The Tide Begins to Turn

Lieutenant Adam Mitchell continued to pour his mind over the complicated and tedious computer equipment in his small and confined office quarters in the Cairo. Sweat slowly ran down his brow and his short, curly, brown hair lay matted upon his forehead from wearing his lucky green sports cap. He quickly punched in commands on the keyboard and constantly noted the data readings from the equipment surrounding him. His left leg twitched up and down, a nervous habit he developed back in his teenage years. Today was the day he spent so many years planning for. As he took a moment to scratch his rough and unshaven chin, he pondered one question over and over again. Will this work?

Bearing advanced degrees, PhD's and honorary symbols of recognition in physics and chemical engineering from the most prestigious universities around the world, this officer proved over and over that he was no dummy. In fact, and a ripe age of 45, Lt. Mitchell was leading the way in the research of plasma technology. A man of unsurpassed brilliance, he was compared to the few great minds of humanity.

He had spent countless years tinkering with captured covenant plasma pistils and plasma rifles. It's best to say that his sacrifice and dedication to the project yielded some very impressive results; results so significant, that they rivaled the accomplishments of the SPARTAN II project under the famous Dr. Halsey.

ONI was quite impressed with his progress when they studied his early tests nearly twenty years ago. It was probably why they went as far as giving him a personal state-of-the-art research facility deep within one of the major facilities in Sydney, Australia. With section 3 security access, Adam felt privileged that the military respected his research and thought of it as an asset to the cause.

Sitting back in his chair, he leaned back and lost himself for a moment in the memories of his past. It took him back many, many years to when he first became interested in the project.

It was only a few weeks after he had completed his final PhD in chemical engineering with a widely renown thesis on plasma technology that combined with his previous work on physics. At a young age of twenty, Adam had already learned as much about the subject as the hardened scientists working for ONI. His work took the special interest of one man, Colonel James Ackerson.

Mr. Mitchell, had heard stories about Colonel Ackerson. He was the man that tried to compete against Dr. Halsey's SPARTAN II project without success. Some of the tabloids that managed to get information from the secretive ONI reported about his jealous fits and apparent animosity towards the Spartans. He assumed that Ackerson's failure to procure results similar to Dr. Halsey's resulted in a dramatic loss of funding for his own projects and was one of the prime reasons for his hate of the SPARTAN II project.

Adam could see in the cold, blue eyes of Col. Ackerson when he arrived for an interview, that the man was very interested in his talents. He figured that Ackerson would use him in an attempt to bring the fame and recown that he always wanted, even though at the time, the SPARTAN II project had only brought in its first real successes. These petty disputes didn't bother him though. All he wanted was a facility to continue his research and do his part to bring humanity victory over the Covenant.

With a cold grin, Ackerson took Adam throughout the facility, down many elevators, finally arriving at one of the most impressive laboratories he had ever seen.

"This will be your station, kid. And here's your I.D. badge. I strongly recommend you don't lose it," Ackerson said roughly handing the young man his I.D. card. "Do well, and you'll find glory. If you fail … just don't fail. Bad things happen to failures around here, Lieutenant."

With that, Ackerson turned away and marched off leaving a very surprised and slightly scared researcher in front of the door. Looking down at his I.D. card, Adam noticed that his involvement in the research led him to be promoted to a Lieutenant. At least some good has happened so far…

Adam quickly came over the initial shock, however, and began his research.

Through numerous experiments and countless streams of data, it was observed that magnetic generators were responsible for directing and containing the plasma burst in the weaponry he tested. But how was that plasma energy created? Lt. Mitchell discovered that an unknown element was used to create a kind of perpetual fusion reaction inside of the weapon. This fusion reaction would be contained by the magnetic field which in turn, gathered its energy from the fusion reaction which had three functions, one of which was behaving as a battery. This almost instantaneous process made the weapon safe and relatively stable. The most important task of the fusion core involved superheating a special ceramic to supercritical temperatures turning it in to a mass of plasma. The surplus energy from the fusion reaction allowed it to carry its third task, to shape the plasma into a bolt via electromagnetic energy which could then be discharged from the weapon.

