Hi guys, sorry for the delay. What happened was that soon after I got my laptop back, due to the repair, they somehow damaged my screen so I took it back to get it repaired. After that, there was a debate on who needed to pay. Once that was sorted, there was then a problem about not having the right screen in. This all adds up to me not having my laptop for a few weeks more than I expected.
Like I said, sorry about that hope you enjoy this update.
The reaction to Six's orders was immediate as the station shook due to the explosions rocking the station. Yells of panicked orders echoed across the radios as everyone tried to find a way off. This wasn't a good situation and Six knew it. This wasn't the first time she's been in a problem like this, one where it seemed that there was no way out. There was always a way out. Slowly Six looked around and only saw one way out her eyes turned to the blackness of space as the idea began to take shape.
"THE WINDOWS! SHOOT THE WINDOWS!" she yelled through her mic and radio.
The yell was heard loud and clear and the ODST soldiers fired at the windows, combining their fire to crack the windows. The cracks spread across the windows like a web weakening them and soon breaking them venting the ODST and Spartans out into space. But not without some problems as several soldiers exited the station spinning and having a couple of bones broken due to vented debris.
Six grunted as she activated her stabilisation system to keep herself from spinning. "Boost yourselves away from the station," she then radioed.
Most of the ODSTs still wore their jetpacks allowing them to get away from the station quickly. Those that didn't grab onto the others or formed daisy chains of ODST soldiers using their packs to get away quickly. Spatial distance was hard to judge at the best of times. You had little to no reference outside of what computers said based on distance from an object. Spartans even had a hard time judging distance without their armour. Six was concerned whether or not they had reached the minimum safe distance, but that was soon answered as the station exploded.
Hull parts, cabling, crates and more flew in every direction with smaller objects ripping the closest soldiers apart. In space, due to the lack of gravity and air, the smallest object, be it a screw a 1mm hull shard or even paint, could cripple a ship if hit the right spot and at sufficient velocity. It was one of the main reasons why ships were built with armour that was measured in centimetres and why shields were developed. Outside of the obvious reasons for combat. Six accessed her command network and found out how many died.
She sighed as she had 46 names to remember. She has about three platoons' worth of soldiers on the station, about 150 soldiers. Now she was down to 104 soldiers, if not less to work with. Not for the first time, she kicked herself for making such a dumb move in trying to do something by herself.
"Six, six respond…" a voice called. "Erica, I know you are there answer me damn it!"
OOOOO
Parisa just watched as the station Six was on began to explode with sections going off. The president just looked on in horror and worry. Six was one of her friends, and she had few of those. Well, few that she could trust completely. She gritted her teeth as she watched the station detonate and blow sending parts everywhere. Alarms and alert klaxons sounded as debris was sent their way. The shield was up, but that didn't mean that they couldn't take damage.
Given enough force, an impact on the shield could send ripples down the emitters and damage them as well as nearby components. The Infinity shook slightly thanks to the impacts and that disrupted some communications systems. But once the static cleared, Parisa activated the comm calling Six. It was a couple of moments before she got a response.
"President, I'm alive," she said making Parisa sigh in relief. "Lost 49 soldiers and we need a pick-up,"
"Understood, we are sending pelican support," Parisa said before turning to one of the bridge officers. "Prepare a flight of pelicans with cover to pick up Six and the survivors,"
"Ma'am," he nodded and began to work.
"Thanks, Madam President," Six said. "Sorry, but it looks like we are down a station,"
"It's fine, we expected this. We'll get you back to the Infinity and get you ready to head down to Zeta,"
"Yes ma'am," Six responded before the comm cut.
Parisa sighed as she fell onto the chair behind her. While the production of Spartans wasn't as problematic or expensive as it was when John or Six were made, it was still enough of a problem that made every Spartan a valuable resource. The older the better due to experience. She didn't like using Six like this, she wanted to keep the old soldier around, but she couldn't. She needed to use Six, John and other Spartans like them as her vanguard units. They were the best she had after all, and she needed to use them for any and all missions that didn't have a good chance of success.
As she began to relax, an alarm sound one that made her heart practically stop. "No," she muttered as she moved up to the map as an energy she never wanted to see was detected. "No," she growled in panic and anger.
OOOOO a few hours ago.
Aniko sighed as she took a drink from her canteen while several techs worked on the Imperial computers. They were still far from the main HIVE control node, but they would get to it soon thanks to all the vehicles they 'acquired'. The techs had been hard at work working on decrypting the main systems so that they could use them to get a fix on the main HIVE node and attack.
After cracking her neck, she stood and made her way to the motor pool to see if she could help out maintaining the warthogs. Best to make use of her technical knowledge somehow. She made her way through the black, red and silver corridors until Commander Knight came from the opposite side, turned her around and the two walked back to the main control room.
"Something wrong?" she asked annoyed that her Commander did that.
"Yeah, and not good," Knight said as they walked into the command room only to be joined by several Spartans, ODST and Marine officers.
