Hello again, everyone, and welcome back to my Halo/Star Wars crossover redux.
Thank you all for your wonderful patience and support! I deeply appreciate it!
Now, some of you are probably wondering, "Why does it take so long for IX404 to post a chapter?" Well, to answer that question, the reason why it takes a week to post the chapter is due to the beta reading process. It really only takes a day to write the chapter, but on average, it can take a week to refine the chapter and make it something that all of you will enjoy reading. For those of you that are curious about that, I hope that explanation helps out greatly.
As always, leave a review, but most importantly, enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Halo or Star Wars franchises. They are the respective properties and trademarks of Microsoft Studios, 343 Industries, Bungie, Lucasfilms, 20th Century fox, Disney Films, etc. Any material original to the franchises belongs to their respective developers, producers and publishers. Any material not original to the franchises is of my own invention. I do not own any music listed in each chapter. Any music listed belongs to its original composers and/or artists.
UNSC Infinity
Geosynchronous Orbit, Pantora
May 17th, 0BBY, 00700 Hrs (November 31st, 2558, 0700 Hrs)
There was one thing that Jordan could say about being in the brig, and that it was highly uncomfortable. Sitting on one of the cots in the cell he was in, the former Marine was in a foul mood, even as he gazed outside of the door to his cell and into the cell block for the brig. He'd been in a foul mood ever since the day before yesterday, especially since he'd been thrown into the tiny cell that he was in.
It didn't help that he was bunked up with Dr. Glassman, who was officially, in his opinion, the most annoying cellmate that one could've found. If only the damned idiot would shut up and take his medicine like a man, Jordan thought as he recalled some of the complaints that Glassman had issued earlier. First he says that it was me that cause the entire debacle, then he tries to get me thrown out of the cell and into another one. Dumbass doesn't know when to quit.
Still, Jordan new that he himself was partly responsible for ending up inside of the cell. It was thanks to my damned curiosity that I ended up in here, he grumbled inwardly. I should've anticipated that Halsey would've set up a security system like that. Still, to learn that she and the Captain had the information on the so-called 'Death Star' classified was a surprise, though I understand completely. Don't want to destroy morale with news of a planet killing station, after all.
He was about to continue his line of thought when Glassman woke up from his slumber. "Damn," he grumbled. "And I thought my bed was uncomfortable. This cot in here is even worse." Looking down, he spotted Jordan and asked, "It's a wonder that you can sleep so easily on these things. They're hard as rocks!"
"It's easier when you don't have a jackass constantly mouthing off about following orders and all that shit," Jordan growled back. "I barely even got a wink of sleep thanks to you and your constant complaining about everything going on. Still, here's another mess you've gotten me into."
"I do apologize for -"
Glassman stopped when Jordan fixed him with a glare that, were it weaponized, would've blasted out the entire brig and a portion of the ship's hull. Wisely deciding that it was best not to invoke the former Marine's wrath, Glassman closed his mouth and returned to laying down on the cot, wincing as a few joints in his back popped. "Well, what do you know," Jordan remarked. "I finally got the last word in."
He was about to return to his line of thought when the buzzer at their door sounded off. Jordan immediately stood up, only to bang his head on the bottom of Glassman's cot. "OUCH!" he shouted as his skull collided with cold, unyielding titanium alloy. Rubbing his head, he looked at Glassman and said, "Hey, dumbass! We're being called!"
"Maybe we can finally get this misunderstanding resolved," Glassman said. Swinging his legs over the edge of the cot, he landed on the ground, while Jordan stood up, rubbing the top of his head all the while.
As soon as the two were standing up, the door opened to permit two Marines inside. Both of them were wearing armor that identified them as onboard security and military police. Near the rear of the group, two Spartan IVs were standing at the edge of the walkway, weapons lowered but ready in case trouble happened. "Vice Admiral Cole is ready to speak to you now," one of the Marines said to them. "Follow us, and don't cause any trouble."
"You got it," Jordan said as his hands were cuffed. Glassman stepped forwards and allowed the Marines to do the same to him. Once both men were cuffed, they were led out of the cell and along the walkway. Looking down, Jordan could see some other Marines that were in the brig for various offenses, from minor ones to major ones.
Walking along the walkway, they descended down a flight of stairs before moving out of the cell block and into the hallway that would take them to the interrogation rooms. Well, here comes the end of my career, Jordan thought as they walked down the hallway. From a decorated Marine and excellent engineer, to a prisoner and convict onboard this ship. Life really has a way of kicking you like that.
Still, I'm surprised that Vice Admiral Cole is willing to come down here and find out personally what we were doing inside of Halsey's lab. Still, he'll probably temporarily strip us of our ranks and then have us stay in the brig for a week or two in order to give us time to think our actions over. That's how they used to do it in the Navy and Marines. Looking to his left, Jordan could see that Glassman was having similar thoughts.
Eventually, they were marched to a door, whereupon they were taken inside. The room they were now in was small, with two chairs located next to the door, while a single chair was located near the back of the room. Both men were promptly seated, while their cuffs were attached to a short chain located on the desk. Once they were both seated, the Marines and Spartan IVs walked out and closed the door behind them. Be cool, Jordan told himself. Just tell the truth, and you might not get burned. Besides, unlike Glassman, I've got nothing to hide.
The door opened moments later to permit someone inside, but it was not Vice Admiral Cole. Much to Jordan's surprise, it was a single man that wore a uniform bearing an all too familiar symbol. ONI, Jordan realized. The same people that Glassman claimed gave him orders to spy on Halsey. This might not end well. Looking at the name tag, he quickly identified the man as Commander Ian, likely one of Captain Dare's subordinates.
Sitting down on the other side, Ian activated the recorder on his datapad and began to speak. "Interview #25-C, Commander Ian attending. Subjects in question are two UNSC personnel. Both have been accused of attempting to access classified information." Looking at the two, he asked, "Would you please state your names and occupations, please."
Jordan was the first to speak. "Ship Systems Specialist Jordan MacCallum."
"Dr. Henry Glassman, Chief Engineer."
"Thank you," Ian said. "Now, according to security footage captured yesterday, both of you were seen accessing Dr. Halsey's lab during a shift change for the guards. Internal security footage and audio recordings also indicated that a disagreement broke out, and that a fight would've erupted had the military police and onboard security not taken any action." Looking at Jordan, he asked, "Would you be willing to explain what happened from your viewpoint?"
"Yes," Jordan said. "I was heading to the Slipspace Physics & Engineering Lab aboard the Science Deck, as was usual for me, when I spotted Dr. Henry Glassman in the corridors. Normally, that wouldn't have been anything unusual, except for the fact that he was hiding something in his jacket. That piqued my curiosity, especially since he was taking a route that would get him to Dr. Halsey's lab."
"So you chose to shadow him to see what he was doing?"
"Yes," Jordan said with a nod. "You can imagine my surprise, and displeasure, when I discovered that he was attempting to gain access to Dr. Halsey's lab. Once he gained access, he quickly moved inside, and I followed him inside to see what he was doing. My former service as a Marine Scout Sniper meant that I could follow him inside without being caught.
"When I was inside, I found that he was attempting to access Dr. Halsey's computer logs, something that made me quite displeased. I've got no idea as to what Glassman was looking for, but he and I saw what looked like a planet killer space station of some kind called the 'Death Star.' What surprised me was that Halsey and Captain – er – RMDL Lasky had classified the information. Having thought it over, it makes sense to me. Don't want morale to plummet from news of a planet killer spreading around."
"So you weren't inside of Halsey's lab to gain access to classified information?" Ian asked.
"That's correct," Jordan said. "I was there to find out what Dr. Glassman was up to, not to access information that was clearly beyond my pay grade. When he was about to go to work some more, I confronted him and told him to lay off. He kept on saying that he was just following orders from ONI Section Three to spy on Dr. Halsey and report back to them. As for the rest, well… you know what happened after that."
"I see," Ian said. Looking at Dr. Glassman, he asked, "Is it true that you were asked by ONI Section Three to spy on Dr. Halsey?"
"Yes," Glassman admitted. "They wanted to make certain that Dr. Halsey was playing along according to their expectations, and asked me to spy on her so that they could keep tabs on her. They didn't want her to begin performing any seditious behavior. I protested, but they pulled rank on me."
"So Jordan's account of how things happened is correct, yes?"
