Chapter 9
The sight of the UNSC Infinity still took the breath out of the teenage duo. It's so big you could see it from the ground, not to mention the other 5 Kilometer long Covenant assault carrier orbiting not far off their port side. As they got closer to the ships, they could see other Covenant ships surrounding the CAS assault carrier. A marine seemed to notice the look on Ezra's face and he carefully explained that those were just normal cruisers, but equally deadly as any other ship.
Sabine, being the weapon-happy Mandalorian, was anxious to get a look at the Covenant tech and ships. She was still nervous around these guys, but she was assured they were the good kind. Also the fact that Ezra was here with her comforted her. He could sense her uneasiness at the sight of the large purple ships.
"You going to be okay?" he asked her.
She nodded and gripped his arm, "As long as you're here with me, I'll be just fine."
The marine couldn't help but smile at the sight. "I see you two are very close."
"Yeah. I owe my life to him," Sabine said.
Ezra looked like he wanted to say something, but he obviously couldn't put it to words.
"Really? Looks to me you owe each other your lives," the marine said, putting the pieces together for the young Jedi.
Ezra nodded, "He's got a point."
"Ok fine," Sabine said. "We owe each other."
The group heard the radio chatter from the pilot to the flight commander of the Infinity.
"Pelican 4506, you are cleared for docking. Airspace is clear, final approach speed 55m/s. Looking good; Call the ball!"
"Pelican 4506, acknowledged. I've got the ball," the pilot replied as he flipped a few more switches and began to slow the Pelican to the required approach speed.
A small hanger door opened and the pilot landed the Pelican in his designated landing zone. As soon as the ship was locked in place, the bay doors opened and a squad of security marines were seen waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp. They snapped to attention when Ezra and Sabine walked down with their ground escort.
"Commanders," the marine sergeant greeted them.
"Good to see you again," Ezra said, shaking the marine's hand.
"The feeling is mutual. Captain Lasky had arranged a meeting with your master. He wants to understand the Jedi and what you're capable of."
"I understand. Kind of like a prime directive sort of thing?" Ezra asked.
"Exactly. However, he has given Spartan Commander Sarah Palmer command of the vessel. She's currently busy training the other Spartan units on their personal training deck, but she is aware of your visit," the marine sergeant explained as they walked out of the hangars and towards the lifts.
"So when do we begin our training?" Sabine asked.
"We can get started right away," a voice said as the lift doors opened.
"SIR!" the marines snapped to attention.
"At ease, gentlemen," the soldier said.
"Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, may I introduce Edward Buck. Formerly of the ODST," the sergeant said.
"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Sabine said, saluting him. Ezra bowed to the officer.
"Wait, formerly?" Ezra asked.
"Yes. I was originally one of the ODSTs before joining the Spartans," Buck replied with a smile.
"Wow," Sabine sighed.
"It wasn't easy, but I made it. If you'll come with me, we can begin."
Ezra and Sabine followed Buck into the lift and he pressed a button on the console leading to a training deck.
...
"Captain Thomas Lasky?" a voice said as the UNSC Captain walked down the boarding ramp of his Pelican. He turned and saw a man with a ponytail, wearing a mask walking up to him.
"That's me. I assume you're Ezra's Jedi master?"
"I am. Kanan Jarrus," the blind Jedi said, shaking the Captain's hand. "I've been looking forward to our meeting for a while now."
Lasky stared at him, confused, "You've been expecting me?"
"I have. Though you and your people have no connection to the Force, it still let me know you were coming... In the typically complicated way," Kanan replied.
"If you don't mind me asking," Lasky began, pausing as he waited for permission to continue.
"If you're asking about my mask, I lost my sight in a battle against a Sith; the ancient enemy of the Jedi. It's a Sith Lord that rules this galaxy currently," Kanan replied.
"So how are you walking as if you still had your sight?" Lasky asked, though he had a feeling he already knew the answer to that.
