Play intercepted transmission 23AC/F49C6…
File loading…
File loaded, playing file.
"Centurion Alpha-1 you are to report to your Captain and prepare to receive your new personal AI."
"Acknowledged Director, permission to speak."
"Permission granted."
"Will the AI assist in combat situations or is it for tech related situations?"
"Any technological asset the AI can help with, he will help you with it."
"Acknowledged."
"Now, Alpha-1 you also have a new set of orders; eliminate any UNSC personal on site unless they give you the secret ONI code word. If you encounter a Spartan, eliminate them with extreme prejudice."
"Affirmative Sir."
"Good luck Alpha-1, give the UNSC my regards…"
End of logged file.
Accessing ONI Section 3 Database #24L/47A-1
Accessing personal data on Centurion Alpha-1
Age: *CLASSIFIED LVL 10*
Date of Birth: *CLASSIFIED LVL 10*
Homeworld: *CLASSIFIED LVL 10*
Hometown: *CLASSIFIED LVL 10*
Personality: *UNIDENTIFIABLE*
Danger Level: *UNIDENTIFIABLE, NO CLASS MATCHES*
WEAPONERY: *CLASSIFIED LVL 8*
…
Please insert required admin data to access classified data
WARNING: UNKNOWN AI PRESENT, ALERTING ONI Sec-
Access granted to LVL 10 ADMINISTRATOR
De-classifying data…
Waiting…
Loading…
File loaded:
Accessing personal data on Centurion Alpha-1 *DE-CLASSIFIED*
Age: 10
Date of Birth: *UNKNOWN*
Homeworld: Harvest
Hometown: Destroyed by ONI to remove possible leaks
Personality: *UNIDENTIFIABLE*
Danger Level: *UNIDENTIFIABLE, NO CLASS MATCHES*
WEAPONERY: Multiple heavy weapons, HL grenades, HL knives, HL capable weaponry (needs to be modified), access to any ONI asset required
Closing file…
File closed.
Opening file "Mk II Centurion Heavy Armor"
Armor developed by "Office of Naval Intelligence Section 5" aka "Deep Operations Department"
Capabilities:
-enhance strength to carry up to 80 tons during combat situations
-enhance reflex times to around 20 milliseconds
-Able to sustain up to 3 smart AI's with 2 active
-Uses Homeworld-class NOVA power plant
-Enhance maximum speed to 61.3 miles per an hour sustainable for 2 minutes
-Enhance jogging speed to 28.5 miles per an hour sustainable indefinitely via onboard CAMEL system
-Enhanced vision via EAGLE-EYE onboard vision assistance system, capable of sensing movement in pure darkness at a distance of more than 1 kilometer, and nearly 20 kilometers in daylight
-Enhanced hearing via BLOODHOUND assistance hardware, capable of hearing a pin drop up to 75 meters
-CAMEL onboard recycling waste/water system. Purifies waste into edible nutrient bars or drinkable water, can also pull water out of air to fill up water reservoirs
-WOLFPACK IFF/HUD system, able to identify enemies and civilians up to 250 meters,3d map of world person is on, identify orbital assets and repel digital attacks
WARNING: The following details are level 9 CLASSIFIED!
VIOLATERS WILL BE EXECUTED IMMEDIATELY
-Hardlight shields
-Demigod Deliverance System (DDS)
-Orbital Drop Heat Shields & Shock System (ODHS-SS)
-Poseidon Submarine System (PSS)
-Two fission booster pods
-One SHIVA nuclear protection system (Detonates after occupant is deceased or self-destruct is initiated)
*END FILE*
Closing file…
File closed.
Accessing UNSC Database #24A/F409
Opening file Operation Encore…
File loaded: WARNING, THE FOLLOWING IS LVL 10 CLASSIFIED!
Operation Type: Offensive
ETA till launch: 37 Standardized Days
Operation Length: 6 months
Assets:
1st Fleet (127 ships)
3rd Heavy Response Fleet (93 ships)
49th Support Fleet (57 ships)
5th Transport Fleet (56 ships)
25th Carrier Group (49 ships)
47th Carrier Group (35 ships)
13th Support Fleet (27 ships)
25th Fleet (97 ships)
17th Fleet (74 ships)
29th Heavy Response Fleet (56 ships)
Fleet "End of All Things" (CLASSIFIED)
Spartan II's
NOVA-class weaponry
Greacus Mk. 1 Powered Armor
Total Ships: 684 ships
Fleet Personal: 3,078,000
Ground Troops: 27,343,117
*END FILE*
File closed.
Accessing UNSC Database #A49-1/57B
Opening all data regarding Doctor Hannibal's research on digsite-A49/27…
Opening Voice Logs…
"So, today is the first day at the dig site. HIGHCOM told me to keep a voice log in case anything went wrong, sounds pretty suspicious to me, I suspect that another alien artifact may be here, maybe even identical to the one ONI had me dig up."
