Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars crossover redux.
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UNSC Infinity
Interstellar Space, Deep Core
May 10th, 0BBY, 9030 Hrs (November 23rd, 2558, 9030 Hrs)
The day after the attempted coup, Cole was walking around inside of the flag quarters for the Infinity, his eyes scanning the entire room. Not bad, he said to himself. The flag quarters are some of the best I've seen onboard a UNSC ship. Even my old one doesn't really compare all that well.
His mind then drifted to what had happened just a day prior. That ONI Captain was an idiot, he thought with a frown. Given my recent reviewing of the Galactic Empire's potential capabilities, any straight-up attack without intelligence would've been a complete disaster. Worse still, it would've allowed the Empire to not only gain intelligence on our capabilities, they might've even been able to capture the ship, which would've been utterly unacceptable.
Taking a breath, he shifted his mind back to the order of the day that he had decided to do. Now that Lasky had given him command of the ship according to protocol, Cole knew that he had to also become familiar with the heads of each section of the ship. To do this, he needed to have a meeting with the Command Officers of the Infinity, from the people that were on the bridge, to the medical, engineering and science officers that were in charge. Even the security officer would have to attend, so that everyone would not only get to know what he expected of them, but to also discuss security measures so that what happened the previous day would never happen again.
Still, the resources that he now had at his command were nothing short of shocking. Thousands of Naval, Marine and ODST personnel onboard? Now that is a surprise, that and the 300 plus Spartans onboard. Now that was a surprise in its own right. I've literally got an army at my fingertips here. Still, given that the Infinity was an escape ship refitted into a military ship, it's not too surprised to see that many people onboard, though the Spartans are the exception there.
He had just moved into the meeting room that was attached to his quarters when the door chimed. "Come in," he said. At his prompting, the door opened, with dozens of people walking inside. The table had just enough chairs for everyone to sit down, and it wasn't long before they were comfortable.
Still, the faces of each of the section heads varied in expression. Some looked nervous, while others looked calm and collected. Lieutenant Phillip, though, was scowling as he a small coldpack to his head, courtesy of Captain Ferdinand pistol whipping him into unconsciousness. "You all right?" Cole asked.
"Yeah," Phillip said. "Just got a good sized lump on my head because of that bastard. It won't affect my duties, sir. I had the doctors look me over, and they said I'll be fine."
"Very good," Cole said. Clearing his throat, he looked at them and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome. As you probably know by now, Captain Lasky, as per UNSC Protocol Zeta-34, command of the Infinity has been transferred over from him to me. Many of you likely know about me, given my reputation in the war against the Covenant, as well as my last stand during the Battle of Psi Serpentis.
"That, however, was fifteen years ago, and while I was familiar with the technology and my ship back then, I am not familiar with the Infinity or the personnel onboard it. As such, I've decided to have this meeting to not only perform a meet-and-greet, but to also figure out what your responsibilities are. Am I understood?"
"Yes, sir," the others said.
"Good. Before we begin, you can be at ease." He was about to continue when the door opened again, permitting another man inside the room. "Captain Lasky," he said. "Good to see you're on time."
"Thank you, sir," Lasky said. "I apologize if I was tardy. I needed to take care of the last bits of handing over command. Palmer's also going to be speaking with Chief soon, so she won't be able to attend. What's going on right now?"
"Meet and greet," Cole said.
"All right," Lasky said. "Perhaps introductions are in order. You already know who I am, so I'll tell you who the others are." Pointing at the bridge officers first, he said, "This is Lieutenant Jet, our second Navigation Officer. Austen is our principal weapons officer and Lieutenant Commander Phillips is our Security Officer. Then there's Ryder, our Sensors Officer, Ensign Janice, who's our Damage Control Officer, Lietuenant Murphy, our Flight Operations Commander and finally Captain Jacobs, the CO of the Commanders in charge of the frigates we have."
"And that's the bridge officers?" Cole asked.
"Yes," Lasky said. "Dr. Glassman here's our Chief Engineer. Dr. Halsey will also be with us shortly, as will Specialist Jordan and the Master Chief. Dr. Cassandra's our Chief Medical Officer, Colonel Sarpong is the commander of the ODSTs and Marines onboard and Captain Dare is our Intelligence Officer. Everyone else is either on their free time, in another part of the ship, or is getting some sleep. I suspect the latter of the three, given the events that have been going on recently."
As Lasky spoke, Cole's eyes swept over the faces of the officers. While he was already familiar with how the others looked, Cassandra and Janice were new to him. Cassandra, he noted, had blond hair and dark green eyes, while Janice had brown hair and dark blue eyes. "I see," he said. Looking at Jet, he said, "So, your the Navigation Officer?"
