Before I begin this chapter I would just like to say thank you so much! Especially the reviewers who keep reviewing. Thank you all so much. I hope I can keep bringing you the best chapters that my mind can conjure up.
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1500 Hours, August 27, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Epsilon Eridani System, Reach UNSC Military Complex,
planet Reach
The speech was concluded and with some final words, the Spartans went back to their room … all except Daniel of course, who was still debating what 'pulled some strings' meant. He approached Dr. Halsey and she smiled, "Follow me."
Daniel's head was still swarming with questions, he had so much he wanted to ask. But he put them away until whatever she had to show him was over. They rounded a corner and walked into the elevator, it started to descend.
"This isn't John!" A voice came from the speakers in the walls. It was a girls voice, older by a bit. Why would she want John? Did Dr. Halsey mix up and grab the wrong Spartan?
"Cortana, we are working withDéjà today. You will be introduced in two days. Remember, you have an obstacle course to beat."
"Of course. Of course. It must have slipped my mind." Cortana sounded inherently sarcastic.
Cortana? John? What was going on here? "Ma'am, permission to speak?"
"Denied."
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Déjà sat impatiently waiting for Daniel to arrive. All the data she had stored over the years was instantly compressed and used, it took about one percent of her processing power to store it. She smirked as she heard the doors cringe open. "Show time."
Déjà flickered down and hid within the table, waiting for her cue to "awaken" and surprise Daniel. She almost let out a giggle as she heard Dr. Halsey begin explaining the situation.
"First we are going to have to get you out of those old clothes."
Daniel undressed, then put his clothes on a nearby chair. Dr. Halsey stood behind him and began to swab his neck with some foul-smelling liquid. Daniel was tempted to make some sort of disgusted noise, but he squelched it. The liquid was cold, ice cold to be precise.
Dr. Halsey begun to speak, "This will just take a moment, Daniel. I am going to upgrade a few components in your standard-issue neural interface. Lie back and remain still, please."
Daniel laid down on the table, not the most comfortable thing in the world but a hell of a lot better then the freezer. Halsey sprayed a topical anesthetic on his neck, his skin tingled for a moment... then went cold and numb. Daniel could feel his skin being incised, then he could hear clicking sounds that resounded in his skull. A pulse of laser and some sparks flew out. He couldn't feel it, but it was scary as hell.
"Good . . . the procedure is complete," Dr. Halsey said. "Now look to your left."
Daniel did as he was told and he saw an empty suit of MJOLNIR armor, suspended between two pillars on a raised platform. Daniel knew it wasn't his suit. Daniel's, after a decade of use, had scratches and dents in the alloy plates. The once iridescent green finish it had had been worn down to a olive brown.
This suit was spotless and its surface possessed a subtle metallic sheen. He noted the armor plates were slightly thicker, and the black underlays had a more convoluted weave of components. The fusion
pack was half again as large, and tiny luminous slits glowed near the articulation points.
"This is the real MJOLNIR," Dr. Halsey whispered to him. "What you have been using was only a fraction of what the armor should be. This—" She turned to the Daniel. "—is everything I had always dreamed it could be. Please put the suit on."
Daniel stared in awe as he watched three technicians enter the room. He instantly recognized them, they were the same technicians who had helped him put on the suit the first time. When he was forced to go last.
"My name is Daniel. Spartan number zero four seven. Rank Senior Chief Petty Officer. Who are you?"
"I know damn well who you are. You are the one who broke our computer. But thanks for the courtesy this time. My name's George. I don't have a number or rank to speak of, Master Chief."
Daniel cocked his head in confusion, "You must have misheard me, I am a Senior Chief Petty Officer."
Dr. Halsey stepped in, "No, George is right. I had forgotten that I was supposed to tell you of your promotion. It seems that the new armor outweighed promotion."
"So you mean..." Daniel thought it over for a second, " I am the same rank as..."
