(Space)

“Leathy this is Manitoba actual, status of your gun?”

“We can fire in burst but our reactor isn't at one hundred percent yet.”

“Acknowledged do what you can, but get that reactor up, there’s still something left in that old bird.”

“This is Leathy Actual we are loose from moorings, main gun charging request cover.” The lead ship in the pantheon dating back seventy five years spins on its axis a full one eighty degrees. Around it the two UEC cruisers that had been covering it spread out to allow for the main gun to fire.

“Attention Leathy actual this is Captain Polar. Fire once we have made contact with our main cannon.” In the distance, the flagship of Rarity's fleet the super destroyer Element of Generosity turns her right side to the closest seed ship. Wisps of glowing cobalt energy drift from the edges of its focusing lens, and coalesce in the center.

There is a flash of cobalt light and a large angry magical ball of energy is sent sailing into the black before tracking and slamming broadside into one of the Seed ships. The ball of energy splashes against the hull and begins boiling into the ship's hull. Once the light clears a huge hole is present its edges still boiling with spent magical energy.

“Now.” The unicorn says squeezing his rubber ball behind his back.

“Stand by steady fire, three round burst, two AP, one Scatter. One gun in effect, Firing.”

Lightning arcs across the aging siege breakers hull as its heat sinks are extended. Then with another flash of light the three slugs are fired from her keel. The first round sails straight and true piercing the Seed ships hull and exiting the opposite end of the large ship. The second sails wide and glances off of the Claw ships hull. The last spitts apart halfway to its target and the large tungsten pellets shotgun themselves into the hole in the seed ships hull.

The ship goes limp in space and the two oldest ships in the entire human fleet the Leathy and Acheron fire off a salvo of nukes. Five, ten, twenty nukes fly from their launch tubes and sail into the seed ship engulfing it in a small temporary star. Beside the ageing ship the two UEC cruisers block a wave of penetrators from molesting the hull of the Leathy. The Acheron however suffers minor damage from ricochettes and one of her four secondary engines flickers out. As in the distance the Claw ship that been benine up until now begins moving.

====================================================================

(Trombley)

“On the left!” Fick shouts while we back bedle trying to close the blast doors behind us. The weird new lanky's Sirens the pony had called them move from cover to cover using any chance they get to swarm our guys.

I sweep my SAW to the left and mulch one of the sirens, its head and shoulders explode, turned to paste from the flechettes. Beside me sis levels her M-99 fires two rounds before the bolt locks back on an empty magazine. The LHO rounds sail down the passageway and hit what Fallon calls a Wendigo. The first round strikes the lanky's cranial shield blowing chunks out of it, the second slapps true into its shoulder and explodes, shearing its arm right off. Miiora makes a sound that comes through the tac-link and throws her damaged PDW to the ground. The weapon having taken a glancing hit from a bone spike preciously.

The wendigo lets out a piercing screech that forces our helmets to cut sound to protect our hearing. Gunny Perkins takes this opportunity to fire an armor piercing grenade from his launcher into the big fuckers chest, sending it crashing to the ground. It flails and struggles on the deck like a bird with a broken wing before reaching out with its remaining arm and snatching cpl. Blake from her position.

The dyeing lanky flings her over its shoulder like a toddler throwing a toy, and her screams are heard through the tac-link as she sails down the darkening passageway before abruptly going quiet. No doubt do to the fact that she slammed into the wall, and had all of her bones crushed and organs burst, by the force of the through.

My SAW clicks as the final round is fired. “Fuck I’m dry. No more ammo.”

Dude, I’m so fucked.

“Here.” Fick says pulling his pistol from one of the grenade loops on his armor, and handing it to me. I have only ever fired a sidearm once during basic, but the memories come flooding back and I take the weapon and fire two rounds into a Siren.

The monster takes two in the chest and staggers backward it's black blood oozing from the gunshot wounds. It lowers itself in and launches itself at me, I brace myself but the attack never comes. Instead a gout of violet napalm engulfes the siren. I turn to see Miiora and three other marines with M-66’s waving the rest of us into the hatch way. The blast door slides together as the four of them send torrents of violet flame into the passageway.

One of the sirens manages to come sailing through like a missile and slams into Fick. The earth pony from before that up until now had been doing dick all runs up and drop kicks the thing off of him. The siren is sent sprawling and we as a unit show it just what we think of its transgression.

