The Dominion- College Class Final Project

[kingsewell28 - Bastonne]

Okay so since I can't upload a PDF file, i'll just copy and paste my entire 46 page game story-line final instead. I just want to post this for anyone wanting to go into 3-D tech and game design such as myself. Or any sort of career involving creating an entire story from scratch. Understand that your imagination is what can guide you to creating amazing pieces. Please ignore any sort of punctual or writing errors. I have plans to continue adding to this piece and eventually turn it into a halo Machinima creation. All in all this took about 4 weeks to create. Non the less I hope all those who read it enjoy and be sure to leave a comment telling me what you think!

PROLOGUE​

Throughout time, mankind has always had a fascination for the stars and space age travel. Soon they had realized having differences was a thing of the past, and having all sovereign nations form under one name was the new era. When the time came to expand, humanity sailed off into the great beyond in search for new places of exploration, but most importantly, new places to call home. More and more colonies arose across the milky way and other neighboring galaxies. Peruvian IV, a moon orbiting the gas giant of Jupiter, became a trade colony where merchants and business folk could thrive and expand their markets. Mars became an agricultural colony; therefore, allowing farmers to raise and harvest an abundance of crops to increase food supply across the galaxy. Terra and it’s moon formed as the primal district for all council and colony officials. Military powers were combined to form one central power known as the Humanitary Defense Force and ships called “Battle Stars” became its new way of defending the lands. It seemed as if humanity would finally expand and live in a time of everlasting peace. But as governments began to settle these colonies, internal disputes occurred and new regimes were built. Soon the entire galaxy would see itself engulfed in the flame of war with one another. Humanity had laid a seed for its destruction and it would have finally sprouted; fortunately for them, that seed would have to wait it’s time...For a new seed was planted. See humanity had believed that through all of this expansion, and constant discoveries in technology, that they were the all mighty race and that they were invincible. But while one race expanded and researched to colonize and grow… Another expanded to conquer and control. Out of the darkest corner of space, a new enemy of unrelenting force arrived to the milky way. With this enemy came a fury of ravaging force and determination. They were called, “The Dominion”, a human-like species, highly militarized with oppressive skills in the field of combat. They were led by Emperor Lucius Carius, a fierce leader who believed in nothing more than ruling with an iron fist. He gave no mercy to his enemies and left a trail of destruction through his path. For ten years, humanity battled their new enemy. For ten years, the dominion slowly expanded their forces throughout the galaxy, conquering all in their path. Cities were bombarded and turned to rubble. Plantations and farms were burned and the ground scorched to ash and dust. The dominion did not care for civilian casualties, if it was human, it was an enemy. Millions of colonists were subdued to casualties of war. Homes were lost, families were separated. Eventually what was left of the Humanitary Defense Force fled the system, The Terrain government systems collapsed, and the Dominion was victorious. Those who survived the horrors of war now try to continue on with their lives under new authority and new laws. Anyone who defied these laws were publicly executed and their bodies hung as examples. But
throughout the colonies, the people still have hope that one day a hero will rise in their midst and help take back what is rightfully belonging of mankind. That someday, they can once again travel the stars in freedom and go back to a time of peace and tranquility. Little did they know that the hero they so desperately are looking for, happened to be walking amongst them this whole time, he just didn’t know it yet.

CHAPTER 1 - First Infiltration​

Since the war reached an end, the remaining HDF military regrouped and has since then been planning their strategy for taking back their home and defeating the dominion. One of such strategies deals with quietly infiltrating dominion military facilities and retrieving enemy intelligence. This is a one man job only, and they have the right man for it. An intercom voice echos through the endless halls and barrack dorms aboard the HDF Trinity, calling for Specialist Zachary Cutter. Zachary awakens to the call and rises from his bunk, puts on his uniform, and heads to the command deck. Zachary was born and raised in the city of New Haven on planet Terra. He was raised in a military family and would soon enlist into the Humanitary Defense Force and go to pursue an officer career like his father Michael Cutter. Unfortunately this pursuit was cut short by the dominion invasion and Zachary was thrown into the heart of combat. At first, he was assigned as an evacuation escort for high ranking authorities and colony primarchs. When the war was over, Zachary retreated with the remaining HDF forces and was reassigned as a covert operations specialist. Infiltrating and grabbing dominion intelligence was Zachary’s new profession and skill. The ship captain greets Zachary as he enters the room. Zachary nods his head and takes a seat at the briefing desk. He is then informed about operation nightflash, a mission in which he will need to infiltrate a Dominion held research facility deep in the jungle regions of Aegis II, another moon orbiting Jupiter. He needs to gather as much intel as he possibly can on anything that could help the HDF win the war against the dominion. Zachary nods his head again and signals he understands. Zachary exits the command deck and heads to the armory to gear up and get his weapon. As a one man infiltration unit, it is recommended that they pack light in order to evade enemy presence at a quicker speed. Zachary picks up a suppressed M7D submachine gun and a M9D tactical pistol as his loadout and heads to the drop-pod bay to begin the operation. He loads into the pod and listens as the ship's intercom begins to count down. The latches come loose and the pod drops from the ship's belly and begins its descent towards the moon's surface. The undercarriage of the metallic pod slowly engulfs into flame as it rapidly descends further and further towards the atmosphere. Once the pod broke through the atmosphere, Zachary activates the parachute assembly and deceleration thrusters to help soften his landing. Zachary felt a hard thump as the pod hit the moon’s surface; however, wasting little time, Zachary activates the pod door ejection, exits the pod, and secures the area around him to ensure there is no dominion presence. Once he felt it was clear, Zachary checks in with the Trinity using his callsign. The Trinity responds and orders Zachary to proceed on mission. As Zachary makes his way through the jungle, he can’t stop but to embrace the beautiful scenery around him. The smell of the damp jungle floor wrapped around his nose as a shallow rainfall began. The tree canopies brushed out, shielding him from most of the rain. In such a grim and dark time would anyone barely get to see such beauty. This amazement was cut short as Zachary noticed a dominion patrol coming straight towards him. Taking cover behind a tree stump, he equipped his pistol, took it off safety, and readies himself for possible engagement. He could feel his heart beat faster and faster as the patrol grew closer and closer. Zachary steadies his breathing, he clears his mind and visualizes the movements required to defeat the enemy, then, he strikes! Whipping around the tree like a sling, Zachary raises his weapon and fires two shots. Before the dominion soldiers could even lift a finger, they lay dead on the ground, with blood seeping from their wounds. Realizing he is close to the facility, Zachary holsters his pistol and keeps moving. After hours of trekking through the jungle, Zachary finally reaches the dominion research complex. He immediately notices the heavily armed guards patrolling the exterior walls of the facility. Spot lights covered every corner of the area, this would be a challenge for Zachary to pass. He times the lights and their speed, and he also checks to see how often the patrols come along. With his calculations in check, he waits until both the light and the patrol are facing the opposite direction. Moving as quickly and as quietly as he can, Zachary manages to evade detection by the spotlight and dominion soldiers and gets into the research complex. With his submachine gun at the ready, he moves through the shadows and uses the cover of darkness to evade detection. Zachary moves to one of the facilities bunker extensions and clears the building. No one is inside. Zachary moves over to a terminal inside the bunker and looks through it for possible dominion intelligence. Instead, he finds an access code to an elevator that goes below the complex to a large underground storage facility of some kind. dominion voices are heard outside the bunker, and Zachary sneaks out through the ventilation shaft just in time before three dominion soldiers enter the room. To shorten the search for this elevator, Zachary enters the access code into his wrist pad and triangulates the location of the access panel that authorizes this code. It only takes a few seconds before the location is found and Zachary follows the signals path. Eventually, he reaches a large metallic structure in the heart of the facility. Inside was a dormant room with an elevator smack dead in the middle. Zachary cautiously moves towards the elevator, keeping on his toes in case of a possible ambush. With no signs of enemy presence near him, Zachary gets on the elevator and takes it down to the underground storage facility. Zachary doesn’t take any chances and stands at the ready for whatever may be awaiting him once the elevator doors open. Sure enough as the doors slid open, a dominion soldier stood at the opposite end. Zachary quickly grabs the soldier and stabs him upward through the chin and into the head, killing him