- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
0900 Holding Position Outside Of Tetron Galaxy
23 March, 255
Aboard the Tra-Decka
The ships onboard computer was booming over the intercom so the entire Elite Chrome M-54 could hear everything. The M-54's were designed to be about the size of four Pelicans fused together. They had as their primary offence dual P-32's, which were MAC guns, the size of pickup trucks. The P-32's could fire twice as fast as the normal MAC guns and their bullets rippled through space at twice the speed. These ships were mainly for larger recon missions or for defense of space stations. This M-54 was neither of the two. This ones primary objective was to keep him alive.
The speakers blared to get everyone up and at it from their pill induced sleep. Everyone was ready in about 10 seconds flat. With every hair in place and every lace tucked in. Everyone manned their stations while the ships Captain, Cptn. Pio went to wake Adam.
The last SPARTAN. Or so he was thought to be to those of the Tra-Decka . Adam was awakened and suited up, shields brought back online and given enough stem packs to keep 100 marines up for days. He was ready for battle. Pio told Spartan 323 that they had spotted Covenant cruisers in the area and were going to jump. Just as Pio finished his sentence the ship was hit with a barrage of plasma shots, like those given off by the Shades.
"What the hell was that?" Adam asked.
"It appears they've found us, but on the safe side no body knows your alive Adam, and I've got to keep it that way." Pio stated.
"Sir engines are critical I can cool them off but it’s going to take one of the P-32's offline for about 20 minutes." somebody said in a muffled voice over the captain’s earpiece.
"Then by god do it!" Pio screamed
"Yes Sir" the voices responded.
The ships lights grew dim but it seemed also at the same time that the ship had a sudden boost of energy all in the same.
As the ship used all the evasive tactics it had under its belt and while Pio and Adam made their way up to the control room, they could hear the muffled sounds of the ships small hangar opening and the blare of the TCO-99's engines warming up. That was the UNSC's newest ship. As a matter of fact Captain Pio was one of the 20 ships to have obtained one. The TCO took off and there appeared to be a ripple in space behind it. It was beautiful. Then it got ugly; the TCO had opened its undercarriage to reveal that it had been sheltering a Sub-Nuke. That was big enough to destroy all the Covenant patrol ships but the TCO at the same time. Poi ordered it not to fire but TCO's A.I told him that it knew what it was doing.
Adam and Poi, as well as the entire bridge watched in horror as their newest ship deployed its Nuke, destroying the covenant ships but also having itself be engulfed in flames. As the fire settled down something appeared out of the cloud of radiation. The TCO. It had some sort of blue aurora around it. The A.I responded, the guys back at UNSC Engineering finally perfected and went above and beyond the covvies shielding systems. There was a sudden sigh of relief as the TCO made its way back to the Tra-Decka .
All of the sudden the ship lurched and the TCO was out of sight. There was a big boom and a ringing on the bridge. Adam couldn't see anything and realized that the ships power was out and the 22 in reinforced steel plating locked up and caused the ship to fall into darkness.
Pio stated that everyone needed to remain calm. The backup generator would begin to run and they could perform a manual slip space jump. They were headed to Uniden. Adam asked what Uniden was. Pio chuckled and said...you'll see.
A red emergency light cam on in the bridge and Adam could see that the crew quarters were hit with a plasma cannon. Without the bridges main view hole they couldn’t see where they were being attacked. Slip jumping would be throwing a rock in the dark. They could end up in the middle of the Lop Nova.
Suddenly over the video monitor was the voice of a friendly. Static saying:
" We need immediate back up from any UNSC patrol in the area, we have some EXTREMLY precious cargo that the UNSC couldn’t take losing. Ove..." Then there was more static.
" Sorry we can’t help you our ships acting as if it has a virus and the A.I. wont respond. We too have some precious cargo, what I can send you are the coordinates of Uniden. But it’s going to have to be over a secure network. We couldn’t stomach some covenant getting a hold of the coordinates of Uniden." Pio said whilst completing with the traditional: Over.
" That sounds good, we have several covenant cruisers on our tail and we need some sort of safe haven." said the mysterious ship.
" Okay, switched to secure network channel 243."
"Done deal."
" The coordinates of Uniden are...WAIT."
"What is it?"
"I can’t believe I was so oblivious. I need to code."
"What code, I heard of no code."
" Your ships A.I. code, only the Captain knows."
The Elite looked down at the dead captain lying on the M-54's bridge. He knew he was caught and also knew that the other captain wasn’t as dumb as he presumed.
" Well what’s your code?"
"Ahh well I forget, come on just this once."
"Please due to these scumbag elites I cant just give out coordinates to Refuges."
Captain Pio got the ship to finally open up its main window letting the M-54 look down a long line of Covenant Capitol cruisers with a single Pelican at the front.
"-blam!-, Were gonna jump to Uniden."
" What why, they can follow you know!" Adam exclaimed.
"Yeah well they CANT get their hands on you or else the UNSC is screwed."
"Okay everyone time to rumble look pull power from the EMERGENCY generators. Not the normal ones, the ones we use during the RETA protocol."
"Aye Aye"
As the ship prepared for its jump the Covenant Capitol ships began to charge their plasma cannons.
"GO" Pio screamed.
TheM-54 shot through space and just before hitting the Pelican it disappeared. Adam was amazed that the ship was in slip space and that there slip portal had closed so fast.
" Soldier, I told you that we'd make it, that’s what’s so amazing about the M-54's they can slip jump and not a meteor could follow them." Captain Pio stated.
As the ship exited slip space they saw a gigantic planet. Covered in blue waters. They could see that several hurricanes were formed in many different locations. Thus proving that this planet had a warm climate, perfect just for that of hurricanes. Okay everyone divert power from all systems and go at full speed towards the surface.
"What you'll kill us!" Exclaimed one of the crewmembers.
"I know what I'm doing."
"Sir, with all due respect our ship hitting that water at FULL speed would crush us like an aluminum can." Adam said.
" No it wont...trust me." The captain reinforced his bridge personnel.
Apparently no one but Pio knew what was going on. Apparently nobody had been to this 'Refuge Planet" Uniden before. As the ship gained speed they finally heard from real people. People from UNSC controlled space.
"Welcome home Captain" said one the UNSC officers.
Hearing friendlies over the COM must have taken everyone’s thoughts off the vast ocean now about 15 miles below them. The ship was getting ready to HIT this water thus killing them all but they soon came to realize the they passed through it as if it were nothing but air. Which it was. Once they were about a mile thorough the fake water they slowed down and came upon a vast city. Larger than any city anyone on board had ever seen. This city was the last hope for mankind, that last refuge.
Captain Pio explained that the UNSC took control of this planet about 100 years prior and created hologram machines and placed them around the planet. These holograms gave the perfect resemblance of a planet with nothing but water. Nothing worth living on. Which made it the perfect place for the UNSC to make their main HQ. As the Tra-Decka landed and the surviving personal got off, mechanics got to work on the ship. Pio told Adam to keep his suit on at all times and to keep Channel 16 open so they could communicate. As Adam stepped off the loading ramp he noticed about 50 yards away there was another M-54 unloading. One that looked like it took a lot more damage. And walking down the loading ramp of the other ship was someone that looked just like Adam. Another SPARTAN. But this wasn’t just any SPARTAN, even through his visor Adam recognized this SPARTAN as Spartan 117, Master Chief, real name John, but Adam better knew this Spartan as his brother.