Ok everyone. Enjoy Atlas' first mission
You'd think that he'd be nervous, you'd think that he'd be pancaking but in truth he was anything but. Alt stood tall on the command bridge of the corvette, he felt perfectly calm, like he knew it would all go well without anything reason to think that. It felt like he was meant for what he was about to do, he knew the target. He spent the entire journey here studying his target, his past, his personality, his life goals and even his little pet peeves. ONI was very good at getting information on a person and when he met with this Colonel, he would know exactly what to say.
The rest of the personal walked about doing their own work. Some spearing him a glance once or twice but it seemed they were professional enough not to ask. It was expected of them, if this was the UNSC then everyone and their mother would be asking about him, if not to him himself then they would be asking others. But this was ONI, these guys knew that they'll never know everything about their missions or jobs. Why are they going to this planet? Why is a single small corvette going to a mostly insurrectionists planet on its own? And who the hell is this teenager standing on the bridge like he owned the place?
But these guys where ONI trained, they knew not to ask questions like that out loud. They knew to ask each other in private and they ask knowing that they'll most likely never know. But that didn't stop them from glancing at him every now and then, or the captain as he walked up to him. The man had a chiselled face and blonde hair shaved into a buzzcut; he had the typical military look to him.
Even he didn't really know what the mission was but he also knew that he got this order straight from Parangosky and wasn't stupid enough to get in the way of that "Sir, we're five minutes out" he told him.
Alt turned his head and nodded at the captain before turning around and moving towards the command table "thank you captain. Dex., You there?" he asked out loud.
A small silver humanoid form appearing on the table in front of him, unlike other A.I. Dex didn't really have human features. It was just the human shape but he didn't have a face, or clothes or anything that would make one think that he was taking a human body "Of course sir, I'm the ship, I'm always here" he told Alt matter of factly.
"Any idea how the traffic in orbit is?" he asked the A.I.
Before the A.I started talking a smaller hologram of the planet they were heading towards appeared in the middle of the table "Yes sir" he started "there are no military ships within the orbit of Eridanus II" as he said that multiple red dots appeared around the planet "however long-range scans have shown that there are many different civilian grade ships such as freighters and cargo ships that seems to be holding a defensive pattern. With that..."
"It would be smart to think that they've been modified with weapons" Atlas finished for the A.I.
"Exactly" Dex agreed.
"It shouldn't make too much of a difference" Captain Jordan said as he stopped next to Alt and looked down to the table "we won't be fighting them and they shouldn't have the tech to detect us once we leave slip space and activate our stealth systems" he calmly added as he looked at Alt.
"Insertion should be easy enough" a new voice said and while the captain turned, Alt didn't need to. He glanced to the side as Serin walked forward and stood next to him, a data-pad in her hand as she looked through the data on there "one Pelican can get us down there in a few minutes and even if they notice us, once we're down there it'll be too late" she said calmly.
"Correct" Alt agreed as he reached out with his hand and pointed to the side of the planet opposite that of the capital city "we can make planet fall here and once in atmosphere we make are way towards the city. We'll have to park a few hundred kilometres away to avoid the more advanced radar systems" he continued as he looked at Serin, who as his handler would be going down with him.
Captain Jordan hummed as he reached up and stroked his chin "we'll need to load the ship up with supplies and camping equipment. It'll take a day to walk towards the nearest settlement where you'll be able to get transport to the capital" he said as the image of the planet zoomed in on a spot outside the city with a red dot in the wilderness which Alt assumed is where Serin wants them to land. He could see that there indeed was a settlement nearby in which they could get to the city.
At least that is the case if they were regular people but Alt could get from the landing site to the city in a few minutes at his speed. It seems that the captain wasn't told about what Alt could do just yet "that won't be necessary" Serin was quick to say "we'll have a contact on the ground that will be able to meet us near the area, they'll be able to get us to the destination within a short time frame"
'Oh, so that is what the angle is' he thought to himself. Jordan looked at Serin before nodding and turning away "Captain" he called after him and he turned around to face him "I understand this is a very unorthodox mission and you and this crew are being placed in a lot of danger. I wanted to thank you for doing such a good job" he said.
Jordan seemed surprised by the compliment but couldn't help putting a proud smile on his face "it's the job sir" he simply said.
"All hands, prepare for Slip Space exit" Dex's voice sounded throughout the ship.
The heads of Serin and Alt turned to the front window of the ship as the blackened view gave way to real space and the glow of a planet came into view "engage stealth systems" Jordan said.
"Yes sir" one of the helms to the side said before making a handful of moves on their console "engaged sir, we're invisible" they added.
