Depths of Space: The Uncertain Future (IC, Open)

[The V O I D]

Pilli seemed slightly tensed by the request for an Alliance Fleet, but maintained a calm demeanor. "With all due respect, all current Alliance fleets are fighting or preparing to fight. We simply have nothing to spare - especially with Earth in so much danger. The Covenant has taken Alpha Centurii, which means they're only 4 lighyears from the Sol System. It's only a matter of time before the Blues attack"

"My Terran Friend, the Federation is one step ahead of you. How familiar are you with history, Commisioner Pilli? During the 20th Century, volunteers from all over the world flocked to Spain to fight in their civil war, receiving arms and supplies from their various home nations, yet they still stayed out of official belligerency. That is what the Federation proposes. A Intergalactic task force made up of volunteers from around the Galaxy. Officially, they'd be under the command of the Solis Alliance, but in reality, they'd be receiving orders from the Federation, taking part in raids and offensives behind enemy lines."


Damascus System
Damascus II
Aminadad


-Thanks to the warning that the fleet was able to get out, the militia was able to evacuate most of the civilians to shelters.
-Tsveri fighters destroy most of what little AA defenses there are on the planet.
- Temir, one of the Operatives that was on the High Breed Away team, and now Commander of the Damascus Militia, rallies the Militia to fight off the slavers.
-A Tsveri Drop ship lands close to the shelter where Temir's wife, Kiiva, and their kid are. Kiiva leads the group of Militia soldiers guarding the shelter, using her psionics to fight off the slavers.
-A Maug-Lai fleet of 15 ships enters the system on their regular patrol. When they receive no response from the settlements on the colony. The Maug-Lai grow suspicious and send out a group of fighters to investigate.

The Emperor's Reign - Dreadnought, Tsveri 201^st Slaver-Patrol Fleet
Damascus System
Federation Fringe-Space

As the slave raid began, the Slavers were somewhat successful in destroying any AA defenses the planet may have had. The Slavers had managed to only take from a few of the smaller towns or cities - those which were too slow to evacuate. Those which evacuated to shelters were going to have their shelters raided, eventually. As the Slavers, most of which were Faang or Crosin, pressed their attacks on shelters and such, the fleet above had established complete control over their blockade on the planet. Suddenly, more ships entered the system.

"Teurissssssssss, sssssssssensssorsssss indicate that a patrol of ssssome kind hasssss entered the sssssyssssstem. They have dispatched investigative fighterssss. Your orderssssss?", the Faang subordinate looked at Teuris. This was troubling. Teuris knew this new fleet was likely allied with the other, easily crushed one. So it might be harder to crush. Luckily, it seemed the new fleet wasn't attacking - so the fleet they'd crushed did not get a message out... or else they would be fired upon. Teuris initiated a protocol known as The Trickster. It would have to do.

The investigative fighters would begin suddenly picking up a distress signal from elsewhere in the system, away from the planet. The distress signal would be a public, unidentified one. The new fleet would likely also receive it. The distress signal read as a ship, and claimed they were damaged and in need of assistance. The signal was far enough away from the planet wherein it would distract the enemy long enough for the Slavers to finish their jobs, but close enough to the planet where it wouldn't look suspicious. Teuris hoped this would work; they couldn't afford to lose precious resources such as the slaves they were claiming here. The Slavers were now getting more efficient at raiding sheltered off areas, although Temir's groups were giving them plenty of trouble.

Kiiva was another story. Her group was very valiant in their efforts, but they were eventually surrounded. One of the Slaver Faang approached what remained of her group as they were surrounded, aiming his weapon. The Faang seemed to let out a primal growl of some sort that could only be uttered by a reptilian species. The Slaver spoke to Kiiva and her group as they were surrounded.

"Ssssssssssurrender, and you may be ssssssspared.", the Slaver barked, weapon still trained. The Slaver seemed to ready his weapon incase she did not.

[Ava Ire]

The Holy Empire

Phalanx System, Atlas starspace

(Image)
-ATLAS-

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Space // Phalanx System
62nd Patrol Flotilla

---

The message received by the Holy Empire's Fleet would quickly reach Captain Fitzgerald, who would organize a small force of ships to help them. The distress call had reached out to him, and his conscience came into play. Also, with the war with the Covenant, he figured Atlas could use some more friends. He returned a message to their Admiral as the small group of Atlas ships moved across space to link up with their fleet. "Yes, Admiral, you are clear to proceed. I've assigned some of our ships to help out - least we could do for stopping and boarding you. Good luck, Admiral".

The Captain nodded, no doubt pleased with how this conundrum had played out. He had expected for the Atlas fleet to arrest and interrogate them, and even figured that they might end up destroying him and his crew. However, this was not the case. It seemed that Atlas had no qualms with the ally of their enemy, The Covenant, and the crew of the 33rd Division wasn't about to complain about that. The Captain sent one last reply to the Atlas flotilla. "Thank you, Admiral. We'll be well on our way. The Holy Empire wishes you good luck as well." Standing over the control panel, the Captain began to enter in the coordinates for their intended destination.

Making a V formation, the 33rd Division began to rapidly accelerate forward, until they disappeared with a flash.

[The Orson Empire]

Lucan System

The Covenant fleets were now broken and in complete chaos. Some 20,000 ships had been destroyed or crippled in the confusion, and several Covenant admirals had been killed aboard their command ships. The fleets had failed to regain their organization and their formations, making them vulnerable to Alliance attack. With Trov's dreadnought having been boarded by Alliance marines, the admirals began to assume that Trov had been killed. Thus, they began to sound the retreat for their forces in order to prevent the Alliance from destroying them all. Hundreds of ships would scramble and move beyond the orbit of Noveria's moon in order to escape the Lucan System. They would scatter in different directions towards Covenant space.

On Trov's dreadnought, the Covenant lines had been broken, and the Alliance marines successfully made it to the bridge. As the door slid open and the furniture used to barricade the doors was pushed away, numerous energy beams would shoot out from the Covenant lines towards the Alliance marines. The Alliance then threw in smoke canisters, obscuring the view of the Covenant personnel before throwing in dozens of grenades. Numerous explosions rang out in different areas of the bridge, and the Covenant personnel were ripped apart by the explosions.

Trov would continue to return fire with his magneto cannon. "Hold the line! We shall fight to the death!" Trov ordered, attempting to keep the firefight from descending into complete chaos. Then, a grenade landed near Trov. Trov attempted to jump out of the way, but it was too late. The grenade exploding, throwing Trov back and blasting off both of his legs. Trov hit the wall and slumped to the floor. Much of his torso was charred from the explosion, and he began bleeding heavily from his wounds.

Sierra System

Transports began to arrive in the hangars of Frederick's dreadnought. The numerous personnel aboard the dreadnought were detained by Covenant marines and loaded into the transport. They would then be sent back to the Covenant fleets and held prisoner in the brigs of the ships. However, the marines reported that Frederick had not arrived in any of the docking bays on the ship.