While Lt. Mitchell couldn't get his hands on large quantities of the specific Covenant fuel, he could use hydrogen to fuel the fusion reaction instead. A unique man-made ceramic happened to make a very nasty compound of plasma which, in fact, was observed to exceed the power and effectiveness of the Covenant plasma by ten-fold in preliminary tests. By specifically altering the mechanics of the Cairo, this defense platform was capable of shooting out high energy plasma at near light speeds through a smaller, concealed MAC cannon under its belly.

Snapping back to reality, Adam took a deep breath and swallowed a large mouthful of coffee in the mug resting on a little platform to his left. Although he was fully awake and alert, his conscience told him that a little caffeine was in order. It had been over forty eight hours since he had last gotten a good nights rest. There were rumors of a possible Covenant attack on Earth and Lt. Mitchell wasted no time in completing the final preparations for his weapon. When his fears were confirmed and Regret's fleet arrived, he continued to pour his heart and soul into the equipment in an attempt to make false Murphy's Law.

"What can go wrong won't go wrong, dammit!" the Lieutenant cried out loud.

One of Adam's project helpers opened the security door in the back of the room. His name was Trevor and he had worked with Adam for nearly 10 years giving invaluable assistance to the brilliant Lieutenant.

"Mr. Mitchell, sir, the secondary fusion reactor is online and has begun charging the MACK gun."

Lt. Mitchell gave a small grin. Of all things he loved the most, they were the little phrases his co-researchers had come up with. In the debate for a name, Trevor asked to call it a MACK gun, a Magnetically Accelerated Covenant Killer gun. The name stuck.

"Great work kiddo. If all goes well, we'll see this baby tear the covies a new one sooner than they can say, 'Aw crap'."

Anxious and eager to test out the pinnacle of 25 years worth of work, Lieutenant Mitchell connected with the man in charge. "Admiral Hood, the reactor is at 75 energy. The ceramic composite is 30 critical and the cannon is half way charged. We'll be ready to fire in 10 minutes."

"Good work Lieutenant. Begin targeting procedure on the Flagship class Covenant cruiser nearest to our location. Fire on my command," replied Hood in a calm and controlled tone. "Soon, we'll be able to give the Covenant a taste of their own hell. Hood out."

Adam Mitchell's left leg began to twitch even more than normal.

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Spartan-117 quietly moved towards the doorway and listened carefully for any movement on the other side. Crouching silently, he concluded that there definitely wasn't a guard by the door and that it appeared there were no patrols in the vicinity.

Activating the door controls, John opened the entrance way leading into a hallway which had a shocking architectural resemblance to that of the Covenant's own ships. The only real difference was that the gentle glow in the walls was consistent with what he noticed in the storage chamber.

"I've heard that the Covenant based some of their technology on Forerunner designs, but this is just ridiculous," the Chief muttered to himself. He paused, half expecting Cortana to butt in and respond with a whimsical comment and remind him to focus on the task ahead. However, Cortana remained on High Charity, prepared to detonate the fusion reactors on In Amber Clad and the Chief missed her presence greatly.

Cortana was like a sister to the Chief. Her tactical brilliance had helped him overcome odds that he could not have surpassed by himself. The battle on Earth, defeating the whole assault team of Covenant forces on the scarab all at once, was proof of that alone. The fact was that he needed her in his great times of need, and if situations arouse which called for similar brilliance in tactics, the Chief nervously swallowed the thought of not getting out of it alive. However, decades of training and experience were not in vain, and John was quite confident in his own abilities.

Using his knowledge of Covenant battle cruisers and the dramatic similarities on this Forerunner ship, the Chief carefully pressed on towards where he thought the bridge would be.

