"All teams fall back to secondary defensive positions. All teams fall back!" The panicked order echoed through Kevin's head, sending waves of distress through his ravaged mind. We barely managed to make it to the first and we're already falling back? He cast one last look at the carnage around him before turning to the soldiers nearby. The enemy had tried to overwhelm their position with their numbers. They had failed, miserably.

He had met their charge, lightsaber in hand. The fools had fallen around him, dozens at a time. Even with their seemingly endless numbers, they were no match for the power of the force. Unfortunately, his enemy had not given into fear. Their losses had mounted, but they had fought on, stoically resisting their imminent slaughter.

The enemy ground troops were poorly equipped, their armor was almost nonexistent while their weapons seemed outdated even by Earth's standards. Automatic weapons seemed to be a privilege, most of their weapons were semi-automatic rifles and carbines, terrible for close quarters combat. However, one shot from their seemingly obsolete weaponry was enough to tear through the superior combat armor that his soldiers wore.

Some of the troopers that his small team had reinforced had fallen in the assault, their thick white armor offering little protection from the massive slugs fired by the attackers. The wounds were deep and grizzly, there would be more dead than wounded this day.

Leaving their fallen behind, his team withdrew from their position, most of the troopers were overburdened with equipment and weaponry. The unit moved slow enough as it was, dragging their former comrades during the retreat was simply out of the question. As it was, the heavy repeating blaster cannons were far more valuable than corpses, no matter whose friend was being left behind.

Kevin and his team could have held their position until the end of the world, but the teams on their flanks were being pushed back. Retreat was the only sensible option, even though each successive step backwards pained him greatly. Each step back gave his enemy more and more of his ship. The Night Hammer had been his home for years and it was being taken from him, stolen from him. Her magnificent decks were being turned into a charnel house of corpses, the enemy paying for every meter dearly, but advancing nonetheless.

Foul tasting bile burned his throat. Anger rising within the depths of his chest, he almost wished that his enemy would attack again, he desired nothing more than to unleash his rage upon them once more. However, the thought was as foolish as it was fleeting. The men and women with him were strung out in a ragged formation, many of them would fall if such an attack struck them. The second defensive line was currently being reinforced, the retreating units would reform there. It would be there that the enemy would be held, it was there that the enemy must be held.

If this line was breached, critical sections would be in imminent danger, including the secondary bridge. If the enemy gained control of this bastion, the rest of the ship would be vulnerable if they managed to gain access to its systems. Vital sections of engineering and the path to the engine room would be open as well. Life support systems, many of the vital hangar bays, and more would suddenly become the front line. The crew of the Night Hammer must hold back the furious storm of their enemy, and so they would.

An echoing cry of an endless chorus of voices caught up with the small band, the enemy had reached their former position. They hadn't left their rear entirely unguarded, dozens of traps and explosive devices tore into the war-cry, cutting the victorious cries short as they added to the cacophony. A series of explosions echoed through the labyrinths of the Night Hammer, bringing bitter laughter to the soldiers around him.

Lieutenant Hans stopped at the head of the group, quickly ordering his team to the rear. There was now nothing between them and their enemy, nothing but empty corridors and slowly sealing blast doors. Hans's squad of five moved to the rear, covering the retreat of the rest of the unit. The precaution was mostly unnecessary, the enemy would certainly be proceeding with increased caution after what had just befallen them. Knowing Hans, however, the enigmatic man had probably sent his soldiers to the rear where Kevin meandered for an entirely different reason.

Smiling to himself, his expression hidden behind his mask, Kevin quickly revealed the truth of the matter. Hans was worried about him, now he was among friends. IQ was at his side, her crystal blue eyes regarding his expressionless mask with interest for a moment. He and Monica had a history, a complicated history, but not the sort of history one would think. They were close, but their closeness had never blossomed into anything more than an understanding. Sure, she was beautiful in her own right, but the connection between them was more emotional than physical. She understood him, and he her, the woman's presence always comforted him.

Noting Monica's lingering gaze, Marius 'Jager' Streicher huffed disapprovingly. Jager was former GSG-9, like IQ, but the pair had never served together until joining this unit. Marius was as good with machines as IQ was at everything else, her brains and his abilities were a powerful combination. Prone to misreading social cues, his boisterous attitude often created friction between the two, especially when it came to the mysterious relationship between Monica and her commander.

Monica shot him a cold glare but said nothing, causing Twitch and Montagne to chuckle behind them. Emmanuelle 'Twitch' Pichon and Gilles 'Montagne' Toure were both French, former GIGN operatives. There couldn't be more differences between the pair. Twitch was small, lithe, almost petite, while Montagne towered above her, the man was a mountain. Despite their differences, the pair were lovers, rather obnoxiously adorable lovers. The couple went together as most dramatic opposites do, Gilles' brute strength and towering hulk melded oddly well with Emmanuelle's brains and empathy.

The final member of Hans's squad said nothing, as expected. Mark 'Mute' Chandar was former SAS and unlike his comrades he never spoke about his past, mostly because he rarely spoke at all. When he did speak, everyone listened, his intelligence rivalled Monica's. Lieutenant Gerrard's unit was comprised of three of Mark's former SAS comrades but he had opted to further isolate himself from his past, preferring instead to be among his 'equals' IQ and Twitch.

Lieutenant Gerrard and his team had been charged with ensuring that the secondary bridge was held at all costs while Lieutenant Canderous and his team had been dispatched to safe-guard the engineering sections. Lee Martin and his under-strength unit had been left with the main bridge's garrison. The bridge would be the end goal of the boarding parties. If the lines were broken and the remaining crew holed themselves up in defensive bastions just to survive, the bridge must be held.

The ship was too big to protect all at once, luckily the soldiers from earth had reinforced his small garrison aboard the Night Hammer. Soldiers from all of the world, from all types of governments and cultures now stood shoulder to shoulder with his own men, ready to protect their planet. The survivors of this desperate struggle, should any of them survive, would be tied together by the trials of blood and battle.

