Chapter 321 — The Coming Storm
Parangosky studied him for a moment.
"How many?"
Gaius answered without hesitation.
"Six."
For a brief moment, the tension in the room eased.
Six was a far cry from the hundreds or thousands Parangosky had been imagining.
Osman visibly relaxed as well.
Then both women remembered exactly who they were talking to.
These were not ordinary soldiers.
They were the brothers of the man standing before them.
The same man who had survived atmospheric reentry without injury. The same man who had fought through Covenant forces that would have overwhelmed entire UNSC battalions.
Even if these Ultramarines were not Gaius's equals, the fact that he considered them brothers suggested they would still be formidable warriors by any human standard.
Parangosky's expression returned to neutrality.
"Only six?"
Gaius nodded.
"Only six."
There was no disappointment in his voice.
If anything, he sounded completely confident.
Somehow, that made the number feel considerably larger.
Gaius seemed to understand exactly what they were thinking.
"Though there are only six, do not measure them by their number," he said. "All of them have spent centuries at war, fighting horrors beyond the imagination of most men. And one of them is a Dreadnought. An honored brother."
That statement caused the room to fall silent once more.
Centuries.
Not years. Not decades.
Centuries.
Even among the many extraordinary things they had learned about Gaius and his civilization, that was still difficult to casually accept.
Osman was the first to speak.
"Dreadnought?" she asked. "A rank?"
Gaius shook his head.
"No."
For a moment, he considered how best to explain it.
"A Dreadnought is a warrior who has suffered wounds that should have killed him. Rather than allowing such a hero to die, he is interred within a heavily armored war machine so that he may continue to serve."
That made Osman and Parangosky pause.
Even Halsey fell silent for a moment.
Gaius had disclosed much about his civilization and its history during previous briefings, but those meetings had covered thousands of years of history, countless wars, and enemies that spanned entire galaxies.
Inevitably, much of it had been condensed.
This was the first time any of them had heard the term Dreadnought.
The concept was difficult to ignore.
A warrior so grievously wounded that he could no longer survive on his own, yet instead of being allowed to die, he was entombed within a war machine.
Not to recover.
Not to retire.
But to continue fighting.
Even by the standards of the civilization that had produced Gaius, the idea carried a certain weight.
It spoke of a culture that honored its heroes not by granting them rest, but by ensuring they could continue serving long after any ordinary man would have perished.
Gaius allowed the silence to linger for a moment before speaking again.
"Anyhow."
He turned toward Tony.
"Tony, have JARVIS establish a direct communication link with me. We will need to coordinate our actions during the battle."
Tony nodded.
"Done. I'll give you full command authority through JARVIS for fleet coordination."
Gaius inclined his head.
"Thank you."
He then looked toward Parangosky and Osman.
"Do not concern yourselves. We will win this battle and destroy the Covenant force swiftly."
The confidence in his voice was absolute.
Parangosky met his gaze for a moment.
"I already entrusted Cascade to you," she said. "I don't believe I could make that position any clearer."
A faint smile touched the corner of Osman's mouth.
Neither woman had much more to add.
The first battle had earned Gaius their confidence.
Everything that had happened since had only reinforced it.
Tony sighed.
"It would've been better if the Covenant had waited another week."
The others looked toward him.
"The supply convoys finally arrived," Tony continued. "Unfortunately, so did the Covenant."
The others felt the same way.
The timing was almost painfully unfortunate.
After weeks of preparation, the reinforcements, personnel, equipment, and supplies they had been waiting for had finally begun arriving.
And now, barely in place, they were being called upon to fight.
Osman looked at Gaius for a moment before speaking.
"Then we'll leave the defense of Cascade..." She paused briefly before correcting herself. "No. The defense of humanity in your hands."
The words carried more weight than anyone in the room could ignore.
This was no longer merely about Cascade.
Forty-one Covenant vessels were approaching, and everyone present understood what would happen if they were defeated. The Covenant already possessed the coordinates to Earth.
Gaius met her gaze and gave a single nod.
"You have my word."
A moment later, both holograms vanished, leaving the briefing room considerably quieter than before.
Seeing that the discussion had reached its conclusion, Gaius ended the meeting.
There was still much to do.
Tony and Halsey departed soon afterward. Both had preparations of their own to complete before the coming battles.
Gaius, meanwhile, began gathering the others.
The Spartans.
Naruto.
Diana.
Saeko.
Mindy.
Tanya.
Every fighter currently stationed on Cascade.
This time, they would be operating under his direct command.
The intelligence recovered from the captured Covenant vessel had given them a clearer picture of how the Covenant organized their fleets.
An attack force of this size would almost certainly include a flagship.
Not merely a command ship.
A true flagship.
One large enough to coordinate the entire invasion force.
The vessel leading the first attack on Cascade had already been formidable.
This one would likely be larger.
Much larger.
Gaius intended to be ready for it.
Unlike the previous battle, the fighting would not take place on the ground.
It would happen in space.
And before the Covenant fleet reached Cascade, every warrior under his command needed to understand exactly what was expected of them.
Less than an hour later, everyone had assembled.
The Spartans arrived first.
John, Fred, Kelly, and Linda took their places near the front of the gathering.
Naruto was beside them.
Diana, Tanya, Saeko, and Mindy arrived shortly afterward.
The atmosphere was noticeably different from their usual training sessions.
Nobody was joking.
