The Exiles:A New Power

The One-Year War Part 1:War Footing

Aboard UNSC Break On Through, en-route to Beta Viperidae

The UNSC Landing Support Vessel, based on the old Phoenix designs, was active as they prepared to exit Slipspace. The first crew of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers boarded their pods, maybe 500 men and women per total in number. This wasn't a drill or training exercise anymore, the Black League was officially at war with a hostile alien nation. Everything they'd practiced, every single tactic and weapons system they'd refined and prepared for battle was now being activated.

The Break on Through, Run Through the Jungle and Back in Black, ships apparently named after ancient songs, were part of Seventh Fleet's Battle Group Moscow, the battlegroup supporting their namesake Carrier in battle. They were approximately 507 meters long, 400 wide and 400 tall, manned by a Navy crew of approximately 200 people, plus shipboard AIs made with the help of the Geth and Quarians.

On board each, there was a Marine Expeditionary Unit numbering around 4,000 Marines, 1,000 ODSTs and 500 armored and support vehicles ranging from heavy-duty Pelican Gunships to heavier 'Condor'-class DH-107 Dropships. They had railgun-armed M900 Scorpion II tanks, multiple Warthog FAVs, scout cars and even the more well-armored descendant of the Warthog, the M48 'Saddleback' MRAPs.

The commander of the ODSTs, major Zeva'Reegar, one of the first Quarians to reach the rank of an officer in the UNSC's service, prepared her men. She spoke to them, her helmet already on her head, "Looks like ONI's Materials Group fucked around a little too close to a Sun! We've got reports streaming in from the defense picket over the planet that the Batarian Hegemony, the slaver bastards we encountered just before our people decided to swing it together, came in! Either they're here by chance, or they got tipped off by someone or something that a somewhat undefended, top-secret ONI facility's nearby... Frankly, I'd bet on the latter."

Her ODST company, the 501st, coming straight off of New Arizona, laughed heartily at the comment. The woman smirked behind her helmet and told them, "Expect resistance when we make planetfall! Batarians apparently decided they'd bring in a raiding party. Our objectives will be simple down there:Save the Eggheads and get the prototype of some Special Weapon they've been developing with a Sakamoto subsidiary..." and she hummed as she saw a new armored unit roll onto the deck. She spoke softly, "We'll also be testing another combat unit down there! A joint venture between us, you human folks and the Geth..." and she motioned to it.

The robot strolled forward, resembling of a more strange geth combat frame. It had a massive central eye akin to normal Geth Combat Forms, but its arms were more mechanical in nature, shielded from damage by a kevlar bodyglove, light titanium plates and even carried a minigun on its shoulder. A few of the men mumbled about the machine, Quarians that still weren't used to the idea of operating with Geth again.

The major dropped down from on top of the vehicle and saluted, stating, "Welcome to the fight, bot. You got a name?"

"Ma'am. Enhanced Tactical Humanoid, Third Revision. Call me Ethan," The robot voiced rather jovially, his voice male. He snapped a crisp salute back and said with a lot of pride in an otherwise calm voice, "The product of Human, Geth and Quarian technology, mixed into a compact, Titanium-reinforced alloy body with responsive hydraulics and thermal, night-vis and active sonar sensors in my head. They had to make me three times to make me perfect, they say, ma'am..."

"You don't think so?" She quipped, giving the bot a bump on the shoulder.

He shook his head, "No, ma'am. I felt perfect when they first made me, but engineers like to be pedantic perfectionists back on Ingalls," and that got a laugh out of her and several of the ODSTs up front. She gave him a nod and showed him to join the formation up front, beside a few human Shock Troopers. The Major climbed back on top of the box she'd been standing on as a Pelican behind her was being set up for launch.