Chapter 289: Chapter 287 — Preparing for War
Chapter 287 — Preparing for War
Silence lingered inside the living room.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Everyone’s attention remained fixed on the empty space above the table where Commander Osman’s hologram had disappeared only moments earlier.
The room somehow felt different now.
Heavier.
The possibility that the Covenant fleet might come to Cascade had transformed the atmosphere entirely.
Outside, the city continued its ordinary evening.
Inside, everyone understood that the peace surrounding them might not last much longer.
After several long moments, Tony looked toward Gaius.
The giant Ultramarine looked back.
Neither of them said a word.
They didn’t need to.
Both already understood exactly what the other was thinking.
Their situation had changed.
Finally, Tony broke the silence.
"The objective has changed."
Everyone turned toward him.
Tony folded his arms as he looked around the room.
"At first, Gaius and I were focused on trading technology with humanity."
"Helping them strengthen themselves against the Covenant."
Everyone quietly nodded.
That had been their purpose from the beginning.
Tony had been exchanging advanced technology with Dr. Halsey.
Gaius had introduced Imperial technology and military knowledge.
Together, they had hoped to steadily improve humanity’s chances against the Covenant over time.
Research.
Development.
Technology exchange.
Preparation.
That had been the plan.
Tony continued.
"But now the Covenant might be coming here."
"To Cascade."
His expression became noticeably more serious.
"So instead of helping humanity fight somewhere else..."
"We may end up fighting here ourselves."
Nobody interrupted him.
The meaning was obvious.
Everything had changed.
Gaius finally spoke.
"If we are going to fight the Covenant, we need a plan."
"A proper one."
Tony nodded immediately.
"Agreed."
"And before we make a plan..."
"We need to understand the enemy."
He looked around the room.
"We know they’re dangerous."
"We know they’ve glassed colonies."
"But that’s not enough."
"We need details."
Gaius gave a slight nod.
Know your enemy.
It was among the oldest principles of warfare.
Only by understanding an opponent could an effective strategy be developed.
Marcus, who had remained silent throughout the discussion, finally spoke.
Truthfully, he found himself slightly moved.
These people could have accepted ONI’s evacuation offer.
They could have left Cascade safely.
Instead...
Every one of them had chosen to remain.
Not because they had to.
Not because they owed humanity anything.
But because they refused to abandon innocent people.
Even though this world wasn’t originally theirs.
"I can get the information."
Everyone looked toward him.
Marcus continued.
"ONI has extensive files on the Covenant."
"It’ll take me about half an hour to gather the reports."
Tony nodded immediately.
"Good."
"Get everything."
"Fleet compositions."
"Ground forces."
"Command structure."
"Anything useful."
"And history of planets where the Covenant invaded."
Marcus answered without hesitation.
"Understood."
He turned toward the front door.
Just before leaving, he paused.
"I’ll be back soon."
The door closed quietly behind him.
Silence settled over the room once more.
Gaius remained seated, deep in thought.
Among everyone gathered there, he possessed the greatest military experience.
And the situation before them was not favorable.
The Covenant possessed overwhelming superiority in space.
That single advantage shaped everything.
If this had been his own universe, there would have been no complicated discussion.
He would have assembled a fleet.
Summoned the Imperial Navy.
Brought the Oath of Rectitude.
Then met the enemy in open battle.
But this was not his universe.
There was no Imperium.
No Ultramarines.
No Imperial Navy.
No vast armies awaiting his command.
The only forces available were the people connected through the Gate.
That was nowhere near enough to challenge an entire Covenant fleet in space.
A faint frown appeared on his face.
The greatest problem was obvious.
Space.
If the Covenant secured complete orbital superiority, they controlled the battlefield.
They could deploy troops whenever they wished.
Launch precision strikes.
Destroy infrastructure.
Or simply bombard the planet from orbit.
Ground defenses alone could never fully solve that problem.
A fortress could withstand an army.
It could not stop a warship hanging above the atmosphere.
Across the room, Tony appeared to reach exactly the same conclusion.
He looked toward Gaius.
"The biggest problem is space."
Gaius nodded.
"Yes."
"If they maintain orbital control, they control the battlefield."
Everyone listened quietly.
Naruto scratched the back of his head.
"So what does that mean?"
Gaius turned toward him.
