Chapter Seven: The UNSC Saint Peter Port
Planet Vibrancy, UNSC Saint Peter Port, December 14th, 2552…
"Captain Reynards, we're receiving a transmission from the Admiralty, sir. It's a notice from the Therisalli probes." The comms officer announced, swivelling her chair around to face the dark-haired man standing behind her. The captain leaned down and examined the screen. On it was a fuzzy hologram of a Covenant Cruiser.
"Alert the Admiralty that we're moving to engage. Helm, I want a slipspace solution immediately. Weapons, I want engines and guns prepped as soon as we exit slipspace." He ordered, walking quickly back to his seat, tapping something into the console on his seat's arm.
"Yes, sir. Priming all Archer-missile pods and all Helix AAA guns." The weapons officer announced.
"Shaw-Fujikawa Slipspace drive beginning activation." The helm said, typing into his bright computer screen. Captain Reynards nodded and stood up, turning to his bridge officers.
"When you have finished your work, my friends, join me and the rest of the crew in the cryo bay." Reynards said, walking from the bridge.
He trusted his soldiers more so than his own brother. He had fought side-by-side with these men and women for over twelve years. He had witnessed three worlds being glassed, and had suffered the same blows as his soldiers had. The only thing missing was his son, who had gone missing in action four years ago. His seat, next to the captain's chair, still remained empty.
He sighed as he stepped into the large, bustling room lined with cryotubes. He walked over to his, in the corner, and paused to look at the one next to his.
UNSCAv-098767
Z. Reynards
He opened his tube and stepped in, looking to the side through the glass of his tube to Zachary's empty one. He closed his eyes and allowed the frost to overtake his limbs, and he fell into a slumber.
December 15th, 2552…
"Captain! Captain, wake up!" Someone yelled, intruding on the captain's dream. He heard a deafening hiss, and his eyes shot open as cold air filled his lungs. He choked up the mineral solution onto the grated ground, and stood up, wiping his mouth on his frosty sleeve. His comms officer stood next to him, looking very tense and worried.
"What is it, Aihara?" Reynards asked, standing straight and looking her in the eye.
"We're spotting something off our port bow you really won't like."
"Again, what is it?" The Captain said, truly interested - and very worried. Aihara turned and walked to the elevator, holding it open for Reynards. She brought him to the bridge, and she pointed to the spotter at the end of the bridge, who was peering into the long scope and occasionally looking at the radar next to him.
"Vic, what's going on." The Captain queried, kneeling down next to the busy officer. He paused to look at Reynards.
"If I'm not mistaken, the planet Therisalli was noted as uninhabited by ONI, right?"
"Of course. Therisalli was supposedly a methane wasteland only good for refueling."
"If that was the case, sir, I wouldn't be seeing over a thousand Covenant ships orbiting the planet." He said, gesturing for Reynards to look into the scope. A cold, tingly feeling ran up Reynards's back, and he peered into the scope hesitantly. Unfortunately, the spotter was correct. Ten thousand miles off the port bow was a purple cloud of ships, with two large dots in the center - which were most likely the feared Supercarriers that had only been seen at Reach.
"Helm, get us to the planet's moon, quickly! We need cover so we can contact the Admiralty on our findings!" Reynards bellowed, standing up quickly and running to his chair. The helm officer turned around quickly.
"Sir! We have eighteen new readings just behind us! Should we engage evasive maneuvers?" The helm asked quickly, looking to Reynards worriedly.
"No. Boost our engines to full and get us to the moon!" He ordered, pointing to the small gray dot in the distance representing Therisalli's moon. The officer nodded and pressed down on a large button. The ship rumbled and shot forwards at mach twenty. But suddenly, the ship lurched to the side, and Reynards was thrown from his chair.
"Weapons! Report!" Reynards yelled, crouching on the floor.
"Hit! Starboard side! Two Corvettes moving to our starboard!"
"Comms! Send out a message!"
"What do you want me to say?"
"Anything!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Do it now, officer, we don't have much time!" The moon was coming up fast, the speck growing larger in the window. The shadow of a Covenant Corvette came over the bridge, but then it turned back and flew back to its fleet.
"This is the UNSC Saint Peter Port! Does anyone copy?! I repeat, this is the UNSC Saint Peter Port to any ships! Does anyone copy?! We have wounded aboard!" The officer yelled, bracing himself for the coming impact. The Port leaned slightly before smashing into the hard stone of Therisalli's moon. Reynards, not strapped down, was thrown from the bridge out the window. He, and the rest of the bridge crew - and all of the crew but one - died instantly.
