to what would happen should the position be reversed. And now they were paying the price dearly as the entire command structure was paralyzed, uncertain what to do.

As for the humans, however, they already knew what to do. Faced with annihilation time and time again whether it be the present or the distant dark future, the answer was always so simple. Survive. No matter the cost. And they did just that.

The human ships did not relent for even a second as another volley was fired, 13 were destroyed. "Keep firing! Keep firing! I don't care what it will take! Bring those ships down now!" Cevlu roared as the desperate crew raced to destroy the monstrous ships.

֍

"A-admiral... t-this... this is really happening right?" One of the officers whispered in awe as Kaiden nodded back silently. "Yes... I believe so." The aging admiral whispered as another volley consumed more of the fleet that was once an abject horror to every UNSC personnel, be they rank in file or officers.

"...I never thought I would see the day." Kaiden muttered underneath his breath as he watched their allies singlehandedly hold the fort with 40 ships. 40 human warships against an entire fleet. The aging admiral and his officers watched in silent glee as round after round, the human ships stood proud while a single shot was all that it took to bring down their hated foe.

"...We can actually win this." Whispers of hope filled the room as every living soul began to spread the infectious dream. "We can take the fight to them. We don't need to retreat anymore! We can-" The covenant opened fire as 7 of the cruisers were struck devastatingly.

"...Damn it I jinx it." The officer cursed.

"...I guess we're still not invulnerable." Another whispered in solemn silence.

"But hey, we'll make it. We have allies now right?" The crew slowly begins to warm up as Kaiden silently offers a prayer to their- the cruisers returned fire, evidently enraged by the sheer audacity of the alien to struggle for their miserable lives. The crew's jaw dropped before a resounding cry echoed once more.

"D-did you see that?? Someone, please tell me you saw that!" The officer shouted in elation.

"Even better, I caught! Oh man, the spooks are going to love this!" One of the crew raised a camera high. The air was thick to the brim with joyous celebration once more, evidently in awe of the might of the imperial's shield.

"And they say they have a planetary one? Hahaha! About damn time the covenant learns to fight on our terms! We'll grind those bastards down to the bone!" As the realization spread through the crew, they began shouting even more ecstatically than ever before.

Kaiden was actually beginning to grow concerned for his crew's health as they had been screaming nonstop ever since the demonstration. Thankfully, a certain admiral solved the problem for him. "Admiral, do you copy?" The shouts were cut short as Vröshtien's voice echoed.

"Loud clear admiral, what do you-" "Get out of there now." Kaiden and his crew snapped out of their daze to Vröshtien's sudden warning. "Come again? Why do we need-" "I don't like it, something is not right." Vröshtien hurriedly cut off as another volley was fired, 7 this time.

"It's too easy." Kaiden blinked as a tinge of worry filled Vröshtien's voice. "I-I know these aliens are weak, but even the tau proved far more of a challenge. They die so easily. Throwing their numbers without a plan like the greenskins, but even those bastards have the muscle and the numbers to back it all up.

They have nothing, or maybe they are just hiding it? Crafty little bastards." Vröshtien droned out as the UNSC could not help but blink in pure astonishment before chuckles erupted from the deck. "A-admiral I don't mean to be brash, but could it be that you're ships are simply too strong?" An officer replied with a smile on her face before Vröshtien shot it down with a glare.

The officer withered beneath the silent cold glare, unnerved by the trembling pupils the admiral had when Dominicus warmly, but firmly replied in kind. "You are forgiven for your ignorance guardsman, but do not underestimate the alien." Dominicus's distorted voice boomed.

"Vile as they are, they are up to something. I've seen it in their kind time and time again. It is best we evacuate before it is too late." Dominicus explained as the stunned crew slowly but surely begins the necessary preparations needed, purging data and taking the ai child Reya from the system.

"You seem to disapprove admiral?" Kaiden turned to meet the masked helm of Dominicus. He was slowly getting used to it, but the unblinking crimson eyes were still unsettling no matter how much time may come to pass. "I don't mean to be rude captain, but... this seems awfully like paranoia to me. We are winning the battle by a titanic margin, yet we are pulling back?

