September 15th 3235 1345h
UNSC Indomitable Docking arm 3, Robert-Galayal shipyards,
Ceta Centauri
Captain Christopher James Vennettilli Soldier's Log
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I never thought I would ever see this place again. I missed the ship ever since we were launched away from it; despite the truth that it was only a couple days. I'm surprised that most of the damage that the newly classified "Yamato" Cannons, that the Terrans fired, has been repaired. All breaches have been plugged, and we got some reserve naval personnel from the moon to help us out on the journey home. I just can't accept the fact that only a handful of hundreds of Marines, navy personnel and flyboys are left. Only thing we can do now is try to make the trip home. There's the docking alarm, logging out.
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The locks thumped as the Dedalus's airlocks aligned with the Supercarrier's docking arm. Atmosphere hissed and the gates were opened. The main launch bay of the Indomitable came into view. New techs scurried about. Most at legal drafting age, eager to work in their new post. The remaining Mechwarriors on the dropship guided their vehicles into the ship's main Mech hubs. They powered down, and got ready for debriefing.
"Feels good to be back, huh guys?" Sally asked, breathing in the air, as if holding her breath for years. "Tell you the truth, it didn't matter to me that much." Knuckles said, rolling his eyes. " A ship's a same ship." Chris cocked an eyebrow at this. "Actually, each ship is different." "How so?" Tails asked, interested in this. "Aside from the name, all UNSC ships are unique. One may have more Archer pods, on a higher AU per gallon-that's intergalactic highway AUs by the way- some may even have a bigger bathroom space than another. Sally whispered, "I wish they'd put a bathtub in this ship." longingly.
This conversation had somehow lasted all the way to the debriefing room where Andsworth was waiting for them. He had a bandage to his temple soaked through with clotted blood. He smiled at their sight. "Welcome back lady and gentlemen. Everyone ok?" Tails piped up. "My scratches are healing OK." Chris winced, touching his hand tenderly. "I could be better." Andsworth nodded. First off, I'm sorry to hear that we lost so many good men down there. We were caught blindsided in this event. But on the plus side, we have gained valuable information about the Terrans, thanks to Mr. Prower, therefore, I'm promoting him to Corporal." The squad clapped loudly. Carl even whistled. Tails smiled fully, Johnson patted the fox on the back. Secondly, I saw your advance out of the atmosphere, Captain. I have to say, I'm impressed with your antics. As for Percy," he gestured to Ryan. "I saw his flying and I have to say, You are one freaking maniac!" Ryan looked down at his feet. "Good show." Andsworth finished chuckling, "I'm awarding him the Marine Combat Service medal." Claps, and compliments followed for him too. Now: to business. We've intercepted several Terran communication signals referring to an invasion fleet to Earth. We don't know the full extent of just what these ships can do. I've had some help determining where they were going. A woman appeared next to the Admiral. She was translucent. Data was scrolling up and down her body. And her skin tone changes hues constantly, and her 'hair' was cropped short at the bangs. "Terra!" Ryan said, delighted to see his beloved AI again after months. "I thought I lost you!" Terra smiled. "I knew you'd find me sooner or later." She said. "Anyway, I picked up some radio transmissions telling several ships about an invasion on Earth. My scanning frequencies picked up at least thirty open channels, and how many they transmitted to, I'll never know." Chris sighed. "So we have an unconfirmed number of hostiles heading for the heart of humanity." Andsworth nodded. "Essentially correct, Captain." So, I have once again, another mission for you.