After taking a few hallways to his left and walking up a gentle ramp, John was startled to see two heavily armed brutes guarding a doorway. John recognized the symbols above the door way the instant he glanced towards them. It was a prisoner chamber. The only question was, who is being held in it?

Thinking quietly to himself, Master Chief devised a plan. It would make no sense to rashly charge up at the brutes with guns a-blazing. He remembered that he only had two bursts of battle rifle ammo left. "How ironic," he thought to himself. "Two shots, two brutes. If only Johnson was here to see this." John smiled gently. Ever sense the sergeant and the Spartan had been working together, they had been in a kind of friendly competition to see who could perform the best stunts. He was sure that if this worked, Johnson would have a fit.

Positioning himself carefully on the ramp as to only show the tip of his BR55 assault rifle, the Chief carefully used his scope to focus the crosshairs right on the eye of the nearest brute.

Wait for it, wait for it …

The ship took a sharp jolt as if it was avoiding something. The brutes were knocked off balance and John took this as the opportunity he was waiting for. He squeezed the trigger keeping his aim steady.

Three bullets rushed out of the rifle and raced through the air towards the brute. The first bullet missed its mark and hit the brute in the bottom rim of its helmet creating a sharp ping of metal striking metal. The other two bullets, however, hit their mark. The bullets obliterated the brute's right eye as they continued on their path through a soft spot in the creature's thick skull. Entering the brain and punching through the back of the Brute's skull, the two bullets took the time to make a mess of anything near them. Its brain was transformed into puréed meatloaf in mere seconds. The brute's body stiffened, a weak moan escaped from its mouth, and then it collapsed as its nervous system shut down.

The second brute, startled by the turbulence of the forerunner craft, was shocked even more to hear the weapons fire. Looking over its left shoulder to see its mate drop like a sack of potatoes, the brute's instinctive rage kicked in. Its pulse raced, its mouth began to salivate thick, white foam, and it dropped its weapons, charging on all fours towards where the gun shot sounded.

The Chief wasted no time in turning his scope towards the charging brute. Aiming carefully to the right of the brute's forward shoulder, he unleashed his last burst of ammo. Whipping past its heavily armored shoulder plate, the three bullets made contact with the far side of the brute's unprotected neck piercing its muscular walls and cutting into its jugular veins. In its rage, however, the brute wasn't phased by the wound. Unfortunately, it failed to notice the dark purple and blue blood squirting out of its neck like water from a pressurized hose.

John stood up and easily side stepped the charge of the rampaging brute which let out a mighty roar of outrage. Stopping its momentum, the brute turned to face the Spartan. It prepared for another charge, but weakness seemed to overcome its body. Its eyes became dark, and before the life left its body, it let out a pathetic gargling sound, finally collapsing to the ground.

The Spartan took a moment to search the bodies of the brutes. He walked away with a brute plasma rifle, a brute shot containing twelve grenades of ammo, and six plasma grenades. Securing the weapons and grasping the brute shot, the Chief carefully opened the door containing the prisoner chamber and walked in ready to face whatever was on the other side.

Adjusting his eyes to the dimmer light, Master Chief gazed at a nearly empty room. Then something caught his eye. An active cell to his far left held six elites, a dozen grunts, and two hunters prisoner. Upon noticing the demon standing in front of them, they instantly stopped what they were doing and stared at him. The grunts looked on with terror while the rest looked completely shocked.

One grunt cried, "It demon, run away!" and proceeded to hide behind a hunter timidly peaking out around the creature's huge shield.

The Chief hesitated for a moment and then proceeded with his original thought. He aimed the brute shot at the shield module and fired. The explosion destroyed the shield generator and the light blue, yet transparent shield covering the cell disappeared. The two hunters raced out of the cell preparing to swat John like a fly, but the command of one Elite caused them to halt their charge.

"Hold it! Lekgolo, halt!" cried an elite in bright gold armor. "Why do you release us from this prison, demon?"

