Chapter 19

An:

Making 3k chapters is no joke. Man this was a struggle.

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            "...What? That's it?" Even Dominicus could not help but agree with Alvar when he saw the data. His eyes blinked once, then twice, and then for the 7th but the details remained unchanged. The entire Imperial side was silent in pure disbelief as Kaiden began to grow uneasy.

"Is there something wrong captain?" Kaiden said as Alvar replied sharply. "Absolutely there is. Why are there no surface to orbit canons on your fortress worlds? Slug guns as standard issue rifle?? Planetary shields??? Or even a chapter of spartans?! Why is it all so..." Alvar forcibly calmed himself down before speaking once more.

"Forget what I've just said, let's just start with something simple. Could you tell me at least the strength of your void shields? I need to know just the scale of power I will be using here." There was no response. Alvar watched as every single UNSC avoided his gaze as it slowly clicked in. "Admiral?" Though his accelerated mind had already found an answer, he outright refuses such an answer.

It was akin to traveling for days without food or water or going to battle with only one round in the magazine with no reserves. Complete and utter madness. "...We're actually hoping that you could share the technology to make shields." Kaiden meekly replied as Alvar was actually stunned. For the first time in a century, Alvar was completely dumbfounded.

"...Are you telling me right now, that this orbital platform has no shields? That the shield on this platform was not down for maintenance, but rather it did not have one in the first place??" Alvar incredulously inquired as all Kaiden could do was nod.

"Wait wait let me get this straight, you have waged this war against the xenos for 7 years without void shields?" A new voice whispered as all eyes turned towards her. She wore a crisp navy-blue uniform. Paired with amethyst eyes and a long blond hair, Kaiden had to admit she was stellar despite the obvious wrinkles on her face. "That would be correct admiral..." "Vröshtien Vra, though call me Vröshtien instead." Kaiden's counterpart replied with a disbelieving tone.

"That can't be right. Even with the xenos pathetic armaments in hand, it would rip apart your ships in an instant without a shield! You would have lost most of your battles!" Vröshtien exclaimed, challenging anyone in the room to prove her wrong.

Vröshtien was mortified when she instead saw the grave approval in their stares instead. "...That's how most of the war went on actually. We would try to delay them but... they eventually find us. All we can do is scatter and hope to buy time." Kaiden replied melancholically.

"...By the emperor, how did you all survive in the first place? I can just imagine the sheer death toll this war must have. Fuck, how are you people even alive?? You should be dead by now." Vröshtien whispered softly as Kaiden frowned.

"With all due respect admiral, good people died fulfilling their duty. I will not have you insult my men even if you are helping." Kaiden firmly replied as Vröshtien shook her head. "You misunderstood me admiral. It was no insult; it was praise." Kaiden felt his blood boil as he replied.

"P-praise? For what, dying futilely?! That we threw our lives even if we know how little it means??" The insult slowly bore towards his core when Vröshtien replied unexpectedly. "For doing your duty of course." Kaiden was caught off guard as Vröshtien replied in an equal tone, not fast but not slow either.

"You've met the enemy with such an overwhelming disadvantage. Any lesser men would have fled the first chance they have and yet your men stood their ground. If the people of Cadia had learned of your sacrifice, they would have nodded in respect." Kaiden notices her voice softens for a moment before nodding back ever so slightly before continuing.

"Even if they are drifting in the cold void, they've done their duty well. The emperor could not have asked any better from you and your men admiral." Vröshtien ended as Kaiden awkwardly straightens his back. "I-is that so? Forgive me for my outburst admiral, I've mistaken your words poorly." Kaiden coughed out a response as Vröshtien simply nodded her head in kind.

"Are you princesses done kissing each other? Because I have more pressing matters at hand. Is this really all the armor you have?" Another voice suddenly cuts in as all eyes turned towards him. Kaiden struggled to hide his frown as the detestable green had only greeted him.

Black hair and emerald eyes, Kaiden had no doubt he was the standing general of their newfound allies. "Is there a problem also general..." "Bah just call me Lekarius and answer me already!" Yeah, fuck the army Kaiden's eyebrow twitched as Liam thankfully replied for him.

"That is everything we are currently using and producing general Lekarius, is there-" "Seriously?? This is all you have?!" Liam firmly held his peace as Lekarius continued to rave. "I mean just look at this! This is supposed to be the main battle tank??

No wonder you're struggling, this shitter might as well gobbled up all the budget you have!" Lekarius ranted when someone stepped in. "General Lekarius with all due respect, the scorpion tank proved reliable thus far." All eyes turned to the older marine, Ivan.

"This baby had saved my skin more times than I can count. It could hold a choke point if it has to. It is worth the investment and-" "By the emperor's left nut sack, it's not worthy of investment!" Everyone blinked in surprise, even the imperials were not expecting it.

