The last hours of the Aegis III

0830

'CLEAR!'

Veronica Dare watched the security personnel secure the small accommodation after extracting the door from it's surrounding frame, while the doors could slide to and back and be electronically locked, they were also designed to be removeable from the outside so as to try and prevent a blockade within the quarters. The room they were in was some unassuming worker under the name of "Eris" Data encrypted was traced finally and co-ordinated the log entries Miles Taylor was able to retrieve quickly. A hard working professional, and probably like her was absent of a social life, ruled by seven days a week work. Today was as serious as it could get for her work, life was at risk for those onboard. Some would had their egos stoked by the idea they were going to be heroes. The ones like her who actually deal with silent threats like these just hope quietly that they got to it as soon as. Anyone who thought they get glory to stopping the incident as it happened never had their asses hauled before an investigation explaining why the hell it wasn't stopped there and then.

The supply base back at Lian, was a small planet in a system of the same name of convenience, breathable and rich in minerals, a temporary rest point where resupplies and new personnel would come on board. The latest logs spanned back few months at latest and she scrolled down to the arrival of key personnel and when the ship's intranet system was hacked by propaganda. The stories of home were a bit too focused and was something insurgency would come up with.

To her disappointment though there was no official or person within the logs and the time of the first hack to make a connection. However looking at the backgrounds of people who could buy personal accommodation as opposed to share, this "Eirs" was able to afford it, quite well. There was the payment, but the deposit followed by the successive payments were a bit too close to one another. Payment came two weeks after but she paid upfront more than she should really be able to. An odd pattern wasn't evidence enough to anyone else but for ONI only the suspicion was required, and veronica felt she had good reasons.

It wasn't luxury this Eris was after, but space, eyes surveyed the large flat bed, inbuilt monitor to the wall and the waist high drawers with more to it's length then height. Everything in here should be fixed to the ground, despite the cleanliness her trained eyes picked up the oddity. The mirrored prague draws had a shine to them on the front. Very slight, the shine didn't look off from the white and a pull of a draw did reveal everyday clothing but on closer inspection and touching the surface she felt that slight coolness that didn't match the room temperature of the other objects.

'Break it!'

A personnel slammed the butt of the rifle and hit light, there was no tearing of wood or hearing of splinter, the exterior of the wardrobe flashed twice with a choking crackle of fading energy. Now her suspicion was confirmed, the draws were just a skeleton framework, corners stood, the draws themselves were real but the bulk of the woodwork were long taken out and under that disguised light of a hologram was a large computer monitor of some kind. It certainly wasn't a bomb, the sensors were designed to pick up any sort of chemicals that could potentially be used. She knelt to examine was some kind of hacking system. She flicked the thing on without thinking of the risk and there the monitor screen on the wall came to life showing symbols entirely alien scrambled all across the screen. Was it a locked screen? Transferring data? She had no idea but it was clear she was not as the name claimed. At the same time, this was not her doing alone. Resources and infiltration inside a operational ship amidst its operation required a lot more than a pot shot chance at a shipyard..

Veronica raced secure comm.

'I need to speak to Lincoln. Now!' She heard Lincoln take communication, her tone was to the point.'

'Were being watched by an E.T and we have a mole. K.N'

She gave the name and rank of this 'Eris' whilst arming her weapon, K.N was the quicker way of saying Kill Now and for the sake of everyone onboard they had to do just that. She scrolled through any other documents, the team tearing apart the room, she looked again at Eris I.D hair colour and eyes were different, but was it possible that..there was no doubt, the rouge she had spent several years tracking had at last returned to her old post , but she had no means of pulling this again by herself, even if time was her ally, to be here in distant dead of space…

Veronica looked at that knife edged style font of alien text and privately worried, Eris was not an insurgent but a full fledged traitor to the human race, but just who, did she sell herself to?

