Chapter 7: Operation "Blood-soaked Memories"
Date: April 06, 2554 / 1300 Hours Location: Aboard UNSC Cruiser "Iceberg" / Debriefing Room
The doors to the debriefing room opened and 3 men in suits walked in, fearless in their entrance. Behind them walked in the President, in tears. Everyone in the room, including the Master Chief, the Dom, the "rookie" Spartans, and other assorted ranks of people turned to look at him. His eyes were red, his shirt damp, and his hair ruffled.
"Sir, here is your chair." Said one of the bodyguards as he pointed to a chair at the side of the table that sat in the middle of the room seating the others. The president sniffed, slowly turned his head, and turned around to find his chair. He was clearly in a state of chaos and distress.
"Ummm... Mr. President, we are ready to begin the meeting. Would you like to start us off?" said the Dom's AI translator.
The president sniffed several times, then sneezed into a handkerchief, and began. "Ugh, yes. Lets start. Ummm.... I think you all know why we have called this meeting." Everyone looked at him, then at each other. The Dom grinned. "Well, to be blunt, we are planning a strike on the Covenant homeworld. The Eternals have been gracious enough to lend us the location, as well as sufficient men, vehicles, weapons, and spacecraft necessary to execute a full invasion and destruction of the Covenant race." He finished.
Everyone looked at him again and thought amongst themselves.
The following silence was broken by the door to the room as another person entered the room. Seth. He walked to the president's side and bowed out of respect. "Sir, I heard about your loss. I'm terribly sorry and will serve in any retaliation attack you may be planning sir." The Master Chief stared at him. He and Seth had had a long history. Seth was one of his trainers as a young Spartan. He was also the youngest, only 10 years older than the Master Chief was. Whenever there was a mission, Seth was always there to offer advice. Of course they never needed advice, but he was still there by their side to help. The Master Chief had also had the privilege of meeting Kyle, Seth's son. He had trained him well, and would be just like his father, one of the greatest soldiers ever to bear the uniform.
The president looked at him straight in the eyes and bowed his head. "That's, that's very kind of you sir. I'll keep that in mind." He said in reply.
Seth took a seat and the president continued with the planned operation discussing where which ships were to go, and so forth. After 2 and a half hours of planning, the mission was set and the meeting was dismissed. Everyone got up and was about to leave but the Dom stood up and said something very loudly. Once he had finished speaking, Cortana translated. He said, "I am very proud to be part of this alliance, as is the rest of my race. We would like to extend an invitation to the Master Chief to our home planet once this war is over. If it weren't for him, we would have never saved you, and you would surely be dead by now. Once again, thanks. Oh, Master Chief, may I have a word with you for just a moment?"
Everyone looked at the Chief as he replied. "Yes, of course." He walked forward to the Dom, who was getting up out of his massive chair and proceeded to the door. The Master Chief followed him out of the door and down the hall to an elevator type device. He walked in and closed the door, mashed a button on the side of the wall, and the elevator descended downward. He spoke. "Master Chief, I would like to once again say how much I respect you because you helped form our alliance. As a personal gift, I would like to give you some upgrades to your armor. That is, if you wish us to."
The Master Chief stared at him for a moment and as the elevator slowed to a halt at the bottom floor, he replied. "You do know by now that we are very careful about who we disclose information to, especially alien races. However, since you already know how to upgrade my suit, then there is no point in not taking up on my offer since I have nothing to hide."
The Dom grinned, nodded, and proceeded out of the door that had just opened. Two eternals were waiting just outside the door. "These two will lead you to the upgrade chamber." He gurgled. The Master Chief nodded at him, then followed the two eternals down another long hall. Once there, they made their way down a few flights of twisted stairs, and then at the bottom, came across a steel looking door. One of the eternals screamed something very loud, and the door opened. The Master Chief glanced inside the room and had just began to open his mouth in awe as the second eternal nudged him inside, and they closed the door.
The room was neon green, silver lighting embedded inside a luminescent type glass barrier between them and something on the outside, and where he was now. It was if the glass was glowing a special light to reflect what was on the outside. The floor reflected the light coming from the glass as well as the silver speckles. He felt like his mind was being warped inside out.
"This is really, really scary. What's going to happen to me?" asked Cortana. "I don't know, but they'll take good care of you." He replied. Just as he finished, the door they had entered closed, and for the first time, he realized that he was the only one inside the room. The light grew dimmer, and before the Master Chief had time to think, another door, on the other side of the room, opened. Something was coming out of it. Something big. The Master Chief stood in a defensive crouch for a moment, then his enhanced eyesight kicked in, revealing the object, and he smiled.