Nobody was relaxed.
They all knew why they had been called.
Gaius stood before them with his hands behind his back.
"The Covenant fleet has been confirmed."
Nobody appeared surprised.
They had all known another attack would eventually come.
"Forty-one vessels."
That earned a few reactions.
Not fear.
Calculation.
The number was significantly larger than the eight-ship force that had attacked Cascade previously, though most of those present had not been part of that battle.
Even so, the scale of the coming engagement was difficult to ignore.
Forty-one ships represented an entirely different level of threat.
"Estimated arrival time is eighteen hours."
Gaius activated a star map.
Red markers appeared throughout the display.
"This battle will differ from the previous engagement."
His gaze swept across the room.
"Most of the fighting will occur in space."
That immediately drew everyone's attention.
"The fleet has grown stronger, but so has the enemy."
More markers appeared.
"There are several vessels within a Covenant fleet that serve critical command, coordination, and other strategic functions."
He pointed toward the display.
"Your task will be to eliminate those targets."
John's eyes narrowed.
"And you?"
Gaius was silent for a moment.
"I will have my own objective."
Nobody pressed further.
The answer alone was enough.
Whatever mission Gaius was reserving for himself would likely place him at the center of the battle.
Tanya adjusted her gloves and looked at the display.
"So we're decapitating the fleet."
"In a manner of speaking," Gaius replied.
Tanya smirked.
"Good. That's usually the most efficient method."
Gaius allowed the star map to expand above the room.
Red markers representing the incoming Covenant fleet filled one side of the display.
Blue markers representing Cascade's forces occupied the other.
"Our fleet currently numbers thirty-one vessels," Gaius said.
The display shifted.
"Their purpose is not to destroy the Covenant fleet alone."
That drew several looks.
Gaius continued.
"Their task is to hold the line."
More icons appeared as the projected battle began to play out.
"The fleet will engage and contain the Covenant force. While they do so, we will target key vessels."
John studied the display.
"Command ships."
Gaius nodded.
"Command vessels. Communications vessels. Fleet coordination assets. Any ship whose destruction will reduce the Covenant's ability to operate as a unified force."
Tanya's eyes followed the projected formations.
"Cut off the head and let the body die."
"Precisely."
Gaius enlarged several red icons.
"The Covenant possesses superior numbers. Once their command structure is disrupted, that advantage becomes significantly less effective."
Tony folded his arms.
"And while they're busy figuring out who's in charge, our fleet keeps shooting."
"Correct."
Gaius looked across the room.
"The fleet's role is to buy us time. Our role is to ensure that time is used effectively."
The display shifted again.
Several key Covenant ships vanished from the projection.
The remaining Covenant formation immediately became disorganized.
"Once their command structure has been eliminated," Gaius said, "we will destroy the remaining vessels one by one."
Nobody in the room missed the confidence in his voice.
To Gaius, this was not a gamble.
It was a battle plan.
Fred looked at the display.
"How many targets are we expecting?"
"Unknown," Gaius replied. "The Covenant fleet composition is still being analyzed. We will know more as they approach the system."
Linda studied the projected formation.
"And if they adapt?"
"They will."
There was no hesitation in Gaius's answer.
"The Covenant are not incompetent. They will respond to losses and alter their formations accordingly."
He looked around the room.
"Which is why flexibility will be essential."
Naruto crossed his arms.
"So we hit whatever looks important?"
Several Spartans glanced toward him.
Gaius merely nodded.
"In simple terms, yes."
Naruto grinned.
"Now that's a plan I can understand."
Tanya adjusted her gloves.
"And your objective?"
The room quieted slightly.
Gaius looked at the star map.
"I will have a separate target."
Nobody missed the way he phrased it.
Not another target.
A separate one.
John narrowed his eyes.
"Something important."
"Yes."
Gaius did not elaborate further.
After a few moments, John simply nodded.
If Gaius was keeping details to himself, there was likely a reason.
Diana looked toward the projection.
"Then what do you need from us?"
Gaius reached out, and several groups of red markers became highlighted.
"I need you to strike hard and strike fast."
More information appeared beside each highlighted vessel.
"The fleet can hold them."
Thirty-one ships might not match the Covenant's numbers, but they were no longer ordinary UNSC vessels.
They possessed shields.
Improved weapons.
Arc reactors.
Covenant-derived technology.
Most importantly, they would not be fighting alone.
"Every minute the fleet remains intact is another minute our forces can dismantle the Covenant formation."
He looked directly at the Spartans.
"Your objective is not glory."
Then at Naruto.
"Nor personal combat."
Finally, he looked across everyone gathered there.
"Your objective is victory."
The room fell silent.
Nobody argued.
Nobody objected.
They all understood the stakes.
This was not a raid.
It was not a training exercise.
It was not even another skirmish.
Forty-one Covenant vessels were approaching.
If Cascade fell, the consequences would extend far beyond a single colony.
Humanity finally had a chance to change the course of the war.
They could not afford to lose it.
Gaius looked at every person gathered before him.
Spartan.
Shinobi.
Amazon.
Soldier.
Warrior.
They came from different worlds, different histories, and different wars.
Yet in eighteen hours, they would stand together against a common enemy.
"Get some rest while you can," Gaius said.
"When the Covenant arrive, there will be no time left for it."
No one questioned the order.
One by one, they began to leave.
The battle for Cascade was about to begin.
~~~
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