Alright everyone, enjoy
"So, what do you think?" Alt asked as he stood in his workshop, Slightly Deflated floating next to him. Looking at the diagrams and schematics that were written in front of them.
The Huragok spent a few minutes looking at all the lists and diagrams in quiet contemplation. No doubt going over it all and trying to find any type of fault. Something Alt was hoping to be there. One would think that it was odd, hoping that his work was wrong, and he wouldn't blame them for thinking it. But if he was wrong about this then it was possible that it could be made easier for him. If he has everything right already then, he was looking at work that was going to be at least four years of work and research.
But if he was wrong if he missed something or if there was a concept that he just didn't consider. Then it could be made easier, and he may be able to do it quicker. While unlikely, it could be entirely possible that the Huragok already knows how to harness Anti-matter as a power source. Though that was one hell of a long shot. Alt has spent most of his time since leaving the Sol system with Slightly Deflated, but unlike how all he did was listen. He was the one talking now, he spent the last couple of hours going over what he had so far in his research of Anti-matter. Making sure that Slightly Deflated got everything it needed to help.
He did briefly consider the idea of also bringing up his ship designs, but he changed his mind on that one. It was pretty much done now and it was only the smaller details that were needed, he didn't even need to worry about those because it was something the other eggheads could finish off. The only thing the ship needed to be functional would be a Powersource, which is where the idea of Anti-matter came in.
"It is rudimentary, but you are on the right path creator" the tablet that the huragok carried typed out to him allowing him to read what the alien wanted to tell him "While this reactor would create the desired Anti-matter, it lacks the correct magnetic field that would be needed to keep the power maintained within the power core" he was told as Slightly Deflated turned its attention away from the boards and back to him.
Alt frowned slightly at the explanation "But the very use of a magnetic field would interfere with the Anti-matter and make them unstable, unusable?" he asked back, confused by the statement.
"Only with your current understanding of them" it said back as it moved forward towards the board, reached forward with its tentacle and grabbed the small piece of chalk "May I?" it asked him as its head gestured towards the board that was full of equations and diagrams. Having it all committed to memory, of course, he didn't have a problem with it.
"By all means" he said back calmly.
"mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" the Huragok spoke as it moved to the board and started to write up its diagrams and equations. Alt leaned back against the railing and watched as the organic supercomputer got to work, following it as best as he was able.
"Captain on deck!" a voice called from behind him. Turning to look over his shoulder, down on the bottom floor of the workshop, he could see that everyone else present had stopped working on their stuff and stood straight with their hands up in a salute. Looking at the entrance, he could see that Khane had walked into the engineering bay.
She stayed where she was for a moment before looking up and spotting him staring at her, turning back to look at the rest of them "As you were" she said before making her way across the bay towards the opposite wall. There was a small lift there that could be used to carry heavy cargo.
Turning back to the board, he started to go over all the equations that were being written down, there was no doubt as to how advanced it was but he still didn't know where he was going with it. Though it was clear from the get-go that it was drastically different from what he had organically, which was both a good thing and a bad. If it was completely different, then he might just get this done a lot quicker.
Though he had to split his attention a moment later as Khane walked up to him and stood next to him, looking at the board he knew it was clear that she couldn't make out any of that "We have a problem" she said calmly though there was a hint of worry in her voice. It was something that Alt was surprised by as she was one of the most calm and level-headed people he knew.
"What is it?" he asked her, though he did so quietly as he didn't want Slightly Deflated to stop.
Khane brought up her datapad and showed it to him. It was a star map that took him a moment to recognize, it was only a moment later he remembered why. It was the local start map around the Eridanus II colony. His first mission as an agent. A world he was able to bring into compliance without a single drop of blood spilt, something he did feel a small amount of pride in.
When he looked at the other nearby systems, he started to understand why Khane was so worried. There was a trail of worlds that were now blocked out in red with a skull and crossbones image over them, a very clear sign that they were wiped out "Are these confirmed?" he asked her, his voice quieter than it was before as he thought about the reasons why she was showing him this.
