Hello everyone!
I have seen some comments about the Infinity redesign and I will admit, perhaps I went a little overboard, but I just couldn't help myself. I really like the Infinity and wanted her to be the biggest, strongest warship the humans have.
A funny little thing I have noticed about Halo in general is that Halo seems to like to flex on Star Wars. I mean, CSO-Super-Carriers are almost ten kilometers longer then a Executor class Super Star Destroyer, both High Charity and the Mantle's Approach are much larger then the first Death Star, etc. I think that Halo has nothing against Star Wars, but you have to admit, it's funny how Halo always seems to have to have larger and more powerful warships then Star Wars.
Also about the Enterprise for Jack, I wanted him to be out in his element once again. I remember watching Stargate SG-1 on complete season collections from my local library and I always loved Jack the most of SG-1. Sure, Daniel was cool with his geeky, nerd look to him, Carter was awesome with all the cool technobabble science stuff and Teal'c was just such a cool warrior. However, Jack just had an energy about him that just drew me in. From his quips, to his love of Star Wars and Star Trek, he was ultimately what made the show so likable in my opinion. And then when he was shelved for Mitchell, I think the show lost something. Don't get me wrong, I like Mitchell and think he was the best replacement for Jack the show could get, but ultimately, no one could replace Jack O'Neill.
So I decided I wanted to have Jack finally get what he has wanted ever since the Prometheus was first created: He has a ship named the Enterprise and he is the captain. I feel like the guy is owned this much at least for all he has done for humanity. Plus, I wanted to return Jack to where he was at the beginning of SG-1: Out in the universe, exploring and learning, happy as he can be.
And with that out of the way, let the chapter begin!
Deep within the one of the many laboratories on the massive artificial construction known as the Ark, an experiment is taking place.
Stacker Pentecost, leader of the project watched on as a large machine was brought in.
The machine was 60 meters in length while being 25 meters in height. There were two large silver extensions at the front, having five curved prongs at then ends while having barrel looking interior. The extensions connected to a large central unit that has a curved golden visor looking section in the middle while a blue glowing circular core lays underneath the visor. Two red stripes go all the way down the back of the machine. There are two large pointed wing like structures at the back, while a smaller pair of wings are underneath the main ones. In between the wings on either side of the back are two large azure glowing circular structures, while additionally there are 4 smaller azure glowing circles at the back of the unit as well. On the top of the unit there are two large cannon like objects that connect to the main body of the unit.
This is the Jaeger Mark I unit Gypsy Danger. The first Jaeger prototype ever constructed and built.
Using the War Sphinx and Seeker as a basis, the Mark I Jaeger has only a few differences that make it superior to the War Sphinx as well as the Seeker.
For one thing, it has two Forerunner style anti gravity engines. These are miniaturized versions of the golden and orange energy circles that the War Sphinx have at the end of their tails for lift and power. Using Ancient technology as well as more advanced Forerunner technology, the scientists managed to shrink the size of the of plates down to only around 10 feet in diameter, allowing the Jaeger to have two of them. Additionally, several Puddle Jumper style drive pods have been added into the Jaeger's frame to increase speed and maneuverability.
As for weapons, the forearms of the Jaegers contain Hard Light cannons directly pulled from the Seekers which allows them to destroy entire cities at will if they wish, and yet these are only the beginning of the Jaeger's arsenal.
Additionally, there are two Asgard Beam emitters located inside the forearms of the Jaeger as well. The Jaeger can change the weapons quickly to better suit the situation at hand. If they need to use precise pinpoint weaponry, Asgard Beam weapons are the better choice, but if total obliteration is needed, Forerunner Hard Light cannons will better serve them. Additionally, two Ion Beam cannons are on the back of the unit for increased firepower, while two missile bays use the first generation of Hard Light missiles. The missiles are made entirely from Hard Light and use the energy of the Mark. 11 Naquada Cold Fusion Reactor to create the missiles as needed, so no need to return to warships for rearmament. Also, in the wrists of the Jaeger are two blades that function like a chainsaw, having moving metal components that are covered over with Hard Light energy, giving them a close range weapon in the situation calls for it.
