Halo - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Sangheili Pirate in the UNSC ❯ Countdown ( Chapter 7 )

2204 Hours, September 1, 2547 (Military Calendar)\On Board the Iroquois

Commander Jacob Keyes hid behind a corner, trying to keep himself low as the Covenant began to make their way through the corridors of the Iroquois. He hand his men were trying to escape through the pods before the countdown ended and the ship blows up. As per Cole Protocols, he was to wipe the ship's databanks, pull the ship's AI, and then blow up the ship if the Covenant boarded. He hand about 30 minutes left before the ship would blow taking the enemy with it. That is at least he hoped. The last transmission received from the UNSC have dispatched five ships to rescue him. Unfortunately, the one Covenant ship that was in the area soon turned into two more and they were sending out their pods to take the ship and kill all that was on it.

Jacob clutched his modified Magnum, a specialized pistol handed down from his father, and his father before him. His right arm was badly shot by a plasma rifle. Beside him was his chief medical officer, who was doing his best to clean the wound and to stop infection before he bandaged it up. Various Marines and crewmen were hiding with him, some shaking in their boots at the terrifying Covenant warriors passing them. Various Elites followed by Grunts and Jackals scouted around for the humans. Jacob saw one Elite dressed in white and black armor carrying a plasma sword in his hand. The blue glow of the blade flashed slightly, which caused a trembling Marine to crouch further down into a tiny ball. He held tightly to his assault rifle and Jacob could hear the sound of its metal rattling softly under the Marine's chest. Jacob noticed that the Marine was a private and was indeed inexperienced compared to some of the other seasoned Marines and crewmen with him.

“Quiet, Boscov,” hissed his superior, a corporal. Apparently she was very calm, meaning she was more experienced than he was.

“Yes, Ma'am,” the private swallowed his fear down his throat along with the bile that trickled up from his stomach.

Jacob collected himself and his thoughts, trying to put together on how he was going to save the men around him before the clock ran out. He poked his head around the corner when he heard the strange alien language grunted out from the horrid creatures' mouths. The white armored Elite barking out orders to the other aliens and they dispersed, forming into a lined barricade. Something was coming up from behind.

“Sir,” began his second in command. “I think something's spooked them.”

Jacob glanced up as his ears adjusted and the sounds of explosions came closer and clearer to him. He heard the deep voices of the lower-ranked Elites screaming and roaring and the sounds of their pistols and rifles spraying against something that was coming closer to them. Then, his ears picked up the sounds of English spoken through human voices and also through slightly more alien voices as well. Though the voices that spoke it spoke it just as perfectly and as clearly as the humans that accompanied them. He glanced up when he heard the sounds of heated slicing of air and a sparking clash coming from around the corner. He noticed the sword Elite with the white armor swinging his sword frantically against an unknown, unseen force. Periodically he saw the for that the Elite was fighting against. The form appeared to be a ghostly figure of another Elite. Strikes of blue and flashes of white revealed the form but then it shortly disappeared again. He could see the fluctuation of the white Elite's own energy shield, but also he could see the same fluctuation from the shield of his opponent. Another slice came down and the white-armored Elite pealed away like melon cut in half.

“I told him to get out of my way,” began a deep voice just as the victorious Elite faded in from invisibility. That Elite spoke English! Jacob's eyes lit up when he noticed the Elite's armor. It was gold with black accents. This Elite was a Zealot and practically the largest Elite Jacob had ever seen. He glanced over for another shock, seeing a Marine run up to the Elite and salute.

“Captain,” began the Marine. “So far, the corridor is secure.”

“Have you been able to locate Commander Keyes?” the Zealot asked.

“No, sir,” the Marine replied. “This ship is crawling with Covenant.”

“Damned Prophet-kissing bastards,” the Zealot growled. “I want to see purple and orange and blue luminescent blood splattered everywhere on the walls. Clean this ship of those filthy, religious retards. They want to die for their false gods, we'll help them along. Continue on, Sergeant.”

“Yes, sir!” the Marine saluted.

“Sir…” whispered Jacob's second. “That Elite…”

“Knew my name, I know,” Jacob said. “Something funny is going on here.”

He noticed the big Elite turning around, revealing a familiar symbol painted in white. It was Calico Jack's Jolly Roger--a symbol of piracy--a skull above two crossing swords. He moved a bit up just to get a better look at the symbol on the Elite's back and the Elite heard him rise up. He turned around with a smirk on his unarmored mandibles.