Here we go… the transport Kevin was aboard had just launched, the densely packed soldiers struggling against the acceleration. The fleet had arrived to retrieve their stranded pilots, forming well out of range from the enemy fleet. Vice Admiral Canady had no intention of committing his fleet to battle, but he had formed his ships up in a densely packed spearhead as if he did. The enemy took the bait.

Nearly a hundred enemy ships broke off from their formation, accelerating for all that they were worth towards their foes. Feeling crushingly vulnerable aboard the stuffed transport, Kevin did his best to internalize his worries, fearing that others would catch on to his mounting panic. It didn't matter that the transports were invisible, it didn't matter that the ship he was aboard couldn't be detected by sensors, he was still terrified.

All around him braver beings shifted their weight, seemingly in boredom. Treize Faction assault troops, former Imperial stormtroopers, mighty Sangheili warriors and the awkward, somewhat adorable Unggoy were pressed together around him. Armored in Treize Faction assault armor, courtesy of Captain Noin, he did his best to blend in. His efforts must have failed miserably, a nearby Sangheili warrior took interest in him, the golden armored creature loomed over him menacingly.

"Hooman… afraid? Fear?" The armored behemoth that towered over him looked like a golden god, his broken words stirring horrid laughter from the rest of his race. Bristling at the creature's words, the rest of the 'hoomans' blanched, pressing towards him as the tension mounted. Oblivious to their movements the mighty being silenced his comrades with a quick motion of his toothy mandibles as he awaited a response. Unable to form words due to his mounting fear, Kevin simply nodded, suddenly overcome with shame.

"Good! Hooman not stupid!" The golden monstrosity bellowed in laughter before continuing, suddenly realizing that he alone was laughing. "All fear… fear smart. No fear, no… smart. Roar rid fear!" Without warning the warrior let out a beastly guttural shout that was immediately mimicked by his fellow warriors. The Unggoy joined in, their scratchy high-pitched voices contrasting cruelly with their larger comrades. Not wishing to be outdone, the humans bellowed boisterously in response. Joining his voice with the others, Kevin did his best to rid himself of his fears as the transport glided noiselessly through space.

The mounting tension dissipated, the golden warrior slapped him on his shoulder as the cacophony of mismatched voices died down. The affectionate gesture nearly knocked him to the ground, the blow had probably left a dent in his armor.

"Victory! Infidels perish in holy fire!" A second cheer erupted as every soldier took up the broken words. The craft's many doors abruptly burst open, suddenly revealing a massive hangar. They had made it. However, there was no time to celebrate this small victory, pandemonium awaited them.

A fierce battle erupted around them. The Sangheili leapt from the craft, charging headlong into the fray. Several other transports had already landed, their forces struggling desperately against the copious enemy. Kevin hit the ground and dove for cover behind the ruins of a mangled starfighter. The battle had broken down into a confused melee, no cohesion existed between either side, chaos reigned.

Firing his blaster rifle in short controlled bursts, he downed several enemies before he was forced to take cover once more, a series of rounds thumping noisily into his cover. As he did so, the soldier next to him collapsed with a muted grunt, a gaping hole in his chest. Just behind him a Sangheili impaled an enemy soldier with his blue energy sword, backhanding another viciously with his free hand. An Unggoy finished off the stumbling man with a burst of green energy to the chest while a fallen stormtrooper cried out for a medic just behind the small creature.

Bursting from his cover he sought out another target, surprised that the battle was effectively over. The attackers had suffered gravely but their enemy had been slaughtered. The hangar was secured and with every passing moment more and more transports materialized, reinforcements pouring out of them.

Squads were formed, casualties were seen to, though few still lived, and soon the leading elements of their forces were fighting their way out of the hangar, deeper into the massive ship. Kevin formed up with a mixed squad of soldiers, the plan was simple. While the Sangheili broke out of the hangar, several teams would break off from the main group and attempt to fight their way to the key areas of the ship, seeking to reinforce them.

The enemy was everywhere, down every hallway, behind every blown open blast door, around every corner. As his team fought deeper and deeper into the ruined labyrinths of the Night Hammer, Kevin began to worry. The enemy had penetrated deep into the ship, were they too late? Would they even be able to reach the beleaguered defenders in time?

His thoughts were silenced as another intense firefight erupted, the leading elements of his group were mercilessly cut down. Screams and terror filled the air as a desperate struggle unfolded. Sensing that his unit was being pressed back, he abandoned his blaster rifle and ignited his lightsaber, its red blade erupting with a snap-hiss. Sensing victory the enemy charged, long razor-sharp blades glistening from the front of their bulky two-handed firearms.

Their charge was cut short by a blast of telekinetic energy, their front ranks tumbling into those behind them. A confused mass of bodies struggled as a torrent of weapons fire cut into them. Kevin had tried to charge into them but a trooper held him back as the unit had opened fire, shaking his head at his recklessness. Feeling scorned and foolish, he resigned himself to deflecting the sporadic enemy fire with his lightsaber as his squad slowly advanced.

They soon found themselves struggling through the very carnage that they had created, their advance slowed to a crawl. The troopers around him seemed entirely unaffected by the grizzly scene, stopping only to finish off the struggling wounded. Halfway through the hellish landscape Kevin wretched, further polluting the scene. Luckily, the fighting had ceased for the moment and he was able to entirely devote himself to the task of emptying the foul contents of his stomach.

Disengaging his lightsaber, he struggled through the gore of his fallen enemy. Panic seized his heart, causing him to lose his footing. Thankfully, a sturdy trooper reached out and steadied him, saving him from the dreaded experience of swimming through the still moaning graveyard that he was trudging through. Pale faced, he received an encouraging pat on the shoulder as he cleared the horrid obstacle, the unit was back to a steadier pace soon after.