The shields of the Jaeger use a similar system to the Infinity, having a Asgard/Ancient Hybrid ovular shield with Forerunner Hard Light for increased strength and then a form hugging energy shield as a backup.
Using the Puddle Jumper's mental interface as a basis, a more powerful version was created for the Jaeger's with Forerunner technology added in. Using this control interface, a pilot will mentally control the Jaeger, with thoughts rather then action to move the Jaeger and thus increase reaction time.
Also, the hull of the Jaeger is tougher then that of a Seeker or a War Sphinx, since it is entirely comprised of Titanium A-5.
All in all, the Jaeger Project is coming along nicely after only three weeks of being approved for operation. They only have the one prototype, but right now that is enough.
Stacker watched as his two Rangers walked in. The Rangers are the Jaeger's test pilots. By having a twin pilot mental system, the reaction time for the Jaegers has drastically increased, allowing the unit to do things it would otherwise not be capable of, so a two pilot mental system has been designed for the unit.
Raleigh Becket, ace pilot with over 109 confirmed kills across the UNSC-Covenant war with many more unconfirmed. He has served for a long time, nearly 15 years and still is going strong, having signed up the moment he was capable of. He and his brother Yancy were two of the best pilots the UNSC had, until the Battle for Reach were Yancy was finally killed during an attack run against a Scarab. The main beam cannon of the Scarab struck Yancy's Longsword and instantly destroyed it with no body being capable of being recovered. Raleigh took his death hard, but kept on with the fight as best as he could. His determination and effective fighting style is something Stacker values highly.
Raleigh's copilot, Mako Mori, is another can of worms entirely. Having lost her parents when the Covenant glassed her homeworld, she was found by Stacker and adopted by him. She grew up in the military and the moment she could, joined up to try and help the war effort. Same age as Raleigh, Mako showed incredible flying talent as well as leadership capabilities, having scored numerous wins in the air against the Covenant. She is also one of the best pilots the UNSC has to offer.
The two met around a week ago and so far, they have gotten along well enough. Raleigh and Mako both respect each other's skill in the air and recognize the each other as an equal, so no ego fighting.
The two of them were covered in thick midnight black armor, the first generation of personal power armor for anyone who isn't a Spartan.
The armor is called Fafnir class Battle Armor, after the legendary dragon from Norse mythology. It has been modified to the point that non-augmented humans can use it and not break their bones like with the MJOLNIR armors. The armor does allow for enhanced strength, speed and durability and increased reflexes, but nowhere near Spartan IV levels, nevermind Spartan III's and II's.
Raleigh and Mako walked over to the Jaeger, where the area near the visor opened up for them. They climbed onto the Jaeger and then into the cockpit, the armor closing behind them.
Once inside the unit, Raleigh slipped his helmet on while Mako did the same. After securing their helmets, the two pilots sat down in their chairs as metal straps formed an X over their chest to keep them from moving while metal clams latched onto their feet and their hands. The chairs then slightly reclined a little, light blue glowing from the chairs as a pair of metal circular apparatuses connected to the side of the pilot's helmets.
"Gypsy, you ready?" Raleigh asked as a hologram appeared before the two.
The hologram showed a woman in her mid twenties, having long flowing black hair that went down to the mid of her back while light blue hair went half way up her hair length from the ends. She had a mechanical suit on her that covered her arms, legs, waist and chest, the armor having a mixture of light blue, black, silver and red colored armor pieces. She has pointed metal ear coverings the same color as the rest of her armor, while a golden visor covered her golden eyes and finally, a small gold and red energy core was located just underneath her chest.
"I am ready. The suit is all warmed up and ready to roll. All we are waiting on is you two." Gypsy said as she crossed her arms across her chest.
"Roger that. This is Mako, right side is active and ready." Mako said as the main screen in front of them changed to green on Mako's side.
"This is Raleigh, right is is active and ready. Gypsy Danger is online and ready." Raleigh said as the right side also changed to green on his side.
