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Federated Commonwealth
Toland
August 25th, 3054
Admiral Michael Patrenski sat in the command chair of his WarShip, the SLS George Washington. His hands were shaking with nervous energy as he continued to wait, and he wasn't the only one. All around him, the bridge personnel were quiet as they worked at their stations. Even the computers were subdued in their presence.
Today's the day, he thought to himself as he looked outside of the view port. Today's the day we follow Naval Fleet Delta to wherever they ended up at. I just hope that we've got a large enough fleet to handle anything they've encountered.
This thought led him to look at the holographic display for the fleet they were in. When part of the naval fleet that was intended to invade the Kerensky Cluster had mysteriously vanished, everyone was deeply concerned. It was bad enough that First Lord Hanse Steiner-Davion had commissioned an investigation into what had happened, with Patrenski as the Admiral in charge
Initially, nothing had turned up, but it was during a Jump into the system that people noticed something odd. Scans of the area soon discovered the source: a spatial anomaly that was theorized by science, but had never actually been discovered. This spatial anomaly was described as a classic Lorentz Wormhole.
While the scientific implications were staggering, it also explained what had happened to Naval Fleet Delta. The moment they jumped, the wormhole had formed, creating a bridge in space and time to another part of the universe or, very likely, another universe entirely. No one knew how it had formed, only that Naval Fleet Delta had jumped at the precise moment it formed, which had caused the misjump to occur.
That, and it's practically invisible, Patrenski thought to himself. This isn't an Einstein-Rosen Bridge, as this thing distorts light through spatial lensing, not gravitational lensing. That means that, unless you're specifically looking for it, you wouldn't notice it.
That led him to look outside of the WarShip viewport to where the wormhole was. To an observer, the only indicator of the wormhole's presence was what appeared to be a thin ring of light. Any other person would've brushed it off as a trick of the light or a hallucination. Now we know it's an indicator of a Lorentz Wormhole in space, he thought.
He was jarred out of his idle reverie when he heard his navigator say, "Sir, the fleet's waiting for your orders."
Ah, yes, he thought. The fleet. Given the implications of what was going on, the First Lord felt that the AFFC needed to be involved. It was in their territory, after all. As such, the 750 WarShip strong fleet was partially composed of AFFC WarShips, making this a joint operation. Fortunately, the Admiral of that fleet had decided on a joint command with Patrenski, eliminating any problems with the chain of command.
Breathing in and out, Patrenski looked at the wormhole one more time. Well, here we go. One small step for man and all that. The thought did nothing to quell his nervousness, even as he said, "Ahead full. Secure all Grav Decks. We're moving through the wormhole."
"Aye, aye, sir," the navigator replied, while the MILCOM officer did the same. There was a brief pause, then a shudder as the Grav Decks were secured. Then, the ship began to move forwards at it's safe acceleration speed of 1.5G. Patrenski felt his weight return, before it increased by half again.
The wormhole was large enough that twenty WarShips could move through while keeping at minimum safe distance. As such, Patrenski knew that no collisions would occur as they moved through. Looking through the viewport, he watched as the ring of light seemed to move directly over them, before it smoothly slid away behind them. We are now officially either in another universe, or another section of our universe, he thought.
They continued to accelerate, even as more WarShips moved through the wormhole and to the other side. The entire operation took two hours to coordinate; fortunately, no accidents happened during this time, and all of the ships went through with no complications to the crew. Eventually, the last WarShip, a corvette, slipped through the wormhole before rejoining the fleet.
"All ships report in," Patrenski asked. "Helm, can you check for any signs that Naval Fleet Delta came through here?"
"Scanning," the officer replied as the fleet reported in. "Nothing sir. They might've jumped farther than we thought."
"Good thing our K-F Drive is fully charged and ready," the Engineering officer remarked.
"Indeed," Patrenski agreed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. This keeps getting more complicated by the second. "Wellington, inform the fleet to prepare to make a Jump. Also, leave an FTL COM beacon here. We'll need to know where the entrance is for later operations."
"Aye, sir," the AI of the WarShip replied. "Orders are away. FTL COM Buoy jettisoned and activated. Jump will commence in five minutes." Nodding at that, Patrenksi began issuing orders.
