Chapter 7
2300 hrs
Coruscant (Triple Zero)
Lieutenant Robert Whitmore walked briskly towards his waiting transport. Here, in the hornet's nest, he went by the pseudonym Commander Forn Gelleon, of Imperial Intelligence, currently stationed on Triple Zero and tasked with finding a way to counter the Covenant plasma torpedoes' capability to burn away at Imperial shields. Whitmore also went by the ONI codename, The Needle. His actual task was to find and send to AlCom classified Imperial information. This included stats on the latest Imperial military advances in technology. If the tech was considered to compromise Allied security, Whitmore was authorized to sabotage it. So far, he had destroyed an Imperial prototype MAC gun, an electromagnetic torpedo that would nullify the UNSC's MAC guns and the Covenant plasma shaping system, and a new type of heavy fighter that was capable of utilizing the Imperial neutron bomb. So far, it looked like simple mechanical inadequacies to Imperial Security forces. So far, no one, not even his 'boss', Ysanne Isard, suspected him; far from it. But that was about to change.
Darth Vader had summoned Whitmore to speak with him. Whitmore had had an upgrade to his neural interface that allowed him to resist for a period of time the power of the Force. In short, Vader wouldn't be able to read his mind easily. But the advantage wouldn't last under Vader's full power. But, Vader did not suspect him enough to use the Force. Yet.
The shuttle nimbly navigated through Coruscant's clogged skyways. A few times, the pilot blasted an unfortunate traveler who happened to be in the way. Whitmore cringed. He never could attain the level of indifference that Colonel Ackerson or Nathan Grey had. But for now, he had to play the part of a cruel, merciless intelligence official. He turned to the side window. Outside, Vader's private residence was growing in size as the shuttle made a beeline towards it.
The Mansion of the High Executor of the Emperor was Vader's home of sorts. It was one of the most heavily guarded buildings on Coruscant. Two ship-scale gun batteries were located all over the structure. Flocks of TIE fighters and Interceptors patrolled the area. At any one time, one thousand stormtroopers of the elite 501st, also known as 'Vader's Fist', were stationed there. Over eighty Storm Commandos were also there, as was Vader's own Red Robe guards. In the distance, Whitmore could see the ruins of the old Jedi temple. And if one was close enough and had a good eye, one could see the Imperial flag fluttering lazily over the ruins.
The shuttle made a soft landing on the open platform. Whitmore waited for the ramp to come down, made sure his red uniform was neat and tidy, and briskly stepped out. On either side, rank upon rank of 501st troopers stood at attention on either side of the landing platform. It was a mere formality, he knew. Those troopers would shoot him without a second thought if Vader wanted it. Whitmore felt a slight rumbling as the platform retracted into the mansion and the light was blotted out by massive blast doors. Overhead, bright lights flickered on, and striding down the aisle was Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith and the Emperor's right hand.
Whitmore didn't intend to show Vader that he was afraid. "You summoned me, Lord Vader?" he said in his best Coruscanti accent.
"Yes," said Vader. "I wanted to speak with you about something I suspect. I sense there is a traitor in Imperial Intelligence."
Whitmore carefully controlled his facial expressions. "A traitor, my lord?"
"That is the way I have seen it. I want to find him, but I cannot trust anyone, not even your superior. That is why I want you to find the traitor. Your current mission has been cancelled and will be carried out by others. First of all, I want you to recover Ysanne Isard from Mygeeto, where she has committed a blunder by allowing the Sovereign to fall victim to UNSC attacks. Before you do that, I want you to take thirty Star Destroyers and annihilate the Allied task force. You will have enough stormtroopers to finish off the Allied ground forces."
Whitmore nodded. "Yes, my lord. It will be done."
"Or you will regret it.
0300 hrs
UNSC Cruiser "Mobile Bay"
Task Force Sierra
In geosynchronous orbit around Mygeeto
Captain William Scott winced as the intercom buzzed and jerked him out of a deep sleep. He swung his legs off the bunk bed and keyed the COM. "Scott here."
"Captain?"
"Yes lieutenant?"
"Please report to the bridge, sir. It's urgent."
Scott walked briskly onto the bridge. The bridge crew, normally a little lax after a victorious battle, was paying close attention to their monitors. "Status report."
"Thirty Imperial warships. Twenty Victory-class and ten Imperial-II class."
"Enemy warships firing!" said the OPS officer.
Charts on the main viewer showed energy spikes on the Star Destroyers' main batteries…that quickly dropped.