Seconds crawled into minutes as the unit cautiously advanced towards their objective. Weapons were ready and the soldiers tense, but no further enemies attempted to block their path, they seemed to have made it through the enemy line. Just as his hopes began to rise and the color edged back into his face the unit's commander called a halt. Their objective had been overrun.

Reports were coming in that the secondary bridge had fallen, but the last defenders had doggedly refused to give up their prize. The secondary bridge was now entirely destroyed, unable to be utilized by the invaders. The unit was redirected towards a new objective, the primary medical section was in danger of being assaulted, reinforcements were desperately needed.

Quick progress was made towards the new objective, each soldier moving with deliberate haste, knowing full well the weight of their responsibility. Eager to meet their enemy once again, the unit pushed on but was forced to take cover as a nearby blast door exploded. Their formation scattered as shrapnel tore into them. Several soldiers fell, killed in an instant while a dozen more were wounded. Bursting forth from the chaos with ferocious suddenness, a mass of enemy soldiers charged into them.

Lightsaber in hand, Kevin alone countered their charge, his blade easily removing limbs, severing torsos and beheading his unfortunate opponents. Telekinetic blasts forced the enemy back, sending scores of them tumbling into the air. Feeling the lives of his comrades extinguish and the fears of the wounded and dying, he attacked again and again. Bones smashed as he blasted his opponents off their feet and into the bulkheads. Cutting left and right, swinging his weapon wildly he pressed into the stunned enemy.

Sensing their movements as they made them, he easily blocked or avoided their panicked shots, parried their feeble attacks, cutting them down mercilessly. His companions reformed and added their fire to the fight. Scattered reports of weapons fire erupted from behind him as he advanced. The enemy fell all around him, either from his blade or thrown down by the fire from his comrades. Sensing enemy reinforcements pressing into the fight, constricted by the tight corridor, he sent a final shockwave of telekinetic power into them and hastily retreated back to the safety of his unit.

As he reached them a weapon was thrown into his hands and he formed up with his comrades in a tightly packed line of death. Their first rank was prone on the ground while the second knelt behind them, weapons at the ready. Disengaging his lightsaber, he joined the third rank and readied his new weapon. Before the enemy could recover from his last attack they fired into them. The effect was as immediate as it was dramatic. As Kevin ejected the spent magazine from his rifle and slapped in a replacement, an order to cease fire was called out.

Just in case, several grenades were thrown into the writhing mass of bodies. As the blasts rang out, the dead were dispassionately stripped of their weapons and the wounded were collected. It was time to move on. Just as the unit prepared to set off, a second attack erupted from the carnage. A mass of enemies burst forth, firing as they charged with reckless abandon.

Similarly erupting out of nowhere, a Sangheili unit arrived onto the scene, charging to meet the attack head on. An impatient sounding Unggoy shooed the humans away, urging them to continue on with their mission. Moving as quickly as they could with their wounded, the unit quickly put distance between themselves and the raging battle between the two opposing forces.

The situation was becoming dire, the original defenders of the Night Hammer were either locked in combat or were retreating. An order came out for all units to retreat to their tertiary defensive positions, they had to hurry. As Kevin understood it, there were only four lines of defense in total, and the enemy had smashed through two of them already. Even with the timely appearance of reinforcements, the fight was still desperate.

As his unit struggled on towards the new defensive line, Kevin was all too aware that they would soon have enemies closing in on them from all sides. He hoped that their Sangheili rearguard held out indefinitely, but despite their prowess in combat, he knew that this was a fleeting hope.

The fleet had returned, only to leave again. Their sudden activity had elicited a whirlwind of emotions throughout the room, conjuring up several fresh sets of arguments. These heated debates had been thankfully silenced as something perhaps even more uncomfortable tore through the room.

A cacophony of madness and terror burst forth from the speakers around the room, sending the young officers into a panic as they fumbled with controls, desperately trying to minimize the noise. It was difficult for any one voice or conversation to be isolated as what seemed like hundreds of voices competed for dominance. Regrettably, Chloe was able to sort through some of the maelstrom of terror. Screams, explosions, gunfire and more assaulted her ears.

Holy shit… that sounds really awful… I thought this Cage asshole said that things wouldn't be so bad… what the fuck? Glancing around the room, she noticed that she wasn't the only one who felt at least partly betrayed by the man's earlier words of confidence. Kate, Kimberly, and Joyce all looked entirely shattered. Each successive scream that rose up through the clamor only to be silenced or overpowered by something else could have been David, or Kevin… or the other Kevin. Turning towards the massed, semi-hysteric officers she glared at their incompetence. Way to fuck up dudes, as if our nightmares weren't going to be bad enough about this shit… Her disapproving look was wasted however, they were all far too busy trying to resolve their mistake.

"Damnit man! Isolate the command frequency, get rid of the rest of that rubbish!" Captain Cage called out above the noise that was maniacally assaulting his ears.

"I'm trying!" The flustered Sebastian hollered back as he furiously scoured his console with a series of commands. Mercifully, the storm broke, replaced by steady voices as they relayed information back and forth or issued orders to their respective forces. Slowly, as she listened to the reports on the edge of her seat, she was able to make out about half a dozen different voices. The most distinguishable of them all had to be that Admiral Daala chick, she sounded as intense as she looked.

As she listened, a grim picture began to paint itself in her mind. The enemy had an unfathomable number of troops aboard the Night Hammer and the defenders were being steadily overwhelmed. The fighting had to be fierce, it seemed that every successive report mentioned another position on the brink of collapse. The defenders were currently in some kind of a staggered retreat, falling back deeper into the ship.

Suddenly, her heart nearly stopped as a voice she recognized made a calm report. It was Kevin, it had to be. Max recognized it too, confirming her suspicions. Turning towards Kate, they were both rewarded with a soft smile as their friend slowly shook her head. It hadn't been him, so was that the grand admiral dude? How can she tell? Shrugging, she returned Kate's smile with an encouraging one of her own.