"Yes," Glassman said. "He did, however, threaten me with physical violence if I didn't stop what was going to happen. Either way, I'm glad that we were caught before things would've come to blows. Jordan would've had me beaten into a bloodied pulp otherwise. Still, I was just following orders."
"I see," Ian said. Looking at a clock inside of the room, he asked, "Would you excuse me for a moment?" Seeing that they really didn't have a choice, both men shrugged and nodded, with Ian stepping out.
Turning towards the door next to the room, he walked inside and closed the door. Inside with some recording equipment, along with the technicians, was Vice Admiral Cole. Looking at the two men inside of the interrogation room, Cole asked, "What do you think?"
"I think that Jordan and Glassman are being honest," Ian said. "Aside from the usual indicators of discomfort, Jordan maintained eye contact with me throughout the entire time and his behavior is consistent with what his psych evaluations have told us. As for Glassman, he showed much the same behavior, though he seemed more uncomfortable than Jordan was."
"I see," Cole said. "Roland, did you perform a biometric scan of the two during the interrogation?"
"I did," Roland said over the loudspeakers in the room. "Jordan and Glassman didn't show any indicators that they were practicing deception. Brain wave scans show that they were actively using the hippocampus, but not their anterior cingulated dorsal lateral prefrontal and parietal cortexes during their recall. If they were lying, those three areas would've lit up like a Christmas tree, and their amygdalas would've showed reduced activity. They also didn't show any other indicators that they were lying, such as accelerated heart rate and the like. Still, I can only say that they were likely telling the truth, since there is no single behavior that indicates whether or not someone is actually lying."
Cole mused to himself as he thought over Roland's assessment. I've seen both of their psyche profiles. From what I can tell, Jordan was likely an innocent bystander that got caught up in what was going on, while Glassman was given orders that he had to follow, or risk insubordination. Still, someone has to be put through disciplinary action for what happened. Looking at Ian, he asked, "What would you suggest?"
"I'd say we should let Jordan go," Ian said. "As far as I can tell, he did exactly what any member of the crew would've done if they noticed something iffy going on: find out what's going on and stop it from continuing. Glassman, if you ask me, should spend an extra day in the brig, but after that, we'll let him go with a warning not to do what he did again."
Cole nodded. "That sounds quite reasonable. I also think that Jordan, for his outstanding efforts since the Infinity's arrival, should be given a promotion. What do you think of having Jordan as the Assistant Chief Engineer for the ship?"
"I think that would be an excellent idea," Ian said. "Jordan's clearly shown that he has the skill set needed to get things done. Besides, as a Ship Systems Specialist, he'll have intimate knowledge of how the systems on the ship work and how to fix them when things go wrong. Should I inform the two?"
"Go ahead," Cole said. "I'm not stopping you. Have a couple Marines go in with you as well."
"Thank you, sir." With that, Ian walked out of the room, while motioning for a pair of Marines to come into the interrogation room with him. Once inside, he said, "The Vice Admiral and I have reached a decision." Looking at Jordan, he said, "In light of your previous actions, Jordan, as well as the evidence that we have on hand, it's been decided that you will be released from confinement and returned to normal duty, effective immediately."
Jordan sighed with relief. He hadn't been expecting that to happen, but now that it had, he was more than happy to be off the hook. "Thank you, sir," he said. "I'm just sorry that this incident erupted in the first place."
"There's nothing for you to apologize for," Ian said. "You did exactly what anyone in your position would've done. However, as is the case, disciplinary action will be meted out. While I commend your efforts to stop a security breach, do remember to contact any military police near your position should you spot this happening again. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Jordan said.
"Very good." Looking at Dr. Glassman, Ian said, "While it is well known that you were likely following orders, Dr. Glassman, you still performed an unauthorized access of classified information. As such, you will spend another day in the brig, after which you will be released with a warning not to conduct that action again. You might also receive a demotion from your current position should the Vice Admiral deem it necessary. Understood?"
Glassman nodded. "I understand," he said. "I did attempt to access information without permission, even though I was just following orders. If that's what is required, then so be it."
"Good. Marines, please return Dr. Glassman to the brig and remove Jordan's restraints." Complying, one of the Marines uncuffed Jordan's wrists before accompanying Glassman as he was returned to the brig. Once he was gone, Ian said, "Vice Admiral Cole has also decided to make you the Assistant Chief Engineer for the ship. Should he decide to demote Dr. Glassman from his current position, you will be made the Chief Engineer of the Infinity. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Jordan said. "I'll see to it that this ship is purring like a kitten at all times."
"Good," Ian said. "Dismissed."
As he walked out of the interrogation room as a free man once more, Jordan couldn't help but reflect on the sudden turn of events. Damn, I get dragged into interrogation, only to be let off with a warning and a promotion. Now that's what I call a twist of fate. Still, I'm now likely the Chief Engineer, so I might as well hop to it. I've got places to go, people to see, and things to do. With a shrug, he proceeded towards the tram that would take him away from the brig and back to the Science Deck.
Once he was back at the Science Deck, he began moving towards the hallway when Dr. Halsey came around the corner. Oh, boy... Jordan thought as he saw her. I'll bet she's gonna ream my ass out for going in her lab without permission. As such, when he saw her, he got ready to bite the bullet. "Dr. Halsey," he said. "Need something?"
"Yes," Halsey said. "Can you come with me into my lab?"
"Sure," Jordan said. Following Halsey, Jordan quickly walked with her and into her lab, with Halsey closing the door. "I take it you've heard about what happened two days ago, yes?"
"Yes," Halsey said. "While I would normally be quite cross with you for accessing my lab, I've decided that you are to be commended instead. Dr. Glassman was clearly beyond his league, even though he was simply following orders, whereas you not only attempted to stop him from accessing classified information, you disapproved of him hacking into my lab. That is commendable of you."
"Thank you, ma'am," Jordan said. "Honestly, I didn't know what the hell he was attempting to access. What was all that, if I may ask?"
"The Death Star?" Halsey asked. When Jordan nodded, she said, "Well, you already know a bit about it, and you've been around the block a few times, so I suppose you can keep a secret. The Death Star is an Imperial superweapon that the Empire designed as a punitive measure against any insurrections that may happen. As you clearly saw yourself, it is a potent weapon, but that was just it's main weapon at it's weakest. It is really designed to destroy entire planets."
"Destroy entire planets?" Jordan asked out of disbelief. When Halsey nodded, he said, "Damn... no wonder you and Rear Admiral Lasky had that information classified. I take it you're finding a way to destroy it, yes?"
"Indeed," Halsey said. "You catch on quick, Jordan. That is an especially useful skill, one that a Chief Engineer needs. Speaking of which, I wanted to congratulate you on your promotion. If Glassman is demoted, which I suspect will be the case, you will be the new Chief Engineer of the Infinity. How does that feel?"
"A tad overwhelming," Jordan said. "I'll have a lot of studying to do. Not particularly enjoyable, but hey, you do what you gotta do, right? I might even take some notes from you. You assembled this ship, so you know a thing or two how things work, yes?"
"Indeed," Halsey said. "If you do end up as the Chief Engineer, I'll be certain to show you a few tips when it comes to Forerunner technology. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things to do. You understand what to do?"
"Yes," Jordan said. "You and I went on our merry way, you never asked me to come to your lab and I was never here."
"Precisely. Enjoy your newfound responsibilities."
. . .
While Jordan and Dr. Halsey were talking with each other, Cortana was looking through more records and files that were inside the Infinity's computer data banks. Ever since she had heard Chief's conversation with Vice Admiral Cole, she had started to do a lot of work in determining how deep the relationship between Parisa and John, her Spartan. This meant that she had to dig through all of the information that she could access on the two.
Now, having done all of her research, she could see just how deep things had been between the two. John, she thought to herself as she looked through the files. I never knew that you had a childhood sweetheart. Knowing that made the circumstances behind John's 'recruitment' into the SPARTAN II Program all the more tragic. And to think that he was taken at the age of six. Now that is tragic.
Still, she now knew that John and Parisa were close friends with each other as children. For some strange reason, she felt that she had an obligation of sorts to start setting the matter right. Parisa has a right to know, she thought to herself. No only does she have the lowest security clearance required to know about the SPARTAN II Program, she deserves to have closure by knowing that her childhood friend is, in fact, the greatest hero in the entire UNSC. Gathering some files, she quickly went to work compressing them, before searching for Parisa's current location.