instantly. He dragged the body behind a stack of crates to conceal it from any other dominion soldiers that might come that direction and he begins his search through the dimly lit facility. The area gave Zachary an eery feeling, as if he was being watched. All around him he could hear the echos of groaning steam pipes and the whoosh of industrial fans keeping the air breathable. He wandered through the endless corridors until he eventually reached a large open room. It was clearly being used to store dominion weapons and supplies due to the large amount of crates labeled with the dominion insignia. These weren’t any ordinary shipping containers either, they were heavy projectile missile lockers. Zachary took a few snapshots of the crates and the storage manifest and moved on. Moving silently throughout the storage facility, concealing himself from dominion troops passing by, and taking snapshots of anything that seemed of valuable intel to the HDF, he finally came across a large set of terminals in a corridor intersection. Zachary inserts a miniature flash-drive into the terminal and hacks into its mainframe. With success, he begins going through the terminals files and begins downloading them onto his flash-drive. While skimming the files, Zachary comes across a folder named project D. Curious, Zachary opens the folder and begins reading the virtual file. As he continued to read, he could feel a sharp chill crawl up his spine. As if he had just seen his worst fear, Zachary quickly downloads the project D folder and extracts the flash-drive. As soon as he turned around, a dominion soldier turned the corner and stopped to the surprise of seeing Zachary. The soldier reached up to activate his helmet communications, Zachary raised his weapon and sprayed the dominion soldier with bullets, but it was too late. The facility alarms began to echo through the storage facility, and the sounds of a large dominion force was heading straight towards Zachary. Remembering his way back to the elevator shaft, Zachary dodged and ducked through sporadic dominion gunfire as he ran through the corridors. Zachary makes it back to the elevator and takes it back up to the surface. As it is going up, he can hear the sound of bullets ricocheting off of the metal doors. The elevator finally reaches the surface and Zachary quickly exits the complex before anymore soldiers can spot him. He radios in to the HDF Trinity for pickup, but on the other end, the Trinity can only acknowledge the call before two dominion destroyer class battlecruisers emerge from hyperspace and immediately open fire on the HDF starship. The destroyers fire a barrage of ion torpedoes at the Trinities core reactor. It’s a direct hit. The Trinity sends out one final message to Zachary before the entire ship explodes, ripping it’s hull in half. Zachary loses the Trinities signal, his radio goes static. Hearing the sound of footsteps and vehicle engines roaring behind him, that could only mean one thing. Zachary turned around to face nearly twenty dominion soldiers and two light armored troop carriers, all weapons at the ready, aimed directly at him. Behind the crowd of soldiers Zachary heard a voice shout out in formal tongue. His face turned white as a ghost when he realized who it was. The dominion soldiers quickly moved aside as a man moved towards Zachary. This man was known to the HDF as the reaper of death. A man so evil, so sick, that even the devil himself feared him. In front of Zachary stood dominion war general dominus Nelius. General Nelius is emperor Carius’s top dominion officers. Nelius has no pity for his enemies nor mercy on any human being regardless of gender or age, in fact, Nelius sees the human rather as an infestation that must be cleansed from it’s worlds. He is responsible for the deaths of countless civilian lives. Nelius goes to explain to Zachary that he knew of the HDF operation this whole time and that the terminals Zachary hacked into were rigged to alarm him of his presence. it was also unfortunate to general Nelius that his officers in charge of patrol operations could not exceed expectations and allowed for Zachary to get in in the first place. Saying this causes one of the dominion officers to go into a sense of panic. Before the officer can do anything, general Nelius shoots the dominion officer to his left in the back of the head. Blood splatters on the soldiers helmets standing aside the officer. Zachary looks down at the dead dominion officer for a moment, then back up to general Nelius. Nelius goes on to say how he could just put Zachary in the same position as that officer, but he believes Zachary can be put to good use. General Nelius orders a few of his soldiers to throw Zachary onto the next dominion transport to the colony capital of New Montana, just on the neighboring Jupiter moon of Peruvian IV. One of the soldiers asks what they should do with the dead, Nelius replies by telling the soldier to pile them up in front of the complex and burn them, as a reminder to those who fail his orders. Zachary gets one final glimpse of Nelius....Then everything goes black.

CHAPTER 2 - New Montana Escape​

A bedside alarm clock sounds off like a broken record player. Slamming his hand on the snooze button, Frank deactivates the alarm clock, lets out a big yawn, and gets ready to start his day. Wearing only his boxers and a tank top, Frank heads into the living room of his tiny one bedroom apartment, turns on his stereo radio, and then walks into his kitchen to make breakfast. Frank listens in as reporters on the radio talk about the recent execution of twelve New Montana residence for conspiring against the dominion. Having little reaction nor feeling about what he had just heard, Frank takes his breakfast to the kitchen table and proceeds to eat it. Frank Evans wasn’t a soldier or a politician, in fact, Frank was just an ordinary citizen just trying to survive under the harsh conditions put in place by the dominion. He never got involved in dominion business, but instead, he would walk the other way if trouble was ahead. After finishing breakfast, Frank puts on his work clothes and heads out onto the New Montana streets to head to work. As Frank heads out, nothing about his surroundings didn’t prescribe dominion authority. Every building had massive banners bearing the dominion insignia on them. Everyone citizen had to wear a red pin on their shirts marking their allegiance to the empire. Dominion district guards were posted everywhere Frank looked to maintain order and dominance in the streets. Within the confines of the New Montana walls it would seem as if life was never scratched; however, venturing outside these walls would tell a different story. Before, Peruvian IV was a colony of wealth and trade. Cities stretching hundreds of kilometers across the moon's surface. Now New Montana is the only city left standing, and the only city to support life. Beyond the capital lies a wretched wasteland of city ruins and dark reminders of the dominion onslaught. The citizens call this place, “the dark zone”, an area where rebuilding is beyond the question. While walking, Frank noticed to his right two of what looked like dead HDF protagonists hanging on the wall leading into an alleyway. On one of the bodies was a sign that read, “Abide by or join them”. Not looking forward, Frank accidentally bumped into another citizen walking the opposite way. When they looked at each other, Frank realized that he had just bumped into his good friend Chris Perry. Chris and Frank exchanged words with one another for a bit, asking each other how they’ve been. Chris is a civilian who does what he can to stay out of harm’s way and just try to live a normal life. He works as a software engineer in a dominion military robotics center. Like Frank, Chris stays out of dominion business...But that does not silence his growing hatred for them. The two of them continue talking until their conversation is interrupted by a district guard telling them to move along or get arrested for soliciting in public. Chris tells Frank that they can finish their conversation back at Frank’s apartment after work. Frank agrees and says his goodbyes and continues on to work. Frank works as a waiter at a formal restaurant, serving those of high class and authority of the dominion council stationed at New Montana. He doesn’t mind his job, in Frank’s mind, as long as he can uphold a job he will continue to live. While Frank works to make a living, Zachary Cutter works now to escape. Just outside the New Montana walls, deep in the dark zone, Zachary pulls himself from the wreckage of a dominion shuttle he had crash landed. This was the very same shuttle he was being transported on while in captivity; however, he managed to break free and commandeer the ship. Zachary quickly finds a weapon, checks his bearings, and heads away from the wreckage before dominion patrols make there way to the crash site. While walking through the decaying streets, Zachary gazes upon the ruins surrounding him, trying to imagine what the area was once like before the war. He imagined busy streets and sidewalks crowded with people, all heading to start their days and live their lives. He also imagined the faces of millions of citizens trying to escape, and hide from the bombs as they were dropped during the first hours: the screams that filled the streets and alleyways, sirens and alarms echoing through the air, the sting of dominion gunfire arriving on impact to human flesh...All things that reminded Zachary why he must keep pushing, why the fight to win must go one. After turning a street corner, Zachary spots two dominion district guards positioned at a doorway. They were clearly there to protect something, and Zachary wanted to know what it was. He slowly creeps through a field of smashed concrete and rubble and readies his weapon. He puts one of the guards in his sights and gently squeezes the trigger. The gun goes off and hits it’s target, Zachary then quickly switches to the other guard and fires another round. Another direct hit. Knowing other dominion guards may have heard the shots, he moves quickly inside the ruined building. Scanning the room with his weapon, a foul smell begins to fill Zachary’s nose. The smell was all too familiar to Zachary, a smell of death and rotting decay. The smell grew stronger and stronger as Zachary approached