Her smile faded, however, when a series of grim reports reached her ears. The piecemeal retreat was turning into a full-blown route as a fresh enemy attack smashed through the lines. It sounded bad, even though it was coming from the detached voices of commanders who weren't even on the front lines. An indeterminable amount of time later, the secondary bridge was lost, the remaining defenders choosing to blow themselves up rather than surrender.

It was grimly reported that the engineering section of the ship was in danger of being cut off. A rough and dangerous sounding voice made the report, though he seemed rather unconcerned about his precarious situation. Chloe's excitement rose for half a heartbeat as the grand admiral spoke again, still not Kevin. It seemed that the grand admiral was leading the only forces capable of supporting the soon to be surrounded engineering defense force, he was on his way.

She was shocked at how calm and confident he sounded. Most of the other voices were strained, stressed, worried, but not his. The dude must be a total badass… her suspicions were confirmed when she turned to check up on Kimberly, she didn't seem worried anymore either. Whenever the grand admiral spoke, the officers would stand straighter, look more relaxed, confidence seeping back into them like a nourishing medicine.

Even Kate seemed to be taking heart in the man's words. Her Kevin, the clone or whatever, was basically the same person as this guy, right? So, as far as Chloe was concerned, that meant that the Kevin that she knew would be just as confident about the situation and just as badass. Chloe hated being wrong, but she was. Kate gasped in shock as a voice seemingly identical to the grand admiral made a hasty report.

"This is Commander Anderson, I'm… taking command of my unit, we're moving to assist the medical section… we've lost contact with our rear-guard, requesting support." Kate nearly went catatonic when he was quickly told that no support was available. He was warned that the medical section was under heavy assault and advised to rethink his approach. Sighing heavily, Kevin requested an alternate route to his objective.

"There ain't one! The only other route is halfway around the damned ship! Damnit commander, you're perilously exposed out there. Either find a place to hold up or fall back to your landing zone, I'm trying to tell you that you ain't getting to medical!" The response cut Kate deep, her fists were balled in rage, eyes full of tears. Even worse, Kevin's response made her go pale.

"Then we go through them." And he was gone, his voice replaced by a quick series of other officers requesting support or responding to frantic calls for assistance. How the hell did Kevin make it aboard? When had that happened? Why was he being so damned persistent about reaching medical, even when he had been told that it wasn't possible? Captain Cage somehow saw the questions orbiting above he head, answering them for her before she could speak her mind.

"Damn fool, he must have a lot of wounded with him… the Sangheili must have snuck some reinforcements aboard with their Phantom transports. Sounds like they retook the hangars but that's about it. The good news is that the baddies are now being forced to fight on multiple fronts, that's something at least.

The enemy rearguard was entirely unprepared for their assault. It had helped that a few stragglers from their rear-guard had caught up with them. Sangheili warriors were one thing, but cloaked Sangheili commandos were something else entirely. Their enemy hadn't stood a chance, most of them had fallen lifelessly to the deck before they realized that they were under attack. The main enemy force, that seemed to be massing for an attack on the defenders of the medical section realized that they were being flanked, but it was too late.

Kevin charged with the Sangheili, the Unggoy trotting behind them, their stubby legs working furiously as they tried to keep pace. His own unit was close behind, furiously dragging their many wounded forward. Successive attacks had whittled their numbers down, his mighty relief force was now almost entirely combat ineffective. But with the force as his ally and the Sangehili commando unit at his side, he attacked his enemy with newfound ferocity. Plasma grenades were thrown as they charged, blasting gaping holes in the enemy ranks, churning massed soldiers into stinking clouds of blueish-pink mist.

Lightsaber in hand, he met his enemy as they stabbed at him with lengthy bayonets. Plasma swords tore through flesh, his telekinetic attacks shattered bones, sending crippled soldiers rag dolling to the ceiling. One of the Sangheili commandos let out a blood curdling roar as he fell, his personal shield breached. A series of gaping holes blemished the creatures impressive armor, purple blood oozing out in spurts. The trotting Unggoy reached the fight with a shrill cry that normally would have made Kevin cringe. The small creatures attacked with unexpected viciousness that only intensified as the fight grew more desperate.

The battle-rage was upon Kevin, his attacks were swift and merciless. The more desperate the situation seemed, the harder he found himself fighting. Unleashing another telekinetic attack, he marveled at its ferocity. No longer was he simply knocking his enemy of their feet, his most recent victims were killed instantly from the crushing weight of his attack, their bodies falling to the deck limply.

The last enemy was cut down, a Sangheili blade easily piercing her chest as the woman lunged defiantly, refusing to surrender. Shaking his head, Kevin stunned himself with his desire for more combat. Slowly taking in the carnage around him, he noticed the seven remaining Sangheili doing the same. About a dozen Unggoy remained, the small creatures were seeing to their wounded. Returning the approving nods from his own men that had managed to join the fight, he turned his attention to his own wounded, there were so many.

Wasting no further time, the ragtag unit continued on. The Unggoy cautiously led the way while the Sangheili formed up a rear-guard, ever vigilant. The struggling unit reached a section of the defensive line for the medical section just as they were preparing to retreat. The beleaguered column was ushered forward, a dozen troopers sprang up from their meager defensive positions to assist with the wounded. Together they retreated deeper into the ship, sealing a thick blast door behind them.

A new defensive line was established and the wounded struggled onward. Fortunately for them, aid wasn't far away. Unfortunately, the defenders were running out of room to retreat. Soon it would be all or nothing. When this final blast door was blown open they would have to stand, hoping that the units on their flanks held on.