Inside of her office, Parisa was just finishing up the latest batch of paperwork that had been sent to her desk. And I thought being a Captain was saddled with paperwork, she thought. Lieutenant Colonels have it worse! How they manage to avoid being driven to madness is beyond me. Sighing to herself, she took a sip from her mug, frowning a moment later. Tepid, she realized. Disgusting. To her, coffee was to be served steaming hot and with no sugar and cream.
She was about to get up and get herself a fresh batch of coffee when her holo-table chimed. Walking over and hitting a flashing icon, she asked, "Yes? Hello?"
"Lieutenant Colonel Parisa," came the reply. "Mind if I talk with you?"
Cortana? Parisa thought. What's she doing here, and more importantly, why is she talking to me? Putting the questions aside, she said, "Sure. What about?"
"I recently noticed that you were given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel," Cortana said, her holographic avatar appearing over the table. "As such, I was wondering if you had accessed the files for the SPARTAN-II Program yet. Have you?"
Normally, such a question wouldn't have been a bother, but Parisa noticed how inquisitive Cortana was being. "Uh, no. Why do you ask?"
"Because there is something that you should know about it," Parisa said. "Before we get to that, I want to ask you a question. What do you think happened to John?"
Parisa felt a heat rise in her face before she shoved the emotions down. Taking a breath, she pulled out that photograph of John and herself. Looking at it, she said, "Honestly... I think he's somewhere up there, looking down on me with a smile on his face. Why do you ask?"
Cortana smiled. This is going to be fun, she thought. "Would you believe me if I told you that he is actually alive and well?"
At that, Parisa was surprised, though before long, she was chuckling. "You really think I would believe that? Is that some kind of a sick joke?" When she didn't hear a reply from Cortana, she said, "You're being serious, are you?"
"Yep," Cortana said. "In fact, you've met John a few times already. You just haven't known it yet."
"Really?" Parisa asked. "Name one time that I've encountered John, if what you're saying is true."
"All right," Cortana said. "Two weeks and one day ago, at 0915 Hours, on the command bridge of the Infinity, shortly after the attempted coup failed. You were coming to the bridge in order to rescue Lasky when you encountered a Spartan-II in olive drab armor escorting Captain Ferdinand off the ship. Then, around a few hours later, you met Rear Admiral-117 in his office, when he informed you that he was promoting you to Lieutenant Colonel, which just happens to be the lowest rank required to know about the SPARTAN-II Program. Doesn't that seem odd to you."
Now that Cortana was asking these questions, Parisa began to realize what Cortana was getting at. "Wait a minute... You're telling me that the Rear Admiral that I met, and the Spartan-II that was at the bridge were both John?"
"Exactly!" Cortana said. "If I could, I'd send you a whole bucketload of cigars."
Parisa was confused. "B-But that's impossible! I was told that he died of neurological conditions as a result of genetic defects... Unless you have proof that says otherwise."
"That I do have," Cortana said. When Parisa's data pad chimmed, she said, "I've just sent you the dossiers on all of the Spartan-IIs that are surviving to this day, including that of John-117. Take a look through the files and tell me if I'm wrong. I'll be waiting for your response. Do with them as you will." With that, her avatar flashed out of existence.
Even as Cortana finished speaking, Parisa's mind was a whirlwind of confusion. I don't know if Cortana's pulling an enormous prank on me, or if she's telling the truth. She shrugged. Oh, well. Might as well take a look. I do have the security clearance, after all. With that, she began reading through the file marked 'John-117.'
For several minutes, she focused her attention on going through every single bit of information that was in the file which, needless to say, was a staggering amount of information. Psychological evaluations, fitness reports, commendations, citations, recommendations, all of them with enough information to fill a small novel's worth of paper. All of it seemed surreal, yet here it was for her to see.
When she closed the file, Parisa's mind was filled with shock, then she came to a realization. All this time, she thought. All this time, John was alive and well, kicking the Covenant in the ass, and I never knew... How did I never find out? The answer soon came enough. ONI. They didn't tell anyone, because they didn't want us to find out what really happened. Those arrogant, cocksucking bastards! Turning children into soldiers is NOT the answer to the Insurrection.
Still, the knowledge that John was alive and well as Humanity's greatest champion did much to ease the guilt and shame she had felt for so long. Looking at the photograph one more time, she said, "At last, I don't have to mourn for you anymore, John. All this time, I've been mourning for someone I've lost, when they've actually been alive and well. I don't know how, but I'll find someway to reunite with you. I promise." With that, she continued to look through the files, determined to see if anyone else onboard the Infinity unknowingly had a Spartan-II as a relative.
. . .
Down on the surface of Pantora, Melody Azikiwe sighed as she sat down on one of the couches in the penthouse suite she was in. Before here were dozens of papers that had been painstakingly translated from Basic, the written language the galaxy used, into English, the language the UNSC used. And I thought paperwork where I was from was rough, she thought. This is even worse! No wonder the Republic was having so much trouble: most of their procedures were badly screwed up.
She took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then let it out. The source of her irritation, as well as some of her excitement, was the fact that the Pantorans had decided to be cooperative and make sure that everything was all above board. That, however, meant filling out all kinds of forms, some of which were on flimsiplast, a plastic-like material that served as this galaxy's equivalent to actual paper.
She sighed. I guess that, even in a galaxy where holograms and data pads are commonplace, the paperwork must flow. Still, they could do well in streamlining the bureaucracy so that things would actually get done. Some of their woes come from the fact that things are getting bloated. She knew that the UNSC and UEG had also suffered from the wiles of bureaucracy before the Covenant-UNSC War. After that, and after Ruth Charet was elected as the UEG President, the bureaucracy had been slimmed down considerably. Still, she knew that she had to continue doing her job, otherwise things would go nowhere.
She was so caught up in her duties that she nearly failed to notice the crackle of her COM unit on the desk she was using in the middle of the room. Realizing what that sound meant, she keyed it and asked, "Yes?"
"Ma'am, we have someone that would like to speak with you," came the reply.
"And that would be?"
"RADM Sierra-117," was the response.
Melody frowned. That's strange, she thought to herself. The Master Chief himself wants to speak with me. I wonder why. Shrugging, she said, "You may send him in." As she said this, she looked up to see the Master Chief walking inside.
Unlike the past few times she'd seen him, Chief was no longer inside of the olive drab MJÖLNIR Powered Armor that served as his most iconic appearance. Instead, he was now dressed in a white dress unfiorm that had a number of ribbons on the left breast. From what Melody had heard, Chief had won so many medals that, if he wore them on his dress uniform, every square inch of the upper chest area of his uniform would be completely decked out with medals and ribbons. Thankfully, Chief had chosen to leave behind his so-called 'bling-of-war', as he was instead in his plain white dress uniform.
What caught her attention, though, was his pale skin and his piercing blue eyes, which seemed to shine like they were beacons in a storm. He's quite attractive, a part of her noted, in a primitive, animal sort of way. Pushing that part of her mind aside, she asked, "Rear Admiral-117, what can I do for you?"
"I'm here to review the security of your quarters, as well as to discuss some matters with you," Chief said curtly. He was never one for talking a lot, and it showed in the slight amount of discomfort that carried in his voice.
"All right," Melody said. "I'll grab the two of us some water and then we can get down to business. Sound good?"
"Thank you," Chief said.
Heading to the kitchen in her suite, Melody quickly came back with a pair of glasses filled with water. Setting them down on the small table in the room, she took a sip from one and said, "So, about this business you were talking about…"
"Yes," Chief said. "In addition to the usual negotiations that are going on, Vice Admiral Cole wanted to add something else to the discussions."
"And that would be?"
"Some territory put aside for the construction of forward operating and main operating bases on Pantora," Chief said. "Currently, there is no secure location that we can station our ground forces at, nor are we permitted to do so due to the current political climate on Pantora. As such, Vice Admiral Cole would like you to talk with the Pantorans on the possibility of being able to set up such bases on the planet."
"I see," Melody said. Tapping a finger idly on the table, she said, "That could be possible. In fact, the Pantorans wouldn't mind at all."
"Why?"