"Search the dreadnought for him, and make sure he has not attempted to escape," Mar ordered. "I want him to be brought to my ship."

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Covenant soldiers were deployed on the surface of Washington to occupy the planet and destroy any remaining Alliance defenses.

[The NAR]

-SOLIS ALLIANCE-

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Lucan System

---

Maxson led the first squad of Marines onto the Bridge, dropping the remaining enemy combatants and sweeping past the wounded. Many Alliance Marines simply shot the wounded on the spot, though these were merely the soldiers that were executed. Wounded officers would be given medical aid, then taken prisoner. After the Bridge was clear, Maxson turned to see a Cho'Dosan who'd gotten his legs and part of his chest blown off. "Medic!" he shouted, and a Marine carrying a med-kit rushed over. The two Marines knelt over the dying officer - the Medic applying medi-gel to his wounds to seal them and stop the bleeding. They'd reached him in time - he'd survive, but he'd need to have an operation quickly in order to save eventual organ failure from the piercing shrapnel. The Sergeant stayed with the Covenant officer after the medic left to tend to other wounded, scanning him, and began to recognize the ranks on his uniform. "You're an Admiral?" Maxson asked, "What's your name?".

Meanwhile, the Alliance Marines onboard the Covenant Dreadnought had deactivated the engines, and most remaining Covenant personnel onboard had been forced to surrender. There were still various holdouts, but the Alliance had secured control of the vessel. In space, the Alliance Fleets cheered and laughed as the Covenant fleets limped out of the System, and were proud that they could claim victory. However, it was a Pyrrhic Victory at that, for the Alliance had lost more than a third of their ships in the Lucan System. Though, they were anxious to repair and refit the massive Covenant Dreadnought and use it against them...

---

Sierra System

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As Covenant troops scoured the ship, many officers would inform the enemy that Lieutenant-Admiral Frederick was still on the Bridge. He sat there, legs crossed, with a cold glass of whiskey in one hand and a cigar in the other, looking out at the sea of debris from the brutal fighting. Covenant ships were everywhere - descending on Washington, but there was easiness in his heart as he knew Admiral Mar would treat the people more decently than his Cho'Dosan 'monkey' friends. When Cho'Dosan Marines would enter the Bridge, Frederick would spin around in his chair, keeping a calm demeanor, and speak. "Give me a few minutes to finish my drink and this cigar, and I will come with you peacefully".

---

Explored System 389B
USS Lincoln

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"It will be on an Alliance Ship," Pilli began, tossing his holographic cigar on the floor and turning his full attention to the Federation Agent. "under command of an Alliance Official, manned by an Alliance Crew. The information delivered by the Tagali Federation will be acted upon, of course, but we must ensure our presence in these operations are firm. I'm sure you understand that".

[The Greater Gambia]

Explored System 389B
USS Lincoln

---

"It will be on an Alliance Ship," Pilli began, tossing his holographic cigar on the floor and turning his full attention to the Federation Agent. "under command of an Alliance Official, manned by an Alliance Crew. The information delivered by the Tagali Federation will be acted upon, of course, but we must ensure our presence in these operations are firm. I'm sure you understand that".

"Those aren't the terms I laid out for you." Turing began to walk back and forth.

"You seem to misunderstand the situation. The Federation isn't making this offer out of some moral reason, and I'm not here out of some love for the old home world. I and many other humans outside of you control could care less what happens to you Terrans." Turing stressed the last word, showing the disconnect between Earth and Humans in the Federation.

"You seem to think you are the one on the high ground, yet it isn't our worlds that the Covenant are burning. The Federation will complete their goals without the Alliance if necessary. You just presented a situation that could benefit us both. Now, I will lay out the terms clearly for you. The Federation will supply the Alliance with weapons, Battle Suits, supplies, intelligence, you name it. In return, an Alliance Fleet manned by "volunteers" will be under the orders of the Federation to be used in covert operations behind Covenant lines. Those are the terms, take them or leave them."

[The Orson Empire]

Lucan System

Trov did not respond as Maxson questioned him. He struggled to remain conscious, even as the marines began applying medi-gel to his wounds. He was in an incredible amount of pain and could hardly think straight. However, Trov refused to be taken prisoner by the Alliance, as he viewed surrender as dishonorable. Trov activated his comlink and spoke in the Covenant language, giving one final order to his personnel.

"Whoever is still alive, do not let them take this ship....overload the reactors," he managed to say.

Some Covenant personnel that were hiding in the reactor control room of the ship answered his call. They began to deactivate the safety mechanisms on the antimatter reactors, so that they would overheat.

Sierra System

After Frederick was finished, the Covenant troops lead him out of the bridge and into a hangar, where he was to be sent to Mar's dreadnought and imprisoned in the brig.

[The NAR]

-SOLIS ALLIANCE-

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Lucan System

---

Onboard the Dreadnought, Alliance Personnel began to panic as Covenant troops tried to overload the engines and destroy the vessel. With the Alliance death toll showing no clear command, it was up to Maxson to save the Dreadnought. "Alliance Personnel in the vicinity of the Engine Room, get your asses down there now!" Maxson shouted over comms. Almost immediately, he received a - response.

"This is Foxtrot Two-One - we have a Mechanic on site and are in the Engine Room. Proceeding to Control Room". A squad of six Alliance Marines were already in the vicinity, and quickly proceeded towards the enemy holdout. They kicked the door open, storming in and brutally gunning down the enemy troopers. One of the Marines - a Mechanic - proceeded to the control panel and rapidly went to work. "Re-applying safety measures..." he said, typing away while the other Marines secured the surrounding area to make sure there were no more enemy soldiers. "Safety measures applied. Cooling systems engaged... antimatter reactors cooling.... um... alright, reactors are stable. I'm applying an new password and setting up a better firewall so that no Blues can tamper with it. I suggest leaving a squad to hold onto the control center".

Maxson was overcome with relief as the threat of annihilation dispersed. He would immediately hail the Fleet, informing them of the situation. "Command, this is Sergeant Maxson. The Covenant Dreadnought is secure - Marines are sweeping through and cleaning up remnants". Maxson would then walk back over to the wounded Admiral and yank his comm off of him, then grab him by the collar and drag him to the center of the room. "Get this fucking monkey off the ship" he ordered, watching as Marines put him on a bed and carried him out.

---

Explored System 389B
USS Lincoln

---

"Very well" Commissioner Pilli said with a look of irritation. "I do hope this Task Force will not be to only further Federation interests, though". Pilli stiffened his posture and then nodded. "Ill get you a ship and a Captain. You get those Volunteers. Pilli out".

[The Moscow Metro Red Line]

-Classified Location-

Squire waited quietly for Slade's response. When Slade signed the contract, Squire smiled and then took out a holo-projector from under the table and turned it on. "Now, read the following confession and all of this will be over soon.......