“Ah, there you are, Commander,” he said. “I've been looking all over for you. Now I can get the fucking hell off this pathetic, gas guzzling rust bucket that barely even breaks light speed, break out my aged cider and celebrate. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm supposed to take you with me. Tekn, make sure we have enough sherry for Commander Keyes.”

“Yes, Excellency,” called the voice called Tekn through the comlink.

The Marines and crewman pulled out their pistols and pointed them directly at the strange Elite. As the Elite slowly turned around, pulling something out of his armor.

“Drop it!” called one of the Marines. “Drop whatever the fuck you have in your hands, squid-lips!”

The Elite turned around and what he had in his hand was not a weapon. It was a tin bottle. The Elite unscrewed the cap and took a swig of it. He winced from the sting and swallowed, letting out a relieve breath.

“Ah, that hit the spot,” he said. “You guys want some too? It's vodka.”

“Who the hell are you?” Jacob demanded.

“Oh, Captain Telek `Herosee,” he replied, pulling out a set of dog tags from his green collar. He bent down and dangled them in front of Jacob Keyes to read. He was once more stunned.

“Telek,” he said. “The Covenant turncoat pirate. I thought you were nothing more than a rumor.”

“Last I checked I wasn't,” said Telek.

“Then, those ships that came after the ship we found started boarding were your ships, weren't they?” Jacob asked.

“Yup,” Telek nodded. “Just didn't make sense for me to leave my ship cloaked with pods coming out of it. I maybe drunk most of the time, but I'm not stupid.”

“I heard about that too,” Jacob said. “Okay, I'm really glad to see you, but we need to get off this ship. It'll explode in about 25 minutes.”

“Shit…” Telek sighed. “I was hoping to save the ship too. Can I take you back to the bridge to stop the explosion?”

“No,” said Jacob. “It can't be stopped.”

“Alright,” Telek sighed. “I need to get you off this ship and back my ship away enough to keep it from being damaged from the explosion.”

He took another drink from his tin and shook his head. Telek leaned down at his comlink and began to contact his various officers directing them to start evacuating every personnel they could find off the Iroquois and back to his ships.

“Tekn, as soon as we taken all of Commander Keyes' men off his ship, we need to get out of here as soon as we can,” Telek ordered.

“Yes, Excellency,” Tekn replied.

“Have you taken on any stowaways?”

“Not yet,” he replied. “Though, Shri has done a fine job of hijacking the Covenant ship Keyes' ship was monitoring.”

“Where there other ships besides yours that were--Covenant looking?” Jacob asked.

“You mean besides the four I brought and the one you monitored?” asked Telek. “No.”

“There's only one ship?” Jacob asked.

“Yup,” Telek replied. “And don't think I didn't notice you scratching the paint on my ship. You're paying for the insurance claim, that's for sure. Now, come on, we need to move our asses outta here. I can have you speak to Geico later.”

Telek whistled for three black-armored Elites to come running up to him as well as a few Marines following them. Jacob just did not know what to think when he saw this big Elite ordering around a mixed batch of ex-Covenant soldiers and UNSC Marines. Not only that, this Telek was a heavy drinker. For now, he was not so sure about putting his life in the hands of this drunken pirate captain, especially after Telek just told him to pay for the insurance claim on his ship. Jacob did not know what exactly it was running through this Elite's mind and right now, he wasn't if he wanted to know. For now, it was just best to follow this Elite and his men out of here to safety.

“I hope you have a competent doctor on board your ship, Captain,” began Jacob's medical officer. “Our commander has been injured.”

“We do,” said Telek as he lead them down a corridor. “My chief medical officer Doc Erin and his mixed batch of humans and Elite medical personnel. He knows enough to patch you up, Commander. You'll be in good hands.”

“I supposed you've been learning a lot about us,” said Jacob.

“I had to,” said Telek. “I had to learn about you in order to deal with you without getting my ass blown up by a rocket launcher. That was a priority of mine.”

“I see,” said Jacob.

“Excellency,” began another voice on the comlink. “Our enemies are trying to make it back on board their ship.”

“They'll be in for a surprise when they get there,” said Telek.

“Yes,” the voice called. “But it seems they have found out that this ship is about to self-destruct. They're attempting to even steal our pods as well to make it back to their destroyer.”

“Wonderful,” Telek sighed. “Shri?”

“Yes, Excellency?” Shri asked. Jacob was a bit shocked to hear a female voice on the other line. This was the first time he had ever heard what a female Elite sounded like.