0824

'Just this way' Said Amir

Despite the humid environment, nerves made his feet go cold, he was having second thoughts about this "investment" plan, the goal was apparently to swap the ore within the relic with the same ore from the world they orbited but with none of the prosperities that was of value, and smuggle it to a competitor with everything up and running in advance. The trek was to the other side of the ship almost, security patrolled, some saw his face and smiled as they let him carry on, letting friendship being their judgment, some though sought explanations. He gave some and it was when he stated his first lie did he know there was no turning back, for now it was accepted. He hoped.

Eris though remained calm, a calmness he found unnerving, she didn't fret when the patrol came and went and remained mutely subtle in her overall reaction, watching and observing the situation. Had she been a smuggler before?

'I don't think-'

'You did fine, now's the time to be focused got it?' She was quick to take command over him and he complied, he was becoming increasingly weary, from the ship's long corridor of metal and nothing till they reached the door, his first challenge.

'Your card overrides this, yes?'

'But my details of entry will be traced!' She looked at him as if he was a portrait of short sighted stupidity.

'Then lie again.' With insistence 'You have a list of all the equipment on board? State it's registry number and say a check, is due'

Amir swallowed and pressed a a holo sensor activating a screen to the Captain, his eyes widened the Captain was personally overseeing this area?'

'Hello, Sir...with your permission I need to run schedule checks on erm' He hadn't selected the page on his log, quickly scrolling he found one after a mad dash with his thumb on a search, an exasperated sigh from Eris came from his left ear which meant she wasn't visible to the Captain on the screen. 'On EL42981'

The Captain took a check himself on his own panel.

'A Laseral examiner?' It's down as a medical tool, this is not in the correct division.

'Which is why I'm down here to find out, Gerald briefed me it was inside this zone, there was an IR accident a few days ago and the tool brought down must have been left here and not tracked back up. With your permission I want to give the area a sweep given it's value on a medical and financial-'

'I'm familiar with all Incident Reports' Shutting Amir on the spot 'There hasn't been one of late that warranted an examiner.'

'I agree, but it is part of a legally required setup to be brought down in any medical situation. It was removed without it being tracked and simply lost, I'm just chasing up on human error, Sir.'

'Very well, you'll need to be escorted, were receiving items shortly, so be quick. Stay there for now'

'Thank you' The screen was switched off before he could finish the sentence and started to panic.

'Were to be escorted! How will we get around that?'

'Not to worry, I'll have it sorted'

'But'

'Hey!' Again with the lack of respect at him, but there was a show of intimidation squaring him closer with a step. 'It. will. Be. sorted'

'...'

'...S-ure' He stuttered reflecting his nerves but in his mind he knew he was too deep into this.

True to the Captain's word, security did arrive, Amir quickly glanced at his classic watch, made in the fashion with a ticking hand crossing numbers and not the digital version, the time did not reassure him, it had been six minutes now and time had was the slowest he had ever known at that point but still kept a welcoming smile. The two guards, a man and woman marched over but their faces shown no seriousness or idea of what they were upto, despite their sidearm pouches unbuttoned, but there was no hostility. For now they weren't being suspected. It wasn't like they were expecting traitors after a great war against aliens.

Amir remembered the subtle behaviour from Eris earlier, apart from her quietness during the journey she kept that extra distance from patrol, he could put it down to unease she wouldn't admit but there was something else as he thought more about it, it was so much as avoiding it was more trying to subdue a hatred. The cold stern look from her eyes had contained something worse within, the frown gave a small reveal that there was some depth in her that was yet to emerge.

'It's just a routine check and collect, hopefully it's here as we checked everywhere else'

'Not a problem for us' Said the female officer. We'll just open it for you, don't stray from us ok?'

'That's not a problem' Another lie but how strange and also troubling that he was beginning to feel unbothered about it. The sooner this can be done with he muttered with hope.

The female officer opened the door and notified the captain it was done, no sooner that was done her male colleague caught onto Eris distance from the three and approached with some caution.