"It means that even if we defeat every Covenant soldier that lands on Cascade..."
"They can still remain in orbit."
"And just rain fire upon us."
The room became quiet.
Nobody liked that answer.
Because everyone knew it was true.
Then Saeko suddenly spoke.
"Didn’t Marcus say that some Covenant attacks become ground battles?"
Everyone turned toward her.
She continued.
"Some colonies weren’t immediately destroyed."
"There were battles on the surface first."
Tony folded his arms.
Gaius narrowed his eyes slightly.
Both began considering the same question.
Why?
If the Covenant already possessed orbital superiority...
Why bother fighting on the ground?
Naruto scratched his head again.
"Maybe they don’t want to glass the planet?"
Silence.
Tony blinked.
Gaius’ eyes narrowed further.
Something clicked.
Naruto looked between them.
"What?"
Gaius answered.
"If the Covenant truly wanted only to destroy humanity..."
"Then orbital bombardment would always be the safest option."
"But they sometimes choose to deploy ground forces."
"That means there is something on certain planets they do not wish to destroy."
Tony immediately continued the thought.
"Resources."
"Artifacts."
"Technology."
"Or something else valuable."
Gaius nodded.
"Whatever the reason..."
"It is important."
"If we can determine what makes them avoid immediate glassing..."
"Then we may be able to force them into a ground war."
Tony leaned back slightly.
"And a ground war is something we can actually influence."
"Much better than trying to fight warships in orbit."
Everyone slowly nodded.
For the first time since Osman’s warning, they had discovered something resembling a possible weakness.
Or at least a direction worth investigating.
Tony looked toward the front door Marcus had left through.
"We need those reports."
Gaius nodded.
"Especially information regarding colonies that were invaded before being glassed."
"If there is a pattern..."
"We will find it."
The discussion paused.
Saeko quietly stood.
Without saying anything, she walked toward the kitchen.
Several minutes later she returned carrying drinks.
She placed one in front of each person around the table.
There were no snacks.
Nobody felt particularly hungry.
The atmosphere had become too serious.
Everyone accepted their drinks with quiet thanks.
A short time later, the front door opened once again.
Marcus walked inside carrying a datapad.
"I’ve got it."
Every pair of eyes immediately shifted toward him.
Marcus approached the table.
"Tony, I’m transferring the files now."
A second later, a notification sounded.
Ding.
Tony picked up the communicator resting on the table.
The transfer had already finished.
He glanced at the enormous quantity of files and reports.
There was far too much information for anyone to manually read in a reasonable amount of time.
He looked toward the ceiling.
"Jarvis."
"Summarize it."
"Extract the important points."
"And specifically identify the planets where the Covenant chose ground invasions before glassing."
"Yes, sir."
Jarvis answered immediately.
The upgraded AI processed the enormous ONI database almost instantly.
Only a few seconds passed before a holographic display appeared above the table.
"Summary complete."
Everyone focused on the projection.
Jarvis began.
"The Covenant possess a significant technological advantage in space combat."
Several fleet engagements appeared as holographic images.
"Particularly in shielding."
"Energy weaponry."
"And slipspace capabilities."
The display shifted between numerous recorded battles.
"Human forces have achieved victories against Covenant fleets."
"However..."
"Such victories typically require numerical superiority."
"Favorable circumstances."
"Superior tactics."
"Or significant sacrifices."
Marcus gave a small nod.
"That’s putting it mildly."
Jarvis continued.
"UNSC doctrine commonly expects losses when engaging Covenant warships directly."
"In many engagements, human vessels are destroyed at rates significantly higher than Covenant vessels."
The hologram shifted again.
Several human colony worlds appeared.
"Regarding planetary invasions."
"The Covenant do not always immediately glass human worlds."
Everyone leaned forward slightly.
This was exactly what they wanted.
"Analysis of previous engagements shows that the Covenant frequently conduct ground operations before planetary glassing."
"Particularly on certain colonies."
Reports appeared beside each world.
"Current UNSC intelligence has not determined the exact reason."
Several people frowned.
Tony crossed his arms.
"You don’t know why?"
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
"We’ve been trying to figure that out for years."
Jarvis continued.
"In numerous cases, Covenant forces committed significant ground assets despite already possessing orbital superiority."
"In some instances..."
"They delayed glassing operations for days or weeks."
Gaius narrowed his eyes.