"For various reasons," Melody explained. "Part of the reason why the Appeasers wanted to join the Empire was because they were looking for the security from pirates, security that the Empire would be able to provide. Given the fact that we have a military force that is capable of ensuring protection against pirates, it stands to reason that the Appeasers would be amendable to allowing the Infinity to deploy FOBs and MOBs to the surface of Pantora."
Chief nodded. "Remind me of the political situation on Pantora."
"Certainly," Melody said. "The Pantorans, as you are likely aware, are split between three factions: the Republicans, Appeasers and Expansionists. The Republicans are the dominant political force, and they wish to remain separate from the Empire as they feel that the Empire has betrayed the values that they have stood for once. The Appeasers want to join the Empire in order to obtain the security that the Empire is able to provide, while also being able to bolster Pantora's economy, which is buckling due to the isolation that the planet has from the Empire."
"And the Expansionists?"
"They want to form alliances and trade agreements with the slave and spice trading worlds near Pantora," Melody said. "From what I've been able to gather, though, they're viewed with abhorrence by the Pantoran population, which is why they have a small presence. Still, the fact that they're present means that trouble might arise."
Chief nodded in agreement. From what he recalled of his studies during his training, slavers and pirates hated it when legitimate governments came around and began enforcing the law. This usually led to them either leaving for greener pastures, or banding together to assault that legitimate government and drive it out of the region for good. Given the state of things that were going on, Chief knew that the latter of the two possibilities was very likely to happen. "I see," he said. "So the Republicans and Appeasers won't have trouble with us setting up bases on their planet?"
"Probably not, but it pays to be prepared," Melody said. "Both the Republicans and Appeasers want the same thing: to allow Pantora and its people to grow and thrive once more. The one thing keeping them apart was the fact that the Republicans didn't want to give up their democratic values, while the Appeasers want to join the Empire. By coming along in the way we did, we've presented them with a third option: to become allies of the UEG and, in doing so, not only benefit from what will be an economic boom, but to have the security and safety that the UNSC will provide."
"I take it the Expansionists do not approve of this."
"They won't," Melody agreed. "The one thing that has me worried is that they've been unusually silent. Sure, Corthad has been speaking with me quite often, though some people feel that he is the leader of the Expansionists. I'm not so sure, though, given how passionately he speaks about his people. Still, it could be that -"
Melody would've continued speaking were it not for Chief's actions in the next few seconds. As Melody spoke with him, he felt a prickling sensation on the back of his neck, along with all of the hairs on the back of his neck standing up on end. Almost immediately, he knew that his gut instinct was telling him that something was wrong. It didn't take him long to find out, especially when he spotted what looked like a reddened spot on Melody's right temple. "GET DOWN!" he roared, dropping to the floor and pulling Melody down with him. Melody, not anticipating the reaction, landed with a loud grunt on Chief's chest.
Chief's single action saved Melody's life. An instant later, the glass window shattered explosively, with pieces of glass flying everywhere. A loud KRA-THOOM erupted in the air, while a dinner-plate sized crater appeared in the wall closest to the suite's door. The projectile, traveling at extreme velocity, punched through the wall and into the corridor, running through several walls before coming to a complete stop.
Fred-104 and Linda-058, who were standing outside, were briefly caught off guard as the metal projectile fired by the assailant punched through the wall, with the slug barely missing Fred by a millimeter. Both of them immediately reacted, with both Spartan-IIs smashing through the door and into the penthouse suite. "SNIPER!" Chief called out. "LINDA!"
"I'm on it!" Linda said as she aimed her rifle out of the window. Just then, a second shot rang out, with the round smacking into Linda's shield's. To her mild surprise, her shields immediately shattered, though in doing so, they had protected her from the high velocity projectile that had been fired at her. The second shot had also allowed her to quickly spot where the hostile was. Pulling out Nornfang, she took aim as her shields recharged, before firing a round directly at where the vapor trail from the first round ended. Around a second later, she heard a howl of agony, before a body fell from one of the buildings towards the ground. "Target neutralized!" she shouted. Moving to the two, she asked, "Are you two all right?!"
"I'm fine," Chief said. "Melody, are you OK?"
"I don't know," Melody said as she winced. "My chest feels like I fell onto concrete. I think I cracked a rib."
"MEDIVAC is on the way," Fred said to Chief. "The Pelican's en route, but I've warned them to keep an eye out for any more snipers. If a round like that can punch through walls with that kind of ease, we're dealing with an assassin that wanted to make sure that Melody was well and truly dead."
"Agreed," Chief said. "Linda, sweep the area. I don't want any more snipers to be firing at us." Nodding, Linda continued to scan the area, though as of yet, no one else fired at her.
At that moment, Fred turned to see Pantoran Defense Force soldiers rushing into the room. Spotting the shattered window, and the crater in the wall, one of them was about to run over when he saw Fred pointing his rifle at him. "What's going on?!" he shouted.
"Someone tried to assassinate Envoy Melody," Fred said.
"Someone tried to hurt her?!" the officer in charge of the soldiers, identified as Captain Gevor by his nametag, shouted as he pushed past the soldiers, clearly angry and worried at the same time. "Is she all right?! Does she need medical treatment?!"
"I'm OK," Melody said, though the wince on her face said otherwise. "I think I cracked a rib, but I'm all right. Chief here saved my life."
Gevor sighed with relief. "Thank the Force that you're OK! If you'd been killed on my watch, I… I don't want to imagine what would've happened then. Still, whoever has tried to kill Envoy Melody will pay for their crimes!" Turning to one of his men, he said, "You there! I want this entire building cordoned off immediately, and the building where the shot came from. Coordinate with Melody's bodyguards! I'm going to get in contact with the rest of the Pantoran Assembly and inform them as to what's going on!"
"There's no need to sir!" one of the soldiers shouted. "I've gotten into contact with the PDF soldiers over there! Someone's taken the entire Pantoran Assembly hostage!"
"What?!" Gevor shouted. Shaking his head, he said, "Never mind that! Who's holding them hostage and what do they want!"
"I'm working on that right now!" the soldier said.
As he said this, the Pelican arrived, with the front of the ship pointed directly away from the building as the ramp lowered. Picking up Melody, Chief slung her over his shoulder and began moving towards the ship. Melody's weight didn't even slow him down as he raced through the penthouse suite and into the troop bay for the ship. "Work with Captain Gavor to lock down the hostile's location!" Chief ordered Fred and Linda. "Do what you can to liberate the Pantoran Assembly. Melody and I will return to the Infinity!"
"Understood!" Fred and Linda said as the Pelican's doors closed, with the VTOL quickly lifting off and heading away from the building.
. . .
At the Pantoran Assembly, there was a debate going on as the Appeasers and Republicans debated the various merits and demerits of creating an alliance with the UNSC. Sitting at her station in the Assembly Chambers, Riyo rubbed her forehead as she heard the various Senators debating the finer points of Melody's proposals from the day before. So far, all was going well, as the Senators were remarkably calm and reasonable for some odd reason.
She smiled as she considered the possible causes for why they were being so reasonable. Both of them have been presented with an option that hasn't been possible until now, she thought to herself. With the arrival of the UNSC over the planet of Pantora, the Republicans know of a republican government that upholds the ideals that the Pantorans believe in, while the Appeasers see a strong government that is capable of protecting its borders and is also an economical powerhouse.
Her thoughts darkened slightly as she thought about the Expansionists and their opinion on the matter. From what she could recall, the Expansionists were firmly against the idea of joining in an alliance with the UNSC and UEG, with many citing that they would lose their independence. Few in the room, though, believed them, as Melody had made it clear during the previous day that the UNSC and UEG didn't intend to rule over Pantora, but rather wanted to form an alliance with them.
What had surprised her the most, though, was that Corthad, the one person she thought was the leader of the Expansionists, was actually a strong proponent for an alliance with the UNSC and UEG, rather than an opponent. Apparently, I misjudged Corthad, she thought as the debates continued. Apparently, he wasn't an Expansionist at all. From the sounds of things, he is a Republican.
Her thoughts were interrupted as Chi Eekway nudged her shoulder slightly. "Yes?" she asked. Noticing Eekway's worried expression, she asked, "What's wrong? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Eekway said. "For some strange reason, I feel that something terrible is about to happen. I know that I should feel safe in here, but for some reason, I don't feel safe."
Riyo frowned. Having been a friend of Chi Eekway for quite some time, Riyo knew that she could trust the Speaker of the Assembly. If she said that something bad was likely going to happen, chances were that she was right. "All right," she said. "Once this debate is done, I'll call for a recess so that you and I can speak with the security detail for the Assembly Chambers. Does that help?"
