The Empyrean spun counterclockwise on its axis, faster than any ship its size should have been able to move. Inside internal dampening systems of an unknown technology reduced the effects of the spin to almost nothing, leaving engineering and below deck crews non the wiser to the pitched battle going on above.

A massive tentacle passed through the space where the ship had been moment before, measuring hundreds if not thousands of meters across. The ship glowed for a moment with bright inner energy before pulsing once and shooting and arching beam of golden light out rom one of the many forward mounted Anima Mounted Cannons (AMP) guns for short.

The bolt of energy cut downward, sheering the massive limb in half, and the tentacle withdrew. A psychic screech battered against the hull of the ship as behemoth drew back, its battered limb spitting toxic black icor which sizzled in the vacuum of space.

ON the bridge of the ship, Adam flexed his hand pulling the ship to the right with just the power of his thoughts and motions as the vast typography of the monster opened up before them.

The first moment they had seen the creature was one of nerve-wracking intensity. None of them knew if the Empyrean would be able to protect them from the maddening effects of the strange alien creature, and they had gone slowly, opening up their comms channel to radio signals first, and then when the psychic blasts did not tear Adam's mind apart he had opened it up to the rest of the ship. With that done, they had slowly moved on to other elements, until the front view screens had been exposed and behemoth was revealed in all of its horror.

The creature, now fully visible to humanity for the first time since its awakening was a hideous thing that defied description. Later attempts to write or describe the creature would only result in frantic lines of gibberish from the perfectly sane members of the Empyrean crew, but no. This creature was of an unfathomable size beyond what had been known before, large enough to knock a planet of its orbit or its axis with gravity, a writhing mass of limbs and shapes and darkness and light that could not be drawn or properly captured in an image.

It had thousands of limbs, black tentacles stretching out into space man miles thick and hundreds of miles long, lashing frantically at the space around it like grass thrashes in a wind. Its skin was an oily black in color, darker than the dark space behind it. Thousands of eyes and teeth lined the tentacles, bone white protrusions that stuck out against the black, all of it wriggling and waving in a grotesque halo surrounding the most profound horror of all.

The creature's champing maw.

Many miles wide, perhaps hundreds, a gaping circular mouth with trillions of circling teeth leading back into the cavernous black opening of its throat.

And it was this creature that was making its slow, inexorable advance upon earth and her rocky inner moons.

They had crossed over Neptune's orbit as the battle raged, though luckily Neptune was not near enough for its orbit to be affected. Even so Behemoth had already gathered a small cluster of orbiting rocks and debris, which smashed occasionally against the shielding as the Empyrean made battle.

AMP CANNONS FIRING

The ship rumbled as another salvo of golden light shot from her forward decks, sheering one tentacle clean off as it whipped towards them.

Adam was forced to roll under the decapitated limb.

Inside his head he could hear the distant screeching of behemoth as it howled over another missing limbs.

"Status report?" he shouted, and the crew jumped to do his bidding, still getting used to their new control stations, though many of them had taken to the new ship like they had been meant for the position.

"Sir we are doing steady damage, but...."

"Don't sugar cat it for me!"

"Sir we are on an intercept path with Jupiter. If behemoth makes it there it will destroy Europa station and every one of the Jupiter colonies. "

Adam snarled rolling the ship to one side and letting off a sustained burst of white light, which cut up the meaty underbelly of one of the massive tentacles . Behemoth screamed again and the crew winced as its psychic emissions battered against their minds.

"Sir." Another crewman began, "That's not to mention orbital mechanics. It could knock Jupiter's orbit and destroy the Kuiper belt integrity. You understand what that means?"

Adam gritted his teeth again pulling back as another tentacle swiped at them. Behemoth's maw gnashed as it drew inexorably onward , "I would LOVE to think about it lieutenant, but I am sort of busy with this right now. Why don't you give me the abridged version?'

"Sir most meteors and meteorites originate from the Kuiper belt. If it were to destabilize earth would become cosmic target practice for every space rock this side of the solar system. The amount of coincidences that had to come together to make earth viable are about a zillion to one. The Kuiper belt and Jupiter's gravity well actually catch a shit ton of debris so earth doesn't have to. Not to mention what were to happen if Behemoth got close enough to Mars or earth to pull them out of orbit. The results would be catastrophic. Trillions would die, if it even comes close enough to destabilize the Moon's orbit Earth would be fucked. It would set off a chain reaction of swelling sea levels and volcanic eruptions that would devastate the planet in days, not to mention, all those rocks I talked about earlier, tend to be attracted to the moon first quickly overwhelming the AA systems and destroying the lunar colonies."

