Halo New galaxy Ch6 Shipping out
28th June 2554
Shanxi colony, edge of UNSC space
Echo base
Crimson lead was dressed in her full armor when she walked through the door into Vice Admiral Petra Hammond's officer. Mira locked eyes on the Vice Admiral and stood to attention, throwing up her arm in a firm salute.
"Spartan Mira-305 reporting, sir!"
The late fifties Admiral continued writing on her computer.
"At ease Petty Officer," she said, barely paying her any attention.
Wearing her dark red and black patterned armor, she locked her hands together behind her back and remained quiet until addressed.
The Admiral's office wasn't containing much more then things needed for comfort and containing to her work as a Vice Admiral. There weren't more than a few pictures on her desk that could be put under the personal effects category. Since this wasn't a permanent posting Mira assumed she didn't have much with her. Just pictures that might contain her family. So she mused anyway. Personally she didn't have a picture of anybody, not that she had anyone to take a picture of. Her family was long dead. she didn't even remembered their faces anymore.
Fifteen seconds went by in silence until Hammond looked up. She gestured to the chair on the other side of the desk, in front of Mira.
"I would offer you a seat Mira, but I've never had a Spartan actually sit down when I've offered in the past so, let's skip that." She cracked a faint smile. It quickly faded away. "Spartan Mira, we've had word that the colony of Rio is under assault."
Mira tensed up slightly. Rio. She knew that a splinter faction involved in the Sangheili Civil War had been active in that region of space. A Covenant Remnant group commanded by an alien named Jul Mdama.
"Storm troops ma'am?" Mira asked.
Hammond nodded.
"Correct. HIGHCOM has suspected an assault against Rio for months now, which is why we have a Division of Marines dirtside already. Twenty thousand marines with air and ground support equipment and vehicles. Three Autumn class Heavy Cruisers and a Poseidon class Light Carrier in orbit should be enough to dispense any normal sized flotilla we've seen from the Storm so far."
The suspicion had arisen from a lot of ex-Covie activity in the region for some time. Such as scouting parties in it and nearby systems.
That made perfect sense to Mira. The different factions was putting most of their forces into battling each other in and around Sangheili space. The Storm had a decent presence on Sanghelios itself even. If they attack with a force that four starships and a whole Division couldn't handle, it meant they needed something. An artifact from the Forerunners perhaps?
"I'm ready to deploy my team immediately, ma'am," Mira said firmly.
"Excellent. Prepare your men to board the Reunification within the hour," Hammond ordered.
Mira nodded. "Yes, sir."
She knew Reunification was Hammond's own flagship. A Punic class Super Carrier. Which meant she was coming along to Rio. For command to send their space command presence from the Mass Relay to Citadel space elsewhere meant this was definitely serious and worrying some top wigs.
Personally, Mira was just happy Rear Admiral Bauer was staying behind and Hammond was leaving with the fleet for Rio. Or how many ships she brought. She could very well leave Shanxi defenseless. They never knew if their new found 'friendly' aliens was actually friendly. Much as well attack when they turn their back.
Anyways, Admiral Rock Bauer had been a paper pusher during the war. He had led two fleet engagements against the Covenant, sorta. The first time, back in 2530 he commanded a fleet with fourteen ships against a Covenant fleet of thirty-eight. He withdrew from the system without firing a shot. It had left the six thousand colonists and two Battalions of marines to fight until they were all dead. And so they did. No one survived. He was reprimanded by High Command but since they had no experienced officers nearby to assume command of his small fleet it was decided he would maintain command but avoid similar actions in the future.
Seven months later he launched a rescue operation against the colony world of Castile. He successfully evacuated forty thousand civvies to an uninhabited planet. From it they would travel to a colony, but first ensure they weren't followed. He skirmished with the Covenant in the meantime, although he commanded the evac himself and had a Captain lead the skirmish. At the time he commanded almost forty ships after the defending fleets CO died and was absorbed into his own command. When the Covenant fleet arrived in force, he left his skirmishing fleet to fight on their own, with the loss of all ships and crew. It didn't take the ONI officer on board send word back to Earth and then relieve him of command and grant it to someone more capable.
He claimed he felt the evacuation more important than engaging the Covenant or even give orders to his skirmish fleet. But his crew was just happy to see him relieved. He was later demoted and placed indefinite desk duty.
Hammond looked down at her desk and picked up one of the pictures. Then she looked at Mira.
"You know, I have five children. No matter how old they are, they'll be my little boys and girls," she looked down at the picture. "All five joined up and fought in the war."
"Most be proud ma'am," Mira said.
Hammond smiled faintly.
"Quite. Two boys, three girls." She took a deep breath, and breathed out gently. "All gave their lives for humanity. As did two of my grandkids. Eighteen and eighteen respectively. Twins."
Mira wasn't sure how it came to her being the precipitant of this emotional conversation. She suspected that the twins may have died on Rio though. Did they ever fight there in the war? She didn't have every single engagement in her head, but maybe. Either way, she was pretty sure she was about to find out.
"My last granddaughter's an ODST. Made me proud as hell, as would it have made her mother, had she survived long enough." Mira heard a hint of emotion in her voice, starting to break through. "She's made a Company CO she said on her chip from two weeks ago. She's waiting for a promotion for Captain to get pushed through. Paper works slow sometimes, you know."
"I wouldn't know ma'am. Never got a promotion. Spartan and all."
Hammond chuckled lightly, almost forced.
"Right. Either way, to end this rant of sorry Petty Officer," she said, straightening her back. "Her Company is deployed on Rio. 29th Sky Hopper Battalion. Serves under a veteran officer." She looked silently at Mira. "Dismissed. Get your people ready."
