Chapter 35: Chapter 34
"Quick, run to the transports!" yelled a soldier as his comrades sprinted towards the hanger of Tiara station. A swarm of grunts from the Covenant empire were hot on their trails, wielding deadly plasma weapons and firing relentlessly at the retreating soldiers.
The soldier glanced over his shoulder, witnessing the horror of death and destruction wreaked by the Covenant. The sight, gruesome and heartrending, imbued him with a desperate strength. His legs pounded against the cold metal floor, his breath searing his lungs as he drew closer to the transport stationed at the far end of the hanger.
Suddenly, a plasma shot seared through the air, narrowly missing him but hit the soldier who was running just slightly ahead of him.
Normally he would have stopped to check on the soldier but close behind them were scary aliens trying to kill him with powerful weapons that tear through their armor.
"Alpha Bravo! Man down!" He shouted into his helmet comm, his gaze fixed on the pelican. He could hear the rapid-fire blips of Covenant weapons growing ever closer; they were almost upon them.
The pelican's ramp was dropping now, revealing the armored silhouettes of reinforcements ready with their guns drawn. The sight spurred him forward, a newfound determination giving him strength. The fallen soldier was being dragged to safety by another who had bravely turned back for him. He felt a surge of relief mixed with dread - they were sitting ducks out there.
Not daring to look back, he barreled up the ramp into the Pelican. Heat washed over him as plasma shots collided with the transport's armor. But the Pelican's armor couldn't be compared to that of a soldiers armor which was not as thick or strong as the Pelican's armor.
After a few moments, the soldier carrying his injured comrade had successfully boarded the pelican as the ramp closed behind them.
"Close call," said one of his comrades, slapping him on the shoulder.
"Too close," he muttered in reply, his heart pounding fiercely against his ribs. But there was no time for respite - not when they were hurtling through space with an enemy fleet nipping at their heels. The fight was far from over.
The cabin of the Pelican hummed with tension, the digital displays flickering, casting a synthetic glow over their grim faces. Outside, the stars were bright against the vast void of space, an obliviously tranquil backdrop to the chaos ensuing.
"Engine two is failing! We've sustained too much damage!" cried out the pilot from the cockpit. The soldier's heart hammered in his chest. It seemed their escape had been premature; they were still perilously glued to the crosshairs of a perilous fate.
"Can we get to the surface of the planet safely" He barked at the pilot.
"Once we break through the atmosphere of the planet we won't be able to land safely with just one engine" replied the pilot.
The soldier looked back at his comrades as they were huddled around their injured teammate who was growing paler by the second. Medics were scrambling around trying to patch him up before they lost him. Another explosion sent them sprawling, their shouts muffled by the cry of failing engines and warnings blaring throughout the craft.
"Were losing him, Pilot hold it stead" shouted a medic as they ran back to their injured teammate.
"I'll try but…" was the last thing the pilot said as the Pelican exploded. It was hit by plasma shot from the nearby Covenant cruiser.
Back on Tiara station, the Covenant had gained control of the station in preparation for it's glassing of the planet.
Freight containers carrying civilians and Colonial Militia went up the space elevator as the militia would try to take back the station and the civilian containers would continue up the elevator, out into space where they would meet up with propulsion pods to carry the containers to safety.
Staff Sergeant Johnson had led some men to try and take back the station and buy time for the civilians to escape the planet.
Meanwhile on the Leviathan, battlegroup tango was already traveling in warp speed towards Harvest upon receiving the news that the UNSC had lost contact with Harvest. Ivan had intercepted this message sent to Admiral Gardner from Admiral Parangosky and reported it to Axel who immediately alerted Admiral Gardner to what was really going on.
50 Minutes before the battlegroup Tango entered warp speed, Axel was in his lab looking over the recent promotion of Commander Talia who was now Captain Talia and was given transfer orders to command a Frigate.
As he was reading over her new transfer orders, his AI Ivan had popped up next to him.