“How secure did you make the new addition to our little fleet?” Telek asked.

“The Ship Master is dead, Telek,” she replied. “As well as any other helmsman and executive command team. I'm attempting to flush out the rest.”

“That might not be a good idea,” said Telek. “We should just leave the ship, disable their slip-space drive and their impulse thrusters. Pull it next to the Iroquois and watch it take out the Covenant ship too.”

“Excellency?” she asked. “But…I thought…”

“Sorry,” Telek sighed. “We'll have to hijack a ship another time. Just get out of there as soon as you disable it. We've got about 15 minutes before this thing blows up, taking us on the `Real' Great Journey.”

Real Great Journey? Jacob asked, unfamiliar with the vernacular Telek was using. There was some sort of hidden meaning this Elite was using when he spoke those words.

“Yes, Excellency,” Shri sighed. “I understand. We'll start to disable this ship.”

“Good,” Telek smiled. “Make me proud, Commander.”

“Don't I always?” Shri asked.

“That-a-girl,” Telek chuckled as the comlink clicked off. “Good to have skilled warriors on hand.”

“I've got one thing to ask,” began Jacob.

“Shoot…” Telek said. “Er…not me…”

“You're a Zealot, right?”

“Well--technically yeah,” he replied. “The gold armor says it. I was a Fleet Master--er--the equivalent to a Rear Admiral in your navy. Yeah, I'm a Zealot.”

“I've never known a Zealot that could cloak,” said Jacob. “I've heard they view that as dishonorable and--cheep, even cowardly.”

“Eh, those are the flamboyant, firebrand Field Masters,” Telek chuckled. “Before I made Zealot, I was a Spec Ops Commander--a Navy SEAL so to speak.”

“I kinda figured that,” Jacob smiled. “A lot of what you do, from what I've read in the reports, is very SEAL-like. I'm a bit of a SEAL myself. Good to know we're in good hands. I suppose that Shri you spoke to is also a SEAL.”

“Yup,” Telek replied. “Spec Ops Commander Shri `Canthonee, a SEAL herself.”

“One thing though, typically a captain stays on his ship,” said Jacob. “I'm surprised to see you here.”

“I like to be in the action,” said Telek. “Can't take the SEAL outta me. Besides, I feel more comfortable if I was there actually directing everything instead of sitting comfortably on my bridge. I have well-trained officers who know how to operate my ship if there is trouble.”

“I have other questions too,” said Jacob. “But I'll ask when we're out of harms way.”

“Good idea,” Telek chuckled as he drank another shot of his tin of vodka. So far, it was uneventful. Telek and his teams managed to clear out most of the enemies on their way over to where Commander Keyes was. He noticed this from the splotches of luminescent blood from the Grunts and Jackals decorating the walls. “Sorry about the mess, Commander.”

“I'd say it's a fine color, Captain,” Jacob chuckled. “Just how I like my Grunts and Jackals, as wallpaper.”

“Hah!” Telek chuckled back. “Oh!”

He stopped for a moment, his computerized motion detector began to pick up some unfriendly movement just beyond the next corner down the hall. He leaned back towards the other troops and hissed to them to be quiet.

“There's five enemies over there,” he whispered. Telek glanced down at his plasma rifle and noticed that the battery was completely depleted. “Crap. All I have is my sword, and I don't feel like going in for close range fighting.”

“Here,” Commander Keyes began. “Take this.”

He handed over his modified Magnum to Telek.

“I my shooting arm is damaged,” Jacob informed. “I think you might benefit from this gun than I right now.”

“This is a strange weapon,” said Telek. “Magnum?”

“Specially modified,” said Jacob. “Handed down through my family from an unknown source. The gun is rather large for humans and it looks like it's made for someone with really big hands. It fits you. And it can snipe.”

“I'll take good care of it,” smiled Telek. He picked up the Magnum and closed one eye, aiming along the sight until his field of view zoomed in and found the top of a Grunt's methane gas tank. He signaled for the men to keep low just as he aimed for that one spot. He heard some movement, though not much. His keen ears picked up the sounds of the Elites getting their orders. Then, he took his breath and pulled gently on the trigger of the Magnum. The kick was powerful and it surprised Telek, but the shot was true. Explosions of green and yellow filled the area and Telek singled for the charge. All at once he and the Marines tossed a barrage of grenades at the forces and watches as bodies flew through the air guided by blue and orange fire. Telek glanced around and grinned as he saw nothing more of the enemy that stood in is way than bodies strewn out around boxes and blood splattered on the walls and floor.