Looking carefully at the two hunters and then facing the elite, John replied, "Look, Truth is attacking my people and if I don't stop them, he'll kill them all. If he destroys Earth, humanity is gone, and he'll destroy your planets next. Help me protect my planet so that yours will be safe, too."

The golden elite clapped his mandibles together. "I was mistaken to think of you as only a cold blooded killer, demon. You obviously care for your brothers and sisters as I care for mine, but make no mistake. This is a temporary truce and nothing more. After we kill the prophet, you will not be welcome among us." Turning his head towards the door, the elite continued saying, "I used to captain this ship, I know it well. Follow me to the bridge." He nodded towards the rest of his comrades and then towards John. "Come, demon. We shall give the prophet what he disserves."

Leaving the chamber in a slow trot, John and the Covenant force continued on down the hallway towards the bridge holding the Prophet of Truth. They walked unopposed through the rest of the ship until they reached the bridge of the forerunner ship. It surprised the Chief that it wasn't guarded, but then again, he figured that Truth had his mind preoccupied with the Ark and probably assumed no threats made it onto the ship.

John gave a nod to the golden Elite who in turn, signaled that the two hunters follow the demon in. The rest would follow behind and provide support. Taking a deep breath, John slammed his fist on the door panel and rushed inside.

He came to a halt the second he entered the room. There were about ten brutes at various command stations while Truth had his gaze fixed on a central viewing screen. He then turned towards the Chief and said, "Ah, the demon. I should have figured it was you when I was told the prisoners had escaped." Turning to the two hunters behind him Truth commanded, "Stay where you are scum, the human must watch as his planet's pathetic defenses fall to my fleet."

The hunters looked at each other and John gestured for them to not to attack just yet.

The display module showed the Cairo and three other defense platforms that had come to replace the Multa and the Athens. Against them were two of the biggest Covenant ships John had ever seen.

The Spartan had never been seen dumbstruck before, be he was too shocked to move. Inside his suit, his jaw hung half open and all he could think was, "Oh, shit."

"Watch, demon, as we destroy your Cairo, your Admiral Hood, and then move on to erase the rest of your filth from the galaxy. You'll be begging to me for mercy!" Truth exclaimed. "Give the order to fire on that defense platform, now!" The brute next to him obediently followed the order.

Suddenly, John noticed flashes of light coming from the three stations around the Cairo and also from three other stations only a few thousand kilometers away. Hope flared in John's heart as he saw it happen. The MAC cannons had opened fire. The first two blasts to hit the targeted Flagship class Covenant Cruiser were absorbed by the shield but the other four impacted critical structures on the enemy ship causing numerous sub-explosions. The lights on the cruiser dimmed and went out indicating that the ship had been taken offline.

John's mind raced. But why didn't the Cairo fire its gun!

Before Truth had the opportunity to slam his fist down in rage, the bottom of the Cairo began to glow with a fierce red light. The intensity rapidly grew until the glow covered the entire station. Then, as suddenly as it came, the light disappeared and a bright red bolt raced through space at breath-taking speeds towards the second Flagship class Cruiser. The bolt slammed into the cruiser creating a fireball big enough to engulf both of the gigantic Covenant ships. When the explosion had dissipated, the only remains of the two great Covenant vessels were a few clouds of debris.

"Impossible!" Truth screamed. "This can not be!"

With an air of superiority in his voice, the Master Chief replied, "On the contraire, it looks like it'll be you begging for mercy instead."

The second he finished his sentence, John, the two hunters, and the rest of the exiled Covenant opened fire on Truth and his crew.

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Authors Notes: This is my first full bodied chapter. I've been thinking of the new human technology for quite a while and I hope that it's not too far-fetched to grasp. The following chapters will ideally be of similar length broken town into two or three (maybe only one) sub-sections of the plot line. Let me know if you think something like this is too long, too short, or just right. Thanks, and enjoy!