"General please, calm down." Dominicus implored as Lekarius shook his head. "I'm sorry captain, but this hunk of metal is a sinkhole! Look at the size of this thing! I can understand if it is a heavy tank, but a main battle tank?? You're just asking to bleed yourselves dry!

I doubt this thing can be produce 5 thousand in a day! At most, it would be a thousand if they are lucky! In a war this scale, that is completely not acceptable!" Lekarius's words slowly made sense as he pointed out the flaws of the tank, though for Ivan, it only made it worst.

"Well, I like to see what you have then!" Ivan snapped back as Lekarius had the smuggest look on his face. "Gladly! This is how a main battle tank should look like!" For a moment, Ivan prepared himself for whatever esoteric technology the general would provide him with.

Ivan dreaded that the tank that had done so much for him had to be replaced by this new machine, only to be left utterly speechless by the tank before him. "What do you think?? It's an impressive beast isn't she??" Lekarius puffed his chest before Ivan shouted with a swear.

"The fuck you mean a battle tank?? This one belongs in the museum!" What appeared before them all was the Leeman Rus battle tank, a far cry shorter than any scorpion than there is. "W-what?! M-Museum?? How dare you-" "No literally! Look at this piece of shit!

I thought you had something to show since you are so hot in your pants, but this is a World War I relic! It is outdated as hell!" Ivan laughed as Lekarius blinked in aghast before turning red. "Well, it certainly cost less than your junk!" "Of course, it is! This one is absolute garbage! We're not building soviet tanks here gramps!"

Ivan and Lekarius were riled up when Dominicus interrupted. "General please! There is no need to insult each other. Let us first hear what guardsman Ivan has to say about their battle tank before we simply write it off." Dominicus said as Ivan gladly accepted.

"First off the speed, this baby here can go for 80mph!" "With that size, I would sure like to see it run away from anti-tank rounds." Ivan glared as Lekarius smirked back in reply. "Secondly, it can fire 90mm tungsten round." "Well, we can do 120 and runs on any fuel."

"Are you going to interrupt me every time or what?" Ivan sneered as Lekarius snorted before falling silent. "Finally, it's canon. It can be retracted at ease, lowering its profile when needed. Not to mention it is an autoloader, it has a reload time between 3 to 4 second intervals and can be operated with only one soldier."

Lekarius opened his mouth immediately to protest, but no voice came out from it. Ivan could see the disdainful reluctance within the general's eyes as he begrudgingly closed his mouth shut, earning a satisfying grin on Ivan's part.

"Hmm, that is indeed quite the machine. Perhaps we should give it a try general?" "No captain! I still believe the Leeman Rus can prove itself!" Ivan frowned as Lekarius looked back. "If I may, I can prove that this beast can bite just as hard... no even harder than that tank." Ivan raised a slight brow, amused as Lekarius no longer insulted the scorpion.

"By all means, general." Ivan smirked, expecting little for Lekarius's presentation. The general simply smirked back as he began. "Firstly, the armor. Though it may greatly reduce its speed, it makes up more than enough for its durability." "Might as well call it a snail." It was Ivan's turn to bite back as Lekarius's face soured.

"Secondly, its profile. While it is compact and much smaller compared to the scorpion, it is far better in almost all engagements. Think about it for a second, when they see these two on the battlefield which of the two will be the main target?" Several grunted murmurs escaped from the UNSC as Ivan frowned until a thought came through.

"And does this runs off by one man?" Ivan grinned as Lekarius sneered back. "It takes barely 4 men." Lekarius said. "And with each loss, we lose all 4 of them. 4 times higher than a single scorpion." A wave of agreement crashed down on the UNSC as Lekarius glared.

"Aye that might be true but if your soldier dies within the cockpit then what? Your tank is as good as dead." Lekarius grinned as Ivan frowned. "Still the casualty is-" "And what if it happened during a crucial engagement? Are you expecting me that a pilotless tank is far more useful than a battered crew?" Ivan was no longer smiling as Lekarius smiled in victory.

"...That is assuming that tank is still alive." Ivan leered as Lekarius proudly replied. "The leman rus has a 150mm plasteel armor, can you say the same?" This silenced the UNSC, taken aback by the sheer scale of the tank's armor. For comparison, the scorpion had 50mm.

Some wanted to deny the sheer armor such an antiquated design has, but the data shown before the holo table does not lie. "It may move like a tank, but it sure is as hard as a tank." Lekarius smiled triumphantly as Ivan glared in disapproval but said nothing.

"Finally, the power. Despite its old design, this tank can pack more of a punch than a measle 90 mm tungsten round. A 120mm adamantium-tipped round can easily tear through whatever the xenos can throw at us!"

