The UNSC Dominion
Brig
October 5th, 0612 Standard Time, 2552
When Agent Thomas requested further assistance in interrogating Set, Ben had accepted not only because it was expected of him, but because he also wanted to learn more about the Elite. His first encounter with the alien had been far different from what he had been trained to expect, and not just because of the circumstances.
Covenant prisoners were surprisingly rare, largely due to the fact that most Covenant forces of any species would fight to the death or commit suicide rather than be captured. Ben had been shown during his training various instances in which Covenant forces would fight, almost always without weapons, to a point where the humans trying to capture them were forced to kill them in order to avoid being killed themselves.
This seemed to be especially true for the Elites. Their ferocity and zeal were by far the smartest of all of the species in the Covenant, at least those that the UNSC had any substantial information on. This proved problematic as they were the only ones with any substantial strategic value who were even able to be captured. This presented an almost insurmountable problem for ONI throughout the whole war, as finding out more about the Covenants plans or even their civilization was extremely difficult.
Set proved an interesting exception to this otherwise unblemished pattern. Agent Thomas had shared the log of his capture, hoping that Ben would be able to help explain the confusing event, but all that really happened was that the confusion spread to Ben.
The footage was taken from the helmet camera of an Army soldier during the Campaign on Reach. The trooper was with his squad in some sort of ship graveyard when he rounded a corner and found the site of a particularly gruesome battle. Littering the ground was the corpses and blood of dozens of Elites and Brutes.
That was where things got strange, the bodies were very obviously victims of plasma fire, with one of the Brutes even having been bisected by what must have been an energy sword. It was readily apparent the two races had fought each other, but even the trooper who was observing it didn't seem to know why, as evidenced by their exclamations of shock and confusion.
An Elite in the armor of an Ultra was visible, with the more practically armored variant of the helmet, and not the larger more ornamental one. As the trooper's squadmates arrived the Elite, whom Ben guessed was Set, looked at them with an indescribable expression.
The two had a silent standoff for a brief moment, during which Ben was surprised one of the Army troopers hadn't opened fire. But as it turned out, their hesitation proved valuable, as Set simply dropped his plasma repeater and raised his hands.
He gave a brief chuckle. "Very well humans, you win." He had said before the bewildered Army soldiers handcuffed him and took him prisoner.
And today, as Ben approached Agent Thomas outside of Set's cell, he felt a similar sense of confusion. He'd expected the Elite had been roughly brought down by exhaustion or overwhelmed and disarmed, not that he had given up so... willingly.
He has to have had a reason, a motive, he's planning something. He thought.
"Good morning Spartan, ready to begin?" Thomas asked, not turning his head away from the Elite, who was sitting on his cot, writing something on the paper and pens he had been given, his abnormal hands not stopping him from holding them correctly. It seemed at some point someone had upgraded his clothing to an especially large white bathrobe and an especially large pair of shorts.
"Yes Sir, what's our focus today?" Ben asked, trying to figure out what Set was doing but to no avail.
"We have two." Thomas began. "Our first question is something we already know that I've been seeking to authenticate, we want to know the Covenant's motivations for why they began the war."
That made sense, the Covenant's motivations were vague, to say the least. With the exception of the extermination of humanity, they seemed very set in stone about that one.
"And the other?" Ben asked.
"I want to know why he gave up." Thomas stated. "It just doesn't make sense, knowing what we know."
"I've been wondering that myself Sir." Ben said. "He's got to have some reason."
"Well, we might as well try asking." Thomas said, his stony expression unchanging. "Go ahead, I'll let you handle it. He seems to answer to you better anyway."
Ben gave a nod and opened the cell door before walking in, ensuring it was sealed properly. Set looked up from what he was writing and gave what Ben assumed was some kind of grin or scowl, Sangehelli expressions were hard to read.
"I was beginning to wonder if you had all forgotten me, other then the one who brings the human food." Set said in a grumpy tone. He placed his notepad on the bed next to him, which Ben gave a quick glance before returning his attention to Set.
"You don't need to worry about being forgotten." Ben said, trying to inflate the Elite's ego in an effort to make him more cooperative. "You've made quite the impression you know."