"Yes" she said firmly "High command is preparing a counter-offensive, when we get to Reach, we have fifteen hours to prepare. A fleet is being put together as we speak" she informed him and the understanding was starting to dawn on him.
"How big is the fleet?" he asked back as he glanced in front of him and saw that Slightly Deflated was halfway through drawing on the board.
"As of the moment, it's forty-eight ships with thirty more on the way" assuming that there would be the average number of all types of ships following the standard ratio that a fleet would have. That equals roughly thirty-five percent of the UNSC navy.
"Does it have a commander yet?" was the next clear question.
"It has yet to be decided but based on the time limit we have and those already present on Reach. My money would be on Admiral Cole taking the reins. And yourself of course" she added.
The thought that it was Cole did give Alt more confidence in the offensive as he was one of the best tactical commanders they have, though he had to disagree with that last part "The chances of it being me are low" he added looking back at her "I know I can do it but if we assume the Covenant have a good sized force, I'm going to be on the front lines to much to command" and that thought goes even harder if the enemy have any other Kryptonian's with them "has the Coloney been alerted?" he added.
"The message was sent, from what Governor Watts has told us, all cities are being evacuated and fortified. Thankfully Eridanus II only has one real city with a large population and that's its capital, it should be easy enough for the people to hide all over the planet and away from where the fighting is going to take place" That was lucky, it would also give them something that could be easier to defend. One city is a hell of a lot better than a whole planet "they only have one ODP but it's being moved so it maintains its orbit as close to the city as possible, what there is of the UNSC ships in orbit and standing ready in a defensive formation around it"
"They could sneak around them and go onto the ground" he added with a sombre voice.
"Very possible" she admitted, they had no understanding of how advanced the Covenant ships were, at least not yet. But it was the safe guess that they had stronger equipment than they did, that included ways of staying hidden from the enemy.
"Are there any delays in getting the Reach?"
"No, why?" she asked him back quickly as the datapad was lowered.
"No reason, it just means I know when we get there" he said back calmly, it would be four hours until they get to Reach "I need to stay here and take all this in" he nodded towards the engineer "Can you go ahead and send word. I want as many Spartans that are available to be on this ship when we leave" he ordered her.
Khane looked at him with those same calculating eyes that she carries throughout her shifts as the captain of this ship, only ever dropping the mask when she was in her quarters alone or with him "Yes sir" she said before turning away and making her way back the way she came.
"Thanks" he said watching her go, then he turned back to the board and looked at all the information he was being given.
The container closed with a heavy 'thunk' and the straps were soon fastened on tight to prevent anything from falling out in transit. Looking around himself, he could see the others doing the same. The large hall was currently full of not only his brothers and sisters but many others that were helping with packing transport.
The word was given only recently; Ajax had made the call for reinforcements from them specifically. And they would answer. John 117 moved away from his bunk and started to carry the cases towards the base's hanger, ready for transport. He wasn't in his armour; it was still undergoing repairs from the last fight he had with the Covenant though he was told that it would be ready for deployment before they reach planet Fall.
He was given a small briefing that would provide the specifics and bullet points of what was going on. They had a lead on where a Covenant fleet was heading and they would cut them off. A classic strategy that they would be using, he was aware of the vast difference between the enemy ships and their own, they would need to be incredibly strategic about naval combat.
Walking through the base, he wasn't surprised that the other personnel that would have quickly stepped to the side and saluted him no longer did, they were too busy with their work. All their heads were down looking at their datapads, having intense conversations with each other. Something he could understand, the fleet that was currently being gathered over their heads was huge and it was only getting better. Which meant there was a hell of a lot of logistics taking place within the base. He wouldn't be surprised if all the smart A.I's were having some trouble with this.