The rest of the time seemed like a blur for Slade. From the recording of the confession to the movement somewhere else. Well the movement he could probably hardly recall since someone placed a bag over his head and he was lead somewhere. Perhaps along the way he fell conscious. But regardless when he opened his eyes again he was in a very clean and white room. He was hooked up to some machine which recorded his heart-beat and was lying down in a clean white bed. Two people in the foreground were talking to one another, when both of them turned and ran over to Slade's bedside.

"Doctor, I think he is coming too." The feminine figure spoke excitedly to the other figure who is still looking at his chart.

"Yes, it seems like he is." The figure replied, writing a few things on the chart he was carrying. "Are you awake, Mister Schmidt? Mister Schmidt?"

---

Krasny System - Orbit around Krasny - Krasny Fleet Starbase

The universal translator had created a working program to decipher the language being transmitted by the Ark Union ships. After a few minutes the Ostian defense fleet relayed the following transmission: "This is the Krasny Border Guard Fleet of the Autocratic Ostian Protectorate to those of the said 'Ark Union'. You have permission to enter Ostian territory. For the time being you must orbit the following coordinates and await the following supplies. We are unprepared for events such as these, but we'll try our best to accommodate you the best we can."

The coordinates were set for the name-sake planet of the system, Krasny, which was the capital planet of the system. There were barely any settlements on the planet, but there were many ruins of farmtowns and wreckage of agriculture equipment scattered all over the surface. It was obvious for those looking at the planet that this was an abandoned agriculture world. A quick scan revealed that this planet was still habitable, perfect for recolonization.

---

Orta'maya system - Ostian Deep Space Exploration Fleet - O.S. "Adler" - Bridge

The Ostians had been holding position for awhile now, monitoring the situation as it developed. One of the cruisers broken off from the formation and began to orbit around Tybek. It's underbelly opened and an Ostian dropship came out and began descending down towards the surface. "I'll sending a reconnaissance team to assess the situation of the natives." Rear Admiral Kruse explained as the cruiser began to move away from his formation. "I think we can both tell that these natives haven't even left their own system yet. But we shouldn't try to instigate a war with them as hilarious as it might seem. The units I am sending down are from the 5th Valkyires Regiment. Don't worry these soldiers know how to conduct raiding and reconnaissance operations."

---

Orta'maya system - Tybek - Tagali FOB

The dropship descended quickly down towards the surface at a certain height it began to fly normally and parallel to the ground. When it approached the Tagali FOB, ten figures flew out of the rear of the dropship like birds. These bird-like figures flew a few rings around the FOB before gradually gliding down. These figures were very tall, about 7'5'' and were standing on something similar to talons. Their equipment was stone gray in color and they had large flexible wings on their backs. But despite these appearances, the pilots were clearly female due to the form-fitting suits they wore. One of them walked closer to the soldiers, easily surpassing him in height. "Warrant Officer Helga Kruger, 1st Company of the 5th Valkyries Regiment. Rear Admiral Kruse has sent us to assist your operations, where is the officer is charge?" Helga Kruger is a granddaughter of Theodore Kruger, the current Ostian Marshall of the Armed Forces. Despite the high-esteem of her grandfather, she often would like to get far away from him in order to obtain her own glory. As such she pressured her CO to volunteer her Regiment to accompany the Deep Space exploration fleet. "Speak up."

[The Orson Empire]

THREE WEEKS LATER

Covenant-Alliance War

Day 24 of the Invasion

It was now nearly a month into the war. The Covenant had unfortunately been defeated at Lucan three weeks earlier, with the loss of 20,000 ships, including Trov's dreadnought to the Alliance. Trov himself had been taken prisoner, and his whereabouts in Alliance space were unknown. At the same time, Mar had successfully taken control of the Sierra System and taken Admiral Frederick as a prisoner of war.

The Covenant blitz through Alliance space continued. The Covenant's main strategy for the war had to be adapted from the original four-prong attack, as the third prong at Lucan had failed entirely. The Covenant forces began to split up out of their giant armadas and engage the Alliance forces in smaller battles throughout Alliance space. Segments of Alliance space were cut off entirely by the Covenant fleets so that they could be conquered more easily. Dozens of Alliance systems had been overrun by the Covenant, but not without a cost. The Covenant had suffered the loss of tens of thousands of ships and millions of personnel in just 24 days, but the Covenant had so many men and women under arms that they could quickly replace their losses. The Covenant's home front continued to provide support to the invasion, with thousands of new ships being churned out of the massive orbital shipyards in order to replace the naval losses. On day 24, there were 600,000 Covenant ships deployed across Alliance space (amounting to over 25% of the Covenant Navy), and Zena was prepared to deploy as many as 1,500,000 ships in order to subjugate the rest of Alliance space. While the Covenant had made rapid advances and conquered swaths of territory, there was still many more systems left to conquer.

In Covenant space, the trillions of Covenant citizens followed the war and followed the numerous battles closely. Public opinion on the war was divided, with some supporting it, some apathetic to it, and others vehemently against it. Some humans in the Covenant were sympathetic to the Alliance, as they were humans as well, and demanded an immediate end to the war. Even some Cho'Dosans joined them. On Klandulor and numerous other planets throughout Covenant space, protests erupted in the streets against the war, with thousands of people participating. The protests were broken up by the Covenant Army, which caused some protests to erupt into riots that left hundreds dead or injured. There was little sympathy for the protesters throughout the Covenant, as they were viewed as interfering with the Covenant's ability to win the war.

Alpha Centauri

At Alpha Centauri, the Covenant had completed its build-up to take the jewel in the crown of the Alliance- Sol. There were some 250,000 ships in the system, and the massive armada was under the leadership of several High Admirals (including Gira, who had successfully taken Alpha Centauri at the beginning of the war). High Command knew that the defenses in the Sol System were incredibly strong, and it could take months before Sol finally fell, and thus, a massive amount of ships had to be dedicated to the campaign. Additionally, there were eight planets in Sol that had to be invaded and secured, which complicated the Covenant's strategy. A supply train of thousands of freighters had also been prepared to provide supplies in Sol during the campaign. The invasion was to commence in waves, with each High Admiral leading their segment of the armada to a certain planet in Sol, rather than all 250,000 ships warping in one giant blob.

As the preparations had went on, Covenant engineers had moved numerous asteroids into orbit around New London and Newton and carved them out, turning them into makeshift orbital defense platforms and resupply/repair bases for the numerous ships in the system. Space stations were avoided, as it was far cheaper and quicker to carve out asteroids than to build a space station from scratch.

Moresti System

As the Covenant prepared to attack Sol, High Admiral Cienon Jakorr, a male human, began his planned invasion of the Moresti System. Ever since the war began, Jakorr had waged a campaign of total war throughout Alliance space, conquering numerous Alliance systems and cutting a huge swath of destruction across Alliance space. In addition to being resupplied by the Covenant, his forces also lived off of the planets they conquered, as they looted the numerous resources they contained and anything else of high value before moving onto the next target. Civilians were often deliberately targeted in order to strike fear into the heart of his enemies. He spared no member of the Alliance Military during his attacks, often taking advantage of ships equipped with gravity well generators to keep the Alliance from escaping.