"Okay you two. Today's objective is simple: The eggheads want to run some more scans of your brainwaves as you move and control Gypsy. There are a total of five combat drones in the area. We are to go and neutralize them while taking as few hits as possible. The drones are extremely well armed, being more akin to mobile battleships so staying still is not advised. Total time for this exercise is five minutes, so there is little room for error. Any questions?" Gypsy asked.
"None. Let's do this Mako." Raleigh said with a grin.
Mako just gave a soft smile as she said, "This is Gypsy Danger, launching."
Gypsy Danger arose from the ground as her azure engines lifted her up slightly from the ground. She then shot forwards, her form disappearing from sight quickly as her powerful engines shot her forwards.
"We are approaching the test sight. Raising shields, charging weapons, sensors at maximum power, everything is ready." Gypsy said as the craft maneuvered into a small area filled with metal plates specifically made for this test.
"Alright. Let's go hunting." Raleigh said as the Jaeger moved into testing area.
Immediately the Jaeger was fired up by an assortment of missiles, plasma beams, ion beams, cannon shells as well as mines.
The Jaeger banked to the right as the firepower continued it's relentless barrage, trying to bring down the Jaeger's shields.
Gypsy Danger then shifted, her extensions maneuvering backwards as a pair of legs extended from the bottom while the wings moved up onto the back as the cockpit moved as well.
When all was said and done, Gypsy Danger was now a humanoid shaped vehicle with arms and legs. Immediately after transforming, Gypsy swung around and fired her right arm cannon, a giant golden bolt of energy blasting out from the barrel and nearly striking their now apparent adversary.
The drone was also a humanoid shape, however the head was domed in shape and has a singular mono eye in the center, while two large fins are on the side of the head. Four large cannons are on the unit's shoulders, while two turrets are on the unit's shoulder upper arm area, while another two turrets are on the unit's lower legs, right next to a rack of missile tubes. Another pair of missile tubes are on the unit's hip area, while two large cannons are on the unit's forearms. Small turrets and another racks of missile tubes decorate the unit's chest, rounding off the unit's absurd firepower.
Four beams of blue light erupt from the cannons on the unit's shoulders as ten rockets fire out from the tubes on the unit's chest. Gypsy dodges the beams barely as she fires another golden bolt into the missiles, destroy them quickly.
The enemy unit then fires off their forearm cannons, giant beams of pure plasma stretching forth to strike Gypsy. However, Gypsy's better sped and maneuverability manages to keep the unit from being it by those beams.
Gypsy's left and right arm cannons fire off two golden blasts of energy while her chest armor opens up, showing her missile tubes that fire off eight golden missiles at the unit.
The unit tries to hit the golden missiles, but the ballistic rounds fail to destroy them, allowing the missiles to hit the target again and again, each time blowing off larger chunks of the machine until the unit explodes in a massive ball of light.
"One drone down, four more to go." Gypsy comments as the two Rangers ignites the energies and send the war machine flying.
"Must have stealth systems active because we did not see that drone coming. Gonna have to be on our toes if we want to win." Raleigh says as they search the area for anyone targets.
Mako nods and keeps on looking when she sees a small in the corner of her eye. She immediately banks the Jaeger downwards just as a large lance of blue light paces overhead.
"Found one. Several dozen kilometers away, using the debris as cover. Sniper type." Mako says.
"Dang. He has the advantage here. Think we can hit him with all this debris?" Raleigh asks.
"I can. Activate Asgard Beam weapons." Mako replies
Raleigh does as she asks, the two forearms of Gypsy Danger shifting and morphing. When finished, the five prongs are now all spinning as bolts of plasma arch inside the barrel of the cannons, the weapons are fully charged and ready to fire.
Mako takes control of the left cannon and takes a deep breath as the computer informs of her range to target, time to impact, objects in her path and much more as she prepares herself to take the shot.
Once ready, Raleigh and Mako move Gypsy from her cover and Mako takes the shot, a thin blue beam firing from the cannon as it travels quickly towards the drone.
The drone is not able to move as the beam strikes it's armor, the metal flash melting away into nothing as the beam carves into its power plant, causing the entire machine to explode.