Sword Assault Carrier Servant of Recompense, December 15th, 2552…
"We need to cover the left flank! A Jiralhanae file is getting through!" An Elite Minor yelled, firing blindly at a group of Brutes coming through a door just to the right of the Corvette. I ducked below the barrier once more to reload my Needle Rifle. Cynthia ran over to me and slid over, bracing herself against the cover.
"What's the status here?"
"Same as it probably is on the rest of the ship." I said, tossing a grenade over the cover at an enraged pack of Brutes. Cynthia shook her head and handed me another satchel of pink needles and Plasma Grenades.
"Actually, after the initial assault, the rest of the ship is pretty calm. That's why you've been getting more reinforcements in the past few minutes." She stated over the sounds of the battle. I looked over to her in surprise.
"They've only landed here?"
"Yeah, it seems that all they want is that ship." She said, gesturing to the purplish red Corvette behind her. I threw another grenade blindly over the cover, still looking at her. She fired her Plasma Repeater at a Brute Major preparing to storm them. I finished it off with a needle to the skull. At the same time, the Fieldmaster ran up to me, crouching next to me, opposite of Cynthia.
"The Majordomo has spoken, and wants me to tell you that we're about to test out three new experimental weapons."
"Which are?"
"The Type Fifty-Eight Light Wraith, the Type Fifty-Three Plasma Bolt Launcher, and the Type Fifty-Four Heavy Banshee." He listed off, ignoring Cynthia's very happy face.
"We're going to test out experimental weapons on Brutes? Sounds fun." She said, smiling intently. The Fieldmaster looked at her, and a ghost of a smile flashed over his gray, scaly face. The Fieldmaster tossed a Spike Grenade over the cover and ran back to the Corvette's door, gesturing for Cynthia and I to follow. I ducked low and sprinted over to him. Cynthia paused before coming, throwing two more grenades at a pair of Chieftains holding Brute Shots. The Fieldmaster pulled me up into the door, because I was just a little too short to climb in myself. I reached down and helped Cynthia up, and the Fieldmaster closed the door. Two Elites ran up from behind us and stopped.
"Zealot Major, welcome back."
"Tsutar 'Te Misakan. It has been quite some time." I said, smiling. The Imperial Admiral looked away, rolling his large, olive eyes. The second Elite stepped forward and handed me and Cynthia each a bulbous, purple weapon.
"These are Type Fifty-Three Plasma Casters. They fire a super-charged plasma grenade at long ranges. They can be charged up even more to have a larger explosion." The red-clad Elite said, handing each of us a small clip. He pointed to an open socket on the bottom of the gun in front of the handle, and I put it in. The weapon turned on instantly, and I put it up to my face to test the sight. It lit up blue and glowed brightly in my face.
"This shoots grenades, you say?" I said, pushing open the Corvette's door, pointing it over the long barrier at a Brute Chieftain giving an Elite squad hell. I held down the trigger, and the weapons charged up, two prongs on the side extending, arcing with electricity. The charged ball of plasma shot from the gun and bounced once on the ground, coming to a fiery stop next to a Brute Stalker. The camouflaged Jiralhanae screamed out and tried to use its booster pack to fly away, but instead was quickly exterminated in a ball of blue smoke and flame.
"That will be all here, Major 'Duni. Bring the vehicles to the loading bay behind the corvette and prime them for immediate activation." The Imperial Admiral said, grabbing a Plasma Caster for himself, slinging it over his back next to his Plasma Rifle and walking to the door next to me.
"Imperial Admiral, where is that special squad you wanted me to train?"
"They are behind the corvette suiting up for EVA battle. They're going off to defend the engine room, which has been depressurized because a Brute Cruiser fired on it."
"Shall I go with them?" I asked, flipping the EVA mask over my face. The Imperial Admiral looked from me to the battle just outside the door. He shrugged and pulled me back.
"Yes, I think they need you more than us. This battle is under as much control as we can get. Their battle, however, has no intel, and it is completely unknown how many Brutes may or may not be there." 'Te Misakan said. He reached down to his belt and took off one of his specialized Energy Swords, handing it to me.
"What?" I said in disbelief. From as much as I had seen Elites before, they treasured their blades as much as their own sons. The fact that the Imperial Admiral of all people was giving me his family heirloom so I could protect his men was a sign of either great respect, or a sign that he was going to die soon and was passing them along. I was going to go along with the first one, because he kept his other sword. I looked up to the Imperial Admiral and nodded.
"This sword is a thousand years old, made by the great plasma forges of Sanghelios long before your time. I received it from the Kaidon who received it from the Kaidon before him. Take care, human, for this sword, if used correctly, has immense power." Tsutar stated, brushing his fingers over the sword in my open hand. "The engine room is down that hallway all the way - a giant door at the very end. Protect my men, Zealot Major, bring them back alive."
