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Threat of the Remnant by RogueFox68
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Threat of the Remnant- part 1
Date: 1 October 2007, 6:22 am
Sangheili Flagship Resolution
Low Orbit around planet, human-designation Negala IV
"Fleet Master, we have arrived at the designated planet. We detect the remains of a human vessel."
The Arbiter, now leader of the newly formed Sangheili Empire, turned to face the young Elite seated at the sensor station.
"Does its profile match that of a 2550s era Human frigate?"
"Scanning, sir. This'll be a moment. Those ships haven't been in service with the UNSC Navy in some time."
The Arbiter moved over to the ship's captain.
"Prepare a Phantom with 10 of our best warriors. The Spartan must be retrieved, no matter who awaits on the surface of the world."
The planet exhibited a blue glow from several lights on the surface. It was a previously uncharted world, and was assumed to be Forerunner in origin.
It had been 10 years since the activation of the Halo ring at the Ark and the final destruction, it was hoped, of the Flood. Although the Covenant had been crippled by the loss of its leader, Truth, it had not been stopped.
Sangheili attacks had weakened the Covenant to a shadow of its former self. Now referred to as the Remnant, the remaining Prophets had sued for peace with the Elites and the Humans.
But now, something within the Remnant war machine was churning, and without the recovering UNSC's help, the Sangheili Empire would suffer horrendous losses, and may even be destroyed.
"Sir, ship profile matches the stern of a Frigate-class UNSC ship."
"Alert the Phantom to prepare to launch. I will join them shortly."
Planet Negala IV
Dawn Crash Site
"Chief."
The Chief slowly came around, coughing and spitting. He looked around, and noticed sunlight penetrating the broken hull of the Dawn. He swung his legs over the cryo tube and shook his head.
"How long have I been out?"
"Ten years." Cortana said.
"Wait...you should be de..."
"Dead? My experience with the Gravemind altered me in a way I can't explain. So I hear I am, several years beyond my predicted life."
John wasn't exactly sure this wasn't a dream. Then he noticed the Elite away team approaching.
"Spartan." The Arbiter's voice boomed.
"Arbiter." The Chief gave his ally a curt nod. He took time to notice that the Arbiter wore more elaborate armor with more symbols than he cared to count.
"You and your construct must come with us. The Remnant threatens both the Sangheili and the humans."
Cortana appeared on the holo panel next to the Arbiter. "The what?"
The Arbiter sighed and his jaws moved in sympathy. "There is no time to explain. As I speak to you, a Covenant fleet approaches our location. My carrier cannot hold them all off. We must go."
The Chief nodded, loaded Cortana onto his neural chip, and slapped it into the back of the helmet. He grabbed an MA5C off the rack next to him and nodded to the Arbiter.
The Elites, with Spartan-117, boarded their craft and began their ascent. As they did so, the Chief noted several Slipspace ruptures around the carrier.
The Phantom accelerated, trying to make it home before the engagement could begin.
The Arbiter tapped a comm panel.
"What are your orders, Fleet Master?" the captain of the vessel inquired.
"Put out a distress call to any friendly ships to aid us here. We are against the planet's gravity well, and cannot run. Rig the ship for battle stations and begin maneuvers as soon as we are aboard."
The sky outside the Phantom dropship grew darker and darker and the carrier grew larger and larger. The enemy Covenant warships also grew larger.
"This will be a glorious end to us all." said the Arbiter.
UNSC Seventh Fleet, Third Wing
In-transit to Sangheili Space for delivery of diplomatic envoy
Commodore Hoffman watched the holoreel as modified Longsword fighters, long since retired from UNSC service, sprayed grass seed onto the charred surface of Reach. Terraforming the planet was a major project for the UNSC, as the fleet facilities in orbit had already been rebuilt. The reclamation of Reach would bring humanity together in a way that was badly needed by the peoples of the UNSC.
Decimated by a war that cost trillions of lives and hundreds of worlds, humanity's morale was extremely low. Thanks to the Elites, the Covenant was too weak to attack again, and the lull provided by their de facto allies allowed the UNSC Navy and Marine Corps to rebuild to a somewhat moderate strength.
The peace also allowed new technologies to be fitted to his cruisers and his new frigates, such as the Mark IV Grindell/Galileian Laser System. Its humble beginnings as a shoulder fired weapon were now upgraded to a ship-borne weapons system, capable of destroying a Covenant capital ship in two shots. The laser was being dubbed a "turbolaser" by some in the fleet, in coupling with ancient science fiction movies. Carriers and cruisers carried two laser batteries apiece, while frigates and destroyers carried a single laser battery. Coupled with the older MAC cannon and the Archer missiles, UNSC ships were now a true threat in any space engagement.