"I had heard as much. The humans speak softly but enough whispers and eventually everyone will hear it." Set said with the smirk from earlier returning. "So, what invariably stupid question did the Fat One say to ask?"
Fat? Wait, Thomas. Ben thought, even though the man wasn't obese, Set had made his opinion on him very clear.
"We were curious about the war as a whole, how it started on the Covenant side of things." Ben said.
"You mean, why it started?" Set asked, obviously confused.
"In a sense, yes." Ben confirmed.
"I would have figured you knew that already. But I suppose the Prophet's speeches can get a bit long-winded at times, so I understand how the meaning could be lost." Set said.
Even the Prophets aren't above scrutiny in Set's eyes. Ben thought. Or perhaps petty insults are just part of his dialect, even for those whom he respects.
"The Hierarchs determined that your species was not worthy of living, that your very existence was an affront to the gods." Set explained. "That was all the reason given, it was the only reason needed."
"The Hierarchs, they seem to be behind a lot of the big decisions in the Covenant." Ben stated.
Set huffed with amusement. "Brilliant observation demon, next you'll tell me that I have twice the thumbs you do." There was a moment of silence before he spoke once more. "But you are correct."
"In my defense, most of your buddies would rather shoot me then discuss the intricacies of governmental structure." Ben countered, doing his best to avoid being outwardly antagonistic. "You said earlier that their the same as what we call the Prophets?"
"Not entirely." Set answered. "You seem to use the word "prophet" to describe their species, which isn't entirely wrong. When the Covenant was formed between the San'Shyuum and the Sangheili many ages ago, it was decided that the San'Shyuum would handle religious and governmental matters. You see, while they won, they recognized our prowess in battle"
Ben nodded in faint agreement. "So Hierarch isn't a race, it's a title?"
"Correct. The Hierarchs, or the High Prophets, hold the highest seat in the Covenant. They speak with the oracle, which the gods left us to complete the Great Journey." Set explained. "Their word is law, and they share their importance only with the Gods themselves."
"You seem rather forthcoming with that information." Ben noted.
"That is because it is all that I will tell you on the matter." Set pointed out. "What I have told you is common knowledge among even the lowliest Unggoy in the Covenant. The knowledge is likely already known to your species."
"That makes far more sense." Ben said. "But that leads me on to my next question."
"Ask away Demon, but I cannot guarantee an answer." Set said with a smug expression. "Though I expect the same courtesy in return, when I finally decide to ask you questions."
"Why are you here?" Ben asked, noting what he had said for later. "Why surrender?"
"Why not?" Set asked, gesturing at himself "I'm still alive aren't I?"
"Because you're entire civilization is fanatical." Ben pointed out. "Elites don't surrender, those we've captured either killed themselves or died trying to kill their captors."
Set thought for a moment before speaking. "Did you ever consider I'm thinking in a more long-term fashion? That my superiors would rather me be here, rather than dead?"
"In a cell, in the middle of nowhere on some lost warship?" Ben asked.
"Perhaps not that last part, but that was hardly my fault now was it?" Set pointed out. "You see things as humans versus The Covenant, but in reality, it's far more complicated than that."
"What do you mean?" Ben asked , not following what he was saying.
Set sighed. "The Covenant has its weaknesses, it may be mighty, it may be holy...but it has its faults."
Ben stayed silent and listened, this was definitely interesting.
"Politics." Set simply stated. "From what I've heard during my infiltration missions, you suffer from something that has plagued the Covenant since the very beginning, petty bickering like Unggoy fighting over the teat."
Ben didn't quite understand that exact wording of Set's comment, but the meaning was understood wholeheartedly, infighting proved problematic. And with the insurrection and a long line of historical wars on humanity's side, Ben was more than inclined to agree.
"The specifics of those conflicts are beyond what I can say." Set said. "Tell me, do you know how I was found by your soldiers?"
Ben nodded. "I saw the footage, and the bodies. We know the Elites and the Brutes had a rivalry, but we hadn't assumed it could turn violent."