"What the hell?" muttered Scott.
The Imperial ships floated dead in space. Lights all over each ship winked out as their power mysteriously drained. A single shuttle left the lead ship and accelerated towards the Allied lines.
"Lock on to that shuttle, but don't open fire until I give the go ahead," said Scott."Try pinging it for a response."
"Channel's open, sir."
"This is the UNSC Mobile Bay," said Scott. "Identify yourself."
"Lieutenant Robert Whitmore, Section Three, ONI. Transmitting ID number now."
There was a pause as an officer confirmed Robert's information. "He's clear, sir."
"Lieutenant, you are authorized to land in Launch Bay Seven," said Scott. He glanced at the screen. The Imperials were still floating around. Some of them, however, were powering up again. "Lock weapons on those dead Star Destroyers and fire at will."
Two dull thumps resounded through Mobile Bay's hull as the MAC guns fired, followed by a rumbling vibration as Archer missiles left their pods. The rest of the fleet followed suit; plasma torpedoes, MAC rounds and turbolaser bolts streaked across space.
The Star destroyers burned and flexed as they bore the Allies' wrath. Some were destroyed outright. Others became swiss cheesed with holes. Still others crashed into each other. The once very dangerous Imperial fleet was in shambles.
Scott knew he was very lucky. If Robert hadn't planted that virus, the battle would have lasted longer, with many Allied casualties.
"That worked out well."
Scott turned around to see a man in an Imperial red uniform saluting him. For a split second, he nearly went for his pistol before realizing who this was. "You're Lieutenant Whitmore, aren't you?"
"Yes sir."
"At ease, Lieutenant. Let's talk in my office."
Inside, Scott invited Whitmore to sit down. "Lieutenant, how on earth did you manage to get out of that ship? Didn't the crew try to catch you?"
Whitmore smiled. "With this," he said, pulling from his sleeve a long, thin stiletto knife. "And this," he grinned as he pulled his blaster from its holster. He replaced the weapons, and his grin faded. "My mission's just gone down the shitter."
"Why would you say that?"
"I was stationed on Coruscant to sabotage enemy tech and infiltrate Imperial Intelligence. When Darth Vader hears his most trusted servant is missing, he'll know exactly why. Vader's no fool, and he won't be happy when he hears about this."
"I bet he will."
Scott returned to his room. He found that he couldn't sleep, so he decided to turn on the news. Thanks to new COM relays (Forerunner of course), the news was only a few hours old. CNN appeared on the screen.
"…more on that later. Cindy Wilson is reporting from Sydney, where a large group of anti-war protesters has gathered outside UNSC High Command's office in this city."
" 'Enough is enough', they cry. Many here are tired of the fighting, and say that the military isn't concerned about the people it protects."
The man leading the group was wearing a brightly colored shirt and a sign that said "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH". "This war has been going on for too long! We need to bring our boys home!"
"Sir, don't you think we should finish this fight before-"
"NO! Enough is enough!"
Scott snorted.
The view cut back to the first male anchorman. "Fleet Admiral Lord Terrence Hood, still on the front lines of the Imperial War, has finally issued a reply to President Georges of France's allegation that the military has garnered too much power since the outbreak of the Covenant War, and they aren't willing to give it up."
Hood in his neatly pressed white navy uniform stood before a news conference. "The allegations are both true and not true. It is true that the military has gotten a lot of attention from the government since Harvest, but it is not true that we are 'the real rulers' of Earth as the president says. That power lies with the United Earth Government. We have no real 'power' in the government to give up."
"Sir, is it true that an Imperial ship nearly destroyed your entire battle group?"
"If they did, we wouldn't be having this pleasant conversation."
"Sir, what are your views on ONI's trial of Imperial Officer Illia Daala?"
"That's not my concern. Go ask ONI."
"They refuse to comment."
"So do I. Do you have any more questions?"
"Yes. How long will the war last, in your opinion?"
"It depends. Allied forces are steadily pushing the Imperials back, but they have a strong navy and a large army. It may take up to a year at least to force the Imperials into a position to surrender unconditionally. Then we'll show them how it is to have a foreign navy pound their home planet."
"What will happen after the Imperials are overthrown?"
"The New Republic will take over after that. They are planning to send an invitation to the UEG to have a representative in their Senate."
"Will the Republic have enough power to restore order in the galaxy?"