'You seem a bit quiet' By the third step he walked close enough for there to be a flashing glow from a metal com on his hand, it notified him, the face bore shock, followed by his female colleague whereas Eris actually expected it which was how she responded so fast, a pace of ruthless aggression disciplined and channelled into two brutal strikes. The first was a punch it made contact so fast that Amir couldn't tell if it was directly into the man's jugular but he just sank hearing the weight of a body hit the floor. The woman could only breathe out a sound of a word, she never had the time to complete her sentence as "Eris" ran and slammed the officer's head to the wall, there was a muffled cry of horror as the pressure eris was inflicting was immense at the time snatching the gun from her. Amir stumbled back wondering what the hell had he done.

Then he heard Eris spoke, with no pretence there was an accent of spite.

'Your face...it reminds me of a spartan' The eyes did not blink and her hands tightened holding the undeserving to her sentence '...you deserve this!' "Eris" snarled and slammed the poor woman's head back onto metal wall with a splitting crack of murder.

Amir turned away, he saw a horror and threw up, he had seen blood oozing from the casualty, a lifeless corpse...it was only for a split second but he saw a lifetime of horror in it. He didn't think this would happen, now them too were dead, and for what?

'NO!' He screamed 'How could, oh please how could you do that!'

"Eris" never answered instead she marched upto him, the barrel of a sidearm pressing at the centre of his face.

'This is happening' The gun pressed deeper on the ridge of his nose, pressing bone could feel cold metal pressing on it. He stayed quiet, he dare not struggle.

'Fortunately for rats like you, you might live for today but you will be my shield. I will have my hand on your throat, struggle and you're going to scream as I crack your neck. Clear?'

'Yes' He could barely force that word through after seeing all this and he could see the bodies once more in the back, he couldn't ignore it it took his captor dragging him in front of her, he had just been an unwitting Trojan while realising just how much horror this would usher in and the worse part? That he may survive this, knowing it was he that brought this all onboard were ghosts in waiting to haunt him for the rest of his sorry future.

0835

'Report! Report! Shit' Swore Lincoln, it was bad hearing the reveal from Veronica but the silence from the two he sent to check on the guards just escalated everything to hell. It was no coincidence that something happened just as they were docking the first relics, he expected the worst that the infiltrator was what veronica suspected, a renegade, a psychopath.

A spartan.

'Richard! You tell the docking personnel 07 to shut themselves in their craft now!'

Lincoln jabbed his finger on another button.

'All security officers within research docking zone 07, you are to go and carry out your K.N protocol. The target is the same, engage weapons hot!'

Lincoln cursed again, just as another man went to his post, he had no time to snap at the man for switch in routine, have a badge, do your job and that was enough to matter about.

''You' Meaning Anijah 'I want an immediate sweep on all emergency doors and hull integrity on the two floors around 07, anything off you have call to evacuate that zone, understood?

'Sir!' She marched off operating a comm on her hand leaving the bridge passing on her work to the the people that relate to the task. Then Richard mentioned more unwanted news.

'I lost contact with another group in 07 and the ones tagged with the coats' The quicker slang for the science team 'are saying they need time to get crew onboard, they got one artifact unloaded.'

'Timing isn't chance the renegade definitely has been co-ordinated in this'

'Sir there' came from one of the navigation leads'

'I'm picking up...a distortion near the asteroid cluster'

'Slipstream?'

'No, it's different, but it's not any GF either...growth is 2km, it's getting bigger!'

'What?',

'Some kind of pressure, almost as if space is folding out, fold is growing 4km, 7...12km...something's happening!'

Lincoln saw and was the first to swore.

'Oh God'

"Eris" was a suitable name not that she came up with it, but her employer always sought amusement albeit mocking and one that passed straight people's faces, for a culture obsessed with Spartans and perfection of strength akin to the ancient greeks themselves they overlooked the meaning of her name, but maybe that was the point her employer was making that humanity was so stupid and accepting of the bleeding obvious that they never stopped to think. They can't see the enemy within so how can they see what they can bring, but he knew of course…

Eris switched her mind to the cowardly shield called Amir, in front with the gun in hand, she just dispatched another group, no gunshots but now the others were sure to know, her gun was aimed and she'll give all with guns the same. The coats and those who submitted were to play a bigger role. Not that she was for the ride, she had spent four years and a time drifting in space to be indebted and hating. To be indebted to the one she failed a deal to begin with and to be hating at the little pretender spartan bitch who kicked her to space. She had to restrain her anger quick, she had nearly crushed the ignorant man's neck in the process, he too was useful. The workers were needed for bigger projects.