"The Force works in many ways through a Jedi. In this case, losing my sight brought me closer to the Force than I ever thought possible. It enables me to 'see' through the Force. It's also something my Master always taught all younglings in the Temple before the Empire."
"Fascinating," Lasky said.
Kanan led Lasky and his group to his quarters and they sat in the common room.
"Would you like something to drink?" Kanan asked.
"That would be nice... What all do you have?"
"All sorts of stuff that... now that I think about it I don't know if you'd like our drinks," Kanan chuckled.
"You should have water at least, right?" Lasky asked, obviously joking.
"Ok maybe not all our drinks."
This was one of those few times in Lasky's career that he gets to be as literal as he can. Something he enjoyed doing as a kid when he got the chance.
As Lasky and Kanan talked, the UNSC captain learned a lot about the Force and how to determine who's Force sensitive and who's not just by simply keeping an eye on them and seeing how they do certain things. Kanan explained how to determine Force sensitivity by speed of reactions or movements, abilities to lift things with their minds, etc.
"So it's possible to find Force sensitive beings even without one myself?" Lasky asked, still trying to piece it together.
"If you know what you're looking for, then yes."
They talked a while longer before Lasky got a transmission from his ship. They were tracking a group of pirates in the closest solar system from Yavin.
"Pirates?" Lasky asked, looking over to Kanan for advice.
"Don't underestimate them. They're more powerful than you think."
"Captain, we lost the signal. We think they jumped, but we don't know where," Palmer reported through the comms. "We need you back up here ASAP!"
"I'm on my way," Lasky said as he stood up. "I hope we can do this again sometime."
"I agree. Next time I should have something else for you to drink, or maybe you would be willing to try them out?"
"Perhaps next time. Thanks for agreeing to meet," Lasky said before turning to the door. He opened it and explained the situation to his unit and they all walked back to the Hangars where their Pelican was stored.
...
BLAM! BLAM!
"You've used rifles before, right?" Buck asked the blue haired Jedi.
"Yeah but nothing like this!" Ezra yelled over the noise. He snuck a peek over to Sabine in the next station.
BLMA! BLAM! ... BLAM!
Of course she got it all right. Buck took notice of that, too.
"I see you're very fond of weapons," he said.
"This is great! I've never used a slug thrower like this before!" Sabine said, standing up from her prone position.
"I'm sorry, slugthrower?"
"Weapons that launch ballistic rounds. We call them slug throwers," she explained.
"Where we come from," Buck began, "This is a gun. A rifle."
"What's it called?" Ezra asked.
"This is a favorite for many soldiers. The BR55 Battle Rifle. Soldiers from all branches use this rifle a lot," Buck explained.
"It sounds weird..." Ezra said.
"That's because it's not firing one bullet, but three. It's a burst fire rifle. As a matter of fact it's the standard rifle for UNSC forces."
"What about that over there?" Ezra asked pointing to an MA37 Assault Rifle.
"That's a fully automatic assault rifle; the MA5. One of the oldest models of rifle in UNSC service. In the Army it's the MA-37, but here in the Navy it's MA-5."
Buck walked over to the weapon rack again and grabbed two pistols and handed one to Ezra, and the other to Sabine.
"The M6G magnum handgun. In service for over a hundred years. 8 rounds per clip, but a very good sidearm. The Master Chief has taken out an army with this brand of handgun. Take out those targets over there," Buck said, pressing a button on the console and two targets popped up; one for each of them.
Sabine effortlessly raised the pistol and took aim at the target, but she didn't prepare for the recoil of the gun. As she pulled the trigger, the recoil from the shot tore the gun from her hand, sending it spinning madly into the air. Fortunately, Buck was quick enough to snatch the rogue pistol out of the air. To everybody's surprise he was laughing.
"I forgot to mention, this thing packs a punch."
With that he, too, aimed at a target and fired, the recoil even showing with the Spartan. There was a loud PING! heard as the bullet hit the target.
"Woah..." Sabine said.
"My turn?" Ezra asked.
Buck turned to face him and he grinned, "Go for it. Keep your grip firm."