a connecting room, but he couldn’t see a thing inside for it was too dark. He goes to activate the flashlight attachment on his rifle, and shines it into the room. Zachary’s eyes widened as he looked around the room, and his hands trembled. What Zachary saw in that room, would never leave his mind for as long as he had lived. In one corner of the room, there was endless piles of clothes, shoes, and other people’s belongings. In the other corner lay a mountain of bodies, all of people the dominion had accused of conspiracy. Men, women, and children of all ages. But Zachary knew this wasn’t the true reason. What he had discovered back at the dominion research facility uncovered their true plans for his species. After taking a moment to himself, Zachary starts to make his way towards the buildings exit, when suddenly, he hears a loud crack in the air and feels a sharp pain in the side of his leg. He had been shot by a dominion sniper. Taking cover behind some rubble, he is then engaged by a squad of dominion district guards. He knows he cannot fire back or else that sniper would kill him and he can only limp due to his wound. Zachary looks around for anything useful and notices a shard of glass giving a faint reflection. In the reflection he can see a small glimmer of light coming from a ruined parking garage. He thinks to himself that has to be the sniper's position, and he knows the only way he will be able to eliminate the sniper is with one of those dominion guards rifles. Dominion district guards are equipped with designated marksman rifles with medium range optics. Zachary waits until the guards cease fire and move closer on his position. He uses the glass fragments reflection to time his attack just right. When the guards get close enough, Zachary strikes! Grabbing one guard and using his body as a bullet shield, he guns down the other three guards and moves back into cover with a DMR in hand. Now that the guards are taken care of, Zachary needs to figure out how he will manage to kill that sniper. He will only have one shot at this, so it will need to count. Grabbing a large chunk of rubble in one hand, Zachary chucks it clear to his left to distract the sniper and rotates right into a crouching stance, places the sniper in his sights, and pulls the trigger. The small glimmer from the sniper's scope disappears...the sniper was dead. Zachary moves away from his covered position, his heart still pounding from the adrenaline of the moment. Realizing he desperately needed to leave the area and find a place to mend his wound, Zachary spots a service tunnel that leads into the back alleys of New Montana. He uses his rifle as a makeshift walking stick and heads towards the service tunnel, unaware that he was being followed. Frank finally finishes his shift at work, says goodnight to his co-workers, and makes his way back home. Curfew didn’t set in for a few more hours so Frank took his time walking back to his apartment. He enjoyed looking up at the Peruvian IV night sky as it lit up above him. The capital buildings blazed with light and the red canvas of the dominion banners reflected across the walls. While walking Frank hears what seemed to be the sound of two men wrestling on the ground in an alleyway. Curious, Frank goes to investigate. As he stepped further and further down the alley, the wrestling grew louder and louder...until finally it stopped and a dominion guards voice could be heard. Frank knelt down and quietly moved closer. Around the corner he could see a district guard holding a pistol up to someone’s head. But with a closer look, Frank recognized the figure...it was Zachary. Surprised, he whispers out Zachary’s name, loud enough for the guard to hear and turn around. The guard aims his pistol at Frank, but before he could pull the trigger, Zachary takes the combat knife from the guards back holster and slits his throat with it. He covers the mouth of the guard so no noise could be heard and slowly lowers the body to the ground. Almost instantly after doing so, Zachary kneels to the ground. He has lost a lot of blood from his leg wound. Frank gets up to help Zachary and helps him back to his apartment. Frank sets Zachary down on his living room couch and rushes to the bathroom to get his first aid kit. Zachary takes off his kevlar vest and harness and sets them on the table in front of him. Frank returns with a first aid kit and props zachary’s bleeding leg up on the couch. Zachary apologizes for the mess, Frank looks up at his long lost cousin and asks what he was doing in that alley and why a guard was about to kill him. Zachary tells Frank of his mission back on Aegis II and his journey to New Montana. Sarcastically, Frank tells him that he’s surprised he wasn’t dead by now. While observing Zachary’s leg wound, Frank prepares to go and pull out the bullet until he and Zachary both hear a knocking sound on the door. Frank then remembers that Chris had planned to come over that very same night. He ensures Zachary it will be alright and he goes to open the door. Sure enough, waiting on the other side was Chris Perry, with a pack of refreshments in his hand. Frank rushes Chris inside and tells him not to freak out. Confused, Chris starts to question Frank but then sees Zachary on the now blood stained couch. Chris asks why in the world there is a person bleeding out on Frank's couch. Frank goes to tell Chris that Zachary is his cousin and also apart of the HDF. Chris gets upset with Frank and explains to him that he’d be killed if the dominion caught sighting of this. As Frank and Chris begin to argue, Zachary interrupts them and sarcastically asks if the fighting would stop and the bullet get removed from his leg. Frank goes back to helping Zachary and Chris sits down at a chair at the opposite end of the living room. Frank manages to remove the bullet from Zachary’s leg and applies a field dressing to the wound. Frank tells him that should fix it right up and that all that is left to do now is for Zachary to rest. Zachary tells Frank that there is no time for rest and they need to get out of the city before the dominion find them. Chris asks Zachary where they would go, and why couldn’t he just go himself. Zachary tells Chris and Frank about the crashed dominion shuttle and that they would soon send out search parties when they find out what that shuttle was carrying. Chris then guesses that the shuttle was carrying him, Zachary then nods at Chris that he is correct. Chris sits back in his chair and sighs deeply. The room goes quiet for a moment. Zachary then proceeds to inform Frank and Chris that if they came with him, the HDF is always looking for more people to join the fight. Chris thinks about it for a moment, then gets up from his chair and tells Zach that he’s in. Frank looks at Chris in shock and asks what the hell he was doing. With a fiery tone in his voice, Chris tells Frank the he is done being a slave to these monsters, and that it’s time he stood up for what was right. Both Zachary and Chris then look towards Frank and wait for him to answer. Thinking there’s no other choice and either way he was now an enemy of the dominion, Frank decides to go along with Zachary. Chris gets excited and asks Zachary what the plan of escape is. Zachary tells Chris and Frank that there is a dominion guard installation in the city. If they could get inside without alarming anyone, they would be able to take a transport shuttle out of the city and to an active HDF outpost in the polar regions of Peruvian IV. Confused, Frank tells Zachary the polar regions are uninhabited and the HDF never put anything there in the first place. Zachary then tells Frank he is wrong and the HDF did in fact install and outpost deep in the polar mountains. When the dominion arrived, they only targeted areas with dense population. The dominion haven’t even touched the polar regions nor do they dare try and patrol them due to the harsh weather. Surprised and sold on the idea, Frank asks when they would be leaving, Zachary tells him tonight. The three of them would have less risk getting out while it was still dark outside. Without delay: Zachary, Chris, and Frank head out onto the city streets and make there way to the district guard installation. Frank and Chris couldn’t believe how few patrols were out at night. Getting to the installation was a walk in the park. When the group finally reached the installation, they quickly changed their minds as they saw the entrance to the installation was heavily guarded. Frank asks Zachary what are they going to do, Zachary looks around for a way in and spots a ventilation exhaust panel coming out of the station. The group quietly follow close behind one another as they reach the exhaust panel. Zachary pries it open and gets everyone inside then reattaches the panel behind him. They sneak through the ventilation shafts, trying not to make a lot of noise as dominion soldiers and staff are right below them. Finally, the group finds another exhaust panel only this one leads out to the installations airpad. Frank kicks out the panel and the three of them take cover behind a cluster of cargo crates in front of them. Directly ahead they can see a dominion transport shuttle, fueled and ready to go. Zachary looks at Frank and Chris and tells them that there is no going back now. They rush to the shuttle and climb aboard. Zachary takes the pilot seat while Frank and Chris strap in at their seats in the cargo hold of the shuttle. Zachary starts the shuttle's engines and begins the initial flight burn sequence. Over the shuttles comms, a dominion flight officers voice is heard asking for who authorized the launch and to shut the engines down. Zachary replies to the officer by sarcastically telling him he’ll be borrowing the ship for a bit. The officer sounds the alarm for intruders and dominion soldiers being pouring onto the airpad. Frank yells for Zachary to quit stalling and take off already. Zachary finishes the initial flight burn sequence and launches the shuttle into the sky. Both Zachary and Chris let out a loud cheer as they fly out of the New Montana city walls. Frank on the other hand only looks down towards the floor and then begins to grin. He had never imagined himself leaving New Montana, but now he was and his life as he knew it would change forever. The group settled in and went on there way to the HDF outpost.