"Yes," Eekway said, "though I hope this debate ends soon. I fear that something terrible might happen if we don't act quickly enough."
Riyo was just about to reassure her friend when Chi Eekway's premonition came true. As she turned to speak with her, everyone stopped when they heard what sounded like blaster fire coming from the doors. Several members of the Pantoran Defense Force that were stationed inside of the room quickly advanced towards the doors. "Everyone down into the bowl!" one of the officers shouted to them. "We'll handle this!" Realizing what was happening, each of the Senators quickly moved down to where Riyo and Eekway were at, using the chairs as a form of cover.
No sooner had the last Senator moved into position did all hell break loose. The doors were forced open, with Riyo noting that they had been hacked to open and close. Peering from out of cover, Riyo watched as the PDF soldiers were caught in a massive firefight against people that were shooting at them from the entrances. The attackers appeared to be a motley collection of aliens, from Humans and Rodians, to Nemoidians and Trandoshans. All of them were armed with various weapons, from blaster pistols to disruptors, and all of them were fighting like mad to get inside of the room.
While they knew they were doomed from the start, none of the PDF soldiers decided to surrender. Instead, they fought on to the bitter end, even as the attackers overwhelmed them with sheer numbers. A PDF soldier screamed as a blaster bolt tore through his chest, while another barely had time to shout before a disintegrator reduced him to naught but a charred skeleton. Eventually, all of the PDF soldiers had been killed, with the pirates, as Riyo had finally realized they were pirates, moved around the Assembly Chambers and held their guns at the Senators.
One of them, a Human with graying hair and an ugly scar across his face, walked down to the Senators with a pair of Trandoshans. "Well, well, well," he said with an ugly sneer. "What have we here? Some frightened and cowardly Senators. Get them clustered together and tie them up!"
Both Trandoshans nodded, before they and a few Rodians and Humans began forcing the Senators into small clumps of fifteen. Taking some cuffs that they had brought, they cuffed each of the Senator's hands behind their backs before forcing them to sit on the ground. One tried to protest, only to be bludgeoned in the head with a blaster. "Shut up!" the pirate in question shouted, "or I'll blow your blood and guts all over the floor!"
"Who are you?!" Riyo shouted.
"Who am I?" the Human leading the pirates parroted. "Well, it's quite simple really. I'm Vero Gortad, and I've been hired to ensure that a itty bitty little treaty with the newcomers doesn't make it through."
"You mean the UNSC and UEG?"
"Yes," Vero said.
"Why?!" Riyo demanded. "What did they ever do to you to make you do this to us?!"
"Not to me, but to my employers," Vero said. "Besides, I believe it is time that you met them." A moment later, forty five of the Senators in the room stood up, each of them moving to where the pirates were.
Among them, Riyo recognized one of them, a tall and thin man with black hair and a single gold eye. His other eye was foggy, courtesy of a scar that ran down the left side of his face. She immediately recognized him as Forad Xetor, one of the suspected Expasionists in the Pantoran Assembly. "You?!" she asked. "You did this to us?! WHY?!"
"Well, it is quite simple, really," Forad said with a sneer. "I was one of the Pantorans that was going to be elected for the seat of Supreme Chairman, then you had to come along and deliver a speech on why we needed to support the Republic's values. You have no idea how many criminal syndicates you angered with your speech. Many of them were working with me to ensure that they had fair cuts and that they could ploy their business.
"So, for the past several years, I've been planning for the day I would overthrow the Pantoran Assembly and bring in new management. When the UNSC and UEG arrived and started preaching their holier-than-thou proposals, my colleagues, who were more than ready to begin the overthrow of the government, were quite nervous, so I hired a few to kill the Envoy from the UNSC and to force them to bend to our demands. Either they yield, or their ship is taken for our own, and all of you are slaughtered like Banthas."
"You would dare do this to us, all for the sake of a grudge?!" Riyo shouted. "I never knew you could be so… petty, Forad! No wonder no one elected you -"
She was interrupted when Forad walked over and backhanded her with a slap to the face. "SILENCE, you!" he shouted. "Dare to open your mouth again, and I will have my colleagues ensure that your body will be unrecognizable once we are done with you!" Looking at one of the pirates, he said, "Establish a HoloCOM link to the Infinity. Once it is open, I shall relay our demands to Admiral Cole. If he really wishes to keep all of you alive, he will bend the knee to us. If not, then you and his ship will be taken or destroyed! Pray that he listens to reason, otherwise your lifespans will be dramatically shortened."
As the Pirates began to set up position for the long wait, Riyo began working at her bonds silently. Locked tight, but I know this model. I can break out of it given enough time, she thought. I just hope that Envoy Melody is all right, and that Cole doesn't bend the knee to these pirates.
. . .
Onboard the Infinity, Cole was about to head to his lunch break when he was immediately recalled to the flag bridge. Striding into the flag bridge, he looked around at the command personnel that were inside. "What is it?" he asked.
"Distress call from the surface!" Cortana reported.
"Sir!" Lieutenant Jespersen said to Cole, "Someone's tried to assassinate Envoy Melody! They're currently on their way back from the planet!"
Almost immediately, Cole could feel his heart beginning to race in his chest. Taking a few breaths to calm his rapidly beating heart, he pushed all emotions out of his immediate thoughts. Time to focus and determine what is going on, a part of his mind said. "What's the situation? Is Melody injured?"
"Yes, she is," Jespersen said, "but she was saved by Rear Admiral-117 from the assassin. Minor injuries, but the medics believe that she'll be fine. Blue Two and Blue Three have cordoned off the building and were able to successfully neutralize the attacker. To make matters worse, though, we have confirmation that pirates have assaulted the Pantoran Assembly Building and are currently holding the Senators inside hostage."
As he heard those words, Cole realized what was going on. The Expansionists have finally made their move, he thought to himself. It's a good thing that I had Dare's team down there, though this is something of a surprise. "Order the Rear Admiral to continue his return to the ship and have a team of Marines ready to go in case we have more fires to put out. Contact Dare and inform her to create an encrypted COM channel to the Infinity immediately."
"Aye, sir!" Jespersen said. "Also, I've got another COM signal coming in to the Infinity, sir. I think it's from whomever is holding the Senators hostage."
"Put them through to the holo-table immediately," Cole said. Once he got confirmation that the transmission was coming through, he cleared his throat and said, "This is Vice Admiral Preston Cole of the UNSC Infinity. Who am I speaking to?"
A moment later, the hologram of a Pantoran with graying hair and an ugly scar over his left eye appeared over the holo-table, or rather his head, upper arms and upper chest did. "Greetings, Vice Admiral Cole," he said, though the cold tone of his voice indicated it was anything but a warm greeting. "I am Senator Forad Xetor of the Expansionists. I am calling to inform you that I have assassinated your Envoy and that I now have the entire Pantoran Assembly as my hostages."
Cole remained calm, though he frowned inwardly. He's got the entire assembly hostage, and he'll definitely use that to his advantage. He doesn't know, though, that Melody is alive and well. Time to begin finding out more. "Why, if I may ask?" he asked. "What are your demands?"
"Simply put, I represent a group of Pantorans that believe that you are naught but conquerors and tyrants disguising your true intentions behind the cloak of peace and friendship. In addition, we have long ago agreed to create an alliance with the slave and spice trading worlds surrounding Pantora, an agreement that the Republicans and Appeasers refuse to believe in.
"As such, my demands are this: you are to hand over the Infinity to the people of Pantora if you wish to have the Assembly remain alive and well. If you do not comply, not only will I slaughter the entirety of the Pantoran Assembly, I will also send in a fleet to capture your ship and, if necessary, to destroy it. Those are my demands."
With those demands in mind, Cole realized what Forad was going to attempt to do. Not only does he intend to capture the most powerful UNSC ship in the entire galaxy, he intends to use it to create a criminal empire. Still, I cannot believe if Forad is being extremely bold or extremely foolish. Keeping his expression neutral, he said, "I see. I would like some time to discuss this with the officers onboard my ship."
Forad frowned, but didn't say anything. "Very well," he said. "You have one hour to come to a decision. If you do not come to a decision when that hour ends, I will begin killing each of the Senators per hour until you capitulate. If you refuse, I kill everyone. The clock is now ticking. I suggest you make the right choice." A moment later, the HoloCOM call cut off.