Going through the doors her head knew the layout even before eyes set, there was a crew, and a boarded ship, all she saw were the hands with guns and shot at their heads. One hand waved a sorry life, the other directed her kill with every trigger at her precise point. The eyes didn't blink, the fixation, mesmerise at how they all laid dying to her anger, her war! Her pupils widened at the sight of the red slaughter, picking off the challengers so she can remain the strongest and in charge. She always had a taste, but four years with him had made her realise her ways before were deemed pitiful, every kill she made, manner of slaughter was a test to show she could do what he expected to be as cruel and deserving to be alive longer. It had grown from survival to competition, no different to the spartan program itself.

Gunfire was returned and she was quick to move tossing aside dead weight and took cover behind over research equipment, a pile of bulky uninteresting sets, and had no desire to stay given there were still parts of exposure but she moved fast, eyeing the relic they brought in, racing out with the surroundings shot up, but she wouldn't be bullied by the loud firepower and coldly directed several more shots to her desired effect. She surveyed the surrounding, silence, save a poor man's whimpering.

It was all too easy for a true spartan.

She approached with a little caution regardless and despite that the other researchers who found themselves at the mercy of her own jurisdiction. she recognized the uniforms of pilots on the ship, though a count in her head amidst the panicked researchers and dead soldiers said there was someone missing, from the distance there seem to be a ventilation gap look slightly out of place, someone had fled. Shame.

She looked at the relic and it wasn't going anywhere and if it weren't then she still had what she came for. There was a gamble, a risk to this before her was a mysterious tomb like object, it had symbols of a avian like people, she couldn't care less but it did feel eerily supernatural to her despite it being scientific in nature. For all she knew this could had been the tomb of a pharaoh, her mind did think of the uncanny resemblance of the avian bird like faces...perhaps her employer was indeed onto something. Not that even she would dare question him fully on that subject. Four years under him made her even more of a survivor then even the most hardened soldier had faced. Soldiers like the Master Chief may have walked into battle, but she had walked with a devil that styled itself as a god...and maybe it was, she couldn't be sure when four years had been spent listening to it's orders and it's ideals..

Her hand touched the stone surface, only it wasn't quite stone by touch, neither earthly or metal she couldn't begin to describe it, at best it felt what she touched was a solid glow of illuminated light. That's all she felt was light that had no warmth nor cold, even the forerunners had a physical structure, this appered transparent.

Examining the symbols quickly she saw that each creature and each posture it was shown revealed the weapon it carried, she saw something else, a different race, always a step below before the "teacher" all in suits similar to the other that went to the stars they directed at. Conquerors, saviours? It was too vague for her to gauge an understanding. An intended trait of any cult of power.

There was another symbol the one that was said to her was likely there. The symbol of the weapon that was within. With a surprising reluctance she was hesitant to raise her hand to it. Her employer had changed over the four years he had seen the possibilities of the spartan program, he had seen a human with unleashed potential so he claimed. He never revealed much into it but it was what kept her around for the four years, her life spared because he saw something more and so far passed each of his curiosities.

The hand waved over the main image and the object was beginning to open. She pulled back quickly, she was in doubt now that it worked, because that meant she knew what was inside, and that it was deserving of those who be called on to deal with her. The device was off the small forklift it was transported on that was of no matter her strength had no problem taking it to the on the forked holder and switched the truck to gear. There was one way in and she was quickly made her way to driving it to the doors she came from. She could hear running sounds, she stopped the truck just outside the doors again placing her hand on the symbol. It was reacting to the DNA and beg and to open properly, it wouldn't hurt her but that was an assurance she did not want to test as the device opened itself. Light folded folded out to a blaze of gold to where something was creeping out, not choosing to wait she retreated back to seal the doors in front, breaking the lock to ensure.