CHAPTER 3 - Outpost Beta​

General Nelius sat at his desk viewing his holopad until there was a knock on his office door. Nelius granted whoever it was admission and in stepped a dominion officer. He looked nervous; moreso, he looked scared beyond all reckoning. Nelius asks the officer as to why he was just informed that the transport carrying Zachary Cutter did not reach its destination. Before the officer could answer, Nelius then asks how two humans managed to obtain a dominion shuttle and fly it out of New Montana. The officer grows even more nervous. He informs Nelius that the ship carrying Zachary crashed and that they believe he was the one who helped the humans escape in the shuttle. General Nelius does not reply. He slowly gets up from his chair, walks around his desk, and up to the officer. He begins to beg the general for forgiveness and for a chance to redeem himself. Nelius calms the officer down and gladly informs him that he’s done his duty...Just not the proper standards. Nelius drew a knife from his belt buckle and drove it right into the officer's chest. As the body went limp, Nelius allowed it to fall to the ground. Nelius calls for the two guards outside his office door to collect the body. He then goes back to his desk and contacts the New Montana spaceport garrison. Nelius orders for the dominion garrison to activate all shuttle tracking beacons. He wanted that stolen shuttle found and a infantry detachment sent immediately after it was located...Zachary yells back to Chris and Frank that the blizzard they have flown into has just damaged one of the ship’s engines and they will be hitting the ground hard. Chris and Frank hold on to the safety rails latched across their seats tightly. Zachary does what he can to decrease the ship’s crash speed but there is little time. He runs to the loading bay and straps himself into an open seat next to Chris. Frank, while still hanging on for dear life, looks down at his feet and then...everything goes black. Frank slowly wakes up to see Zachary and Chris looking down at him. His back is freezing and numb from lying in the snow. Chris asks Frank if he is alright and if anything is broken. Frank tells him that he is alright and he can move. The group gets up and looks around at their surroundings. The blizzard barely made it possible to see their own hands in front of them. Zachary quickly tells Frank and Chris they need to get moving and the outpost shouldn’t be too far from their current position. And so the group sets out to find the HDF outpost in the harsh cold storm. It did not take the group long before they began noticing signs of life. Crates, military containers and supplies; all of which lead the group to gain excitement in hopes that they had finally reached the outpost. But that excitement turned to confusion and disappointment as they reached what they thought was the outpost. As the blizzard somewhat cleared, it revealed a small and abandoned post. The vehicles were rusted and frozen over. Nothing was salvageable and concluded that the area was abandoned decades ago. Chris goes into rage and slams his fist on the top of an abandoned military vehicle. He turns to Zachary and begins to yell at him, asking if this was his glorious outpost and why did he even listen to him in the first place. Zachary argues back and says he didn’t expect this at all. He says there should be at least a garrison of troops there and an entire, fully functional facility. Frank tries to get the groups attention. Even more outraged than before, Chris asks where this so called garrison was at and that all of it was Zachary’s fault. Before Zachary could say another word, Frank yells for Chris and Zachary to look up. The group froze in place as they had nearly a dozen gun barrels pointed directly at them. A figure walked up to the edge and ordered the soldiers to stand down as he noticed Zachary’s uniform. They were all soldiers of the HDF. The soldier asks how the group got there, and Zachary told him about how they stole a dominion ship and crash landed. He also explained how he knew of the outposts existence since he was also a soldier of HDF. The soldier asks for the group to come up the cliffside and to follow him and his men. When they reach the top of the cliff, the soldier introduces himself as lieutenant Harper of the 32nd HDF infantry battalion. The group all exchange greetings with the lieutenant and follow him to their outpost. The outpost was entirely surrounded by cliffs and the constant storms nearly made the place invisible so any dominion ships that passed over would never see it. There were soldiers everywhere, all occupied with tasks at hand. From repairing vehicles to moving supplies, almost every soldier in the outpost was working on something. Harper apologizes to the group and explains they couldn’t take any chances upon first contact. He goes to further explain how grateful he is that the group made it out of the capital and away from the dominions grasp. Zachary asks how often does the outpost keep up with the other HDF forces. Harper explains that they get routine supply drops from HDF stealth ships; however, after the recent events involving the HDF Trinity, the rest of the fleet has been laying low and Dominion activity has increased in the colonies planetary region. Lieutenant Harper takes Frank and the group through the outpost, showing them everything from the motor pool to the communications relay center. But what caught Franks amazement, was when they went “underneath” the outpost. Below the outpost was a large bunker like structure. It contained a medical wing to treat wounded and sick, a generator room to keep the power running, and a hydro station which melted the ice above to create fresh water for the troops. It was no wonder they never abandoned the place. Even if the supplies stopped coming, the soldiers were able to grow their own food surplus underground, enough to feed everyone there for a lifetime. Zachary asks lieutenant Harper when the next available transport to the HDF fleet will be since he still had vital intelligence to relay back to his commander. Harper can hear the urgency in his voice and says he doesn’t want to know what Zachary found. He says he will do his best to try and get a transport shuttle ready by tomorrow, but for now the group needed their rest. Unlike Zachary, Frank and Chris weren’t soldiers, and they had not slept in what felt like ages to them. Harper tells them to find a bunk in the troops barracks and get some sleep. Frank pats Zachary on the shoulder and persuades him to rest as well. Zachary lets out a large sigh of annoyance and agrees to Frank’s request. Chris and Zachary instantly pass out on their bunk racks, Frank on the other hand couldn’t sleep. He got up and walked outside the barracks doors only to see Lieutenant Harper standing in the lobby, watching the hydro plants pump water into a water basin. Frank walks up to Harper and sarcastically asks if he couldn’t sleep either. Harper chuckles and says as a leader he can no longer afford that luxury. The two of them remain silent for a moment, then Harper asks about Frank and his past. Frank tells him about his life and how it wasn’t all that exciting. He told Harper about how he never saw himself getting out of New Montana nor did he ever expect to be apart of any of what was around him. Curious, Harper questions Frank’s reasoning for accepting to come to the outpost. Frank just shakes his head and says he doesn’t know. He tells Harper he could have easily just let that dominion guard kill Zachary. Harper interjects and finishes Frank’s sentence saying instead he saved Zachary. He tells Frank that instead of hiding in the dark, he stood up for what was the right thing to do and saved his friend’s life. Frank begins to get upset and says he is not a fighter nor a soldier. If anything Frank didn’t mind living the life he once had. Harper tells Frank that it’s better to stand up and fight for what is right than to kneel accept defeat. That’s why the HDF soldiers Frank sees in the outpost keep striving on. Because they believe that one day, humanity will finally win the god forsaken war and to one day finally live in peace. Frank didn’t have to be a soldier to figure that out. As long as he believed in what was right, that’s all that mattered. Frank asks Harper if he really believes they will win the war. Harper tells him yes, that they can and they will win the war. Humanity has faced many challenges in it’s lifespan and each one has been overcome. Harper says that this challenge in particular will just take a little more time to overcome than usual. Grabbing Frank’s shoulder, lieutenant Harper tells Frank that no matter how many losses humanity suffers, sometimes they need to lose the small battles inorder to win the war. That it is better to die standing up, than live life on his knees. Harper looks at Frank for a moment, then walks off to his quarters. Frank looks back at Harper, then to the Hydro tanks, and then heads back to the barracks. As Frank is walking down a hall towards the barracks, a loud explosion is heard above and the ground shakes. Red lights flash on and alarms ring out all through the bunker. HDF soldiers sprint from the barracks and head to the bunkers armory to get weapons. Frank sees Chris and Zachary running with the soldiers and he goes to catch up to them. He asks what the commotion is all about and Zachary tells him that the dominion found the outpost and they are landing forces as they spoke. The soldiers begin grabbing rifles from the gun racks and make their way to the elevator that took them to the surface. Zachary grabs two rifles and hands them to Chris and Frank. Lieutenant Harper walks by and asks if they knew how to use the weapons. Chris nervously laughs and says he doesn’t but he thinks he’ll be an expert here in a moment. Harper tells Frank and Chris to just point, aim, shoot, and repeat. After the group gets their weapons, they follow the rest of the soldiers onto the surface elevator. Lieutenant Harper is the last one to get on and he slams the gate shut. As the elevator begins to raise to the surface, Harper tells the soldiers around him this was the moment they had all been training for. The time has come that the 32nd HDF infantry showed these murderous bastards what a real fight was. The soldiers cheered and shouted for the Lieutenant. Harper then looks at Frank and nods his head in a way to signal he is ready for what awaits him on the surface. Frank hesitates, but nods back. Although he was scared, he was ready to finally fight back, to stand up...and do the right thing. They reached the surface and everyone poured out of the elevator. Frank ran out but quickly stopped to look at was he was truly