Disclaimer: Everything belongs to their respective owners. I claim no
ownership except for the name Serian and Seri, since my brother and I made
those up.
Remembrance . . .
"Cryo defrost complete, and mental transfer complete." Cortana remarked.
The now 20-year-old man stood up and looked around. He stumbled slowly to the elevator; nearly 500 years of numbness wouldn't wear away in a few minutes. Cryogenics engineers and surgeons rushed around him making sure that the only hope for the Human race wouldn't fall down and kill him self.
"Well, my company must be doing fairly well if I have so many people 'helping' me." He gestured for them to move away. Most of them did so, reluctantly. A few stayed and helped him, though Dr. Masters tried persistently to get them to leave him alone. He took the elevator up to the Cryo observation room with Cortana.
"Hello, is any one here?" he chuckled to himself remarking that even though he looked and felt 20, he still sounded 71. He was then startled by the appearance of Cortana. He mumbled some thing about an "advanced" AI, which took some of the engineers, and indeed Cortana by surprise.
"Dr. Masters? Are you feeling okay?" Cortana inquired.
"Marvelous! It is so wonderful to be truly alive again! I had some consciousness in the cryogenics pod, but lacked true free thought. My concentration program was designed to keep me from going insane, but now that I am free of it, I know how much I missed it."
"I am glad for you, Dr., but you see, we had to wake you a few years early because-"
"Of the Covenant, I know. My concentration program fed me the latest news available. I realized quickly that this war was not going in your favor by the lack of decisive victories, and the order for more and larger ships. I apologize since it is partially my fault you are losing so badly. I could have put an uplink to Robotics and Technologies if I hadn't been in such a rush to avoid the war. Billions could have been saved."
"So you mean you have the technologies?! That is great news since we need them extremely desperately! Your shield technology, advanced fusion, lasers, plasma weapons. You could even reactivate the ancient weapons in the defense ring!"
"Wow, the defense ring is still floating up there? I thought that the Alliance for Asian Liberation and the Neo Roman Empire would be blow it to dust, while fighting the US"
"We know who the US are but not the other to factions you mentioned."
"What? How could you not? They were the only 3 major factions of the war. I mean the only way you couldn't have known was if . . ." Dr. Masters hesitated for a second "take me outside."
"Excuse me?"
"Last time I checked I was an Admiral of the 12th United Nations Aerospace Naval Fleet."
"Last time I checked there was no 12th United Nations Aerospace Naval Fleet."
"It would carry over to other fleets. Also, I believe that I am your only hope."
"Fine, take him outside."
"Ohh, yes, how are my finances?"
"You are still profoundly rich."
"Most excellent."
With that the last of the first batch of SPARTAN II's walked in.
"Ahh, Master Chief, it is good to see you," the holographic image announced, "Please escort Dr. Masters outside. Make sure you show him the ring." The Master Chief was reminded of Halo every time he looked up. The orbital defense ring around the Earth was a hulk of metal, given some armor plating, that hosed some of the most powerful weapons in the human arsenal, and some that weren't. Plasma cannons, shields, lasers and something called a nucleon generator were inside that relic. Nothing but the new MAC guns worked, but it would surely intimidate even the Covenant. With Dr. Masters here though, the intimidation would no longer be a bluff.
"So, Master Chief, have a name or just a rank?" Dr. Masters asked.
"My friends call me John." It then hit John that he had said friends. He was becoming soft. He kept telling himself that he couldn't become soft.
"Well, I don't like Master Chief, too much work talking, so I'll have to become your friend, John. I know I don't seem to charismatic, but I am just a little sleepy so I tend to get, uncharismatic I guess. You'll probably like me a lot more after I upgrade your suit. It seems kind of . . . weak. I'll fix it up; make it with stand a direct shot from a tank. You seem to have weak shielding, and some bulky armor that seems . . . well, weak."
Later at an ONI debriefing . . .
"Dr. Masters, you were charged with war crimes but were never tried, but for a lack of evidence, we shall allow the charges dropped. Now about the 'lost techs'-" the ONI officer was cut off.
"You mean the lasers, and super fusion, etc?"
"DR. MASTERS!!! I COULD HAVE YOU COURT MARSHALLED! That was an act of insubordination, and is a court marshal able offence!"
