Chapter 35

A/N: Just for reference Axel knows that the Aliens are the Covenant but he never told his crew nor the other officers the name of the Aliens which is why when speaking to the crew he refers to them as Aliens and out of dialogue I will refer to them as Covenant. The only time he called them the Covenant was when he told Ivan to send a message to CENTCOM who will know who the Covenant are because of the failed negotiations which happened in Chapter 33.

Axel stood tall in the command deck, his gaze locked on the scene unravelling ahead. The normally peaceful skies of Harvest were swarmed with menacing Covenant ships.

"Engage defensive formation," he ordered crisply, his voice a contrast to the chaos happening outside of their ship. "And dispatch fighters to aid that civilian freighter."

Fingers danced over consoles as orders were relayed through the network of ships under Axel's command. Like a well-orchestrated dance, Battlegroup Tango shifted formation. At first they didn't really believe that it was aliens attacking Harvest because they had never even heard about alien life until this moment. But seeing the strange ship and fighters attacking the Civilian freighters the crew knew that everything the Admiral said was true.

"Admiral," Avia said from her projected image at Axel's side. "The warp jump seems to have alerted the alien-sized Cruiser and it is turning this way. It's changing course to intercept."

Axel's eyes focused on the alien Cruiser which changed it's course to intercept his battlegroup. luckily he had already ordered the battlegroup into defensive formation because now they have the ability to intercept the Covenant Cruiser while the Longsword's engage the Covenants fighters.

"We will meet them head on," Axel declared his words echoing throughout the command deck. "Maintain formation and set an intercept course, and launch bombers for support"

Silence hung thick in the air as his orders were processed. The ship groaned as it adjusted its vector under the strain of sudden acceleration. The crew didn't question Axel's judgement. They knew their Admiral would not back down so easily, even when faced with such an unknown and formidable enemy.

"Prepare for combat," he ordered, his gaze fixed firmly on the looming Covenant Cruiser. "Target all available weapons on that cruiser, and ready the MAC cannons."

"Admiral, MAC cannons set to fire on your command," reported the weapons officer, tension lining his voice. Behind his calm exterior, Axel felt a flicker of apprehension. It was their first real engagement with an alien force, and the outcome was far from predictable.

As the Leviathan and her fleet pushed forward, a formation of Longsword bombers catapulted from their hangars and streaked toward the Covenant Cruiser. Axel watched them shrink into specks against the vast backdrop of space, praying that they hit their mark.

Seconds later, a blinding flash lit up the star-strewn vista as the bombers unleashed their payload. The Cruiser's shield flickered from the bombardment revealing to the crew that the Cruiser had it's own shields and that the bombardment failed.

"Fire MAC cannons," Axel commanded quietly. A low hum echoed through the ship as energy surged through massive conduits, building up to an unbearable crescendo.

Then, with a silent flash of light that could outshine stars, four slug-like projectiles were ejected from the two destroyers MAC cannons at relativistic speeds. They crossed the distance between the human fleet and the Covenant Cruiser almost instantaneously.

Explosions blossomed across the alien cruiser's hull as it rocked under the relentless assault. But the Covenant Cruiser did not sit there as it fired it's own plasma torpedoes at the battlegroup, hitting the two destroyers and the Halcyon Cruiser.

But the energy shielding on those ships had held "Admiral the energy shield on the two destroyers is at 35% while the Cruiser is at 50%" Reported Avia. Axel smiled hearing this since it meant that the energy shields could hold against the Covenant ships.

But he wasn't one to doubt the Covenant since they had more massive ships with more powerful weapons in their arsenal.

In the distance the Covenant Cruiser had exploded from the direct hits of the MAC rounds. The first two MAC rounds penetrated the shields of the Cruiser, while the following MAC rounds hit crucial systems within the ship causing it to explode.

Axel paced around the command deck, watching as his crew worked with practiced efficiency even amidst crisis. His gaze returned to Harvest - visibly scarred now with flames and debris littering its once picturesque view.

"We still have civilians out there," he murmured, almost to himself.

"Sir," A communications officer called out from behind Axel. "We just received a distress call from a civilian freighter - they're heavily damaged and requesting urgent assistance." Axel spun on his heel to face the officer.

"Send boarding parties and evacuate those civilians from the freighters and move into position to help with the evacuation of Harvest" Commanded Axel as he did not intend to remain here when more Covenant ships arrived.

"Admiral, Tiara station is still under the control of the Alien forces shall we send boarding parties to take back the station" Asked Avia.

"No we shall not, it would be a waste of lives to retake the station when we are evacuating the planet" Said Axel. Avia acknowledged his order.

As the battlegroup moved into position to start the evacuation of Harvest. Another battlegroup of UNSC ships had exited warp.

"Admiral, incoming battlegroup identified as Battlegroup Yankee," reported the communications officer, his eyes fixed on the blinking dots that popped up on their radar.

"Send them the situation report. Also tell them to start evacuation of the southern hemisphere while we take care of the northern hemisphere," Axel ordered.

The Communication lines buzzed with activity as the two battlegroups began their evacuation of the planet.

Meanwhile somewhere in another part of the universe within the Covenants Holy City, the High Prophet of Regret and the High Prophet of Truth were sitting in a room looking at the recent news.