"Meaning they were looking for something."
Marcus nodded.
"That’s one of the leading theories."
"Resources."
"Technology."
"Military objectives."
"Nobody knows."
Tony leaned back slightly.
"But whatever it is..."
"It’s important enough that they sometimes choose not to simply burn the planet."
"Correct."
Jarvis replied.
"That conclusion is supported by available combat records."
The discussion continued.
Ideas were exchanged.
Possibilities were suggested.
Resources.
Technology.
Strategic locations.
Religious significance.
Military objectives.
No theory fully explained every case.
Eventually, Gaius became silent.
He organized everything they had learned.
Every report.
Every battle.
Every conclusion.
Several moments later, he finally spoke.
"No."
Everyone looked toward him.
"If the Covenant wished only to destroy humanity..."
"They could simply glass every world they found."
Marcus nodded.
"That’s what they’ve done to many colonies."
Gaius continued.
"Yet they do not always do so."
"Some worlds are invaded."
"Ground forces are deployed."
"Operations continue for days or weeks."
Tony folded his arms.
"What are you getting at?"
Gaius looked toward the reports floating above the table.
"The Covenant clearly consider some worlds more important than others."
Silence followed.
Marcus frowned.
"ONI reached a similar conclusion years ago."
Gaius nodded.
"If they commit troops despite already possessing orbital superiority..."
"Then they believe there is something worth obtaining before destruction."
Naruto tilted his head.
"So what is it?"
Gaius calmly shook his head.
"We do not know."
"Nor does humanity, from what these reports suggest."
Marcus nodded once more.
"Correct."
"We’ve never found a definitive answer."
Silence returned.
Then Gaius spoke again.
"That changes nothing."
Everyone looked toward him.
"Whether the Covenant intends to glass the planet immediately..."
"Or conduct a ground invasion first..."
"The result is the same."
"We cannot allow them uncontested control of orbit."
Tony gave a slight nod.
That was the true problem.
Everything else came second.
Gaius folded his arms.
"If the Covenant decides to glass Cascade..."
"We need a way to stop them."
"If they decide to invade first..."
"We need a way to force them to continue fighting on the ground."
Marcus frowned.
"And how do we do that?"
Gaius remained silent for a moment before turning toward Tony.
"We need a powerful planetary defense."
The room became quiet.
Tony understood immediately.
Gaius wasn’t talking about infantry.
Nor tanks.
Nor soldiers.
He meant weapons capable of threatening warships in orbit.
Tony nodded.
"Agreed."
"If we can’t challenge them in space..."
"Then we need weapons that can reach space."
Naruto blinked.
"You mean those giant guns?"
His mind immediately went to the massive orbital weapons hanging above Cascade.
Tony pointed toward him.
"Exactly."
"Very giant guns."
Despite the seriousness of the discussion, a few faint smiles appeared around the room.
Tony leaned back slightly.
"The Covenant’s biggest advantage is orbital superiority."
"If we can threaten their ships from the ground..."
"Then suddenly they can’t do whatever they want."
Gaius nodded.
"At minimum..."
"We must make orbital bombardment costly."
"Force them to think before moving their ships into firing positions."
Marcus slowly folded his arms.
"I’d like to believe that would be enough."
He glanced toward the holographic reports.
"The problem is that humanity has already tried that."
Images of orbital defense platforms appeared.
MAC guns.
Planetary defense networks.
Aerospace wings.
"Some colonies possessed powerful orbital defenses."
"Reach itself had one of the strongest defense networks humanity ever built."
"The Covenant still broke through."
Tony frowned.
"Because the defenses weren’t good enough?"
Marcus shook his head.
"Because the Covenant brought more ships."
His expression hardened.
"A lot more ships."
Tony replied immediately.
"Then we’ll need more defenses than they have ships."
Marcus looked at him.
"You make that sound simple."
Tony shrugged.
"It isn’t."
"But the principle is."
He leaned back, already thinking.
Orbital defense cannons.
Missile batteries.
Long-range anti-ship weapons.
Anything capable of threatening Covenant vessels from the surface.
If they couldn’t bring a fleet into existence overnight...
Then perhaps they could transform Cascade itself into a fortress capable of challenging one.
The idea continued growing inside his mind as the discussion quietly continued around him.
A new project had already begun.
~~~
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