This wasn't a bad thing; the newly formed governing body of the UNSC, the Senate, wanted revenge for the losses they'd suffered, and badly. The Admirals and Generals had convinced the civilians that war was a bad idea five years ago, but now, the warhawks cried for vengeance on the war dead once more, citing the fleet's new found strength in the Mark IV lasers and with prototype energy shielding nearing final testing.
That is what led to Commodore Hoffman's current mission; to get the support of the Elites for a possible future attack to destroy the Covenant, once and for all.
"Commodore, we're receiving a distress call from the Sangheili Imperial Carrier Resolution. They say their under attack from 10 vessels from the Covenant Remnant, at least destroyer strength."
Hoffman mulled this over. If he were to assist the carrier, it would bode well for already good Sangheili-human relations. His own force consisted of the heavy cruiser Enterprise, the destroyers Hood and Kidd, and the frigates Little Big Horn, Olympia, and Constantinople.
"Go to general quarters. Alter course. Prepare to engage Remnant vessels. Upon Slipspace exit, form staggered echelon formation and attack the nearest destroyer. Turbolasers only, then break and fire at will."
Hoffman hoped his Wild West diplomacy would work out well.
Sangheili Imperial Carrier Resolution's bridge
The carrier rocked and began to have a slight list to port.
"Report!" The Arbiter bellowed.
"Fleet Master, plasma has impacted the port engines and has caused uncontrollable plasma leak."
"Shunt drive plasma to space in that section."
"Working...Done, sir."
The carrier's list slowly disappeared. The carrier had managed to kill a destroyer, but now two cruisers were bearing down on her as she fled towards the dark side of the planet.
"Fleet Master, Slipspace ruptures to starboard!"
The captain looked to the Arbiter. "More reinforcements to secure the kill."
The Arbiter looked to his ops center. "Prepare the self-destruct! We will not let this Jiralhanae scum capture us!"
"Fleet Master, the ships are human!"
"On-screen!"
The Arbiter watched as the human fleet formed up and picked up speed towards the Remnant fleet. It was clear that the Remnant held no respect for the UNSC fleet; only a single destroyer turned to engage the new arrivals.
It was a critical error.
The human fleet's laser batteries glowed a bright red and spat red bolts that flew straight and true and arrived at the destroyer in an instant. The shields dissipated with the first laser battery's impact. The remaining barrage blew hull plating off and bore holes into the ship in several places, causing a huge explosion, shearing the ship in half.
"Noble humans! They give us a chance to turn the tide! Turn the ship around. Shunt all power to weapons!" The Arbiter bellowed.
"Cortana...are those lasers?"
"They must be ship-borne versions of the Spartan Laser...Chief, look!"
As the Resolution slowly arced around and headed towards the nearest cruiser pursuing them, the heavy cruiser Enterprise fired another laser salvo, followed by a MAC round. One of the cruisers following the Resolution was knocked off course by the impact of the laser fire, then holed on the mid-line by the MAC round. She spun uselessly into her sister ship.
"Fire!" The captain of the carrier ordered.
The Resolution fired four plasma torpedoes into the other cruiser, knocking its shields away and burning away the bow of the vessel. Both cruisers were now out of the fight.
The frigates Constantinople and Olympia moved towards a Remnant destroyer, firing rapid bursts from their laser batteries. Blast after blast hit the Covenant ship, weakening the shields with each blow. The frigates' lasers were not as powerful as the twin batteries of the cruisers, but fired in rapid succession. Coupled with two MAC rounds in the stern of the vessel, the destroyer was out of the fight, spinning towards the planet.
Another Remnant vessel, however, fired on the Constantinople as she pulled away. The plasma torpedoes hit the frigate's engineering section, and the frigate exploded into several fragments. The Remnant destroyer continued forward and fired several laser shots at the Enterprise, causing minor damage to its MAC cannon.
The destroyer Kidd closed to close range with another Remnant vessel and fired its laser battery into the destroyer at point blank range. The laser over powered the shields and lanced into the ship's midsection, burning a hole in the center of the ship. The Kidd fired off several Archer-II missiles, upgraded weapons with small nuclear warheads. The destroyer buckled, and then blew apart, fragments peppering the retreating UNSC destroyer.
The remaining Remnant vessels turned and fled. The frigate Little Big Horn caught up to one of the Remnant destroyers before it could clear Regala IV's gravity well and fired its laser battery into the ship's engines, crippling it. The Remnant captain fired his plasma torpedoes at the frigate, hitting the bow of the vessel and knocking its laser system off-line. The slower destroyer Hood, not wanting to miss out on the action, arrived and and fired another salvo into the engines. This salvo hit the reactor core and the Remnant destroyer exploded in brilliant flash.
The survivors of the Remnant fleet fled into the safety of Slipspace.
The UNSC fleet, minus its destroyed and damaged frigates, formed up and approached the carrier Resolution.
"Fleet Master, a Commodore Hoffman hails us."
"Put it on the viewer." The Arbiter ordered.
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