Kevin made a report that his unit had reached its objective. Oddly enough, he felt relief flood through Kate's far off presence. Is she listening in to the communications… shit… Wishing once again that the leader of his unit hadn't perished, hadn't left him in command, he moved to assist two troopers as they struggled to set up a heavy blaster cannon. All around him the remnants of his unit methodically prepared their defense. Before, they had treated him like a green boy scout, still wet behind the ears. Now, they looked at him with awe, bowing their heads as he passed them by.

Responding to their reverence with a mixture of dread and humility, he slowly became overwhelmed with an intense worry. His soldiers now believed in his abilities, trusted him to see them through to the other side of this hellish nightmare, failing them just wasn't an option. But he had failed, some of the at least. Dozens of them had already fallen under his command. He had made his enemy pay dearly for it, but that wasn't enough. His unit would make it through this, they just had to. No alternative existed in his mind, none at all.

The dead were piled high. If the enemy attacked through this corridor again they would have to climb a mound of their own fallen. Canderous approved of the new obstacle, chuckling as his grand admiral used his powers to quickly create the mound of corpses. The enemy seemed to prefer throwing their forces against them in massed human wave formations, dying by the hundreds against well defended fortifications. Unfortunately, courage alone could not hold back their hordes, ammunition and lives were becoming a scarcity.

Engineering was now completely surrounded, but that hadn't stopped Kevin and his small unit from breaking through the lines. Sensing an opportunity, Canderous had led some of his forces in a vengeful sally as Kevin's unit struck from behind. Casualties had been light for their side, only five dead and one wounded. But that was six less soldiers who would be able to repel the next attack.

Five separate defensive points had been constructed around the engineering section, and all were assaulted at least twice every hour. Reserves and ammunition were quickly becoming a problem. The enemy seemed to have an endless supply of soldiers to throw into the meat grinder. These thoughts and more plagued Kevin's mind, but these worries ceased when he was informed exactly who had fallen.

Fuze was dead, his body carried to the rear by his somber friends, Glaz and Tachanka. Jager had also perished, a massive slug had torn through his chest while he was dragging IQ from the fight. Monica had survived, if just barely. Rushing to her side, Kevin was glad once again for his mask, her condition was terrifyingly grim. A slug had torn through her right armpit, nearly tearing off her arm as it passed through her. Not content in simply attempting to remove her arm, the round had also torn into her right breast.

Face pale, eyes dim, Monica lay motionless on the deck as two medics fussed over her. Fearing that she may already be dead, Kevin slowly approached, feeling as if his throbbing heart was clawing its way into his throat. Somehow, her life had yet to fade, her head slowly turned to face him. As she did so her eyes went dim and still, a lock of blonde hair cascading down her face. He felt the life leave her battered form at that moment. As if it had been a signal, the enemy renewed their attack.

Hurrying back to the lines, Kevin joined the battle. Tears in his eyes and a gaping hole in his heart, he ignited his lightsaber. The front line of the advancing horde was already being riddled by a constant stream of machine gun fire, tearing through their massed ranks. This was not enough for him though, they had to be annihilated. Focusing on his pain, he let the empty feelings flow through him. Focusing his rage, drawing from his anger, he attacked.

Tachanka's steaming weapon went silent. As he hastily reloaded his mighty machine gun, he fumbled with the ammunition. Crying out in alarm, he nearly dropped his precious payload when the enemies to his front were incinerated. A blast of heat washed over the defenders, forcing them to seek cover. Screaming as the pain and anguish forcibly removed itself from his body, Kevin unleashed a second attack, followed by a third, and a fourth. Nothing but ash and burned corpses remained of his enemy. Yet he still did not relent. Canderous, perhaps the bravest or most foolish man present, tackled him to the deck, growling at him to cease his attacks.

"It's over! They're gone!"

"She's gone…" Kevin's whisper wasn't meant for anyone's ears but his own, his mask modulated his words anyway.

"What?" Whachu' say boss?"

"I said she's gone!" They took her from me! They're taking them all from me! I'll kill them, I'll fucking kill every damned one of them! Pushing Canderous's helping hand away from him, he stood, storming off towards the horror that he had created.

"Where the hell does he think he's going? Has he gone mad?" Tachanka's thick Russian accent was tinged with worry, Canderous, however, waved off his concern.

"Pretty much, he'll be back though, once he's killed enough of them… he'll be back." The meager line of defenders watched their grand admiral go. Lightsaber thrumming brilliantly in his hand, the Sith warrior went in search of battle. More specifically, he sought vengeance.

Chloe had known that gaining access to the communications channel had been a horrible idea, this proved it. How had a grizzled veteran like Captain Cage not seen this coming? Was he just blinded by misguided faith in his superiors? Now one of those superiors was dead, or close to it, the panicked soldier who was reporting this didn't seem to be sure either way. The transmission was garbled and was constantly being interrupted by gunfire and explosions, but somehow the soldier managed to continue getting his horrid message through. Kevin was down, over and over again the soldier said this, panic and reason lost, Kate and Kimberly heard every word.

Even though it probably wasn't necessary, the panicked voice unmercifully continued. Several hunks of shrapnel had torn through the man's armor, driving deep into his chest. The soldier sounded close to tears, repeating his words over, and over again. All eyes turned to Kate and Kimberly, both women seemed close to breaking. One of their lovers was gone, but which one? The uncertainty was bound to drive either one of them to the edge of insanity at any moment. Thankfully, Admiral Natasi Daala's powerful voice silenced the soldier before he could say anything more.

"Damnit which one? Is he alive? Is he dead? Report damn you!" Every other voice that had been busying the communication channels was now silent, it seemed as if everything now hinged on the bereaved soldier's response.

"Which… what?" The soldier was stuttering in confusion, clearly unable to comprehend what had been asked of him. Natasi took a deep and calming breath before she responded, now was not the time to unleash her fury on the incompetent man, not yet.

"What's his rank, is it the commander or the grand admiral?" Several seconds of silence followed, interrupted only by Natasi's heavy breathing, barely containing her impatience.