Ezra took aim at the target and fired a shot, the recoil throwing the barrel up towards the ceiling, but he kept his grip.
Sabine gawked at him and he smirked, "What? Upset you've been outdone by me?"
Sabine laughed, "I wasn't ready."
"That's a first," Ezra chuckled.
"Please like you could do better," Sabine remarked with a grin.
"I just did," he replied.
"Alright you two, that's enough," Buck said. Both Ezra and Sabine snapped to attention, which was normal for Sabine, but unnatural for Ezra.
Buck continued their training and just as they were wrapping up the last portion of it, the obstacle course, the 'stand by' alarm went off.
"What's going on?" Ezra asked.
Buck just looked up at the intercoms and the flashing lights, then back down to Ezra. "We're on stand by. Whenever that happens it usually means somebody's here or something is about to happen."
He turned to a panel and opened the door, "Come with me."
"Where are we going?" Sabine asked.
"The hangars. Captain Lasky must be back. We should meet up with him," Buck replied.
...
Lasky walked into the bridge with Buck and his 'recruits' not far behind. Buck explained everything to Lasky as they walked to the bridge and he seemed pleased with their progress.
"What are you doing back so soon, sir?" Ezra asked.
"I received a transmission that we were tracking an unknown fleet in the next system nearest to us, but we seemed to have lost track of them. We're going on alert until we know that whoever they were, they aren't coming here," Lasky explained.
"Understood, sir," Buck said.
"I'll head down with the rest of the Spartans," Palmer said. "Buck, you coming?"
"Yes sir."
The two Spartans left the bridge and headed down to the Spartan's training deck.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to end your training session for today. If something happens I don't want you two on board," Lasky explained.
"We understand," Sabine said, Ezra nodding with agreement.
Lasky turned to the sergeant that brought them aboard, "Escort them to the hangars. Give them a SKT-13 shuttle and get them to the surface."
"Yes sir!" the sergeant replied with a salute. He began to lead Ezra and Sabine down to the hangars.
...
"UNSC shuttle, this is Yavin control tower. Specify what you're transporting," the Yavin flight commander ordered.
"This is UNSC shuttle SKT-13, transporting Rebel Commanders Bridger and Wren back to the surface," the UNSC pilot said.
"Please transmit landing codes."
The pilot turned to Ezra, "I don't know the codes..."
"Don't worry about it, we got it," Ezra said as he reached for the console. He typed in the access codes and sent it to the flight commander.
"Access codes are good. Land in Bay 5, section 2."
"Thank you," the pilot said as he directed the shuttle to his designated landing zone.
After they landed, Ezra and Sabine were met by Zeb.
"So how was it?" he asked.
"It went very well," Ezra said. "I even managed to do better at something with their weapons than Sabine."
Sabine glared at him, "Don't rub it in."
Zeb stared, "He's joking right?"
Nobody said anything.
"What happened?" he asked then.
"Sabine wasn't ready for the recoil of one of their handguns and it flew out of her hands," Ezra explained.
"I still think you cheated," Sabine said glancing at Ezra.
"I didn't do anything, I swear," he replied.
"I don't know, I believe Sabine on this," Zeb said.
"Of course you do," Ezra said.
"But anyway, what did you think of their ships? I've never really seen them," Zeb asked.
"They're mostly grey, just like the Imperials, but they don't look like they've been built to establish fear," Ezra said.
"I think they need a bit more color," Sabine said.
"You remember those Spartans? Their armor has different colors," Ezra pointed out.
"Yeah but it's mostly all one color," she replied.
"But still color."
He got her on that part. She did want color and Ezra found some on them.
"You guys are back early," Hera said, walking up to meet them.
"Yeah, they said they were tracking an unknown fleet in the next system. They're keeping an eye out for them and they're putting their fleet on lockdown," Sabine said.
"They never specifically said 'lockdown', but yeah pretty much," Ezra confirmed.
