Chapter 88

Ever since the orbital station was destroyed above Concord, All UNSC forces have been put on high alert. Fleets were mobilized across human space and troops began to be shifted to planets that are more defenseless than others.

In total the UNSC had a total of 100 million Active Human Service members across all branches. 30 million were part of the UNSC Marine Corps, 10 million were part of the UNSC Navy including ONI, 40 million were part of the UNSC Army, and 20 million were part of the UNSC Air Force.

The UNSC Army's main role was to conduct ground combat operations and garrison duties on all human worlds in conjunction with the Marine Corps and the Air Force. All branches coordinated and conducted combined operations together during planetary engagements such as the Air Force and the Navy.

The Air Force was responsible for atmospheric operations and orbital defenses, they maintained the numerous Orbital defense platforms and manned star fighters to defend human space, often working closely with the UNSC Navy and Army. Their main mission involved maintaining aerospace superiority over the worlds of the United Human Empire as well as intercepting and destroying enemy attacks before and after they enter a world's orbit.

In war the Air Force played a crucial role in providing support to both the UNSC Army and Marine Corps.

As for the number of Active MCU service robots, the UNSC across all branches had a total of 40 million. Most of the MCUs were part of the Marines numbering 20 million as the MCUs were used to support the Marines during combat operations. The same for the army only their number was 10 million.

Within the Air Force, MCUs were already being used as Pilots to provide more aircraft for the defense of a planet or during space battles. Within the Air Force MCUs had many roles besides pilots including mechanical repair, systems management and even as co-pilots for manned aircraft. 5 million MCUs served within the Air Force, their advanced processing power allowing them to be proficient in all roles.

The final 5 million MCUs were employed by the Navy, fulfilling a variety of duties such as performing ship maintenance and aiding in intricate navigation calculations, as well as providing security on board ships. They worked side by side with the ODSTs during surface deployments providing an increased survival chance of the ODSTs.

The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) had a significantly smaller number of MCUs, only about half a million. These specialized units were used for infiltration and sabotage operations against enemy forces, their highly advanced programming allowing them to undertake missions that were deemed too dangerous for human operatives.

The combination of humans and MCUs over the years has yielded increased performance across the board. It enhances the fighting force that the UNSC has to another level.

12 hours after Covenant Council meeting

Thousands of Covenant ships were gathering into fleets as numerous high-ranking Shipmasters, Fleetmasters and Supreme Commanders were all assigned to each fleet.

The Covenant had gathered a total of 3,000 ships with another 2,000 standing by to wage war against the humans. The 3,000 ships that were gathering near High Charity were split into individual fleets controlled by Fleetmasters. The largest Covenant fleet, which is the largest to have ever been gathered, numbered 1,000 ships and was controlled by Imperial Admiral Xytan 'Jar Wattinree.

The other fleets numbered between 200-400 ships each being commanded by a Fleetmaster who was handpicked by the Hierarchs themselves. Within these fleet Hundreds of millions of Covenant troops were ready for battle eager to show the humans the true power of the Covenant.

Meanwhile, a few hours earlier on Earth Axel had conducted his announcement to the rest of the UHE.

"Today, a major incident has occurred above the world of Concord as a diplomatic ship from the Covenant Empire was allowed to dock at the station orbiting the planet." started Axel.

"We know that the Covenant would never negotiate as they want to eradicate our species, but former Admiral Ross was blinded by his desire for personnel glory and allowed this Covenant ship to dock at the station without first informing me of what was going on. As a result, the Covenant used this to sneak a bomb aboard their ship and once it landed on the station it blew up without warning destroying the station and killing everyone onboard the station without warning" explained Axel. His voice fell silent for a moment.

"My prayers are with the families of those who were onboard the station and I must apologize for allowing such an incident to happen as the Lord Protector of the UHE, I have failed to prevent this from happening," said Axel. On every world the people had hushed to listen, their collective hearts heavy with the weight of the tragedy.

"But this is not the end of it, the covenant will likely use this against us and wage an all-out war against the UHE, attacking every world within the UHE. But let me assure you, we are prepared. We may be outnumbered, but our forces are prepared to withstand this threat. We have been training for a moment like this, and we are ready to defend our home," Axel said, as his words began to begin to give people a sense of determination.