Mira saluted.
"Yes ma'am."
She departed and left the sixty-seven year old Vice Admiral to look at the picture with her only living grandchild. She was surprisingly young for a woman with a grandchild in her early twenties, but she got pregnant with her mother early. As did her mother, resulting in a little girl named Daniella. Her oldest daughter was the only one with children. The other didn't have any before they died. Maybe for the best since losing a parent was devastating for a child. With her last remaining grandchild on a planet under attack, Hammond was relieved that she was the one asked to reinforce the planets fleet and garrison.
28th June 2554
Inner Citadel space, Citadel, Presidium
Human Embassy
"What the hell were you thinking?!" Shepard roared in anger.
Major York Hathaway looked down at his boots. He had just been released from lockup. Top wigs had agreed to avoid a diplomatic incident by not pressing charges as long as he left the Citadel that very same day. With the Lt. Colonel Shouting at him for five minutes Hathaway knew he'd messed up. He looked out right miserable and ashamed.
"I have no excuse, sir," he said shamefully. "I'm a disgrace for the Corps."
"Damn right you are!" Shepard completely agreed. "You came this close to start a diplomatic incident that could rock our relations with her new alien pals severely." Shepard paced up and down in front of him. "Not to get started on showing that humans are xenophobic maniacs with no self-control!"
Hathaway stood and silently took it.
"You are an ODST Captain, York!" Shepard turned completely to him and stopped pacing. "That was a dumb rookie mistake. A mistake a rookie would do, a marine rookie, not an ODST, letting his emotions control his every action!"
"Yes, sir," Hathaway murmured.
"Do you have any idea how lucky you are you're not on trial? That you're not going to prison?" He sighed deeply and rubbed his forehead. "Don't think you're not getting any repercussions from this. When we're here, re represent the UNSC. Get your gear ready for departure in two hours from Dock 44."
"Yes, sir!"
"We're all leaving. Not just you and Örjan." That caused Hathaway to frown his auburn thick eyebrows. "Rio is under attack so we're hauling ass back there."
"What? W-who's attacking?" Hathaway asked.
"Brigadier General Hessen told me it's a faction from the Covie Separatist Civil War. Didn't give me a full name of the guy in charge," Shepard explained shortly. "I don't like my Battalion fighting without us." He wanted be back there right now in fact. Not here.
Hathaway nodded understandingly. "Sir. I am certain that Keegan and Wu knows what they're doing. Even Cornfield has a good head on her shoulders. Keegan's gonna keep 'em alive for us."
Shepard smiled slightly and put a hand on his XOs shoulder.
"Let's get ready."
"Gladly, sir." He knew Shepard wouldn't be keen on forgetting this huge fuckup. Although the brass wanted it gone Shepard wouldn't forget. It would be a thorn in their friendship for a long time. If it didn't all-out kill it.
Udina was in a meeting with the Citadel Council and Brigadier General Hessen used his office temporarily. He sat behind his desk and faced a screen with Vice Admiral Hammond and the Commanding officer of the Rio Marine Division on it.
The aging Admiral looked determined and steadfast and Lt. General Horus looked composed, calm and like she'd already been in battle. Her uniform was dirty and she had an assault rifle lying on the desk she was standing behinds right side. It was one of the traits that had made Horus so popular and famous with her troops and the UNSC in general. Her willingness to get stuck in it and even fight with her men. Her HQ was always close to the front, never far away at a safe distance.
The chocolate skin general leaned forward and clenched her fists slightly.
"Ronald," she said.
"How's it looking there, Daniella?" Hammond asked first. The general shared a name with her granddaughter. "What can you tell us?"
Horus cleared her throat as explosions could be heard in the back ground.
"There's been a development since my first message to HIGHCOM," she explained.
"How so?" Hessen asked in a gathered voice.
"More ex-Covie ships arrived an hour ago," Horus told them. "But they are attacking the other ex-Covie ships."
It caused Hessen and Hammond to raise their eyebrows in surprise.
"Another faction," Hessen realized.
Horus nodded. "Right. They landed troops dirtside, but we've only had skirmishes with 'em yet. Can't say who they are. Aerial Squadrons say they been fighting the Storm troops from Mdama's ships." It was confirmed then, Hessen thought. Mdama's faction. "The Storm's been pushing hard against our lines around the capital. We're holding though."
"What of the ODST Battalion?" Hammond asked stone-faced. "29th Sky Hoppers?"
Horus smiled. "ODSTs halted the sixth wave and Captain Keegan, acting CO in Colonel Shepard's absence, led a swift counterattack and destroyed a column of heavy vehicles with minimal casualties. It gave us a few hours to breathe, but we expect a seventh wave in the next few hours."
"Who holds air superiority?" Hessen asked.
"Neither side. We're all fighting to maintain a statement right now. I'd love some aerial superiority but we lack the numbers so a statement will have to do. Long as they don't have it."
Hessen nodded in agreement. He wondered by Mdama would attack now. Wasn't he and everybody else busy fighting for control of the Sangheili homeworld or the rest of former Covenant space? If there was a Forerunner artifact on Rio that would certainly do it. That would warrant a detachment of troops and ships to go here. Since it wasn't a planetary invasion and just a concentrated effort in this one region, it made even more sense.
"Petra, how many ships will you bring?" Horus asked.
"Ten ships," Hammond replied. "Five Charon Light Frigates, four Autumn Heavy Cruisers with a Punic Super Carrier acting as the command ship. Tell me about the new fleets ships?"
"Twelve, but with the heavy combat between the two ex-Covie fleets, I expect those numbers to lower soon, both of them."
"Good. Let them fight it out before you do anything to risk your own ships," Hammond said.