Chapter 3: It's Magic!

Pegasus

"I'm sorry, but we can't pursue this." Keyes sighed.

Admiral Robert Keyes, descendent of the legendary Admiral Miranda Keyes, was the commander-in-chief of all of Exile Fleet Earth's military forces both naval and ground. He had been in his position for well over twenty years and during that time, the Fleet had never had an encounter with the Covenant that it couldn't deal with. Keyes was considered a military genius, and almost everybody in the Fleet implicitly trusted his decisions.

However, despite popular belief, Keyes did NOT control the fleet as a whole. The Fleet was actually controlled by a democratic body dubbed the Senate, the entire system being derived from a millennia old document. Since it was data copied in a hard format, the Constitution was obviously free from electronic tampering, and therefore became the basis for the fleet's style of government. Each ship within the fleet had its own representative and convened into a body known as the Senate to decide upon Fleet affairs. Keyes was appointed as the "President" and was given full military and executive control over the Fleet, but could not override the Senate's decisions.

"We've run all of the keywords through our database, and frankly, we just don't have enough information to pursue it." He continued. "Words like Threshold, Thor, and angel just give us junk information, and the only match Spartan gives is some vague military reports and a single historical entry. Plus, we all know that the Spartans aren't around anymore. Even if they did survive that suicide mission, I severely doubt that they can even live for the two centuries that have passed."

However, Lynn was not deterred and said, "I understand sir, but-"

"But what?' A cold, calculating voice emanated from behind Lynn, "Run the search again? It will just give us the same results. Besides, many of your more recent 'visions' have begun to become less… reliable."

"Ackerson." Keyes narrowed his eyes, "What do you want?"

Vice-Admiral Stryker Ackerson could be considered the antithesis of Keyes. An efficient and somewhat brutal man, Ackerson had a less forgiving view on others, and tended to fight from a more political perspective. He was generally disliked by many, but his ability to successfully conduct special operations was too invaluable to waste. Also, he was the only man in the entire fleet who had specifically installed implants to counter Lynn's telepathy, a move that has made her rather nervous over the years.

"I'm merely here to inform you that our friends in Fleet Somm have run into some… trouble." Ackerson's eyes glinted, "Apparently, one of their mining operations has been found out by the Imperium, and they have just requested assistance."

"You wouldn't be telling Keyes this if there wasn't something in it for you." Lynn said harshly.

"Don't be silly," Ackerson shrugged, "Fleet Somm has been a close ally with us for decades. I'm sure they would greatly appreciate our help in assisting their evacuation. After all, their asteroid mines store enough raw titanium to build a small fleet of ships…"

"I'm sure they do." Keyes cut off Ackerson, "I'll inform the Senate and begin to mobilize the fleet." He then turned to Lynn and said, "Sorry, but we'll have to take care of this some other time."

Lynn sighed in disappointment as Keyes and Ackerson disappeared down the hall. Lynn could ultimately understand why Keyes would have to ignore her. He was an incredibly busy man, and had little time to waste on something as vague and unreliable as telepathic precognition. However, it was Ackerson that infuriated her. The man ultimately disliked her for no other reason than because she possessed something he did not. Sure, there were the occasional premonitions that turned out to be wrong, but that was only due to incorrect interpretation and human error.

"So, how did the meeting go?"

Lynn turned to see her friend Sanah appear behind her.

"Not too great. They don't have anything to work on." Lynn said dejectedly.

In all truth, Sanah would appear to be like any other girl Lynn's age. She was of average height, with a sleek build, short blue hair, and sporting a loose, black jumpsuit with the EFE emblem. However, appearances were incredibly deceiving, as Sanah was actually an android.

For centuries, artificial intelligence was a commonly used technology. They proved to be invaluable in just about any field of work from data analysis and manipulation to computer hacking. However, their one big advantage was that they were almost always forced into a static location, making field work almost impossible. They could transmit themselves across networks, but that was assuming there were already communication networks in place that weren't being jammed. They could also be transported via data crystal, but then they would be unable to act unless inserted into a terminal, and if the crystal was lost, it could potentially fall into enemy hands.