Sally stood up. "Admiral, with all do respect, we just spent a few days in that little patch of frozen hell, we need some time to retaliate." The senior officer nodded." "Well, said, your Highness, although here's the rub: I need you to infiltrate a Terran vessel and take it down. You may use any means necessary to destroy it." "Which brings me to my next question:" Chris said. "We have no weapons, just some Terran guns and salvaged armor parts." Andsworth said, "With those guns, we can experiment on what makes them tick, the armor we can integrate into our current armor models. As for the guns you need," Andsworth walked to a computer terminal, tapped a few buttons, and waited. Suddenly, a crest appeared, a symbol of three gigantic stars each twinkling, in the center stood the letters OT: OmniTech. "Good afternoon, Stuart." Andsworth said into a microphone at the base of the screen. Stuart Labute's face appeared. "Good afternoon Admiral. I assume you're ready for the order to be transferred?" Andsworth nodded, "Sure thing. How soon will you be able to send it over?" Stuart made calculations: "Within a minute." Andsworth looked back at the confused unit. "Teleportation. He's been working on it for a while. Not a public thing, select few know about it." The humans and Mobians nodded, understanding, well, mostly anyway. "Wait, don't you need a receiving end to make a teleportation transfer?" Tails asked. "Quite correct, Tails." Stuart said nodding. "However, my computers are in fact capable of making one-way transfers. I can simply beam the weaponry right into that room like that." A circle of light appeared in the center of the briefing room. Atoms building up until crates of guns, explosives and armor were sitting, perfectly solid. Andsworth nodded, satisfied, lifting a M7D HE 40x9mm 44. Magnum into his side holster. "The charges will be deducted from the UNSC account, you don't mind?" Stuart asked. "Not at all." Andsworth said. "Excellent doing business with you, visit us in the Doran Super-cluster some time. "I'm giving all of you guys VIP access, that isn't common, also." The entire unit said goodbye. "Doran Super-cluster," Chris said, reaching down deep. "Isn't that where the UNSC made a ship graveyard? Said that the radiation would be mulled out in there, but that's such a dense place, no way to get in without being crushed by gravitational forces." "Looks like he found a way." Sonic said. "He's smart enough to make something to equalize the gravity so he could build his ship or station or whatever's in there." Sally hefted a MA7B assault rifle, loaded it, slung it over her shoulder. She picked up a 50-caliber sniper rifle, picked up a magazine, slapped it in, and cocked it. The first bullet slipped into the polished and oiled chamber."
"Smarty-pants knows his stuff, the rifle works like a dream, light-weight too." Tails considered it. "Probably Polymer Thylon. A lightweight material used to make superstructures, very tough, but light-weight, like Titanium." Andsworth nodded. "Now that we're all loaded up, its time to choose who will go. All who wants in raise your hand." Chris's palm shot up instantly, the Admiral smiled, Johnson went too, Ryan followed, surprisingly, Carl, Lance, and Chaz wouldn't go. "Sorry sir, recent events apply" Chaz said, speaking for Carl. His injury made him startlingly weak. Sonic too was out. Tails needed to stay and work on the Terran weaponry recovered from the planet. All of the Mobians declined the mission except Sally. "I'm coming with you guys." She said stepping into the small group. "If there's one thing I've learned over this trip, its to always be a leader, no a follower. Sonic refused and that's telling me that he's not a strong leader. Give him a spacesuit and a gun, and he'll bawl like a baby.
A D77-TC Pelican was prepped for the emergency mission. Sally at the pilot controls. Chris was in the back with Johnson and Ryan. "We know what to do, right?" he asked the men. "Yeah, get the size of the fleet, plant explosives, and book it out of that place." Johnson said. "Correct. Not a difficult mission, so, plenty of opportunities. Just don't do anything that could result us in getting shot, stabbed, or ejected into interstellar space." "We'll try not to." Sally said from the cockpit. She sealed the rear hatch and the Inner door cycled open. She guided the dropship inside the lock. The air hissed as it was pumped out of the area. The Outer door opened soundlessly in the vacuum. Ceta Centauri shone as water reflected the sunlight. Chris would've liked it to see the beautiful surface, and be warm. There was a sudden acceleration as the Pelican sped away from the Supercarrier's hull. Gravity started to weaken half a kilometer later. The marines floated but were then brought down by the acceleration of the dropship. "Big question: Where is the Terran ship?" Sally asked the guys in the back. They all gaped and pointed ahead. Sally gasped as she saw it too. The ship appeared out of nowhere. "Stealth technology." Chris noted. "Have they spotted us?" Sally checked the scanners. "Either they don't know we're here or they just don't care. Personally, I prefer number two." "Is there an open shuttle bay?" Sally checked again, this time, checking Nicole. "Yeah, Bay Three. Seems unused, no life signs.
