At this time, in a star system located 3,000 light-years away from the battle, revolving around a yellow dwarf star similar in size and mass to the sun, there were eight planets orbiting the star.
The first to fifth planets were Earth-like, while the sixth to eighth were gas giants. This star system, rich in mineral resources, was a crucial colony for the Covenant's construction and production.
The third and fourth planets, both within the habitable zone, presented stark contrasts. The third planet was largely desert, with 60% of its landmass barren, and with little in the way of oceans or lakes. The fourth planet, on the other hand, was reminiscent of Arcadia, covered by vast tropical rainforests and seemingly endless blue oceans.
However—
Boom! Boom!
Bang! Bang!
In the low orbit around these two planets, an intense "space battle" was raging.
Nearly a thousand silver and purple Covenant ships were exchanging fire with human-elite warships painted in black and gray. The human fleet, comprising only about a hundred ships, was mostly made up of Paris-class, Phaethon-class, and Brave-class frigates and cruisers, as well as support ships carrying vast amounts of supplies and weapons.
The flagship was the New Epoch carrier, which had been modified and upgraded by Atlas.
Fighting alongside the humans were the Elites, with a fleet numbering around 300 ships, 70% of which were CRS light cruisers. The flagship was a colossal 30-kilometer-long CSO-class supercarrier.
Since the Elites had broken away from the Covenant and embraced the psychic powers of Samuel Young in the city of High Charity, they had repainted their ships in the signature black and gray of Atlas.
On the other side, the Covenant fleet, dominated by the Prophets and Brutes, outnumbered the human-Elite alliance by a ratio of three to one. But...
Ri~—Whoosh!
A blue-green beam of high-energy light suddenly obliterated dozens of Covenant ships, including several CCS-class battlecruisers, each over two kilometers long. The energy shields collapsed instantly, and the metal hulls were torn apart.
The destroyed ships exploded violently, leaving behind wreckage that was pulled into the planet's atmosphere by gravity.
This devastating beam had been fired from an Exuberant-class dreadnought.
The presence of this Forerunner warship tilted the battle decisively in favor of the human-Elite alliance. In the current timeline of the galaxy, Forerunner ships were virtually unbeatable.
Unless an Exuberant-class ship was caught alone, without support from human-Elite ships, and overwhelmed by a vastly superior Covenant fleet, it was almost impossible to destroy.
This was why, when Atlas opened the portal to the Halo universe, they immediately seized Shield World 0459.
Gaining control of Forerunner dreadnoughts and accessing the Forerunner AI to become the "Reclaimer" was crucial in maintaining Atlas' technological and military advantage.
The motto of the Atlas Weapons Division said it all: "I am invincible. I will never fall behind in equipment or weapons."
Atlas soldiers, with their cutting-edge equipment, consistently dominated the battlefields of many universes.
The technology of the Halo universe had raised the stakes to a galactic level.
Fortunately, Atlas' Biological and Research Divisions had ensured that their elite forces still maintained overwhelming superiority in individual combat.
Together with true super soldiers like Primarchs, Thunder Warriors, and young Astartes, Atlas had successfully "captured" Shield World 0459 and High Charity, securing the Elites as their allies.
With these secret maneuvers, Atlas now held an unshakable position, whether facing the Covenant or turning against the UNSC.
—
While a fierce space battle raged in low orbit, deep in the jungle of the fourth planet;
Here, a Covenant outpost was guarded by Brutes, Jackals, Grunts, and the towering Hunters composed of Lekgolo worms.
To the south of the outpost lay what was officially a serene meditation space for the Prophets, but in reality, it was a palace complex used for their leisure and entertainment.
Due to the joint human-Elite surprise attack, and with the battle still raging in low orbit, the Prophets had no choice but to remain in hiding, awaiting reinforcements or the best opportunity to flee.
The command center for the fourth planet was also located in this palace complex.
Though the Prophets were often seen by humans as cowardly, weak, and ignorant, they were still the ruling class of the Covenant.
Without the constraint of the Elites, the Prophets had fully consolidated their grip on the theocratic empire of the Covenant.
The Brutes, despite a few having foresight, mostly followed the orders of their clan chieftains. These chieftains, in exchange for unprecedented wealth, titles such as "Imperial Hero" or "Imperial General," willingly continued to serve the Prophets.
Moreover, the Brutes viewed the Elites as traitors and did not believe that humans were true "Reclaimers."
As for the Jackals, they were opportunistic, willing to fight for either the Elites or the Brutes, depending on who commanded them.
The Grunts, who made up a significant portion of the Covenant forces, were conscripted into battle against their will. Despite their rebellious spirit, they lacked leadership and strategy, so they had no choice but to continue serving the Covenant.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
At this time, a dozen Banshees and other Covenant aircraft flew low over the jungle.
Although the humans and Elites had gained the upper hand in low orbit, the Covenant still controlled the airspace above this jungle.
Boom! Bang!
However, a squadron of human carrier-based aircraft had already engaged Covenant air units.
Specifically, a squadron composed of Ghost III and Sparrowhawk fighters was using data provided by their mothership to lock onto targets from a distance.
The Brute pilots couldn't even spot the human fighters before they were hit by air-to-air missiles that traveled at Mach 20 even within the atmosphere.
The explosion of metal-hydrogen warheads created miniature "suns" in the already bright sky, making it blindingly bright.
Since the Prophet command center was nearby, the Brutes continued to send in air units, trying to lure the human aircraft away from the area.