"Then you underestimate their stupidity and brashness, and you underestimate the foolishness of the Prophets on this matter for trusting them." Set proclaimed. "The Prophets may be holy, but they have time and again proven themselves to be prone to mistakes. and the Jiralhanae, the Brutes, are one of those mistakes."
Interservice rivalry, but on a racial scale. Ben realized. It's not just the military, it's their very position in the Covenant.
"So what's that mean for you?" Ben asked. "And what were you doing in that mess on Reach?"
"That, Demon, I cannot tell you." Set said. "But when I surrendered, it was not because I lack the will to kill you, but because the information I carry is more valuable than my honor. I must return to give my message to my Superiors no matter what I must do."
That's too valuable an opportunity not to take. Ben thought, before allowing the Elite to shift the topic.
"Honor." Ben stated, pointing at the Elite. "You say that word a lot, but I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing."
"Perhaps we aren't, my point still stands." Set argued. "You claim humanity has honor, but I fail to see it."
"That wasn't my point." Ben countered. "You claim that you yourself have honor, but claim humanity has none. When by the same standard, you should have none."
Set growled. "Speak more Demon, I wish to hear what foul pollutants rest in your skull."
Ben smirked, his strategy was working.
"Where's the honor in killing civilians? Where's the honor in glassing planets?" Ben asked. "There is nothing gained from that but disgrace for your whole military."
Set snarled. "That's what you'll stand by? Humanity itself is guilty of that are they not?"
"But that's where the difference comes into play." Ben said. "You sit on your pedestal, claiming your honor is unmarked and clean, but you are no different from us."
Set roared as he stood up to face Ben face to face, he did not back down. "You are but an insect, you may be a warrior, but that does not change what you are under all that armor."
Ben nodded. "And I'm not going to deny it. I don't fight for honor, none of us do."
"Then why do you insist on being so stubborn?!" Set furiously asked. "If you admit to being honorless, why even bother fighting?!"
"Because you started this war, and you have no intentions of stopping it." Ben answered, being careful not to change his tone in the slightest. "And if we're so different, you tell me, why take the word of an insect? I think that's pretty rich coming from the guy with four more mandibles then I have."
Set opened his mouth to speak, but stopped himself, before very suddenly changing his tone and expression. "I see what you are trying to do Demon, you attempt to fool me into anger with your petty trickery, but why?"
Ben was surprised, he hadn't expected the Elite to catch on. "Because maybe you'll see my point, that you aren't all that different from us. After all, didn't you do that same thing with Agent Thomas?"
The Elite thought deeply for a moment before laughing with the realization of the irony, Ben ignored his laughter and kept speaking.
"Your mistake is viewing something as either having honor, or not having it." Ben stated. "That's not how humans work, and I'm willing to bet that's not how Sangheili work either, we're more complicated than that."
Set stopped laughing as he took a deep breath and looked at Ben with a curious look. "That's unusually thoughtful, I was told Demons were a far more simple threat. Automatons designed to kill and nothing more."
"We have a habit of defying expectations." Ben said, knowing that his Spartan 2 forerunners proved that point well enough.
Set gave a huff of indignation. "You may be right Demon. Maybe my honor is gone, maybe I am like you after spending so long in this accursed cell with nothing to speak with but you heathens. I may be just another insect, but that means little, all that matters is the information I carry."
"Do you truly believe you'll ever get that information back to the Covenant?" Ben asked. "Do you believe you'll even find your way home? You're just as lost as we are after all. You can try and break out of here, and even if you manage to kill us all by some miracle, you are still no closer to your goal."
Set opened his mouth to speak, but didn't. Instead, he sat back down and remained silent, his face covered with an expression of unexpected disappointment.
There it is, the crack in his logic. Ben thought. He's stuck out here with us, even if he did fight his way through all of us, he'd be stuck fighting the same situation we are.
"I think I'll give you some time to think about that." Ben said. "And maybe you should think about your own future as well."
"It will take more than your insolence to break me, Demon." Set replied, his voice sounding far more exhausted then it had previously. "Leave this cell, I have nothing more to say to you."