"We have lost contact with the cruiser designated as the 'Light of Conversion'," a Covenant officer reported, his voice a mere hushed whisper within the ornate chamber of the High Prophets. The two Prophets exchanged glances, their eyes narrowing in contemplation.

"Dispatch a battlegroup to Harvest," the Prophet of Regret instructed, his voice echoing across the room adorned with symbols of religious significance. "We must exterminate those humans and reclaim our holy relics."

Meanwhile about 20 min later, back on Harvest, Axel watched as another wave of life pods shot towards the planet's surface, their bright trails illuminating the dark void like falling stars. His thoughts were interrupted when a new signature appeared on their long-range scanners.

"Admiral! New contacts... and they aren't from us. Unknown ships inbound," warned Avia.

"Order all fighters and bombers to return and protect our evacuation shuttles," Axel commanded. His eyes darted between various screens, studying the enemy's approach vectors. "All ships will maintain position and provide covering fire for our evacuees."

The room echoed with affirmations as his crew jumped into action, dozens of orders sent through encrypted channels in an effort to prepare for another engagement.

In space, a swarm of human starfighters burned their thrusters towards the inbound alien fleet. Trails of white-hot plasma crisscrossed over them as alien fighters swooped in to intercept, their movements unnatural and swift compared to the UNSC fighters.

"Sir!" An officer called out over the deafening cacophony erupting from the countless surrounding consoles. "We've successfully established a defensive perimeter around the evacuation shuttle route! But our shields are at 45% and falling!"

Axel nodded, his gaze never leaving the radar. "Tell Battlegroup Yankee to move in closer. We need all the firepower we can muster."

The command deck hummed with activity as the human battle group repositioned itself, layering their ships into a tight formation. The distant Covenant fleet seemed to shimmer, akin to a mirage, as they started hurling plasma torpedoes towards the UNSC ships.

The torpedoes streaked through the cold void of space, leaving behind a luminescent trail as they sped towards their targets. Axel watched as distant pinpricks of light turned into massive balls of energy hurtling towards his fleet; the sight was both mesmerizing and terrifying.

"Brace for impact!" he shouted over the comm. The ship shuddered violently as the plasma torpedoes made contact, illuminating the surrounding space with a brilliant flash. The shields held – barely – but Axel could feel a knot tightening in his stomach. His gaze shifted to the fleet's status readings. The numbers were dropping too rapidly; the shields wouldn't hold for much longer.

"Return fire!" he commanded. Another hum echoed through the Leviathan as it began to charge its MAC cannons once again. Other ships in Battlegroup Tango followed suit, invisible energy pulsing through their massive frames in preparation for another counterattack.

As if on cue, the hum reached its crescendo and a barrage of MAC rounds raced across the void, aimed squarely at the advancing Covenant fleet. Brilliant sparks of light erupted against the dark canvas of space as the rounds found their targets. But these were more powerful Covenant ships leaving the MAC rounds to only destroy two of the ships.

"I need those bombers back up in the air!" Axel commanded urgently into his headset, watching as another wave of plasma torpedoes bore down on them.

"Admiral, bombers are away," declared Avia

"Focus all fire on the leading Alien capital ship!" shouted Axel, his grip tightened around the armrests of his command chair. The Leviathan shuddered under him as more plasma torpedoes impacted against their shields.

A silence fell over the command deck as they awaited the outcome of their desperate attack. Suddenly, a cheer erupted as the main screen displayed a bright explosion where the formidable Covenant ship used to be. The bombers had successfully hit some critical systems, crippling it and leaving it adrift.

But also next to him one of the Frigates shields were down and it was hit by another volley of plasma torpedoes as it exploded killing any remaining crew onboard.

"Admiral there are life boats floating around where the Frigate exploded" reported Avia.

"Evacuate any survivors from the wreckage immediately" Axel ordered "And get those damaged bombers back to safety" Avia swiftly relayed the orders.

At the same time Avia just gotten good news "Admiral the evacuation is complete" Reported Avia.

Axel released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Good. Order all remaining ships to fall back and regroup at the rally point Alpha." Said Axel as he sent the coordinates to the other ships.

"Understood, Admiral," Avia responded, and immediately relayed the orders.

"Admiral," called out Avia, "the last of our bombers are returning. They're heavily damaged but should make it back."

"Good" Said Axel as he breathed a sigh of relief, "Now order all UNSC ships to jump warp away"

Avia quickly relayed his command causing a flurry of activity in the command deck. Swiftly, one by one, the ships of Battlegroup Tango and Yankee began to disappear, leaving behind the desolate battlefield filled with debris and echoes of a fierce conflict.

Axel was the last to leave to ensure that all ships made it out of the system.

Meanwhile the Covenant forces regrouped and had prepared to glass the planet for any remaining humans. The Covenant may have won the battle, but Axel ensured that Hundreds of thousands of people escaped before the Covenant could kill them.

A/N: According to Halo: The Fall of Reach, Halo: Fall of Reach - Boot Camp, and Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, Harvest had a population of approximately three million. But also in the book Halo: Contact Harvest it is stated that Harvest had a population of around 300,000 so I went with the 300,000 one instead but in the future don't expect that many people to survive glassing.