The countdown continued, until they reached zero. Patrenski made sure that he had a bag right next to him. TDS is one ugly son of a bitch, he thought just as they Jumped.
Almost immediately, his stomach protested what had happened. Opening the bag, he leaned over and vomited his breakfast into the bag, a loud gagging sound coming from him. Once his stomach emptied itself, he closed the bag up and leaned back. Get a grip, Patrenski, he thought as his body protested the jump. You can live through this. You've done this before.
Breathing deeply, he calmed his protesting stomach and brain before looking around. Most of the bridge crew wasn't affected, though a few were also throwing up into their vomit bags. Once they were done, he prepared to issue orders.
He was caught off guard, as a result, when he heard the MILCOM channel for his WarShip ping. What the -, he thought, surprised for a moment. "Wellington, where's that coming from?"
"I've got it," the MILCOM officer replied. Her hands were a blur as she checked over the frequencies used. "Sir, that's an SLDF MILCOM frequency. Someone pinged us."
"That is not all," Wellington added. "Admiral, I am detecting numerous other MILCOM frequencies, none of of which are associated with SLDF communications. I believe it is safe to say that we might've found them."
"Agreed," Patrenski nodded. "Is there anything else, Wellington?"
"Yes, sir. We have a WarShip approaching our position at heading 0-2-0. Scans have identified it as the SLS Rio Grande."
"Open a MILCOM channel." Once the channel was open, he cleared his throat and said, "This is Admiral Michael Patrenski of the SLS George Washington to the SLS Rio Grande. Do you read me?"
The reply was almost immediate. "Admiral Patrenski, Captain Ian O'Bristol reporting for duty, sir! I take it the same thing happened to you as it did to us."
"Clarify."
"We suffered a misjump. Some kind of spatial anomaly threw us off into another system. I'd tell you more, but I think the Admiral is better informed than I am of what's going on."
"I see. We discovered a Lorentz Wormhole near the Jump Point, which led us to believe that it was in the way when your ships Jumped. We've traveled through and have left an FTL MILCOM Buoy at the exit."
"Good to hear," Captain Ian beamed. "Since that's the case, I've got orders to escort your fleet to Admiral Chernenko. He's currently at Tribute getting more WarShips ready to go."
"Tribute?" Patrenski asked.
"Chernenko'll elaborate when you get there," Ian reassured the Admiral. "Just don't shoot at any WarShips that don't show up as any from the Inner Sphere. They're our allies."
"I see," Patrenski decided. "Very well. Do your duty." As the MILCOM channel cut out, Patrenski rubbed his face. I sincerely hope Chernenko did not turn traitor, he thought as the WarShip began to accelerate. "Wellington, activate the Alcubierre Module in the K-F Drive. That should shorten the travel time. I'll be in my quarters, getting ready." With that, he unbuckled himself and went to his quarters.
. . .
It took about three hours to get to the coordinates for Tribute, said coordinates having been provided by Ian during the conversation. Once Patrenski made sure he was presentable, he proceeded into the bridge and sat down in his command chair once again. Looking through the view port, he could see a beautiful blue-green planet before him, with white clouds brightly glowing from the Sun's light.
What had his attention, though, were the WarShips and space stations that were in the area. Spotting a WarShip, he immediately knew that it wasn't SLDF in design or make. A scan that Wellington performed indicated a lack of Ferro-Carbide armor, something that miffed him. Is that a FrankenWarShip, he thought, confused, or a custom design? I've never seen that thing before.
The confusion grew somewhat as they proceeded through the shipyard, though Patrenski was comforted when he spotted the familiar hull profile of a McKenna or Riga mixed with the unknown WarShips. Eventually, he spotted the familiar shape of a YardShip, as well as a ship he thought he'd never see again. The Dallas, he realized. So, Chernenko made it through alive. I knew that sonovabitch was too good to die.
A moment later, he heard another ping on his MILCOM transceiver. Keying it, he said, "This is Admiral Michael Patrenski of the SLS George Washington. Come in please."
A moment later, he heard that familiar Russian accented voice coming in. "Admiral Chernenko to Admiral Patrenski, it's good to hear your voice again. According to Captain Ian, you traveled through a wormhole of sorts, yes?"