"Admiral there was a message sent to Admiral Gardner regarding the lost of communications with Harvest" Reported Ivan.
Axel knew what this meant and what was really going on so he stood up from his desk in a hurry while shouting orders "Order everybody to report to their station immediately and send a message to the CENTCOM that the Covenant is attacking Harvest which is why we lost communications with the planet" Ordered Axel.
Ivan didn't question him and immediately sent the message while an emergency message started to play throughout the facility.
Luckily most of the crew was already onboard their respective ships while only a few mainly officers were within the facility.
Axel had prepared for this moment and already had a plan in place. 5k MCU's were already loaded into containers and transported towards the carrier.
Axel and a bunch of officers got onboard a Pelican and took off towards space. As the Pelican was travelling one of the Officer asked him what was going on.
"Is this a Training exercise Admiral?, because I don't remember seeing it on the schedule" Asked a Lieutenant.
Axel looked at the officer with a serious expression "This is not a training exercise Lieutenant, Harvest is under attack by Aliens and we are going to assist them" Stated Axel.
Hearing this the Lieutenant had answered a lot of people's questions but also caused even more questions to pop into everyone's head.
Once the Pelican landed in the Hanger, Axel ordered Avia the ship's onboard AI to plot a course to Harvest and have the battlegroup line up to prepare to Jump to warp speed.
Many wanted to ask questions, but seeing his serious expression they didn't bother and just followed orders. It took a total of 30 minutes for all of this to happen. And they would be at Warp for another 30 Minutes.
Before the left Axel informed the battlegroup of their mission.
"Attention, Battlegroup Tango," Axel's voice rang out over the communications network, cutting through the chatter like a knife. "We are en-route to Harvest. Our mission: to engage an alien force that has severed our communication lines with the planet."
A sudden silence fell over the cabin as the news of their mission was absorbed. Faces paled and hands clenched into fists, but there was a steely determination in every pair of eyes that Axel saw. They were soldiers and they knew what they had signed up for.
"Make no mistake," Axel continued, his voice steady as he controlled his rising emotions. "We are heading into an unknown situation against an enemy we know little about. But remember this - we are humanity's first line of defense. The people of Harvest are depending on us to bring them back from the brink. We won't let them down."
He could see his words make an impact - there was a renewed glint in their eyes, their postures straightened with resolve. They were ready.
"Admiral," Avia flickered into existence beside Axel. He was looking at a holographic display glowing in the dim light of the bridge - a star map with Harvest at its center. "We are nearing the end of our warp transit." The AI's voice held no hint of the tension that hung heavy in the air.
"Good," Axel said. "We need to be ready for what's waiting for us there."
As they neared Harvest, their communication channels crackled with distress signals. One particular message caught Axel's attention. A female voice resonating with fear and desperation cried out, "This is Lieutenant Commander Jilan al-Cygni to any civilian transport ship! our freight container is floating in space without our propulsion pods. Requesting immediate assistance!"
On the other end a civilian replied "Hang in there Lieutenant Commander I'm swinging my freighter back in your direction and we will attach a tow cable to get you out of there" replied a civilian freighter pilot on the other end.
"Hold on those fighters are turning in this direction on intercept course" Shouted the Pilot.
Hearing this Axel turned towards Avia "calculate our trajectory once we drop out of warp. Plot an intercept course for their position and prep the fighters"
Avia confirmed his orders and executed them immediately.
"I want all hands on deck as soon as we drop out of warp," Axel ordered, his voice echoing in the otherwise quiet bridge. "Prepare for combat."
All around him, crew members moved with renewed urgency, their fingers flying over holographic displays as they prepared for the coming battle.
"We're dropping out of warp now, Admiral," Avia reported, her holographic form flickering slightly due to the energy fluctuations caused by the transition from warp speed.
The battlegroup dropped out of Warps speed to see a flotilla of Covenant ships above Harvest.
"This is it" Said Axel as he mentally prepared for the battle right in front of him.
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