"And with that, I say this. I have allowed the Covenant to exist for too long, their leaders continue to fill their minds with false prophecies of their so-called 'Great Journey', blinding them to the true order of the universe. They are nothing more than a misguided armada, fueled by a malicious, barbaric intent. And so, to bring about peace in the universe, we will conquer them and destroy their empire, liberating the species they have subjugated and enslaved for centuries. We shall not sit quietly as they spread their falsehoods and bring destruction. It is time for us to rise and bring about peace and order within the universe. Let us not follow in their steps of destruction and genocide, but instead seek to uphold the sanctity of life and freedom for all species. We will fight, not out of hatred or revenge, but because it is our duty to protect and preserve the harmony of the universe, we will meet them on the battlefield, and we will prevail." Axel continued.

The crowd that had gathered for the broadcast erupted into cheers; their previous despair replaced by a surge of passion. Across every world within the UHE, individuals of different races, backgrounds, and beliefs stood together. They were united now as one and now it was time to show their unity.

The broadcast ended after Axel's final words, now it was time to prepare for the greatest war that he would have to fight.

"Omni, Cortana" called Axel as Omni and Cortana's avatar appeared on his desk.

"We must make up for our small number for now with MCUs. I have already put together something for this problem that I hadn't implemented yet, but now it will have to be put to use" said Axel as he opened a folder on his computer.

"To limit human casualties in the war we built entire fleets just for MCUs. I have already spoke with the security council members about this and they thought it was a good idea, we just never started this project." Said Axel as images and data on new ships was scanned over by Cortana and Omni.

The new ships were specifically designed for MCU use and would be used to form fleet controlled by MCU Admirals and Commanders to bolster the UNSC forces. Currently only 4 class of ships were created:

(MCU Command ship)

(MCU Battlecruiser)

(MCU Heavy Carrier)

(MCU Destroyer)

"The MCU Command Ship will serve as the primary control center for the MCU fleets, equipped with advanced AI integration systems and complete automated command and control facilities," Axel explained, pulling up a rendering of the sleek, ominous ship. "The Battlecruiser will be our primary offensive unit while the Heavy Carrier will act as a mobile base for our drone squadrons."

"And what about the Destroyer?" Cortana asked, analyzing the schematics of the smallest vessel in the fleet.

Axel replied, "The Destroyer will be our primary defensive and escort ship, designed to protect our larger vessels and provide support during engagements. Each of them will be armed with an array of Autocannons, MAC cannons, Ion Cannons, and the latest shielding technology."

The MCUs and AIs have never had a problem before, and with their research into Forerunner technology the control over the AIs had increased. AIs were created self-aware yes, but they had extreme loyalty to humans so no matter how smart they get they shouldn't be able to turn rogue, and if they did the UNSC had protocols in place for containing them.

"We will need to begin production immediately," said Omni, breaking the silence. "The Covenant won't wait for us to get ready."

Axel nodded. "I've already initiated the process. Installation 00 or the Ark will construct a massive station equipped with Large, medium, and small Assemblers all over the station which will allow us to produce an entire fleet of 100 ships and the required MCUs, vehicles, and spacecraft necessary to man them in 2 weeks." explained Axel.

"And while our shipyards churn out our new fleet, we'll continue to reinforce our defenses on all fronts," added Axel. "We need to be prepared for ground assaults too."

Cortana chimed in, "I suggest we increase MCU deployments on key worlds. The Covenant might aim for quick victories, surprise attacks on critical targets."

"Already done, our forces are standing at the ready, thanks to the teleporters, we can move people around quickly." added Axel.

With that said Axel had called a meeting with the security council to develop a plan and to shift the economy to war production. As of now the UNSC has 1800 ships in active service, a major increase from the previous year, and adding to the discovery of Shield worlds and other Forerunner installations they also had several Forerunner ships.

Within the colonies recruitment numbers started to rise in the millions as people looked to join the UNSC and fight the Covenant. Everybody was willing to fight for their current prosperity.

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A/N: Developed to combine both Forerunner and human technology here is Axel's new Flagship

(Axel's new Flagship)

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