After a few minutes of walking, he made his way to his destination. It wasn't a surprise to find that the place was a whirlwind of activity. He could see dozens of Pelicans around the immediate area and further out onto the large runway, he made out a UNSC frigate that looked like it was being supplied with a squad's worth of tanks and other vehicles. Quickly turning right and walking across the concrete floor, he made out a trio of transports that was being used specifically for the shuttling of the equipment needed to maintain, repair and equip their armour.
As he neared the closest, he made out the large figure walking down the ramp, having just dropped off their load and was most likely heading back to carry more "Jorge" he nodded to the larger Spartan.
"John" he nodded back as the two passed each other and as he went into the dropship, he could see that the cargo hold was nearly full of equipment that was ready to be taken to the Ajax. Seeing a small part in the corner with some room left, he moved to drop off the large cases in his hands.
Turning around he saw that Jorge was waiting for him, making his way out, the two walked back towards the entrance of the hanger and back into the base "I've got a bad feeling about this one" Jorge said as they made their way through the base.
"We'll be more prepared than ever before, and we'll be the ones catching them by surprise" he rationalized as they moved "not to mention we'll have Atlas by our side again"
"That does sound nice" he admitted "I haven't seen him since he finished his training. Having him there is a big advantage, I just hope he's kept up his training since his last encounter with one of those... what was it? Kryptonians?" he asked.
John nodded at him, like all the other Spartans. He read all the files and records of Atlas' encounter with the supposed leaders of the Covenant, as well as watching all the available footage of the encounter, not that there was much. He hoped that Atlas was still training as well, because based on what they saw, he won that by a fluke and not much else. When it came to the fighting, it was mediocre at best. To be completely honest, he was slightly disappointed in Atlas for either forgetting or ignoring all that he learned when he was training with them.
But he was confident that it wouldn't happen again, Atlas wasn't someone who let emotions get in the way. The first time was most likely just shock throwing him off, by now he would have gotten over it. He hoped.
When the two turned and made it back into the Spartan-designated barracks. The two stopped at the entrance for a moment as they could see that Mendez seemed to be in the middle of a debrief "This comes directly from Lord Hood" the trainers of the Spartans continued, ignoring the two of them as they walked in and stood the attention with the rest of the Spartans "Atlas's most recent mission as a success but proved far more beneficial to us than previously thought" beside Mendez, a holographic image of an alien none of them recognized, being projected from a light coming from the ceiling.
John and every Spartan present has had at least one encounter with the Covenant already, based on the expressions of the others, they didn't recognize it either. It was small, at least by the standards of the rest of the enemy. The first thought reminded him of a jellyfish, despite how it sounded in his head, what he was seeing right now seemed to be the most... 'alien' out of all the ones he's seen.
"What you are looking at is called a 'Huragok', more commonly referred to as Engineers by the enemy. If you see one on the battlefield or behind enemy lines, you are to immediately move in and extract it" he ordered them all.
"Extract sir?" Sam asked their instructor with a slight head tilt, the others were all confused about the words as well.
"Yes" he confirmed "from what we've been told, the Engineers are used as slave labour force by the enemy and the one Atlas and the Ajax were able to recover has been a treasure trove of information on the Covenant. Their chain of command, tactics and more than anything else, their technology" As the man went on, most of the Spartans immediately understood the reasoning now. John was surprised that he never thought that not all of the enemy numbers would be with them willingly "and when I say technology, I mean it. This thing and the others are organic supercomputers for lack of a better term. The more we take away from the Covenant, the less they have to care for their tech and the more advanced we become"
The image faded and Mendez started to pace back and forth in front of them "Every single A.I in the UNSC have been given a software update that will allow for translation, there is a good chance however that any Huragok you find in the field will be weird with explosives to prevent us from acquiring them. Thankfully the Engineer that Atlas acquired and is currently on their way here to aid with R&D gave us detailed schematics of the explosives that are used and a means to disarm them. Remember, these guys take priority over all objectives and goals except the most important. Understood!" he shouted.
As one, all the Spartans slammed their feet into the ground and brought their hands up in a salute "Sir!" they said as one unit.