"It's… uh… it's commander, no… that can't be right… commander? This isn't the grand admiral?" Natasi's response had no hope of being heard, Kate's scream blocked out whatever she might have said. Her family was moving to comfort her, but she shoved them off, rushing towards Max in a frenzy.

"Max, you have to rewind time, please!" Oh fuck! How the hell does she know? Chloe had no time to intervene, Kate was now at Max's feet, pleading her, begging her, damn near demanding that she use her powers. "Kevin will know! He'll know! You have to, please Max, use your powers!" Breaking away from her arms, Max moved towards Kate. Chloe knew that Max was going to do it, how could she not? Bracing herself for whatever was about to happen, she wondered if she was going to feel anything at all.

"No!" Olivia's voice cried out from the corner of the room, but she was too late. Right arm outstretched before her, Max prepared to use her powers.

This time, however, it was Chloe's turn to scream. She had felt something, for a brief moment, but just as suddenly as the odd sensation had arrived, it vanished. Max collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely from her ears and nose, spasming uncontrollably in violent seizures. Screaming her partner's name at the top of her lungs, Chloe reached out for her, and the world screamed to a halt before her eyes.

She stood there, unable to move, unable to breath, barely able to think. Everything had stopped, everything. Kate was frozen in mid scream, Max lay unmoving at her feet, stuck in a painfully awkward spasm. No one moved, no one breathed, not a sound reached her ears save for her own shaky breathing.

"What the fuck?" The words quickly escaped her quivering lips as if they had been a single word. Barely had her curse escaped her tight throat when everything suddenly changed. In a painful flash, the world changed around her. Suddenly, without warning, the immobile figures before her exploded into action. The scene before her quickly replayed itself in reverse. Max's spasms ravaged her body once more but she was soon on her feet, the rivers of blood retreating back into her body. Kate's mad dash was undone, her screams of anguish and horror shoved back into her now closed mouth.

Blinking in confusion, her body shook uncontrollably for a moment as the world around her returned to normal. Everyone around her was moving as they should be, the communications channel echoing throughout the room with reports and updates. Max was back in her arms and turned to face her, eyes full of worry.

"Chloe… are you, okay?" Holy shit! Did I just rewind time! Did I just do that? Was that me? Holy shit! Amazeballs! I rewound time! How? When did I get Max's powers? Did I always have them? What the fuck just happened? Her racing thoughts screamed to a halt as her partner's worried expression intensified, does she know what happened? Deciding that it was best to play off the event for now, she brushed off Max's worries.

"What? Yeah, I'm cool, just watching the battle for earth play out as I sit here unable to do shit about it, just fine." Skeptically staring back at her for another moment or two, Max eventually relented and snuggled back up to her. Chloe would have relaxed if she hadn't noticed Olivia's accusing stare. The woman was looking right at her, right into her. Her eyes seemed to be shouting at her, screaming at the top of their lungs.

Fuck she knows! How? Wait… how does she know and not Max? Shit, she's coming over, shit! What do I do? Should I run? No that would be stupid, just chill, relax, deny everything, she can't prove shit! As Olivia slowly crossed the room, a new thought tore into Chloe's mind. Wait… why hasn't Kevin been wounded yet? Did I change everything? Did he figure everything out and not die this time like Kate said he would? Fuck she's still coming! Luckily, Peter caught up with Olivia and distracted the woman from her warpath.

Breathing a heavy sigh of relief, Chloe held Max's tense form to her as tight as she could. Max responded by burrowing herself further into her, the two girls becoming one. It didn't matter what had happened anymore, they were together, they were safe. Most importantly Max wasn't on the floor bleeding profusely and seizing uncontrollably. Chloe willed the images away, but no matter how hard she tried, they doggedly refused to disperse. As she struggled against the horrific images in her mind, she wondered what else she had changed.

Blinking in momentary confusion, Kevin's hands reflexively went to his chest. Exhaling in wonder, he was relieved when they found nothing that didn't belong. Moments ago, he had been on his back, choking back blood. It had felt as if he had been breathing his last ragged breaths as they painfully clawed their way out of him. Pain unlike anything he had ever felt before had racked his entire body while a panic-stricken soldier dragged him away from the fight.

Max had rewound time, she had saved him… again. Unfortunately, he had little time to appreciate his fortune. His time-traveling friend may have turned back time, but the attack that had almost certainly killed him was still to come.

"Fall back! Everyone back. Move!" The startled soldiers looked at him in confusion, shocked by the intensity of his orders. Not one moved. Turning to face the closest officer, Kevin froze, wasting crucial seconds as he stared at a familiar face. Lieutenant Gerrard stared back at him, as if unsure of what to make of his manic outburst. "Lieutenant, get them back!"

Having made up his mind, Gerrard repeated the orders, shouting the soldiers into movement. The unit hastily tore down their defenses and began to withdraw, but it was too late. Sparks were already beginning to burst forth from the center of the blast door, the enemy was burning their way through, just as they had before.

Reacting instantly, Kevin tore off towards the cascade of melting metal, adrenaline surging through his body as his powers propelled him forward. He reached the blast door just as the sparks died down, just as a long metal tube was pushed through the still glowing hole. Igniting his lightsaber with a snap-hiss, he plunged the glowing red blade into the deadly device, nearly falling to the ground as a series of massive explosions shook the deck from the other side of the heavy metal door.

"Open the blast door!" His ears were ringing from the concussion of the blast, now was not the time to succumb to trivialities such as mortality. Giving himself entirely over to the force, he demanded everything that his power had to give. A new meaning of intoxication quickly spread throughout his shaking body, he was one with the force and the force was with him.

The blast doors screeched open before him in slow motion, the horrific sound muted to his ears. Taking in the scene before the door had opened, he held his thrumming weapon at the ready. There was little left of the enemy sappers, they had been blasted into a juicy red pulp by their own weapon. Further back, the massed enemy assault force was reeling from the concussion of the explosions, they were in no condition to fight, for now.

