"The Pitch"
The only light in the room came from the bright holographic display that Luke was hunched in front of, the only sound coming from his fingers pecking away at the touch screen keyboard that he had set down on the desk as well as the quite purring of the various fans cooling off the electronic equipment. His eyes were stinging and strained from staring at the screen but he was determined to finish writing his reports on the mission on Loki. Not for himself, he had typically let Nathan transcribe the mission based off the footage from the onboard camera because whoever debriefed him usually took a single glance at the report and set it back in the file before pressing him with questions that could never show up on a public record. No, he was writing this for Lieutenant Bennett and Sergeant Wahlen, and all of the other ODSTs who died on that planet what was now serving as their final resting place. Wiping his eyes to try and alleviate the pain for a few seconds, he continued his slow but steady typing despite his blurry vision. But after a few more minutes of writing he pushed his chair back and paced around his quarters in just his boxer briefs to get the blood flowing again and to let his eyes get a break from focusing on the monitor. For a brief moment he left his mind indulge it's more mischievous side and he thought about waking Katana up and bringing her over here but it would've been more than awkward. The three of them were sharing the same room and even the smallest change in the EMF would tip them off and they'd all be awake, and even if they didn't wake up to his psychic presence they were trained to be some of the most efficient and perceptive killers and the noise would wake the other two up. He ignored the slight change in the way his boxers fit and returned his thoughts to the report.
"Soldier…the report isn't due until we arrive at Earth and Captain Ambresio has already made it clear that we are taking nearly three day's worth of random jumps until we begin to move back towards Earth. There's no need to be stressed over this," Nathan said quietly.
"I know, but I want to write it all down while it's still fresh," he replied with the lame excuse. The death of Bennett had shaken him a little more than he was expecting and Nathan had already commented on his increasingly fitful sleep and brain waves that were becoming quite erratic when he was dreaming. After the incident in The Hive, Luke had taken it upon himself to try and prevent the same situation from happening again by limiting how long he slept so that he could try and avoid prolonged REM cycles. For the most part it had worked but there were a number of times where he would wake up with the same telekinetic field affecting his bed and anything near it, although he was lucky none of these remotely approached the intensity of the first incident. He had debated going to Dr. Allara with this information but he decided against it and kept it all to himself. Satisfied that he'd given his eyes and mind enough of a rest, he sat back down at the computer and was able to finish off a few more paragraphs describing their encounter with the Prophet of Regret in the Forerunner facility and the battle that ensued on the surface, culminating in their extraction. He stared at the screen for a few moments while he debated whether to recommend medals for Bennett and Wahlen but he realized that he'd have to do the same for Meyers and Mueller who also went above and beyond the call of duty, and even then, the other ODSTs he fought with all showed incredible courage considering the circumstances and it would be unfair. The words came out easily once the debate had been fought in his mind and he suggested that the entire Platoon receive a commendation, with special mentions for Bennett and his NCOs. Luke thought it was a fair compromise although it was likely that with the classified nature of the mission they wouldn't get anything aside from some kind words from their superior before being sent back into the field. They probably wouldn't want anything else, Luke thought as he saved the document where it would stay until they arrived back at Earth. Turning the projector off, his room suddenly went dark but with the enhancements to his eyes it was still easy to see everything as if it was all emanating a faint gray light and he found his bed easily and lay down.
"Would you like an alarm?" Nathan asked.
"No, it's ok," he replied, knowing he didn't have any assignments or pressing needs the next day. Lying on his back his hands behind his head, Luke stared up at the ceiling for a few moments to try and let his mind wind down a little and fall asleep but it was difficult; something was nagging at him and he couldn't figure it out. The image of the Prophet of Regret continued to invade his mind and the ideas that were the source of the unrest in his head became clearer and he got up slowly, almost afraid that any quick movements would shatter what was being formed in his mind.
"Something the matter?" The AI inquired, obviously picking up his movement on the motion sensors in the room.
"No…actually it's something really good. I don't know why I didn't see it before now," he replied as he got out of bed and pulled his camo pants on and grabbing the black shirt that was hanging over his chair. "Message the Captain and see if he's awake and if he is please tell him that I have something important I need to speak with him about." A few moments passed as Luke put his boots on and cinched his belt tight.