"Sir" someone on the left spoke and Alt turned his head to get a better look at their screen "we have three ships incoming" he said calmly "on intercept trajectory"
"ETA?" Jordan immediately asked.
"Four minutes"
Jordan nodded slowly at the news before turning to Alt and Serin "I suggest you two head for the Pelican and make planet fall" he said before turning around to face the others "Alight everyone. Full portside turn, low burn. Nice and easy" the two heard him order the rest of the bridge before they started to walk down the corridors of the ship.
It was a good plan and Alt agreed with him. They were still hidden within the stealth system so they wouldn't be seen, so all they really needed to do was get out of the way so the ships that saw their entrance wouldn't crash into them. All they had to do was not panic and slowly get out of the way, low burn just means they don't use a lot of the engines power so they wouldn't leave a heat trail that someone could follow to find them.
The two made it to the hanger and some hands seemed to be unplugging cables from it. Guess they just finished fuelling "CLEAR THE HANGER!" Serin shouted very loudly, and everyone started scrambling to clear the hanger which was about to become an airlock.
The two walked up the ramp and while Atlas started to look through some of the bags and supplies that were placed securely within the seats. Nothing to outrageous, just some food rations and a pair of extra clothes. Soon the ground underneath him lurched and he had to grab one of the handles overhead in order to not fall over. Knowing what was happening, he rolled his eyes slightly at his knew handlers lack of warning and moved to the back of the Pelican and pressed a button on the side, closing the ramp.
He didn't wait until it was closed before he moved forward to the cockpit "really?" he asked to Serin who was sat in the forward most pilot chair "no warning" he said as he moved up and sat on the chair that was elevated behind her, the second chair which is used for navigation.
"we're on a timetable" was all she said back to him. That seemed to be all she had to say on the situation as he lifted the small headset to her ears "ONI light corvette: Dawn. This is Pelican five-two-eight requesting permission to disembark" she said into the com.
"Permission granted Pelican five-two-eight. You are cleared to disembark" Alt could hear a woman's voice on the other side of the com say. The familiar rumbling of a heavy hanger door opening could be felt underneath them and Alt knew what was coming now.
When looking out the window, you could see that the hanger, but it got lower and lower to the ground until it went through the floor. The Pelican stopped moving and you could see nothing in front of the ship except for a metal wall "Systems online, fuel levels nominal, weapons armed and ready" Serin listed going through the checks "Navigation?" she asked.
Thankfully Alt's been given training from Johnson about how to fly and all the other aspects of the Pelican just like he has with most other vehicle's. Quickly turning his head, he looked out for all the data that the screens in front of him showed him. Including the directions in which they need to go the second they leave the ship and the landing course "check" he said once everything was confirmed.
"Roger. Deploying in five, four, three, two, one. Deploy" Serin said as the Pelican disconnected from the corvette, and they fell towards the planet. The ship rattled like it was a child's toy being shaken back and forth. Though that didn't bother Alt, not really at least. Looking out the window he could see the Corvette getting smaller and smaller until in just a few seconds it was nothing more than a dot.
Turning to the left Alt looked closer at one of the screens "begin decent in three" he spoke calmly.
"Understood" Serin said as she waited for three seconds and then began to use the controls. The Pelican tilted forward and the planet slowly came into view. Alt watched closely and made sure that Serin followed the right course, which she did professionally and without mistake. Something he should have expected given her background, soon the view of the planet itself was replaced by a red glow and they started to burn up as they entered the planet's atmosphere.
"we're drifting" Alt commented as he could see that they were moving off course "starboard six degrees" he added.
"Copy" she said as she moved the ship in the right direction until it was back on course. It didn't take up longer, maybe three minutes or so but soon the heat left the ship and they got the view of a huge forest "landing zone in sight" she said and Alt looked a little further and he could see a clearing in the middle of the forest next to a small stream of clear water.
Looking at the screen again he could see that this was the exact spot "confirmed" he nodded "activating landing gear" he said as he flipped a switch and Serin brought the ship in for a landing.
The ship span around in the air and slowly reached the ground with a gentle thud. Not needing to strap in himself at the start, Alt quickly stood up and made his way out "Dawn, this is Pelican five-two-eight. Landing confirmed, no hostiles detected. Going radio silent" he heard Serin say into the come as he bent down and grabbed a large metal container that held the radio equipment.
"Copy that five-two-eight. Radio silence confirmed, scheduled radio check in twenty-four hours from mark" he heard the same person as before say through the com.
"Confirmed Dawn. Mark" Serin said.
"Mark" they said again before Serin reached forward and switched off the ships radio systems. She quickly stood up and raised her wrist and activated what he could only assume was a type of watch with a timer. They were on their own now. Serin came out of the cockpit and started to help unload the Pelicans cargo. Overall, it wasn't much, one small bag for each of them that contained clothes and other toiletries. The large crates contained some advanced surveillance and radio equipment, this is what they'll be used to monitor their target.