Cole shook his head. That deluded fool, he thought with a smile. He has no idea what kind of trouble he's unleashed. Keying another COM frequency, he said, "Vice Admiral Cole to Captain Dare. Do you read me? Did you catch all that?"
"I did," Dare said. "I can't tell if Forad knows something we don't or is being incredibly foolish. Either way, he's got the Pantoran Assembly under his control, and he's going to use the Senators as leverage or hostages. Is this part of the reason my team and I have been down here for the past day or so?"
"Partially," Cole said. "How many people do you have with you?"
"Around twenty people, sir. Around four ONI agents and sixteen ODSTs. Why?"
"Because I have new orders for you," Cole said. "Cortana, you've been working with Dare and her people. Pull up a schematic of the building and lets see if we can find a way inside."
"Yes, sir," Cortana said. "I'm way ahead of you there." Pulling up a schematic of the building, she said, "From what I can tell, Dare and her team can get into the building using one of the sewer shafts that go below the building. In one of those is a maintenance hatch that leads directly into one of the custodian rooms inside the building.
"Once her team is inside, they can move through the building and neutralize any hostiles that are in their way. I'll cut off the power until they get to the entrance to the Assembly Chambers. However, they won't be taking the main door. There are a pair of doors in the rear of the chambers that will allow them to sneak up on the pirates. If they use any flashbangs, they'll be able to blind everyone inside, and neutralize the pirates."
"Excellent!" Cole said. "Dare, as Cortana's just told me, you'll infiltrate the building using the route she'll be sending to you. Once you're inside, neutralize any hostiles that you find and get to those doors. Do not neutralize Forad. He is a high priority target, and we'll need to interrogate him to make certain that this is the only coup the pirates will attempt. Understood?"
"Understood, sir," Dare said. "We're already underway. ETA: 45 mikes."
"Copy that," Cole said. Closing the COM channel, he said, "Roland, work with the officers here to deploy the frigates and get them set up around the Infinity. Should Forad's boast of having a fleet be true, we'll need them in order to defend the Infinity once I give my answer to Forad. Also, inform Sarpong to have a platoon of Marines ready to go in case things go sour."
"Understood, sir!" Roland said. "Time to give that nutcase a reality check."
. . .
Down below on the planet, Captain Dare and the ODSTs were quickly moving through the streets of Pantora. Much of the city was still asleep, courtesy of this hemisphere of Pantora being in the season of winter. As such, the ODSTs under her command were able to quickly move through the streets and alleys of Pantora without arousing undue suspicion.
Still, Dare was surprised that the Expansionists would be this ballsy, especially given the fact that they were dealing with a faction who's military strength was, for the most part, completely unknown. I guess when some people see a chance to gain power, it goes to their head and makes them incredibly stupid, she thought. Either way, reality is about to give Forad a massive slap in the face.
As they moved through the area, her COM unit clicked. "Ma'am, we've got a UAV performing a high altitude scan of the area. We should be able to figure out who the pirates are and who are just civilians on a morning stroll. Given that the city is still pretty much asleep, I'm not worried about running into any civies."
"Understood, Hunter 2-2," Dare said. "From this point on, refer to everyone by their assigned callsigns for this mission. I am Hunter 2-Lead and Commander Rochard is Epsilon 2-Lead. Understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," the others replied with military precision.
They continued to quickly move through the streets, eyes scanning everywhere for hostile targets. So far, the VISR mode in Dare's helmet hadn't picked up any hostile targets, though she had a feeling that they were soon going to pick up contacts soon. This proved to be the case when one of her men, Hunter 2-1, said, "Hostile contacts. 10 o'clock."
Moving behind a dumpster, Dare leaned out and examined the area ahead. Two pirates, both of them Trandoshans, were guarding what appeared to be a manhole in the streets. Apparently, Forad had the foresight to ensure that any potential entrances into the building would be guarded, including the sewer system. "Cortana, is that the way to go?"
"Affirmative," Cortana said. "That manhole leads to the sewer that will take you directly underneath the building. I'd advise taking them out when you can."
"Copy that," Dare said. "Hunter 2-1, 2-2, on me!" Moving into position, both ODSTs fixed the sights of their silenced M20 PDWs onto each alien's head. "On the count of three," Dare said. "One… two… three!"
Both ODSTs fired, their PDWs emitting quiet coughing sounds as they fired 5mm AP bullets at their targets. Both Trandoshans were killed instantly, the backs of their heads exploding outwards as the bullets tore through their skulls and brains. Both of them immediately fell to the ground like ninepins.
With both hostiles down, Hunter and Epsilon Squad began moving up, with both squads covering the manhole as Dare and Rochard leaned over and popped it open. Carrying it, they set it down to the side before shining a light inside. There was no one at the end of the latter, with the raw sewage and dirty water shining back at them. "Hunter 2-8, Epsilon 2-8, remain here and keep this entrance covered in case anyone else comes along. The rest of you, with me!"
Both assigned ODSTs remained at the entrance, with the two men dragging the bodies out of sight. The others quickly followed Dare down the ladder and into the sewer, their VISRs enabling them to see in the dark. Once they were inside, Dare asked, "Cortana, which way?"
"Setting up a waypoint now," Cortana replied. A moment later, a blue diamond symbol appeared on Dare's HUD, with the two teams quickly moving towards the next part of their journey. Eventually, they came to another ladder, with the waypoint shifting position until it pointed straight up at a hatch at the end of another ladder. Hunter 2-1, at Dare's order, began climbing it, but had his M6H2 in his hand as he gently pushed at the ladder cover. "Locked," he said, "but I've got an idea. I need a suppressor."
Nodding at his request, Dare handed Hunter 2-1 a suppressor, which he quickly screwed onto the muzzle of the Magnum. Once he was up at the top of the ladder again, he took aim at where he thought the lock was and fired a single round. There was a muted POP-BANG as the round detonated after penetrating partially into the durasteel cover. This cracked the cover just enough for Hunter 2-1 to force open, allowing him to sweep the custodian room he was in before motioning for the others to come up.
Once everyone was up in the room, Dare said, "We'll split up from here. Commander Rochard, you'll take the west side of the Pantoran Assembly Room while I take up the right."
"Copy that," Commander Rochard said.
"Cortana, we're inside. Go ahead and cut the power."
"Copy that," Cortana said. "I'm accessing the building's power grid now. Power failure in three… two… one… now." A moment later, the power for the building was immediately shut down, with the entire building being plunged into darkness. A moment later, dim red emergency lights came on, giving just enough light to know where the exit was.
Both squads split up, with both teams moving to handle both sides of the building. Moving quickly, Dare and Hunter 2-1 popped off a few rounds and terminated a few more pirates as they advanced through the building. As they continued to move through the dimly lit building, Dare asked, "Cortana, what's the status of the hostages?"
"All good so far," Cortana said. "I was able to keep power on for their section of the building. We've got around five minutes before they contact Cole again. I recommend picking up the pace."
"Copy that," Dare said. "Hunter, Epsilon, double time!" With that, both squads began to hustle, while neutralizing any pirates that were in their way. soon, they came to a double door that was located at the end of a hallway. Stacking up on it, Dare said, "Place a breaching charge on the door." As her squad did so, she said, "Epsilon Lead, do you read me?"
"I copy," Commander Rochard said. "We're stacking up on the door right now and a charge has been set. Ready to blow on your command."
"Copy that," Dare said. Keying her COM, she said, "Epsilon Lead to Infinity Actual. We're in position."
"Copy that," came Cole's reply. "I'm about to contact Forad right now. As soon as you hear the phrase 'enjoy the scenic route,' move in and neutralize the pirates."
"Understood," Dare said. "You catch that, Rochard?"
"I copy," came the reply. "Ready to go in at Cole's command."
. . .
Inside of the Assembly Chambers, Riyo watched with nervous anticipation as the pirates paced around the area, waiting for Cole's reply. Forad was already starting to get antsy, even as he paced himself. Working at her cuffs, Riyo found that she had almost freed herself from her restraints. Just gotta wait for the right moment now, she said to herself.
As the minutes ticked by, Forad said, "I doubt that Vice Admiral Cole is calling. Vero, prepare to execute one of the Senators."