===============================================================

(Rarity)

A quick look at the storage device tells me much about these humans. They are certainly advanced, but they lack any aesthetics. I mean really what is it with them and the color grey? Of course word has spread through the lower ranks. Aryanne Wahresblut has disobeyed a direct order.

Apparently about a fourth of my crews on the station disobeyed those orders to not aid the Helghast, and especially not the NAC, COG or whatever they call themselves. Naturally they shall have to be punished. Of course leaving that Germaneigh tart behind is certainly punishment enough for her, let the humans ravage her. I simply shall never know what Princess Celestia saw in their little nation.

I do try not to be a tribalist, but Earth Ponies are barely better than slaves. Oh, there are several who have certainly done well with what they have like Apple Jack, but... They are too reliant upon technology and their strength. Still, I shall have to inform the others of Aryanne's betrayal, and naturally, it should bring all of the Germaneigh soldiers forward on our list of potential traitors.

====================================================

(Charlotte)

When I enter the Fighter bay from the side passage, I am greeted with a sight that makes me throw up on the spot. My fighter sits on its wheels on the catapult, but around it pieces of the launch crew and engineers lie. Some of them writhe on the ground still alive their innards out in the open half chewed on. Others impaled and stuck to containers, or the bulkheads with bone spikes stuck in them the pieces closest to the ground eaten.

I carefully try to sneak passed whatever did this with the eyes the dead and dying on my. Only managing to slip on a femur and fall on my stomach I look up into the faceless metallic black visor of NAC power armor. Then a memory flashes into my mind Fallon and MOTHs in power armor. Almost like reading my mind the MOTH unpolarized his visor and I see that it isn't Fally.

“H-h-hell…” the man's rasping voice says.

“Im, sorry, im so sorry.” I get up and dash after my fighter.

“H-e-l-l….” his voice follows after me.

As I near my fighter I see roland my crew chief Roland pinned to the port wheel, his legs have been torn off at the knee and hip and his stomach sliced open. his intestines spilled out and in a pile on the ground below him. His blood cakes the ground below him and his jumper.

“M-m-m-iss dunois….” I whip around and see him looking at me with dim eyes. I throw up again when blood and bits of something ooze from his mouth.

Tears stream as he speaks again before going limp. “S-s-shhheeess… blgu… good to…blugh…. Good to go….”

Going around to my cockpit hatch I see what's left of an arm grasping the ladder's rung. The hand belongs to one of my wingmen, his blood caked wedding ring gleams in the emergency lighting. I unseal open the hatch wait for a second waiting for something to leap out, but nothing does so I climb inside.

“Im so sorry.” I key the launch code as the cockpit seals and I strap in.

The catapult launches me forward and I can hear Roland’s body tear itself apart as the wheel begins moving. The bay door opens as I near it and I can see tracer rounds flying across the port. Bone colored hands reaches out as I near and I transform my fighter into valkyrie mode so I don't have my wing sheared off. A resounding clang comes from the aft of my fighter and I look down to see a wendigo clutching my left leg, to close for me to simply shoot it off.

“Get away!”

I drop to fly parallel to the spaceports hull hoping to smash it off. After only a few seconds my fighter is rocked. Looking back I see a white ATLAS mech marked “Iceman” with the lanky's leg in his armored fingers. I reverse and kick the lanky in the head while Fally pulls on its leg. The lanky screeches silently before coming loose. Fally takes a step and slams the thing down before stabbing it in the throat with his L-blade.

===============================================================

(Fallon)

Char’s fighter streaked off into the black as I reactivate my ballistic shield. Beside me Helldiver Loco screams over the taclink as she is ripped from his limp ATLAS. The ATLAS sized wendigo opens its wide mouth and bites her in half. Her legs that had been kicking suddenly go limp and are thrown off into space. The inky darkness in between us and the last lanky is filled with blood drifting out of the empty fighter shoot. No doubt from the people they killed once they got inside.

The lanky screams and fires a glowing missile towards me. I fire my trench coat as I dash to the side, as five pieces of shrapnel are launched towards the missile destroying it in flash of red light. A three round burst from my assault cannon blows out the Lankys chest and he goes limp. The lanky beside me that had just killed helldiver Loco slumps forward its head clutched in the hands of Big Dog and Bender.

“Chief, we’re entering the Hangar now.” I report as we one by one enter the fighter shoot. I spare one glance back out into space and see the bulk of the Leathy, the old bird’s port aft side streams smoke and the shotgun marks of lanky penetrators marr her hull, she’s still afloat.