"For the daytime shift, yes," Jet said. "I'm also training Cadet Erso for the position as well. She's got potential, as you probably know by now."
"Yes," Cole said. "She's a spitfire, I can give her that much. Certainly made short work of Ferdinand." The others chuckled at that, with some of the tension leaving the room. "I've looked over your service records, all of you. So far, what I've seen is quite impressive, though I've noted a few areas where you could've taken the initiative and done a better job."
"Such as?" Lasky asked.
"Requiem," Cole said. "A lot of the problems that all of you had were the result of the Spartan Corps not doing their jobs right. If you'd stamped down harder on that, you might've been able to keep the shield-world intact. However, given ONI's attempts to cause trouble, as well as the trouble of dealing with Prometheans and Covenant alike, I'd say that you did quite well. I'll be speaking later with Commander Palmer on some of her decisions in the field. I also noted that no one overrode the Captain once they were away from Requiem, which is a responsibility that falls with you, Lasky. I'm also surprised that a Captain was given charge of a ship like the Infinity. The Infinity should be commanded by, at least, a RADM.
"Then there was the fact that the ship went up against a CSO-class Supercarrier. I'm honestly surprised that the Covenant was able to create such a ship design. What surprises me more, though, was that the Infinity didn't have a fleet when the Battle of Kamchatka took place so that it could take on that Supercarrier and win. However, that is not a knock on any of you. It is a knock on HIGHCOM."
Lasky winced slightly. Commander Palmer was an excellent soldier, but he knew that Cole was right to question her competency. Many of her decisions, while good intentioned, had caused the ship trouble. In addition, some of her decisions had led to things turning out the way they did, though he knew that he carried the blame of not pressuring her to shape up and do better. "We understand," he said. "I'll make sure that stuff doesn't happen again on my watch. Also, what happened with Del Rio was my fault, and I won't let it happen again."
"Good," Cole said. "Either way, I'm not questioning the competence of everyone onboard the ship. You did what you could in a sticky situation and I appreciate that. However, should ONI try to cause trouble, make certain to push back against them next time. They won't like it, but should they give you trouble, just remind them of their obligation to Humanity and that they are a division of the Navy, and that they are not in charge of it. Speaking of which…" Looking at Captain Dare, he said, "I applaud your integrity given what happened yesterday. I was worried that you might've gone over to Ferdinand's side."
"Why would I?" Dare asked. "I've known Ferdinand for quite some time. He's an arrogant ass, I can give you that, but he was a nicer person before his homeworld got glassed. After that, things went downhill. He hates anyone that isn't affiliated with the UNSC, UEG or ONI, and he most certainly hates the Sangheili. Small wonder he decided to do a coup when heard about Lasky making an agreement with the Empire, however necessary it was. It'll take a lot more than that to make me turn, and even then, I'm not sure I'd turn anyways."
"Good," Cole said. "The last thing we need in a time like this is to have disagreements and arguments with each other on who does what." Looking at Colonel Sarpong, he said, "I've also looked at your service record, Colonel Sarpong. Quite impressive, if I might add, which brings up a question. Why was there no internal security force during the Battle of Requiem, and why were the Marines unprepared to fend off a boarding action? In addition, why didn't your men stop the coup from happening when they had a chance? In addition, there was an earlier boarding action when the New Colonial Alliance attempted to take the ship in 2553. Why wasn't that halted immediately as well?"
Sarpong frowned. "It was a mistake on my part, mostly borne out by my arrogance, sir. I thought that no one would be suicidal enough to take on a ship filled to the brim with Marines and ODSTs, and I thought that the military police onboard was loyal enough to not have to warrant the Marines under my command to take up guard duties and patrols. I was wrong, and my arrogance nearly cost everyone onboard the ship their lives that day. Needless to say, I will not make the same errors again. You have my word on that."
"Good," Cole said. "Never allow complacency and arrogance to get in the way of your better thinking. Do so and what happens is you die. It's a lesson I learned early on in my career. As such, when this meeting is over, I expect you to work with the Master Chief in getting a proper internal security force going, and to have the Navy personnel trained in the event that something like this happens again. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Sarpong said.
"Good." Just then, the door opened to permit two more people into the room. Cole immediately recognized Dr. Halsey and the Master Chief, but the man that followed her was one of the new people on the ship.
As soon as Halsey saw him, she paused for a brief moment, her expression flashing with surprise. "Admiral Cole," she said. "We finally meet. I've heard a lot about you in the past few days, even followed your career."
