Enjoy!

-()-

The Megalodon-Class Heavy Battlecruiser, Alcatraz, floated in the abyss that was the void. On either side of it were similarly sized CCS-Battlecruisers, if only slightly shorter but still packing quite a bit of punch if not more than their heavier comrade, combined. Surrounding the ships were a myriad of both Coalition and UNSC frigates.

Inside the docking bay the Normandy lay with all her crew.

Spectre Jane Shepard had been requested to meet with the Captains of the ships before they went through the Omega-4 Relay.

She would trust them enough that she could make her way to the bridge under escort of the Spartan-117 and not have her teammates with her. She figured if they cleared her ship of the Collectors saving a number of the crew as well as saving her life aboard The Spirit of Fire. Then some trust wouldn't hurt.

That wasn't to say that she wasn't armed. Quite the contrary.

So she followed the green armored soldier through the corridors of the ship. The matte grey walls as well as the running lights weren't new to her but it was still fascinating to see the inside of a UNSC ship. It wasn't a maze like most military ground installations were but if she wasn't following the Spartan then she would've gotten lost.

They reached the bridge doors which was guarded by a pair that she recognized as ODSTs, Jane made the connection that they were probably System's Alliance equivalent to N7s.

The Spartan made no indication that he saw them other than a subtle nod to them and they walked through.

The bridge was all kinds of spacious but it also was very compact and practical. The first time she hadn't got to admire the intricacies before since she was being questioned by a rather calculative but efficient Captain.

Now that she had the time, she took in the sight with slight awe as well as jealousy. The ship was very advanced and would put even Destiny Ascension to shame and it was just a battlecruiser. Jane was regretting not taking in more of the sight when she was in the bridge of an even bigger capital ship.

The views in the reinforced windows further accentuated the beauty of this massive ship. The matte grey of the outside deck was dotted with both point defense turrets while the sleek hull of the dreadnought was illuminated with lights as well as other reinforced windows. Every now and then a group of fighters would soar by into the view.

However, what drew her attention were the two people or rather aliens before her who were conversing with the captain about something. With her cybernetic enhanced eyesight she could see that the Lieutenant Commander of Russian descent was also present but he looked rather bored as he sifted through information on a small data pad.

But her attention was quickly taken by the alien beings that easily towered over the Spartan in front of her who just so happened to also be taller than Krogan.

The alien had mandible-like appendages and, what was not covered by silver armor that was edged in a brighter white color, leathery black skin. The other alien was covered in gold armor that had a bright golden trim.

"Ah so the Demon arrives!" The silver armored alien exclaimed as he brought a fist to his chest. The Spartan slightly nodded his respect to him. Demon? Why was the Spartan called that?

The Spartan stopped short of the Captain of the UNSC ship and saluted to which he returned. The UNSC captain turned to Jane. "Captain Joseph Euted of the USNC Alcatraz. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Allow me to introduce Shipmaster Rteze' Vadum and Shipmaster Cyta' Teham."

She nodded and introduced herself. "I am here because you requested my presence?"

"Yes. We are here to discuss strategy before we go through this relay." The UNSC captain stated. "Cortana would you be a dear and display what initial probe scans have gotten a hold of." What? Call an AI dear? She asked something more relevant to the situation though.

"Probe scans? You sent probes through the relay?" Shepard questioned. EDI would've notified her if the Relay was being used.

"Not necessarily. We..." He looked past her to where the Lieutenant Commander was idly watching, she could only imagine the pointed look he sent to the Captain. "I can't give you the full details due to security reasons," A polite way of saying classified, of course. "But we sent them and that's all that counts." The lights began to dim as the holo-map lit up.

Jane seemed to notice how unprofessional his demeanor was. If anything his attitude about going into the unknown was eccentric for lack of a better term. All the UNSC personnel she encountered so far had a cold and calculative vibe about them with a hint of dangerousness. To find one such as Captain Euted was uncomfortable to say the least.

To her credit though the only UNSC personnel she interacted with were either, high ranking officers, Tier One operatives or intelligence officers. So it was understandable that she got the impression that all UNSC military officers behaved with a sense of professionalism.

Thus her current confusion on how this man got the posting of captain of a dreadnought that probably had enough firepower to level a planet.

But the naval officer continued. "As you can see, there is a massive debris field as soon as you exit. They are only partial scans but they give us a rough estimate on what to expect."

He seemed giddy at the prospect of a challenge. The Shipmasters were mildly amused at the antics of the USNC captain. "There are at least five Collector heavy destroyers in the loading bays of the base. Shouldn't be much of a problem. But there's also the fact that the base itself has defenses, still shouldn't be much of a deterrence." He wasn't sounding arrogant in this remark, only confident.

"Shouldn't?" Jane prodded. How did they have this much information just from simple probe scans?

"Their weapons pack quite a punch and we'll be limited to our bombers, PDs, and missiles to dish out damage. Energy projectors to an extent but MACs are out of the question otherwise we risk destroying the base and any civilians aboard." He gestured to the shipmasters. "They have their torpedoes but that's cheating so..."

"Our objective is to find out what they are doing and to destroy the base..." She said a little harsher than she intended. "Any civilians that are there are more than likely dead already."

He opened his mouth to answer her when the Lieutenant Commander, that had been silent until now, interrupted, "My superiors have interest in this base and want it to remain intact. UNSC ground forces and," He looked to the Shipmasters. "they, I am assuming, will aid in taking over the base. Battle Group Alpha should be more than enough to take this base."