Mendez nodded at them, then he turned to leave. Letting them continue their packing and transport. There was a silence as they worked, no doubt they were all thinking about the most recent development "John, has there been any word on what our jobs going to be?" he heard the voice of Jerome ask him.
"Not yet" he added as he placed more tools in a case and moved to grab more "Most logical choice would be on the ground in the city, not much we can do in a ship" he added. It was the most logical choice, apart from adding their tactical thoughts on the situation. Something that can be done by others, but no one could match them on the ground, except for Atlas himself but John assumed he would be doing a magnitude of different things during the fighting. If he had to guess he would say that he would be on the Ajax helping with the naval combat, and ready to jump in case any Kryptonians joined the fight.
"I assume the protocol for the Kryptonians joining the fight is still in effect?" he asked him as he sealed up his case and picked it up ready for transport.
"I haven't been told otherwise" he answered before the other Spartan nodded and moved off, taking the case with him. John didn't think that he would be surprised about that, he knew that Jerome didn't expect a difference but better safe than sorry. It was called 'The God fall' protocol, if a fight with the Covenant takes place and a hostile Kryptonian is a part of the fight, UNSC forces are to immediately begin a retreat. In other words, it was a 'there's no hope, fucking run' plan.
He didn't like it and he knew for a fact that none of the other Spartans did either, but it was the most logical course of action. They didn't have a way to counteract the Kryptonians yet and until such a time they did, they would need to rely on Atlas to deal with him, but he was just one man and couldn't be everywhere at once.
Pushing the thought to the back of his head for now, John finished his case and picked it up. Joining Linda as she left at the same time as him, the two walked to the hangar, ready to move when they were called.
The Pelican thudded as it touched the ground of the Section-3 base. While technically being a compound of ONI, Sword base was one of the most prominent R&D bases on Reach, as expected that it had a large UNSC presence as well. The base was on the northernmost part of the continent so as the ramp lowered, Atlas was greeted with a cold gust that was sprinkled with snowflakes.
"mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" Slightly Deflated hummed as he moved further forward, standing next to Atlas as the guards on either side of them marched down the ramp and stood protectively.
"Come on" Alt said as he walked forward down the ramp and onto the tarmac. He was greeted by ONI armoured soldiers and two different scientists standing in front of them, no doubt their welcome wagon.
Walking forward, he looked up and could see a large spire of silver metal reach up into the sky, no doubt the reason why this base was called Sword "Atlas sir!" the two said as all those present reached up with their hands and saluted him. Something he returned.
"I trust you both understand just how important this guy is" Alt said to them as all present lowered their hands, Slightly Deflated moved forward slightly and looked at the others.
"We do sir" the one on the left said "We've been instructed by both Lord Hood and Admiral Parangosky that Slightly Deflated is now our top priority" he started.
"We've also been told to place it with the teams currently researching the enemy shielding tech. Anything after that we haven't been told" the woman on the right finished.
"Glad to hear it" Alt said back before turning around and face Slightly Deflated "This is where I leave you, I look forward to seeing your work first hand and thank you for the information that will speed up my projects. Good look Slightly Deflated" he added with a firm nod as he reached out with his hand.
"mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" it said back as it reached out with its tentacle and the tip of it wrapped around his hand, moving it up and down in a shaking fashion, looking at the data pad that was strapped around its body, allowing for easy communication 'I am grateful for the rescue from the heretics, if it is the desire for the only known loyal creator for me to serve humanity, then I shall do so as best as I am able' it said before letting go and moving towards the scientists.
Alt turned and made his way back in the transport, ready to be taken back to the Ajax and from there Eridanus II.
Work.
It was something that Halsey took a great deal of pride in. In times like these, it felt that it was all she knew. If it wasn't her time in education, it was the grad work, then ONI work, then the Spartan work and now this. She would be lying if she felt that some were more important than others. Her Spartans were the latter, she gave years of her life for this program, and she wouldn't take anything back. While those that couldn't survive the program were regrettable, the deaths of those too weak to continue seemed to push the others further.