Dr. Halsey let her eyes roll, "Yes, Daniel. You are the same rank as John one one seven, Master Chief Petty Officer."
Daniel felt like he was about to scream but was interrupted when his helmet was placed on him. Although the armor's components were bulkier and heavier than his old suit, once assembled and activated, they felt light as air. The armor was a perfect fit. The bio layer warmed and adhered to his skin, then cooled as the temperature difference between the suit and his skin equalized.
"We've made hundreds of minor technical improvements," she said. "I'll have the specifications sent to you later. Two of those changes, however, are rather serious modifications to the system. It may take . . . some getting used to."
"First," she told him, "we have replicated, and I might add, improved upon the energy shield the Covenant Jackals have been using against us to great effect."
Dr. Halsey nodded to the technicians. "Let's begin."
His armor now had shields? This would be a great improvement. To his knowledge shield technology was impossible to understand, even ONI couldn't copy it. Seems he was wrong. The techs turned to a series of instrument panels. George, the oldest man, donned a COM headset.
"Okay, Master Chief." George's voice crackled through Daniel's helmet speakers, damn did it feel good to be called that."There's an activation icon in your heads-up display. There is also a manual control switch located at position twelve in your helmet."
He chinned the control. Nothing happened.
"Wait a moment, please, sir. We have to give the suit an activation charge. After that, it can accept regenerative power from the fusion pack. Stand on the platform and be absolutely still."
He stepped onto the platform that had held the MJOLNIR armor. The pillars flickered on and glowed a brilliant yellow. The pillars started to spin slowly around the base of the platform. Daniel felt a static charge tingling in his extremities. The glow intensified and his helmet's blast shield automatically dimmed. The charge in the air intensified; his skin crawled with ionization. He smelled ozone. Then the spinning slowed and the light dimmed.
"Reset the activation button now, Master Chief."
The air around Daniel popped—as if it jumped away from the MJOLNIR armor. There was none of the shimmer that normal Covenant shields had. Was it working? He ran his hand over his arm and encountered resistance a centimeter from the surface of the armor. It
was working.
"It provides full coverage—" Dr. Halsey's voice piped through the speakers."—and dissipates energy far more efficiently than the Covenant shields the Spartans have recovered, though the shield is
concentrated on your arms, head, legs, chest, and back. The energy field tapers down to a hair under a millimeter so you don't lose the ability to hold or manipulate items with your hands."
The lead technician activated another control, and new data scrawled across John's display."There's a segmented bar in the upper corner of your HUD,"the technician said,"right next to your biomonitor and
ammunition indicators. It indicates the charge level of your shield. Don't let it completely dissipate; when it's gone, the armor starts taking the hits."
Daniel slipped off the platform. He skidded—then came to a halt. His movements felt oiled. His contact with the floor felt tentative.
"You can adjust the bottom of your boot emitters as well as the emitters inside your gloves to increase traction. In normal use, you will want to set these to the minimal level—just be aware your defenses will be diminished in those locations."
"Understood." He adjusted the field strengths. "How much damage can they take before the system is breached?"
"I would love for you to go and see for yourself, but this never happened. In layman's terms, I pulled some strings for you. John was the only one supposed to get a smart AI and to be tested. You will have to wait a couple of days before you can fully test the suit out."
"Smart AI? Doctor, all I have is the suit."
Dr. Halsey mentally sighed, she had ruined the surprise and could see Déjà flickering to life behind her. "I thought we agreed that I was going to give him the news?"
Daniel spun around to see his former teacher, Déjà, sitting along side a electronic table. She smiled, "Ready for us to be partners?"
If Daniel hadn't been confused before, he was now. First new armor, then new promotion and now partners with his old teacher and personal trainer? "I think I am missing something..."
Dr. Halsey smiled and began to explain, "There is a new layer sandwiched between the reactive circuits and the inner biolayers of your armor," Dr. Halsey explained. "It is a weave of additional memory-processor super-conductor."