.
Date: April 06, 2554 / 1300 Hours Location: Aboard UNSC Cruiser "Iceberg" / Debriefing Room
The doors to the debriefing room opened and 3 men in suits walked in, fearless in their entrance. Behind them walked in the President, in tears. Everyone in the room, including the Master Chief, the Dom, the "rookie" Spartans, and other assorted ranks of people turned to look at him. His eyes were red, his shirt damp, and his hair ruffled.
"Sir, here is your chair." Said one of the bodyguards as he pointed to a chair at the side of the table that sat in the middle of the room seating the others. The president sniffed, slowly turned his head, and turned around to find his chair. He was clearly in a state of chaos and distress.
"Ummm... Mr. President, we are ready to begin the meeting. Would you like to start us off?" said the Dom's AI translator.
The president sniffed several times, then sneezed into a handkerchief, and began. "Ugh, yes. Lets start. Ummm.... I think you all know why we have called this meeting." Everyone looked at him, then at each other. The Dom grinned. "Well, to be blunt, we are planning a strike on the Covenant homeworld. The Eternals have been gracious enough to lend us the location, as well as sufficient men, vehicles, weapons, and spacecraft necessary to execute a full invasion and destruction of the Covenant race." He finished.
Everyone looked at him again and thought amongst themselves.
The following silence was broken by the door to the room as another person entered the room. Seth. He walked to the president's side and bowed out of respect. "Sir, I heard about your loss. I'm terribly sorry and will serve in any retaliation attack you may be planning sir." The Master Chief stared at him. He and Seth had had a long history. Seth was one of his trainers as a young Spartan. He was also the youngest, only 10 years older than the Master Chief was. Whenever there was a mission, Seth was always there to offer advice. Of course they never needed advice, but he was still there by their side to help. The Master Chief had also had the privilege of meeting Kyle, Seth's son. He had trained him well, and would be just like his father, one of the greatest soldiers ever to bear the uniform.
The president looked at him straight in the eyes and bowed his head. "That's, that's very kind of you sir. I'll keep that in mind." He said in reply.
Seth took a seat and the president continued with the planned operation discussing where which ships were to go, and so forth. After 2 and a half hours of planning, the mission was set and the meeting was dismissed. Everyone got up and was about to leave but the Dom stood up and said something very loudly. Once he had finished speaking, Cortana translated. He said, "I am very proud to be part of this alliance, as is the rest of my race. We would like to extend an invitation to the Master Chief to our home planet once this war is over. If it weren't for him, we would have never saved you, and you would surely be dead by now. Once again, thanks. Oh, Master Chief, may I have a word with you for just a moment?"
Everyone looked at the Chief as he replied. "Yes, of course." He walked forward to the Dom, who was getting up out of his massive chair and proceeded to the door. The Master Chief followed him out of the door and down the hall to an elevator type device. He walked in and closed the door, mashed a button on the side of the wall, and the elevator descended downward. He spoke. "Master Chief, I would like to once again say how much I respect you because you helped form our alliance. As a personal gift, I would like to give you some upgrades to your armor. That is, if you wish us to."
The Master Chief stared at him for a moment and as the elevator slowed to a halt at the bottom floor, he replied. "You do know by now that we are very careful about who we disclose information to, especially alien races. However, since you already know how to upgrade my suit, then there is no point in not taking up on my offer since I have nothing to hide."
The Dom grinned, nodded, and proceeded out of the door that had just opened. Two eternals were waiting just outside the door. "These two will lead you to the upgrade chamber." He gurgled. The Master Chief nodded at him, then followed the two eternals down another long hall. Once there, they made their way down a few flights of twisted stairs, and then at the bottom, came across a steel looking door. One of the eternals screamed something very loud, and the door opened. The Master Chief glanced inside the room and had just began to open his mouth in awe as the second eternal nudged him inside, and they closed the door.
The room was neon green, silver lighting embedded inside a luminescent type glass barrier between them and something on the outside, and where he was now. It was if the glass was glowing a special light to reflect what was on the outside. The floor reflected the light coming from the glass as well as the silver speckles. He felt like his mind was being warped inside out.
"This is really, really scary. What's going to happen to me?" asked Cortana. "I don't know, but they'll take good care of you." He replied. Just as he finished, the door they had entered closed, and for the first time, he realized that he was the only one inside the room. The light grew dimmer, and before the Master Chief had time to think, another door, on the other side of the room, opened. Something was coming out of it. Something big. The Master Chief stood in a defensive crouch for a moment, then his enhanced eyesight kicked in, revealing the object, and he smiled.
.