He saw no reason not to oblige. When Ben left the cell, Agent Thomas had a look that was a mix of satisfaction and utter confusion.
"I'm not sure I understand what you've just done, but you broke his entire strategy in one move." Thomas said, obviously somewhat impressed.
"He had a fault in his logic somewhere, it was only a matter of finding it. Elites make strategies, but they're far from infallible." Ben said. "Our guess was correct, he does have a plan, or rather he did."
"What is it he knows that he claims is more important them himself?" Thomas asked. "Obviously it relates to the Brutes somehow, but what could it be? What is the significance of it?"
"I honestly couldn't guess." Ben admitted. "But if we don't get home, I'm worried it might not have any relevance anymore, to either us or the Covenant."
"I'm worried about that as well..." Thomas said. "One last thing before I dismiss you Sergeant, what was he writing in his notepad?"
"He wasn't, he was drawing." Ben simply answered.
"Drawing?" Thomas asked incredulously. "What on Earth was he drawing?"
"An Elite, wearing Spec Ops Armor." Ben said. "It didn't seem relevant to the questions we had, so I chose not to ask about it."
Thomas looked back at Set before turning back towards Ben. "I see, you're dismissed Sergeant. I'll see if I can get anything else out of him later."
Ben offered a brief salute before leaving to continue with other duties.
Menagerie
Village of Lihua
October 5th, 0901 Standard Time, 2552
If Nathan wasn't wearing heavy black armor the weather in the small village of Lihua might have actually been nice. It was hot and humid, but it was better than the frigid cold of the Charleston arctic where he had done his ODST training. Still, he had become accustomed to the constantly controlled air of the Dominion.
"Why aren't we wearing our helmets again?" Yu asked, evidently having the same sweaty experience. Meadows and Fairfire also seemed to be relatively uncomfortable.
"Because, we want to show these people that we're still human under all this armor." Fairfire said. "It's all about hearts and minds."
"Aren't we here to coordinate airstrikes?" Meadows asked. "I feel like that kind of defeats the purpose."
"It's not about the airstrikes, it's about what's getting blown up." Fairfire said in a very matter of fact manner. "In this case, a couple of big spooky monsters that the Mayor here wants gone. It's no different than blowing up Covies, they want the civilians dead, so we want them dead."
"So why aren't the other assholes joining us?" Nathan asked, referencing the fact they had brought only half of the squad, even leaving behind the Spartan.
"There's more than one thing that needs doing on Remnant, and I trust you three not to fuck up the most important job the most." Fairfire said. "And it's not like we can't handle a few Grimm."
"Yeah, Grimm." Nathan said with a brief chuckle. "If it's just Grimm then why don't we just use our guns?"
"Have you ever tried to fight a building-sized scorpion before?" Meadows asked rhetorically.
"Kinda, remember that time we got to attend Yu's family reunion? I got to wrestle that one guy who brought the cool sword." Nathan said, eliciting a groan of annoyance from her.
"Don't remind me." she snarled, to which Nathan gave a brief chuckle, annoying each other was a favorite pastime of the both of them.
"I'm serious Nathan, these things get big." Meadows warned. "There's a reason the Commander wanted to make sure our equipment was up to snuff."
"How do you know all this crap?" Nathan asked, Meadows hadn't been here any longer than he had.
"Because I had nothing to do but browse the CCTS while they put my shoulder back into place." Meadows answered. "Also I actually listen to briefings."
"Oh yeah, that happened." Nathan said, remembering Meadows's second injury. "It's still not as bad as that time-"
"Can it!" Fairfire snapped. "The town hall is just up ahead, and I expect you to act like marines while I figure out where we're going!"
The town hall was quite a quaint little building, fitting of a small village in the middle of nowhere. It was unusual to see such a rural place in a nation that apparently had such serious crowding issues, although if giant monsters frequented the area Nathan could see why it wasn't exactly a good place to live.
Maybe we can help with that, it would be nice to win for a change. Nathan thought.
After a brief wait, the Mayor quickly pointed them to the top of a nearby hill as the ideal position to spot the Grimm she had requested to be exterminated.