He activated the main holo-table in the middle of the room showing the ring. He got a few unimpressed looks from the techs but ignored them and continued.
"Ok people listen up, we have a problem. A problem bigger than the HIVE," he said keying in a few commands and zooming in on a section of the ring.
Unlike most of the ring, this section was completely covered in snow and ice that expanded for miles. "We managed to get partial communications up and we have a team in this area," he said. "The signal is weak, even with the bouncing of the signal, but they said that they found a major Imperial command base in the area. I contacted Cortana about the info and, well… we cannot let the Imperials gain control of this place,"
"Why?" one of the ODSTs asked. "What's wrong with this place,"
Aniko leaned in and looked. "It's Zeta's control room,"
That silenced the room as everyone looked at it with eyes of understanding and horror. Aniko turned to Knight and saluted.
"Sir permission to take a small force to secure the control room," she requested.
"Granted," Knight said without much hesitation. "Take as many as you need and can carry,"
Aniko nodded and looked at the soldiers before her. "So, any volunteers?" she asked.
One hour later, 20 ODST soldiers and 8 Spartans, including Aniko, began to load two of the Pelicans with supplies and equipment for their mission. They moved as quickly as they could trying to get everything loaded before they set off. While the soldiers, and two of the officers, did inventory, Aniko and two other officers looked over a map to plan out what to do.
"Ok so if we land here," she pointed to a ridge near the control room. "We can skirt under the radar,"
"Looks pretty far away from the main location," Jason, one of the ODST officers, noted. "But I suppose that's what the Troop hogs are for,"
Aniko nodded. "Yeah, the idea is that we drop the hogs and us here then move in while the dropships move to a safe distance until we give the call,"
"If we are going to that," Leon, the second ODST officer, added. "It would be a good idea to set down here," he pointed to a canyon with several caves and passageways into it. "There's a lot of places to hide and set up a defence. It's also a good distance from the control room,"
The two looked at the suggestion with Aniko frowning. "That looks a little far," she muttered.
Leon shrugged. "It's the best defensible location and a good place to hide," he stated again. "We need to think if this mission fails. Yeah, it's far, but it's also a good regroup location that will allow us to lose the Imperial in the caves if need,"
"If we fail…." Aniko muttered. "If we fail there won't be a fallback point," the officered looked to her as realisation dawned on them while blood drained from their faces.
"Good point," Leon said as he looked at the map.
"But it is a good option in case of partial success," she admitted looking at the other options. "Ok, Leon, we'll use your location as our main drop-off point and we'll use mine as a backup,"
"Sounds good," Jason nodded before looking toward the two pelicans. "Looks like we're almost ready,"
"Final checks people, final checks," Aniko yelled.
OOOOO Zeta control room.
Imperial soldiers moved around in their squads making sure that the area was reinforced to any attack from the enemy. The Allied forces were more than an annoyance for the Imperial forces. That little asteroid stunt that the Federation pulled off presented a major problem for all Empire forces in the ring. While they had the numbers, the allied forces seemed to have guts and bravery if not luck as well on their side.
Several bases were either under attack or taken over with more repelling attacks from the combination of Spartans and ODST special forces units. They were annoying at best, and frustrating at worst to the point where local commanders were sending out hunter squads to take the allied forces out. But despite not being on the ring for long they were hiding annoyingly well. Every soldier they didn't kill meant that there was one more soldier to fight back against their rule.
General Tano looked over the forces as they moved to fortify the area, his cigar lit and letting out smoke flow upwards. He sighed as he took the out to blow out the smoke before placing it back in his mouth.
"Fucking morons," he grunted before turning to see the main doors open and a scientist walked out.
While she wore the white coat of a scientist, there was a lot that was replaced with cybernetics. Her mouth was covered with a mask that had a tube connected to a tank on her back. Both her arms and legs were completely cybernetic and she also has several mechanical tentacles that roamed behind her. She creeped the General out. Before the Human-Covenant war, humanity had many religions. Christianity, Islam and Hinduism were some of the big ones. But there were minor ones that went to the extreme.
Sects of Hinduism that allowed human sacrifices, and worlds were a form of an inquisition roamed. There were as many variations of religion in human space then humanity has planets under its domain. But the scientist was one of the few that came from a very obscure group. The Technis Machina were a group that worshipped technology. Not just human, but all kinds of technology, even that of the Forerunners.
Tano didn't care about the name of the God, nor did he ask, all he knew was that the followers modified their bodies with cybernetics to make them closer to their God. That plus they viewed as the flesh being weak.
"General," she said in a synthesised mechanical tone. "We have run perimammary diagnostics and found that this holy machine's main weapon can be calibrated for a short detonation,"
"Within the immediate system, destroying the majority of the allied forces?" he asked.
"Yes, however, it seems that due to some quantum phenomenon, that I don't fully understand, it will take longer to charge," she said. "A larger area requires less charge time than a shorter one. I've still yet to fully understand it,"
Tano nodded. "Then get started,"
"Yes sir," she said walking away.
"Soon, only the Empire will rule," he said.