"But, I am a civilian."
"Your record shows that you served in the 12th United Nations Aerospace Naval Fleet."
"Served. My term of service or whatever has been over for nearly 5 centuries, also I was pronounced legally dead, rendering myself free of all contracts except my will."
"Then consider yourself drafted."
"No."
"WHAT!!!"
"I refuse to serve. If you want the technologies, then you leave as me a civilian."
"Extortion! I could have you drawn-and-quartered!"
"Go ahead, I have nothing to live for, I have no family, no home, though quite a bit of money, but I have lived already, so I don't mind dying."
"Then why do you refuse to serve?"
"Because, I cant stand to see death. I couldn't study the WWII holocaust without puking when I was a child."
"The what?"
"Wow, you guys really did lose a lot of information in the Ending War. Well, I'll let MY AI explain it.
A blue light appears from something Dr. Masters takes out of his pocket. It is a long black piece of metal with a few points coming out of what appear to be glass.
"Hello, Arthur."
"Hello, Dr. masters, how are you?" The blue aura inquired.
"Fine, will you please tell them the short version of the story of WWII and then the story of the great war for both of us?
"Yes, Dr. Masters"
(Note: This is kind of pointless but interesting. Not meant as an insult to anyone.)
"WWII happened accordingly. In 1940, Germany took over most of Europe under the leadership of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party. They slaughtered millions of 'Jews' and other enemies in there death, and concentration camps until 1945 when the Allied forces of the United States of America, Britain, and other countries fought the nazis back and ended the war with the unconditional surrender of Germany. Hitler committed suicide and the Nazi party crumbled. The Ending War was the successor of WWII. In 2030 10,000 soldiers from the 'Neo Roman Confederation' poured into Great Britain, overwhelming the unsuspecting recently disbanded military, and poorly organized militias. The soldiers quickly conquered the nation, and moved on to capture the rest of Europe, Russia, and Mediterranean, Indian, and Atlantic costs of Africa by 2042. In 2039 a terrorist organization called the 'Asian Liberation Army' assaulted Singapore, the Middle East and parts of China. They eventually established regimes through out most of the Middle East, and parts of China that declared independence by 2042. The Neo Roman Empire, as it was called, often assaulted the Asian Army for Liberation. The UN was lead by members of the Neo Roman Empire, and America. As with most situations back then, the UN was arguing, and getting very little done, but eventually, the UN decided to issue resolutions to the now called Asian Liberty Empire in 2045. Then conditions between the UN and the Asian Liberty Empire deteriorated and in December 2049, on Christmas day, supposedly, to America's discontent, because the state religion of the Neo Roman Empire was Catholicism, the ALE used pirated technologies to create and use a weapon of mass destruction that destroyed the greater part of Brazil. This was considered an act of war and the UN immediately brought all reserves into action. Then on March 23, 2050, 11.24 million soldiers assaulted Shanghai, China, reducing the city to ruins. They quickly made there way to the Emperors palace in Lanzhou and destroyed there center of government, which made there empire shatter, into three main pieces: the Earth Regimes, the Spatial Navy, and the Colonial Armies. The first was quickly defeated, the third not a real threat, because of their distance from Earth and the other colonies, but the second posed a threat to everyone. The 1st through 25th United Nations Aerospace Naval Fleets were deployed to deal with them. They eventually won, but the war was devastating to the atmosphere and economy. Many opted to make the expensive journey to the colonies where, life was better. The Earth quickly descended into a second Dark Age. Only 300,000 were able to survive the harsh environment of the world, until 2387 when terraformation teams successfully finished natures slow process and made Earth populatable again. By 2453 it was once again the Center of the Human Empire. The UN was reestablished and a fleet and army were made to protect the world from pirates and such. By 2500 Earth surpassed it former glory in everything except technology. In 2525 the Covenant forces decimated the UNSC's warships and began the assault on Humanity. The only hopes for humanity at the time were some 14-year-old children who wiped out a Covenant cruiser. I believe we all now the records from there." Arthur lectured.
"Well, several million soldiers, and 500 ships were no match for the Covenant yet some 14-year-olds were? Incredible," taunted Dr. Masters.
"Yes, it was . . . unfortunate," replied one ONI officer.