An acceptable sacrifice for the greater good of the others. Her Spartans were the panicle of humanity, the next step, their destiny as a species. She truly believed that, in her eyes, there was only one thing that stood in the way of that. In her eyes, it was the reason for her scorn and praise.
Atlas.
That alien was proving to be too big of an obstacle to remain. His presence on the battlefield made too big of a difference in every way. Her Spartans were the ones who were supposed to turn the tide of the war. But Atlas had robbed them of that, it had taken away the glory that was rightfully theirs. And as much as she hated to admit it, and she truly did, they needed Atlas.
She read the reports, she knew full well that other members of the species that Atlas belonged to. The Kryptonians. The power she saw in the recording did two things, showed her just how outclassed they would be on the battlefield, even her Spartans, they wouldn't stand a chance against them. And showed just how right she had been when she put the idea forward learning everything they could from Atlas via dissection, they needed to find a weakness that her Spartans could take advantage of.
Though that would force her to agree with Ackerson, something that causes bile to rise in her throat, she could get over that. But of course, Parangosky once again proved just how truly incompetent she was. Protecting her little project with everything she could.
But Halsey was no fool, she knew full well how powerful the head of ONI was. For now, she would have to wait for the opportune moment. Atlas cannot be allowed to survive this war, it was a risk that cannot be allowed to live. If it won, then it would be the most powerful being in the galaxy and humanity would have no choice but to bend to his will. If he died before they could find a weakness, then they would have no choice but to surrender to the Covenant.
It was a no-win situation but like with every other similar situation she has had in her life, she makes her solution that would lead to a win. Not necessarily for everyone else but it would for her, which was enough.
Which has what has led her to this. Despite the... uneasy relationship she had with the head of ONI, Parangosky wasn't so foolish that she would keep something like this from her. Leaning forward into the microscope, she looked at the blood that came from Atlas himself, right from the source. Her job was simple and something she agreed with completely. Find a weakness that humanity can take advantage of.
Find something that could be used to destroy this blood sample and from there, a weakness that can be used to kill the Kryptonians that seemed to be leading the enemy army 'and Atlas' the back of her mind spoke to her. She wouldn't do it now of course, though if a weakness could be found that would work effectively, it wouldn't be too hard to fake some orders and give to her Spartans, making them think that Atlas has gone too far and needed to be dealt with.
But that can wait for later, now she needed to do her share of the work. Find the weakness. She watched closely as an orange glow started to go over the blood sample, there was a small jolt in her chest as the light completely covered the blood, making it near impossible to see any of it. For a moment, she hoped that she once again did the impossible.
Though the smile that came onto her face quickly vanished, the light faded and much to her amazed disappointment. The blood was there, and it seemed as perfect as it ever did before 'So intense heat does nothing' she thought to herself as she pulled away from the microscope, turned to her data pad and crossed out another idea from the list. There were only a couple more to go before she would need to think about more ideas.
It was a shame that she didn't have a smart A.I to help her but the Cortona program was still years away from completion. If she had the resources she needed, then it would only be a couple of months but of course, Parangosky and ONI couldn't allow her to work for the betterment of humanity on her own. Stopping her every step of the way, they would never allow something like Cortona to be created so she needed to do it without anyone else knowing. Meaning that it takes a lot longer to do as far too many precautions where needed. Especially when it came to the use of clones.
She froze mid-thought, pulling away from her datapad with wide eyes. Halsey leaned back in her seat and looked at the very small amount of blood she had been given to find a way to kill Atlas. Nothing so far had worked, she had very little left, and she knew she wasn't going to get any more any time soon. Due to what she was doing with Cortona, Halsey had an entire lab worth of cloning equipment in the basement and the blood of the subject.
A very dangerous thought entered her mind, but one that could prove capable of giving them the weapon that they needed.