"Dr. Halsey," Cole said. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I've been looking at your service record. Quite a list of accomplishments you have. Perhaps we should talk some more once this meeting's over."
"Indeed," Halsey said, her voice a bit guarded. "I take it you wished to 'discuss' a few things with me and the others in this room?"
"Yes," Cole said. "I heard you were the person that was responsible for getting the Slipspace Drive to work correctly again, and that it was Jordan that caused the malfunction."
"Not exactly," Halsey said as she and Jordan sat down. "Jordan, would you be so kind as to explain what really happened?"
"Yes, ma'am," Jordan said, his voice noticeably subdued. "As Lasky's report detailed, we were running a test when some of the modules brought onboard from the UNSC Eternity malfunctioned. This triggered a series of hidden modules and subroutines in the Slipspace Drive which supercharged it, resulting in us ending up in the Andromeda Galaxy. With Halsey's help, I was able to get it functional again."
"Good," Cole said. "Though, if you really wanted the test to go smoothly, you would've made sure that Halsey was on station, an error that you freely admitted to, yes?"
"Yes," Jordan said. "Though there is a silver lining to all that."
"And that would be?"
"If there hadn't been a malfunction, we wouldn't have learned of this new galaxy, and we wouldn't have been able to find you, sir," Jordan said.
Cole had to admit, that was something of a silver lining. "A fair point," he conceded. "Though, next time you test out Forerunner technology, make sure that you have an expert on it close at hand."
"Yes, sir," Jordan said. "Lasky's report also showed the system I came up with to 'phone home' as it were."
"Yes," Cole said. "The Pony Express. I must admit, that's very much an inspired idea. The hyperdrive installed into the other probe was also a surprise. If all goes well, it'll work and we'll have the UNSC here eventually."
"It did," Jordan said. "We got the Slipspace Probe back before we left. The system logs indicated the other probe successfully separated and that it is on its way. It might've even reached Earth by now."
"Indeed," Cole said. "Either way, while you did cause this entire debacle to happen, your efforts to get us a line back home, combined with the tongue lashing Halsey gave you, is punishment enough. If your plan works, I might even give you a commendation."
"Thank you, sir," Jordan said. "I'll make sure Halsey's nearby in case I have to fiddle with anything Forerunner based."
"That's very kind of you," Halsey said, though the sarcasm in her voice made the others cringe slightly.
"That it is," Cole said, while giving Halsey a slight glance. "Make sure you can also acquire a hyperdrive for your team to look at. You're the foremost expert on the tech now, Jordan. When we get another one, I'll be asking for regular status updates." Looking at Phillips, he asked, "So, Phillips, can you still maintain your position as the Head of Security for the ship?"
"Yeah," Phillips said. "The only reason I wasn't able to was because of that rat, along with all the other ONI sleeper agents that were stuffed into the ship, along with this token of my resistance to Ferdinand's plans." He motioned to the patch of hair that was wet from the coldpack. "Still, a subordinate that could help me make sure the military police and security teams remain loyal would be a good idea."
"Agreed," Cole said. "I've already got the Master Chief onto that problem. I'm certain that he knows of someone that can handle that job excellently." Looking at Ensign Janice, he asked, "You OK, Ensign? You look nervous."
"I'm OK," Janice said. "It's just that… well… I'd never imagine finding myself in the presence of one of the most legendary Vice Admirals in the entire UNSC Navy. Your exploits are the stuff of legends."
Cole pursed his lips slightly. There were some servicemen that he knew of that seemed to almost worship him, though that was understandable. He had pulled off some gutsy maneuvers before in the past, which had earned him quite a bit of fame. Still, he didn't like the idea of hero-worship, and he knew he had to set things straight before they became a problem. "Understandable," he said. "However, I would like to make it clear that I do not want you to be fawning over me like I'm the UEG President or something. You're here on this ship to work, not to geek out and be a fan girl. Understand?"
Janice's excitement faded slightly. "Yes, sir. I'll make sure that I perform my duty to the best of my ability."
"Very good," Cole said. "You've got a lot of potential, Ensign. I'd hate to see it wasted because you didn't pay attention or were too busy daydreaming." Then he looked at Captain Jacobs. A tall man with dark skin, Jacobs was a heavy set man, though this was from a life of farming and hard work rather than a high energy diet. "You're the CO of the Frigate Commanders, yes?"
"Yes," Jacobs said, his voice dark and deep. "I coordinate the frigates, sir."