"How long will it take you to get us to our destination?" Serin asked as they set the last of the crates down on the ground, just shy of the water.
Alt looked at Serin before placing his hands on his hips, he saw on the navigational computers that they were around two hundred and thirty six kilometres away from the city "honestly, that would depend on how much force you can take" he said as he starred at his handler.
He didn't need to explain that further, it went without saying that Serin would be going with him but in order to do that he would need to carry her the way. But if they wanted to arrive within a reasonable time frame he would need to travel fast. Though there's only so much speed the human body could take before the person would started to suffer negative effects.
"I may be able to take more than most" Serin as she walked forward and started to look at the small pile of cases that they would need to bring with them.
"What do you mean?" Alt asked wondering what she meant by that.
"My body couldn't take all of the augmentations, but it has been able to adopt the enhanced muscles injections" she said opening one of the crates and looking closer at the monitoring equipment.
'oh, so she wasn't just a hardass' he thought to himself "you're one of the Spartan II wash outs" he said, when he spent time with the Spartans he learned quite a bit about them, including those that both didn't survive the augmentation process and those that did survive but couldn't handle the immense pressure they gave the body.
She didn't respond to the statement but instead moved over towards her personal bag and opened it up "yes. After I recovered enough to walk Admrial Parangosky summoned me for a meeting and put me to work at ONI" she stood up and without any type of warning started to strip out of her clothes.
Alt rolled his eyes, he's lived with the Spartans so he knows how little they care for nudity. He knew that they had to get dressed because they clearly couldn't just walk into the heart of an interactionist's world wearing the uniforms of ONI, AKA the buggy men of humanity.
Following her steps he went to his own bag and started to get his more civilian clothes and started to get changed, at first when he did this with the Spartans, he couldn't help but blush like there was no tomorrow at the sight of so many naked women around him, something they were confused by but that surprise soon turned to teasing which did kind of numb him to it. By now he didn't even blink at the sight. Though when he pulled up his pants and saw her in her underwear, he couldn't help but stare. Not just because she wasn't a good-looking woman, Serin was good looking. In a no-nonsense kind of way.
He starred because of the heavy scarring, he knew that the augmentations left scars on the body. He saw that many times from the Spartans but this one was never that bad. The surgical lines they ran across her back had large lines running off of them. Her back looked like a circuit board of scaring patterns, no doubt where the surgeons tried to either force the augmentations to work or in order to save her life from them.
That was when her head turned to look at him from over her shoulder "what is it?" she asked him.
Not acting embarrassed for being caught starring, he simply shook his head "nothing" he said as he turned his back and grabbed the T-shirt, pulling it over his head he failed to notice how she was staring back at him. Though this wasn't because she wanted to see scars. Alt didn't have any, she was simply admiring his male form.
She shook her head and turned back forward, ever since she took the Admiral on her offer to work with her. She's had all the emotional inhibiters that Halsey placed in her removed, it was certainly more freeing and she definitely felt more human but there where draw backs, such as attraction and feelings of lust at inopportune times "Ok, we'll need to get started" Alt said as he walked over towards her "I can start us off at a slow speed and slowly pick up, I'll be keeping a closer eye on you because I'll need to slow down quickly if you start to have problems" he said, walking forward and placing her hand on the back of her head.
"What are you doing?" she asked him surprised by the action but not fighting against it.
"Making sure your head stays straight so you don't get whiplash" he said. ###########
Altogether, it took half an hour to get them to where it needed to go and then go back to get the equipment they needed. Well, the equipment that Serin needed in order to listen to their target and report back to the Dawn. Alt closed the door behind him as he placed the final crate on the ground, he took a final breath before he turned and looked into the room he was in.
Serin was bending down and setting up some equipment, at first glance he could see that it was the surveillance stuff. He ignored the case he just brought in and moved towards the window of the room they were in. The building was a large hotel that stood across from the council building within the city, they didn't book it themselves, but they did use the Dawns A.I in order to quickly hack the hotels records and give them a booking.
The building itself was a large marble white structure that had an old twentieth century style to it, looking into it now he could see the target. This colonel Watts was in an office sitting at his desk and looking at a data pad. The city itself was huge, easily millions of people just going about and working their everyday lives, some happy about the new change in government, some not. But most people in this city most likely just don't care either way about who's in charge.
That was the crux of the whole thing, all the people of this city. By the statistics he has in his head, eighty-five percent of people, not just on this world but on every world, they don't care who's in charge of government. As long as they get a fair days wage for a fair days job, they won't care either way.