"You got it," Vero said. Walking over, his eyes scanned over each of them before he looked at Chi Eekway. "Pull her out of the group. Get her lined up so I can kill her when it's time."
"You got it," one of the pirates said, grabbing at Chi Eekway and pushing her into one of the chairs. "Ready and waiting," he said after checking his disruptor.
"On my command," Forad said. "Ready…" The pirate aimed his weapon at Chi. Just as he was about to say 'fire', the HoloCOM unit began chiming. "Ah," Forad said. "It appears as though Cole is ready to speak with us." Opening the HoloCOM channel, he said, "Have you reached a decision yet, Vice Admiral?"
"I have," Cole said. "All I've got to tell you, Forad, is how much of an egotistical and foolish asshole you really are. When I'm done, you'll be wanting to enjoy the scenic route and I'll make sure your fleet burns!"
Forad sneered. "So be it. If that is what you want." Looking at Vero, he said, "Call in the fleet. The rest of you: line up the Senators and -" He never got farther than that.
In an explosion of movement, Riyo, having unbound herself, rushed forwards and tackled Forad to the ground, dazing him with a haymaker to the face that sent the man tumbling to the ground. At the exact same time, the doors at the back of the Assembly Chambers exploded outwards, with one door crushing a hapless Rodian that was at the entrance. Small cylindrical objects flew through the air before landing at the feet of the pirates.
Moments later, they detonated, filling the room with flashes of blinding white light. Vero, the pirates and the Senators cried out in pain as the flashbangs immediately activated all of the photoreceptors in their eyes, causing their entire worlds to be replaced with blackness and blinding white light. At that, the ODSTs on the other side of the door rushed in, weapons blazing as they began cutting down each and every one of the pirates.
Blinded and terrified, most of the pirates were unable to formulate an effective counterattack, with almost all of them falling as bullets designed to penetrate nanolaminate armor and explode inside of alien bodies tore them apart. Vero, regaining his vision, fired his disruptor at one of the ODSTs as he took cover. Instead of being disintegrated, the man was knocked onto his back as an explosion rang out, with the man lying still for a moment before tearing off his shattered chest armor while roaring in agony.
Several other pirates that had managed to take cover also took this opportunity to pop out of cover and open fire. Dare snarled as she heard two screams from her ODSTs, their armor exploding as the disruptors tore through them. Damnit! she snarled. Gotta take those bastards out! I wish Buck was here. Leveling her silenced MA5D at the pirates, she gunned the two pirates, a Trandoshan and Rodian respectively, down. Their bodies jerked as SAPHE rounds tore into them before detonating.
As the fight continued, Rochard's squad was also taking casualties. Two more had been hit with disintegrators, their bodies literally burning away as the bolts tore them apart on the molecular level. Seeing red, all of the surviving ODSTs unleashed a fusilade of bullets and shotgun shells, tearing into any pirates that even dared to peek out of cover. Rochard was about to move forwards when one of his men shouted, "GET DOWN, SIR!", shoving him out of the way. There was a loud KRA-THOOM as a sniper rifle fired, with Epsilon 2-5 being hurled backwards by the blow. The armor on his chest had held, but it was now crumpled beyond repair.
Angered, Rochard looked up to see a single Human changing his position before taking aim again. "Not this time!" he snarled, firing his M6H2 directly at the pirate. The pirate didn't have a chance to react, before the 12.7mm bullet tore through the scope of his weapon and into his head, causing it to explode like a melon.
Nearby, another ODST was struggling against a Trandoshan that had charged him. Both men grappled with each other, though they were equally matched in strength. Snarling, the Trandoshan head-butted the ODST, smashing the man's nose against the inside of his own visor. Angry, the ODST whipped out his combat knife, before gutting the Trandoshan with it. A rank smell filled the air as organs spilled onto the ground. Shocked, the Trandoshan stared at his organs, even as the ODST drove the knife through his skull, ending the alien's life instantly.
Within just fifteen seconds, each of the pirates had been killed, and Forad was on the ground as Riyo held him down. The other Expansionists, realizing that they had been defeated, quickly surrendered, with the ODSTs cuffing them and putting them under guard. While doing so, Dare shouted, "MEDIC!", as two ODSTs rushed to their fallen compatriots.
"AAAAGGGHHHH!" Hunter 2-4 screamed as pain threatened to overload his brain. The skin on his chest had been burnt away, revealing charred muscle and bone underneath. "MY CHEST! IT HURTS! IT HURTS! AAAAUUUGGHHH!" Nearby, Epsilon 2-5 had torn off his chest armor, a grimace on his face as another Corpsman came over to him.
"HOLD HIM STILL!" the Corpsman working on Hunter 2-4 shouted. Two ODSTs ran over and held the man's thrashing limbs down as the Corpsman went to work. Pulling out a needle, he jammed it into the man's neck after wrenching his helmet off. The man's screams of agony slowly turned to moans, before he finally fell still.
"Is he all right?" Dare asked as the Corpsman went to work.
The Corpsman was silent as he bandaged up the injured ODST and applied first aid. Looking at her, he said, "I've stabilized him, but we need to get him back to the Infinity ASAP! If we stay here, he'll die!"
"We'll need to get Epsilon 2-5 out of here too!" the other Corpsman shouted. "He's got broken ribs and there's a chance we've got a collapsed lung!"
"Hunter 2-2, 23 and Epsilon 2-4 and 2-2, get them outside ASAP!" Dare ordered. As the four ODSTs carried their injured compatriots out of the building, Dare keyed her COM and said, "Hunter 2-Lead to Infinity Actual! All Senators secured! We've got casualties and are requesting immediate MEDIVAC! Be advised, we have five fatalities!"
"Copy that," came the reply. "MEDIVAC is on its way. ETA: 4 mikes."
"Copy that," Dare said.
Chi Eekway, having recovered from her scare, as well as the flashbang's effects, asked, "Who are you people?!"
"Captain Veronica Dare of the UNSC Navy. Admiral Cole sent us to save you guys from being killed by the Expansionists and their goon squad."
Hearing this, Riyo, Chi and the other Senators relaxed, with some beginning to cry. "Thank you!" one of them said as tears streamed from her eyes. "Thank you for saving us!"
Corthad, who had been among the Republicans, stood up after he was uncuffed and said, "You have saved our lives. We are forever in your debt, Captain Dare. The people of Pantora will recognize you and Vice Admiral Cole for the heroes that you all are."
"Just doing our jobs," Dare said. Looking at Forad, she asked, "Is this the asshole that tried to conduct the coup?"
"Yes," Riyo said. "He started it all because I became the Supreme Chairman and he didn't. All of this was over some minor grudge and the promise of power!"
Forad was livid, his eyes wide with rage. "THIS ISN'T THE END OF IT!" he roared at them. "I WILL HAVE MY REVENGE! I HAVE FRIENDS THAT WILL KILL YOU FOR GOO-" Before he could finish, Corthad, who was thoroughly incensed by this point, walked over and smashed his right foot into Forad's face, knocking the man out instantly.
"Enough out of you, terrorist!" he snarled. Looking at Dare, he said, "Forad said that he had a pirate fleet that would come and attempt to capture or destroy the Infinity if Cole refused or his plan failed."
"Don't worry," Dare said. "Cole is one of the best Vice Admirals in the entire UNSC Navy. It'll take more than a few pirates to keep him down. You might want to inform the PDF about what happened here."
"No need to!" came a voice from the main entrance. Turning in that direction, Dare watched as Captain Gevor came down the ramp leading to the bottom of the bowl. "My men and I rallied the PDF ground forces and neutralized the rest of the pirates outside of the Assembly Building during your trek to the Assembly Chambers. One of your friends, Cortana if I recall correctly, informed us of what was going on over an encrypted channel. The Pantoran Defense Fleet is moving to assist the Infinity as we speak."
"Good," Dare said. "Looks like we stopped the coup dead in it's tracks. We'll help you secure this building and make sure the pirates haven't left behind any surprises. As for Cole, I wouldn't worry. Like I said, it'll take more than some pirates to keep him down."
. . .