"Good," Cole said. "During the battle of Requiem, were you able to deploy your frigates?"
"Yes, sir. Unfortunately, the Storm Covenant and Prometheans had them all tied up, so I was too busy coordinating them to help with the boarding action, sir."
"I see," Cole said. "No need to be defensive. You did exactly what I would've done in your position. In fact, I'm very pleased to say that your launching of the frigates during first contact with the Galactic Empire helped protect the ship. Keep up the good work."
"Thank you, sir."
Cole smiled. Looking at the Master Chief, he said, "How are you settling in with your current rank?"
"Fine, sir," Chief said.
"Good, because you've got some new responsibilities to take care of as well." Looking at his data pad, Cole said, "I want you to do a full inspection of the members of the Spartan Corps that are currently onboard the ship. I've heard rumors of unprofessional behavior going on. Then there is also the matter with Palmer, Lasky and Dr. Halsey, with certain events leading to Halsey losing an arm while ending up in Storm Covenant custody. I've already requested Cortana to send you the relevant information. See to it that the Spartan Corps shapes up. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Chief said."
"Good." Looking at the others, Cole said, "Beyond that, however, I only see reasons to commend all of you. Everyone in this room went through hell during that first contact, and during yesterday when you found my ship. I'll speak with the people that take over your shifts during the nighttime section. You can go. Glassman, Halsey, Cassandra, would you two remain here please?" Glassman, Halsey and Cassandra remained in their seats, while the others went back to their posts.
"You need us for anything?" Glassman asked.
"Yes," Cole said. "According to the Infinity's logs, you are the Chief Engineer, though you've needed to have Halsey or some other expert step in to help you. Why is that?"
Glassman swallowed slightly. "Mostly for the engines," he said. "She was the only one that was able to assemble the engines and make them work properly with the Infinity's Forerunner Slipspace Drive. However, in situations like this, she often takes command. She's gotten us out of a few scraps too. Still, for the most part, I do my job to the best of my ability."
"So some of these incidents happened due to you not having someone that was familiar with Forerunner technology work things out alongside you?"
"Yes," Glassman said.
"I see," Cole mused. "Since that is the case, I will have you remain as the Chief Engineer, but you will treat Halsey with the dignity and respect she deserves. Yes, she's done some questionable things, but that is to be expected. All of us had to make questionable decisions in order to allow humanity to survive the Covenant-UNSC War. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Glassman said.
"Good," Cole said. "You've got potential, Glassman. I do not want to see it wasted. There are two more questions I'd like to ask you."
"And those would be?"
"How tough is the armor and shielding? From what I hear, Titanium-A3 is tough enough to survive direct hits from Covenant plasma weapons, and that the Empire's Star Destroyers were not able to penetrate the shields. However, I wanted to get your opinion."
"Thank you sir," Glassman said. "The armor, like you've heard, is tough enough to survive direct hits from Covenant energy weapons. It would take them hours to burn through the armor and then into the hull. As for the shields, sir, they're strong enough to where we can ram a Covenant ship and not suffer any damage to the ship. The same also applies to Star Destroyers, though our secondary shields went down by 25% from the impact alone."
"Interesting," Cole said. "Also, I've heard that the Repulsor engine we have onboard the ship is powered by vacuum energy. Is that true?"
"Yes," Halsey said. "Having studied Forerunner technology myself, I can tell you that all of it is powered by vacuum energy, Vice Admiral. The Infinity's systems are powered by the engines, which are powered by vacuum energy, so much so that power regulators had to be installed to prevent the engines from overloading the entire ship's electrical grid."
Cole whistled. "Damn... now that is a lot of power. You said that you helped build this ship, and understand the science behind the engines, yes?"
"Yes," Halsey said.
"Good," Cole said, "because you're going to be the Chief Science Officer for the entire ship. All of the science officers on the science deck will report to you. In addition, you will give me status reports on any projects we have going on. Understood?"
"Yes, Admiral," Halsey said. "I'll make certain that you are kept up to date on the most recent projects. I would also like to have Omega as my Deputy Science Officer."
"You may have her as your Deputy. Either way, good news all around." Mentally, Cole made a note to look up who Omega was. Looking at Cassandra, he asked, "What about you? From what I understand, you run the Infinity's onboard hospital, correct?"
"Yes," Cassandra said, wiping some hair from her eyes. "Ever since the ship entered full military service, I've been busy with handling much of the injuries that the crew can suffer. However, we'll need to restock our medical supplies before long. We're also working on studying the medical technology in the wider galaxy, as well as developing vaccines so that our soldiers and crew can be immunized against the diseases of this galaxy. So far, we're making good progress, but we'll need to find where the substance the galaxy calls 'bacta' is made in order to make our own."