"Give me hand with this" Serin's voice interrupted him his thoughts and he turned to see her try and set up some more equipment.
"Right" he said moving over towards her and helped, soon the two had everything ready and the once pretty nice room was now a forest of machines. The table that would have been used for food had four different monitors on it. The windows had multiple camera's based at them, all of which were pointed at the council building.
"How are you planning on doing this?" Serin asked as she sat at the desk, typing away at one of the monitors, which all held different images of what he could guess was live footage coming from the cameras of the council building.
It was a fair question, they've planned how to land, where to go and what they'll need when they get there. But so far Alt hasn't said what the plan was once everything was set up. Serin knew that it was his plan to convince Watts that his goals where just wrong and that they needed to change what they were doing. How he was going to do that Serin had no idea, there was no scenario in her mind in which one conversation could convince someone like Watts to just turn his back on everything they've fought for, it was just against human nature. She couldn't think of any person that would just turn around and change their mind, admitting they were wrong after doing so much.
"Easy" Alt shrugged "I'm going to walk in and ask to talk to him" he said as if it really where that simple.
She didn't even try to hide her eye roll at him "you're going to walk in and ask to talk to him?" she repeated wanting to make sure she just heard that right, in the one in one million chance she misheard him. When he graced her a smile and a nod, she frowned at him "and in the very likely event that they say no?" it was a rhetorical question. He knew that.
Yet, it seemed he chose to ignore it and answered "I won't leave" he shrugged "I'll just stand there in front of the reception desk and wait for whoever is there to tell me that the colonel is ready to see him"
"They'll send security to remove you" she pointed out.
"Which won't be able to do anything about me being there" this was the worst part about Alt in Serin opinion, he seemed almost impossible to provoke.
When he stood there and smiled at her. That same childish, immature and cocky smirk as he set up the last of the equipment and then without another word just turned to leave. She knew it then, when that door closed she just knew it.
She hated him.
Alt walked calmly out of the building off the hotel, smiling at a handful of people as he did so. Receiving a smile or a nod in return, he left the hotel and walked onto the busy street. He calmly walked down the road and towards the crossing, standing with a crowd of people as he did so. He waited for the traffic to stop and crossed the road just like everyone else, now that he was on the same side as the council building, he moved forward.
The walked up the small steps of building and walked through one of the four does that acted as the main entrance. It was a nice place, Alt could admit to himself. A well-designed building, the planets own flag emblazoned within the centre of the floor and a handful of other flags were scattered around the large lobby, they were hanging from the walls on all sides, and it wasn't until Alt looked closer he realized the truth.
Every single one of these flags belonged to a world that was under a strong insurrectionist presence, he could at the very least respect the unity that these planets must have had for each other. Unity after all, the strongest aspect that humanity has. As he walked across the smooth marble floor and towards the reception desk. He stepped behind the man in front of him and simply waited until he was next in line. There were two lines in front of the large desk that had at least four different receptionists.
He looked around the building and he could see that there were many securities personal present. Unlike what he's seen before in government buildings where the guards are well dressed agents in suits, these guys were in fully military garb. Though it wasn't the UNSC that he's seen more times than he could count, this was most defiantly a type of design specific to this planet. They also carried fully automatic weapons, he had a closer look and could see the Calabar of bullets they carried, he wouldn't even feel them.
"Excuse me sir" a woman behind the desk said and Alt turned his head to see that he got so distracted looking at the soldiers that he didn't notice he was next in line.
"Oh, I'm sorry" Alt smiled as he came forward towards the desk.
The woman gave him a very quick look up and down before smiling slightly herself "it's no trouble sir, what can I do for you?" she said kindly.
"Yes, I would like to speak to Colonel Watts" he said casually as he placed his hand on the desk.
The woman looked at him sceptically for a moment "do you have an appointment?" she asked.
Alt quickly shook his head "sorry, I don't"
She was nice enough to give him a sympathetic smile before responding "I'm sorry sir, but the Colonel is very busy at the moment and won't be able to meet with you without a meeting already planned"
Alt nodded at her words "I understand that, really, I do. But it is very important that I speak to him immediately" he said back calmly.
Now this woman would have been well within her right to call security and try to have him removed but it seemed that she was interested in what was being said "can I ask what would be regarding?" she asked as she looked down to her data pad and when he looked closer he could see that she would take some notes down.
"It would be regarding myself as an agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence" he stated, the woman didn't have an imitated reaction. The man on the woman's right head immediately turned to look at Alt, ignoring the man in a suit he was talking to.
"Sir" the man said as he stood up and stepped behind the woman who looked at him confused "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" he asked with a noticeable edge to his voice as he eyed the security over his shoulder.
