1300 hours, March 02, 2754 (Military Calendar) / Planet Acheron, Century System, Acheron Military Complex, FleetCom War Room.

"This meeting will now come to order, we will now discuss the ONI findings on the attack of February nineteenth on sensor station eighteen, and what if any actions are to be taken in response, Admiral Takai."

Vice Admiral Richard Takai was a tall bald man in his late sixties, he had spent most of his career in the Office of Naval Intelligence, he had spent three years as part of the UNSC's JAG office, but didn't like it and had went back to being an ONI spook. He had tried to prevent himself from being promoted to Admiral, but when he was in his early fifties he decided that sneaking around in the dark was a young man's game, by sixty he had become a Vice Admiral and the head of ONI, after which he became known as the ONI spy master.

"Sir our findings don't point to anyone, yet."

"Really Takai if the answer was a snake it would have bit you."

"Really Admiral Benson, and who do you think is responsible."

Takai hated being second guessed, let alone from someone like Admiral Benson. Rear Admiral Amanda Benson had spent her career on starships going from one ship to another; and rose thru the ranks very quickly. By the time she was thirty eight she held the rank of captain and command of her own cruiser. By forty she had become an Admiral for taking down the Schoepenhauer rebellion single handily, by attacking the enemy space dock, with the enemy fleet still inside. Technically the rebels hadn't done anything, but they had taken over the space dock, but this had not been confirmed, so FleetCom decided to wait and gather more information. Benson was not about to wait for the ONI spooks to run around and confirm what she already knew in her gut, she attacked first and asked questions later. When the debrie was later investigated, they found heavy starship weapons, six old frigates, four old destroyers, a dozen freighters that were being modified so they could mount the heavy weapons and enough small arms for a very large army. She had stopped the rebellion before it had even begun. In the years that fallowed she was given command of the seventh fleet which she turned into a feared fighting machine, and by forty five she was appointed to the UNSC command counsel. But to Admiral Takai she was a hot head who should have been demoted and relived of her command, and certainly not put on the command counsel.

"The Covenant obviously, the stations AI states that the energy and weapons signature is Covenant, in the logs that were recovered."

"No it does not; it states that the signatures were ninety present Covenant. It could be anything, another race that found Covenant technology and then put their own spin on it, or pirates, or rebels, also the design of the enemy ships are unknown, we just don't have enough information for an accurate conclusion right know."

"We have all information we need! Admiral Halsey we should mobilize the whole UNSC and prepare for war."

"That is provocative and unnecessary."

"Really Takai and what would you do, wait."

"Yes we need more information; we shouldn't just jump into anything without looking."

"And while your spooks are looking around, the enemy will be attacking are outer colonies without any serious oppression."

"Ok, I think we've heard both your opinions, Admiral Smirnoff your thoughts?"

Vice Admiral Albert Smirnoff was a short man who still had his black hair despite being in his early sixties he had spent his career all over the UNSC map. Starships, bases, R and D, even some black opts with ONI. What nobody but Admiral Halsey knew was that Smirnoff's intelligence was beyond genius, everything he did came so easily, and most of the time he was bored with his life and career. Even in combat he could predict where and when the enemy was going to be before they even knew. The gift of a keen strategic mind assured his rise thru the ranks very quickly. When he met Admiral Halsey, Halsey saw his potential and placed him in charge of earth's defences, and fleets. The reason for placing him on earth was so he could make tactical and strategic forecasts for the entire UNSC.

"I would have to agree with Admiral Benson, it is the Covenant. In the years after the war with the Covenant, many high level officers believed that most of the Prophets had survived the destruction of High Charity and were planning new attacks against us. But at that time the UNSC didn't have the forces to do anything about it, as such nothing was done. In the years that followed nothing happened, as such the consensus was that the Covenant was destroyed by the flood. Now it seems they have been rebuilding their forces, as well as improving their technology."

"What do you think our response should be?"

"Send the fifth and eighth fleets to reinforce the other colonies and have the seventh fleet in reserve to back up the other fleets in case of an attack. When the public asks about the deployments we should just tell them that it's an excursive, as well as the varies personal involved; only ship and unit commanders as well as ship AI's, should be told of what the fleet deployments are really about. The fleets should have full complaints of marines as well, in case of planetary invasion."