"With this new clone army, plus new ships, I think they can handle it. If necessary, a UNSC and Covenant joint fleet consisting of no more than one hundred and fifty ships will assist the new government."
"Is it true that UNSC officers and soldiers are being recruited into the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4?"
"They aren't being recruited. You have to have special characteristics to be a Jedi, and those that are willing are indeed joining the academy."
"Do you acknowledge the fact that a set of people who call themselves Mandalorians have attacked both Imperial and Allied ships?"
"Yes. Measures are being taken to eliminate this threat. As to why they've attacked both parties; Mandalorians are seemingly a fiercely independent people. They choose no sides unless they have a lot of cash to gain. Neither side has any to spare, so they raid both sides."
"Will the fleet move to hit Concord Dawn, the Mandalorians' home world?"
"Frankly, I don't know yet."
"Sir, is it true that ONI uses-"
"Go ask ONI. And if they refuse to comment, don't be surprised. We don't discuss tactical information with civilians, whether they like it or not. This meeting is closed."
The view cut back to the reporter, now standing in a civilian ship. Outside, one could see the massive Allied Navy above Kamino. "Military personnel escorted us back to the ship. A senior military officer who refused to give his name said that Marine casualties are indeed high, but not as high as those in the disastrous Covenant War. As long as the Imperials refuse to surrender, the Marines will continue to fight on the frontlines. Back to you, Brian."
"That was Will Preston reporting from Kamino. A large freighter was stormed by UN security forces in the Epsilon Eridanus System after a tip suggested that members of the outlawed 'Frieden' movement were inside. Secu-"
Scott had seen enough. Civilians back home were so annoying. During the Covenant war they firmly believed that the military wasn't doing its job the best they could. They didn't know that the military's best hadn't been enough. Morale and society sagged. There were so many movements. Scott remembered his ex telling him about a group of college dropouts that started a 'don't die a virgin' campaign. In the end, STDs became a major concern after the war. As if the UN didn't have enough on its plate already. Then the second invasion by the Imperials shocked anti-war protesters into silence. Imperial brutality fueled support for the war effort. But the fire was dying now. Now they were wasting time.
Scott was impressed with Hood's terse yet warm attitude. He answered questions he deemed OK to the best he could, but those he couldn't he quickly dismissed. The press enjoyed grilling military officers, but Hood denied them the pleasure of seeing him squirm.
Scott and the rest of the Navy knew, as the press didn't, that the fleet was indeed preparing to move against Concord Dawn. As soon as the mission on Mygeeto was over, all operational Spartans would be recalled to the Patriot. The Patriot would then link up with the Mobile Bay, the Halcyon-class cruiser Midnight Sun and the Asgard, an Iroquois-class cruiser. A support group of ten Zanzibar-class destroyers would be on station just in case. Then they would head to Concord Dawn.
Only time would tell who would prevail: the fierce and extremely dangerous Mandalorian warriors, or the UNSC Navy and the equally dangerous Spartan super soldiers.
0300 hrs
Spartan Blue Team
Crash site of HIMS Sovereign
Mygeeto
Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan John-117 surveyed the crash site. The ship seemed to be mostly intact. Hundreds of small fires peppered the space-black hull and the immediate area surrounding the ship. By the light of those fires, he could see stormtroopers on patrol. Others were tending to the wounded. Some were putting out the fires. There was no sign of any storm commandos, but John knew that was subject to change. The Imperials obviously knew their ship was a prize, and they obviously set a trap.
Joshua-05 chimed in. "It looks like they're preparing for a major assault, Blue lead. I can see the anti-fighter flaks moving around, and some of those turbolaser turrets too. A lot of fighter tanks are exiting the ship, along with those new TIE Mauler tanks. It'll be a tough nugget to crack for the Marines."
"Except the Marines won't be taking it, at least not now." He focused the S2AM Sniper Rifle's scope over the perimeter established by the enemy. There was one hole in the defense, too conspicuous to be a mistake. He could barely make out movement in the shadows of some too-conveniently-placed pieces of durasteel. That was where the trap was located. "Red Team, neutralize those tanks. Blue Team, we'll be taking out those guns. Green Team, you're sniper cover. Commence attack at oh-three hundred and five hours. Blue lead out."
A/N: Yep, Chapter 9 will have a Mando-Spartan battle. Chapter 8 will focus mostly on the Chief. I used this chapter to focus on the difficulties on the frontlines and the home front. BTW, Whitmore is the 'mysterious' agent in Athens in the first story, for those who didn't get it.