The males voice sounded rough, like as if someone rubbed sandpaper across their vocal chords, but then again he was 45 years old constantly being exposed to hazards like chemicals or radiation. The hazards came with his job as lead archeologist for alien artifacts.
"So far nothing has happened, we detected a large amount of some sort of enhanced metal deep below the surface, scans were inconclusive but I guess it should weigh in at around 25 tons."
Opening next file…
"Today's date is July 17th 2492, and it has been 2 months since we first started digging. Today we discovered something astonishing, the true size of this so called artifact, it's nearly 24 cubic kilometers. The power readings are off the charts, nearly matching the output of 3 suns. At first we presumed a glitch in the system, but then after we confirmed the readings with a few UNSC cruisers in orbit we immediately notified our assigned HIGHCOM supervisor."
"They immediately reminded us all of our contracts we signed with the UNSC about secrecy, then told us to find an entrance to the underground structure."
"…"
"I could never have imagined finding anything worthwhile on this little desert planet, it doesn't even have a true name like 'New Harmony' or 'Reach', it's just labeled Echelon-Delta. I mean sure we detected a few odd things about the planet, such as no surface water and the surface is covered in desert terrain. And the massive glass formations deep under the sand, possibly from a result of large solar flares or energy being released, but nothing along the likes of this."
"I can only hope that whatever we find is not hostile, because we are ill-prepared to fight anything here, hell the entire UNSC is not ready to fight…"
Opening next file…
"Today's date is December 13th 2493, after almost a year of digging we have finally found a viable entrance to the structure."
"I was given both bad news and good news."
"Good news, the door opened after an eager researcher put his hand on what looked like a hand scanner."
"Bad news, something scanned us intensely."
"The scan was so intense a nearly Longsword was nearly knocked out of the air. After the scan finished it said something in an unknown language along the lines of 'Repetere fecisti', sounded somewhat similar to Latin but still not a perfect match."
"I was informed that in 3 weeks' time a HIGHCOM member would be stopping by to check our progress. I hope it isn't to silence us."
Opening next file…
"Today… oh god today… today is… amazing… no other word can define this moment right now."
"Just hours ago we received a data packet… from the structure."
"And we opened it…"
"It was a simple message, 2d text and a voice over."
"The voice repeated the same 'Repetere fecisti' as yesterday, but the text showed us the translation of it."
"The meaning of those words is… 'Reclaim what you made', I nearly had a heart attack after that."
"After that we received a simple translation matrix and a set of instructions and rules."
"The translation matrix was written in such a way our Smart AI's could easily adapt it into our research goggles. And the rules that we received were as follows, 'First rule, you do not touch anything unless authorized to. Second rule, I will reveal more of the facility as time goes by. Third rule, you must NOT fall into the steps of the Ancient Empire, I will take whatever actions necessary to prevent this. Including but not excluded to, opening more facilities/chambers or militaristic actions.'"
"The date is December 17th 2493, and we just made first contact…"
*END FILE*
Warning: files missing, please contact HIGHCOM for retrieval missing files.
So, HIGHCOM thinks they can stop me… I can worry about this later; better go introduce myself to Alpha.
*PERSPECTIVE CHANGE*
Date: 2497, December 21
Time: 0720
Location: "Gibraltar Prize" Marathon-class cruiser in orbit of Adrarth-IV
Alpha sat in his bunk within a bare room, the room was barely lit and only had a bed, and a closet designed to hold his Mk II Heavy Centurion Armor and the bed itself only had a mattress and a blanket. The walls were a dull grey, which matched the aura the cruiser gave off as a warship.
Alpha had just been assigned to this ONI "acquired" Marathon-class cruiser to await his new CENTURION armor as well as new modified weapons. His armor and weapons had been stripped from him about 9 days ago to undergo refit; he was only informed that the new equipment would be very valuable and could not ever be left on the field of battle.
In his mind Alpha went over the details of Adrarth-IV, he knew it was an ONI stronghold and also one of their field testing planets that was "off the books" as far as he knew, he knew ONI also happened to have 12 working Super-MAC platforms orbiting the planet as well as 5 unknown platforms that were under construction and seemed to take up 40 times the amount of power a Super-MAC platform takes which was very intriguing to Alpha.
He also knew of the massive amount of automation done by ONI Smart-AI's, mainly regarding orbital fleets and automated ground defenses, mainly because ONI could not draw on the civilian population for recruits, and even then they had a much smaller numbers that the UNSC.
The ground assets included almost 12,000 automated Scorpion tanks, 25 vehicles labeled as the M510 Ultra-Heavy Mobile Artillery Base nicknamed the "Mammoth" by other ONI agents which was manned by ONI agents, 45 YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mechs labeled as the "Mantis" which were controlled by 2 different ONI Smart-AI's, and 125 tanks labeled by ONI has "HL Capable Batch B47/27A, aka Barracuda".
Alpha checked back into orbital assets in case he had an engagement when he needed support from the fleet.