"I will go with him." Another Elite said, walking up. Mizume 'Zehirae stood in the doorway to the corvette, his armor blackened and worn. A half-charged Energy Sword was held at his side, flickering every few moments. In his other hand, he held a Brute Plasma Rifle, which was steaming slightly.
"Not in your current condition. Zealot Major, could you escort the Field Marshal to that armory you were at? We have captured that location, you should be okay." He paused and looked at us closely. "Hurry."
"Thank you, Imperial Admiral." 'Zehirae said, looking to me. "We must go, before the Brutes catch our scent."
"Right." We jumped out of the corvette and ran to the side of the battle, ducking behind the worn cover as plasma bolts and Fuel Rods flew over our heads. The Fieldmaster, who had gone back to the battle, looked at the two of us and bowed his head, his eyes trained on the Admiral's Energy Sword stuck to my belt. We ran into a doorway that led directly into the hallway Cynthia and I had been in. I pointed down the corridor at the same armory as before.
"Is that it, human?" Mizume said, looking in the direction of my pointed finger. I nodded and sprinted ahead, past the Elites walking down the hallway. Two looked over and roared.
"A human! What is it doing on this ship! Fire! These heretics shall not destroy our path!" The left one yelled, firing his Needle Rifle at me. I dodged past four of the needles, but the last one impacted my lower arm. I fell to the ground in a heap and looked up at the incoming hostile Elites… until one fell to the ground with a flickering Energy Sword through his abdomen. The other Elite was pushed against the wall by 'Zehirae, and he pulled out his Energy Dagger. Instead, I raised my own Needle Rifle, which had fallen from my back, and fired at the Elite. It died instantly, and slumped in Mizume's grasp. He looked over at me and dropped the Elite to the ground, walking over to me. I used my uninjured arm and quickly pulled the pink needle from my prosthetic arm.
"Good thing is, that needle went through the arm, in between the wires. You may not feel the prosthetic nerves anymore, but the actual system is okay." In the adrenaline-filled situations I had been in, I had completely forgotten that I had had a prosthetic arm when I had been taken from Indicative. I nodded at Mizume stood up, dropping the needle shards onto the ground.
"I should not have killed that man." I said, my voice wavering as I gazed upon the Elite I had killed. 'Zehirae huffed and helped me up.
"Well, to be fair, he did attack you first. And, if we had kept any more devout Covenant Sangheili aboard this ship, we could've had a mutiny on our hands."
"You speak of them as if they were the last Covenant-loyal Sangheili on this ship."
"As you may know, staying optimistic helps you stay at ease."
"Right, well, let's get you to the armory. We have to help defend the engine room at all costs."
"Unless you want the ship to go down."
"Not something I want while I'm still on it."
"But of course." Mizume walked next to me. I turned around, and we ran for the armory. We stormed inside and we quickly went to the racks of weapons and armor. I grabbed a few more packs of needles, and I hung up my Plasma Caster.
"You don't want it?" 'Zehirae asked, eyeing the weapon. I shook my head and handed it to him, his face turning to a thin smile.
"No, I'm more a rifle type." I said, holding up the Needle Rifle in my hand. I loaded a new clip of needles in and turned to him. He nodded and walked to the other side of the room, looking up at the large, black armor hanging there. He took down the helmet and put it on, reaching for the chest plate.
"This armor, I created it for times of great need." He said, activating a button on the side of his helmet. Lights lit up along the armor as he strapped into the legs.
"But why? In what way did you think you would need armor such as this? It doubles your size." I asked, genuinely curious as to why the Field Marshal had originally created the armor.
"For you. Demons - SPARTANs. I knew that someday, I would face a one of your kind. So, in secret, I created this armor, based off of the armor captured from your fallen warriors." Mizume said, saying the last part carefully, watching my movements. I nodded slowly and turned around, grabbing a few more plasma grenades from the rack.
"Then in a way, we now have two SPARTANs aboard this ship." I said, smiling. I tightened my chestplate and looked down at my exposed prosthetic, the armor and jumpsuit around the needle wound blown off when the needle exploded. The fiberglass plates moved in tandem as a steady stream of plasma pulsed through it from a small core near the stub of my arm. Wires that acted as muscles pulled and released as I moved my hand and fingers. If I wasn't looking, and I didn't already know that it was fake, and that it wasn't damaged, I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between it and my original arm. I walked over to 'Zehirae and reached next to him, snatching a new forearm armor piece from the Elite Major armor set next to Mizume's. I strapped it on over the bare prosthetic and tightened it. It was much larger than the armor piece I had had before.
"I'm surprised that fits you, Zealot Major. That hasn't been scaled down for you."
"I guess you could call it an extra arm shield?" I said, holding up my arm. Indeed, although I had tightened the straps around my arm, the armor was still double the size of my forearm, and jutted out on both sides. If I raised it up, I could fashion it as a crude shield. Mizume flared his mandibles at me, and let out a breathy laugh.