“It's this way,” said Jacob. “We can get to the pods here.”

“We are running out of time, Commander,” informed his second.

“Shri,” began Telek. “How goes the sabotaging?”

“I've got Ysoa with me,” said Shri. “He knows a lot about engines. He's thrown a good size monkey wrench into the gears. This tub can't move an inch. The problem is, they are returning to their ship now. We don't have the manpower to fight them.”

“Get out of there,” said Telek. “Let the explosion do the rest.”

“We have set a charge of our own,” said Shri. “If one ship doesn't do it, then, both will. The Covenant ship will be destroyed. Don't worry, Telek. Just get your drunken ass back on the Shade of Darkness.”

“No problem,” Telek chuckled. “Over and out.”

He felt a sting and his high-powered shields fluctuated purple for a moment, then they fluctuated green. He glanced up and saw sniping Jackals and Drones sticking themselves on the ceilings of the ship. He heard his Sangheili and the Marines and crewmen begin shooting, picking them off and he joined them, firing the Magnum. Then, he heard the war cries of his own people charging for him and his blue eyes locked upon their movements. Holstering the Magnum at his side and tying it securely to where his plasma rifle was, ignited his sword emitter. Another sting pierced him and his shields started to go down. He gritted his fangs and bare down, leaping forward just as the other Sangheili ducked down, emptying their rounds upon him. His shields were depleted and his violet blood splattered from his exposed, unarmored areas, but he was determined to cut them down. He swung his sword and cut down three Elites at once as soon as he landed. A red armored Elite swung in with a low, sweeping roundhouse kick, but Telek leapt backwards and butterfly kicked him in the head, taking the Magnum in his left hand and shooting the other advancing Elite as Telek landed again. The Elite he kicked was sent flying back, colliding with a Jackal. Telek swung again, cutting down another Elite.

“He's like a one man army…” breathed one of the Marines.

“He's like a SPARTAN,” Jacob chuckled. The doctor kept up with him and he had a group of Marines around him to protect him against any fire coming his way. The other Marines along with Telek's own Elites were clearing their way out. Though, the enemy was thinning a bit, most had left to get back to their own ship.

“There!” called Jacob. “Captain, there's an empty pod we can use to get to your ship.”

“We've got less than 8 minutes left, sir,” informed his second.

“Time measured in minutes,” Telek sighed as he took another swallow. “What a day…”

“Doesn't that drinking dull your senses, Captain?” the chief medical officer asked.

“It does a little,” Telek replied. “If I was as sharp as a plasma sword it would be an unfair advantage--for them…”

He moved his tall, broad body out of the way as the humans and two of his Elites piled into the pod. The other group went into the adjacent pod. Telek glanced around, making sure no one else was following him as he sank back into the pod.

“Brom,” began Telek, glancing back at the two black-armored Elites. “Josh, buckled in?”

Josh…Jacob thought. That's an Elite name?

“Yes, Excellency,” replied Brom.

“These seats are tight, Excellency,” Josh groaned. “Why do humans have to be so diminutive in size?”

Telek glanced around as he heard a few disapproving grunts from the human party, though his own Marines kept silent, becoming more and more accustomed to some of the younger Elites' naivety towards their species. The big Zealot crossed his arms, spreading his legs out a bit until they bumped the other side of the pod.

“Stow the belly aching, Josh,” he growled at the younger Spec Ops warrior. “These pods weren't designed with us in mind.”

“I know that, Excellency,” Josh replied, lowering his head. Once more Jacob just could not help but to be amazed on how much like humans Elites actually sounded--especially when they spoke a language he could understand. Telek glanced back at him and smirked slightly.

“I'm sorry, Commander,” he began. “Josh is young. Most of my--Sangheili have not really dealt with humans. My ship, and the other three like it are mostly scouting and spying ships. We hide out and report back what we find with minimum interaction between infantry. More ship to ship combat if any at all.”

“I see,” said Jacob. “You're ship can cloak, so I've heard.”

“Yup,” the Zealot nodded. “That she can. She's a pretty assault carrier. Usually such a fine ship like her wouldn't be commanded by someone like me--but she was the first to receive the cloaking technology for ships and because I'm really good at my job, I was picked to command her.”

“Sounded like a great honor,” Jacob said.

“Well, it was,” Telek sighed. “Until I found out what I was really fighting for--what I was protecting. If you must know, personally--even before I became a traitor, I never really liked the idea of this war.”