Alt just gave the man the same smile he gave the woman "sure, I need to speak with Colonel Watts, he should see me because I'm an agent of the Office of Naval Intelligence, also known as ONI. The reason he needs to see me is because I have information about a large UNSC fleet that is on its way here to forceable subdue you in compliance with the UEG and it's laws" he said without any hesitation.
Now the woman understood what he was getting at and stood up before the man behind her could say any more "Sir, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask you to leave" her smile was gone and she looked at him with a frown.
Alt tilted his head at her, that was when it dawned on him. She thought he was joking, that this was a prank or something similar. Well, he would just have to convince them he's being honest "I can't do that, my mission is to convince Watts that this is the wrong ways to do things. I can't leave until I speak to him" he said back just as calmly.
"Ok, now I'm telling. Leave this building or I'll have to have you removed" she had a sternness to her voice that Alt understood.
"You can't do that" Alt shook her head slightly.
"I can and I will" she reached up and waved at one of the security personal who started to make his way over.
"Oh, don't get me wrong" Alt started knowing that there would be a misunderstanding "you can call security but they won't be able to remove me" he said.
"Excuse me" said security person said as he moved forward until he was standing next to Alt and looking at the two receptionists "is there a problem here?" he asked.
"Yes" the woman said "could you please escort this man from the building? He's saying really threatening things" she said.
The security looked at Alt before looking back at the woman, he nodded "come on sir" he grabbed Alt's arm and started to guide him out.
At least that's what he thought he would do, until Alt didn't move. True, the man wasn't really forcing him, there was barely any power or strength behind it but the intention was clear. But he didn't move, his arm didn't even sway in the direction the man tried to guide him. When he noticed this "Sir, please come with me" he said again and grabbed his arm. This time it was much more noticeable just how strong the grip he had was, as was the strength he was using to try and pull Alt out of the lobby.
"I told you" Alt said, looking back to the woman who started to seem more nervous "I can't leave until I see Watts" the security seems to have had enough of all of this now.
"Can I get some back up over here" he said with a loud voice, no doubt looking to the corners of the lobby where the other security guards stood, all of which started to make their way over "time to go sir!" he said again, this time with a much harder tone as he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around Alt's right arm while another man, fully armed and armoured grabbed his left.
It didn't matter, never mind his body, his arms didn't move an inch. They struggled with was understandable "the hell" the one of the left said as he grunted, trying to move him. Now everyone in the lobby was staring at him and the other guards were coming over "we need back up in the lobby" a new voice said as Alt found himself surrounded.
He looked over his shoulder and he could see that some doors where opening and more personal where coming in. But Alt didn't care about that, he looked up to the ceiling and he looked through it. He barely paid attention to the guards around him who started to pull at him harder. His eyes landed on Watts who was still at his desk working on something, he didn't know he was here yet, it seems that Alt wasn't big enough news yet. That would need to change if he were to talk to him.
There were a couple of things he could do but he just wanted to talk to him, not fight. Sure, he could make a display by throwing one of these guys away, showing his strength as he did so but that would be seen as an attack and all the shooting would start, by the time he would make it up to Watts he would be escorted out saying they were under attack. No, he would have to try an even more direct approach. He turned back to the receptionist who was just looking at him with a stunned fearful look "thanks for the help" he spoke, he had to talk a little louder than he normally would be due to all the grunt and swearing coming from the guards "I'll head up on my own"
With that said he simply turned and started to walk towards the wall opposite the main entrance. The guards around him couldn't do anything, some even fell over as they tried to pull him back. He had to give them credit, they still didn't shoot him. That at least showed he was in the right when he said these guys may be insurrectionists, but they weren't savages.
He would have liked to have taken the elevator but he knew that it would have been locked down, so the stairs it is "quick! Lock the doors!" someone yelled as he got closer. All the lights turned red and he heard the loud sound of shutters closing on the main entrance, the door he was heading towards just let out a heavy thunk. A heavy lock just went onto it.
Alt stopped mid step as a loud alarm blurred around the lobby, when he looked back up he could see Watts looking up from his desk and guards were coming into his office "OK, STOP RIGHT THERE!" a voice yelled behind him.
The guards that were still trying to hold him back let go of him and stepped away. When Alt turned around he understood why, one of the guards seemed to have lost their patience and aimed their weapon at him. Taking the hint, that the Kiddy gloves where off, they all aimed their own weapons 'this guy wasn't a grunt' Alt thought to himself as he looked closer at him, it was clear this one was a higher rank then those around him "get down on your knees, place your hands behind your head" he warned.