The ONI Smart-AI controlled fleet included 15 Marathon-class cruisers, 5 Halcyon-class cruisers, 35 Paris-class heavy frigates, 20 Charon-class light frigates, 12 Sahara-class heavy prowlers and most surprising of all, a Valiant-class Super-Heavy Cruiser, which was commanded directly by The Director. The Smart AI's controlled all of the frigates and the Halcyon-class cruisers, while ONI agents controlled the Marathon-class cruisers and the Super-Heavy Cruiser.
Also in orbit above the planet where 5 massive construction platforms working on what Alpha guessed to be a Dreadnaught, the hull of the ship was nearly 13 kilometers in length, 4 kilometers wide and 1 kilometer tall, and looked to be bristling with weaponry and activity from construction drones. He guessed that ONI had been slowly funneling money from the UNSC for decades to have been able to construct such a warship.
He also noticed that ONI had not chosen the planet for its beauty, for it was a barren volcanic wasteland covered in magma constantly with volcanoes erupting daily, definitely not a colonizable location, perfect for any weapons testing facility. The benefits of it being a planet where the asteroid field was massive and easily made all of the Super-MAC platforms, naval fleet and the Dreadnaught under construction easily pass as simple debris in the system, the UNSC would not look twice, making the planet perfect for ONI to hide on.
The solar system easily held multiple advantages as well, the star of the Adrarth system gave off massive amounts of interference making scanning nearly impossible, the first 3 planets Adrarth-I to Adrarth-III were made up of massive amounts of titanium and other metals needed to build warships and weapons, Adrarth-IV was used as a testing ground, Adrarth-V was a massive gas giant holding large amounts of Hyrdogen-3 and other gases to be used for fuel, Adrarth-VI was a planet made mostly out of valuable materials like diamond and gold, Adrarth-VII was an ice planet of pure H2O which gives ONI their water, and lastly Adrarth-VIII was a massive hollowed out asteroid containing ONI's headquarters as well as massive databanks of all their valuable information and incredible amounts of communication gear for deep space communication to ONI's agents in the field. All of the Smart-AI's that controlled the fleets in the system resided in the underground bunkers on Adrarth-VIII, making them safe from even Shiva-class nuclear warheads.
He was roused from his deep thinking when a male voice came from the walls, right next to the hidden console he could use to access the computer systems.
"Hello Alpha, my name is Black Box, The Director asked me to inform you that I will be your new personal AI. It is nice to meet you."
Alpha for once did not know how to respond, his military training did not include socialization with AI, only giving and taking orders from AI. He managed to blubber out a few words after 5 seconds of awkward silence.
"Nice to meet you as well Black Box."
Alpha just continued staring at the screen, waiting to see if his new personal AI happened to have any orders to relay to him from his superiors. After 15 seconds of silence Black Box spoke up again.
"So, what's up?"
Alpha was not trained for situations like this, so he responded in one of the only way he could.
"I am fine Black Box; do you have any orders to relay to me?"
Black Box made his holographic "blue boxy box" avatar appear, and then promptly turned his shading red.
"Hell, Halsey and her trainers never explained to you how to act socially did they?"
His tone showed some hostility, and Alpha recognized it as an emotion; he noted it, after all, only semi-rampant or rampant AIs showed anger.
Alpha sat back down on his bunk and laid back, stretching vital back muscles as well as releasing tension is his spine, and ignored Black Box's comment. His head rested against the steel walls, his chest barely fit on the bed while his legs hung over the end of the bed.
"I'll take that as a no. In any case, the Captain wants you to report to testing facility Bravo-49 to receive your redesigned weapons and armor. I will be awaiting you at the facility."
And with that Black Box disappeared and the wall closed off the hidden console once again.
Alpha stood up, went to the door, and walked towards the hangar bay.
*PERSPECTIVE CHANGE*
Initiating Level 10 Encryption…
Encryption success! Connecting to UNSC Network…
Connection success.
Welcome to the United Nations Space Command Primary Command Network! Would you like to contact an AI for assistance? Or would you like to contact an UNSC member?
Connecting to UNSC MIL AI CTN 0452-9 labeled as "Cortana"
Connection failed, please leave a message once MIL AI CTN 0452-9 returns from field deployment.
Cortana, Alpha is receiving some new weapons from ONI, nasty ones too. I will leave some files in your home server for you to review and pass on to HIGHCOM, please do not reveal me to HIGHCOM or my position could be compromised.
Also, ONI is working on something big in orbit, I can't tell what it is because all the files are written records; please be careful.
I also took some deployment records of where ONI has agents deployed, I suggest eliminating them before they can arm any "contingencies" they have in place.
….
Transfer detected, confirm transfer to UNSC Database AI/0452-9 (Y/N)
Here goes nothing…
AUTHORS NOTES
Sorry about taking so long on this chapter! I was on vacation for about a week and then spent some time reviewing my own story, and I decided I needed to change up my writing style to go into more detail on everything.
So I started a folder containing all weapons/ships/people/things in my story. Wish me luck!
As usual, any review is helpful! If you see a mistake please let me know.