"Well you paint a lovely optimistic picture."

"Just giving it to you straight, sir."

Adam sheered off another tentacle, causing behemoth to bellow and swat at him. It was in that moment that Adam realized this wasn't going to work.

They were a fly to behemoth, an annoying horse fly that was indeed very annoying, but still just a fly all the same. Sure he could take it apart piece by piece, but this creature was massive, and it could take days if not months to make any real dent in it, and by then it would be too late, thousands would have died for nothing.

He glanced over at one of the auxiliary chairs where captain Kozlov was slumped head lolling. This is what even a fraction of the thing's psychic power could do to a person , and even as shielded as they were they weren't going to last indefinitely . Adam and Ramirez together were enough power to power the ship and fire the weapons, but they weren't good enough to put off the real firepower needed to actually put a dent in the thing.

At least not while operating the rest of the ship.

Behemoth roared, and the entire ship jolted as one of its smaller, faster tentacles caught a glancing blow on their starboard side.

Adam cursed.

"So much for not scratching the paint.' Ramirez mumbled into his armor.

Adam pulled back slowly out of reach of the tentacles keeping just ahead of Behemoth as they inched towards destruction.

The crew turned to look at him, eyes wide in confusion and reproach.

Adam stared at Behemoth's champing maw, its thousand-mile tentacles.

"The words that he spoke felt cold on his lips."

"Lieutenant, order an immediate ship-wide evacuation, get everyone aboard the fleet, have them launch completely dark, no windows, no radios, nothing. I want them to warp out of here as fast as they can, do not stay to let that thing into your heads, get the entire crew out of here right now."

"Adam, what the hell are you doing."

This was Ramirez, he felt the man's grip tighten around his waist.

"You know this intergalactic Teppanyaki has been fun and all, but intergalactic sushi isn't going to save earth, or humanity. This is taking to long and we need to get to the source."

"I swear Adam not another self-sacrificing."

"Shut up Ramirez, I don't plan on dying, but that gravity well is going to be a problem."

All around him the crew had turned from their stations to look.

Maverick was standing off to the side her arms crossed over her armored chest.

"What are you suggesting, sir."

Adam was going to respond when Maverick stepped forward, "He wants to overload the cannons INSIDE behemoth itself."

The crew went quiet turning to look at him for conformation.

Adam gave Maverick a ghost of a smile, "You know me too well." He turned to look at the rest of the crew, "yes, we fly into that thing's mouth and divert all power to weapons for one big burst and we can blow it up, I am sure of that, but the problem is...." He trailed off slightly

Beyond the window Behemoth's tentacles waved and arced through the darkness, seemingly in slow motion though it its size the tentacles had to be traveling at thousands of miles per hour.

"You're evacuating the ship because...."

"Because the gravitational time dilation."

Adam gave a small half smile, "I always hated time dilation, best thing about warp travel is we never had to worry about it, but this creature has a mass it shouldn't have for its size, and it is in flux. There is no telling what could happen when we go in, We could be int there for an extra ten minutes or an extra ten years, we don't know.. This thing isn't like a black hole, we can't just measure it and do the math, it is in a constant state of flux, this thing doesn't even see time the way we do, hell it has been napping or the past thousand Eons, it doesn't care about stupid things like time, but if we want to get inside the thing, we will be going straight into the gravity well and whoever does that better be ready to come back to a world that might not be like what we left."

The entire crew was silent.

"But Adam, you.... Sunny."

He swallowed hard, he had hoped not to have to deal with that reality emotionally, but here they were, "I know.... But I'm the only one who can fly this ship."

"Than I'm staying with you." Ramirez announced.

Adam Spun in the zero Gs to look at Ramirez hands gripping onto his shoulders as they floated Mid-air, "No, Ramirez, think about your parents."

"My parents are young, and I'm not married like you are."

He squeezed his best friend's shoulder with a look of sadness, "And your Abuela. Can you be sure she will live another ten or even two years?"

There was a pause.

"I..." He saw the doubt on his friend's face.

"Ramirez you go, I can stay."

They all turned to see who the speaker was

"But maverick."

She pulled off her helmet and held up a hand, "I'm an orphan, unmarried, got no one waiting for me. I won't be missed." The crew was silent as Ramirez's mouth open and closed in frustration and anger and sadness.

It was hard to watch.

"I WILL I will miss you, both of you, why.... You can't...."