Jakorr and his armada, now 100,000 ships strong, moved on to the Moresti System, which was not far from Sol. The system contained the colony world of New Haven, which had a population of 115 million people. After the battle of Moresti was concluded, Jakorr would continue to cut a swath through other systems near Sol, and eventually link up with the forces from the Alpha Centauri System in Sol itself. Jakorr's armada exited warp on the edge of the system. Jakorr's forces executed their usual strategy by dividing themselves into smaller groups, which were to attack the enemy in waves, surrounding them on all sides and encircling them until they were completely destroyed. As the forces divided up, Jakorr reviewed a map of the system and intelligence from the stealth probes aboard his dreadnought.

[Spindle]

CIC
Wreck of HES Serendipity
Cerateal Outer System

Orpheus flexed in his EVA suit, bringing the jump jets to bear and quickly boosting onto what had once been a bulkhead, mag-clamps on his feet locking him down as soon as they hit the metal. Whatever had wrecked the Serendipity had been using some kind of ionising, or ionised, weapon. Almost none of the vessel's systems were operating properly and the three data-banks he'd visited had been completely scrambled. Absolutely nothing could have been recovered from them.

Crouching down, the Taari unclipped a plasma cutter from his belt and felt with a gloved hand for the slight crack which indicated the entrance to the fourth and final data-bank. Carefully positioning the device, he depressed the button slightly and the dark interior of the wreckage was lit by the iridescent blues and purples of the shimmering plasma for a moment. Then the darkness returned and the data-bank was revealed. Unspooling a wire, Tareus plugged one end into the port and ran a systems scan. His eyes lit up when it came back positive: at least twenty percent of the data was workable.

"Eleos, data retrieved." He confirmed, "Uploading to you now."

"Affirmative." Tareus' voice came over the commlink, "We've received...oh, Gods. Orpheus! Orpheus get back here now!"

"Yes, Sir!" Orpheus nodded, bouncing from wall to wall in his haste to comply. Within minutes he had reached the outer hull, or what little remained of the outer hull, and paused for a moment to catch his breath. 'Above' him, the Eleos hung like an enormous, barbed arrowhead and around him, the infinite void of space fell away on every side, flecked with flickering candles.

"Orpheus." Tareus' voice came over the commlink once more, "Belay that last order. Hold your position. Hostiles have entered the system: we're moving to intercept. There's not enough time for you to get back onboard before they go beyond our intercept range. We'll come back later to pick you up. Just hold tight, okay?"

Orpheus frowned for a moment, before replying:

"Affirmative." He nodded, although he knew Tareus couldn't hear him. Even though he'd tried to keep it out of his voice, he knew a note of puzzlement must have crept in. How far away were the hostiles if the minute he would take would prevent an intercept?

[Ithalian Empire]

Na'sen stepped out of the shuttlecraft and took in the sight. "It is a beautiful planet." He took in every detail. Art Meks had very good memories and remembered specifics very easily. He was already digesting all the information about the planet for inclusion into the first log of information into The Archives about the planet, this mission, and Antivarian space in general.

"Yes, it is." Ruse said as he lead the procession to a waiting motor vehicle. It was a vintage chaise in the old Antivarian stile of around three hundred years ago with elegant lines and graceful curves. The vehicle was panted a deep black. There were decorative chrome strips on the car to provide contrast. Under its hood was a powerful micro fusion cell providing the vehicle with energy.

As soon as the party was inside the car they were off. The streets were cleared before hand so there wouldn't be unfortunate incidents with rushing traffic. The passed through the cities main industrial district, the factories producing anything from toys to military grade nano-carbon filaments for use in the composite armors used by the UUC's military. After the industrial park came a commercial district fild with skyscrapers and sprawling shopping centers.

After the commercial district came the Capital Strip. A two square kilometer rectangle of land dedicated to the government of the UUC. The first thing one would notice when entering the area was the imposing two hundred foot bronze statue of an Antivarian solider from a bygone day. He stood, immobile, seemingly taunting those who would wish the fight against the righteous cause of the UUC and Liberty her self. The pedistoole the statue stood upon was made out of wight granite and was carved with an inscription
The Price of Freedom

At ether end of of the Strip was the Legislative Hall and the Executive Hall. There were several other building scattered around, the Admiralty Building, the Defense Ministry Building, The Library of The Constitution, The Chancellors House, and the Grand Museum of the Union. Ruse pointed these out to Na'sen, allowing him to decide were he would want to go first.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Cerateal Outer Space
Within moments, seven Hives dropped out of hyper-space into the Cerateal system. The Commander of the task force was none other than Council Member Skralk himself. Part of the conditions for being aloud to launch such a large assault was that Skralk would lead the mission himself, something that he was more than happy to do. "Release all fighters, and empty the hangers of Corvetts and frigates. I don't want a single Soft-Skin left in the system." Skralk ordered, causing the Comm officer to relay the orders.

The large hanger doors on the seven hives opened, and hundreds of fighters pored from them, followed by several Corvetts and Frigates. The total number of ships came too 2000 Fighters, 50 Corvetts, and 25 Frigates. Skralk clicked his mandibles with delight. "Lets begin."

[Naretion]

Na'sen stepped out of the shuttlecraft and took in the sight. "It is a beautiful planet." He took in every detail. Art Meks had very good memories and remembered specifics very easily. He was already digesting all the information about the planet for inclusion into the first log of information into The Archives about the planet, this mission, and Antivarian space in general.

"Yes, it is." Ruse said as he lead the procession to a waiting motor vehicle. It was a vintage chaise in the old Antivarian stile of around three hundred years ago with elegant lines and graceful curves. The vehicle was panted a deep black. There were decorative chrome strips on the car to provide contrast. Under its hood was a powerful micro fusion cell providing the vehicle with energy.

As soon as the party was inside the car they were off. The streets were cleared before hand so there wouldn't be unfortunate incidents with rushing traffic. The passed through the cities main industrial district, the factories producing anything from toys to military grade nano-carbon filaments for use in the composite armors used by the UUC's military. After the industrial park came a commercial district fild with skyscrapers and sprawling shopping centers.

After the commercial district came the Capital Strip. A two square kilometer rectangle of land dedicated to the government of the UUC. The first thing one would notice when entering the area was the imposing two hundred foot bronze statue of an Antivarian solider from a bygone day. He stood, immobile, seemingly taunting those who would wish the fight against the righteous cause of the UUC and Liberty her self. The pedistoole the statue stood upon was made out of wight granite and was carved with an inscription
The Price of Freedom

At ether end of of the Strip was the Legislative Hall and the Executive Hall. There were several other building scattered around, the Admiralty Building, the Defense Ministry Building, The Library of The Constitution, The Chancellors House, and the Grand Museum of the Union. Ruse pointed these out to Na'sen, allowing him to decide were he would want to go first.

Na'sen took in all the sights. He was memorizing everything he saw. It excited him, the idea of being the first one to write a piece on the Antivarian home world. The two hundred foot statue of a soldier was an unusual sight to him since the Art Meks were a very peaceful species.