Then came a "tilt" she tensed, everything was sloping on a creeping angle but the change wasn't what made her tense, it was knowing who pulled the gravitational tide that made her somewhat uneased, ignoring even the frantic calls outside as the troops fired and became silent to what was awoken. Alone save the cowards of non combatants her mind drifted, ignoring some of the heavier objects toppling, everything was about to roll aside to the foreboding destiny a deathly god would bring. It was all coming into play, his play, out of spite, out of seeing now what we all could do. How strange a defeat would change his mindset, that was the rumour. And if it was so then she will stay shut about it and be quietly thankful. She suspected that if he had no ulterior motive then she would be dead for failing to capture the Infinity, the failure made him feel he lost faith and was not the forgiving kind. She lived because her future was also his, an understanding and possibilities that he saw and kept to himself. All she knew was aside from the gradual modifications to her existing augmentations was she had a role and a future.

They were killers but he...he was more, he could transcend a level of morality she would not cross. Knowing her own limitations but not knowing his troubled her that even regret contemplated in her despite their mutual understanding.

But given her circumstances to begin with what choice was there, why regret? Her hands were red with the past, no future can wash that, to assume otherwise would be regret. She. Ilsa Zane, was a spartan, was made, augmented to kill and destined to become more.

There was a jolt of a gravitational tug with the ship seemingly felt pulled towards the emergence of this newfound titanic adversary. All feet moved to stations, all hands out for the other as crewmen in the hour supported the other, from the crew that assisted each other at the mess hall and hauling the lazy ones to action, or pulling the other out of hazards that had now fallen on the other, there was shouts, anger but the broad steel of resolve was untempered among them. The angle of the tilt grew ever more dangerous with fighter bays trying their upmost to make sure armantas did not do the unthinkable and turn the ship into a self imploding nightmare. all hands buckled, all armory personnel went into panic making sure nothing went off prematurely, the large ones could be disarmed by remote but others, despite being less powerful were not given the same safeguarding. And this was just one of the many incoming alarms communications had sounded and command had to filter and prioritise.

'Were being knocked off course, we're going to capsize at this rate!' Warned navigation, they were doing their job but lincoln rather they didn't mention it all the same. Rattled he snapped at Richard who in turn will snap even more at the main engineering core.

'I want those engines on the weakest point at full!'

Richard snapped the orders to them, acting as the bite of his orders, there were concern of the engines burning out, radiation exposure though not lethal immediate run the risk of the time given to ruin the long health of those but as Richard put it, to hell with it, survival at all costs, those near the engines knew this or Richard put it.

'Is that thing pulling in the CM's?' Cloaked Covenant mines, a captured ones for the UNSC use and an exclusive privilege for the Aegis in this matter. 'How many' He demanded.

'Seventeen' Said the lead of radar. 'Well within blast range on the hostiles north upper!'

Lincoln stared at the hardened windows he could see what he was before them, the ship had no structure it was irregular in appearance, patched over fitting on whatever felt it was needed it was unapologetic over it's lack of aesthetic appearance. One thing was clear it was clearly not Convenient or galactic federation as klaxons flared the red lights around. Still they felt the ship being pulled into this monster. He could tell there was no evident gunports on it but the answer to why was probably down to the gravitational pull. The mines may just do enough.

He stabbed at a console button. 'Operations, all CM's Nova! ASAP!'

He turned to see richard exchange words with the communications lead.

'Then try harder to get that signal to Lian!'

'Signal as powered as it can but the gravity well is slowing it.'

'Didn't you tell engineering to go all out?' Intervened Lincoln with a question, Richard stared and returned to Engineering.

'Why aren't they at full?'

'They are at full!' Came the voice back, the engines are burning up!'

Lincoln stepped in, his tone was grave given what he was about to command next.

'This is Lincoln Gold command, I am ordering all means necessary to get us moving. Unrestrict all filters immediately'

Nothing.