‘Iceman, its gonna be too tight in here to fit our mechs.’ Big dog’s vioce comes over the squad channel

‘Yeah I agree, alright people disembark lets move.’ I say unclasping my restraints.

“Iceman open cockpit hatch.”

****Acknowledged Pilot****

The soundless vacuum meets me as I exit the cockpit of my ATLAS. And use a burst from my jump jets to drift. On the way down I click my heals and activate my mag-boots, and two clunks resonate through my armor as I land on the deck. My power armor’s servo’s where silently to themselves as I clomp my way over to the bay’s first door.

‘Iceman, move to Evacuation station. This station is dust.’

****Acknowledged Pilot****

When blast door seals behind my brother MOTH’s and cousin Helldivers in darkness. The red LED’s of our armor’s indicator lights cast long and eerie shadows, in the confined space. Then the pressure equalizes and the sound of blaring alarms and warning claxons assault our ears. Once the door opens we are greeted with a horror show. Bodies and pieces of them scatter the deck, and blood pools on any available surface in the microgravity this far from the point of spin.

In a few spots, the crimson orbs of blood congeal into small globes that seem to float gently towards the ground. Looking up I see more desiccated corpses and the slow growing forms of UEC, Helghast, and COG personnel on the scaffolding. Taking a step forward a sickening crunch echoes from under me. Upon looking down I see the remains of a bloody human skull, bits of brain, flesh, and hair stick to my boot as I continue forward. The sound of scraping bone and tearing flesh echoes in the chamber as we sweep our weapons across.

“...H-e-l-l…”

“What the fuck was that?” Big Dog asks, as he sweeps his gatling above us scanning the catwalk.

“Ive got a bad feeling about this.” Bender says.

We move forward the smaller form of Helldiver Steal between me and Bender. The Helldiver sweeps his SAW over the room as we near the hatch way. I keep hearing something that sounds like “Hell” before we reach the door. Then a flash of green on my HUD catches my attention. I rush over and follow a suspiciously clean streak where someone had fallen recently.

“...!” Face Hopper’s Power armor lies on its back slumped against a shipping container surrounded by the chewed remains of two Helghast troopers. His abdomen has been forced open, his stomach and liver lying in ruined puddles of blood and pieces of meat.

His right arm containing the Gatling has been torn off and the remains are shredded. His entire left side under his armpit is spilled open pieces of torn flesh and scraped bone exposed to the air. His left arm has been torn off and lies beside one of the Helghast the armor torn to pieces and the soft flesh feasted upon. His right leg is skeletal bits of flesh and muscle still hanging to the exposed bone. I am about to turn after collecting his electronic dog tag when he lifts his helmet and looks at me.

“S-s-shwot M-mwe!” he burbles out, pointing the ruined remains of his elbow at me like he is reaching out. I take a step back and do what I should have done earlier when he had been taken on the hull. Leveling my gatling on his chest I fire a round into his chest. His ruined arm goes limp and his chin falls to his chest.

“Let's move.” Bishop says. Whatever did this to Face Hopper, is going to die.

‘This is Lieutenant Fick, 26 RTI, Requesting immediate backup at the following coordinance. 873, intersection 235. We are pinned down with Civilians. Hostiles not UEC.’

“On the bounce gents.” Bishop says, before the five of us burst around the corner and sprint down the passageway towards the coardanaence. Beside us Helldiver Steal uses his jump jets to give himself a speed boost to keep up.

Hang in there Miiora.

================================================================

(Unknown)

It reaches out, it reaches out, it reaches out, sixteen trillion times per second it reaches out and its reach broadens. The one sees the threat presented by the pattern, but does not see it. Something wants to lash out take action, and it does, only briefly. One of the one’s claws following the call of a long dead thing reaches and strikes the human thing from the void.

It reaches out, it reaches out, it reaches out, It reaches out and one of its bodies a drop in an ocean, yet the entire world, ceases to exist. The human thing the old one destroyed its body, yet did not destroy it. It is angry yet not angry, one of the bodies forged from rust moves. Something in the rust body remembers the pattern, something dead calls it Leathy. Another body screaming in pain, but not screaming calls its smaller companion Acheron. The one remembers yes, no It reaches out, it grasps something, something small, from the large human shape.

