DISCLAIMER
The following is a fan-based
FICTION
All Installations of Halo are all owned by 343 Industries and Xbox Game Studios.
Please Support the Official Release!
"Classy Report"
October 15 2527 - Hour 1155
MSGT Logan 'Log' Sutton
HIGHCOM Facility Bravo-6, Sydney, Australia, Planet of Earth
P.S. I now have a discord server! Discord .gg/ceBMM2Zz6c
Pxtreon: P a treon . com (slash) socialistbukharin
It's been ages since I visited Earth and the place hadn't... changed much.
I would say that the belligerent times born from this war and the fact the UNSC had slowly taken over most of the military decision from the UEG's control had turned a good part of the industrial power into developing equipment, weaponry, and other military-related stuff. I would have been quite happy to check on this matter with a closer glance, but my current visit was not one of pleasure as I had been summoned by the Fleet Admiral himself to discuss some important businesses.
I had a clear understanding of the official reason for this meeting, but I had a growing feeling that it wasn't just that. Sif was constantly whispering in my ears over it, how there was a different kind of buzzing beyond the need to provide a report of the BALMUNG project. The UNSC was worried about something, and they wanted me to deal with it. But what? And why was I the one best fit for it? Let's be honest here, I may be a clever soldier in the field, but I was no political player in this sort of scenario.
At this time, the UNSC's plays within the stage of politics was not something I was familiar with. Since Hood was not in charge, someone else was. Fleet Admiral Ewan Clarke was quite old and barely looked fit to hold the position for too long. I could see why Hood would end up taking over once he retired or died on the post, but that didn't make the situation any less complicated on my end of things.
An old leader can also translate as a potential puppet to people that could know how to turn people that frail into that. But, much to my relief, I could tell that wasn't the case when I first entered the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Fleet Admiral, sir," I greeted, saluting the man in charge of the UNSC itself as of now.
The old man, sporting a thick beard and mustache looked like one of those battle-hardened navy officers from back the First World War. Tired, annoyed, but overall understanding that this visit was something he asked for. And thus, he nodded at me.
"At ease, Master Sergeant," The man hummed, gesturing to me to take a seat.
I complied with the silent order, sitting by one of the chairs availble in front of him and patiently waiting.
"Master Sergeant, I am sure you are already aware of the reason why I asked for your presence here. Here, a place that is supposedly never going to face any of the war involving our colonies and... away from the battlefield."
"I do, sir. The message was clear," I replied truthfully as I fetched some of the paperwork Sif had prepared for the occasion plus a few notes on the project. "BALMUNG doesn't disappoint."
"That's not the issue here, Master Sergeant. If it was, I doubt this visit would even happen," Clarke rebuked dryly, retrieving the papers. He gave those a quick look and... nodded. It wasn't a telling gesture, but I had a feeling there was indeed more to it than I was expecting. "Master Sergeant, you should be proud of the team you have. Not many could count on so many victories over the Covenant such as your group."
"I am, they are my troops, sir," I answered honestly and drew a brief smile out of the tired old man. "If I may be a bit bold, sir, I would like to know what's the purpose of these reports if not to verify the efficiency of my group."
"...Fair," the Fleet Admiral agreed. "Let's just say that I have been hearing two sides that have been whining at my ears for months now. Two sides which, by all means, are right in their own assessment. One says that this project should be shifted entirely under the Navy Command, another says that the project should be 'scrapped', so that a new improved one can happen. But the issue is that, right as they may be in their own reasonings, I find them both wrong when it comes to expectation of success and capacity to allocate new funding for such a troublesome funding."
...
I have a bad feeling about this.
"Sir, what are you asking me to do?"
"Your BALMUNG- their initial rate of success was abysmal, then you proved us wrong many times. Heck, you gave that stupid fool of Cole a chance to call out a few of my men and... I like it. I like a proper officer that knows how to handle his odds and make the best out of those," Clarke explained bluntly. "And BALMUNG is successful both in the field and in the Advertisement effort. Rogue Covenant members joining the UNSC? That thrills the bloody pacifists to give you their support for potential peace-related bridges when this is all over."
He stood up, turning to stare at a few frames stuck in the wall about his earlier days.
"Master Sergeant, I want to know what's your opinion of the Spartan-II program," He finally gave me an answer. "Specifically, what you know of it as of now."
...
"I think their effectiveness is undeniable, they could easily overwhelm my own groups if needed, but... I would say what they lack is proper directioning," I replied slowly, thinking of the right words to use to bring up qualities and flaws. "They have a good tactical leadership, but it seems to me that ONI tends to leave them mostly in the dark over the unfolding of a mission. As if they are constantly testing them."
"Indeed. ONI had purposely been withholding information to their own men to make sure they followed orders out of loyalty than genuine directioning," The Fleet Admiral confirmed. "Yet, some of their own officers suggested it's bringing out greater chances of success. I suppose you disagree with that."
"I do, sir."
"Then that makes the two of us against them. Us and pretty much a large slice of the Navy, same for some Marine leaders- I don't need to explain why General Hogan may not be on the same page as ours."
Hogan... yes. I could tell the leading officer for the Marines was not a fan of BALMUNG, especially since we allowed Covenant rebels in our ranks. Due to his xenophobia, the guy had been on our asses for a while, but unable to do much without getting heat for these attempts. And with the current Fleet Admiral agreeing to have some disdain for the man too, I had a feeling I knew where it was really going at this point.
"Hence why it would be proper to ultimately shift the BALMUNG project into a greater pedestal. I would say, Major, that it would be appropriate for you to handle this big task yourself."
And he gave me the dossier containing the Spartan-II files. In layman's terms, he made me the military leader for the S-IIs too.
"...Huh?"
-d-d-d-d-
AN
The situation for the Fleet Admiral is quite simple: the Navy wants the Spartan for themselves, removing the ONI's involvement and thus having them support the Marines in operations. The issue is that the Navy itself has not enough awareness of the project beyond what ONI told them it was all about; at the same time, ONI wants them in their fold for... Well, turn them into their little SS group. Which didn't happen in OTL, and will not happen in this timeline too.
REVIEW Q&A!
Blaze1992: Seemingly so, but War is all about ruses. And truth is the first thing that dies in these conflicts.