"The same material as an AI's core."
"Yes," Dr. Halsey replied. "An accurate analysis. Your armor will carry Déjà. The MJOLNIR system has the nearly the same capacity as a ship-borne AI system. Déjà will interface between you and the suit and provide tactical and strategic information for you in the field."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"Déjà has been upgraded, something we once thought was impossible. When you first knew her she was a dumb AI. I could go through all the schematics and explain how we made her into a smart AI, but that would take to long. What you need to know is that this process only works half the time so you are lucky this even happened." Dr. Halsey smiled at the irony, "Now then, Déjà was upgraded to include Covenant-Human translation software, the best we have. Along with her knack of learning, her processor is slightly bigger then most other AI's. I assume her life will run around the course of ten years instead of seven."
"This AI is the computer specialist we'll be taking onto the Covenant ship." Daniel stated.
"No. Cortana, the AI you heard in the elevator is. She will be going to John as stated before."
"Can we try it now, Ma'am?"
"Kneel down and I will put her memory core into you."
Daniel knelt. There was a hissing noise, a pop, and then cold liquid poured into Daniel's mind; a spike of pain jammed into his forehead, then faded.
"The first lesson today will be artificial intelligence and you." Déjà commented.
It was weird to be honest. Daniel felt like he could hear her inside his head and coming out from his speakers. This would take some time getting used to.
0519 Hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar) /
Covenant Unbreakable Bond , Epsilon Eridani System's edge
Agida paced back and forth. He was never one to get nervous before a campaign. Over the last twenty years he had proven time and time again that he and his bond brother were capable, very capable. Thirty or so planets doomed to hell thanks to the existence of Agida and Igadi. The Mgalekgolo hero's were a true sight to behold.
They not only commanded ships, they went ground side and battled with the rest of the foot soldiers. However, no Kig-yar dared to board their ship. In all the battles they had control over, none of those disgusting creatures had been present. The Mgalekgolo's lives were as good as gold.
The bond brothers had received orders recently. They, along with another mass fleet were going to hit what was believed to be the human home world. This would be a glorious day for them. To finally eradicate the human scum off the face of this galaxy.
Igadi walked through his ship. He watched as the Covenant creatures scurried back and forth. The humans had such peculiar names for them. Grunts, Jackals and Hunters. Letting out a huff, he continued his stroll through the Unbreakable Bond.
Igadi finally walked into the pilot chamber, located in the middle of the ship. He was pleased to be near his bond brother again, for whatever reason when the two were together they felt stronger and vice versa when they were apart. "Brother! Are you ready for another glorious battle?"
Agida let out a chuckle, "Of course. But look here brother, it is like they don't even know we are coming."
Igadi laughed, "Let us send them a cleansing beam for their stupidity."
"Pulse laser one, fire towards the planet when ready. Near the poles."
The Unbreakable Bond fired off a laser, it spiraled around it self as it came closer and closer. Surely the humans would have to know now. Agida stared at the screen before him, hundreds of Covenant ships were slipping through.
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Daniel stopped what he was doing and looked around, something was wrong.
Daniel felt it in his stomach first: a slight lateral acceleration—that became a spin strong enough that he had to brace his legs. The Pillar of Autumn was turning.
Every other Spartan their felt it as well; they paused as they unloaded equipment from crates and readied the cryo tubes for their journey
The lateral motion slowed and stopped. The Pillar of Autumn 's engines rumbled like thunder through the hull of the ship.
Daniel watched as Kelly approached John. "Sir? I thought we were accelerating to enter Slipspace?"
"So did I. Have Fred and Joshua continue to prep the tubes. Have Linda get a team and secure our gear. I'll find out what's going on."
"Aye, sir."
John marched toward the intercom panel. He hated being on spaceships. The lack of control was disturbing. He and the other Spartans were just extra cargo in a space battle. He hesitated as he reached for the intercom. If Captain Keyes was involved in some tricky maneuver or engaging an enemy, the last thing he needed was an interruption.