The Brutes also knew that the human carrier-based fighters, having entered the atmosphere, would soon face extended supply lines.
Once their long-range air-to-air missiles were depleted, the human pilots would have to make a choice.
They could either return to the carrier in low orbit, or engage the Covenant in close-range dogfights.
In terms of maneuverability, the Brutes believed their Banshees were superior.
But when the human fighter squadron finally appeared on the Brutes' radar, they saw hundreds of drones flying alongside the Ghost III and Sparrowhawk fighters.
The battle in the skies above the jungle quickly turned into a one-sided dogfight.
—
On the ground,
"Roar!"
Hearing the distant explosions and the whirring of machine guns, a group of patrolling Brutes near the outpost growled angrily.
Frustrated by their inability to help their allies in the air, and possibly annoyed by the constant buzz of jungle insects, they stomped around in irritation.
Although their weapons and armor had been upgraded since the Elites left the Covenant, most of the Brutes still lacked environmental controls in their gear. Only the elite Brute units had fully enclosed suits.
Not every organization was as wealthy as Atlas, capable of providing climate-controlled suits to all its deployed forces.
At this moment, the Brutes were patrolling on foot about half a kilometer from the outpost, following a prearranged route to ensure nothing slipped past their radar and detection systems.
Spread around the perimeter of the patrol group were more than a dozen Jackals, using their species' keen eyesight to serve as scouts.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~!
Suddenly, two Jackals stationed at the northernmost point heard a rhythmic flapping, as if some large creature was flying through the jungle canopy.
??
Both Jackals immediately became alert, turning toward the source of the sound.
Soon, they spotted a "raven," with a wingspan of ten meters, pitch-black in color, but its feathers gleaming like glass under the sun.
!!
Seeing such a creature flying above the trees left the two Jackals momentarily stunned.
One of them quickly recovered and slapped the other on the shoulder, signaling to ready their weapons.
While one prepared to fire, the other attempted to radio the rest of the patrol and the outpost.
However, neither Jackal noticed the four-meter-tall giant in heavy power armor who had silently approached them from behind.
Slash—Slash!
In the next moment, the two Jackals were ripped apart by the giant, quite literally torn in half. Purple blood sprayed like a fountain.
The giant—
Or rather, the Primarch Corvus Corax—glanced down at the twitching corpses, then continued silently toward the patrol group.
Despite his massive power armor weighing several tons, Corax moved without making a sound.
Even the native wildlife seemed unable to perceive him, going about their feeding and running as if he weren't there.
Corax was also careful not to step on any of the smaller animals.
The "raven" that had drawn the Jackals' attention was, in fact, a pet he had adopted with Queen Tinass while visiting Terira.
However, Mortarion, his brother, had often remarked that Corax had chosen the dullest, most sinister creature as his companion.
As for Mortarion's pet...
It was
a "fantasy" creature resembling an ordinary tree frog in size and appearance.
The main differences were its long lifespan, its extreme lethargy, its ability to understand human speech, and its obsession with cleanliness.
When in large enough numbers, these frogs could even purify water sources.
Corax simply chalked up their differing tastes to individual preference.
After all, his raven not only understood human speech but could share its vision with him, thanks to the psychic techniques Corax had learned from his father.
In other words, Corax's raven functioned as a "biological surveillance drone."
With Corax's psychic influence, the raven had also developed some level of "invisibility."
Unless Corax wanted the raven to reveal itself, ordinary creatures couldn't detect it visually.
At this time,
Corax arrived behind the group of Brutes, extending both hands and deploying a pair of claws from the gauntlets on his forearms.
Buzz—Crackle!
As the claws extended, blue psychic lightning began to arc between the blades.
Corax then calmly approached the Brutes.
Slash!
The lightning claws, made from mithril and reforged by his father, sliced effortlessly through the Brutes.
Boom!
The severed Brute bodies were instantly scorched by the psychic lightning, then consumed by golden flames, leaving only ashes.
Before the Brutes could react or make a sound, they were all gone, reduced to smoldering remnants.
At the same time, drop pods carrying young Astartes descended from the sky, landing near the outpost and the palace complex.
Seeing this, Corax signaled his raven to fold its wings and land on his right shoulder before he disappeared back into the depths of the jungle.
It seemed that the Primarch was using his stealth abilities to search the planet's surface for high-value targets, leaving the final assault to the young Astartes.
Aboard the bridge of the New Epoch carrier, Samuel Young could sense the emotions of his son with great clarity.
Corax was intent on giving more of the glory and opportunities for experience to his Astartes brothers.
When the empire was established, merits and honor would become key factors in distinguishing Astartes who were stronger and more elite than their brothers.
Just as there was subtle competition between Primarchs, the Astartes, who inherited part of their abilities and personalities, were no different.
Corax's actions clearly indicated that his son had little interest in personal gain.
Returning his focus to the console in front of him, Samuel continued to monitor the overall progress of the conquest.
"Boss," said Appu, standing to his left, suddenly reporting: "The Investigations Division has made significant progress. Director Ada Wong reports that they've captured most of the UNSC high command, including Naval Operations Chief Conrad Volkov."
"Oh? The Investigations Division is quite efficient," Samuel commented with mild surprise.
"Indeed, they maintain a high level of efficiency," Appu replied, her eyes briefly glowing red before continuing: "Boss, I've compiled and uploaded the operation details. You can review them at any time."
"Good."
Samuel accessed the detailed report through the console and began considering how to deal with the captured UNSC officials.
_________________________
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