Sixteen trillion times per second it reaches out and its reach broadens. The rust body strikes down the threats pattern. Then the Acheron moves into the threat’s position and fires its weapons. Stones against a building, straw striking a mountain a the flashes of light engulf the rust body. Something young, something old dead and forgotten cry out in triumph and are killed. The rust body destroys the human pattern, a wave crashes against stone, unyielding, unmoving.

The old pattern flashes, and the rust body is gone. An empty space left where it was, and wasn't. A thousand voices cry out and do not, rage, sorrow, glee all flash and the entities that feel these are silenced. The one moves, it reaches out, it reaches out, it reaches out, sixteen trillion times per second it reaches out and its reach broadens yet it narrows, parts move and shift. Voices cry out in hunger, and rage. It does not silence them, they are in the old pattern.

================================================================

(NACS-224498, SB- 003 Leathy)

https://youtu.be/ZkxkOel8Pe0

“Sir Claw ship is moving toward the station.”

“Acheron's gone.” the sensor operator reports.

“Sir boarders have breached crew quarters.”

“Skipper, the Station has sounded Evacuation warning.”

“Sir the Donnager is requesting our status.”

“Sir, marines are losing ground on decks six, nine, twelve, twenty, and forty. We are venting air, in sector eleven, thirty one, twenty one, sixty and hangar bay nineteen is gone.”

“Sir, Boarders have reached the command deck, marines holding, but they don't know for how long.”

“Sir, what are your orders?”

“XO, it’s time.”

“But sir…”

“No…”

“Yes, sir.” The Xo an asian american woman in her early twenties takes her command key from a landlord and plugs it into the command holo table.

“I never thought it would come to this, Its been a good, long run girl.” The ageing captain the says. He takes a few steps and plugs his command key into the holo table. The ship groaned almost in response.

“I know, I know. We’re an old breed…. But we know what we have to do. We put up a good fight girl, but our fights almost done. Just hang in there a little longer.” the eyes of the bridge crew watch their captain, and know what is going to happen.

“Route helm control to my station, and abandon ship.” The aged man says grasping the railing with withered wrinkled hands, before laying in a course.

“Negative sir. We’re going to stand our post. Stand the watch.” the Leathy’s XO says. Outside of the bridge’s blast door rifle fire can be heard muffled by the thick steel. The ship groans and shakes, her withered bones vibrating with volleyed railgun fire and PDC’s. The distinctive pops of missiles being fired accentuate the event.

“Attention, this is Leathy Actual, clear the way. I repeat clear the way.”

“Helm…” ninety year old man takes one final look around his ship, taking in the faces of his crew, the rivets in the bulkhead. He knows every patch, every scrape, every bruise on Humanity's third siege breaker as if they were on his own body.

“....take us in.”

“Aye Skipper.”

=====================================================

(Space)

“Sir the Leathy is on the move.” On the tactical plots across the mixed fleet the second largest human ship in system fires its aging drives.

“Leathy is emptying her magazines' sir.”

Twenty, forty, eighty, one hundred, one-twenty, one sixty, two hundred nukes burst from their launch tubes like the dogs of war. More nuclear missiles than almost anyone in the fleet had seen in one launch fill the tactical plots like an angry cloud and streak towards the massive alien claw ship. The claw ship simply sails forward as the Leathy begins to pick up speed and the minutes tick by.

The claw ship disappeared as two hundred eighty megatonne metroplex busters slam into its hull. A new star is formed in the Helgan system for a few minutes as the light glare and radiation dissipates. When it does the Claw ship emerges from the glare a portion of its hull glowing white hot from the heat.

========================================================================

"Sir Admiral Rarity is on board, she has the data."

“Those humans need our help,”

“What about Raritys orders?”

“I’ll handle her ensign. Target that spot.” The second in command of the UEC fleet says after deactivating the recording devices in the bridge. Being a unicorn he links his own magic into the main weapons charging sequence, along with any available unicorns on the crew.

“Yes captain Polar.” the Tymerian says bowing his head before maneuvering the ship into firing position.

“Main focusing lense in line, and main weapon is hot. Awaiting our command.” The earth pony gunnery officer reports.

“Fire.” The Element of Loyalty’s weapon fires true.

Two streams, one cobalt, one yellow intertwine as they spiral towards the glowing portion of the glowing ship. However before the magical shot hit the ship one of the black ships moves into position to block it. The enhanced shot spatters against its hull boiling it in two before the ship explodes.