"That's two." Mako says as she smirks towards Raleigh.
"Nice shot." He says, impressed by his partner.
"Thank you." Mako replies as the two Rangers once again make Gypsy Danger fly away, three minutes left on the clock.
The two continue their search for the other three drones when suddenly a shape slams into their side, sending the Jaeger tumbling away into a metal plate, the fingers of Gypsy Danger punching into the hull as it tear lines into metal plate while the engines arrest the unit's momentum.
Gypsy looks up two see two Drones, one a massive unit with a spinning wrecking ball for a hand and the other with two katana's alight with golden energy.
"Well, looks like we have fight on our hands. Let's use our Ion cannons on the big one, take him out quickly and then use our Hard Light cannons on the other one. Don't want to get into a melee fight with a close quarters unit." Raleigh suggests.
"Agreed. A melee fight is something we should avoid." Mako says as the large cannons on their back wing downwards and aim at the big unit while the forearms of the Jaeger transform into the Hard Light cannons.
The pale blue beams roar forth, striking the larger drone in the chest as they quickly melt through the large amount of armor and come out the back side, destroying the unit quickly with a large explosion.
The smaller unit is faster and manages to dodge the Hard Light shots by ducking down and letting the shots pass overhead.
Gypsy ignites her engines and flies backwards while trying to hit the second unit, giant golden bolts firing and striking the areas around the smaller unit, however the unit is very quick and nimble.
The second unit continues to get closer and closer to Gypsy when the units takes it's katana and slices a Hard Light shot in half, the two halves of the shot flying away and exploding elsewhere.
"That was cool." Raleigh admits.
"Less talking and more shooting. Let's launch a volley of Hard Light missiles." Mako suggests.
"Sure." Raleigh says as the chest of Gypsy opens up and fires away at the nimble drone.
For all the drone speed and nimbleness, it cannot dodge missiles and not sixteen of them at once. The drone manages to destroy two missiles, but is struck by the others one after another, the missiles blowing away the units arms, legs and chest until the powerplant is breached and erupts in a large explosion.
"That was a tough one." Raleigh comments after the drone was destroyed.
"Indeed. Only one drone left." Mako said.
"But only a minute left on the clock. We have to find that last unit now." Gypsy said, trying to find the unit.
Suddenly, a large shape came out of nowhere and fired a few missiles at Gypsy, the missiles missing and hitting the arnor plating GYpsy was standing on, only to show they were smoke missiles as the entire area became cloaked in a smokescreen.
From the smoke emerged the final unit. The unit had two green reflectors for eyes, a large green core in the chest area, a golden colored V shaped horn on the forehead, white and blue armor while a large golden glowing sword was in it's right hand while a double barreled shotgun was in it's left hand.
"Found it." Raleigh said, bright the Ion cannon and Hard Light cannons to bear on the drone.
The four cannons fired off, but the drone managed to duck to the side and fire off two large rounds, the rounds missing Gypsy as Gypsy also dodged. When the rounds struck a large metal plate, they instantly blew it apart in a massive explosion.
"That's a lot of firepower for a simple shotgun." Raleigh said, slightly impressed. For a ballistic hand weapon, that was a lot of damage.
Mako said nothing, completely concentrated on the fight.
The drone ignited it's engines, the metal machine flying forth towards Gypsy. Gypsy fired her cannons, but missed the shots.
Once the unit was close enough, it swung it's oversized sword down at Gypsy, who deployed her two swords to intercept the blade before it could strike the Jaeger.
Gypsy pushed back and managed to force the blade back, giving them an opening as the Jaeger swung and managed to cut the drone's shotgun apart, the rounds of the shotgun exploding and destroying the shotgun entirely.
The drone came in again to swing it's sword, but Gypsy side stepped away from the blow and fired a point blank shot from her ion cannons that struck the drone and destroyed it instantly.
"Ten seconds left on the clock. Nicely down you two. It's not easy to fight against units controlled by AI's even dumb ones like those." Gypsy said.