However, advanced robotics managed to solve that problem. With scavenged Forerunner Sentinel parts and good old fashioned human know-how, Exile scientists managed to build the first fully functional android. Sanah was a third generation android, possessing the intellect of an AI, as well as speed and strength that exceeded that of any human. When interfaced with an EXCALIBUR powered suit, she was a monster.

Now, many would think it would be incredibly odd for a human and android to be on best friend terms. Usually, androids were considered tools more than people, and nobody really bothered to seriously spend time with any of them. However, Lynn was an exception. As a girl growing up with the power of telepathy, it was a godsend to be able to talk to somebody without inadvertently reading their minds.

"I could've told you the same thing." Sanah clicked and hummed as she rolled her mechanical eyes. "You can't just expect the Admiral to chase down every little dream you get at night."

"Some help you are." Lynn grunted.

"Sorry, but your thinking can be somewhat rigid when you think in terms of predetermined algorithms and programs." Sanah shrugged, "Besides, we have other duties to perform."

"Oh yeah, combat training." Lynn sighed and began to follow Sanah down the hall. "It's not as if the trainers can teach me anything else, seeing as how I'm better than most of them."

"That's not the point." Sanah replied, "Studies have shown that soldiers that keep constant combat practice consistently perform with a 60 increase in performance over those that don't."

"Still, it's boring."

"Quit pouting Lynn, you'll give this fleet a bad image."

"Jill!" Lynn cried happily as she saw Jillian walking down the hall. "How's Kyle?"

"Oh, the usual." Jillian grinned, "He's been running around abandoned planets, getting shot up, all for the chance at a bit of loot."

Jillian then took out the data crystal and showed it to Lynn before continuing.

"I'm just dying to see what's on this crystal! From the looks of it, it's some sort of astronomical data, which would be consistent, since Kyle said he nabbed it from a remote observatory."

"Did he use the grenades?"

"Huh?" Jillian scratched her head, "Never thought to ask about that, but you can ask him yourself, since he's on his way here."

"He's coming back?" Lynn's eyes lit up like supernovas.

"That's right. Part of the deal is that he gets his ship completely overhauled. God knows he needs it. I can't believe he's been flying around space in that junk heap for so long."

Nietzsche
Slipspace: en route to Exile Fleet Earth's position

"I can't believe we've been flying around space in this junk heap for so long." Kyle muttered as he maneuvered his way around exposed access panels and wires.

"Hey, she may be old, but she's reliable." Kay, the ship's pilot, grunted.

Kay Carter, Kyle's twin sister, was just as adventurous as him, but was decidedly more violent and stubborn. She acted as the pilot and captain of their ship, Nietzsche. The ship was an incredibly old UNSC corvette, its service record dating back to pre-Exodus times. Unfortunately, two centuries of use have not been kind to the ship, and it was often a full time job just to keep the entire craft from falling apart. Kay and Kyle got their hands on the ship due to the fact that nobody else wanted it. However, for a pair of freelance scavengers, it was perfect.

"You really should stop arguing." A cool, calm mechanical voice flowed through the bridge, "There is a .03 chance that the sound waves you are producing can knock a data crystal out of alignment."

Hal was the Nietzsche's AI, and very much like the ailing ship, Hal was very old and somewhat imperfect. He would often get caught up in his current task, thought on random tangents, and sometimes acted in a very unnerving manner. However, without him, neither Kyle nor Kay would be able to run the ship.

"Shut up Hal, and make sure the reactor core isn't overheating. I've noticed it's been getting a little warmer." Kay grunted.

Pegasus

"Mmmm, what a pity." Jilian sighed as she sorted through the recovered data. "All this astronomical data, and there's still no mention of Earth's possible location. At least we'll be able to update a good deal of our maps."

"How much?" Sanah asked.