Then the response.

'Understood'

And that was it, Lincoln knew what he just warranted on them, he knew right the conditions would affect many of their future careers, but letting the engines burn and radiation seep in, even in this age science can only treat so much, medical science always lingered behind military science. Better on his conscious than any of his own crew. He felt the ship wrestle down the tilt as the angle descended, they were not out of danger by far but now communications were reporting with some good news the message was sent, lian was warned.

'Operations, calling in' Said the voice via Lincoln's personal comm. 'Nova in three, two, one…

Everyone held their breath, Lincoln looked at the view from the windows, the lingering wait for a trigger meant one thing.

It failed.

'What's happening? Answer!?'

Operations was usually a confident division on the personnel and the officer he addressed was at a lost in trying to find an answer.

'The signal, it's been sent but the CM's aren't recognizing it.'

Hacked? Lincoln face paled at the thought, a disturbing realisation the conspiracy was longer and deeper than imagined, was that what the discovery in the deck was? A hacking mechanism? The same thing that sent the encrypted information from under their noses? From Lian to here?

He found himself arguing with weapons, telling them to get a shot on the target but the strain of the seemingless gravitational well was messing up with the targeting and ballistics may have a problem just reaching before being flung off course. Then he felt the ship gradually stabilize the balance of the floor.

'...I want a signal sent that ship, every language under the covenant, if they won't know ours they surely must know theirs' he took a breath and spoke when the nod was given.

'This is the Aegis, warship of the UNSC, disengage or face declaration of war from my government'

Hopefully it was to buy time as he looked round his team, he looked at communications again.

'Send a second signal to base, tell them Echo A-Rank. Echo A-Rank'

Coding in messages was essential from the days of the enigma, anyone can listen in the right way and codes were to hide the message. Echo A-rank was to tell the base to call upon the most powerful ship as support, that being the Infinite.

As he feared the large monstrous vessel was not slowing down, even though the engines were pulling themselves further away from it faster than the pace it chased them, it had still remained fixed on them.

'Inform engineering to jump as soon as the ship can, regardless of safety'

'Something's happening there are objects coming from the ship, several meters long, I'm picking up forty and counting'

A holographic display on the table, still wobbly as it tried to read what the sensor gave, the depicted needle like ships, small and edged with a piercing nose. They look more intended to stab the hull of the ship then detonate.

'Where are the fighters?'

'Fighters are struggling to pull out of the bays, we need to get further out of the gravitational pull.'

'Can we fire back?'

'Missiles don't have enough power to reach the target, rail guns can but at 10m shorter for effective range...we have minutes till we get the assault'

'All security battle stations I repeat, we have boarding parties inbound!'

'Sir' Richard brought up some news.

'There's fierce gun fighting from docking zone 07, one squad is down, their requesting more assistance'

'Negative, what's happening'

'Their trying to figure that out but there is widespread shooting on deck 07...and 8'

'What?'

'It's spreading sir'

'What did that bitch bring onboard? Seal it all off! Quarantine. I need to make sure those invaders are dealt with. Were getting out of this and won't be slowed down.'

'Sir what about the research team?'

There was a short silence then he was spoke with the guilt in his tone. He was going to tell them to fire, eradicate it in one go, only one other person knew he would say it which was why he was why that person shot him. His mind raced to react against the situation, but whatever the discharge was it had hit him squarely on his back, it felt almost ice cold and was enough to cripple him to the ground. Panic came about as someone next to a panel now wearing a mask was shooting everyone left, right and centre all kills. Not all fair, those who drew out the weapons and gained cover shown their determination ballistics were set off and were hitting a repeated sound of energy, almost if the bullets and rounds were being deflected. Experience told him it was shielding judging from the sound, but at the same time the traitor wasn't working for the covenant, despite the ferocity, he heard firepower from his own and more of his fellow falling to the floor with the assailant picking the limb of one before capping the head with ice. The traitor wasn't just killing but enjoying being the scumbag that he was. He only he could move, then he saw Richard on the floor weapon pointing it was clicking, he was out but still kept clicking the trigger, the traitor walked forward and raised his weapon, Lincoln looked away, hearing the sound of that weapon was enough to conclude what happened.