Plunging through the gap as the doors squealed apart, he rushed towards his enemy, taking advantage of their pitiful state. He was upon them in moments. In his wake he sent a telekinetic blast, further incapacitating a score of his enemy. They were helpless against his brutal attack, they offered little resistance as he tore into their ranks.

The rear ranks of the attack force bristled and pushed their dazed companions forward towards the slaughter. As he hacked through them, he knew with a dreaded certainty that his situation was becoming precarious. There was no going back, his only option was to press forward, deeper into his enemy. Luckily for him, Gerrard had a better plan.

"Hit the deck you fool!" Hearing the man's words before he had ever said them, Kevin threw himself backwards, landing hard on the deck. No sooner had he hit the floor, a massive barrage of gunfire tore into his foes. Pressing himself to the deck as best he could, he watched impassively as the enemy formation was torn to pieces. As the barrage of gunfire died down and the last few enemies were stricken from their feet, his thoughts went to Max.

He was now morbidly certain that his every action was being monitored by his friends. His heart ached as he clutched his armored chest plate, Kate's cross lay buried beneath it. Kate must have heard of his fall, she must have. Thanks to Max, however, he was alive and Kate now had no memory of having lost him. Thank you, Max... I owe you.

Chloe was acting weird, but it was to be expected. Max saw, almost felt her own reactions emanating from within her partner. Chloe Price, her love, her soul-mate, her partner in crime, was now most certainly her partner in time. Her gift, her curse, her power, was now a part of Chloe as much as it was a part her. Shivering from the memories, Max did her best to cast the images of a heartbroken Kate out of her mind. She hadn't wanted to bend time to her will again but saying no to Kate's desperate pleas had been impossible.

Something had happened, something bad. She was having difficulty recalling exactly what but it must have been hella' bad. There I go again, Kate's right, it is kind of adorable how I say that now… Her smile turned grim as she reflected on exactly how bad things must have gotten to awaken the power inside of Chloe. Attempting to use her powers was strictly no go now, off limits, a bad idea. Luckily, Chloe's own abilities hadn't had any negative effect on her, which was good.

Unfortunately, there was a slight problem, Olivia. The woman's immunity to the time-bending had allowed her to witness the entire spectacle. Wait, that's it! Olivia has that crazy Cortexiphan drug in her! They pumped whatever-the-fuck that is into Chloe… and then she went into my mind… is that how she got my powers? The woman was once again moving towards them, she would undoubtedly demand an explanation. Chloe wasn't ready for this, wasn't ready to be confronted about what had happened, Max had to stop her.

Luckily, the sweet yet abrasive federal agent turned her attention towards her first. Maybe she could convince Olivia to delay investigating the issue for a bit. Chloe didn't need an interrogation right now, she needed support. Knowing Chloe, she would also need temperance, guidance, and a lot of rules.

"Max, is everything okay, you're looking awfully pale… I can have Walter give you a look over if you need, he's still awfully worried about you…" Nice try Agent Dunham, you won't get rid of me that easily… I do feel awfully lightheaded though…not now Max, relax, you've got this!

"I'm okay Agent Dunham, really, I'm okay… thanks again for all of your help… I guess you guys kind of saved my life earlier, right?" A warm, almost natural smile blossomed on Olivia's face. Good, keep her distracted!

"Please, Max, call me Olivia… we were happy to help, but it was really Chloe who did most of the hard work… well, and Walter… speaking of Walter, he'd really like to give you a once over, just in case." Crap! She's not giving up, how the heck am I going to convince her to let it be for now without roping Chloe into this mess? As her posture unconsciously stiffened, Chloe's arms responded immediately, tightening protectively around her, more than likely casting Olivia a quick glare as she did so.

Olivia's eyes met Chloe's and Max swallowed hard as the woman stared knowingly at Chloe, no, no, no, I have to do something! Her mind raced but before she could form a plan something was done for her. A frenzied cheer broke out around the room, dragging their attention back towards the central holoprojector. The source of the excitement immediately became obvious, reinforcements had finally arrived.

The enemy fleet still numbered in the hundreds, their signals clustered around the besieged Night Hammer as most of their ships fired their weapons with futility at Earth's powerful energy shield. Their attacks halted abruptly as an impressive force of warships swarmed into the system. Highlighted in green, signifying them as friendly, a seemingly equal number of warships formed up against the stunned enemy fleet.

"Fuck yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Chloe was on her feet, nearly knocking her to the ground as she cheered excitedly. "Holy shit! Look at them all Max!" Luckily Chloe was far too distracted with her euphoria to notice that she was whispering into Olivia's ear.

"Later. We'll talk about it later, please." At first Olivia was stunned, first from the sudden euphoria that had intoxicated the room, then from Max's abrupt and forceful words. She gave Max a hard, but knowing look and nodded, quickly turning to rejoin her comrades. All around people were hugging, cheering, crying tears of joy, or simply standing stunned as the holoprojector constantly updated them on the imminent clash of the mighty fleets.

"Max, Max, look!" Unable to resist her partner any longer, she allowed herself to be dragged back to Chloe's arms as she excitedly explained everything that she could, boasting her newfound knowledge. "Those yellow and red ships, those are all Hiroshi ships, they're humans from a distant empire, look at how many ships they have!" The Hiroshi fleet was indeed impressive, their bulky, heavily armed and thickly armored ships made up a majority of the fleet. The remainder was made up of a ragtag group of ships that didn't seem to have any similarities.

"Who are they?" She asked, pointing at a small fleet of blue-green ships that seemed to be less bulky and more stylish than the Hiroshi ships, and yet seemed similar at the same time.

"Those are Amarakk I think, they're neighbors of the Hiroshi, and those gray ships, the really ugly ones, those are Turans I think, vassals of the Hirosh Empire… and look, there's our fleet too!" Chloe said the word 'our' with such pride and excitement that Max couldn't help but smile.