running into. All around him he could hear soldiers shouting orders, gun fire roaring left and right. The loud bang of grenades exploding in the distance. Wounded soldiers calling for a medic. This is what war truly was, and Frank didn’t know if he was really ready. Zachary runs and grabs Frank by the arm and pulls him down behind a wall of sandbags and hands Frank his rifle. Frank looks at Zachary and Chris as they are fighting. For a moment, Chris looked as if he was having the time of his life shooting back at his oppressors. Zachary looks at Frank and tells him to quit being a little girl and shoot something. Frank looks at his rifle, takes a few quick breaths, raises his rifle above the sandbags, and begins to fire at the assaulting dominion forces. His adrenaline rose higher and higher every time he squeezed the trigger. He finally felt he was doing the right thing. The group stood and fought side by side, killing any dominion uniform that came in their sights. Lieutenant Harper ran over to the group's position and encouraged them to keep up the pressure. That they’ve almost got the dominion on the run...But the lieutenant was wrong. Another wave of dominion troops arrived on the battlefield. Only this wasn’t an ordinary garrison of standard dominion infantry. These were dominion commandos. They were only sent into combat for one reason...to kill every human in their path. HDF soldiers were dropping left to right as the dominion began to advance further through the outpost. Lieutenant Harper order all remaining forces to retreat down into the bunker. Frank and the rest of the group follow Harper back to the elevator shaft and head back down into the bunker with the remaining HDF soldiers. As the gate opens, Harper's stops the group and tells them that a ship is ready for dust off in the bunkers hangar. It will get Frank and his companions to the rest of the HDF fleet. Frank asks the lieutenant to come with them but he declines. He tells Frank him and his men will hold off the dominion for as long as they can to by some time. The group thanks the lieutenant and make there way to the ship. The three of them pile into the shuttle and strap in. The hangar bay doors close and the shuttle begins its burn sequence. Once the burn sequence was complete, the ship launched from the hangar. Zach got on the ship's communications and informed lieutenant Harper that the ship was away and they were clear from all dominion forces. Harper acknowledges and wishes the group the best of luck. Frank tells the lieutenant it was an honor knowing him. The ship breaks Peruvians orbit and jumps into slipspace right before any dominion ships can target them. Lieutenant Harper readies his rifle aside his men and waits for the dominion to approach. The dominion can be heard right on the other side of the blast door that led to the elevator. Harper tells his men to ready themselves. The dominion didn’t take prisoners, and each one of those soldiers knew that. An explosion goes off and the blast door is ripped wide open. Dominion soldiers begin pouring into the bunker and the battle ensues. The HDF gives it everything they have, each soldier fighting until his or her last breath. The dominion commandos push forwards and completely eradicate the first line of defense. Slowly, one by one, the HDF soldiers fell until the battle reached Harper’s last line of defense. He was struck in the arm but continued to fight. Then again in the right leg, yet the lieutenant kept fighting. Eventually Harper ran out of ammunition as well as the handful of HDF soldiers who were left standing. The dominion surrounded them...awaiting the order to fire. Lieutenant Harper was lifted up by one of his men so he could at least stand tall before his death. A commando raises his hand in the air, signaling the other dominion soldiers to prepare to fire. Even in facing certain death, the lieutenant was not scared. The dominion commando drops his hand from the air, a barrage of gunshots echoed through the bunker halls. Then everything grows quiet… The group holds on tight in their seats as the ship closes in on it’s destination. In an instant the ship jumped out of slipspace and had arrived at its exact position...But there was no HDF fleet in sight. It was just empty space. Confused, Frank asked if they had possibly jumped to the wrong coordinates. Chris checked the coordinate log and it was spot on. Zachary denies chris’s answer and goes to check himself. But as he is checking, the ship begins to shake as a massive HDF starship cruised overhead of the groups shuttle. Then another after that, and another after that. Turns out the group had actually jumped out right in front of the entire fleet, they were just facing the wrong way. The voice of an HDF crewman comes over the shuttles comms demanding who was aboard. Zachary tells Frank and Chris that it was best he answered. He goes to the communication link and tells the crewman his name and rank, and that he escaped with two civilians out of New Montana. He also explained he had vital dominion intelligence to give to Colonel Matthews. Frank and Chris looked at each other, then Chris whispered to Frank wondering who Colonel Matthews was. Frank shakes his head and has no idea. The crewman grants the group permission to land on the “HDF Crimson Knight” and that the colonel would meet them in the hangar. Zachary looks back to Frank and Chris with relief and tells them they’re finally in safe hands. As Zachary took the shuttle into land, Frank and Chris were amazed at the size of each starship. Each one was colored a dark metallic silver with a thick bronze-orange line running down the center of the hull. Lights were strategically placed to shine on each vessel’s name to allow for easy identification. Had Chris known the HDF starships were so fascinating, he would have enlisted decades ago. Zachary landed the shuttle in the Crimson Knights hangar and signaled for Frank and Chris to follow him. It was time they met the man in charge of everything. As the shuttle doors opened, a man in a HDF uniform stood in front waiting to greet them. His uniform was not like the rest of the soldiers around him. Instead he had 3 gold stripes on his collar and shoulders. His hat was dark grey and bore an insignia of a silver eagle on the front. He stepped forward and shook each of the group's hands. Zachary stood at attention and saluted, the man saluted back and told Zach to go at ease. He stepped over to Chris and Frank and introduced himself as Colonel Matthew, the acting leader of the Humanitary Defense Force. Frank and Chris start to introduce themselves until Zachary interrupts and informs the colonel of the dominion information he has. Colonel Matthews suggests to Zachary that whatever information it was that it could wait. Zachary urged the colonel to look at the intel and stressed it changes the HDFs entire operation. Matthews expression changed and he ordered Zachary, Frank, and Chris to follow him. Whatever that intel Zachary uncovered from the dominion now seemed like the only thing that mattered now. Colonel Matthews and the group made their way to the starship's bridge. Zachary went up to the holotable and inserted the flash-drive containing the dominion intel files. What appeared on the table sent shivers down everyone’s spine. See the dominion were a human-like species who expanded by conquering other galaxies in order for their people to grow in population. But in order for the dominion to potentially colonize other worlds...They must first wipe out the galaxies original occupancy. These were not ordinary dominion documents, they were plans created by Emperor Carius himself for placing thermonuclear devices in every major populated district of the galaxy. This was their end game plan to officially wipe out the entire human species. To make matters even worse, more files showed that the dominion had already placed the devices in their designated locations. The official order to activate each device would come straight from and only from emperor Carius himself in a week's time. After the initial blasts, dominion would have an easier time hunting down the rest of the surviving humans. But this intel didn’t just contain terrible news for humanity, but also an advantage. Since the dominion was preparing their colonization phase, that meant they could not receive any military reinforcements due to the ships having to be used for colonist transport. That meant whatever dominion forces were in the galaxy...were on their own. Colonel Matthews thanked Zachary for the intel and that now it was time the HDF develop its plan of attack. Frank and Chris looked at each other in shock. Frank asked the colonel what him and Chris could do. Matthews chuckled and told them for now they needed to get some rest and be ready. Chris asked Matthews what they needed to be ready for. Zachary looked at Frank and Chris. He told them to be ready for war.

Chapter 4 - Reclamation Day: Peruvian IV​

General Nelius calmly entered the emperor’s throne room and made his way through the vast hall towards Carius’s chair. Once he had reached the other end of the hall, Nelius stepped upon a platform and knelt before the emperor. He had asked what he was summoned for. Emperor Carius looks at the general and asks if he is of loyalty...The general becomes confused. Carius asks the general again, was Nelius of loyalty to his emperor. Nelius why the emperor would ask such a question, for his loyalty was to and only to Carius and the dominion. Carius rose from his chair and demanded to know why general Nelius had failed to capture the human responsible for stealing his plans. Nelius began to speak but was cut off by Carius. It did not matter any further for the outcome has finished. He walked over to a large panel of stained glass and gazed out at the streets of New Telphia. Carius informed Nelius he believed the HDF would soon return to take back their homes, assuming they’ve already seen his plans. Nelius thought the emperor's words to be outrageous. The general claimed he would destroy every last human ship and fight to his last breath to prevent defeat. Carius turned to Nelius and told him that is exactly what he’ll do. Carius ordered Nelius to take his battle group and lock down New Montana and the moon of Peruvian IV. General Nelius was not to return unless victorious. Both were quiet for a moment, then Carius ordered Nelius to leave and do as his emperor asked of him and proceeded back to looking out the stained glass panel. General Nelius knelt down once more, informed the emperor his order shall be done, then left… Frank walked out from his quarters right as Zachary and Chris went to knock on the door. Frank asked what the order was about, Chris told him colonel