"Plain armor doesn't fare well against plasma. That 'shield' of yours won't do much unless it's a physical blow." 'Zehirae commented, strapping the last piece of plating onto him, activating the plasma core on the back of his armor. His armor, not just the chestplate and helmet, lit up with dark red lights, accenting nicely against the jet black armor pieces. He walked over and picked up a familiar-looking Carbine.
"That was mine." I said, pointing to it with a smile. He looked from me to it and laughed, sticking it to his back.
"Then I guess it will go to use a second time." Mizume said, walking to the door of the room. I walked over and stood next to him.
"The end of the hallway is right there. I'm guessing the corridor the Imperial Admiral was talking about is through that door there." I stated, pointing to a door at the far end of the hall across from the door to the hangar.
"Most likely. I've only been on this ship a month. I know the layout just as much as you do." Mizume said, walking to the door. He typed something into the console next to the door, and it slid open, the lock flashing green. The door to the hangar was closed - thank God - because the corridor to the engine room was completely depressurized. The air in the hall 'Zehirae and I were standing in was sucked into the next one, along with us. I careened down the hall towards the door to the engine room, flipping uncontrollably into the walls. I used the small boosters on my armor to right myself just as I smashed into the engine room door. The door to the plasma cores had a large, gaping hole in in, and blackened pieces of metal glided about. The body of an Elite Honor Guard floated next to the door, his Energy Stave deactivated. I heard talking inside the door, and I pulled myself to the hole. An Elite dressed in all black pointed an Energy Repeater as I poked my head in. I raised my arms.
"Friendlies, coming in. We're Swords of Sanghelios, stand down." I said, pushing myself through the opening. The Elite lowered his weapon and helped me and Mizume through the blackened door. The plasma cores that powered the ship were exposed, because a whole wall was gone, revealing space. The open wall was facing the battered Brute Fleet, who were continuously firing on the area near the engine room.
"They've been trying to knock out the power for a good hour now. We only just got here to destroy a small Brute pack that had come in here to manually knock out the cores." The Elite said, looking at me.
"Human." Another Elite said, floating over while clutching a Plasma Rifle. From his voice, it was the same Elite I had duelled earlier when we had first come to fetch the special troops.
"Sangheili." I said back, staring the man down. The Elite grabbed onto a handhold next to me and looked at me, his eyes flicking across me through his blue-tinted visor. I looked up at him with a cold stare. My hand, although not resting on it, was prepared to grab the Imperial Admiral's Energy Sword. He looked down at my hand and his eyes widened.
"Why do you possess the Vorpal Talon! That is one of the sister-swords of Tsutar 'Te Misakan!" He exclaimed, jumping back. I sighed and turned to Mizume, boosting myself off of the wall towards him, drifting past him and grabbing hold of a bent piece of the wall to steady myself.
"He gave it to me. I am to lead you in the defense of the energy cores. Gather the others so we can make a plan." I ordered, gazing outside at the Brute fleet. The Elite scoffed and drifted outside of the wall, calling 'up' at two Elites scaling the underside of the ship. They pushed themselves back into the engine room and magnetized to the floor, walking over to us. I floated about two feet off of what the ground should be, and looked at the Elites at eye level as they walked up.
"What is your plan, Zealot Major?" The Elites said, kneeling before me. I looked nervously to Mizume at the gesture. He shrugged and gestured for me to talk to them.
"You two will hide behind the forwardmost reactors with your weapons primed. The Field Marshal and I will distract the Brutes and make them come in. You," I looked at the Elite next to me, "will be in the rafters with your Plasma Repeater."
"And what does this do?"
"The Brutes will come in after us, and will only be searching for us. You will have flanked them without even trying. You will attack them from behind when all of them are in front of you. They will be enraged. He will dive from the ceiling with plasma grenades and rain fire over them. We'll knock out all the Brutes that come in with surgical precision." I stated, looking at a Brute Corvette that was turning about to face the engine room. I turned to 'Zehirae frantically to tell him.
"That is a good plan. All we need to know is when the Brutes will-" Mizume was cut off as the Corvette landed a direct hit on the engine room, the plasma shot hitting the ceiling of the room with a bright flash. Superheated plasma splashed into the room, and I was blown back into the hallway, along with the rest of the door, and the others in the room. With the hit, one of the reactors failed, and one of the three main engines on The Servant of Recompense blew out, lurching the supercarrier to its starboard side. I was jostled around the hallway violently, and my shields flickered at seventeen percent. But just as suddenly as the explosion rocked the ship, it stopped. I righted myself with my half-working boosters and floated half-conscious in the corridor.