"That is the case."
"I see," Chernenko mused. "Now I know we aren't stuck here for good anymore. Admiral, if you would speak with me onboard my WarShip, I would greatly appreciate it. We have much to discuss with each other."
"Agreed," Patrenski remarked. Closing the MILCOM channel, he said to one of his officers, "Have Hangar Delta 5 prepare a KR-122 shuttle craft. We're heading over to the Dallas immediately. Inform Oscar and Redmond to provide protection detail." With that, he got up and began heading for the hangar bay.
. . .
Fifteen minutes later, they were onboard the KR-122 shuttle craft. The engines hummed as they pushed the small vehicle through the vacuum of space towards the Dallas. Looking around through the cockpit viewports, Paternski could see more vehicles that were not SLDF in origin. One looked like someone had reversed the beak of a Pelican, with the front bulging downwards more than the rear.
I wonder who Chernenko's 'allies' are, he thought as they burned towards the WarShip. They certainly are a militarized organization, but some of their technology is primitive compared to ours. He'll probably explain himself, though. He's always been good at that. Still, he made sure his ER Laser Pistol was ready in the event he needed to defend himself.
"Sir, we're approaching the WarShip," the shuttle pilot informed him. "Please take a seat, sir." Nodding, Patrenski sat down in his seat, before buckling up.
The shuttle shuddered as the pilot slowed the vehicle down, bringing them to a hover inside of one of the hangars onboard the Dallas. There was a brief jolt as they landed, before the engines turned off. Patrenski pulled himself up slowly, thinking that there was zero g. To his surprise, he found that he remained firmly glued to the chair, prompting him to get up normally.
Whoa, he thought as he stood up on both feet without flying into the ceiling. Artificial gravity?! I thought that wasn't possible, unless… Another good question to ask Chernenko. Even the pilots were surprised, as they gave him confused looks. Patrenski merely shrugged, before moving towards the exit.
Walking down the ramp once it deployed, he watched as maintenance personnel moved towards the shuttle, tools in hand as they got to work. Hearing footsteps, he looked around to see an SLDF Elemental approaching him, fully clad in Nighthawk-L Powered armor. "Sir," the Elemental said as he saluted, "Admiral Cherneko is expecting you in his quarters."
"Duly noted," Patrenski decided. That was when he heard a sound he didn't hear before: a trilling sound that reminded him of some animals he'd seen on Earth. Turning around, he looked for the source of the noise and…
"What the hell?!" he shouted, jumping slightly as he saw a large, bulbous like creature descending towards the shuttle. Tendrils moved about as the creature examined the shuttle craft with a curious eye, before opening an access panel.
He reached for his ER Laser Pistol when the Elemental took his weapon and said, "Sir, that would be ill-advised. They are not hostile."
"What the hell are they?" Patrenski asked, eyes not darting from the creature for a second.
"Engineers," the Elemental replied. "The Admiral will explain in further detail, but suffice to say, they have been instrumental in the maintenance of our fleet. It would be half the size it is were it not for them."
"I… see," Patrenski remarked. After a moment, he took his Laser Pistol back and said, "Chernenko better have an explanation for this." The Elemental merely nodded, before leading Patrenski through the WarShip corridors.
Once more, he noticed how there was Artificial Gravity everywhere they went. It was disorienting, but he welcomed not having to go to a Grav Deck in the first place. He also noticed that the crews were on edge, as though they were expecting a fight to break out. It's war time, though, he thought, so that might explain. Still, they're on edge more than usual.
Eventually, they arrived at Chernenko's quarters, with the Elemental taking up guard near the door. Nodding briskly, Patrenski knocked on the door. "Come in," came Chernenko's muffled voice. With that said, Patrenski opened the door and walked inside.
Looking around, Patrenski noticed that the quarters were still the same, from the cabinets that held pre-packaged meals and drinks, to the computer desk and table in the middle of the room. Sitting at the table was Admiral Chernenko. The man doesn't look much worse for wear, he thought as he examined the older Admiral. There's something different about him, though. Sitting down, he remained silent for a minute or two. Breaking the silence, he cleared his throat and said, "Well, Cherneko. You look like hammered shit."