Adam squeezed his friend's shoulder, "Ramirez you gotta do something for me." Ramirez shook his head but Adam shook his shoulder, "No, Ramirez, you have to promise me." Ramirez continued to shake but Adam gripped him by the shoulders and sook him, "No, Ramirez I swear you have to promise me that you will take care of my family until I get back, take care of Sunny, and if you can try and help my parents, and Eris, and.... And Ramirez." He felt his voice cracking, "Take....take care of Waffles for me will you, don't let her wait for me, don't let her wait like she did last time."

Ramirez was shaking his head eyes glittering with tears he was trying to hold back, "No, Adam you cant do this to us not AGAIN. Why does it ALWAYS have to be you, every fucking time. I swear can't you let someone else take the fall for once. Adam waffles is like eight years old she..... two years might not...."

Adam felt his heart tighten, "Shut up Ramirez, I don't you think I know that....."

The bridge was silent.

His hands were gripping the front of Ramirez's armor, "I.... I know that but I can't..... see another way."

"It isn't fair." Ramirez said softly

"No, but you promise me you'll keep her happy won't you."

Ramirez paused and then nodded miserably as the two of them began to float downward.

Adam turned to the crew, "Start the Evacuation." He turned as Kozlov stood unsteadily from his seat, "Kozlov... can you take the Omen for me, leave your Lieutenant for your crew."

The man looked pale and sick, but he nodded one sharp nod.

The Russian would manage, they had a habit of doing that.

"Promise you won't sell her back to the UNSC?"

There was a pause and he looked Kozlov in the face, stared into his eyes as he waited for a response. He saw a flash of determination there, "I.... after what you did, I could not betray your trust. You are good man, Adam Vir. I should never have.... Doubted your loyalty...."

He smiled at the other man rather sadly, "Not your fault Kozlov ." He held out his hand and the other man took it, their goodbye was framed by the tentacles of flailing behemoth in the darkness beyond the viewing window.

The crew began filing out of the room one by one until it was only Him Maverick and Ramirez left.

"Ramirez."

He was cut off as the other man hugged him squeezing tight enough to be felt through his SE armor, "I hate you sometimes, you know that?"

Adam gave a weak smile, "I know."

Ramirez let go and turned to look at Maverick. She wasn't much of a hugger but after a few seconds of deliberation he hugged her too, and she hugged him back in an unusual display for her.

"Can't believe both of my best friends are just, leaving me like that." He whispered into her shoulder

She patted his back, "You'll make plenty of new friends, your popular like that."

"But I don't want new friends.'

She squeezed him tight, "Ramirez I...." There was a pause the two of them pulling back to look at each other. Her mouth opened and closed for a moment, jaw working as she tried to find the words that just would not come.

Then she sighed,

"Don't miss me too much, I'll be back before you know it.:

'You mean you'll be back before you know it." He grumbled.

"Get out of here Ramirez, before I have to make you." Adam said, his voice was soft almost joking but all of them knew it wasn't a joke. Ramirez stepped slowly out of the room turning one more time to loo kat them before stepping out.

Together Adam and maverick said nothing as they stepped together into the circle. Maverick was taller than Ramirez in the SE armor, and was easily able to wrap her arms around his chest lending her power to his as they rose into the air. Adam watched through the cameras and sensors as the ship's crew filed on board the fleet, and launched out the lower deck, fleeing into warp before madness could over come them.

All until the two of them were left alone on the ship.

"You mind if I make a call/" He asked

"Call her." Maverick said softly, "I won't listen."

Adam nodded once before sending out the hail.

She picked up only seconds after it went out. She was sitting in the war room back on Arcadia resplendent in pearl white Saint armor blue cloak trailing in silk waves off her shoulder. Her head was held high and regal, her beautiful golden eyes blinking slowly at him from beyond her stoic expression.

"Adam." She said softly, by the sound of her voice she knew what was going on already.

"I'm sorry." He whispered, "But I'm the only one who can..."

She held up a hand cutting him off and for a horrible moment he thought she was angry. But he watched her eyes soften , "Do what you need to do. I will take care of your people."

"You aren't... angry."

She laughed, and though the sound was sad it was also joyous as well, "Adam, when I married you I knew the man you were. I knew every self-sacrificing bone in your body. I knew you were a good and honorable man, and I knew you would do the right thing when the time came." He felt his throat tightening with the impending sadness.

"If I were to be mad at you for doing what was right, that I would hardly be worthy of you." His heart pulsed hard inside his chest.

"I love you." He said softly

"I love you too...." And then he saw soemthing strange. An expression passed her face that was something like indecision, unusual for her. She opened her mouth paused, closed it and then opened it again before.... "Adam, there is.... Something I should tell you...."