“What part didn't you like?”

“Killing of a species that never really wronged us in the first place,” replied Telek.

“I see,” Jacob nodded. “You know, despite your--drinking habits, I'm starting to like you, Captain `Herosee.”

“Call me Telek,” he smiled.

“Call me Jacob,” Jacob nodded, handing his hand out. Telek took it and shook it with a strong jerk. As soon as he felt the pod level off, he unbuckled himself and moved over towards the pilot who was flying. From the front window he saw his massive ship keeping her shields up. He glanced over to the Covenant ship and all seemed quiet. He could not help but to chuckle at what possible damage Shri had done to it. She probably disabled everything, shields, weapons, and the engines as well. Glancing down, he pressed a glowing button on his armor and activated his comlink.

“Shade of Darkness, this is Telek `Herosee,” he began. “Lower your shields.”

“Aye, sir,” replied the familiar voice of Tomas Jimenez. “Tekn, lower the shields.”

“Yes, Excellency,” said Tekn.

The shields fluctuated in blue before turning completely off as the starboard bay doors opened up under the ship.

“Just ease it in, Lieutenant,” Telek informed. “Those doors are big enough for you to maneuver in.”

“Yes, sir,” she nodded.

Telek began to sense some unease from Jacob's own men and women as the pod slowly descended into the launch bay, settling itself down under a Spirit drop-ship. It was probably the first time they had ever been inside a Covenant ship--even if the ship they entered was no longer a part of the Covenant fleet. Jacob had some unease about him too, glancing around as the pod doors opened up at the back end to the strange purple and blue lights that filled the liquid metallic, massive chamber they were in. Everyone unbuckled and stepped out. Jacob held onto his injured arm, feeling a wince of pain pierce it for a moment. The chief medical officer glanced down and studied his handiwork of the dressing.

“Captain,” he began. “Commander Keyes does need to get to your infirmary.”

“No problem,” said Telek. “Brom, Josh, show the Commander and his medical officer where the sick bay is on my ship. Erin will take over from that.”

“Yes, Excellency,” nodded Brom.

“Oh, Jacob,” Telek turned around, taking the Magnum from the holster. “I believe this is yours.”

“Keep it,” said Jacob. “I could never really use that thing properly. I only kept it because--well, it was family tradition.”

“Can't break tradition even from one's family,” said Telek. “We Sangheili have strict codes on that.”

“It's okay, Telek,” chuckled Jacob. “You can wield that thing better than I can. Call it--a thank you gift for saving my ass back there.”

“You mean it?”

“Sure,” he replied. “It's a 500-year old relic. Still works as you can see. But I think it'll bring you more luck than it did me.”

“Thank you,” Telek bowed slightly, holstering the pistol to his side once more. “It is a beautiful weapon despite using primitive chemically expelled, metallic projectiles. I like the shape and the weight, and the balance, and the feel. Now, go on. The Doc will take care of you. I'll be in--in a moment after I get my ships out of here. Tekn, we don't have much time, tell the other ships to move out of the way, both the Iroquois and the Covenant ship are going to explode.”

“Yes, Excellency,” said Tekn.

“Move our ship too,” Telek said.

“I know that too, Telek,” Tekn sighed.

“I'm just making sure,” Telek chuckled. “Bye, Jacob.”

“Boy, am I glad he's on our side,” Jacob smiled weakly. “I'd hate to be his enemy.”

“The Ship Master has held high regard for your species, Commander,” began Brom. “It was that regard that allowed him to make his decision on joining your navy. Come, this infirmary is this way.”

0

Tekn heard the sounds of two feet running down the corridor. The door opened and he glanced back, seeing an out of breath Telek gasping for air. He leaned on his knees and swallowed his dry spit down his mouth.

“This--ship is too big…” he gasped. “Sometimes--I hate it--when it's--so damn big. Tekn, we out of the way yet?”

“Yes, Excellency,” replied Tekn. “We're at a safe distance.”

“Tekn pulled up a zoomed view of the two ships,” said Tom. “Seems like the Covenant have made it back to their own ship. We're just waiting for the last minute.”

“It is the last minute,” said Tekn. “Actually, it's now 15 seconds before detonation.”

“Good,” Telek leaned up. “I want to see some pretty fireworks, you two. Is Shri and her team back on board?”

“They made it back on board before you did, Skipper,” replied Tom. “She's a fast pilot.”