Matthews ordered all HDF personnel on board to report to the hangar bay at once. It had to do with emperor Carius’s plans. The group made their way to the hangar with the other soldiers and waited to hear from the colonel. Every inch of the hangar bay was filled with all sorts of HDF units from infantry to crewman. After a few minutes of waiting, colonel Matthews stepped forward on a catwalk ledge. He spoke through the ship’s intercom system, filling the entire hangar with his voice. When Matthews first spoke, he asked for the crowd to look around them. To look at each brother and sister standing next to them. To look back at the sacrifices given from those who are no longer among them. It was their sacrifice that has led them to survive for so long. For years they have been planning, waiting for the time to strike back at those who took their homes away. Who killed the innocents of millions in cold blood. Well they have waited long enough. Colonel Matthews informed the men of emperor Carius’s plans to wipe out all human life in the galaxy in preparation for a dominion expansion. They will not let that happen. Matthews tells the men to enjoy their meals on the ship that night. Because after the meal, their entire fleet will jump to the moon of Peruvian IV and take back the colony of New Montana. Many of the men look at each other in surprise and question the colonel's plan. Matthews goes on in his speech. He understood that many of them were scared, so was he. He knew the men had fear of dying in battle. He told them that death smiles at them all, all a man can do is smile back. That it was better to die on their feet than to live on their knees. As soon as the colonel said that Frank thought back to Lieutenant Harper. Harper had told Frank the same exact thing just a day before the dominion attacked. But then he remembered everything else Harper said, about finding his purpose and doing the right thing in life. Frank looked over to Zachary and Chris who were still focused up on the colonel. He looked at them as if he was saying goodbye. He knew that if either of them were to lose their lives, he would want to remember their faces forever...Just like he remembers the Lieutenant. Chris tapped Frank on the arm and asked if he was alright. Frank just nodded his head and looked back up to the colonel to hear his speech. Each soldier in that hangar has lost something through this war, and it was time to take it back. Whether it be the loss of a friend or loved one, or the destruction of a home, the dominion would soon know they have not won just yet. Now was the time to stand up with every inch of strength they had left and turn the tide of battle. Now was the time to make one final effort to reclaim their homes. No longer will their people have to kneel before the shroud of darkness and tyranny. For upon the end of the war shall bring a slain emperor and dominion flags blazed in a yellow flame. The sun will shine down on us as we free humanity from the shackles stowed upon by the dominion. Matthews called to everyone listening in the hangar and asks who will stand with him. Who will pick up their rifle and give every inch of strength left in their bodies to achieve victory. The hangar roared with chanting HDF soldiers as they raised their fists in the air. Frank, Chris, and Zachary were among those chanting as well. After the speech, everyone went to prepare their gear and weapons for the coming assault. Chris on the other hand, spent his time looking out at the other starships. Colonel Matthews steps next to Chris and looks out at the fleet with him. He asks Chris if it was quite the sight. Chris does not reply, instead he asks Matthews if he had any family. Matthews said no, he never got the chance to have one. Chris talks to Matthews about his family. He had a wife and two kids, a boy and a girl. Matthews asked what happened to them. Chris told him that shortly after the war came to a halt, the dominion began taking civilians. They would say that person was in question for treason. Well one day, a group of dominion district guards came to their home and tried taking his wife away. Chris tried to stop them but was taken to the ground and restrained. Chris's son and daughter ran out of the house at the guards, trying to free their mother but were too restrained on the ground. Two guards aimed their weapons at the children. Chris begged for them to let his kids and wife go and to take him instead. The head of the squad of guards went over and knelt down to Chris. The guard told Chris he should’ve taught his children to behave better, then nodded to the other guards aiming at the children… they were both shot in cold blood. Chris paused for a moment. Matthews then asked what happened to his wife. Chris told him she was taken and thrown into a dominion vehicle. He never saw her again. Chris looked over at Matthews and explained to him that he did not fear what lies ahead. He knew that if he were to die at any point, he would be reunited with his family. But before that happens he would ensure that no one else would have to suffer the same way he did. Matthews turned to Chris and told him he better get his gear ready, because the fighting was about to start before too long. Chris nods and makes his way to the armory. Franka and Zachary were already there getting their weapons. Chris grabs his gear and throws it on. Then he goes to grab a rifle and load a magazine into it. Frank noticed Chris seemed furious about something. When he went to ask, Chris just told him that he was eager to free his home colony. Once they got their gear, the group headed to the company of soldiers they were assigned to and awaited further instructions. Their company callsign was Whiskey 5-4, an elite infantry company with plenty of combat experience. Frank, Zachary, and Chris were alongside some of the best the humanitary defense force had to offer. After an hour of waiting around, their captain finally arrived to brief the company. Once the fleet reached its destination, Whiskey 5-4 and another company, Kilo 2-1 will load up on dropships and head straight to New Montana. Once the companies hit the ground, they had to neutralize the dominions orbital mac guns to allow their starships to safely break through the moon’s atmosphere. The captain also informed the men that there was fighting already happening on the moon’s surface. Confused, Frank asked the captain what he meant by that. The captain informed him that due to the increase in dominion military presence, the people of New Montana have begun an uprising. That is where Kilo 2-1 comes into play. They will go and reinforce a group of civilians in the central districts of New Montana and help them push the dominion back while Whiskey 5-4 deals with the mac guns. After the guns were destroyed and the dominion was pushed out of the central districts, all forces would then regroup and push to the colonies capital building. As the captain continued his briefing, colonel Matthews voice came over the intercom. He informed all units that they would be coming out of slipspace at Peruvian IV in three minutes. All units needed to be at their stations and prepare for combat. The company captain cut his briefing short and told the men to get to their assigned dropship. As Frank, Chris, and Zachary were heading out of the room to the hangar, they were called to the bridge by colonel Matthews. The group went to the bridge to see what the colonel wanted. Matthews just figured they wanted to see the view first hand once they exited the slipspace jump. A crewman on the bridge notified the colonel they would be exiting slipspace in 20 seconds. Then the crewman proceeded to countdown from 5. When he hit zero, the crew felt a small bump as their ship and the rest of the HDF fleet exited slipspace. What faced the fleet was not what they were expecting. In front of them was a large battlegroup of dominion warships in the formation led by only one person...General Nelius. Colonel Matthews raised the ships alert to level one and ordered the launch of all fighters. Another crewmen informed Matthews they were picking up a communications link from the planet. Matthews ordered the crewman to patch it through. It was Nelius himself. Frank and Chris stood as still as a rock. Nelius greeted colonel Matthews and asked if they had come to surrender. Matthews laughed at the general. He told him it was time the dominion left their galaxy and they could either do it peacefully or in ruins. Nelius sternly looked at Matthews, the at Zachary. He told Zachary he looked forward to seeing him soon, and as for the rest of colonel Matthews and his fleet...they were to prepare for their end. The transmission ends and the bridge is silent. Matthews turned to Frank and the group. He ordered them to find Nelius and kill him. If he dies, then the rest of his fleet will have no righteous authority and will retreat to their emperor. The group nods and heads back to the hangar to regroup with their company in the dropship. The fleet advanced forward and began firing at the dominion battlegroup. Both fleets began exchanging fire and fighter jets met in the middle in one massive dogfight. Shortly after the battle begun, the dropships loaded with soldiers were launched and headed straight for the colony capital. The ride down was bumpier than ever. Dodging plasma shots left and right, flying straight through the dominion battlegroup. Finally, the groups dropship hit the colony surface. Fighting could already be heard outside. It sounded like never ending thunder. Finally the dropship ramp came down, and the group alongside the rest of the company poured out of the ship. Frank and Chris didn’t even recognize their home anymore. Streets were riddled with trash and rubble. Buildings crumbled down or burning from explosions. The air was crisp and full of ash and smoke. And the sky was colored a bright orange from the roaring flames. It was the first hours of the war all over again, only this time they were attacking instead. The companies moved out and met up with a group of armed civilians held up in a ruined cafe building in the capital's central district. Frank and Chris recognized a few of the civilians there and were glad to see them. One of the civilians told Franks company captain about how two of the three mac guns were already disabled by the civilians and gave him the location of the last gun. The captain thanked the civilians for making their job easier and informed them Kilo 2-1 will be staying back to help them. The civilian is grateful and heads to speak with the Kilo company captain. Whiskey 5-4 moves out and loads up into a convey to the location of the last gun. Even though it was only one mac gun, they knew the dominion would have it