He frowned, "What?"

Again her mouth opened, and then closed and then opened again before her jaw set, "Nothing important, Hijan arrived today. I thought you would like to know."

Adam frowned not so sure why that would have been difficult for her to tell him. He knew her well enough to sense that that is not what she had been intending to say, but whatever she was going to say she had thought better of.

But what.

Behemoth was growing closer, and the feed was shorting out slightly at the edges as the gravity well began to disrupt their communications.

"Sunny..... stay with me until...."

"Until I no longer can."

He nodded holding his breath as he wove down and through the tentacles. The ship shook and rattle around them in a way it hadn't done so before. His body buzzed. He did a tight turn and barrel roll through an opening in the tentacles and burst through the other side, all the while Sunny watched from the monitor, until the transmission could no longer be sent. It would take years to reach her if it ever did, so he shut it off one last time, diving into the writhing forest of tentacles.

They lashed at the ship throwing it this way and that, as he ducked and dodged and spun.

He followed the line of one tentacles for a ways before the thousands of eyes turned upon them at the tentacle snapped inward.

He dove down, and accelerated forward, until the gaping mouth grew wider and wider and wider.

Behemoth realized its opportunity, and the tentacles stopped.

Before them the sky was blotted out by darkness. Tentacles waved in a halo of abomination around the creature's body as the jaws opened to meet them eager for a meal. The closer they got the harder the psychic energy roared around them. Mavreick gripped tight to his chest, and he was glad she was here.

They dangled above the precipice suspended in the space between the writhing tentacles, and the open maw of a billion razor teeth all white, descending into darkest pitch. Behind them the distant sun twinkled, urging their efforts onward, pleading for the system that would die without their intervention. Tentacles rose thousands of miles into the air behind them as they drifted downward, pulled inexorably forward into the gravity well.

The mouth opened.

The first line of teeth passed by them.

The mouth began to close.

Teeth bore down on them from above threatening to crush them before their mission was complete. Adam accelerated them forward, as fast as he could roaring through the impending darkness as all else was blotted out.

Teeth dropped down wards them, and the ship glowed gold with light.

He could feel Revelation in every pulse of his heart as golden light passed over the descending spires, Teeth, with grinding points hundreds of feet across.

He rolled to the side to dodge one, and cut through the gap of another charging ever forward as the ceiling came down upon them. Maverick's arms creaked against his armor as they roared inward dodging and ducking and cutting left and right. Another was coming down, blocking their way.

They weren't going to make it.

And then he blasted it apart with one shot sending shards and chunks scattering over their shields which lit up like a golden honeycomb. Maverick shouted and they burst through into blackness.

The bridge was almost entirely dark as the two of them floated together suspended and silent.

All around them the creature's mind invaded inwards, creeping inwards, driving back their light until it was merely a pool of gold around them. Maverick shivered and so did he, clinging to each other in the infinite black inside the monster as its jabbering whispers fought to drive them mad.

He turned to look at her unable to see her eyes past her visor.

She couldn't see his either.

Spikes of cold drove themselves into his head urging him to give up, seeking the ties that bound his sole to his body.

He fought them back gripping his friend by the arms.

She rested the visor of her helmet against his, and slowly, the glowing ball of light began to expand, inching its way through the channels on the floor, bringing powered back to the deadened ship. More spikes drove into his mind, impaling him like a barb wire fence, ripping and tearing at the very fabric of his sole.

But still the golden light marched onward, up in through the bowls of his ship, into the walls, and the floors and through channels of power towards the AMP cannons, until all the weapons systems were humming with life, slowly charging with raw power.

Adam closed his eyes.

Spikes drove deep into his very being seeking his end.

Fealty blinked inside his visor receiving some kind of update from maverick's system.

The message appeared on his screen, nothing fancy just a simple symbol.

: )

He laughed, mind impaled on darkness, his being flayed ray from the inside, and he laughed. She was ready, and so was he.

And together they let the power go.

The power output of what happened next might only be descried as something akin to a super nova as the strength and energy of two anima melded together, from what they could out of two different constructs. The power build up was sheer raw force emanating from every available surface and channel. All at once the AMP cannons fired a single sustained burst.

The behemoth screamed once and then imploded , eviscerated from the inside out, and torn apart. The light produced by such a blast bleached any nearby celestial object. Darkness was burned away and flesh was made white as chunks of the behemoth scattered into the solar system, soon to be shot down by waiting anti air cannons at Europa and other mining colonies.

Back on earth the explosion appeared as a second star in the sky, visible even during daytime.

A star that was sustained for approximately Two years and nine days.