Sally eased the Pelican into the alien bay, "Come on, steady, girl." She urged the machine. The landing gear thumped on the metal. "We're good. We should move out before they ask for ID." Johnson nodded, slapping a clip into the BR75 Battle Rifle.
A voice from an intercom spoke: "Attention, ship shall be warping in thirty seconds."
"Warp? What's that?" Ryan said. "Ever watch Star Trek, Marine?" Johnson asked Ryan. "No, I watched Farscape." Johnson said, "What?! Anyways, Warp was the Faster than Light travel in that universe. My guess is that the Terrans have a Warp drive as well." Chris smiled. "Very good, Johnson, have a gold star." Johnson laughed. At once, the stars began to streak as the ship ploughed into warp space.
Back on the Indomitable, There was a problem. "Status, Terra!" Andsworth demanded as the ship listed to port. "I'm detecting a Faster than Light signature. It appears to be coming from a Terran ship stationed in system. It appears that we're getting pulled into its wormhole!" Andsworth cursed. "Can you take us out?" He asked a helmsman. "Negative, sir. Even if we push the engines to overload, there's no way to escape."
Andsworth swore again. "So we're getting dragged along for the ride." Terra nodded. "Yes, sir. We are the proverbial wake boarders getting dragged along by a boat in this lake." The stars streaked and bright colors enveloped the Supercarier as they accelerated into warp. "I'll be. Look at this. I hope Prower is getting this." Terra chimed in. "Sir, based on what the other ship's system says, I assume that we'll read our destination within a twelve hours. "That's fast." Andsworth whistled. "Yes sir, but we have no idea where we're going." Andsworth nodded. "That's true. Lets hope that those four can blow that ship up just as soon as we get to that destination.
"Everyone OK?" Chris asked, he grabbed Sally's hand and pulled her up. "Thanks." She responded. "Any time." He said back. "Ok, let's make our way to the bridge." Chris said. We should get there by moving through the spine of the ship. We appear to be in the midway point. The Marines cocked their guns and proceeded to move through the ship.
About twenty minutes later, Sally noticed something. "Chris this is the brig. Not the bridge." She said shaking her head. "Ok, so I don't know my way around a Terran ship." He admitted. Ryan shook his head. "That's sad, Chris, real sad." Johnson snapped him up. "You'd better watch what you say around the captain." Ryan gulped and fixed an imaginary jam on his rifle. "You know, I haven't seen a single Terran on this ship ever since we got on." Sally noticed. "Yeah, you're right. I think something's real wrong." None of them noticed a shimmer of air right behind them hit an alarm switch.
"You, Earthling, come here." A voice rasped. Chris turned to see the voice. It was a man, mid aged and sitting in an energy cell. A force field kept him boxed in. "Help me out, Earthling." Chris looked at the man. "I'm Captain Vennettilli of the UNSC. Are you a citizen of the United Earth Government?" the man shook his head. "No, I'm from Tarsonis, one of the Terran planets of origin." Chris said mockingly. "Oh good, more friends. Explain something to me. Why would the Terrans box up their own citizens?" Chris said to the man. "Because I'm part of the UED, or what's left of it, anyway."