In typical Art Mek fashion his choice was clear. "The Library of The Constitution." He chose. Not only was it a good way to learn the ideals of the Antivarians, but it was a library. The Art Meks lived for collections of information.

[Spindle]

CIC
HES Eleos
Cerateal Outer Space

Tareus brought the Eleos to bear, swinging her through space even as the engines started up, swivelling to provide the ship with a constantly-changing source of acceleration. The light from the hostiles' arrival would have only just reached Cerateal: it would take a few minutes before any form of organised defence could be put together. Not enough time for the hostiles to reach weapons range, unless they had tactical FTL, but enough time for them to close the distance by more than enough. The engagement would probably be fought under the direct influence of the planet's gravity well...which might have been the tipping factor had the enemy not outmassed them by such a degree. As it was, no amount of tactical maneuver was likely to save the twenty-two ships which comprised the Cerateal Orbit Guard.

Not that they wouldn't try.

Tareus could see them beginning to form up, taking the same logical steps as he had. Whatever these were, they'd destroyed the Serendipity. Tareus had the identifying evidence, of course. The fragmented records from the Serendipity marked these ships as...whatever had pounded the Cruiser into scrap. They were here and that could mean they were here for one reason. Extermination. Tareus knew the civilians were being evacuated to underground shelters: he also knew it wouldn't matter. Not against the firepower which would inevitably be levelled against them. And yet, they were evacuated even as the Orbit Guard prepared to take the Colma in a head-on engagement. Tareus wanted so much to join them as they sent their first wave of missiles out against the enemy, but he had a different path. He had information. He had to take this back...he had to warm somebody.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Cerateal Outer Space
Skralk twitched in excitement. It had been far too long since he had seen the field of battle, and politics were wearing him down. Finally, bloodshed was about to occur. The Colma ships formed up in a typical battle position, with the fighters spread between the Corvetts and Frigates. "My loyal soldiers. Let us make war!" Skralk exclaimed, and the battle began.

As missiles approached the oncoming ships, fighters began to deliberately intercept them to protect the larger Corvettes and Frigates. Some of the fighters managed to shoot the missiles down, but for the most part, they simply collided with them. The fleet kept coming forward, even as stray missiles exploded on the hulls of Corvettes. And then they were in weapons range.

"Strike them down!" Skralk commanded, and the fleet opened fire. The fighters began using their dive-bomb tactics again, and the Corvettes engaging larger ships directly. The Frigates in the meantime stayed farther away from direct combat, and simply fired long-range bombardment particle cannons into the enemy fleet, and particle flak fire peppered the area as a result. Skralk laughed joyfully. "Oh it has been far too long indeed!"

[Spindle]

CIC
HES Eleos
Cerateal Outer Orbit

Tareus watched grimly as the first particle-beam fire began to shoot out from the Colma ships, detonating amidst the loose formation. Almost instantly, the Carcadon disappeared in an expanding cloud of plasma and gas as a shot tore through her frontal armour like paper to breach her fusion pile and unleash the energy within. Pieces of shrapnel flew outwards, the metals and ceramics vaporising then reforming only a moment later. The beacons of escape pods flared like brief candles, spreading outwards with the wreckage.

The other ships were faring little better. The Firstborn already had a half-molten gouge torn out of her starward flank as if a boar had gored her. The hull of the ship seemed almost as if it were bleeding as another shot ripped along it to tear out a bank of IRASERs. Lady Love had lost almost half her launch tubes when a squadron of fighters had suicided into her through the torrent of fire the Liliths were putting out to keep them away. Fortitude was currently unscathed, fortunate since the Cruiser was the current hub of the informational network, but Tareus didn't know how much longer that would last. With one last glance backwards he activated the b-space drive and disappeared , headed for Bernard's Star and the fleet base there.

[Ithalian Empire]

Na'sen took in all the sights. He was memorizing everything he saw. It excited him, the idea of being the first one to write a piece on the Antivarian home world. The two hundred foot statue of a soldier was an unusual sight to him since the Art Meks were a very peaceful species.

In typical Art Mek fashion his choice was clear. "The Library of The Constitution." He chose. Not only was it a good way to learn the ideals of the Antivarians, but it was a library. The Art Meks lived for collections of information.

"Very well." The driver turned in front of the large marble and granite structure. Normally the Library was open at all times for all antivarians to use at there leager. But today it was empty so that no one could desterbe the Art Mek as he studied.

"This building contains both the digital and physical representations of every literary work of the Antivarian race. All our scientific breakthroughs, our history, the great works of poets and playwrights long dead. Within this building is the compilation of our struggle. I am sure that you will find yourself at home here. If you wish the aid of any others of your kind you may have it, our you can use the help of some of my people." Ruse told Na'sen.

[The Greater Gambia]

Three Weeks Later

Vers System, Federation Space
New Jakala
Orana Shipyard

Commander Turing, along with Representatives of the Alliance and other members of the Federation. They surveyed the ship, checking over it one last time. All over the ship, Yongmee made the final preparations.

"We've made some improvements of the Alliance design to better suit the mission. The Ship is now equipped with a Federation Gen VII FTL drive, along with modern stealth drives and an AI port for advance electronic warfare measures. We've also upgraded the Engines, allowing us to equip the ship with a Battle Suit Bay." Said the Valonian Engineer charged with overseeing the project. Turing grinned deviously.

"From what I've seen so far, the ship is up to Federation standards. Wouldn't you agree?" Turing said to the Alliance Personnel.


Sol System
Luna
TFRV-"Ora" Reconnaissance Vessel


A TFRV-"Ora" flew through the system undetected thanks to it's advanced stealth drives. While the Federation would usually leave reconnaissance of battlefields to Probes the "Ora" crew had a different task. The "Ora" made it's way to Luna, Earth's only satellite. The "Ora flew down an uninhabited Lunar lava tube, far away from prying eyes.

"Nali-1 to Command. We've encountered a lava tube. We're beginning our descent as we speak."

"Good, begin the next phase of Operation Majora." The "Ora" descended further into the tube, going far below the lunar surface. Once at the necessary depth, the "Ora" latched onto the side of the tube, as if a Cicada on a tree. Once latched, the four man crew put on their EVA suits and began to work on the next phase of the operation. Two of them unloaded a large device from the ship as the other two kept watch.

"Careful, we don't want an accident, at least while we're still down here." Said one of the lookouts. The two unloading the device began to drill it in place along the walls of the tube, keeping it in place.

"It's in."

"Good, let's get out of here." The four Federation operatives boarded the "Ora" once again, activating its stealth drives so no one discovered their presence. They called command once again over a secure channel.

"Nali-1 to Command, mission complete. The Dark Matter Bomb has been planted."

"Good Work, team. Proceed to to your next objection in the Ort Cloud, you'll detonate the bomb once the Covenant arrive within Earth's orbit in mass."

"Roger that, Command." The "Ora" quickly left Luna's orbit, retreating into the Ort Cloud without a trace.