"When I asked for backup, I didn't expect them to send aliens." The mayor had said. "Are you sure you're up for this, just the four of us?"
"Don't worry, we can handle it. Compared to the things we fight in our corner of the universe, these Grimm things are a cakewalk." Fairfire reassured. "And you might want to alert your people that we don't plan on being quiet. If you hear loud noises, there's no need to panic, that just means it's going well."
"Don't worry, we can keep our people calm." The Mayor said. "I wish you the best of luck."
The walk to the spotting position was short and uneventful, with the only obstruction being the sparse arid forest that they walked through. It was also a bit of relief getting to put his helmet back on once they left the village. The top of the hill itself offered a good bit of visibility over the surrounding area, and he could even see sand dunes in the distance.
I sure hope that means they won't have much in the way of cover. Nathan thought.
But when they actually reached the top of the hill Nathan was quite surprised by what the Grimm they were looking for actually looked like. Spotting the things was easy, as they could be seen, albeit barely, with the naked eye. The Grimm in question were about two and a half kilometers away and even at that distance, Nathan could tell they were exceptionally large.
"There they are." Fairfire said, pointing as the moving horde of tiny black dots in the distance. "Yu, unpack the spotting gear. Nathan, grab a good position with that rifle. Meadows, pull security."
After a chorus of acknowledgements, Nathan got to work finding a good position to use his Sniper Rifle. While he'd feverishly argued to keep the older and more powerful M99 Stanchion, he'd eventually lost, but that wasn't a major loss when he had been issued one of the more modern variants of the sniper rifle as a replacement. The new "D" model had a better grip and scope over its previous siblings. He wasn't actually expecting to use it, but it never hurt to be prepared.
"All set." Yu announced as she finished setting up her spotting scope next to Nathan's position.
"Get a good visual, both of you." Fairfire ordered before she started making some adjustments to her helmet's comlink module.
Nathan set the scope to ten times magnification and got a good look at the Grimm for the first time since Atlas. There were a lot of them, spread out in a loose "formation" with the larger and presumably more powerful ones in the center. Most of them seemed to bear some resemblance to animals, he spotted a massive Scorpion, a giant pillbug, and one particularly horrifying monster that looked like a giant snake, only it had another head where it should have ended.
Move over drones, I have a new worst nightmare. Nathan quietly thought.
The biggest one by quite a significant margin bore a resemblance to an elephant, only this thing was far and above larger. It was comparable in size to a Covenant Scarab, although it seemed a bit shorter, a quick measurement for scale with his rangefinder revealed it was around 45 meters tall. There were only a handful of them, but their size made up for their scarcity.
Look at the armor on that thing's head! You'd need a Spartan Laser to crack through all that bone! Nathan thought.
"Got a good look?" Fairfire asked.
"Absolutely." Nathan reported. "It's uh... kinda hard to miss them honestly."
"How many targets?" she questioned as she gave her comlink module one final press.
"I'd say about 200, probably more, but that's a rough guess." Nathan said.
"A lot of them are the smaller ones." Yu chimed in. "The really big ones only number around... maybe twenty?"
"Standby, I'll patch in Voodoo Squadron." Fairfire said before Nathan saw several new signals join their channel on his HUD. "Bolt, this is Onyx, we're at the spotting site, how's the signal?"
"Onyx this is Bolt, reading you loud and clear." Another voice said over the radio. "Nice day for flying isn't it?"
Commander of the whole ship's airgroup and he still sounds like he's doing paperwork in the cockpit. Nathan thought. I'm glad I got out of the Air-force when I did.
"Certainly is, we've got a good view on the targets." Fairfire said. "Yu, how's the targeting laser?"
"It's working." Yu said as she rubbed the lens clean with a small cloth. "What's our target?"
"Whatever looks the toughest, we'll soften them up with the GBUs." Fairfire said as she took a look with her own personal binoculars. "What about that Elephant thing? That looks like it could use a 500-kilogram redesign."
"Certainly could." Yu commented as she got to work adjusting the targeting laser, before it gave an unhappy sounding beep. "Damn, might need a minute."