heavily defended. As they were approaching their destination, the lead vehicle of the convoy is hit with a plasma rocket and bursts into flame. The rest of the convoy halts and the company rushes out to engage the dominion forces. Frank and the rest of the group takes cover against the wall of a building. They could see another group of civilians already exchanging fire with the dominion. Around the corner they could see the last mac gun and a lot of dominion infantry in the way. The company captain ordered two squads of men to take the center and provide suppressive fire. Frank, Chris, and Zachary would go with the captain’s squad and flank through one of the buildings to get the jump on the dominion. Each squad moved to their assigned place and the battle was on. The first two squads managed to get to cover in the street while taking only a few casualties. They returned fire with the dominion, covering Frank and the rest of the captain’s squad so they could get into their flanking position. As they moved through the building, two soldiers of whiskey company were shot and dropped to the floor instantly. A small group of dominion infantry occupied the upper level of the same building. Most likely to prevent anyone from flanking their defenses. Bullets rang out in the stairwell as both dominion and HDF units engaged in close quarter combat. The captain ordered Chris and another soldier to toss some grenades at the upper level. Chris and the other soldier grabbed a grenade from their vest, pulled the pins, and threw them up the stairwell at the dominion. Panic is heard from one of the dominion soldiers and two loud bangs went off. Frank and the rest of the squad recovered and rushed upstairs. The squad of dominion infantry were dead from the blasts, but the fight wasn’t over just yet. On the second floor there was a doorway which led out to a cat walk overseeing the streets. On that catwalk was the heavily fortified dominion defenses. The captain ordered Frank, Chris, and Zachary to stack up quietly on the left side. The rest of the men went with the captain on the right. He told the men to pick a target and steady their aim on them. If everything went right, they would only need to fire one volley to eliminate the defenses. The captain gave the order to fire, and everything went off without a hitch. A single volley of shots was fired, and the dominion defenses were silenced. The captain moved out onto the catwalk and signaled for the other squads to push forward. Since the dominions main line of defense was knocked out, it made it easier to advance through and clear out anymore infantry around the mac gun. Once it was clear, Zachary a few other soldiers from whiskey company placed charges along the base of the gun. When the chargers were placed, everyone moved back and took cover. The charges detonated and the gun went up in flames. The captain radioed up to colonel Matthews that all mac guns were disabled and he was clear to send down the rest of the fleet. The colonel acknowledged the captain and informed him they were nearly done mopping up the rest of the dominion battlegroup. Matthews then ordered whiskey company to regroup with Kilo and advance towards the capitol building. All orders were acknowledged and everyone loaded back up in the convoy and headed back to link up with Kilo 2-1. The battle was going well throughout the capitol itself. More and more HDF troops were landing down and dominion forces were continuously pushed back. They knew once they reached the capitol building, it would be one of the hardest fights to win yet. Especially since it was occupied by general Nelius. Finally, the HDF had the capital building surrounded on all sides. In front of Frank and the rest of the men laid an open parade ground scattered with wrecked dominion vehicles and blast craters. Beyond that was the dominions last line of defense. This was the final hour. After this, Peruvian IV would officially be free from risk of destruction. Three friends, standing beside each other, waiting for the call to charge. The wind is steady. Each soldier ready to push till their last breath. Then finally, the order to advance is called. The HDF charges through the parade grounds towards the dominion lines. Mortars barrages are fired at the HDF, clusters of soldiers are thrown into the air upon mortar impact, but they keep pressing forward. Frank, Chris, and Zachary all move together. Moving cover to cover as they get closer to the capitol building. Unlike the rest of the soldiers, they knew what their order was. To kill Nelius. They keep moving until...until the unthinkable happened. A mortar landed right next to Frank and the group, knocking them off their feet. Dazed and delirious, Frank slowly sat up and got his bearings back. Through the dust lifted from the blast he could see Zachary recovering as well...but Chris still laid there and didn’t move. Frank called out to Chris and rushed over to his body. Frank tried to shaking him to wake him up, but still nothing. There was no pulse. Chris was gone...Frank held Chris’s body in his arms as he looked around. Everywhere soldiers were falling, calling for help. Death surrounded him like a blanket with no warmth. Zachary rushed over to Frank and told him to keep moving. Frank didn’t want to leave Chris there, but Zachary pulled Frank up and pulled him behind a slab of lifted concrete. Zachary told Frank there was nothing he could do and to get his head straight. They were nearly at the door of the capitol building. Filling his heart and mind with anger, Frank pushed forward with Zachary and the rest of the HDF soldiers and killed any dominion uniform in his path. No prisoners were taken in that time. Eventually the dominions defenses fell, and the parade grounds were taken. Zachary and Frank wasted little time and ran into the capitol building to hunt down general Nelius. Frank and Zachary met little resistance inside the building. It was almost as if it was abandoned. But that changed when they came under intense fire from a group of dominion district guards. Nelius was among them. A squad of whiskey company soldiers moved to Frank and Zachary’s aid. General Nelius retreated from the fight and sealed himself in the main meeting hall. Frank and Zachary finished off the district guards and told the HDF squad to hold their position. Frank and Zachary both kicked in the meeting room doors. Standing on the opposite end of the room was general Nelius. Frank and Zachary cautiously moved closer and ordered the general to put his hands up. The general did not comply. Instead he greeted Zachary and that it was glad they finally saw each other again. Zachary asked again for Nelius to put his hands up, and to get on his knees. The general still did not comply. Then, as if a switch was lifted, the general whipped around while dual-wielding two pistols and opened fire at Frank and Zachary. Zachary was hit in the shoulder and took cover behind a pillar. Frank took cover behind another pillar but was fine. General Nelius took cover behind his desk and reloaded his weapons. Zachary aims his rifle at the desk Nelius is hiding behind and opens fire. Using the shots as covering fire, Frank moves up pillar by pillar to get a shot on Nelius. When Zachary stopped to reload, Nelius rose to return fire but didn’t see Frank aiming at him. Frank shot general Nelius in the right arm, immobilizing him. The general went to aim at Frank with his other but was shot in the left arm as well by Zachary. It was too painful for the general to reach for his weapons...he was defeated. Frank and Zachary moved up slowly to the immobilized general. He laughed over and over again. He told Frank and Zachary to just get it over with, for their victory on Peruvian IV would only last for a short time. Frank lowered his weapon and asked what Nelius meant by his statement. Nelius explained how even if they manage to defeat the emperor, the dominion will return stronger than before. And when they arrive, humanity will not be shown any mercy in the onslaught. They would die a shameful death and...but before the general could finish his sentence, Zachary put a bullet in Neliuses head. The all mighty war general Dominus Nelius, the murderous tyrant, was dead. Frank and Zachary looked at the general’s body, they could not believe they had just killed the emperors top officer. When they came out of the capitol building, they were met by the presence of hundreds of HDF soldiers and civilians, all looking back up at Frank and Zachary. Frank shouted to the men that the general was dead. Men began cheering throughout the parade grounds chanting and shouting victory. Moments later battlestars began coming through the moon’s atmosphere to bring down supplies and aid to the people of New Montana. As people cheered and smiled, Frank nor Zachary did not. Instead they went back to the spot they left Chris. HDF medics were already there, putting his body on a stretcher. They covered him with a blanket and carried him away. Behind Frank and Zachary, the company captain of whiskey 5-4 ordered his men to present arms. They saluted his body as it was being taken away. The battle for New Montana was won but came at a price. Each man knew of this price, including Chris. Frank and Zachary took a shuttle back up to the HDF Crimson Knight and went to inform colonel Matthews of the general’s death. Matthews was pleased to hear of the victory and congratulated them both on their success. He understood Frank and Zachary were mourning but it would have to wait. They still had one last mission to do...to kill the emperor. Frank told the colonel they were not going to sit around and mourn just yet. They could mourn for Chris after they took back Terra and stopped Carius from activating the devices. Matthews nodded and took Frank and Zachary to the bridge to brief them on the next mission. Since much of the dominion fleet was destroyed in that battlegroup, every other colony would be an easy win up until they reach terra. Knowing the emperor, he would have ordered every last dominion warship in the galaxy to relocate to terra. So the fleet will split up into several ship clusters and take each colony swiftly. Matthews would lead the larger battle cluster straight towards terra and assault it’s capital of New Telphia. Once the cluster reaches terra, it would be outnumbered at least 4-1 so it was vital that Frank and Zachary break through the dominion ship blockade, get inside the capital and prevent the emperor from carrying out his plans. Once other colonies were taken, those ships would then regroup with Matthews and help reinforce. That was the plan. If all went right, then humanity will finally be free from this darkness once and for all...and the war would be over.