[The Greater Gambia]

Damascus System
Damascus II
Shelter 4


"Ha we'll never surrender you-" The soldier was interrupted by Kiiva dropping her weapon.

"Kiiva, what are you doing? Who knows what they'll do to the civilians!" Kiiva looked back at the Militiamen, giving them a warm smile.

"Don't worry I know what I'm doing." Kiiva looked back at the Faang, her smile disappearing as her eyes changed to a dark violet color. Suddenly, the Faang lowered his weapon, much to the confusion of everyone else. Suddenly, the Faang raised his weapon again, but this time at his comrades. A few slavers were gunned down by their former comrade before they regained focus and returned fire. The mind controlled Faang bought enough time for Kiiva and the Militia to get into cover and return fire.

The Firefight continued for another hour. After recovering from Kiiva's surprise, the slavers regained the upperhand, dwindling the numbers of the Militia down to 10. Khaled, one of the militiamen bent down behind a crate as fire from the slavers poured in his direction. As he checked his remaining ammo, a frown covered his face.

"Dammit, I'm running low. Kiiva, any other tricks up your sleeve." Kiiva racked her brain for idea. She looked around at her surroundings, hoping something would click. And click it did, as she eyed one of the trucks used to bring civilians to the shelter. She extended her arm out, channeling her psionic energy. The truck began to levitate, hovering over to the Slavers. The Slavers tried to run, but it was too late, as the truck slammed down on top of them, turning them into nothing but paste and scraps.

The other slavers began to flee, but there was no escape, as the truck found them all. Within minutes, the battle was over. Kiiva and the Militia men peered out from their cover. Khaled chuckled a bit in disbelief.

"Kiiva, next time, just open with that." Kiiva and the rest of the soldiers chuckled in agreement. Suddenly, they noticed something moving. It was a Faang, it's legs broken and trying to flee. The Militiamen quickly surrounded it and aimed at it.

"Going somewhere?"

[The V O I D]

Damascus System
Damascus II
Shelter 4


"Ha we'll never surrender you-" The soldier was interrupted by Kiiva dropping her weapon.

"Kiiva, what are you doing? Who knows what they'll do to the civilians!" Kiiva looked back at the Militiamen, giving them a warm smile.

"Don't worry I know what I'm doing." Kiiva looked back at the Faang, her smile disappearing as her eyes changed to a dark violet color. Suddenly, the Faang lowered his weapon, much to the confusion of everyone else. Suddenly, the Faang raised his weapon again, but this time at his comrades. A few slavers were gunned down by their former comrade before they regained focus and returned fire. The mind controlled Faang bought enough time for Kiiva and the Militia to get into cover and return fire.

The Firefight continued for another hour. After recovering from Kiiva's surprise, the slavers regained the upperhand, dwindling the numbers of the Militia down to 10. Khaled, one of the militiamen bent down behind a crate as fire from the slavers poured in his direction. As he checked his remaining ammo, a frown covered his face.

"Dammit, I'm running low. Kiiva, any other tricks up your sleeve." Kiiva racked her brain for idea. She looked around at her surroundings, hoping something would click. And click it did, as she eyed one of the trucks used to bring civilians to the shelter. She extended her arm out, channeling her psionic energy. The truck began to levitate, hovering over to the Slavers. The Slavers tried to run, but it was too late, as the truck slammed down on top of them, turning them into nothing but paste and scraps.

The other slavers began to flee, but there was no escape, as the truck found them all. Within minutes, the battle was over. Kiiva and the Militia men peered out from their cover. Khaled chuckled a bit in disbelief.

"Kiiva, next time, just open with that." Kiiva and the rest of the soldiers chuckled in agreement. Suddenly, they noticed something moving. It was a Faang, it's legs broken and trying to flee. The Militiamen quickly surrounded it and aimed at it.

"Going somewhere?"

Damascus II - Shelter 4
Damascus System
Federation Fringe-Space

The Faang which remained continued to crawl away until he was surrounded. He then moved himself onto his back, growling slightly at the fact his legs were broken. The Faang looked around at his captors. The Faang let out a slight hiss, before he sat up fully. He began to clap his hands like an entertained child, chuckling in a deep, throaty chuckle. He spoke to them all.

"You managed to capture me. Good job. I'm asssssssssuming you want information, yesssss? It issss within my people'ssss - the Faang - culture to sssssserve those who besssssst usssssss. You besssssssted me. I am required by my very culture to anssssssssswer your quesssssssstionssssss.", the Faang stated simply. The natural hiss to his voice made it hard to tell the tone of his voice, but it sounded sincere. Although, who knew if he was lying or not...

[The Moscow Metro Red Line]

3 Weeks Later

Greetings Citizens and fellow listeners, this is the Imperial Ostian News Network, the official news program of the Autocratic Ostian Protectorate. I am Alan Ludwig your host this morning. Today, we shall begin with domestic affairs.
Ostian Security Services conducted several successful raids againist Atlas sympathizers within the Brot System. The arrested sympathizers are being held at an undisclosed location and will be given a fair trial under the Atlas Insurrection Act of 888 passed by the Ostian Council two weeks ago. For those views and listeners unaware of the Atlas Insurrection Act of 888, in brief summary, following an investigation by the Ostian Security Services and the Inquisition, it was discovered that Atlas was behind the assassination of the Covenant Ambassador and the attempted Assassination of Empress Lenina Marx the Third. Following the end of the trial, numerous acts against the terrorist organization, Atlas, has occurred within the Protectorate. As many as 300 people have come forward defecting from local Atlas cells at disgust of their actions attacking a fellow human. Here is a segment from that interview.

"I thought had believed in the cause that Atlas fought for, but when they tried to kill another Human leader, I knew that they were no different from terrorists."

"What are your thoughts regarding the current actions of the OSS?"

"My thoughts? Hang 'em! Those Atlas bitches are trying to bring down the Autocratic Ostian Protectorate. People and traitors don't deserve mercy."

"Isn't that contradictory to your statement prior?"

"Excuse me, but I have better things to do. This interview is over."

In other news, the spokesman of the ISC has said that their Emperor is recovering from the assassination injury. There has been talk around the Protectorate that the Emperor is going to be awarded the highest honor, Hero of Autocratic Ostia Protectorate, by next month due to his actions regarding the assassination. When Chancellor Wieck was asked whether or not this was true he replied, "That is something that I can neither confirm nor deny at the moment."

Additionally, travel and trade to the Chos'dan Covenant is still restricted in accordance to the numerous sanctions being enacted by the Ostian Council regarding the numerous atrocities being committed by the Covenant Military upon Alliance civilians. Numerous Humanitarian convoys led by the Government have been allowed into Alliance space. These convoys have assisted in the evacuation of Alliance civilians as well as protected certain refugee populations in Covenant controlled territories as much as allowed.

In international affairs, the Solis Alliance suffers another defeat as Covenant forces continue their advance towards Sol. Ostian civilians are advised to evacuate the Alliance systems as soon as possible due to the rapid pace of the War. There have been talks to close the Ostian Embassy on Earth for the time being, despite protests from the Ambassadors to do otherwise.

