0733 hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Captured Covenant prowler Golden Sun, Epsilon Eridani system, en orbit around planet Reach
Jason looked at what was left of Reach through the Golden Sun's cockpit windows. He looked through his HUD, filing through the symbols. He pressed a symbol that was like a paperback-book with squiggly lines coming out of the spine and the Sun's headlights turned on. He pressed the same symbol and they turned off. He pressed a 26th century pen-like symbol and lances of silver, shimmering plasma jetted from the turrets without heating up--Jason had doodled with the Sun's weapons a little bit and he had come up with silver-purple plasma that came up immediately instead of having to heat up.
He piloted the Sun with its surprisingly simple controls--a NAV computer for a GPS and joysticks. He pulled the joysticks and the prowler reversed smoothly. He pushed them forward and the prowler burst forward at top speed--425 km/h. He pulled the sticks back a little and both sides minimized some speed. One joystick meant one side--pulling both meant good balance and good leverage. He grinned: piloting the ship was actually very easy and simple. Covenant text scrolled across the Sun's data pad and he turned off his translation matrix. He had memorized the Covenant words on their five years ago, literally.
"I'll tell you why I'm here." He fired off the rippling plasma turrets, and the powerful silver lasers sliced blue shimmering shields in half and cut through hulls. Plasma heated up on destroyers', carriers', and cruisers' turrets. Jason reversed the prowler full speed and turned on his shields by pressing an up arrow-like button and he put the energy to maximum. Plasma lasers hit the flaring white shields.
Jason quickly danced his bulky gloved hand across the controls and a Slipspace web appeared, neatly laid up on the window as a holographic display. He tapped the nearest Slipspace entry and he placed his back against the cold, blue metal of the Covenant prowler. It raced ahead, entering the web of entries. A whooshing sound indicated the prowler accelerating swiftly into Slipspace. Jason searched the prowler for any Covenant survivors, and he found only five Covenant Engineers, who followed him endlessly. They occasionally stopped to fix a broken or burnt wire or two, but kept on following him anyway.
Jason found a purple metal door, which had a complicated series of number pads and symbols and a green button on the control panel. A small blue-background screen showed an asterisk-like symbol. Jason pressed a bird symbol, then a key-chain symbol, then an "H" symbol. He pressed a small button that read like a F and an E back to back. The green button flashed and Jason punched it.
The sealed metal door hissed open, and an amazing sight showed up--the storage bay. It was filled with dozens of human MA5B assault rifles, M7 SMGs, new rifles whose boxes were labeled "BR55 Battle Rifles" in a scrawly ball-point pen mess, M6D sidearms, HE pistols, rocket launchers, missile launchers, plasma pistols, plasma rifles, fuel rod guns, M41 LAAG chainguns, and SRC992C sniper rifles, and a new type of sidearm labeled "M6G Pistol". Boxes were absolutely rich in ammunition, and small cR human currency coins and paper money littered a large orange-yellow crate.
Jason grabbed a "battle rifle", a pair of SMGs, a new M6G handgun, four clips for the battle rifle, six clips for the submachine guns, and six clips for the M6G sidearm, plus five clips for his MA5B. He ejected his three-fourths spent assault rifle clip and inserted a fresh clip, then fitted one clip into each M7. He clipped the two M7s to his belt, grabbed two spike grenades, stuck them to his belt away from the M7s, slung his MA5B over his shoulder, and wielded the battle rifle. He zoomed in, and he muttered, "Auto zoom."
The Engineers chirped away as they fixed cracked and broken Covenant weapons and human weapons, and fixed the boxes holding them. He fired the battle rifle at the metal wall, and a three-round burst caught the purple wall. The .374-caliber rounds made small dents in the wall. Jason quickly walked out of the room, weapons covering his body. The Slipspace passing was still going on. Jason fired a quick burst under the co-pilot's seat, and a dead Jackal shuddered, and its shield generator on its forearm slid out. Jason saw it flashing a glowing red, and he tossed it at the Engineers, and they got to work almost immediately. Chirping and squealing pierced Jason's helmet.
The orange flashing stopped and the Engineers placed it on the window of the passenger bay delicately like it was some emperor. Jason sighed--Engineers were very useful.
Suddenly, the Sun's COM raised up: "Incoming Covenant prowler--identify--prowl--attack--help--" Jason stopped, his gloved hand still in midair above one Covenant symbol. He looked on the NAV computer. It read: Two hours until destination.
This fast? Something wasn't right. He suddenly sprinted across the Sun, and quickly typed in his 'High Guardian' access. He tramped into the storage bay, aiming his BR55 at corners. Someone was calling the UNSC or the Covenant to the prowler. He heard a slight squeal and attempted tip-toeing. He whirled around and saw four Grunts, their COMs on and static pouring through. Jason fired the battle rifle's three-round burst of .374-caliber ammunition and the bullets lodged themselves comfortably inside the thick skulls of the Covenant Grunt troopers.
"This is the Unyielding Hierophant. State your business." The rough translator in his HUD alarmed him immediately.
"This is the Golden Sun. We are here to attack Earth." Jason answered, rubbing his hands anxiously, a habit for when he was nervous or embarrassed.
No answer came back, and the clock ticked down: 25 minutes left until out of Slipspace. Jason prepared his weapons, checked his armor, and was ready to put his prowler to a lockdown position. Then, he saw it--the giant figure-eight piece of architecture. Hundreds of Covenant vessels were parked like electric cars near the Hierophant, and for a minute, Jason-113 was mesmerized and amazed by the Covenant's technology. Plasma beams cut along the space, searching for unwanted or uninvited vessels. Well, here was an attack for you. Jason opened fire with all four turrets.