"Oh, about several systems we never knew were there, as well as the pre-Exodus designations of about half of our known area of space." Jillian pointed to her holographic star chart, "Like these planets we just designated DX-456, YL-938, and LR-534 were actually called Sigma Octanus, Tau Ceti, and Threshold."

"Wait." Lynn narrowed her eyes. "What was the name of that last planet?"

"Threshold." Jillian said, a bit confused. She tapped a few keys on the map and it zoomed into yet another seemingly innocuous star system. "According to what's in these records, Threshold is just a simple gas giant with a bunch of uninhabited moons. Other than that, there's really nothing to set it apart from any other system. I don't why you're so interested-"

Jillian turned around to see that Lynn had disappeared.

"I hate it when she does that." Jillian shook her head and went back to work.

Pegasus Primary Repair Bay

"Damn, when they said overhaul, they definitely weren't kidding!" Chief Engineer Cid Mann exclaimed as he checked over Nietzsche. "I think this the first time I had to pull out the whole deck crew on noncombat duty."

"Yeah, well she's built up quite a few light years." Kay said as she looked at the team of mechanics and technicians crawling all over her ship.

"Having a good look at it, it's a miracle that the ship is still in one piece."

"We get by."

"You used duct tape to seal the reactor core coolant lines. If that's 'getting by', I don't even want to know what you did to keep the rest of the ship falling apart."

"What, is that a problem?"

"Well, I'd rather work on a ship without having to worry about my chances of being irradiated depending on several layers of duct tape." Cid pointed out.

"Don't be such a baby, I've done it all the time." Kay smiled, "The trick is to make sure you reapply the tape every couple of days or so."

"Damn scavs…" Cid muttered. He turned back to the crew and yelled, "Hey! Status report!"

The repair crew popped their heads out of whatever hatch or panel they were working on and began to voice their opinions.

"It's a wreck!"

"Totally unsalvageable!"

"A nightmare!"

"So how long till we can fix it?" Cid grinned.

"Seven hours, I guess." One of the mechanics shrugged.

Pegasus War Room

"As you know, we have received a distress call from Exile Fleet Somm, requesting our aid." Keyes said, eyeing the rest of the military commanders and ship captains in the room with him. "Two days ago, one of their mining operations in the Sigma asteroid cluster was discovered by a Covenant scout party. Somm has already begun evacuating their facilities, but there's a lot of valuable equipment and titanium ore to remove."

Keyes pointed to the holographic map, showing a large field of asteroids and dots of varying colors sprinkled within.

"So far, Somm only has twenty combat ready ships to defend the cluster, but since we can expect the Imperium to be coming soon, that won't nearly be enough. This is why I am proposing a Swordwind."

The other captains gasped and began mumbling to each other. Condition Swordwind was only used in the gravest of circumstances, and meant that Exile Fleet Earth would devote all available resources to a certain operation.

"Sir, you realize that if we do this, we send every fighting ship we have over there and leave our own fleet vulnerable." One of the captains spoke.

Keyes faced the man and nodded. "I am aware of the risks. However, Somm is a close ally of ours, and there were multiple occasions where they risked themselves to give us aid. We cannot afford to have them destroyed at the hands of the Imperium, especially if there is something we can do about it."

In the background, Ackerson shook his head in disgust, but like the shadows, he remained unseen.

Admiral? I need to speak to you.

Keyes did not flinch when he heard the voice in his head. He didn't bother saying anything to it either, as he knew the speaker wasn't in this room.

"The exact details of the operation are being transmitted to your AIs as of this moment. Get your ships prepped and ready for deployment in seven hours."

The holograms of the ship captains all saluted and flickered out.

"Ackerson, I want you to go to the security station and scramble all of the ship control codes."

"May I ask why, sir?"

"Just do it."

Ackerson nodded and exited the room.

"May I ask why you had to contact me so suddenly during an important meeting?" Keyes said to the empty air.

Oh, you have too little faith in your officers, Admiral. They all know what you're doing and trust your decision.

"You're not answering the question." Keyes sighed. It was always so awkward when trying to telepathically communicate with Lynn. He found that he always had to vocalize what he wanted to say in order to get his thoughts right, or else Lynn might misinterpret him.

