- Doctor Jensen
- |
- Fabled Member
Chapter 1: to save a galaxy
Aboard tramp freighter Petya
0125 hours; December 25th, 2550
Jai laid in his large bed that had been welded into Spartan Gray team's freighter, Petya, that they had been given so many years ago by Admiral Cole. He couldn't sleep, hadn't been able to sleep for the last several days. Rather than sleep he thought over the details of their last mission.
In their last deep space mission Spartan Gray team had been observing the Covenant planet simply designated Beta 402, looking for the coming and goings of any member of the Covenant hierarchy. They hadn't seen any sort of hierarch. Instead, after one year of dully observing the Covenant file in and out of the system, Spartan Gray team received a slipspace com probe ordering them to cause as much havoc in Beta 402 as they could, then haul ass back to earth (after enacting the Cole Protocol of course).
The Spartans had been... well... relieved. Good as they were at infiltration and observation, they were better in combat. None of them doubted that much. So, Gray Team brought out, as the saying goes, "the big guns." They cut down the eight HAVOC nuclear warheads and unleashed them on the most populated centers in Beta 402, and decimated the two Covenant ships that sat in orbit. They then followed the Cole Protocol and completed several random slipspace jumps until they got back to Reach for refueling, and then back to Earth.
Gray Team had been home from that mission ever since then, which was a good five days. A GREAT five days. Rightly so, because Jai, Adriana, and Mike all needed some R&R, and bad. They'd been exhausted, even with their Spartan training. Apparently, the admiralty had seen that and decided it would be profitable for Gray team to get some rest and relaxation. It was good with Jai, he knew they deserved it.
A beep came in over the comm. Who would contact us at this time of night? Jai thought irritated.Whoever it was, it had to be very important.
Jai picked up the comm. "Spartan 006 reporting," he spoke into the comm.
Lucky for Jai, Adriana and Mike didn't have the same quarters as him, else they would have awakened as irritated as he was at that moment. But that was Jai's personality; he knew it, and he wouldn't change. That's just who he was.
"Spartan 006, this is Leonidas, personal AI to Lord Hood. He would like you to report him on the Athens," Leonidas informed him.
Jai almost laughed at the irony of it: Leonidas on the Athens? But then his thought became more serious. "Wait. Did you say Lord Hood?" Jai queried incredulously.
"Affirmative," Leonidas confirmed.
Quickly Jai regained his wits. "I'm on my way," he affirmed.
"Very good sir," Leonidas said as he shut off the comm.
Jai hurriedly made his way out of his quarters onto the bridge of the tiny frigate. His gray colored MJOLNIR mark IV armor sat on a stand with both Adriana and Mike's armor that were at a machine that fitted the spartans' armor on them. Jai strode over to the machine, pressed a few buttons, and began the armor fitting process. Two minutes later Jai was encrusted in his second skin, save his helmet, and was ready to go. He grabbed his helmet, walked over to the cockpit, and set a course to dock with the Athens.
Stars passed by quickly as Petya closed in on the Athens. The small freighter came with in a kilometer of the cruiser and Jai lessened the thrust. Mike and Andriana both chose that time to make their ways onto the bridge.
"What's the deal Jai?" Adriana asked, with her hands on her hips.
"Just got orders from Lord Hood's AI-" Jai began.
"Leonidas," Mike interrupted. His mind was an enigma to Jai; he had no idea how Mike's mind worked-he could remember so much for so long.
"Yeah," Jai confirmed. "Anyways, I've received orders to dock with the Athens and speak with Lord Hood himself."
Mike looked into space thoughtfully. "Gotta be something of the utmost importance," he speculated.
"Seems like it," Adriana agreed.
"Let me take the controls," Mike said. He was the pilot of the three. When Mike was only six years old he had hijacked a pelican from watching the pilot who brought the spartans in for to the assembly hall when they met Halsey for the first time. Then, after he hijacked the pelican, he blew it up.
An enigma indeed, thought Jai as he moved away from the controls and gave them up to Mike.
"Incoming comm transmission from the Athens," Mike informed them. "Patching it through."
"Petya, you're scheduled to dock in our landing bay. Please send confirmation code," came a woman's voice.
Mike sent the normal confirmation code for docking in a ships landing bay. A moment passed by.
"Confirmation code received. Please dock Petya."