Speaking of the Solis Alliance, protests have continued occurred of that said embassy by local Alliance citizens. Many of them are urging the Ostian Government to intervene in the War citing our ancestry to them as ample evidence. They are extolling that as fellow Germans, we should return and defend the Alliance. A few Ostians have taken upon their pledge and are urging the government to intervene in the war on behalf of the beleaguered civilian population. However the Empress has been adamant on her decision of neutrality in the conflict.

Thank you for tuning in for this segment of the IONN. Have a good morning or good night, wherever you are.

[The Dark Brotherhood of Deros]

Cerateal Outer Orbit
Fighters exploded as the enemy ships pelted them with weapons fire, and several corvettes were forced to break off the attack due to damage. However more were there to replace them, and now the Hives were getting dangerously close to firing range. Skralk chuckled slowly as he watched the engagement from his view-screen. "Oh this reminds me of the small engagements we had along our borders with Soft-skinned races. They fell like trees against a strong wind once we struck. Prepare a capsule of Choking Death, I want the planet purified the moment we reach it." He ordered.

Meanwhile the frigates continued to lay down flak fire, and fighters strafed the hulls of enemy ships, some of the more damaged ones making kamikaze runs on the damaged sections of the ships.

[The Greater Gambia]

Damascus II - Shelter 4
Damascus System
Federation Fringe-Space

The Faang which remained continued to crawl away until he was surrounded. He then moved himself onto his back, growling slightly at the fact his legs were broken. The Faang looked around at his captors. The Faang let out a slight hiss, before he sat up fully. He began to clap his hands like an entertained child, chuckling in a deep, throaty chuckle. He spoke to them all.

"You managed to capture me. Good job. I'm asssssssssuming you want information, yesssss? It issss within my people'ssss - the Faang - culture to sssssserve those who besssssst usssssss. You besssssssted me. I am required by my very culture to anssssssssswer your quesssssssstionssssss.", the Faang stated simply. The natural hiss to his voice made it hard to tell the tone of his voice, but it sounded sincere. Although, who knew if he was lying or not...

The Militiamen were surprised by the Faang's reaction, not to mention that the thing had managed to stand even after its legs were broken. Kiiva refocused.

"You have a lot of questions to answer. Tie him up, I want two people watching him at all times." The Militiamen tied the Faang's hands behind his back, aiming their guns at him as it was escorted back inside the shelter. As they walked back inside the shelter, Kiiva began to feel light headed and collapsed. Khaled came rushing to her aid, lifting her back up.

"Kiiva, are you okay!?" Khaled said. Kiiva just chuckled, her nose was beginning to bleed.

"Yeah, I just overextended myself."

"These people owe you a great debt. You've done enough today, we'll take over from here." Khaled and Kiiva were the last ones to enter. After they passed, the large doors of the Shelter began to close, not opening for anything until the coast was clear.

Nazimabad Outskirts

Temir sped out of the city on a speeder, rushing quickly to Kiiva's shelter. By the time the planet's capital Nazimabad had been secured, a brief window of communications opened, with the last thing Temir hearing was how Shelter 4 was about to fall, leaving his wife and child at the mercy of the slavers. Despite the pleas of his fellow Militiamen, Temir left, hoping to save his family.

As Temir sped through the countryside, a blast of plasma exploded right in front of his speeder, sending him flying. As he hit the ground, he began to fall unconscious. The last thing he saw were figures surrounding him, like vultures to carrion.


Warlord Ogedi's Warband


"Honorable Warlord, we're detecting a distress signal. It's an SOS. Adjusting course for scout fighters-"

"No." Ogedi said coldly.

"But Honorable Warlord, it's a distress signal. If we do not respond, we will be held responsible for whatever happens." The Maug-Lai crewman said.

"Do you no think it's odd that there is a loudly heard distress signal, yet no word from the planet's population? Something is amiss here. In the case that this isn't a trick. Order Chieftress Garanaa's Frigate to investigate. I want the rest of the fleet to approach the planet. Let us discover the truth." The fleet went to their respective destinations, one frigate answering the distress signal while the other 14 ships went to Damascus II. As the main group approached the planet, their questions were soon answered.

"Honorable warlord, you should see this." A large holoprojection of the planet appeared on the bridge. A large cluster of debris orbited around it, along with four unknown vessels.

"Sir, it seems the source of the communications jamming is coming from the unidentified ships." Ogedi smiled deviously. It had been too long since he had tasted battle.

"Well, it seems that the evidence is damning these unidentified devils. All ships, standard battle plan. All frigates focus on the smaller ships, while our battle cruisers focus on the larger target. Mecha Suits will stay behind, acting as defense against fighters and boarding craft. Bomber squadrons and fighters will create an opening for our own boarding parties!"

The Maug-Lai fleet followed their orders to the letter. The two Battlecruisers opened fire on the slaver dreadnought, hitting the engines to keep them from escaping and reducing their mobility. The remaining 12 Maug-Lai Frigates fired on the Slaver Battlecruisers, firing their Plasma Beam Cannons to drain their shields. To counter the inevitable counter attack from the slaver fighters, Maug-Lai Mecha suits and interceptor Tokad-Interceptors were dispatched to protect the main ships. Meanwhile, Bombers and fighters bombarded the hangar of the Dreadnought, trying to create an opening for the drop ships to bring in a boarding party.

[The NAR]

-ATLAS-

---

---

Luna // Sol System
Commander Daniel Maxson // Alliance Marines

---

In the weeks since the Battle for the Lucan System, Maxson had been fighting the Covenant almost nonstop. Having been put in command of his own ship, the USS Boston, Maxson had been on more than twenty missions in various different systems, earning a reputation as a hardcore, dedicated Marine with excellent combat and leadership skills. It was his reputation among High-Ranking Military Officials that gained the attention of Atlas - and of Ashur. They'd run through his background - recognized his service in the Atlas Marines back in the Highbreed Insurrection, and knew that he would be an invaluable asset to the organization. They needed Maxson.

----

Daniel had been busy the entire day, training a class of new recruits from down on Earth. They were young, inexperienced, but eager to fight and in this war... they were going to need that type of spirit. He'd made his way through the narrow, twisting walls of Station 45-Bravo: the first stop for recruits coming from Earth, and would begin proceeding towards his quarters, only to be grabbed by the arm and pulled into a separate hallway. He found himself standing face to face with a man dressed head to toe in black Power Armor, with Atlas insignia. He'd been informed that Atlas Personnel were on-base, assisting in the training of new recruits, but was yet to see them. The Atlas Soldier didn't speak, only began to walk, and Daniel felt obligated to follow. The Atlas Soldier eventually led Daniel into a small, dark room with a comm. projector in the middle, and merely stood by the door - yellow eyes glowing. The incoming comm. message was lighting up, indicating that someone was trying to get through, and Daniel knew that he was supposed to answer. After pressing the button, a man appeared - immediately recognized by Daniel. The man was lean, wearing a fancy suit, with a cigarette in his mouth. The way he carried himself was... wise, though that was hardly the word.

