- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Hey guys I just wanted to know what you think of my story (its not finished) so feel free to leave feedback. Note: The introduction memo thing is taken from the FALL OF REACH by Eric Nylund just so you guys know I'm giving him the credit for that part.
United Nations Space Command
Alpha Priority Transmission 04592Z-83
Encryption code: Red
Public Key: file /bravo-tango-beta-five/
From: Admiral Roland Freemont, Commanding Fleet Officer,
FLEETCOM Sector One Commander/ (UNSC Service Number: 00745-16778-HS)
To:[b] ALL UNSC warships in REACH, JERICO, and TANTALUS systems
[b]Subject: IMMEDIATE RECALL
Classification: Classified (BGX Directive)
/start file/
Covenant presence detected on REACH system’s edge coordinates 030 relative.
ALL UNSC warships are hereby ordered to cease all activities and regroup at rally point ZULU at best speed.
ALL SHIPS are to enact the Cole Protocol immediately
/end file/
0400 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Reach Military Complex, 9th Division Garrison
Pvt. Ethan Campbell awoke to the screeching noise with a start. It took him only an instant to realize that what he was hearing was not reveille but in fact was the emergency sirens. He scrambled out of his cot half awake alongside the other men in his barracks that were similarly surprised and confused. What the hell!? What in God’s name is going on here? he thought to himself. Ethan overheard two Privates nearby talking about a Covenant attack. His brain shouted out in denial to the two Marine’s mutterings; The Covenant wouldn’t attack Reach! Reach is the most heavily defended planet in this system! Besides we would have known about them long before they’d got here, it must be a drill. "Yeah," he said to himself, "its nothing but a drill."
0400 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar)
UNSC Cruiser Argive en route to Rally Point Zulu
The Argive’s bridge was engulfed in chaos; Capt. Anton Marshal’s voice was barley audible over the screeching klaxons. "Comms I need a report ASAP! Tell me what the hell is going on out there!" The communications officer scrambled to fulfill the Captain’s increasing demands. Anton Marshal was not a man that you would want to anger; tall, with a strong build and sharp facial features, the Captain was certainly an intimidating sight on the bridge as he prowled from stationto station. "Navigation! What is our ETA?" "Uhh, about 20 minutes sir." Good, maybe then we’ll be able to find out how the hell those Covie bastards snuck up on us. Marshal turned to the holograph pedestal where the ship’s AI construct; a semi-translucent holograph of a four-armed figure was standing; "Shiva, send out a tightbeam transmission to FLEETCOM and tell them our ETA is in 20 minutes, and while you’re at it try to get us any intel you can on the enemy. I want numbers, classifications, positions, anything that we have I want it now." After a few moments the main NAV board lit up with data. Capt. Marshal stood there watching the data scroll by as if he had just been smacked across the face.
0400 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar)
UNSC Carrier Belisarious Rally Point Zulu
"Come on Ray, hurry it up!" "Shut the hell up Greg! You wanna fuel your own bird?" Greg Rowan was the leader of Halo flight and embarrassingly enough he was also the last one of his flight to leave the hangar. "Hey you know what Ray? Never mind I think I’ll just walk to the battlefield. Know where the nearest airlock is?" Ray, who had just finished fueling the Longsword let the pilot know by throwing a wrench at the cockpit, which instead hit the nose and bounced off back into the balding technician. "Hey Ray, I hope you’re better at fueling than you are at throwing." As the Longsword pulled out of the hangar bay he saw the technician giving him a one-finger-salute and shouting profanities.
The FAC gave Greg clearance as he left the Carrier and moved Halo flight’s coordinates. "All right Halo flight, sorry I was late but you know how those techies are." The rest of Halo flight broke into laughter; there was a kind of tension between some of the pilots and their techs, even though they don’t really hate each other they would poke fun at each other as a means of putting aside their nervousness whenever they were going into a battle. "All right we’ve been assigned to anti-fighter duty for the cruiser Argive. It hasn’t arrived yet but will shortly, meanwhile run diagnostics through your systems then run em again, we don’t want anything going wrong that can be avoided." We stick to the plan and we'll all come through this in one piece."
[Edited on 11/29/2005]