"That's reasonable," Cole said. "From what I've seen of your service record, you've done quite well in your position. Continue with your ongoing assignments. We'll hold a more in-depth meeting on our way to wherever Cadet Erso states we're going to head to. Dismissed."
As Cassandra left the room, Cole said, "In a part of your report, Lasky, you mentioned that you talked with Bail Organa, the father of Imperial Ambassador Leia Organa."
"Well, it was more like he wanted to talk to me and Melody," Lasky said. "Over those three weeks, I had to earn his trust before I could speak with him outside of an official capacity. Given that we had plenty of opportunities to do so, it wasn't long before he requested to speak with me." His mind drifted back to the day just before they departed from Coruscant.
. . .
2 Days Earlier
Walking towards the entrance of another apartment building, Lasky and Melody watched the two guards at the entrance approached him. The two Spartan IVs flanking him raised their weapons, but lowered them at Lasky's command. "State your business here," one of them said.
"I was told by Bail that he wanted to meet with us here," Lasky said. A part of him hoped the guard could hear him through the face mask he wore.
The guard did, as he keyed his com-link and said, "Sir, I have two people that wish to speak with you. A scan has identified them as Captain Thomas Lasky and Envoy Melody." There was a moment of silence, then the guard said. "Understood, sir." Looking at Lasky, he said, "Apologies, sir. We did not know you were expected."
"That's all right," Lasky said. "Mind if you show me the way?"
"Certainly," the guard said. Taking up formation around Lasky's guards, they escorted the team inside of the building. Walking inside, Lasky found himself walking down a hallway that had dark brown wood paneling. Doorways to the left and right led to other rooms in the building, while white lights illuminated the hall. A number of paintings were present, with Lasky noting that most were of Alderaan, if the holo-titles near them were any indication.
"What's this wood?" Lasky asked.
"Uwa wood," one of the guards said. "It's a rare wood that is native to Alderaan."
"Ah," Lasky said. "Interesting."
As they walked along, Melody spotted another painting. It was clearly a family portrait, as she spotted Bail and Leia and a third woman she didn't recognize. "Who's that?" she asked.
"Who?" the guard asked.
"The woman in the painting. Who is she?"
"Ah," the guard said with a nod. "That's Breha Organa, Bail Organa's wife."
"OK." Melody said. As they moved along, she leaned in close to Lasky and whispered, "Notice something odd about the paintings?"
"Yeah," Lasky said quietly. "I noticed it as soon as I saw the portrait. They don't look alike in any way. You'd think that, if Leia was Breha and Bail's daughter, she would have some of their facial features, but she doesn't. I wonder why."
"Good question," Melody whispered. "We'd best not ask Bail, though. He might perceive that as an insult."
"Good idea," Lasky said as they entered a large, vaulted chamber that was covered with what appeared to be white marble. Silk-white curtains were draped near the stone columns of the room, while powerful lights illuminated the area. Sofas and couches were present, though these were near the edges of the room. It was here that Lasky spotted Bail, who was quietly pacing back and forth. When he spotted Lasky, he smiled and said, "Come in, Lasky, Melody. I'm happy that the two of you were able to come."
"Thanks," Melody said as she adjusted her facial mask. "So, what do you think of your daughter becoming the official Imperial Ambassador to the UEG and UNSC?"
"Honestly, it is an honor," Bail said. "I knew my daughter would achieve great things someday. I just didn't think I'd live long enough to see it." As he said this, Lasky and Melody shared a glance with each other. Noticing it, he asked, "Is something wrong?"
"No," Lasky said. "It's something that Melody and I do from time to time. Speaking of whiich I was told that you needed to speak with me, though you were awfully cagey about what you wanted to speak to me about. I take it that it's something important, yes?"
"It is," Bail said. "You may leave us, guards." Once the guards left, he said, "Normally, I would've told you of this a while ago, but there were too many eyes and ears listening and watching. Now that we are alone, I can share what I need to tell you with you."
"Well then," Lasky said as he sat down. "Go ahead and tell me. I'm all ears."
Some of the tension in Bail's body seemed to melt away at that answer. "Thank you," he said as he sat down. "Now, I'm certain that you're curious as to what the Force is. Correct?"
"No, not really," Melody admitted.
"I'm wondering the same thing myself," Lasky said. "I've heard some people use it in a farewell at times, especially Leia, but I never really understood what the Force was."