"Hmph, I like to see just how true your word is." Ivan scoffed as Lekarius grinned back. "Oh believe me, I can't wait to see your faces when this baby comes to save your asses." It earned several glares from the UNSC, but the general did not care as Dominicus cut in.

"Both tanks do have their ups and downs, but general I fear it might be impractical to impose the leman rus as of now." Dominicus replied as Lekarius looked back in disbelief. "Captain surely you..." Lekarius trailed off as Dominicus raises a hand.

"I assure you captain, I've judged your arguments fairly, but there is one problem you all seemed to miss in replacing these tanks." Dominicus said. "And that would be?" Lekarius asked. "Logistics." Both Ivan's and Lekarius's eyes widen, one in delight while the other in displeasure.

"Please understand us general, we have no base of operations to even begin with. We need to secure a foundation base before we can even begin debating whether or not we need to replace one's tech for the other. We need all of our forces, both the Imperium and UNSC. Which brings me to my main point." Dominicus pauses slightly as he faces Kaiden.

Kaiden had already foreseen what he would ask which made it all miserable. "I'm sorry captain, but we're strained as it is. All of our planets are working to the best of their capabilities for the war effort, we simply can't spare you a planet." Kaiden said, earning the disapproval of the Imperials.

"But our technology clearly outshines yours! Surely you can understand the importance of churning out a void shield than another shieldless ship?" Lekarius argued as Kaiden shook his head. "I'm sorry general, but it would take time to even begin understanding, much less properly churning out your own technology.

If we do that now, we will greatly hinder our current production and-" "But it's already proven how useless your ship is! It is far more sensible to change gears now while we still can!" Lekarius cuts off as a bitter expression washed Kaiden's face.

"Admiral, is there a hidden factor we are not accounting here?" Dominicus cuts off Lekarius before he could really take off as Kaiden blinked. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips as he answered softly. "There is, but I don't think you are going to like it." Kaiden honestly replied.

"And that is?" Alvar raised a brow, challenging what could possibly stop them. "Politics." There was in fact something not even the angels of death could defeat. Immediately, the imperial's faces frowned as Lekarius's features darkened.

"Because of your sudden arrival, most of the upper brass on earth worry how reliable and resource intensive your technology might be. They also don't want to invest in if they don't know how much they could gain-" "We are fighting a war against the alien here admiral, and you're telling me your empire worries more about their pockets than actual human lives??" Lekarius whispered deathly quiet as his gaze remained still.

"...I'm afraid so general. There are just people who are unfortunately like that." The silence was palpable as the imperials seethed in rage. Though their hatred was not aimed toward him, Kaiden could instinctively feel just how old they were.

When he first learned of the news from the planetary government below, Kaiden exploded in rage in his quarters, and yet the imperials took the news in complete utter silence. When the first reply finally came, Kaiden was mortified by the grim conclusion they'd considered.

"Should we just kill them?" When Alvar coldly voiced out his thoughts, all thoughts of control and wisdom Kaiden had thought of them were thrown out of the window. They were humans after all, humans who had the power to back up their words.

"We could seize control of any forge worlds they have and force them to churn out our weapons instead." Alvar said. "W-wait captain I-" "But that would disrupt the current war effort, and that can be equally... no, perhaps even more devastatingly than letting them go during this crucial time."

Thankfully, Dominicus voiced out reason, though it provided Kaiden no small comfort as Vröshtien cried out. "We don't have forge worlds, we are running low on supply of both food and ammunition, we can't repair our fleet, and they won't even provide a planet??

Then are we supposed to start from scratch?? It would take years, perhaps even decades!" Vröshtien shouted in dismay as Dominicus shook his head. "We have no other choice. Not until we manage to convince them to move." Dominicus sighed heavily.

"...So much for reliable allies, they are more of a dead weight." Lekarius muttered. Though it barely comes off as a whisper, in a tight and quiet room, everyone heard it. It brings no end of guilt for Kaiden and the rest of the crew as they could do nothing.

"General..." "I know I know! It's just... haaa... hope really is the first step to disappointment... fucking high lords. They're still dragging us down, even in this galaxy." The imperials shook their heads in bitter agreement as Kaiden mustered the courage to ask. "So... what now?" It earned him two glares from Vröshtien and Lekarius as Dominicus let out a sad smile.

"Now... now we need to build our staging ground. Fortunately, or unfortunately for us, this system just fits the bill. With all the nearby asteroid belts we should have enough materials for 10 years. Along with 4 uninhabited planets, we should be able to have a decent start... provided the UEG would give it to us?" All eyes turned on Kaiden.