"Commander Maxson..." the man said in a crisp American accent. "We meet at last..."

"Ashur." Daniel said, crossing his arms and looking at the mysterious leader of Atlas. "I would've expected a more formal meeting from a man of such... power"

"Under normal circumstances, maybe, but these are not normal circumstances". Ashur took a drag from his cigarette, looking at Maxson with his bright green eyes that seemed to pierce through the blue glow of the hologram.

"What do you want, Ashur?" Daniel asked, skipping the small talk. Ashur continued to gaze at the Alliance Marine before turning and beginning to pace while speaking.

"Ten years ago, you served with Atlas during the Highbreed Insurrection. You fought in the Brot System. You fought in Ostia". He stopped to take a drag from his cigarette.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Daniel asked impatiently, met only by another glare.

"There's no real way to put it so I'll be blunt: Atlas needs your services once again, Maxson".

Daniel found himself chuckling lightly and crossing his arms, gazing at Ashur almost as intensely. "Atlas is the goddamn reason this War is even happening. You killed Pers'Av, you attacked Covenant forces. You waved the red flag for the bull and jumped out of the way to let it hit us"

"If you had any sense, Commander, you'd listen to what I have to say" Ashur said coldly. Daniel straightened his face and merely nodded, watching Ashur take a drag from his cigarette. "The Covenant knows just as well as you do that the Alliance had nothing to do with the death or Pers'Av or the destruction of their ships. They're more than aware that the Alliance Government has little-known connection with Atlas, but still they claim as such. The Cho'Dosan aren't idiots, Commander, they're smarter than we care to believe". Ashur took another drag from his cigarette, still pacing, and continued to speak. "The Covenant attacked the Alliance out of greed, anger, and most importantly: fear. The Alliance is, no doubt, the beacon of Human Civilization. They represent Earth, the Human Homeworld, the represent Humanity as a species. They seek our destruction, Maxson - they feel that if they destroy the Alliance, they will be unopposed. If they win this war, our people will be destroyed, Earth will be razed to the ground, your wife and daughter... murdered".

Daniel was slightly angered by the mention of his family, but maintained a cool expression and continued to listen to Ashur. "But it is not just the Cho'Dosan. Every major race of xenos we have ever encountered has, at one point, sought our destruction. The Cho'Dosan are only the most recent in a long line of enemies of Mankind. The Tagali Federation for example - allies of the Alliance. Do you think that they aren't ready to pounce on us at our weakest moment to protect their own interests? They would, a thousand times if they could, and you know it just as well as I do". Ashur stopped, taking a long drag from his cigarette, and staring at Daniel. He did have a point - most of the other races would destroy the Alliance if they had the chance. The Covenant were just the most recent to try. Countless times in the past had the UTT Empire battled those who sought Humanity's downfall. Ashur would finish with a strong line.

"Humanity either survives United, or dies Divided"

"And where do I fit into all this?" Daniel asked, "What's the difference between fighting with the Alliance, and fighting with Atlas?"

"Don't you get it, Commander? This is not a war of factional allegiance, this is a war of Human Survival!" Ashur raised his voice, but regained his cool and took a drag from his cigarette before tossing it onto the ground and holographically stomping on it. "I've spoken with some of my contacts in Alliance Command - you've been transferred to serve as captain onboard another ship with a squad of Tagali volunteers. It is an Alliance vessel, under command of Alliance forces. Make sure the xenos know that" Daniel balled his fists for a moment, but stopped, only nodding.

"Good" Ascher said, "I'll be in touch".

---

Titan Station // Gemini System // Atlas Space
Atlas Headquarters

---

Admiral Trov, the Covenant commander of the offensive in the Lucan System, had passed through many hands over the past few weeks, but had finally settled in the hands of Atlas - a nightmare for any non-Human. Trov had suffered severe wounds during the Battle for the Lucan System - losing both of his legs and suffering severe burns up his body. Despite everything, he had refused to give up any information, which had driven the pro-Human organization to resort to less brutal methods as they were ineffective. An Atlas soldier in the intimidating black armor, with glowing yellow eyes, wheeled him into a large open office which looked out at the dual suns of the Gemini System. Standing by a lone desk was a man, dressed in an average suit, with a cigarette in his mouth. The man, known as Ashur, would turn to face the Cho'Dosan Admiral and take a drag of his cigarette.

"Admiral Trov," Ashur began, "Do you speak my language?"

[The Greater Gambia]

---

Orta'maya system - Tybek - Tagali FOB

The dropship descended quickly down towards the surface at a certain height it began to fly normally and parallel to the ground. When it approached the Tagali FOB, ten figures flew out of the rear of the dropship like birds. These bird-like figures flew a few rings around the FOB before gradually gliding down. These figures were very tall, about 7'5'' and were standing on something similar to talons. Their equipment was stone gray in color and they had large flexible wings on their backs. But despite these appearances, the pilots were clearly female due to the form-fitting suits they wore. One of them walked closer to the soldiers, easily surpassing him in height. "Warrant Officer Helga Kruger, 1st Company of the 5th Valkyries Regiment. Rear Admiral Kruse has sent us to assist your operations, where is the officer is charge?" Helga Kruger is a granddaughter of Theodore Kruger, the current Ostian Marshall of the Armed Forces. Despite the high-esteem of her grandfather, she often would like to get far away from him in order to obtain her own glory. As such she pressured her CO to volunteer her Regiment to accompany the Deep Space exploration fleet. "Speak up."

Orta'maya system
Tybek
Tagali FOB

The Soldier turned around. He wore the standard Federation Marine BDU, although the suites Chameleon function made the suit match the current environment. The frame was too short to be that of a Valonian or Dalga, yet too thin to be a Taani or a human, meaning that he was a Tagali.

"You're looking at him." He said before giving a salute to the Warrant Officer. "Greetings Madame, Commander Yalan Yo-Galani, 4th Velesian Marines, at your service." Commander Yalan lead the Valkyries through the camp. He gestured over to the motor pool, where mechanics and engineers worked tirelessly to clean out dust and sand out of various Federation vehicles.

"So far, the only real danger has been the the sand and dust. It keeps clogging our speeders and battle suits, causing them to stall out. We've already had a few scouts crash. Our biggest problems have been with the Battle Pods. They'll be out there on a reconnaissance run and all of a sudden, we'll get a report of an engine failure due to dust clogging them up. You'd think the Valonians and the Dalga, coming from a desert planet, would know how to properly filter their equipment." One of the Valonian mechanics, looking up from his task, raised Yalan his index and pinky figures, a rude gesture to the Valonians. Yalan brushed it off, not thinking anything of it.

"As for the natives, it seems that little shit show the navy boys had with them scared them off. Reports are showing them actually evacuating from other planets in the system. It seems like the way to actually have to do anything here is either have a degree in engineering or xeno-archaeology."