Chapter 5 - End Game​

Emperor Carius stood looking out the stained glass window from his throne room. He found it soothing to the mind and calming. One of Carius’s other war generals approached him and knelt down. Carius granted the general to speak. The general informed Carius of their defeat on New Montana and the death of general Nelius. The emperor asked if that was all, the general went further to report they have lost all communications with 4 other colonies including Mars and Aegis IV. Carius looked to the general and ordered him to ready the troops for battle and to get the warships in defensive formations. The general knelt once more, informed the emperor his orders shall be done, then left. Carius looked back out the stained glass at the massing dominion military presence setting up blockades and heavy weapons along the entire capitol building… Alarms ring out through the Crimson Knight, colonel Matthews orders all units to man their battle stations. They were about to jump out of slipspace at their destination. Terra. Upon exiting slipspace, they were met with the remaining dominion fleet. Though it was the last of their ships, they still outmatched Matthews group by nearly half a dozen more ships. Zachary and Frank were in the hangar on board a dropship with whiskey company awaiting the order to take off. Matthews ordered all ships to scramble fighters and advance towards the enemy fleet. The dog fights ensued once more and both dominion and HDF ships exchanged fire. Matthews gave the order for Frank’s shuttle to take off. He wished both Frank and Zachary the best of luck, and to end this war. They flew from the hangar and raced to the capitol. They were met with heavy fire from multiple dominion ships trying to prevent them from entering the planet’s atmosphere. Whiskey’s company captain quickly briefed his men on the plan. Once their ship reached the surface, whiskey 5-4 was to move in and clear the front entrance of the capitol building. Other companies such as Kilo 2-1 and Zulu 2-3 will eliminate the forward capital defenses. After the defenses are down, all companies will form a defensive perimeter around the capital and hold off the dominion for as long as Zachary and Frank needed to kill the emperor and stop the devices from being activated. This was it, the day that will determine whether humanity will live or die. The dropship reached the surface, Frank and Zachary along with the rest of whiskey company rushed out and immediately pushed towards the capitol building. There was no time to stop, they kept pushing forward no matter what was in their way. Eventually they reached to entrance to the capitol building. Zachary ordered a squad of whiskey members to follow him and Frank into the building. The rest were to wait outside and hold off any dominion reinforcements. The capital building of New Telphia was much larger than the one on New Montana. This was because it housed nearly every single colony primarch in the milky way during the human space expansion period. As they continued through the building they met plenty of resistance along the way. They knew they were getting closer to the emperors location from the increasing number of the emperor’s royal guard units. Colonel Matthews asked for a situation update, Frank reported they were in the building but were still searching for the emperor. Frank asked how the fight was going above the planet. It wasn’t good. Matthews battle cluster was down to 60% fighting capacity. One of the other clusters managed to reinforce so it bought them some more time, but not much. Frank acknowledged the colonel and informed him they will do the best they can to find Carius. The group continues on through the capitol building, fighting pockets of dominion forces every so often. They approached a sealed hallway and kicked down the door. On the other side was emperor Carius and another dominion war general. He was holding what looked like an activation key. Frank and Zachary opened fire but missed the emperor. Carius used his guards as cover and ran off one way, while the war general ran another way with the activation key. They knew they wouldn’t have enough time to get to one then the other. The group would have to split up. Zachary would take two men and go after the war general while Frank took the other two and went after Carius. Outside the capital, things were getting hairy. More and more dominion forces poured into try and retake the buildings defenses. But whiskey 5-4 and the other companies continued to stand their ground. Frank and his group were right on the emperor’s tail until they were stopped by a squad of dominion commandos. One of the HDF soldiers was killed while trying to find cover while Frank and the other soldier hid behind a hallway pillar. Zachary and his group were in the same situation, only they had the general trapped. One of the HDF soldiers tossed a grenade near the dominion commandos positions and manages to kill two of them. Zachary and his group advance forward killing the remaining commandos. They breach the room where the war general was hiding and kill him before he can say a word. Zachary was just about to radio in that he secured the activation key, until both of his squad members were gunned down by dominion guards from behind. Zachary shut the door behind him and locked himself in...He was trapped. Zachary looked around the room for a moment and realized it wasn’t just an ordinary meeting room. No, in fact, it was a relay center that highlighted every one of Carius’s devices throughout the galaxy. It was an activation room. If it was destroyed then the devices couldn’t be activated. Zachary radios to Frank about his findings and how he can prevent the devices from going off permanently. Frank tells Zachary he can get him out of there, but Zachary declines the offer. There were too many soldiers outside the door and Frank needed to get to the emperor. That’s all that mattered now. Zachary places multiple charges around the activation room and sets the timer to one minute. Frank became agitated and told Zachary he wasn’t losing him too. Zachary tells him it was okay, he’ll be able to take a few more of these dominion bastards with him. Dominion forces could be heard outside, trying to break down the door to get to him. Zachary thanks Frank for everything he’s done for him and to get in that throne room and finish this fight. Frank tells him it has been an honor. It was likewise for Zachary. The door is kicked in, and the charges detonate. Nothing but static is heard on Franks end. He knew Zachary was gone. Frank reports to the colonel that the activation key to the devices was destroyed, and that Zachary was gone. Matthews only words to Frank were that he knew what to do now. Frank acknowledged and continued on with his last squad member after Carius. Dominion forces were getting closer and closer to the capitol building entrance. Slowly whiskey 5-4 and other HDF soldiers were falling fast. The HDF Crimson Knight had sustained heavy damage while fighting and the fleet was down to nearly 30% fightin capacity. It was now or never for Frank. They reached the entrance to the throne room. But suddenly Frank was shoved out of the way by his squad member as a dominion guard turned the corner and opened fire. Frank managed to recover and kill the guard, but his squad member was killed. Frank knelt down and thanked the dead HDF soldier. He rose back to his feet and opened the doors leading into the emperor’s throne room. Waiting for him in the middle of the room, was Carius, who was holding two plasma swords in his hands. Frank tossed his weapon to the ground and stepped forward. Emperor Carius told Frank that if he was to be fought, he would be fought the honorable way. Carius tossed Frank a sword and raised his. Frank told Carius that there is no honor in someone of evil and a murderer. Carius becomes enraged and lunges at Frank. Carius was more skilled with a sword than Frank, and it clearly showed. Frank swung at Carius and missed, allowing the emperor to slash Franks left arm. The plasma instantly clotted the wound and burned tremendously. Frank continued to spar with the emperor. Carius went to strike again but missed and Frank managed to slice his leg. The emperor knelt down in pain, but rose to his feet and lunged at Frank...Outside the capitol things were even worse than before. Only a handful of HDF soldiers from each company were left standing and the dominion began bringing in their heavy vehicles. Whiskey’s company captain urged the men to fight on and to not let up. But then, as if by a miracles chance, three HDF battle stars broke through terra’s atmosphere and began bombarding the oncoming dominion forces. The rest of the battle clusters had reached terra and eliminated the dominion fleet! Dropships full of HDF troops began landing and advancing through the city. The remaining HDF defenders cheered as the dominion retreated into the inner city… Back inside, the emperor had the upper hand in the matter. Frank was cut up on both arms and legs but still continued to fight. Carius wasn’t as cut up as Frank, but he did have major lacerations to his leg and torso. Both lunged at one another and struck their swords together. Pressing harder and harder, Frank and Carius look one another in the eye. Carius could see the determination in Frank’s eyes and laughed. He told Frank if he really believed he could win this fight, he should have just shot me when you had the chance. Frank tightened his grip on his sword and shoved the emperor back while also slicing Carius’s other leg. Carius knelt down once more and stayed down this time. Frank slowly approached him with the sword at the ready. Carius spun around with a pistol in hand and fired. Frank froze in place as he felt a sharp pain in his torso right side. He looked down to see where Carius had shot him. Frank slowly dropped to his knees and didn’t move. Carius got up and yelled at Frank. He called Frank a fool for thinking he could defeat the emperor of the dominion. Carius went to pick up his sword and approached Frank. He raised the sword high in the air, ready to swing down upon Frank’s head. He shouted his full name, emperor Lucius Carius, and started to bring his sword down. But before he could fully swing, Frank lifted up and pierced emperor Carius through the heart with his sword. Carius gasped for air and slowly stooped down to the floor. Frank leaned in to the emperor’s ear. He whispered to Carius, he should now finally be silenced. Carius could not say a word, Frank pushes him back and the emperor’s body falls to the ground. The holy emperor of the dominion now lay in front of Frank, motionless, empty of any life. Frank radioed into the colonel and informed him the emperor was dead, it was over. Matthews cheered for Frank and nearly began to cry. He asked for Frank’s position in the capital building...but Frank didn’t reply. Matthews asked again, but still no reply. The colonel’s voice can be heard on Franks ear-piece, but Frank cannot respond. Frank had suffered to severe of wounds before any medic could reach him in time. His body was carried out on a single stretcher. HDF soldiers were lined up outside, weapons in hand, and saluting Frank as he went by… It would only be a short while later until the rest of the milky way galaxy was reclaimed and the dominion would be defeated. Colonel Matthews hosted a memorial service for Frank, Chris, and Zachary. Thousands attended, people from all corners of the galaxy. At the service, he presented a speech to all who gathered. Matthews read aloud, “I’ve been asked, how will our story end, but how can it? How can we possibly find resolution after so much has happened? The war is over, but the fire shall burn on and in time our voyage will become history and our actions will become legend. The chapters we have written are a part of a greater act. As we depart our separate ways, we return to friends, and to families. We return home and the sun rises to welcome us as a new day begins. But victory was not achieved without sacrifices. We leave behind remnants of our journey, they were lost so that we may prevail. Yet even as we lose all else, we retained hope that our sacrifices were for a purpose. And that others will live on to remember them. Our story continues because it is the combination of many. Every character gives and takes a little, helps shape and change it. The choices we make will ensure its immortality. Our adventure may be over, but our story shall live on with everyone we shared it with. Because a good story such as this...will never end.”. Memorials were built on every colony to honor those who gave their lives during the reclamation days. In front of New Telphia's capitol building, rests a statue of three individuals standing side by side. On the statue's plaque reads, “Here we honor the heroes of humanity. The warriors of our salvation. May they find peace and tranquility in the reaches of Valhalla.”. Below that were three engraved names: Chris Perry, Zachary Cutter, and Frank Evans. No one would forget their sacrifice. Over time, humanity rebuilt what was once destroyed. Homes were restored, and the galaxy would then continue to expand across the stars. The idea of another dominion invasion was always a constant threat. But this time humanity would be ready for it. Because they understand the value of sacrifice for one’s species. And a person’s courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to home, to cause, to brothers and sisters in arms. Frank’s story may have ended but his legacy shall live on forever. Just as you, the readers, shall as well. Within each of our lives there is an adventure waiting to be taken. Because with every adventure comes a story, and every story carries on within you.
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