His presence on the bridge of the ship was more commanding than any other. All around him, the lesser continued their work around him, none so much as daring to look in his direction, it was only the most battle-hardened that were permitted to speak to him. He did not have the patience to deal with the rest, as far as he was concerned the only way forward was the path of the warrior. War was a universal language; it was something all understood and took part in.
Behind his mask, he closed his eyes and revelled in the memories of the true war. The war against humanity was a brutal one and he took great pleasure in the battles against them, the victories and even the defeats. Humanity always gave as good as they were given, it was what he respected the most about them. Though when they were finally able to claim victory over the enemy, the greatest insult come forth.
Despite everything they had endured, all the glory and anguish of their great battles. At the end of it all, he finds out that it was an unfair fight. That their enemy was fighting another at the same time as them. Never has he felt so insulted, when they all found out what was diverting the attention of humanity. His mood soured even more, the parasite was by far the worst opponent there was no honour in killing it, it doesn't cry in rage or pain, it doesn't care about strategic or militaristic gain and most of all, it didn't even give its opponents the honour of death.
Even now, so many years later, his teeth gritted in anger as he remembered when he first saw one of his own dead be taken over and risen to fight against their own.
Abomination.
"My lord" a voice called to him, snapping him out of his musing thoughts.
Turning his head, he looked to see the eyes of the shipmaster standing next to him. Their eyes met on an even level, while many of his kin had small forms despite their power, which resulted in them always looking up into the eyes of their most astute and reliable servants. The Sangheili. The shipmaster who served directedly under him led one of the best fleets they had. Was a young one true but he was also one of their most impressive "Speak Vadam" he ordered.
Shipmaster Thel Vadam kept his head bowed towards his master "I wish to inform you that we are only a few hours away from our next target, the human world shall burn with all the others"
Upon hearing the words, he turned to face the other, his armoured boots thudding on the ground heavily as he did so. While lesser's would have stepped back and shuddered at his presence. Vadam held his ground, something he always liked about this one, he didn't back down from such an immensely powerful figure "Ask what you want to ask" he ordered through his closed helmet.
At this, the shipmaster's eyes lowered slightly. Knowing that he should not dare be questioning the great ones in any way, however, he rationalized with himself that he wasn't questioning them or their motives in any way, he was simply asking for some more information "May I ask great one, what will you do if the other appears?" he asked.
"Other?" he asked back quickly, a tilt of the head added on.
"Please my lord" he bowed his head again "do not dishonour me with falsehoods. All those of high enough rank have been told. The other, the one Captain-General Faora- UI has been hunting. The traitor, Kal-El" Vadam said with gritted teeth and a deep growl escaping him.
Of course, he was told immediately of Kal-El, just like the rest of his kin. The son of the great builder Jor-El "Have a care how you speak" he warned as he took a step forward towards the Sangheili who quickly stepped back and lowered himself onto his knee, bowing even further "he is no traitor" he added before turning around and looking out the window, the view of Slipspace covering his vision.
"But..." Vadam dared to question "he attempted to stop our attack, wounded one of your own" he listed.
"I do not need reminding of that" he said back quickly "he did what he was told to do, humanity is all Kal-El knows. He is no traitor, he is a victim. He is one of our kin that was taken from his rightful place at our side, placed with these weaklings. Raised to defend themselves because they are too weak to do it themselves. If he is located, then I will subdue him and bring him back with us" he spoke his plan and did it loud enough for the full bridge to hear him.
"If he does not listen?" anyone could have seen the next question coming, he did and his answer was immediate.
"Then I shall grant him the death of a true warrior" he said with a smirk on his face, the thought of a fight proving exciting. It has been far too long since he Nam-Ek has tasted true battle.
Ok all, we are about to come to an end of Act II (This story has Acts by the way) it's gonna pick up next chapter. Pick ass two-chapter (maybe more) battle. It's gonna be fun, let me know what you all think in the reviews down below and I'll see you in the next chapter.
Next Story update: A New Guardian