"Take your time, I'd rather one of those bombs not land on our hill." Fairfire said. "Bolt we're working on marking a target, where's your squad at?"
"We're in a holding pattern about four clicks up, we're descending down to our targeting altitude now." Bolt replied. "If we're gonna use the GBUs we'll need to get a little bit lower, over."
"Understood, this isn't exactly urgent yet, these guys seem really sluggish." Fairfire said.
That clicked a thought in Nathan's head, why the hell weren't the Grimm attacking? They certainly had a large force, and it wasn't like they had any supply problems, so what was stopping them? Instead of running over and effortlessly slaughtering the village they just patrolled a few kilometers away.
Self-preservation maybe? Or hell, maybe just apathy. Nathan thought.
A few minutes went by before the Sabres were at the right altitude to safely make the strike. Apparently a few flying Grimm decided to try and fruitlessly fight with them, although he only learned that when the sound of several autocannons firing at once reached the ground. Yu briefly chuckled, probably imagining the fine mist that the Grimm had been reduced too.
"Sorry about that Onyx, ran into a few contacts up here." Bolt reported. "The rest seem hesitant to engage us, over."
"Keep us warned if you see anything coming our way." Fairfire ordered. "Yu, how's it coming?"
"It's done, target is lazed." Yu said.
"Bolt this is Onyx, target is marked and you are cleared to engage." Fairfire reported.
"Roger that. Standby Onyx." Bolt replied. Less than 20 seconds later he reported in again. "Bomb away!"
Several seconds later a massive explosion erupted from the center of the Grimm's formation. The fireball fully engulfed several of the large Grimm, but Nathan couldn't see any of the actual effects through the massive cloud of smoke the bomb made. The ground shook slightly and the sound of the detonation followed. All of them gave a roaring cheer as the blast settled, when the smoke cleared the Elephant had been blown into pieces, each of which was dissolving.
"Bolt this is Onyx, good effect on target!" Fairfire happily reported. "Yu, shift that laser, let's kill the rest of these bastards!"
The Grimm seemed to react with a strange sense of curiosity. It was almost like they didn't know what was hitting them. After a second well placed bomb killed a second Elephant was when the Grimm started to catch on to the pattern and scattered their formation, seemingly searching for the source of the attack.
The Sabre Squadron continued their strikes, only running into resistance in the air from what one of Bolt's wingmen claimed was a giant bird. None of the Grimm seemed to be able to catch on to the fact that the ODSTs were sitting up on the hill spotting for the fighters. The Sabres were not meant for direct bombing attacks, especially in atmosphere, but their hardpoints could still carry munitions that got the job done.
The Grimm never stood a chance. Laser guided bombs and missiles took out the larger ones whilst strafing runs with the Sabres cannons proved sufficient to tear the smaller ones apart. As the final members of Voodoo squadron expended their munitions, there were only a few of the smaller Grimm left standing.
"I'd call that a resounding success." Yu said as we admired the carnage. "Looks like a few of the smaller ones made it."
"They aren't much of a threat on their own, let's report in to the Mayor." Fairfire said before switching on her Comm. "Bolt this is Onyx, you boys cleared out most of em', well done."
"Roger that Onyx, we're on our way back to the barn. Been nice working with you Helljumpers. Bolt Out." Bolt simply replied.
Bridge
October 5th, 1432 Standard Time, 2552
The footage recorded by Fireteam Onyx's spotting scope banished any fears of insufficient firepower from Richard's mind. Bradford had an uncharacteristic grin on his face as he watched the Grimm get ripped to ribbons, and it was hard not to share it.
"Well, it's good to know that we're well prepared." Richard commented.
"Certainly seems like it." Bradford added. "It's nice to be able to use something other than MACs and nukes and actually have it work."
"I'd still trade one of our nukes for a qualified diplomat if I could." Richard argued.
"And I wouldn't complain." Bradford answered. "We still need to see about making diplomatic contact with the other Kingdoms. Menagerie may be diplomatically promising, but its heavy industry would need serious expansion if we're going to consider cooperation on building a slipspace drive."