Johnson cocked an eyebrow. "The UED?" he asked suspiciously. "The United Earth Directorate, an organization founded in the 26th century." Chris thought. Sally chimed in. "There's no record of a UED in the Earth Chronological Databases." The man spoke up. "It was a secret organization funded by the government to stop the Terran Confederacy from overrunning the sector and controlling Earth. The original members consisted of a few ships, but by the end of the campaign, the numbers increased to planets! However, after this, I doubt neither of our governments will be left standing, and a Terran Empire will rise." "A Terran Empire?" Sally considered. "That doesn't sound good." "You're telling me!" Johnson said. "I thought the Covenant were our only problem. An Empire. That's different. I'll need a lightsaber, a giant monkey, and a snooty little kid that'll join the dark side." Everyone looked at Johnson. The Sergeant pulled off his hat, took a look around, turned a shade of red, and pulled a cigar our of it, he had for more in loops on the roof. He lit it and puffed once. "He heh, so I watched Star Wars a little too much." He said. Sally looked at the sergeant for a while. "You're a nerd." She said
"Almost got them online: there we go!" Terra said in deep concentration. Words flickered onscreen. A written document of the jump orders. "Admiral, listen to this." She said after reading the message a few times in a second. The AI cleared her nonexistent throat and said:
10.15.35 1300h
TCS Extravagant
Fleet Commander Alexi Adrekov Issuing
Greetings fellow Terrans:
It pleases me to report that the Earthlings that we encountered earlier have been dealt with. Their air supplies are rapidly leaking and there is no way that the ship's surviving crew could survive. I commend them though, even though we despise them for sending us to the far reaches of the galaxy. They may have given the Terrans birth but they are the enemy. Thanks to their galactic maps found on their pitiful ship that we encountered on the fringes of their space, at the colony they called New Michigan. After we destroyed the ship, we razed the planet. Millions dead, it was a sight to behold. But don't stray from my words, comrades. The maps on their ships have revealed to us the location of their homeworld: Terra, Earth. The site of creation of the human race will be in Terran hands by the end of this twelfth month. I swear this to you, set these coordinates into your warp drives as soon as possible: X: 0 Y: 0 Z: 0
You know your orders, Fleet Commander Andrekov, out.
The bridge officers stood frozen. They had not been expecting this. The Galaxy was divided into three axes: X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. Vertical, Horizontal, and Diagonal. Triple Zero was the center of all jump routes. The Terrans were heading for Earth. Cole Protocal didn't apply since they weren't the Covenant, however, they might not have gotten the chance to purge the systems before the ship they attacked was cracked in two. Either way, there was no way to contact the Admiralty from FTL space. So all they could do was sit there and wait for their inevitable slaughter. Andsworth sat in the command chair and watched ahead as a dazzling display of color and light continuously sped toward them.
Back on the Terran ship, Chris traced a string of Thermite along the cell wall not covered by a force field. Ryan lit a flare and sent the flames scurrying around the traced circle. The hatch was looser now. The fire team pushed against the weakened wall and the metal fell down with a dull thud. The Terran scurried out. He was dressed in a suit that was so reminiscent to UNSC unarmored personnel, you couldn't tell the difference. "Lets get going. I didn't catch your name, Soldier." Chris said. The Terran said: "My name's Logan." The team nodded. "Logan, do you know the way to the most crucial part of the ship?" Sally asked. "Sure the engine room, You want to blow this crate up?" Johnson nodded. "That's the plan, Marine." Logan frisked his body. "I don't have a gun. And the guards took my knife." Chris reached into his side holster and drew his Desert Eagle and three clips of fifteen round ammunition. "There you go. Teflon coated bullets plus a little agent in the gunpowder developed by a friend of mine to make the bullets go one and a half times the speed of sound. It'll crack though Terran armor." Logan examined the handgun. "Amazing you possess such antique weaponry." Chris nodded. "The UNSC re-introduced a lot of 21st century weaponry since they were too good to give up, such as an AK-47 or an M16, even a Desert Eagle or a Five-seveN." Sally tapped her side holster. "I carry a .357" She smiled. "Cool." Logan said and slipped a clip into the receiver. It clacked and he pulled back the cocking lever to make the first hybrid round slip into the chamber. "Let's move out!" Chris said.
The light stopped. Andsworh looked out of the viewport. The sapphire orb of Earth hung in all her glory straight ahead, a few million kilometers starboard fore, the rocky globe of the moon beckoned, then as if by magic, over fifty Terran vessels stretched into real space. "Mother of God." Andsworth gasped. There was no way the Indomitable could hold out against a fleet that size. Even with Home Fleet on Red Alert. And the MAC stations on Overcharge. There was still no way to win. "Sir," Velo chimed. "Most of the ships in the Terran fleet are headed for the dark side of the moon! It's the jumpgate!"
The Jumpgate that led to Mobius. The planet was still recovering from the war two months ago. They were sure to lose.