There's been no chain in Command, the words shit shit shit rang in Veronica's head over and over, 07 and now 08 were sealed off, she wasn't even sure what the hell she was to do as well, even flanked by security she felt unease and knew from the screams from the bridge via comm that the spartan rouge wasn't the only danger. She looked out of the passing windows and could see the swarm of greyish needle like ships making a beeline towards them. Rail guns fired but their momentum seems slower as the ship battled to get past the gravitational pull that was slowing the effective velocity of the weapons, to describe it simply it was as if the ship was a person walking under deep water and was now trying to get out before the sharks caught up.

Her weapon was in her hands and wondered what options there were for her, some of the smaller ships docked did have slipstream, including the newer Pelican models, could it be guaranteed that the one reserved for ONI and related personnel be there still, she quietly hoped so, but she also hoped she wasn't too late with this crap to begin with.

'Come on keep up! They had ran through a new section, seventeen perhaps, she was getting anxious, her bearing had to be focused, amidst the running she heard, gunfire? Then she saw it, security personnel stepping back concentrating fire, so many sounds of automated fire she couldn't hear what thing it was they were shooting at. One of them saw her, his eyes were part of a face that saw an inevitable death.

'Get off this section, it's gone! Gone!'

'Move it all, hurry!' She noticed that all the hard glass windows were still exposed with no shutters, there was one or two but the rest were still uniformly exposed, with command cut off everything was in chaos and with this thing. They moved fast, shutting one door behind them and approaching other, there was a worry that this section could too become quarantined, she didn't like to think the flood was unleashed but whatever it was it was spreading fast. She had to get out before she was trapped in. Then came that sickening feel, only because her ears caught the sound before the heavier crashing noise that followed. It was a force that shook them off their feet, the doorway behind them was torn open and she could see up close one of many of those pincered boarding pods. And true to it's purpose the door of the incoming invader opened while the door at the back of Veronica was yet to open leaving them in a corridor with no hiding place, a one way line exposing each side to point blank kills. Something came out, her team fired, so did they.

The command bridge was shot up, Lincoln's world was of blur and grief, he could only manage a half crawl, he felt in pain, he could take such humiliation of being beaten, he been in many personal fights, as well as campaigns, he learnt how to get up and move on, but this was different, he knew this would be a conflict he was not going to walk from. For a moment he briefly thought about that happiness of knowing he was to be a grandfather, it was a rare personal moment one that told him his life was without meaning even as he faced this. Whatever came he will at least take that with him.

'Well well' Said the traitor, the voice was electronic no doubt hidden by the mask and some kind of exo design, he caught little of it, possibly customized for this situation. He knew that behind the mask was a smirking sadist who promptly kicked Lincoln over facing him. The captain accepted the ship' was lost but he will keep spirit of her defiance with his dying breath.

'You bastard. You have no idea who you just declared war on!'

'Actually "Sir" my employer know who he's dealing with. He knows the weak' The gun clocked and the nozzle shown the icy blue energy . 'Which is why, he has come for you...nothing personal'

The last shot was fired as a man who carried out injustice left without care, a hum of a melody that was only relevant to himself.

AN: Only thing I will mention at this stage is I've taken liberty with the pirate ship, there aren't many designs in the Metroid games, however there is one class (which will get revealed later on) that I've taken advantage of because it doesn't feature in the games but is stated in lore. Weapon wise an artificial gravity manipulator that affects space has occurred in Metroid, at least in the manga the pirates actually used gravitational weaponry (a black hole) to break through zeebes defence.

And one antagonist has been officially revealed, though if you have been seeing my artwork on deviantart (thebritwriter) then you probably know, again I delved deep into halo lore for this one.

I appreciate any feedback at this stage, while next chapter will feature Halo's more 'familiar' characters.