- soulguard
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- Exalted Mythic Member
Commander Hue stood from her seat at the table, pulled down her uniform with a soft tug and spoke with a casual smile. “Lieutenant Eric Raynord, under command of Captain Megan Monroe of the Rogue fantasy, we would like to thank you for your service to the UNSC, and to ONI Section III. Your plan to find the Elite home world was executed successfully…”
Eric turned his eyes toward Gridolee, knowing that the next few lines would perhaps anger the massive elite.
Hue continued, “… however, the alliance hindered your plans to destroy it. Thankfully you, along with Commander Miranda Keys and Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, were able to establish a peaceful aid to this alliance.” Commander Hue stepped out from the table to approach Eric and Halsey.
Caherine Halsey took advantage of this brief silence. “Lieutenant?” She questioned softly.
“It’s a long story, ma’am.” Eric whispered.
Hue overheard, “Indeed it is quite a tale. After the death of Senior Chief Petty Officer Kimberly Peters, we were approached by Eric and gave him a quick commission based on his deeds during the Troy operation. The Black Ops lost a great deal of their forces on Troy.”
An older woman at the table cut in. “We all agreed on his plan. Though it was fully based on revenge, we agreed that this would be a swift strike against the Covenant. The duty of the Black Ops was to observe the Covenant reaction after they had pushed us away from a planet. We knew they stayed and studied and searched, but we didn’t know what they were looking for.”
Hue added. “Vice Admiral Parangosky is correct.” Doctor Halsey twitched at the name. Parangosky was the head of ONI, and rightfully she would be involved with Section III. Hue continued. “The Lieutenant knew that they were looking for crystals. The same type of crystal that was eventually found on Earth, and it somehow powered the Ark. We had found another artifact in space, picked up by the Apocalyspo, and it was too late when we discovered it was a beacon to the Covenant.”
Eric couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “After the beacon broadcasted, I knew the Covenant would come. I had already broken up the surviving members of the Black Ops, but I knew that I needed them in order to find a Covenant home world. My plan was risky and complex, but it was the only way. We choose a remote Facility where the the Ark Crystal could be hidden. Some place easily defendable and protected from the Covenant’s scans. Unfortunately, Doctor Roselyn Santos was an unknown factor.”
“Indeed she was!” Parangosky snapped. She was obviously a bit angry. “Nearly cost us the whole operation.”
Eric continued. “The plan was originally to force the Covenant into searching the city by foot. I would organize any militia I could and board the ship. Spartans were on standby and waiting for the call to join the fight, however, things changed when the Covenant zeroed in on the crystal without hesitation. I defended it as best I could.”
Mathew blurted, “This was all a part of your plan?”
Eric ignored his long time friend, and continued, “No thanks to Major Rawlings small part, the plan was nearly grounded.”
Commander Hue chuckled, “I think she charged you with… treason, wasn’t it?”
“Yes ma’am.”
The board members gave a soft chuckle, obviously they knew something Eric didn’t. Another man spoke up. “Had I not been there, there is no telling what she would have done.” The man was a Lieutenant Commander and his pipe sat comfortably at his lips, but it was not lit. Eric recognized the man as the one that had allowed Rose, Wesley and himself to walk out of that room with ‘Uncharacterized Demotions’.
“Yet it was only a farce.” Hue added.
For Mathew’s sake, Eric blurted out, “Yes. I received a memo a few hours later saying that my commission was still in place, but for security reasons I was to play along with the demotion.”
Mathew could be heard sighing from across the room, and he also shook his head in disbelief.
Hue once again addressed them. “The plan was off track, but we still had hopes that you could pull it off. We selectively gave you command of Red Squad, comprised mostly of soldier from your Black Ops, and finally a Spartan was sent to assist.”
“I thought he was going to lead the mission, but he affirmed that I was still in control. 043 was a good soldier.”
Hue added. “You carried out the mission as expected with your Black Ops team. Siren successfully infiltrated the ship’s systems, found Dorenth and took you there. The rest is history. But I think it is only appropriate that we continue to address you as your proper title, Lieutenant.”
Eric nodded. “How does the Major feel about that, ma’am? She is strongly opinionated.”