It would've been highly amusing and pleasing for Dare to know that her words were about to be quite correct. Up in orbit, Cole watched as the last of the six Anlance-class frigates took up position around the Infinity, weapons armed and ready to take on any hostiles that came at the ship. That ship was just in time too, as Lieutenant Ryder said, "Vice Admiral, we have hostile forces inbound on our position. Sensor scans indicate that we're facing around eight Carrack-class light cruisers, as well as what our scans indicate are two stolen Nebulon-B class frigates, a Neutron Star bulk carrier, as well as a number of transports, likely for crew and cargo. We've also got enemy fighters inbound."
"Understood," Cole said. "Order the Anlances to begin attacks from long range, and launch Broadswords and Longswords immediately." Looking at the redouts, he noted the design of the Nebulon-Bs that were coming towards the Infinity. That is the shittiest ship design I've ever seen, he thought as he noted the thin midship section connecting the engines to the front. Any real ship designer worth his salt would've scrapped that design immediately.
As the thought passed through Cole's mind, Jespersen said, "Sir! Incoming enemy transmission from the Neutron Star bulk carrier. Audio only. Playing it now."
A moment later, a rough voice said, "UNSC Infinity, this is Captain Jordar of the Everlasting Spoils. You are to stand down immediately and allow us to come aboard and take possession of your ship. Resist and you will be boarded or destroyed."
Cole had a response immediately. "This is Vice Admiral Preston Cole of the UNSC Infinity to Captain Jordar of the Everlasting Spoils. You will not be taking the Infinity, and you will not be boarding this ship. Cease your attack immediately or we will open fire." As soon as he finished the Everlasting Spoils, fired at the Infinity, only for the turbolaser bolts to bounce off the energy shields. "Very well, you were warned. All frigates, move to engage!"
"Copy that. Moving to engage!" came the response.
Turning to Lieutenant Austen, Cole said, "Lieutenant, you may fire at will. Destroy the bulk carrier known as the Everlasting Spoils. I want one 50% power MAC shot on that ship. That'll send a message to these pirates that we're not to be trifled with."
"Copy that," Lieutenant Austen said. "All weapons systems are online and the unknown targets have been designated as hostile. Roland?"
"Targeting solution for the MAC is ready," Roland said. "I can't wait to blow that bitch away. Ready at your order."
"Copy that," Cole said. "Fire now, now, now." As he said this, he looked directly at the pirate ships that were moving towards the Infinity. They're about to get a nasty surprise, he thought.
As soon as the Infinity had turned her main guns towards the bulk carrier, one of the CR-03B, Series-8 MAC Guns locked onto the ship. Once the capacitors reached 50% charge, Roland loaded in one of the sub-caliber shells and fired the MAC. Inside of the ship, there was a loud KRAK-THOOM as the MAC gun fired, sending a slug at high speed towards the Everlasting Spoils.
While the slug was invisible to the naked eye in space, the effects it had on the enemy ship were devastating. The entire ship simply shattered when the slug impacted and shattered midway through its journey inside of the ship, sending pieces of the enemy ship flying everywhere. The two Nebulon-B frigates immediately pulled hard to port as they attempted to avoid destruction by the Infinity. The second of the two didn't even stand a chance, as the Mini-MACS on the dorsal section of the ship, combined with the numerous other weapons on the Infinity ripped it to shreds.
At around the same time, the Strident and Anlance-class frigates began engaging the Carrack-class Light Cruisers. Durasteel armor plating was sheared and boiled off as the ships on both sides began tearing at each other. One of the Anlance frigates downed a Carrack's main shields with its pulse laser turrets, before using its main gun to carve an ugly gash down the side of the ship. The beam struck the engines, boiling through the armor and causing a massive explosion to erupt as fuel was detonated, leaving the ship dead in space. Another Anlance frigate began to engage yet another Carrack, before destroying the enemy ship with its main weapon.
Nearby, the Strident frigates began to show off their might as well. Two Strident frigates fired their MAC guns at two Carrack light cruisers at the same time, with the rounds tearing through the ships after overwhelming the particle shields with the sheer kinetic energy of each strike. Before long, they were engaging the other Carrack light cruisers with their weapons, tearing massive rents and holes in their hulls. All the while, fighters were tearing at the fighters the pirates had brought along, mostly Z-95 Headhunters, as well as stolen TIE fighters.
Two of the Strident frigates began firing on the Nebulon-B frigate that had survived. Looking at the ships as they engaged, Cole noticed that the Nebulon-B frigate's particle shields were holding up better than he thought, with some slugs bouncing off the shields. So it is more useful than expected, he thought. Interesting... we'll have to account for that once war breaks out.
As the fight wore on, Cole was about to issue more orders when Ryder said, "Sir! I'm reading friendly contacts moving to engage the pirates! It's the Pantoran Defense Fleet!"
"Confirmed," Roland said. "PDF ships are moving to engage the pirates sir. Their weapons are hot and they're ready to engage."
The COM crackled a second later. "This is Captain Hadjo of the Pantoran Guardian to the UNSC Infinity. We received word that the coup on the ground has been defeated. We've come to aid you in your fight against the pirates."
Cole smiled as he motioned for Jespersen to initiate a COM channel. "This is Vice Admiral Cole to the PDF Pantoran Guardian. We read you and we accept your aid. Good to see that not all Pantorans work with pirates."
"Indeed," Hadjo said. "Forad was a pompous fool from the start. How about we kill these pirates and call it a day?"
"I believe that is a sound idea," Cole said. With that, the Pantoran Defense Fleet quickly moved in, firing their turbolasers at the pirates while the UNSC ships provided fire support.
The pirates, seeing the UNSC and PDF forces working together, realized that they were doomed. While some fought on despite knowing they were going to die, others attempted to flee, only for precisely aimed MAC or pulse laser shots to destroy their engines. "Send Spartans onboard those ships to capture them," Cole said. "We'll need to find out who's behind the attack, aside from Forad, and who the pirate syndicates are." Roland, hearing this, quickly highlighted ships that were to be captured.
Within a few minutes, most of the pirate ships had either been destroyed, with Cole seeing what looked like bodies floating in the vacuum of space, while some had been boarded and successfully captured. "Enemy ships have been destroyed or captured," Lieutenant Ryder said. "Vice Admiral, the battle is ours."
"Very good," Cole said. "Captain Hadjo, are you there?"
"I'm here," Hadjo replied. "That was some excellent anti-piracy work there, Cole. That'll cut them down to size, though the criminal syndicates will be rearing for revenge once they learn what's happened here."
"Then we'll be there to teach them that lesson again and again if need be," Cole said. "Still, I thank you for your assistance, Captain Hadjo. You are a compliment to your people."
"Thank you, Vice Admiral Cole. We'll return to our patrol duties while salvagers from the surface get to work. Good luck on the rest of your day. Captan Hadjo out."
"Understood," Cole said. "Fair winds and following seas, Hadjo. Vice Admiral Cole out." Switching COM frequencies, he said, "Captain Dare, have you secured the Pantoran Senators?"
"Affirmative," Captain Dare said. "We've liberated the Senators and we've got the instigators of the coup in custody now. We'll send them up to the Infinity for interrogation once the Pantorans have had their fun with them. They're deeply grateful to us for saving them. We lost a few people though."
Cole frowned. He knew that there was a risk of casualties with the plan they had, though it was the only plan that was viable. "How bad?" he asked.
"Five ODSTs," Dare said. "The pirates were using what the locals are calling 'distruptors.' They're capable of disintegrating someone down to the bone. Five of my men suffered that fate, and two more were badly injured. They're on their way to the Infinity for medical treatment, but I don't know if they'll make it. We're sending the weapons that killed those men with the injured as well. Maybe the eggheads can work ou thow they work and devise a countermeasure.
"Understood," Cole said. "Continue working with the Pantoran Defense Forces to secure the region, then report back to the ship for debrief. Once that is done, we'll hold a service for the ODSTs that lost their lives later today. Cole out." Changing COM frequencies, he said, "Rear Admiral-117, do you read me?"
"Yes, sir," came Chief's reply.
"How's Melody doing?"
"She's doing well," Chief replied. "Only some minor bone bruises and abrasions from when I pulled her out of the line of fire. She'll be all right. Blue Two and Blue Three have reported that they've recovered the rifle that was used in the assassination attempt. They'll be sending it to the Infinity for study."
"Understood," Cole said. "Good work everyone. That was some fine work. Once Melody has recovered, we'll send her back down to the planet to finish negotiations with the rest of the Pantoran Assembly. Report for debrief when possible. Vice Admiral Cole over and out."