"That's understandable. I'm glad they decided to send you back here," Hera said. "And it looks like they gave you a new toy."
Sabine turned around and saw nothing but the shuttle they arrived in. "Actually that was just our ride back here."
"If I may interrupt," the UNSC pilot began, "Lasky gave us orders to give you this shuttle. We'll only be here to give both of you instructions on piloting it."
Sabine's eyes grew wide, "Wait it's ours now?"
"I believe it is," the pilot confirmed. "I have the transfer orders here on this pad."
The pilot pulled out something like a datapad and showed Hera the orders.
"Well, I guess it is yours now..."
"I can paint it right?" Sabine asked without hesitation.
"You can do whatever you want... just don't let our central command find out. They'll have a fit," the pilot said.
"Understood. We can just say we salvaged it from a battle," Ezra said.
The pilot was about to counter that story, but thought a moment about it.
"The shuttle is small enough to fit in our frigates hangars... It could make sense. Enemy fleet damages one of our ships and a shuttle is sucked out into space," the pilot said.
"Exactly!"
"I think my captain would like that cover story. He's prefers a more political approach, which works most of the time, but getting involved with our media is something he doesn't want to get into. This could make it easy," the pilot said.
"Your people could still order you to retrieve it," Hera said.
"Not to worry. We don't plan on coming back here after we find a way out... At least unless there's an easy way here and back," the pilot said.
A bright blue light caught their eyes and they looked up to see Infinity jumping to slipspace.
"Looks like they've pinpointed something," the pilot said.
"I guess so. Make yourself at home. We have extra rooms inside," Hera said, leading everybody back inside the base.
...
*2 minutes later*
"Attention unidentified vessel! You are violating restricted space!" Roland said to the other ship after establishing contact.
"Really?" a gravelly voice growled from the other end. "Last I checked this isn't under Imperial restriction!"
"We're not Imperial," Roland replied.
"So you're Rebels?"
"We are not Rebels either. We are independent of either side," Roland replied.
"Roland, let me speak to them," Lasky said.
"Who are you people?" the voice asked.
"This is Captain Lasky of the UNSC Infinity. This space is under restriction by order of the UNSC exploration force," Lasky spoke calmly through the comms.
"What is U-N-S-C?"
"We are people from another galaxy. I'm afraid that's all I'm free to say. I advise you as friends to turn away and find a different route."
There was silence from the other side for a moment.
"I see I don't have much of a choice, do I? Very well. I'll find another way."
The channel was closed as the unknown fleet turned away...
But something wasn't right. The fleet was too shiny and organized to be pirates.
"Drop a probe here. We need to make sure we know what's coming," Lasky ordered after the unknown fleet jumped away.
A probe was launched into open space and not long afterwards, the Infinity returned to Yavin IV. After the Infinity appeared from slipspace, they instantly picked up a recorded transmission from a familiar source.
"Captain," Roland began.
"Go ahead Roland," Lasky said.
"I just received a recorded transmission from our solar system."
"Play it, immediately. Bridge only broadcast," he ordered.
Roland nodded and played the message...
"UNSC Infinity, this is UNSC Central Command. We've received your message and are willing to send some ships through the anomaly. It's good to hear you're all ok and we have informed your families. We've also done more scans of the anomaly, with the help of the Covenant, and it appears to be a one-way wormhole, mostly invisible to the naked eye. Our best scientists and AIs have theorized that if you can somehow find a wormhole in your current galaxy, you may be able to transmit a radioactive frequency matching our galaxy's radiation frequency. Like I said it's only a theory, but it's the only chance you've got at returning to us, and the fleet we've sent out. We understand your current situation and we feel we could help in some way with Covenant support. After receiving this transmission, your new fleet's ETA should be a few days. To be exact we're not sure, but rest assured your reinforcements are on their way. Central Command out."
Lasky stood there speechless, as did the rest of the Bridge crew. He didn't think Central Command would comply so easily.
"Alert the rest of the crew and the Covenant fleet. We're getting our reinforcements," Lasky ordered.