"Then I'm glad that you were able to come," Bail said. "Much of what I know was told to me by a Jedi, though I will not reveal his name for personal reasons. According to the Jedi, the Force is an invisible energy field that all living things generate due to a symbiotic relationship with a microcellular species known as the 'Midichlorians.' Those with a middling amount of midichlorians wouldn't be able to use the Force, but if a living organism that had midichlorians over a certain threshold would be able to use the Force to perform superhuman feats. The Jedi were such individuals, and often used the Force to scale immense heights, push things without actually touching them, and so on."
"OK," Lasky said. Already, he was getting curious about the Force. "I take it there's more to it than that. Yes?"
"You'd be correct," Bail said. "The Jedi believed that there were two sides to the Force: the Light Side and the Dark Side. The Light Side of the Force is the side of the Force that is aligned with calmness, peace, and passiveness, with that side of the Force being used for knowledge and defense. The Jedi believed that this was the idea side of the Force to follow, and followed the principle of selflessness."
"Interesting," Lasky said. "That reminds me of certain religions that exist on my homeworld, particularly monotheistic ones. Still, if the Light Side of the Force embodies selflessness and all of the traits that we would call 'good', then the Dark Side of the Force must embody the traits that we call 'evil.' Is that correct?"
"That it is. The Dark Side of the Force is everything that opposes the Light. The Dark Side is the embodiment of selfishness, and those that use it become stronger by drawing upon the emotions of hate, anger, greed, fear, aggression and unrestrained passion. Those that follow the Dark Side of the Force are known as the Sith, and often find it so addictive that they cannot help but continue following it, even when their bodies begin to decay as a result of their alignment to the Dark Side."
"Ouch," Melody said. "That definitely sounds bad. So, why are you telling me this, if I may ask?"
"For one simple reason, Melody. Both Vader and Palpatine are Sith, which means they use the Dark Side of the Force. You remember when Leia was on your ship?"
"Yeah," Lasky said. "She said that Palpatine was responsible for destroying the Jedi Order. Was it because he was a Sith?"
"Yes," Bail said. "From what my Jedi friend told me, the Sith and Jedi have been at war with each other at times due to their differing ideologies. The fall of the Jedi Order has been the longstanding goal of the Sith, a goal that Palpatine and Vader accomplished over twenty five years ago."
"I see," Lasky said. "Thank you for this information. We'll definitely remember it when we speak to Vader and the others. It might allow us to bend things in our favor more."
"You're welcome," Bail said. "And both of you? Be careful: if they learn that you know of their true power, they'll do everything they can to hunt you down."
"Don't worry," Lasky said. "They won't."
. . .
Present Day
As Lasky finished speaking, Cole was resting his chin on one of his hands. After a long silence, he said, "I see… So, let me get this straight. The Jedi and Sith were beings capable of using a psionic energy field in order to perform superhuman feats, and had two differing ideologies that led to them fighting each other, resulting in Vader and Palpatine becoming the two Sith in charge of the galaxy. Correct?"
"More or less, yes," Lasky said. "Plus, it's why Bail's never told us until now. If Palpatine and the others were to learn that we know..."
"… then we'll be in an even deeper pile of shit," Cole finished. "Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Lasky. We'll have to inform Chief so that he won't be caught unawares. Still, this changes things dramatically. We'll have to find a few Jedi of our own if we're going to stand a chance."
"Yes," Lasky said. "We might even have them investigate the crew to see if there are any Force Sensitives among us as well. Given the Forerunner's attention to detail, though, that's going to be unlikely."
"Agreed," Cole said. "Still, we'd do well to check anyways. We might need Jedi of our own in the future." As Lasky turned to leave, he asked, "Speaking of which, I heard about the Spartan IVs."
"Right," Lasky said. "What do you think?"
Cole tapped a finger on the table. "Honestly, I'm surprised that we've got that many Spartans onboard. Yes, they're not Spartan IIs, but given that Chief is now in command of all of them, I'd say that we've got a major military force at our disposal. If a squad of Spartans was dangerous, imagine the threat level that three hundred of them poses."
"My thoughts exactly, Vice Admiral. I'll bet Chief is getting them into good shape now."
"I'll bet he is," Cole agreed. As Lasky left, Cole said, "Roland, would you have Halsey come back into my quarters? I would like to have a few words with her concerning the Spartan-II Program. In addition, I want you to make a private recording of our discussion here."
"Yes, sir," Roland said. "Halsey's on her way now."
"Good."
Around tow minutes later, Halsey walked into Cole's office again. "Is there something you need of me, Admiral?"