"Yes, it was."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: So? Review!!! More should come soon.
Remembrance . . .
"Cryo defrost complete, and mental transfer complete." Cortana remarked.
The now 20-year-old man stood up and looked around. He stumbled slowly to the elevator; nearly 500 years of numbness wouldn't wear away in a few minutes. Cryogenics engineers and surgeons rushed around him making sure that the only hope for the Human race wouldn't fall down and kill him self.
"Well, my company must be doing fairly well if I have so many people 'helping' me." He gestured for them to move away. Most of them did so, reluctantly. A few stayed and helped him, though Dr. Masters tried persistently to get them to leave him alone. He took the elevator up to the Cryo observation room with Cortana.
"Hello, is any one here?" he chuckled to himself remarking that even though he looked and felt 20, he still sounded 71. He was then startled by the appearance of Cortana. He mumbled some thing about an "advanced" AI, which took some of the engineers, and indeed Cortana by surprise.
"Dr. Masters? Are you feeling okay?" Cortana inquired.
"Marvelous! It is so wonderful to be truly alive again! I had some consciousness in the cryogenics pod, but lacked true free thought. My concentration program was designed to keep me from going insane, but now that I am free of it, I know how much I missed it."
"I am glad for you, Dr., but you see, we had to wake you a few years early because-"
"Of the Covenant, I know. My concentration program fed me the latest news available. I realized quickly that this war was not going in your favor by the lack of decisive victories, and the order for more and larger ships. I apologize since it is partially my fault you are losing so badly. I could have put an uplink to Robotics and Technologies if I hadn't been in such a rush to avoid the war. Billions could have been saved."
"So you mean you have the technologies?! That is great news since we need them extremely desperately! Your shield technology, advanced fusion, lasers, plasma weapons. You could even reactivate the ancient weapons in the defense ring!"
"Wow, the defense ring is still floating up there? I thought that the Alliance for Asian Liberation and the Neo Roman Empire would be blow it to dust, while fighting the US"
"We know who the US are but not the other to factions you mentioned."
"What? How could you not? They were the only 3 major factions of the war. I mean the only way you couldn't have known was if . . ." Dr. Masters hesitated for a second "take me outside."
"Excuse me?"
"Last time I checked I was an Admiral of the 12th United Nations Aerospace Naval Fleet."
"Last time I checked there was no 12th United Nations Aerospace Naval Fleet."
"It would carry over to other fleets. Also, I believe that I am your only hope."
"Fine, take him outside."
"Ohh, yes, how are my finances?"
"You are still profoundly rich."
"Most excellent."
With that the last of the first batch of SPARTAN II's walked in.
"Ahh, Master Chief, it is good to see you," the holographic image announced, "Please escort Dr. Masters outside. Make sure you show him the ring." The Master Chief was reminded of Halo every time he looked up. The orbital defense ring around the Earth was a hulk of metal, given some armor plating, that hosed some of the most powerful weapons in the human arsenal, and some that weren't. Plasma cannons, shields, lasers and something called a nucleon generator were inside that relic. Nothing but the new MAC guns worked, but it would surely intimidate even the Covenant. With Dr. Masters here though, the intimidation would no longer be a bluff.
"So, Master Chief, have a name or just a rank?" Dr. Masters asked.
"My friends call me John." It then hit John that he had said friends. He was becoming soft. He kept telling himself that he couldn't become soft.
"Well, I don't like Master Chief, too much work talking, so I'll have to become your friend, John. I know I don't seem to charismatic, but I am just a little sleepy so I tend to get, uncharismatic I guess. You'll probably like me a lot more after I upgrade your suit. It seems kind of . . . weak. I'll fix it up; make it with stand a direct shot from a tank. You seem to have weak shielding, and some bulky armor that seems . . . well, weak."
Later at an ONI debriefing . . .
"Dr. Masters, you were charged with war crimes but were never tried, but for a lack of evidence, we shall allow the charges dropped. Now about the 'lost techs'-" the ONI officer was cut off.
"You mean the lasers, and super fusion, etc?"
"DR. MASTERS!!! I COULD HAVE YOU COURT MARSHALLED! That was an act of insubordination, and is a court marshal able offence!"
"But, I am a civilian."
