Halo New Galaxy Ch19 Actions
2nd August 2554
Riga Lillo system, Rio surface
Galley Base, Barrack 132
Daniella put her last gear into the locker after finishing up a scouting mission with her Company. They had searched a heavily forested area for enemy activity. A few dropships had been shot down two weeks earlier and had been fighting a weak guerilla war since. The 29th Sky Hopper Battalion had started fighting a counter guerilla against Storm forces remaining in the forests. The absolute majority of them had been cleaned out by the Marine Corps pilots in an air campaign.
Before closing the locker she looked at her helmet. All the blood stains was gone now. During the operation the Corporal in charge of her Security Detail had been shot in the head, spraying her helmet with blood and gore. The poor guy would still be alive if the UNSC wasn't engaged in an unnecessary conflict. If they had left the damn Civil War crap to the ex Covies he would probably be alive. A lot of people would be.
Her mind traveled to Julian Duke, her boyfriend as she closed the locker and strolled out of the room with her hands in her pockets. She hadn't seen him for months and really missed him. She had gotten messages from him-and him from her-on Rio. He'd been flying around in a Pelican. He had been over her head on Hawaii not long ago, giving it his all.
"Captain," Everett saluted when they met in the corridor.
"El-Tee," Daniella acknowledge.
They were supposed to deploy to another planet but it had been delayed, for whatever reason. She was wondering where they would drop them this time. A former Covenant shithole or maybe an Outer colony they wanted squash under foot and reclaim. With Insurrectionist activities in the Outer colonies on the rise it would mean more military operations against them. She sighed at the thought.
She made her way to her barrack and laid down on her bunk, picking up a pad. She had started writing a message to Julian earlier. Might as well continue since she had some downtime. She couldn't wait to hear back from him. The message started with the usual greeting phrase-this time-hi! She had continued with mentioning that she missed him a lot and the misfortune of being stationed so close to each other but not having the chance to meet. She added a few lines about his grievances about how General Horus and her people had handled the ground combat, and-in her mind-left the Sky Hoppers to basically fend for themselves in the finishing moves of the Fernando Islands campaign. She ended it with her usual loving 'hugs and kisses' line.
Meanwhile John Shepard entered the CNC. He walked past some officers and technician. A group of majors and a colonel overlooked a holographic map of a region where they suspected Storm activity. He recognized the colonel as the man who was supposed to reinforce them on Hawaii during the fighting. He was a strategist through and through. No combat experience. The typical officer that never saw battle personally.
He stopped in front of Vice Admiral Petra Hammond and saluted.
"Lieutenant Colonel Shepard reporting, sir!" He announced.
Hammond affirmed his presence with a nod as she read through a datapad. She looked up with a smile and handed over the pad.
"I'm returning to my ship in a moment so I'll be brief," Hammond said.
Shepard skimmed the pad. "Is this about my old Spec ops request back in the war?"
"In a way it is."
"That was years ago. How's this relevant now?"
She smiled slightly wider. "Colonel. Your higher ups have decided to transfer you to command your own Special Forces team. Keeping a man of your skill in charge of common ground operations is a waste, to be honest. Frankly the UNSC has been wasting your talents. The team is new and I've been assured you'll have a say in whose in. that pad has the necessary information available to you at this time. Including people up for a post with you. Look through it, add your own suggestions and send it to Horus. She'll make sure it will be sent to HIGHCOM."
Shepard was stunned. This was a lot to take it suddenly. Although he had always wanted and preferred small unit spec ops missions to large scale ground operations-like commanding a Battalion-he would miss his friends and wondered who would replace him. Both York and Pamela was capable of accepting that task, but York had a dented record as of late. It might hinder his career.
"What about my Battalion, Admiral?" He asked stoically.
"With your recommendation Captain Pamela Hendricks will be promoted and assume your command. If she's up for it?"
Shepard nodded without a second thought. "York? He's my XO."
"Yes," she acknowledged. "But…the incidents on the Citadel…"
He nodded. "I understand." The two fight's he had help start had put a dent in his career. He had been afraid of that since it happened. Now it really impacted his friend's career. He snapped off a salute and Hammond returned it.
"Dismissed Colonel, and congratulation."
"Yes, sir. Thank you."