It seems all too wasteful for me." Kaiden shook his head in disappointment as a deep chuckle echoed from the giant. "You'll have to forgive us for that admiral. We do not have the most... fortunate of circumstances." Dominicus said as a mocking chuckle escaped from Vröshtien.

"That is putting it lightly captain." Vröshtien giggles darkly as Dominicus could only shook his head in agreement. "Regardless, we should minimize our losses if it can be helped. And if the good admiral felt the need to evacuate, we should take heed of her warnings." Kaiden could not help but agree despite the absurdity of the order.

It did not take long for the rest of the crew to finish their preparations, evident in their training to deal with such scenarios. "...What are you scheming you wretches." Vröshtien mumbled to herself as she glared at the battered fleet. "What are you planning?"

֍

I am all out of ideas. Forerunners forgive me. Cevlu despaired as he coordinated what little order he could muster from his fleet. To say it was in shambles was to put it lightly. Officers were beginning to fight one another for control as ships individually fired on their own.

Gone was their discipline synchronicity as only through his words did their fleet manage to coordinate through a limited capacity. Cevlu could still order his ships to move tactically, but strategically speaking, he was all out of options.

I should have seen it coming! Damn it, I've grown too soft! The fleet master berated himself as he watched his fleet clumsily chase down the more organized and disciplined firing retreat of the humans. It was supposed to be a crushing campaign, a devastating blow that would cripple and maybe even outright destroy the human race.

In a way, it was ironically a crushing defeat for them, even if they somehow managed to drive off the human ships as more than a quarter of his fleet was destroyed in the first battle of the first day of the campaign alone. It took him 10 months to muster the support and it was all undone within 10 minutes.

Cevlu was about to fall deeper into dismay when a shout snapped him back to reality. "Fleet master please, get a hold of yourself!" Cevlu blinked as he quickly gathered his focus back to the bridge. Before him was the familiar figure of Tulum.

Ah, I should have listened to him as well. Cevlu bitterly thought as Tulum shouted. "Sir, it might be just a coincidence, but the humans are truly pulling back!" Cevlu snorted in derision. "I can see that shipmaster-" "No sir, there is more to it!" Tulum said as he uploaded a new photo.

"They seem to be pulling back to a certain location with these ships sir." Tulum said as it captured Cevlu's interest. "These ships are far larger than anything we have ever seen sir, but they bear no weapons. Nothing that we know of at least. And look at this." Tulum enhanced the picture as Cevlu felt his blood boil at the much more familiar smaller ships.

"It might be a long shot sir, but if these vessels warrant even the protection of these weaker ships, it could be-" "Civilians. Spawn of these pagans." Cevlu growled as he and the crew of the bridge eyes burned in hungry vengeance.

"Good work Tulum, I believe I have found a way out." Cevlu hissed as he gathered his voice before shouting. "Shipmasters! I want any vessels that are within reach to harass these ships." Cevlu ordered as the same pictures were spread across the fleet.

"If these humans shared even a shred of what we are used to, they will protect their civilians." As if a switch had been flipped, bloodlust suddenly flooded the fleet. The fears they once bore were burnt to cinders, thirsting for blood.

"Harry them and we might just drive them away, if not pull one of their warships down." The possibility of taking one down was all the push they needed as individual ships soon broke off from their battle group and drove straight in towards the vessels.

The effect was almost immediate as the retreating warships suddenly changed course and raced to the defense of the vessels. The cowardly tactic Cevlu loathed to admit was outstandingly effective as the ships were thrown into disarray.

֍

"Mayday mayday! The xenos are barreling towards our position! We still need to prime the warp drives; we require immediate support now!" Vröshtien grimaced deeply as her mind raced for solutions as fast as humanly as possible.

Although not at the same level as the astartes, her augmented brain was still far superior to any regular human. Analyzing and dissecting data on the evolving battlefield was akin to breathing and blinking to the admiral. It was all secondary in nature.

And it infuriated her to end when the answers had finally appeared. "It's sooner than I wanted, but what can we do?" Vröshtien sighed before snapping back to focus once more. "Alert the fist. We cannot hold for much longer... it's their turn now." Vröshtien said as the comms officer nodded in reply.

"Message has been sent admiral. We just need to- ah a reply already. Here it is admiral." The officer said as Vröshtien opened the message relayed to her. She could not help but smile as the message was only 2 words. 'We'll hold.' Simple and as blunt as they can be.