"Your record shows that you served in the 12th United Nations Aerospace Naval Fleet."
"Served. My term of service or whatever has been over for nearly 5 centuries, also I was pronounced legally dead, rendering myself free of all contracts except my will."
"Then consider yourself drafted."
"No."
"WHAT!!!"
"I refuse to serve. If you want the technologies, then you leave as me a civilian."
"Extortion! I could have you drawn-and-quartered!"
"Go ahead, I have nothing to live for, I have no family, no home, though quite a bit of money, but I have lived already, so I don't mind dying."
"Then why do you refuse to serve?"
"Because, I cant stand to see death. I couldn't study the WWII holocaust without puking when I was a child."
"The what?"
"Wow, you guys really did lose a lot of information in the Ending War. Well, I'll let MY AI explain it.
A blue light appears from something Dr. Masters takes out of his pocket. It is a long black piece of metal with a few points coming out of what appear to be glass.
"Hello, Arthur."
"Hello, Dr. masters, how are you?" The blue aura inquired.
"Fine, will you please tell them the short version of the story of WWII and then the story of the great war for both of us?
"Yes, Dr. Masters"
(Note: This is kind of pointless but interesting. Not meant as an insult to anyone.)
"WWII happened accordingly. In 1940, Germany took over most of Europe under the leadership of Adolph Hitler and the Nazi party. They slaughtered millions of 'Jews' and other enemies in there death, and concentration camps until 1945 when the Allied forces of the United States of America, Britain, and other countries fought the nazis back and ended the war with the unconditional surrender of Germany. Hitler committed suicide and the Nazi party crumbled. The Ending War was the successor of WWII. In 2030 10,000 soldiers from the 'Neo Roman Confederation' poured into Great Britain, overwhelming the unsuspecting recently disbanded military, and poorly organized militias. The soldiers quickly conquered the nation, and moved on to capture the rest of Europe, Russia, and Mediterranean, Indian, and Atlantic costs of Africa by 2042. In 2039 a terrorist organization called the 'Asian Liberation Army' assaulted Singapore, the Middle East and parts of China. They eventually established regimes through out most of the Middle East, and parts of China that declared independence by 2042. The Neo Roman Empire, as it was called, often assaulted the Asian Army for Liberation. The UN was lead by members of the Neo Roman Empire, and America. As with most situations back then, the UN was arguing, and getting very little done, but eventually, the UN decided to issue resolutions to the now called Asian Liberty Empire in 2045. Then conditions between the UN and the Asian Liberty Empire deteriorated and in December 2049, on Christmas day, supposedly, to America's discontent, because the state religion of the Neo Roman Empire was Catholicism, the ALE used pirated technologies to create and use a weapon of mass destruction that destroyed the greater part of Brazil. This was considered an act of war and the UN immediately brought all reserves into action. Then on March 23, 2050, 11.24 million soldiers assaulted Shanghai, China, reducing the city to ruins. They quickly made there way to the Emperors palace in Lanzhou and destroyed there center of government, which made there empire shatter, into three main pieces: the Earth Regimes, the Spatial Navy, and the Colonial Armies. The first was quickly defeated, the third not a real threat, because of their distance from Earth and the other colonies, but the second posed a threat to everyone. The 1st through 25th United Nations Aerospace Naval Fleets were deployed to deal with them. They eventually won, but the war was devastating to the atmosphere and economy. Many opted to make the expensive journey to the colonies where, life was better. The Earth quickly descended into a second Dark Age. Only 300,000 were able to survive the harsh environment of the world, until 2387 when terraformation teams successfully finished natures slow process and made Earth populatable again. By 2453 it was once again the Center of the Human Empire. The UN was reestablished and a fleet and army were made to protect the world from pirates and such. By 2500 Earth surpassed it former glory in everything except technology. In 2525 the Covenant forces decimated the UNSC's warships and began the assault on Humanity. The only hopes for humanity at the time were some 14-year-old children who wiped out a Covenant cruiser. I believe we all now the records from there." Arthur lectured.
"Well, several million soldiers, and 500 ships were no match for the Covenant yet some 14-year-olds were? Incredible," taunted Dr. Masters.
"Yes, it was . . . unfortunate," replied one ONI officer.
"Yes, it was."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: So? Review!!! More should come soon.