"So you're expecting the worse Smirnoff?"

"Yes Sir."

"Given the fact that all our colonies have shield generates around their major cities, they're going to have to use ground forces in order to get at our population."

For a minute everyone in the room stayed silent knowing what kind of war the Covenant we going to be waging against the human race.

"That being said General Skyfalls do you believe that your marines are ready to face what we think is coming?"

General Joshua Skyfalls was the head of UNSC's marine core, a medium size man of Native America descendent. He spent most of his career with the Orbital Drop Shook Troopers, or Helljumpers as they were known in the UNSC. Skyfalls was a marine thou and thou, every morning he would wake up at 0500 hours and did a two hour work out. Every weekend he would shoot at the local range, so as to not let his skills get rusty.

"Yes sir my troops are ready for anything the Covenant can throw at us. But I would like to request that we begin mass prediction of munitions, now. Our current supplies in the face of a major Covenant offensive would only last a few weeks at best."

"I agree. Said Smirnoff looking a little shaken."

"Very well. Admiral Stark I want you to begin training more Spartans, if history has any bearing on what we all believe is about to happen we're going to need all the Spartans we can get."

Vice Admiral Constanza Stark was the head of the UNSC's research and development branch, as well as the head of the new Spartan IV program. She was a medium size woman of fifth five who was more scientist then soldier, but she could fight just as well as any other soldier. Both she and Admiral Halsey had gone thru the officer's academy together and had become friends, they had even served at some of the same bases over the years, which only reinforced their friendship, it was even believed that Admiral Halsey was the father of her daughter but these were only rumours.

"Of course sir I will begin the training immediately, said Stark looking wearied."

"Have you any idea how the Covenant came in undetected till they were almost on top of the station? Our outer sensor stations are supposed to be able to detect ships over a hundred light years away."

"Some wild theories sir; as you know we have our own slipspace masking system, but given the power requirements for creating the field and keeping in stable, well we have never been able to mount one on anything bigger then a frigate."

"Vary well put your best people on it. Ordered Halsey."

"If there is nothing else this meeting is adjourned."

Everyone got up and started to live.

"Admiral Stark remain a moment."

Admiral Mark Halsey was the Supreme Commander of the UNSC; he was a tall man of fifth four with a bushy moustache. He spent his career going from ship to base, like most naval officers. What set him apart from all the others was his natural leadership skills, and the fact that he could keep a secret. He knew how to listen to every ones opinion and then make decisions based on those opinions, but he also knew how to take command and make decisions without a consensus.

Once the others had left Halsey spoke.

"Do you have a problem with my order to train more Spartans Constanza?"

"Not in our production or training methods, but more in the moral area. Mark we're not just training an elite group of soldiers here, and then enhancing them, we're actually manufacturing people."

Nobody knew that the Spartan program had been restated to combat the growing rebellion, beyond the command counsel and those involved in the program. But this program had more of a twist then the Spartan II or III program. In the past the Spartans had been conscripted at a very young age, trained for years in the arts of war, while at the same time being enhanced with drugs and gene therapy, and in the case of the Spartan III's having their growth accelerated. Then in the final phase of their training they would be augmented feather enhancing their already superior bodies. The new twist to the program was that they were being artificially reproduced. When the Spartan II's and III's went thru the augmentation procures their eggs and sperm were extracted and put on ice, then later used to create the new Spartans. When the new Spartan IV's were augmented the same was done to them. In a way the Spartan IV's were the children of the original Spartan's.

"I know Constanza but we needed them, and we are going to need more of them, now more than ever. After all there are only five hundred of them right now, and that is not going to be enough if it turns into all out war."

"Haa." Said Stark with a small smile.

"What's funny Constanza?"

"When the first Spartan's were created, it was to combat a growing rebellion just like ours. Then the Covenant war happened and they were needed more than ever. Now here we are repeating history."

"Not this time Constanza this time we're going to win, this time there is going to be nothing left of the Covenant, I promise you."