2nd August 2554
Unfaithful system
Starforge
Amon stepped inside the giant stations control room. The brain of the entire operation. His scientists had been able to confirm that it was an enormous shipyard. Almost as wide as a Super Carrier was long and ninety-two km in height from top to bottom with hundreds of docks for ship construction. He looked at a Sangheili tech. He was feeding blueprints of a CAR class Frigate. They planned on testing if the Starforge could construct a vessel off the blueprints. If they figured out-when they figured out-how to operate it, they could construct their own armada faster than normal. He imagined constructing a Super Carrier within a year. But that was dreaming really. He had no idea how fast it would be. He'd have to wait for the scientists and technicians to figure that out.
"Field Marshal Amon," A Sangheili said.
Amon looked at the tall Zealot. The Zealot was over two meters tall but was still dwarfed by Amon's over three meter height. Even for a Sangheili he was tall.
"There is a transmission from Supreme Commander Roshaka."
"Patch it through here," Amon decided.
They had installed a holographic communion system in the control center recently. The Field Marshal walked over to the communications and the hologram of his brother appeared.
"Amon," the Supreme Commander of the Covenant of the Hand greeted him. "How goes your operations on the Starforge?"
"We have searched the station and are working on getting full control of it. If we are right, our fleet can grow exponentially in size," Amon explained shortly.
"Good. Good. I have made a decision and I need you to dispatch part of your fleet to our home system. There they will meet with a Super Carrier to lead the second wave."
Amon tilted his head. "What are you planning to do?"
"The new races, the Citadel Council, we must act before they join the fight against us with the humans and Thel Vadam's forces. A crippling first blow will convince them to back off. We saw it at Shanxi. The Turian Hierarchy backed off after they lost a simple battle. Proof they will do it again if we obliterate one of their worlds."
"I…am not sure I agree," Amon said. "Brother. You could unite them against us."
Roshaka snorted amused. "My tactic is flawless. The planet they call Eridium will be my target. It is an industrial world. Losing it will be a strong blow and they will never stand against us."
Amon sighed. "Burning their world didn't work well against the humans, did it."
Roshaka glared at him. "My commanders have considered this already. Trust me. I have never been beaten and I won't start now."
Amon could hear the superiority in his voice. Not that it was completely unwarranted, but making important tactical decisions based on it could end badly. Although, it could end it being in his own best interest.
"Understood," he acknowledged.
Roshaka ended his transmission.
A Sangheili officer turn to Amon.
"Field Marshal," he said, catching Amon's attention. "Communications has received a message." He had an excited tone in his voice which caught Amon's attention.
"Well, what does it say?" He asked.
The Sangheili stepped closer. "Sir, the Song of Silence has been found. A Task Force has located it and are now controlling the facility. The ship is in our hands as of now."
Amon's eyes had widened at the news. He had assumed the large Dreadnought was destroyed at the end of the war. It was supposed to be a super weapon for the Covenant navy against the humans, but it was never finished because of the Covenant's collapse. But he thought it had certainly been destroyed. But now the massive warship was in the Hands control. Assuming they could finish it. They had to keep it a secret, keep it secure.
"Should we inform Supreme Commander Roshaka?"
"No." If his brother knew now he would want it deployed immediately, before it was finished.
2nd August 2554
Urs system, planet Sanghelios
On top of a rock formation overlooking the canyon Abigail Sevchenko set up her sniper nest. She focused her violet eyes through the scope as the wind grabbed her dark blue long hair gently. She was happy that she could now use her favorite weapon, the Focus rifle. She rested her vision on the Sangheili below. There was three dozen warriors and a handful of officers present. Like her, they waited for the resident of the bunker to walk outside. An important Sword of Sanghelios Fleet Master. He was a strong voice for cooperation with the Council and humanity. Which had brought on the ire of her Advent and Cerberus employers. She didn't care for the clashes between them. As long as they paid her she'd do their bidding. They could kill each other as long as she got paid.
And so the target himself appeared, flanked by bodyguards in blue armor but with a red sun sigil on their chestplate. She gazed through the scope and aimed at the Fleet Master's head. Her finger gently rested against the trigger, waiting for the perfect moment. With the squeeze of her finger, chaos broke out as the Fleet Master dropped dead.
Good god it's been ages since the last chapter, really sorry about!