"He's awaiting your arrival," Nathan finally said. Luke hurried out through the darkened hallways towards the Captain's quarters. Located near the bridge, he pressed the call button next to the keypad and waited for Ambresio to let him in. The door opened silently and Luke took a few steps into his quarters. It wasn't much larger than Luke's, his bed and some storage units off the left separated from the rest of the room by a bulkhead. In front of him was a small living area that was sparsely furnished aside from the built in "L" shaped couch to the right of Luke that looked like it had never been used before. The Captain was sitting behind his desk directly in front of a Luke where a single lamp extended up from the side and bathed the room in a soft golden light that cast hard shadows on everything around him.
"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, sir," Luke said after saluting and being waved off.
"It's fine, I wasn't busy or anything," he replied back, leaning back in his chair and pulling off a pair of thin silver reading glasses. He was dressed in a pressed gray Oxford with just a nametag on his left breast and his rank insignia on either side of his lapel, a uniform that Luke had never seen him in before but he quickly assumed it was for more casual situations where a full dress up wasn't required. Ambresio set aside the tablet that he had been hunched over and motioned for Luke to come closer and take a seat but he declined the seat and remained standing between the two comfortable looking chairs opposite of his desk. "So what can I do for you? Nathan made it sound like it was something urgent."
"Well, sir, it may be." Luke took a breath before he continued. "I think I may have figured out a way to end this war, or at least bring the Covenant to the table." Ambresio's eyebrows arched up slowly but not in a condescending way that signaled he had already dismissed the idea.
"How did you come to this conclusion?"
"When we were in the facility, I encountered a race that I'd never seen before. This…Prophet…was flanked by an enormous Honor Guard and they fought to the death to keep me from him and I would be willing to bet everything that that Assault Carrier was his ship. If my hunch is correct, if we can get a hold of him the Covenant will probably be a lot more receptive to peace talks." The Captain rubbed his hand against his lips and didn't say anything for a few seconds.
"Well the debriefings we've had so far certainly suggest that this guy is an important player within the Covenant but I haven't had time to look over any of the footage from the fight and most of the combat reports are still being drawn up. I suppose you want me to push this idea up the chain of command?"
"If you would, sir. And if it's not overstepping my bounds I'd like to volunteer my team for this mission; we've had firsthand experience with a Prophet and his retinue which will be invaluable later on." Again Ambresio kept his mouth closed before speaking, seemingly running through an internal debate before making any promises to Luke.
"I'll pass the report along to ONI as well as trying to set up a more formal meeting with the people who will actually be giving the go ahead for something like this. I can't promise anything though. With the kinds of licks we've been taking the past few months the top brass has been pretty reluctant to make any drastic moves that may put us into an even weaker position. And I can tell you right now that, as solid as this idea is, they may be reluctant at first to give something like this the go ahead."
"Thank you sir. As long as the word is passed along I'll be happy." He nodded in return and picked up his glasses, indicating the conversation was over. Luke gave a quick salute and headed back towards his quarters. As he punched in his pass code into the pad, he recognized a familiar feeling inside his room. "Hey there," he said as he opened the door up. Katana was sitting on the edge of his bed in a pair of short-shorts and a tight fitting white tank top, her hands gripping the edge of the bad below the mattress.
"You're no fun," she said, getting up and walking over to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he picked her up as she locked her legs around his waist. Pushing her onto the bed they began to kiss and he couldn't resist running his hands up underneath her shirt while she let his pants loose and left him in his underwear. She giggled a little as he pulled her shirt off and a few minutes later they were entangled under the sheets.
"I think I can speak for everyone on this panel in saying that we've all looked over your report and have at least a basic understanding of what happened on the surface of Loki, and in particular the incident revolving around the Covenant forces within the research facility. But if you will Lieutenant, can you please give us a better idea of what you're specifically proposing."
"Yes sir," Luke said as he stood before three ONI officials all seated behind a glass desk in a room deep within The Hive. All of them were in their mid-forties, early fifties and showed signs of aging by the wrinkles on their face and the salt and pepper streaks that cut through their hair. Luke was in his dress uniform that Katana had insisted on pressing herself when she heard that they were going to have a meeting with him. The speed that Captain Ambresio had moved to get the meeting set was impressive and Luke was grateful for it. "My team and Sergeant Mueller's squad encountered a large contingent of Brutes while we were inside the facility. During our fight with them, a new group arrived that consisted of Elites wearing what appeared to be a ceremonial armor. Following them was the Brute commander who went by the name of Tartarus and seemed to hold a high ranking position within either the Brute culture or the Covenant as a whole. Finally, a Covenant leader arrived who held the title or name of Prophet of Regret. These two individuals seemed to command an extraordinary amount of respect and obedience that I've never seen before on the battlefield."