Bradford was right. While nowhere on Remnant had the machinery they needed, Menagerie was even more poorly equipped than the Kingdoms. Atlas would have been the obvious choice had their first contact gone better, as they seemed to be the technological leader of the planet.
"We should consider all of our options carefully. This is going to be our long-term goal, no matter how we handle this. We should also remember whoever we work with is going to be handed the keys to the most potentially destructive device humanity has ever made." Richard said, reminding Bradford the scale of their actions was far greater than a single ship getting home.
"You're thinking maybe we make some more positive relations before we make any deals? I can see the logic in that." Bradford said with a nod.
"We don't have any relations with the other Kingdoms." Richard pointed out. "Chief Belladonna may have announced our existence to his people, but we're still little more than a rumor in the eyes of most of Remnant's people."
"That's going to change when General Ironwood and the council make their own announcement." Bradford pointed out. "It's not going to look good for us if the first thing they hear about us is that we're making demands."
"Indeed, and we aren't going to let them do it first." Richard said. "We'll announce our presence ourselves, straight to the people of Remnant."
"That's not going to be as easy as it sounds." Bradford warned.
"I'm well aware, but thankfully Agent Thomas has some experience in public relations." Richard said. "I've given him the task of putting together how we're going to do this."
"Agent Thomas?" Bradford asked doubtfully. "I thought he was assigned to section 3."
"He was, but he started off in Section 2." Richard explained. "He assured me that he'll think of something."
Bradford still seemed doubtful. "You know there might be a reason he was transferred, what exactly was it that he did?"
"Presentation of internal projects to the higher-ups." Richard said, before noticing that some of the other bridge officers were listening in.
While Bradford had raised a good point, but he had also just questioned his authority in front of the whole bridge, which was a major mistake for a First Officer. "He's the best man for the job, Lieutenant. I trust you'll take my word for it in the future and assist him in whatever way he needs."
That's just about as gently as I can put it. I could make an example out of him, but his mistake was minor, especially since I see where his doubts come from. Thought Richard. Also I can't really replace him.
Thankfully Bradford gave a brief nod of acknowledgement, his expression unchanging. "I didn't mean to imply otherwise Sir, I'll make sure he gets what he needs." The other bridge staff turned back to what they were working on.
Tensions are rising amongst the whole crew, the last thing this barrel of oil needs is a spark. Richard thought. Of course, there isn't much I can do about it other then do my job.
"Lieutenant Chen, any updates?" Richard asked, looking over at the navigation station.
She turned to look at him with a frustrated expression on her face. She did not look well, it was obvious that she had been losing sleep over her task. Her attempts to figure out a way home didn't have much hope from the start.
"Nothing Sir." She reported. "The more I look, the more I confirm we're lost."
Richard figured he'd ask his next question very carefully, it had the potential to go poorly. "What are the odds of us finding a charted star, in your opinion?"
She quietly thought about it for a few seconds before answering. "At this point Sir, astronomical. It's extremely likely we've left the Milky Way, not even the surrounding galaxies look familiar."
Richard gave as firm a nod as he could. "I see, take five and get yourself some coffee Lieutenant."
"Yes Sir, thank you Sir." She said before offering a salute and leaving the bridge. As she left Bradford turned back to him.
"I don't believe it either Sir, that portal couldn't have taken us that far." Bradford muttered. "Still, it's hard to deny what's staring us in the face."
"I've been quietly doubting it too." Richard admitted reluctantly. "I guess sometimes you just need someone to tell you something for it to finally click in your mind huh?"
Bradford gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Sir, Agent Thomas requests your presence. He's on deck one, in the vehicle bay." Ensign Gillespie interjected from the Operations station.
"Tell him I'll be right there." Richard said before turning to Bradford. "Bradford, you have the conn."
"Aye Sir." Bradford said with a salute as Richard departed from the bridge.
Authors Note: Happy to see lots of you are enjoying Operation Unusual paperwork. I've got my own ideas cooking but I figured I would let SardonicEffigy start off the new series, given his mastery of the subject. For those unaware it's a sort of silly spinoff of "The Men From Onyx" in a place where we can tell stupid stories and offer some background information without collosal author's notes.