"I can't do that" he said just as calmly as before "I need to speak with Colonel Watts"
The man held his gaze for a moment, aiming right down the sights of his weapon "that is not going to happen" he said sternly "not after this little display and especially not after saying you're ONI" the hatred in his voice was hard to ignore "I'm going to count to three, if you don't get down on your knees and place your hands behind your head, I will shoot you. One" he started.
"I believe you, it won't matter" Alt said as he looked at the man.
"Two!" he said, this time yelling it.
"I will save you, whether you like it or not" his voice carried such determination that it even surprised himself.
"Three" the last number was almost a whisper, he doubted that the other guards heard him say it. But Alt did, he heard him say it, he heard him move his finger, he heard the mechanics of the weapon move as the trigger was pressed and he heard the bullet start to fire from the barrel.
Alt didn't move, he didn't react, he just waited. The bullet flew through the air right towards him. He had to give the man credit, it would have been a quick and easy kill. Right threw his head, at least if he were a regular human. Then it hit his skin, time returned to normal speed and all the guards looked at him. Some of them widened their eyes, some just starred, their own minds not being able to process what they just saw. Other just lowered their weapons and looked at each other.
The crushed bullet that had imbedded itself in his forehead started to peel off his skin and fall to the ground. The slight ping could be heard throughout the entire lobby. The one who fired didn't even have a change in expression, his eyes briefly looked back down to his gun then back up to him. Alt knew what he was about to do "don..." he started.
But was interrupted "open fire!" the man yelled and fired his weapon, this time it wasn't a single shot but full auto. The others all followed suit and he was being hit with dozens of bullets every second from every angle, honestly he was just grateful that they hit his upper body, mostly his head because his clothes were getting shredded.
The mags emptied and all starred at him, their fingers where still holding the triggers down. Looking down, his shirt was just a patchy mess right now, he let out a sigh before he reached up with his hand and pulled the shirt off, the sound of it ripping was the only thing being heard "wha..." the one in charge said, or at least tried to say but stopped for a moment as he swallowed and shook his head "what the hell are you?" he asked, his voice shaking his fear.
"I am Atlas" Alt said as he looked at the man closer before glancing at all those around him. All of them while still holding their weapons ready just stood there with wide eyes and mouths hanging open "and I'm here to speak with Colonel Watts" he stated again.
Nobody said anything for a moment, if he were to guess he would say that they've now started to realize there wouldn't be much they could do to stop him now. But it seems they wouldn't have to "ask and you shall receive" a new voice spoke.
Everyone present turned to the direction the voice came from and standing there in front of the elevator was the man he was looking for. Colonel Watts stood there looking at Alt with narrowed eyes, the guards on either side of him looking at Alt with a lot of fear and nerves being shown. But the man himself starred at Alt with narrowed eyes, no fear being shown. Even as he walked forward and only stopped when he was past the line of guards that stood right in front of Alt "I was with the UNSC for a long time, I've never known ONI to send a warning in advance"
'Oh, so he listened in to my conversation before coming down' Alt thought to himself as he looked at the leader of the colony "it's not a warning" he countered "it's a timetable"
Watts was paused for a moment before pursing his lips and nodding "yeah, now we have a week to prep defences" he smirked but there was false overtone to it that all could see.
"nope" Alt shook his head "I have a week to convince you that what you're doing here is wrong and that this world falling under the banner of the UEG is the only path forward"
Watts didn't laugh at his declaration but the tension in the room went up and based on how high it already was, that was indeed saying something "and if you fail to complete your mission in that appointed time?" he asked, most likely knowing the answer but wanting to be sure.
Alt's eyes went to the ground for a moment before responding "then I will do my part in ensuring that the UEG gains control of this world" he answered honestly.
"I assume that means killing all of us" he guessed with a sarcastic tone.
"Would you surrender?" he asked back just as quickly.
"No" his answer was immediate but Alt had to give him credit, he didn't back down when he said that and looked at him right in the eye when he said it. Like he didn't care at all that Alt could kill him right here, he could respect that, even if he didn't agree with the goals, he could still admire someone who stood beside them.
"Well then, shall we get started?" he said with a small smile.
Even years later, Serin would still have no idea what Atlas said to Watts. She watched the whole confrontation in lobby through the use of the camera's that she was able to hack into. Though once Atlas followed Watts to his office, she lost all sights on him and had no idea what was happening within that room. What she did know was that neither of the two left that room for two days, she could only see people coming in and out delivering food and water and the like.
Two days, for two days she sat in their room and watched the monitors of that hallway and seeing no sign of either of them. Though to say everyone went about their day to day lives just like usual would be a fat lie, there was a massive crowd outside the council building, multiple news crews, protesters and supporters. What they were supporting she had no idea and she didn't think they did either.
