0930 Hours, March 25, 2550 (Military Calendar)
UNSC Intrepid, Orbiting Planet 67-K
Outer Reaches of Epsilon Eridani System
Captain Isaac White stood over Communications Officer Jason Presley staring at the officer's screen. It was empty for the exception of the few streams of data about the ships communication array having sustained slight damage in the previous fight. But that wasn't what he was looking for.
"Try it again, Presley" he instructed the officer.
"Sir, I've already tried several times. There is no response from any of our forces down on the planet. I think they're all..".
"I gave you an order Presley. Try it again"!
Presley looked into the Captain's eyes with a cold stare. His face was askew with emotions of which White thought would be anger or frustration. But he realised it was full of fear and loss. He knew that face from many past experiences. But he had to control his people. He was their Captain and he was in charge of their lives. He continued to look at Presley, knowing the officer would do the right thing. Presley looked at Captain White for a few more seconds before swallowing his feelings and turned back to his station. He opened up the com link again and did as he was ordered.
"UNSC Intrepid to any UNSC Marines on the surface of Planet 67-K, please respond. This is the UNSC Intrepid broadcasting to any UNSC forces on the planet, please respond."
Static filled the bridge with an uneasy feeling of lose. Hope was beginning to resemble desperation, if it hadn't already become so before this war had started.
"Come on, answer it damn it. I know you're down there. You've survived worse than this so answer it!" He thought, almost saying it out loud. He couldn't die, he was one of the few, and he was one of the best.
"There's nothing sir, I recommend that we get the hell out of here before more Covenant ships arrive and..." Presley was cut off through his sentence as a dry cough replaced the static on the radio.
The bridge was still. All eyes were on Presley's station, waiting for their hope to be changed, to be given a second chance.
"This is Spartan 057. I read you Intrepid. We have wounded down here in need of EVAC. We've held the enemy forces for the time being but we don't have the supplies or the personal to hold off another attack. Requesting Extraction on my coordinates!"
Presley's blank screen filled with audio files and coordinates that were instantly streamed by the ship's AI to the lead navigator.
"Tell them to hold position for extraction" White ordered. He watched as Presley prepared to send a message but suddenly stopped, frustration filling his face.
"No can do sir. We've lost the frequency. That or their communications has broken down. But we got their coordinates"
"Good job Presley. Keep me posted if you can get their frequency again. I want an assessment. Captain White turned and moved to Navigation Officer Marshal Backwood's station and watched him extract the data and upload the coordinates to the ships locating system.
"What's the position Backwood" White asked.
"Sector 12, Quadrant 3. Just along the river. Bringing up visual now"
The main view screen lit up with a distorted video stream showing a damaged military outpost. It was riddled with plasma craters and rubble. Soldiers lined against the sandbag walls looking out at the river. The outpost was in ruin, it was a miracle that a fighting force was still alive in the station. All of the sudden, the screen started to flash red followed by a short warning siren.
"Hostile contacts two kilometres east of their position, across the river. Large masses moving in" Officer Hill reported.
"Show me" White ordered.
Officer Hill typed the command into his station screen and watched as the large visual camera overlooking the outpost moved to the right to show a small Covenant army. Such a mighty force marching upon a weakly fortified position meant only one thing. They wouldn't stand a chance.
"Send out all fighters to the planet's surface to give our forces some cover while Pelicans pick them up" He ordered.
A klaxon sounded off throughout the ship as Captain White looked at the Covenant force. A small bright figure appeared alongside the video feed screen. A small woman with shoulder length hair in a cybernetic coded body was the ship's AI Aria.
"You know the probability of all those men getting off the planet alive is a 5% Captain" she retorted.
"You're concerns are already known Aria. But I'm not going to leave them down there to die. I will not do that to them."
"There is a word for people like you" the AI said.
"Stubborn?"
"Close. I was thinking more so..loyal" she smiled at him.
For the first time in a while, Captain White was caught off guard by the comment. For years he had been taking negative comments about his actions, some had been from Aria herself. So this odd form of compliment came as a surprise to the Captain. So much he couldn't give an answer to it. Instead he did what he did best, hide it.
"Bring us as close to the plant as you can without getting caught in the planet's gravitational pull. I want to get them on this ship and out of this system as fast as possible"
"Aye aye Captain" Aria responded as she faded away from her position. Captain Isaac looked over his bridge crew. Some were drained from the lack of sleep while others were drenched from their own sweat. They had been through one hell of a day and dusk was setting in. The night would change depending if they left with a larger crew or a broken crew. He was feeling it, he soon realised. Desperation.