"There's more of them Chloe," She said as she pointed towards the formation of Star Destroyers, "three more I think?"

"Observant as always Maximus, nothing gets past you! I wonder if those are from the Imperial Remnant? And before you ask I don't know who they are, but they are like the only other people that use those ships so it must be them!"

"The New Republic also uses Star Destroyers… but I highly doubt that any of their ships are coming to help…" Captain Cage made his way into their conversation as he usually did, but his words were full of scorn as he glared searchingly at the massive fleet of reinforcements.

"The… New Republic? Are they our friends too… or something? And why wouldn't they come to help if they were?" Captain Cage scoffed at her question, his expression hardening as he abandoned his inspection of the friendly fleet.

"Friends… sure, whatever, they never send us help though. Always too busy struggling to keep their pathetic Republic from tearing itself apart or whatever." The man turned away, clearly having said what he wanted to say on the subject. Chloe shrugged, but Max could tell that her appetite for information had not been entirely sated. Her partner probably had half a dozen more questions on the subject. Her questions would have to wait for another time, however, more activity was rapidly unfolding on the holoprojector.

As the two opposing fleets closed on one another, a new set of signals appeared, more than a dozen 'slipsace rupture' warnings dotted the shrinking space between the two fleets. Blasting out of the spatial anomalies came an entire fleet of majestic purple ships of varying shapes and sizes. A new chorus of cheers erupted, the Sangheili had arrived in force.

Leading the charge, the newly arrived Sangheili smashed into the enemy fleet, decimating twice their number of foes almost immediately. Thousands of strike craft swarmed into the fight while hundreds of ships opened fire on one another, the battle erupted in fury all at once. The room was awe stricken by the incredible display of firepower, but the hushed silence didn't last long.

"Captain Cage, sir, look!" One of the younger eagle-eyed officers was frantically pointing towards something at the center of the battle, eager to impress her superior with her findings.

"Calm down Richards, I see them." Frantically searching for the cause of the excitement Max saw Chloe quickly abandon her own efforts and turn towards the veteran soldier.

"See what? Enhance or some shit! Can we do that?" Chuckling to himself, Captain Cage entered in a few quick commands and the projection quickly shifted to focus on a cluster of signatures that were rapidly advancing towards the Night Hammer.

"The Hiroshi have deployed their boarding craft, our boys and girls aboard the Night Hammer are about to get help, a lot of help." The man wasn't kidding, hundreds of swift transports were charging towards the besieged ship, under the cover of a massive swarm of strike craft. The room collectively winced as several ceased to exist, torn to pieces by enemy fire. The mood remained elated and hopeful, however, the earth was no longer alone, help had arrived.

The light assault transport shook briefly, none of her soldiers seemed to notice. Surrounding her were her best, her elite, her chosen. Her indomitable will drove them, her bountiful love encouraged them, her divine rule sustained them. There would be no relenting until her will be done, they would not hesitate as they committed themselves to their grim task. Her fleet, equally driven, would vanquish her enemies without pause, without mercy, without compassion. There would be no rest until the jewel that was the Earth was safe, no peace until the battle was won, no reprieve until the grand admiral and his men were relieved of their sacred duty.

She was the Empress of Hirosh, the divine ruler of the mightiest empire ever to exist. As her father before her, she was leading her forces into battle. Her glorious white battle armor shone brilliantly, her crimson elite guard stood at attention all around her, patiently waiting for the transport's bay door to open. Once released, they would trample her enemies to dust beneath their boots, of this she was entirely certain.

The shuttle touched down with a dull thud and the rear boarding ramp swung open. Eagerly awaiting her word, they tensed with anticipation.

"Forward!" Her crimson guard echoed a loud grunt in response as they burst into the hangar. Charging with them, she noticed approvingly that her pilot had done as she wished, hers was the first shuttle to land. All around the ravaged hangar dozens of other shuttles were in various stages of descent, soon the area would be swarming with her troops. Fortunately for her forces, this particular hangar was still being held by an exhausted looking garrison of defenders.

Their dead were many, their crying wounded few. The telltale smells of blood and battle assaulter her senses, but she remained unbothered, she had grown used them long ago. All at once the defenders turned to stare in shock as her elite crimson guard rapidly advanced towards them. Her emerald green eyes immediately located the most senior officer among them.

"Report!" She demanded, quickly urging the soldiers around her not to kneel, she hated it when people groveled before her. The exhausted man, a war-torn Captain saluted her stiffly and looked into her eyes with fear and wonder, he knew exactly who she was.

"Empress, thank heavens you're here… I just got word that the bridge is under siege… we tried to break out… but the enemy are too many, we're pinned down in here…" His words trailed off as she annoyingly flicked a loose strand of her deep brown hair out of her eyes, but she motioned for him to remain silent once she had finished the practiced maneuver.

"All commanders, proceed to the bridge with all possible haste, for the empire." The traditional 'battle cry' of her people was 'for the empress' but she couldn't bring herself to say the words so she opted instead for a slightly modified version. The people saw it as an act of selflessness, they figured that she held the fate of the empire above herself, they weren't entirely wrong. However, there was one thing that she cherished above her vast empire, and certainly above herself.

"Does he live?" The captain nodded eagerly, knowing immediately who she was inquiring about.

"Yes milady, the grand admiral fights on, as do we all, but the bastards have us pinned down." The sounds of battle could be heard in the distance, the fighting sounded desperate and intense.

"We'll see about that." Turning towards the commander of her crimson guard, she nodded.

"For the empress!" The call was thundered by the hundreds of soldiers that were now assembled in the hangar. Unclipping the lightsaber at her hip, she ignited the weapon with a snap-hiss, its pale white blade thrumming powerfully in her hand. Her forces advanced at her side, weapons at the ready. Hirosh had come, and she would conquer.