It was foolish to think news of what Atlas did in the lobby wouldn't get out. Especially when Serin herself recorded and released the footage for all to see. After all, Parangosky made it clear that he was supposed to be seen by all and now the entire planet saw bullets bounce off of him. The people where panicked and when news spread of what exactly ONI was, they went into a frenzy.
But after two long days, she saw the two leave the office. Atlas looked as handsome as usual while Watts looked completely exhausted, it was clear then that they hadn't slept the entire time they were in the office. They stood outside said office for a moment, saying some words she couldn't here before shaking hands and walking away from each other. Well, Alt walked away, Watts stood still for a moment and looked to the ground. The second Alt left the view of the camera the sound of the door opening hit her ears and she turned with his pistol raised.
Only to pause she saw him standing there looking at her with an innocent smile "what happened?" she asked quickly.
"I did what I said I would" he answered "send word to the Dawn, have them inform the fleet that it should be a peaceful transition. I need to take a shower" that was all he said before he made his way to the rooms bedroom that had an attached bathroom, shower included.
She just stood there and watched him leave, for the first time in days, she had no idea what to do. The shock she felt just didn't leave her face for a few moments. That was when she quickly turned and looked at one of the monitors, Watts was making his way out of the building and the press went into a near frenzy at seeing him.
It seems that he didn't get dressed or showered himself as he moved forward and stopped just in front of the set-up barricade that the local militia had set up to keep people back. A quick glance at the others monitors and she could tell that all local channels where being overtaken by the feeds of the news cameras down there.
She ignored Atlas's instructions for a moment and instead placed her headphones on, intent on listening in to what the leader had to say "thank you all for being patient, I know a lot of things have been said over the past two days" he started "before we begin with the questions, I want you all to know that there will be changes taking place on this colony. I didn't think that it would be happening but after two days of nothing but conversation. I've changed my mind" the crowed started to become a little rowdy and started to mumble with each other, clearly nervous about what their leader was saying "I used to think that we as a people would have what takes to go against any challenge that may come for us. But a very recent event has made me re-evaluate that way of thinking" Cue the barrage of questions.
"What's the plan going forward?"
"Are you stepping down?
"Is there really a UNSC fleet inbound to the colony?"
"Are there spies here?"
"Is the Coloney secure?"
"Does this have anything to do about the individual that identified himself as Atlas?" one question got through the haze of others.
"Yes, it does" Watts answered before other questions could be asked "the agent from the Office of Naval Intelligence, who is designated as Atlas has have been talking and I have been informed of things that I... I never thought would be possible" the hesitation in his voice had many people giving each other worrying looks. Serin herself found her own eyes narrowing at the news she was hearing, what did Atlas tell him? "Based on this information, I plan to make some changes. The most prominent being that the colony of Eridanus II will be re-joining the UEG..." security pushed him back as the crowd surged forward in rage at what they were hearing.
Even Serin found herself surprised by his words 'he actually did it' she thought to herself as she saw Watts push himself back to the front of the stage "However! I have been assured that our previous demands to the UEG and UNSC will be revised and re-negotiated" that seemed to calm the people down.
The interview continued but Serin blocked it out, she was focusing on what Watts had said. Re-negotiated? She stood up and made her way to the bedroom. She had to speak to Atlas, he didn't have the authority to say that anything would be re-negotiated. She marched into the bedroom and didn't even think twice before marching into the bathroom to see Atlas in front of the mirror drying his hair with a towel "Are you insane? You know you can't do that"
Atlas turned around to face her with a calm expression and walked past her, knowing that she couldn't use her body to stop him. She moved out of the way "do what?" he asked as he stopped at the bed and looked at his clothes.
"There is no way the UNSC, UEG or ONI would allow a re-negotiation for this colony" she argued as he dropped the towel around his waist and moved for his clothes, her eyes drifted down for a fraction of a second before they moved back to burn holes in the back of his head.
"Yeah, they will" he said back calmly as he pulled up a fresh pair of pants "they have too"
"How do you figure?" she asked back quickly with a stern voice.
Atlas turned around to look at her "Serin, think for a minute. What do you think will happen when word spreads about this?" he asked "when word gets around that one of the most primary and successful insurrectionists planets is not only going back to the UEG but doing it willingly"
She paused as she thought about it. It was a really good question and her mind did go to the implications. The shockwaves would go over every colony humanity has and the effects would be unmatched, the morality of thus already under the UEG would skyrocket while those who act as insurrectionists would plummet. It would cause wide scale doubt among those terrorists and may even cause many others to leave their cause. It went without saying that it would also save the UNSC a great deal in terms of resources, manpower, everything really.