"Yes," Cole said. "Remember when I wished to have a further discussion with you?"
Halsey frowned. Already, she could see where this is going. "Yes," she said. "I take it you wish to talk about the Spartan-II Program. If you must know, I -"
"I already know about the entire program, courtesy of Cortana, Roland and Gabriela," Cole said, a slight growl in his voice. "I know of the procedures that were done, as well as the technologies researched for the program. While I can understand all of that, I cannot understand why you used children as the test subjects." Cocking an eyebrow at her, he said, "Care to explain?"
Halsey breathed in and out. Deep inside, the personal guilt and regret she felt for what she'd done began to come roaring back in full force. "I suppose an explanation is in order," she said. "During the Insurrection, I was tasked by ONI to find a way to end it as fast as possible, or face a potentially unwinnable war. During my efforts to do so, I created a series of augmentation procedures that were designed to transform individuals into supersoldiers. The problem, however, was that I needed to work with individuals that had certain genes in their DNA, and the procedures were unsuitable for fully grown individuals. This was to build off of what Project ORION did with fully grown individuals."
"So you chose children."
"Yes. Children's minds are more accepting of indoctrination and training than that of adults. Their bodies more easily malleable to changes and adaptations. In addition, the viable age range for the augmentations was around he prepubescent age range, around the same age that the ancient Spartans recruited their children to become soldiers. Finding candidates that had the genes in question wasn't too difficult. Recruiting them was another matter entirely. We used flash-clones of the children to acquire them without raising undue alarm."
"You mean abduct them," Cole said.
"Yes," Halsey said. "To be honest... I dreaded having to do what I did, and regretted it as well. I wish I didn't have to use children, but the demands were too great, the expectations too high. Even to this day, I... I don't like what I did, though I believe it was necessary to ensure Humanity's survival."
"So you actually feel regret for what happened."
"Yes," Halsey said, her head bowing as she took a shuddering breath. "I do regret doing what I did. The problem is that most people think that I don't. Had I been given more time to refine the augmentation procedures, I might have been able to avoid this moral dilemma. In addition, I had to protect Chief and myself from Colonel Ackerson. I'm sure you've seen the reports surrounding the Spartan-III Program and his attempts to kill the Master Chief."
"I see," Cole said. "Colonel Ackerson's decisions surrounding the Spartan-III Program were monstrous, more so than yours. In fact, it's why I've decided to go easy on you. Given what's happened with you, as well as the fact that you're being treated with caution as is befitting of someone of your... ethics, I will let this go. However, I will have an ethics committee set up to make sure that a repeat of this doesn't happen again. Understood?"
"Yes, Admiral," Halsey said.
"Beyond that, how are your projects coming?"
"Fine," Halsey said. "I might have a way to deliver a NOVA Bomb to the Death Star. It's in the preliminary stages, but so far, it's quite promising."
"Good. Continue work on that project, and report to me any changes. Anything else?"
"I would like to have my journal back if possible," Halsey said. "ONI confiscated it from me."
"I'll see what I can do. Dismissed."
. . .
While Cole was finishing the meeting with the Infinity's command officers, Palmer was getting some much needed R&R. Resting on her bunk, she was about to get some sleep when Cortana chimed in. "Commander Palmer, Lasky's got some new orders for you."
"What kind of orders?" Palmer asked. "I'm about to enter my free time."
"You've got to speak with your new CO immediately," Cortana said. "He's requesting a meeting with you."
That got Palmer confused. New CO, she wondered. What the hell's Cortana talking about. "Who?" she asked.
"The Master Chief," Cortana said.
That caught Palmer by surprise. The Master Chief?! she wondered. Shouldn't he be in a retirement home by now or something like that? Why's he my new boss? Keeping her expression calm, she said, "All right. I'll be on my way."
"Good. Also, make sure you wear your dress uniform. This is something of a big occasion for you."
"All right," Palmer said as she moved towards her locker. Damn AI's being pushy today. I wonder why.
A few minutes later, Palmer was finding out why, along with Spartan Miller and Spartan Dalton. The three of them were sitting in Chief's new office, which was a small affair that was spartan in terms of decoration. Three chairs were present, with Chief sitting in a fourth behind the desk. His armor and bodysuit had been replaced with a white uniform whose chest region was decked out with medals and ribbons. That served as a sharp contrast to his pale skin and the blue eyes that shone like a lighthouse in a storm.
Those blue eyes were currently focused on the trio of Spartan IVs sitting before him, each one in their own uniforms as well. "So," Spartan Miller said, "What's going on? Is there something wrong?"