The UNSC eyed warily at Kaiden, knowing all too well he did not have the authority to relinquish the planets, but also hopeful to do the impossible. And Kaiden had just done that. "You can rest assured captain; I will see it done. Even if I had to desert my post." Kaiden replied, expecting shouts of condemnation from his men.

To Kaiden's surprise, he was greeted with approval instead. The aging admiral could see the will inside their eyes, ready to join him even if it means desertion. "Excellent, we can start off with that." Dominicus let out a sigh of relief as Lekarius snorted.

"What about the infrastructure? Does the mechanicus have enough materials to build?" Dominicus inquired as Alvar replied. "Although magos Rashum is not here, I am certain that we most likely have enough to at least start an outpost. We can cannibalize most of our civilian ships for metals and fuel if need be." Dominicus sighed as he waved off his hand.

"At least that's something. Well, we should start to build now before-" A loud static suddenly burst from Vröshtien's communicator as she annoyingly answered the request. "Lord Admiral speaking." Expecting further complaints from the fleet, Vröshtien was really not in the mood to entertain them when a panicked voice suddenly called out.

"Lord Admiral! Lady Skyla brings grave news from the warp! An enemy fleet is fast approaching but we have no idea their numbers are! Your orders sir?!" It took everyone a moment to digest the sheer absurdity of the news that had just come out.

The UNSC could hardly believe such a report, though the imperials were already moving. "Battle formations! Get the civilian ships out of there now! Take cover from the surrounding planets or asteroids! And send me a shuttle to my flagship! Wait for further instructions then!" Vröshtien screamed out as she came running the moment her brain understood the danger.

"Brothers, do you hear me?" Alvar and Dominicus respectively don their helmets as they contacted their respective forces. Their voices were calm and collected as if they were not troubled by the dangers at all. The same could not be said for the UNSC.

"The covenant is here?" Whispers on edge flooded the room as they watched the imperials move erratically. "But there have been no slip ruptures detected? So how can they be here? A false alarm maybe?" Kaiden agrees with the voices of his men as he answered.

"Hold on! Captain I think it might be a false alarm! We didn't receive any-" "Sir!" Claire suddenly jumped into life in the middle of the holo table, catching everyone by surprise. "Claire? What is the matter-" "There is no time! Covenant fleet are en route! We need to prepare now!" The UNSC stared back in shock once more, barely comprehending the danger in front of them.

"How did you know-" "I'll explain later admiral, but we need to move now! We are running out of time!" Claire's urgent tone snapped most of the men and women into focus as Kaiden stuffed most of his questions at the back of his mind.

"Prepare all ships! I want them ready as soon as possible! Claire finds us where these bastards are coming from! And begin the evacuation this time! We cannot-" "There is no need to order for that admiral." Kaiden flinched as Dominicus's heavy modulated voice cut through the air.

"I'm sorry captain, but this is-" "They've caught us by surprise, but that is all. No need to panic, we will crush them beneath our feet soon." Kaiden struggled to push down the fear crawling through his throat as Dominicus's glairing helm stared back.

The admiral never truly appreciated how considerate Dominicus and Alvar had been throughout the meeting until it was gone. Before they were gentle giants restraining from outbursts, now they are cold unblinking titans of war.

Their voices were measured, their responses were calculated best to form cohesion and order from the ensuing panic. Strangely enough, Kaiden and his men were not panicking from the news any longer. Why fear a distant monster when a beast was already here?

Thankfully, the beasts were on their side. "T-then what do you intend to do captain?" Kaiden asked as Dominicus rumbled. "We will bear the brunt of their assault. Since your ships are fragile, it would be best to support us at a distance instead." Dominicus rumbled as Alvar began to move towards the door.

"Captain Alvar will coordinate on the front lines, while we coordinate here admiral." Kaiden gulped as Dominicus naturally took hold of the room. Despite being the standing leader of the system, Kaiden found himself relying on the giant before him as he began relaying orders.

To Kaiden's and his men's surprise, they followed Dominicus unwittingly as if he was used to it. The admiral stood back in awe for a moment when a deep chuckle escaped from the giant. "Is something the matter sir?" Kaiden cautiously inquired as Dominicus shook his head.

"Nothing admiral, it's just that... this will be our first battle together." Dominicus turned his gaze back to Kaiden as the admiral shuddered in delight at Dominicus's next words. "Would you like to see fireworks admiral?" Kaiden could not help but smile viciously as he found himself being dragged with the giant's bloodlust. "Very much so captain." Kaiden grinned as the forces of humanity stood as one.

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An: 

I hope you guys had a good laugh on this one cuz I certainly do.

Tag team battle lets gooooo!!! Also I cannot for the life of me can find the proper armor for the scorpion, if anyone has a source, I would love to know.