There was a short silence and everyone looked to a thin Navy officer wearing nothing but a naked officer’s uniform; there was no identification upon him, not even his name or rank.
“She was withholding evidence from the board. Including information about the Black Ops program that was not made known to the Board.” The man stated. Eric could recognize an ONI spook from a mile away. He handed Eric a data pad and said, “you may find that an interesting read.”
Hue chimed in, “But before you read that. We must inform you that Major Rawlings is dead. KIA. She was leaving the facility when her ship was shot down by a Seraph patrol.”
Eric didn’t believe that story, but decided to ignore it for now. He then looked at the data pad and began to cringe. “There’s more…” He froze and read deeper into the file. Names, ranks, date of births, skill set, eating habits, performance evaluations and nutrient mixes were displayed for one hundred EaMP candidates. Eric lifted his head and glared at the ONI spook that had given him the file.
The man smiled softly. “Major Rawlings gave us this information before she departed. She was heading back to Eden. We are currently looking for Colonel Ackerson in order to verify that these men and women existed.”
Eric turned toward Mathew and tossed the data pad toward his friend. Mathew caught it and read it to himself. He was just as stunned. Eric turned back to the brass. “Why weren’t we told? We could have used the extra man power.”
“Unlike you and your Black Ops, these soldiers have been under Ackerson’s private care. According to Rawlings they were stationed under the command of Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose, on ONYX. They were used to aid in the training of the Spartan IIIs on base. Those soldiers have been declared legally dead for more than fifteen years. Their deaths were cover ups, and Commander Ambrose never questioned who they were. However, our own intelligence has reported that Planet Onyx has gone… missing.”
“Missing?” Eric questioned. “A Planet has gone, missing?”
“Yes. We received word from Blue Team, Spartan’s 043, 058, and 104, just prior to the planet’s disappearing act. A small team is being put together to investigate. We’re hoping that Spartan 087 and Doctor Halsey will lead this team.”
Everyone turned to Catherine. She sat stunned. “What about the Ark Data Node?”
“Come now doctor, surely you’ve watched the rest of the data on the Path of Reclamation?” Parangosky added. “We’ve been aware of it for some time. Why do you think we’ve been so… aggressive in our actions as of late?”
Halsey flinched, reached into her pocket and pulled up the data pad. She glared at it. Did they know something that she didn’t? Was ONI this confident? She walked to the table and placed the data pad into a receptacle. The video display emerged on the wall behind her and began with the opening statement on the goals for Reclaimers.
Catherine stated. “I have to warn, that two of my staff members committed suicide after seeing this.”
Hue added. “We know.” Halsey folded her arms inward, upset that section III was this informed, too informed, but at the same time she wondered how informed they really were.
The video continued and neared the section where she ended it. The video showed the sequence of lines of soldiers, both human and elite being injected with the soldier gene, which was derived from the Flood spores. And then it shifted into a new sequence. A war had begun, but the enemy was not made clear. The construction of the Halo’s was shown, several species aided in its construction. Then there was a switch, more species were being given some form of injection.
Catherine sat forward. “More tests?”
“Not quite.” A voice said from the table. “We thought this as well, but look closer.”
Halsey watched. Grunts, Jackals, Engineers, and various other creatures she had never seen, all being injected, or so she thought. “No… they aren’t being injected. Samples... blood samples.”
Some one spoke. “We don’t know much, but at some point the Forerunners began testing to find a way to reach immortality.”
Catherine added as she glared at the display. “Yes, I was under this suspicion as well. That was my original belief in why the Forerunners accidentally created the Flood.”
The video continued. Numerous images flowed across the screen, cell reconstruction and then an image of what looked to be another Halo world, but it wasn’t. “What was that?” She questioned. It appeared to be a giant structure almost arc shaped. Similar to Halo in every way, however it was not a ring. Then another image display, an image of a sub-space world. The planetoid was metallic in appearance, yet images showed the inside as habitable. A glowing orb sat in the center globe shaped world, and it was much bigger than those used in the inner sanctum and the Seed ship.
“A giant globe,” Catherine mumbled. She pondered, “No, a Dyson’s sphere?” She peered closely, but the images shifted. Another image showed, star charts, locations, points of references… a map.
Catherine turned to Parangosky, “Vice Admiral, do you…”