"I've been wondering the same thing, Miller," Commander Palmer said. "So, Master Chief, is there anything you need of us?"
"Yes," Chief said curtly. "Yesterday, I was provisionally promoted to the rank of RADM by Vice Admiral Cole. As of now, I am the commanding officer of the Infinity's entire compliment of Spartan IVs. My first orders are to assess the current state of the Spartan IVs, both from records, and from the individuals in the Spartan Corps themselves. Cortana?"
"I'm here, Chief," Cortana said, "I sent Chief the files that he needed yesterday on the three of you. I'll let him speak for himself."
"Thank you," Chief said. "After reviewing your files, I will have to do a rigorous inspection of all the Spartan IVs. Reports of unprofessional behavior have reached my attention, as have reports of abuse of command and insubordination. I've also assessed the three of you individually."
Looking at Commander Palmer, who had a hint of surprise on her face, he said, "While your record has had a large amount of commendations, I've noticed that your competence has been slipping ever since you became a Spartan IV, Commander Palmer. Mission reports from Requiem indicate that you did not establish proper protocols and objectives during those missions, and that you micromanaged the Spartan IV teams with tasks they could have handed alone.
"In addition, records indicated that you were not only extremely distrustful of Dr. Halsey, you prevented her from giving you information that would have changed the outcome of various missions. You also disregarded tactical advice from your XO, Spartan Miller, during certain missions. Most importantly, however, you disobeyed orders from a superior when you disregarded Lasky's order to stand down when you attempted to kill Halsey during the second mission at Requiem. If you disobey another order, I will have you placed in the brig for dereliction of duty and insubordination. Do you understand, Commander Palmer?"
Palmer frowned as she recovered from her shock. While it hurt her to hear those words from someone that was now her commanding officer, she knew that his assessment of her was fair, and unlike some, she wouldn't shift blame onto others or onto her inexperience as a Spartan. "No," she said. "I have no excuse for my actions, sir. I'll see to it that I shape up."
"Good," Chief said. "As the CO of any operation, it is your mission to listen to those that are feeding you information that may change the outcome of the mission in a favorable manner. Disregarding that information is one of the first steps towards losing a mission, which may even cost lives, lives that cannot be wasted."
He directed his gaze towards Miller. "As for you, Spartan Miller, reports indicated that you were unusually passive when Palmer was on station, and that you struggled to handle certain missions that men and women of a similar rank have handed quite well. As Commander Palmer's XO, it is your responsibility to lead the Spartan IVs when she is not on station, and to provide her with tactical information and advice when she is. There are also times where you might ask her to change her orders depending on the situation."
Miller frowned as well, though he too knew that Chief's assessment was fair. "Yes, sir," he said. "I have no excuse for my mistakes. I'll do better."
"Good," Chief said. Finally, he looked at Spartan Dalton. "As for you, Spartan Dalton, I was unable to find any faults in your service record. Despite the mistakes of the others, you continued to perform in your duties without any difficulty. That being said, it is you job to make sure that the Spartans return home safely. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Dalton said.
"Very good. Miller, Dalton, you are dismissed." Both Dalton and Miller stood up and walked out of Chief's office. "Commander Palmer, do you have anything else to say?"
Palmer frowned. "Yes, sir," she said. "To be honest, I wasn't given the position that I would've desired. Yes, I'm a good officer, but my record speaks volumes as to my skills. I wasn't ready for the position that I was given, and it cost me not only valuable time, but good people as well. If I'm going to remain in my position as Commander, I have to do better. I just need someone to give me advice and experience to do so, someone like you, sir."
Chief was silent for a moment. It was clear to him that Palmer knew that she needed help, but with the weight of her responsibility, and the demands of her superiors, she hadn't been able to cry uncle and call for help. "I understand," he said. "Given that you will be my XO for the Spartan Corps in this galaxy, I will do what I can to help you become a better Spartan. Still, my inspection of the Spartans will begin around 0400 hours today. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Palmer said. "And Chief?"
"Yes?"
"Good luck. You're gonna need it." With that, she left his office after a gesture from him.
"Well, that went well," Cortana said. "I thought you were going to be all drill instructor on them."
"No," Chief said, shaking his head. "If we are to improve the Spartan IVs and help them achieve their potential, we need to show them that we want them to succeed, not tear them down. In between missions, Cortana, I want you to monitor the Spartan IVs during their off-duty periods. Any anomalies you find are to be reported. Understood?"
"You got it, Chief," Cortana said. "We'll make Spartans out of them yet."
"Yes," Chief agreed. "We will."