Mike nodded to himself and masterfully maneuvered the tramp freighter into the docking bay of the enormous cruiser. He was an impressive pilot, no doubt about it. He maneuver the ship to a platform where a lot of men and women were gathered, waving them in. The freighter landed and Jai was about to leave the cockpit when he turned back to his teammates.
"I'll be back," he began, "within the hour."
Mike and Adriana nodded and Jai traveled to the back of the freighter as one of the many exit hatches opened up. He strode out, towering over the UNSC personnel that worked hard on their many jobs. Many of the personnel gaped at the two meter tall Spartan. Jai smiled inside of his mirrored visor; he'd always gotten a kick out of having men and women of every kind gape at him. But he also got a bit irritated by it, some people needed to hide their expressions and be a little more discrete.
Jai began to pick his way to Admiral Hood's quarters. He strode to an elevator and pressed the "ascend" button and waited. Several men and women stood at a distance to his right as they also waited for the elevator. The elevator descended and a voice spoke as it reached their deck. "Docking bay." Jai entered and the men and women who gawked at him cautiously entered the elevator. They each pressed the button for their deck; Jai moved his hand to the buttons and, like instinct, pressed the button for the deck Lord Hood's quarters were located on. It was instinct, as he'd been to the captain's quarters (the captain's quarters were located at the same place as the an Admiral's) more times than he could count.
After several minutes of stopping on eight different decks the elevator stopped at the very top deck of the enormous cruiser. Jai breathed out a breath of relief as the doors opened. The impatient Spartan exited the elevator and easily made his way through the many bulkheads, the doors, and observational windows until he reached the door to Lord Hood's quarters.
Outside Hood's quarters sat ten highly trained marines. They stood straight, assault rifles at the ready as Jai approached them. If they were intimidated by his appearance, they didn't show it. One of the marines, with the name Checketts stenciled on his armor strode up to Jai, assault rifle in hand, and held up a hand to stop him. As if the marine could stop him. Nevertheless, Jai stopped.
"Name," Checketts demanded of him.
"Jai, Spartan 006," Jai told him confidently.
Checketts looked down at a datapad. "You're clear," he informed Jai. Jai nodded and the doors swept apart at the press of a button.
As soon as Jai strode on deck and saw Lord Hood he saluted. "Sir, Spartan 006 reporting for duty sir!"
Lord Hood looked up at him from a desk with scattered reports piled atop it. The man had a square face with dark bags under his eyes and old graying hair. But in his eyes Jai could see there was a very sharp man, as it should be. He stood and saluted the Spartan back. Then he did something rare when meeting with a spartan, he help out a hand. Jai carefully took hold of Lord Hood's hand. They shook for a moment then Hood motioned for Jai to sit.
"Sir, i would prefer to stand if you don't mind," Jai informed him. Lord Hood nodded in acceptance.
"Well Spartan," began the Admiral,"I might as well get you up to date." With that the Admiral dove right into the situation, explaining every detail to Jai.
Jai let out a breath. This was big, no, monutmental. Should the nav data get to the covenant hierarchy, whoever they may be, then humanity would truly be doomed.
"Sir, permission to go after that ship?" Jai asked bravely.
Lord Hood grinned. Every spartan was brave, always wanting to do the impossible.
"That's just what i wanted you to say. But, you'll need a faster ship; that freighter is just too old, and too slow," said Lord Hood.
"Sir, if i may, that old girl has lived through a lot of missions," Jai informed him defensively.
Lord Hood held up his hands for peace. "Be that as it may, your team has never been on a mission like this spartan," he said shaking his head slightly. "However, we do have the fastest ship in system ready for you."
Jai nodded and said, "Sir, we'll get the job done." This was the kind of mission Jai lived for, one that would bring the fight to the Covenant, and they would get justice.
"Good," said Lord Hood as he grabbed pulled out a chip from his computer. "Take this, it's my AI Leonidas, you'll need him."
"Sir, are you certain?" Jai asked, taking the chip uncertainly.
Lord Hood nodded. "Yes, he's the second most brilliant AI ever created. The first is... being used. Either way, report to the destroyer the Constantinople. You'll be leaving at 0800 hours. Dismissed," Lord Hood ordered.
[Edited on 07.24.2011 6:39 PM PDT]