The shipmasters tightly shut their mandibles. "Fleetmaster Akita won't like this." 'Teham stated with displeasure.

"Neither will the Arbiter or the Senate." 'Vadum also said with displeasure. "Your Office of Naval Intelligence is not welcomed in the Coalition and if we can help it, our warriors will not be involved in their schemes. We will, however, assist with fleet actions."

"Fair enough." He said with equal distrust.

I wonder how Timmy will react when he finds out that the UNSC had laid claim to what he's been working so hard to do. Then again, she also should be mad but they were doing all the heavy lifting here and she highly doubted the Normandy would survive if what they said about how many Collector cruisers there were was true.

And if the Collectors weapons gave these technological advanced humans and aliens pause then it was understandable how the SR-1 got chewed through easily.

Better let the ones who were willing, albeit ordered, to take the brunt of the attack while she did what she needed to do and see what the Collectors are actually up to.

And if they really wanted the base then they can have it. Personally, Shepard would rather not set foot on it but if she just left the UNSC to their devices then the past few months would have been for nothing and she wasn't about to let all that hard work go to waste.

"So what's the plan?" Jane stated aloud, wanting to get to the point.

"Ah I like that attitude!" The Captain pointed at her like she was an enthusiastic child and he the teacher.

"Tell me, before we get started of course; are any of your crew claustrophobic?" He then asked with a maniacal grin that made her internally shiver.

-()-

Admiral Eckhart Eichwald of the UNSC First Fleet was livid. Not at his crew. Or anyone under his command as a matter of fact.

It was at the Covenant Remnant Fleet not two million kilometers from his fleet.

And the fact that it was massive. Roughly the same size as the First Fleet, if not a little bigger.

No, but these were minor details in the grand scheme of his anger.

It was the commander of the Covenant Remnant Forces that had him pissed off.

Atriox, War Chieftain of the Banished forces in and around the Forerunner world shield world probably of all the Banished forces. Proving that not only were the Jiralhanae or brutes in fact not extinct but were prospering and out for revenge against the UNSC and Coalition.

In fact, the only reason they haven't gotten in an outright engagement is because Atriox was just as surprised to see the Admiral and vice versa.

This Brute commander was witty and clever. He had remarked that he "had not planned on engaging the UNSC for another couple years" and added in a completely nonchalant voice, "Might as well start getting my hands dirty now." And the transmission promptly shut off.

It was his tone of confidence not arrogance that set him off. The damn ape had the nerve to be confidently assured that that his fleet could handle some of the UNSC's finest.

"Sound General Quarters!" He barked. Even though he was of heavy German descent, his time in the military had certainly gotten rid of his heavy accent.

"Sir, if I may?" The voice of Arty broke through the ensuring chaos as red lights enveloped the bridge as well as the shutting of the blast shields that allowed them a view of the outside. The Admiral turned towards the Smart AI.

"Yes?"

"We aren't in any position for any major combat deployments. While we have the munitions, we just don't have the supplies for a sustained battle."

He moved closer to the AI that had its avatar as an ODST in full battle dress uniform. "Arty, what are the estimated outcomes?"

The AI paused he clearly didn't expect this question but answered nonetheless quietly. "The opposing fleet is massive. Numerous battlecruisers as well as destroyers, a couple assault carriers as well as the supercarrier.

If this battle drags out, we will be looking at the decimation of the First Fleet."

The Admiral grimaced. "And if we concentrate on making this as quickly as possible?"

"A pyrrhic victory at best, even if we put the Reach at full production capacity we don't have the time to produce enough. At worst? Again, the decimation of the First Fleet. We simply don't have the resources to fight right now. My suggestion? Retreat. Inform High Command of the threat, get resupplied and reinforced." The AI stated

Arty continued. "Even if we were fully supplied, there are a greater number of ships here and no doubt more on the way now. We will most likely be outnumbered five to one by the end of the day and ten to one by the end of the week."

He sighed and thought for a moment. He knew he was caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand if he could kill Atriox now that would be a severe blow to the rest. But that was a huge if.

The readings he was getting on the supercarrier also didn't give him much hope.

But on the other hand if he left, he would be giving them a chance to regroup.

Oh the woes of being an Admiral.

He turned and hoped he made the right decision. "Belay my last!" He barked out. The immediate pause in everyone's current action was noticeable; they all looked towards the Admiral as if he was crazy. They probably all thought I was going to lead them to victory with minimal casualties. He thought to himself.

After all being an Admiral of a prestigious fleet was no easy feat. One could have all the connections in the military and it still wouldn't be enough to become Admiral of the First Fleet.

"Bring the ships about and get us to nearest colony world! Prepare defenses to be deployed as soon as we arrive!"

They paused at his words. It was relief to know that they weren't listening in on the conversation between him and the AI.

When none responded to his order, he shouted in a more authoritative tone and air and in his heavy German accent that he reserved when his subordinates disobeyed commands. "Move!"

That did the trick.

-()-

And there you have it.

I wanted to integrate the new Covenant faction somehow and this was the product also the name Atriox is damn cool if you ask me.

Can you guess what the strange UNSC captain has in mind? Let me know in the reviews! If any of you can guess (shouldn't be that hard) the first one gets a piece of candy!

Until Next Time!