"And how did you come across these names?" the man on the left side of the table asked, the youngest looking one with only a few gray hairs poking through his short black hair although the scars or wrinkles on his face made him seem older than he may have been.
"A combination of hearing them firsthand and knowledge gained by my AI, Nathan." The man nodded, satisfied with the answer. "Just from my personal observations this was a high value target. I attempted to make a move on him but we were severely outmanned and outgunned and the mission would've been at jeopardy if we attempted to chase after him."
"Understood Lieutenant, no one is judging the decisions you made while you were on the ground. Your testimony seems to back-up the assumptions that our own analysts have come up with. This new species, currently given the codename of Prophet, seems to have a hold a high ranking position within the Covenant hierarchy and serves as either a religious or political leader. Do you agree with this, Lieutenant?" the man in the middle asked, leaning forward towards Luke across the table.
"I do, sir," Luke replied.
"So…since we're all on the same page with this, what is it that you're suggesting?" Luke took a moment to clear his throat and choose his words carefully before he spoke.
"Sir, I propose that my team and I infiltrate Covenant space and attempt to capture or assassinate one of the Prophets. I believe that in completing this mission we can hopefully bring the Covenant to the bargaining table and end this war." All of them raised their eyebrows at almost the exact same time and Luke felt a moment of defeat but didn't let it show and he remained as still as a statue. The silence continued and Luke knew that he needed to throw out the rest of the details before they already shut the idea down in their heads. "With the Kamiak, we would be able to slip into Covenant controlled space and begin to hunt for the Prophet. My AI has already created a preliminary list of code words that can be associated with him, such as the name of his ship and some of the titles that were used to describe him. By monitoring the Covenant BattleNet we should be able to mine information until we get a hit. Once we've located him, my team and I can insert and attempt to capture the Prophet. We've already gained considerable experience fighting with the Covenant and our armor is especially suited for covert insertions."
"You seem to have thought this plan out, Lieutenant. It also seems to be something quite personal to you," the man in the middle said, a habit that Luke was beginning to catch on to. It was becoming increasingly obvious that he was the one who he'd have to convince. His comment about the issue becoming personal caught Luke off guard a little bit, though. He had initially seen this as a mission that would benefit Humanity and the UNSC as a whole and was more interested in getting it pitched and given to someone else than keeping it close to his chest and it remaining on the table. But as time had passed and it was allowed to simmer in his head while they waited, he'd taken a much more personal stake in it.
"Sir, it has become a personal mission for me. I've seen enough death by the hands of the Covenant to make me want to get revenge on every one of them. But I also want this war to end with us, Humanity, still standing proud and if that means someone else has to complete the mission then so be it." He nodded at the end knowing that he had explained his opinion as best as he could. The man in the middle turned the corners of his mouth down indicating he was thinking over what Luke had said made a few notes on a datapad that had been sitting idle next to him.
"Considering the fact that Captain Ambresio's vessel will most likely be involved in this operation, assuming it's approved, I'd like to speak with him first and get his opinion on the matter. But aside from that, Lieutenant, I feel that we've got enough information from you to begin discussing the hypotheticals and grand scheme of the plan," the man in the middle said, emoting with his hands. "Just know that since we're in such early stages of this plan that details will absolutely be changed from what you've suggested, although you will have considerable input assuming it all goes through."
"Yes sir, I understand," Luke said, trying to keep from smiling. The fact that they were willing to escalate this beyond this meeting was a good sign, he thought.
"We'll be in contact once a decision has been made. You're dismissed." Luke snapped off a sharp salute and left the room. Stepping through a small waiting room with a pretty secretary flashing him a cute smile that he couldn't help but return, Luke walked out into one of the hallways that cut through The Hive. Sitting on a chair near the door was Katana dressed in her workout clothes with a towel wrapped around her neck, her sweaty hair pulled back in a ponytail showing off her rosy cheeks.
"How did it go?" she asked, remaining sitting with her legs crossed and the shorts pulled up showing off her toned thighs.
"I think it went fine," he replied back, his head bouncing back and forth belying the uncertainty he had deep within him. "We'll see where it goes from here."
"That's good to hear. But hey…since we're on leave," she said, abruptly changing topics. "Do you want to get and get something to eat? Maybe go out and have a little fun afterwards?"