"And you look fresh from the academy, wet-ears," Chernenko teased. Both men smiled as they shook each other's hands. "It's good to see you again, Patrenski. I thought we were trapped here for good."
"You got lucky," Patrenski remarked.
"Indeed. Want a drink?"
"Some champagne will do for me. I don't want to get hammered on duty. That's bad for morale."
"Good thinking." Getting up, Chernenko pulled out some champagne and a few glasses. Filling them up, he put the bottle back into it's cabinet before walking back to the table. Sitting down, he rubbed at his face before taking a swig. "So, our misjump was caused by a wormhole?"
"Yes," Paternski nodded, taking a swig as well. "We think that when it formed, it interfered with the K-F Drive of your WarShip."
"Figured as much. Spatial anomalies always cause misjumps. Needless to say, we've been in a unique position after that."
"You don't say," Patrenksi remarked, his expression becoming serious again. "Chernenko, I think you owe me an explanation. Firstly, I hear that you're working for a power that's not affiliated with the SLDF or Great Houses in any way at all. Secondly, I just saw what looked like a floating sack of balloons getting to work on my shuttle! Care to explain why I shouldn't think that you're a traitor?!"
At that, Chernenko's face flushed red, though he kept his composure. Looking at Patrenski, he said, "First, Patrenski, let it be known that I did not betray the SLDF! I would sooner resign my commission and commit suicide than betray the very League that I swore an oath to protect! Do you understand me?"
"Yes," Paternski replied curtly, his own face flushed as well.
"Then you'll understand that I had to make alliances wherever possible. Even if we knew that we went through a wormhole, finding the entrance would've been nearly impossible, given your description of it. On top of that, we're helping another government stave off utter annihilation from an enemy foe that wants me and the members of Naval Fleet Delta dead too."
That caught Paternski's attention. Even though he was angry at Chernenko, he still saw him as a friend, enough that if Chernenko mentioned a threat to the SLDF, he paid very close attention. "Elaborate, now."
Clearing his throat, Chernenko a breath and said, "When we misjumped, we encountered another human organization. They're known as the UNSC, short for United Nations Space Command. We had a brief square-off before we decided to solve what was going on through a negotiation."
For the next few minutes, he told Patrenski of their meeting with the UNSCDF, how they had ended up in an alternate universe where Humanity had developed differently, as well as their war against the alien coalition known as the Covenant. It wasn't everyday that one learned they were now participating in a war against an alien alliance that wanted all Humans dead.
Patrenski, to his credit, took it fairly well, remaining silent throughout the entire explanation. Once Chernenko finished, Patrenski had a thoughtful expression, before he said, "I feel like I'm about to throw up." Looking at Chernenko, he asked, "So, let me get this straight. We're in a war against an alien religious cult that wants to wipe out our species for a crime it didn't commit?"
"That's about the size of it," Chernenko nodded.
"Fuck." Getting up, Patrenski walked around before looking at Chernenko. "Well, at least you gave the Covenant a proper beating over this 'Reach' that you've mentioned. I take it it's in this system, yes?"
"Good guess," Chernenko nodded. "Tribute and Reach are two of the three colonies in this star system. Tribute supplies the UNSC, and Naval Fleet Delta, with WarShips and munitions for the war effort. Reach is where the UNSC maintains it's top training facilities. It's also the birthplace of the SPARTAN-II Program."
"Those are the guys that are like the Elementals, yes?"
"Correct. They're a near carbon copy, though with some differences thrown in."
"I see. So what about this alliance you have with the UNSC?"
"They offered to provide us a place to stay as long as we assisted in the war effort. As such, we had to share some of our technology with them. Were it not for their assistance, we would've run out of supplies a month ago. We've had to stop repeated infiltration attempts from their intelligence branch, though."
"Yes, you mentioned them as a group called ONI. You have to give them points for persistence. Still, if they think they can run around willy nilly, doing as they please, then they have another thing coming at them."
"That they do. We've been digging deep into their military secrets. We've effectively got them by their balls now via blackmail. Once the war ends, I intend to expose all of their secrets to the public."
"That should take them down for good."