I've hit a breakthrough sir, I think I may have the first clue to the riddle.

"Don't be silly-"

Threshold. We thought it was some sort of literal doorway, but it isn't! It's a planet, Admiral, and we know where it is!

"I'm sorry, Lynn, but we're going to have to put those plans on hold. We're moving to assist Somm, and we can't afford to spare any ships, not even a Slipspace-capable fighter."

But sir, this could lead us to-

"Look, Lynn." Keyes said sternly, trying to transmit as much authority as he could to her, "As the Admiral of this fleet, I deal in only what I know, and I know that Somm needs our assistance. I know you feel that this riddle of yours will lead us to Earth, but I don't know that. Plus, we need you and your skills for the coming battle. I'm sorry, but we'll deal with this after this is all done with."

But sir, The voice pleaded You know these things only have a very narrow window of time to-

"No, Lynn. We will pursue this later."

There were a few seconds of silence before Keyes spoke again.

"Oh, and don't even think about trying to steal one of our ships. I've had Ackerson scramble their control codes, and he's the one man who's mind you can't read."

Observation Deck

"I'm not intruding, am I?" Kyle asked as he walked into the room. "You look like you're ready to mind-melt the first person you see."

"I'm just in a bad mood." Lynn sighed and hugged Kyle. "So how did things go?"

"I hate to say it, but you were right… again."

"See, I told you sticking people has its uses."

"So, can I tell you what I did while I was away, or did you already snag it all from my head?"

"Sorry." Lynn said sheepishly.

Kyle sighed. "See, this is why talking with you is always so awkward, because you already know what I'm going to say."

"I didn't mean it, honest."

"I know."

"Wait, you're still piloting that old junker, right?"

"You mean Nietzsche? Yeah. I'm having her overhauled right now." Kyle motioned toward the docking bay. "I've always flew with her, you know that."

"Sorry, I was just asking."

In an instant, Lynn probed the minds milling about in the docking bay, feeling for Cid's. She then found it, as it was thinking about smacking dancing bananas with wrenches. Lynn found that it was easy to identify people through their secret thoughts, which made the experience much more amusing.

"They're going to be finished in a few hours, right/"

"Yeah, those guys down there work damn fast. Last I checked, they were already installing a brand new Slipspace drive…"

"Kyle," Lynn cut him off and pleaded, "I need to ask a very, very big favor of you…"

Pegasus's Bridge

"Sir, the fleet is ready to jump." One of the bridge technicians announced.

Keyes didn't answer. Doubt was beginning to creep into his mind about whether he should've taken Lynn more seriously. Maybe he had been a little too harsh on the girl-

"Sir?" The technician asked.

Keyes snapped out of his momentary lapse. "Good. Inform all ships to prepare for-"

"Sir!" Another technician yelled, "Sensors indicate a ship leaving the docking bay!"

"What?"

"It appears to be the Nietzsche! It's moving on an unknown outbound trajectory."

"Oh, then I see nothing wrong with that." Keyes grumbled, "Mr. Carter probably wanted to jump ship before the fighting started."

Suddenly, it hit him. The ugly thought that he was missing something rather important.

"Euryale, please scan the ship and inform me of Lynn Wellings' position."

"I'm sorry, sir." The AI chimed, "Lynn Wellings' beacon and life signs do not appear to be on the Pegasus. However, I am reading a beacon matching hers emanating from the Nietzsche."

"I knew it." Keyes shook his head. Whenever he thought he was a step ahead of the girl, she always found a way. Some military genius he was if a twenty year old girl could keep outsmarting him. "Get Ackerson on the line."

Nietzsche

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kay glanced at the two new passengers. "I mean, going to an uncharted system with these two weirdos."

"We can trust them" Kyle said confidently. "Besides, I thought you wanted to test out the new systems."

"You're right about one thing." Kay smirked as she input the new destination coordinates into the navigation console.

In a flash, the corvette disappeared to destinations unknown.