“Eh, she's always been faster than me,” Telek shrugged. “Skinny little broad like her. Sometimes I think Shri's anorexic.”

“She eats well,” said Tom. “From what I seen.”

“5 seconds tell detonation,” said Tekn. “4…3…2…1…”

Telek shielded his eyes as a massive blue-white explosion coming from both ships filled the holographic screens in front of him. As the white light faded, he saw a rolling fireball where both ships once were.

“Happy New Year,” he chuckled. “This calls for a drink to celebrate.”

Telek again took out his tin of vodka and poured the final drops down his throat. He shook his head once more and belched, satisfied that he starting to feel that happy and whimsical buzz in his head as his own brain cells became numb from the intoxication. He clacked his mandibles in satisfaction. Then, he gazed happily down at his two crewmen, his face taken on a darker hue than before. It was an indication that his face was blushing from the alcohol.

“I'm sorry,” he swayed as he looked at the two, his speech slurring slightly. “Did you two want some?”

“No thank you, Skipper,” Tom shook his head.

“No, Excellency,” said Tekn. “I'm fine.”

“Let's get the hell outta here,” Telek grunted. “Have our men scan our ships for potential tracking devices before we enter Reach space.”

“Yes, Excellency,” said Tekn. “We'll start the sweeps.”

1312 Hours, September 3, 2547 (Military Calendar)\Earth

“I hear Telek pulled through again,” began Henry Ferguson. “Mr. President.”

“Yes,” replied Kiryuu Knight as he leaned back in his chair. “He did. I was very impressed with the results. Before he entered the Reach system, he checked all of his ships for Covenant tracking devices. He did not find any.”

“Once more, this Telek lives up to your expectations,” Henry sighed as he settled himself down on the chair opposite to the President's. Kiryuu stacked his papers and then turned to his computer.

“Oh,” he began. “I'm thinking of putting through to High Command and Congress to give Commander Jacob Keyes a raise, and a new ship. I should make him a Captain. We're running out of those. But of what ship?”

“The Pillar of Autumn currently doesn't have a full time captain stationed to it,” replied Henry.

“Ah,” Kiryuu smiled. “Good. Excellent. A new captain for an old ship. We need all we can spare. We're blowing up more ships than we can produce. I just hope they don't find Reach. If they find Reach, that's it. No more ships.”

“Yes, sir,” Henry nodded. “I suppose you'll be sending your new pawn out on more missions.”

“Indeed,” Kiryuu nodded, staring hopefully at the image of Telek `Herosee. “And I wonder if I could reproduce his armor as well. For him, by the way--and for his Elite crew as well. I'm sure they could use new armor, they're old ones are so filled with bullet holes.”

“True,” agreed Henry. “It would take a while to produce armor of that quality.”

“We were able to produce shields without the aid of Technomancy,” said Kiryuu. “Why not give Telek new armor? As a gift, of course. It'll be a surprise for him.”

“Yes, Mr. President,” Henry nodded as he turned away from the cybernetic, mutated dinosaur. He still did not trust Telek, nor his own President's intentions. Though Kiryuu knew Telek was hiding something, it was a matter of time before that something was revealed.

2245 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar)UNSC Shade of Darkness \ Undisclosed Location in the Inner Planets

“Skipper!” called Tom. “We're receiving a distress signal.”

Telek took a swig from his Irish Coffee and clacked his mandibles. He made sure that there was two shots of Whiskey in the drink this time.

“Tell me, where is it coming from?” he asked the commander.

“Reach,” replied Tom. “They're calling for all ships. The Covenant have found Reach.”

“Oy vey…” Telek sighed, wiping his brow in distress. “This isn't good. Jacob's there. Tekn…”

“Yes, Excellency,” Tekn came to attention at his commanding officer's call.

“Set a course to Reach,” he ordered. Telek's hands glided over the holographic console. “Cujo, Mitsu, Tulsa!”

“We're here,” called the familiar voice of his old friend Cujo `Mentatalee.

“Reach has been discovered by those Covenant bastards,” the big Sangheili Zealot growled. “And the UNSC is calling for help. Our help. Reach is the last military outpost we've got--and the only shipyard we have. We have to go there and defend it.”

“We're with you, Excellency,” said Mitsu.

“I've been aiming to kick some Covenant ass today, Excellency,” said Tulsa.

“I know you are, Tulsa,” smiled Telek. “We all are. Let's shove another sharp pole up Truth's ass. All ships, prepare for slip-space.”

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