"That it should. Also, not all members of the Covenant are hostile. There is a whole group that broke away from them for religious and political reasons. Their leader, Xhov Bavirk, is a Captain in the SLDF now."
"Really? He must've been pretty balsey to pull off an operation like this."
"He is, and he's really good at it too. We've also recruited a number of Elites, or Sangheili as they call themselves, to our case." While Patrenski was listening, Chernenko silently sent a radio Morse Code message for 'Qualomee to come inside.
"Really," Patrenski remarked, oblivious as the Sangheili in question walked inside as silently as a mouse. "I'll see it when I believe it." Just as he got up, he turned around to see the Elite in question. The man held still as he looked 'Qualomee, who was wearing modified SLDF body armor, up and down. "Damn," he remarked. "You look like a cross between an alligator and a Clan Viper token animal."
"And you look like a monkey," 'Qualomee replied, surprising Patrenski by speaking in fluent Star League English. "Greetings, Admiral Patrenski. I am Major Vortas 'Qualomee of the Star League Defense Force, and formerly of the Covenant Hegemony."
Friendly and well mannered, Patrenski thought to himself. Looks like we might be able to get along after all. "At ease," he remarked. Turning to Chernenko, he said, "That must've been amusing for you, eh?"
"It was," Chernenko admitted, a slight smile on his face. "I mainly intended to show you what we're up against, as well as who's allied with us. 'Qualomee, you may return to your post."
"As you command, Admiral," 'Qualomee replied, walking outside before taking up his position as a guard at the door.
"Does he always speak formally like that," Patrenski asked.
"Yes," Chernenko replied. "Sangheili are more formal than most people. They're a warrior society like the Clans, only they're more practical in many ways. They're also being lied to by their religious leaders."
"You mentioned that in your explanation," Patrenski nodded. There were a couple minutes of silence as he looked outside the viewport in the room. Turning from the view port, he said, "Admiral Chernenko, I think that you've done an exemplary job of representing the Star League, as well as it's capabilities against an enemy. Is there anything that you need me to do?"
"First of all, reinforcements would be nice," Chernenko remarked. "If you've got over 750 WarShips, though, then that will be more than sufficient. You'll have to get your ships refitted with better armor, energy shielding and inertial compensators, though, as well as better thrusters. The Covenant WarShips are much better than yours in their current state."
"Then I'd best get them to work. We'd have to refit our YardShips first, though. They'll be performing the bulk of the upgrades. Given how many WarShips we have, we'll need at the least a month to get fully ready. If the Covenant attacks this universe's version of Earth before that, only part of our fleet will be ready.
"What worries me are the casualties your forces suffered. Was it that bad?"
"Yes," Chernenko replied, his face becoming downcast. "The Covenant is absolutely ruthless, Patrenski. They'll stop at nothing to obliterate our species. If they were to learn about the wormhole…"
"It would be a colossal war," Patrenski agreed. "We'd be able to defeat them through sheer attrition, but it would be a war that would outdo the Succession War completely. Since that's the case, I'd better get to work." Walking over, he shook Chernenko's hand and said, "I look forwards to holding the Covenant by the nose and kicking them in the balls."
"The same here," Chernenko nodded. "Can you send a communication back to the Inner Sphere through the wormhole?"
"I'll arrange for a corvette to relay the information," Patrenski nodded. "If I know Hanse, he won't let an opportunity like this slip past him. It'll make the Star League look good, and we'll stop a war crime that's been going on for twenty six years."
"Good. We'll need all the help we can get. I just hope that's going to be enough."
"Me too, Chernenko. Do you have anyone else near where the In Amber Clad is at?"
"Yes, the SLS Volga is currently on station to provide support. We'll need to send more WarShips, though, in order to properly secure Delta Halo."
"I can free up some of my WarShips to go there?"
"No! I don't want to needlessly risk more lives. I'll send some of our upgraded WarShips there to help secure the ring. I need your ships fully upgraded to deal with the Covenant. Their weapons and ships are no joke at all."
"Understood. I'll have those WarShips cover for yours. Is that acceptable?"
"Yes."
"Good. I hope we can withstand the coming storm."
"Me too, Patrenski. Me too."