She didn't say any of that though, no, her mind went to something else "you'll prove to everyone that you're worth it" she said as she looked into Atlas's eyes "to prove you're worth everything ONI has spent on you"
Atlas looked a little uneasy at the accusatory stare she was giving him and coughed into his hand "well... there was a lot of other reasons" he added with a small reddish hue on his cheeks.
"You're insecure" she pointed out with a tilt of head.
"hmph" he huffed "insecure?" he let out a chuckle stepped back and crossed his arms "of course not" he said as his eyes fell to the ground.
"You can't be insecure" she stressed "you can't afford to have such an emotional weakness. You can't be compromised" she added.
"I'm not compromised and I'm not insecure" he denied before turning to leave out the hotel room "and message the Dawn" he added with an angry voice before leaving.
One Week Later
Alt stood calmly as he looked out of the bridge of one of the UNSC ships that arrived in the system, it felt good to see work play out in front of him so well.
Right now, the army were integrating the insurrectionists into their forces for the planet's defence, while not a complete military, not yet. That was one of the very few negotiations that took place between Watts and the UNSC representative could agree on. They would provide most of their own forces but they would do it under the law of the UNSC. Of course there would be a hundred different other things that they would argue over but he would leave that for those who are trained to negotiate them.
For now, his work here was done and he waited for the next mission "Not bad" a voice said from behind him and Alt turned to see a familiar face, Admiral Cole walked up behind him with a small smile on his face "not bad at all"
"Admiral" Atlas said as he saluted the higher-ranking military leader.
The man happily returned the salute "mind if I join you?" he asked.
"Of course not sir" he said and the two stood together looking out to the planet below.
"You did good work today Atlas. Though I have to ask, how did you do it?" he said glancing down at the man next to him.
"Sometimes the best weapon in any arsenal, is a good argument" he said back to the older Admiral "it wouldn't have worked on everyone but Watts had something that few others do. The power to keep his ego in check, the ability to come out and say to all his followers that he was wrong, that he made a mistake" he said.
Cole was sure there was a lot more too it then that, he knew that the two had a forty-eight hour long conversation and Atlas did write up a report but since he's technically ONI, only Paragonsky had access to it. Still he couldn't help but let out a chuckle "damn good work son" he added.
"I'm just doing my job sir" Alt said humbly back.
"No, you didn't" Cole shook his head "you could have gone down there and turned it into a bloodbath, no-one would have looked twice at it. You did so much more then that" he turned and placed a hand on his shoulder "did you know I was married?" he asked.
Alt looked over at the older man and shook his head "No sir" he answered.
"I dated her for fourteen months" he started as his hand fell back behind his back "when we got married I was really happy for a time, then I found out that she was a high-ranking insurrectionist spy" he added casually. Alt's head quickly turned to look at him before turning forward again knowing he shouldn't stare "the thing that sticks with me the most, even though I felt used, betrayed, hurt. The thing that really stood out, was what I learnt. The insurrectionists, some are bad, some are... terrible. But most, they're just people that think they can do better on their own"
"Maybe they can" Alt was quick to say back "but it's not about the individuals, it's about the whole. Only united under one banner, can humanity truly flourish into something greater" his eyes narrowed slightly and his hands clenched into fists as he starred at the planet below.
"Ah" Cole nodded "so that's your ideology. Unity" he said.
"Yes sir" Alt nodded with a certain expression.
"Not a bad thing to strive for" the Admiral nodded at him "I suppose it's time we see just how far you're willing to go to achieve it" he said as he turned to face him.
"Sir?" Alt asked as he turned as well and two faced each other.
Cole turned and walked towards the bridges holo table "UNSC high command and ONI are both very impressed with what you've done here and because of that, you've been given a new mission" The image of a planet came into view and Alt looked at both it and all the information about it closely "this planet is a warzone, short of carpet bombing some cities and killing a lot of people. The UNSC is at the moment unable to commit more manpower to the offensive, which is where you come in. You'll be given a chance to talk to them just like you have here but this place is already a warzone, I don't think you'll have a lot of success here but I hope you can prove me wrong" he explained.
"I'll try my best" Alt said as placed both hands on the table and looked closer at the planet, he would do what has too in order save as many lives as he can. But if that failed, the UNSC and ONI had his loyalty and he would do his part. He was a solider after all, an agent of ONI.
He would not fail in his duty.
Ok all we shall leave it off there, I know that not a lot happened here but I wanted to show you lot just what type of person Atlas is right now and hint at what he could be later. I've also decided for the main ship to be him and Serin, I just think it works better. Also, don't worry. I'm not going to have you all waiting long until the Covenant show, I just wanted to get a good base for his character down first. Anyway, let me know what you all think down below in the reviews (I promise, I read ALL of them)
Next story update: A New Guardian