Vröshtien had to wonder if their primarch was as blunt and honest as his sons were. The admiral could only entertain the thought for a moment, however, before snapping back into focus. The praetorians of Terra had gave her their word, she could only hope their reputation precedes them.

"Deploy the starhawks. I want every bomber within range to buy us as much time as they can. Send all vessels to protect those ships, strategic value is absolute. As soon as those ships make their jump, we begin phase 2." Vröshtien ordered as several squadrons of starhawks, flanked by interceptors, raced towards the frenzied xenos.

"Stay sharp! The xenos are as brittle as captain Dominicus reported, but xenos will always be xenos! Their kind cannot be trusted, whatever dastardly schemes and cunning plans they might have, we will prevail time and time again! Ave imperator!" "Ave imperator!" The bridge screamed in unison as the imperial and UNSC fleet slowly retreated.

֍

"This is not much of a plan, but it will do." Cevlu muttered underneath his breath as he watched the human fleet forcibly retreat further and further away from the planet by the tide of righteous anger from his brothers. At a steep price of course as 22 more had fallen before they had successfully driven the meager fleet away.

430. 430 of his original 1,000 warships were disseminated along with countless of his support and auxiliary ships. The death toll easily passed to a billion, maybe even more when their losses were fully recorded and accounted for.

And what do they have to show for it? A single loathsome planet and a couple hundred of interceptors and bombers. Not a single human ship was slain. It was outrageous. Completely and utterly impossible. Not even simulations of the worst-case scenario came close to the 'victory' he had managed to achieve.

If I had done that... would the numbers be different? Cevlu sank back into despondency, mind racing back again and again to the nightmarish battle he had just endured. The fleet master did not know what he was doing. He had never done this before.

Each and every loss was commemorated and honored for the great journey. Their sacrifice and valor will forever be remembered towards the step of ascension. Cevlu knew this. His brothers and allies knew this and yet... and yet he could not help but wonder what else he could do.

What he could do to save them. What orders could he have given to save even just one more ship? What actions could he have taken that would prevented such catastrophic losses? Maneuvers he had discarded in the heat of battle?

Was there an advantage he could have taken? What else, what else, whAT ELSE WHAT ELSE??? What else could he have done to save them?!... just where did he go so wrong that his men had to pay for it? The crushing guilt was almost unbearable when an epiphany struck him.

Ah... was this how they feel? What every losses feels like? Cevlu was speechless for a moment before his face morphed into rage. It was them! They were the ones who took my men! My crew! They will answer for it! Cevlu thought as he returned his gaze back to the bridge. Back to the lone planet drifting in space, surrounded on all sides.

There was work that needed to be done. Reports of the disastrous and terrifying new weapons that the humans had come to possess. Warships so dreadful to even glance at, shields so powerful that it could not be taken down alone. All of it needed to be reported.

The prophets had to be warned... but that does not matter now, the fleet needed to vent out their anger and frustration. And the planet below seemed to be just the perfect place to unleash all of their grief and rage. "...Prepare the fleet. We will make an example out of this world." The crew did not need to respond as the fury and grief in their eyes were evident.

The fleet encircled the planet as the glassing was soon to commence.

֍

An:

 So yeahhh... I don't know how to write space battle, or any battle for that matter. I'm not gonna lie, reading space battles is a fucking chore for me. I do not want to read how ships fire at one another because its dumb. Their just ships trying to outmaneuver one another. I do, however, like reading and writing the reactions of people during those battles.

It is far more "alive" in a sense than just continuously writing how each commander trying to shoot the other. I hope you guys can put up with it cause holy shit I tried writing it like the other ff does and it bores me faster than math class.

Maybe I'm just new to this and still need practice? Idk, but hey I hope you've enjoyed it, because now I need to go back to my ogs hahaha yeah this sucks. College really took a lot of my time and energy into this. I was supposed to write them first tbh, but I'm trying a new format and it is taking the wind in my sails so you lucky bastards get to have the good shit first eh? Hope it was worth it because the cliffhanger will last until next year! No christmass special for you lot!

*CROW OF DISAPPOINTMENT CAW CAW!*