John pressed the button. "Cortana? We've changed course. Is there a problem?"
Instead of her voice, however, Captain Keyes spoke over the channel: "Captain Keyes to Spartan 117."
He replied, "Here, sir."
"There's been a change in plans," Keyes said. There was a long pause.
"This will be easier to explain face-to-face. I'm on my way down to brief you. Keyes out."
John turned and the other Spartans snapped to their tasks. Those without specific orders checked and rechecked their weapons and assembled their combat gear.
They had all heard the Captain, however. The sound receivers in their armor could pick up a whisper at a hundred meters. And the Spartans didn't have to be told this was trouble. John clicked on the monitor near the intercom. The fore camera showed the Pillar of Autumn had indeed turned about. Reach's sun blazed in the center of the screen. They were heading back.
Was something wrong with the ship? No. Captain Keyes wouldn't be coming to brief him if that was the case. There was definitely a snag.
The elevator doors opened and Captain Keyes stepped off the lift.
"Captain on the deck!" the Master Chief shouted.
The Spartans stood at attention.
"At ease," Captain Keyes said. The expression on the Captain's face suggested that "ease" was the last thing on his mind. He smoothed his thumb over the antique pipe the Master Chief had seen him carry.
"There is something very wrong," Keyes said. He glanced at the other Spartans. "Let's talk in private," he told the Master Chief in a low voice. He walked to the monitor over the intercom.
"Sir," the Master Chief said. "Unless you wish to leave the deck, the Spartans will hear everything we say."
Keyes looked at the Spartans and frowned. "I see. Very well, your squad might as well hear this now, too. I don't know how they found Reach—they bypassed a dozen Inner Colony worlds to get here. It
doesn't matter. They are here. And we have to do something."
"Sir? 'They'?"
"The Covenant." He turned to the intercom. "Cortana, display the last priority Alpha transmission."
A communiqué flickered on screen, the Master Chief read it and Daniel did not. While the conversation was important, his mind was on other matters. He was already starting to load up, for anything. Rechecking his MA5B and pistol, moving to his sniper.
"...then Dr. Halsey's prediction of humanity having only months to survive will shrink to weeks."
Weeks left. That is all that humanity could have. His mind swirled, there had to be some way to save them... us.
Captain Keyes sighed, breaking Daniel out of his trance, "If there is a disabled Covenant ship and if we are close enough to it and if we're not blown to a million bits by the time we get there, then I'll transfer Cortana to you. I've flown ships without an AI before." Captain Keyes managed a weak smile, but it quickly disappeared.
"Yes, sir!" John replied.
"We'll be at rally point Zulu in twenty minutes, Master Chief. Have your team ready by then . . . for anything."
"Sir." He saluted.
Captain Keyes returned the salute and entered the elevator, puffing on
his pipe and shaking his head.
The Master Chief turned to his teammates. They halted what they were doing."You all heard. This is it. Fred and James, I want to you to refit one of our Pelicans. Get every scrap of C-12 and shape a charge on her nose. If Captain Keyes downs a Covenant shield, we may have to blast our way into the ship's hull."
Fred and James replied, "Aye, sir."
"Linda, assemble a team and get into every crate ONI packed for us—distribute that gear ASAP. Make sure everyone gets a thruster pack, plenty of ammo, grenades, and Jackhammer launchers if we have
them. If we do get on board, we may encounter those armored Covenant types again—this time I want the firepower to take them out."
"Yes, sir!"
This was it. If Reach falls, humanity as we know it would be gone in under a month.
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END TRANSMISSION
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I have a couple of ways I can take this story as of now. One way is beating the other but for now you will just have to see what happens.
Personally I hated writing this chapter, I had somehow forgetton that Reach had to fall at some point and would require more copy paste moments. Hopefully it was bearable. If anything it was a set up chapter. Hope to see the reviews. =]