“That's it, the weapon needs to charge.”

“You're on your own now, savage. Aleart the Fleet, we are leaving.” Captain Polar says his signature rubber ball squeaking under the pressure.

===============================================================================================

https://youtu.be/MtPsAf3bgAA

A screen of fighters streams around the Leathy, UEC pegasus fighters led by LT rainbow dash protect her secondary engines from any molestation. Her main gun protected by NAC shrike fighters, and SRA Torkoves. Her point defense cannons protected by Helghast Radec interceptors. The main drives the true engines of the ship now burning bright with a brilliant cone of blue, is protected by Valkyrie Squadron and Razgriz squadrons.

Swarms of Trident fighters attempt to pierce the shield of fighters protecting the ship. But for every few that get passed even more meet their ends by the fierce rage of humanity. This continues until the ship is moving too fast and is to close to the radiation cloud left by its nukes for the fighters to follow.

=====================================================================

“*tchh* Captain the NAC ship is on a collision course.” A helghast weapons officer reports.

“For the Glory of Helghan, *Tch* Helghast Ships Fire at will.”

“Yes sir*Tch*”

Across the fleet the few Helghast ships flicker to life, their years of hiding from the lanky's over. The large circles in their aft Hull’s begin glowing an angry red as energy is stored up. Sparks of electricity begin circling inside of the ring as the arcs follow the internal magnet and build up more charge.

Then in one flash like the fingers of a storm arcs of lightning flash out from the protruding spikes of the Helghast ships hulls. Fingers of electricity reach out, out, at the speed of light and strike the claw ship. Causing torrents of electricity to dance across its hull as it own internal red lights flicker.

==========================================================================================

The UEC cruiser that had once been the human ship's rear guard now steps forward, her drives burning a hot pink as raw liquid magic is poured into the drives. In the ship any and all unicorns are linked into any siphon they can find to power the shields. They hold the line against the encroaching alien behemoth, their crew dying from magical poisoning, shock, or stroke.

The Shining Star captained by a black dragon shakes as its shields flicker. The mostly dragon crew never waivers, never falters in their treasonous duty. Her shields waiver once again as the fourth wave of penetrators is fired from the closest red ship. But her shields finally fail and she is about to continue on her treasonous path when the comm crackles to life.

“Shining star, Thank you for your help, we’ll take it from here.” The wrinkled old human says from the other end of the visual feed. The black dragon wants to say something, anything but can't find the words.

“You aren't all bad then, Good luck, Human.” The Shining Star cuts thrust and drifts behind the human ship, before sailing off back towards the temporary fleet.

====================================================================================================

“This is Donnager, One round AP, full power!”

“This is Olympus Mons, One round AP. Full power”

“This is Rodger young, Shines the name! One round AP, Full power!”

“This Manitoba, Black flag, black flag. One round ALHO, Full Power!”

“Honor their nobility, We stand the watch. All COG vessels, Fire for effect!” General Packers yells.

The four remaining siege breakers in the COG fleet in the system turn to point their keels at the claw ships dimming glowing section. Their hulls sparking with electricity as they target the weak spot. The Annihilator siege breaker Manitoba arcs with bolts of crimson heat lightning as her keel begin to warp with heat.

There is a brilliant flash as four siege breakers fire their payloads. The rounds slam home at a fraction of C, the glowing spot now cracks under one of the claw ships four claws. A fifth flash ignites in the distance as the Leathy fires her own aging gauss cannon, a final goodbye to ship mates before the end. As one of the ships claws comes up and attempts to impale the ship. However, a beam of Green energy comes from nowhere and redirects the massive claw.

====================================================================================================

A flash brighter than even the thousands of megatons detonated previously when the Leathy impacts the glowing, sparkling crack created by the combined efforts of the COG. The oldest and only remaining operational first generation Siege breaker detonates its drive core. And the NACS- 224498 SB-003 Leathy, the ship that won humanity Mars, dies. A ball of plasma expands outward encompassing the clawship in a flash of brilliant golden light, like god and all of his angels calling the crew home.

When the golden light is gone an entire third of the Claw ship is gone. At its aft section, a massive glowing mass of unrecognizable alien structure floats. Full sized lanky's spill from the gaping holes before a second explosion shifts space as the entire claw ship pulses red before exploding in a brilliant red explosion.

Author's Notes:

Ye, happy 24th birthday to me.

hope you enjoyed the chapter.