"Yeah, no kidding. We only won because we had the superior unit and they had no shields." Raleigh said.
"This is General Pentecost. Report back to the hanger Gypsy for debrief." Stacker said before the transmission ended.
"Well, let's head on back." Raleigh said as Gypsy transformed back into her fighter mode and flew back towards the hanger, the charred remains of the drones laying where they were slain.
Once back at the hanger, Gypsy landed quickly and without fan fair. Once the unit was set down, Raleigh and Mako disconnected themselves from the unit as Gypsy transferred herself to another terminal in the hanger.
Raleigh and Mako got out of the unit quickly and then made their way over to Stacker who was waiting for them in the main control room.
Once there, Stacker began to talk.
"You two did good. All five units neutralized quickly and with only a moderate amount of difficulty. You showed where Gypsy needs to be altered and upgraded, while also showing where the unit is still good. You also showed excellent teamwork out there. However, their is still a lot more to do. We have a number of other tests for you two today so you two best get ready." Stacker said.
The two ranger pilots nodded and quickly made their way back to the hanger, wondering why did Stacker call them?
Stacker turned back towards Gypsy and said, "How much of an improvement?"
"12% higher then last time. They are starting to get better at working together and the shared mental load is getting easier for them to bear. I think we might be able to start mass producing the Jaegers soon if this keeps up." Gypsy said with excitement.
"One step at a time Ms. Gypsy. One step at a time. Let's get Gypsy Danger fine tuned and then we can see if we can get these mass produced. Head back and get ready for the tests." Stacker said.
Gypsy nodded and disappeared leaving Stacker by himself.
Stacker went and continued to watch as the tests started, all the while thinking about the duel pilot system.
Having two pilots share a mind as they control a machine as powerful and complex as a Jaeger is not something that is ever easy, even with Forerunner and Ancient tech, especially since they don't fully understand the technology completely.
At first Raleigh and Mako could barely make Gypsy move since they were so out of synch with one another. After countless exercises Pentecost began to think he would need to find new pilots when suddenly the synchronization just jumped one day and since then it has continued to grow with today being the greatest leap in synchronization to date. And it just confuses Stacker how they managed to finally get the Jaeger to start moving. Even Raleigh and Mako have no idea how they did it. Medical scans revealed normal brain waves except when the two are piloting Gypsy, which is when the brain waves become much more active then before.
It is a mystery and one that Pentecost has every intention of figuring out. They can't mass produce a unit type that only two people can use. They need to figure out a way to make it possible for everyone to use the Jaeger if they wish for it to be mass produced.
Stacker continued to watch on, data being recorded and filed away as he and the other tried to unravel the mystery that is Gypsy Danger.
In the main meeting hall, Lord Hood, Jack O'Neill, Dr. Samantha Carter, Dr. Halsey and Dr. Rodney McKay were all discussing matters of grave importance.
"Sirs, regarding the additional shipyards as well as the mining facilities, we have had an idea that might only solve those problems, but also give us a work force that can finish a lot of of our other projects far ahead of schedule as well as give us more AI's." Carter said.
"Really? That's good. What is it?" Jack asked, very intrigued.
Suddenly McKay and Carter seemed very nervous about something and didn't respond, forcing Dr. halsey to take charge and say, "We have been experimenting with the nanites and e believe we can merge our Gen. 7 Smart AI's with the Asuran Replicator nanite bodies, getting the best of both worlds."
Jack's smile disappeared as he grew a frown and said, "And why did you three think it was wise to tamper with the same things that nearly destroyed the Asgard, caused the downfall of the Goa'uld and was just generally one of the greatest threats th SGC ever faced?"
McKay and Carter still couldn't quite find the words necessary to explain themselves to O'Neill, requiring Halsey to take up the conversation once more.
"Because sir, we need more workers. As it is, it will take decades to get humanity's military forces back up to the levels we had before the Insurrection and that leaves us vulnerable. We have no way to know what threats waiting for us and right no we need able bodied soldiers to help keep ourselves safe." Halsey defended.
Jack nodded at that and then said, "Carter, you were there for both wars we had to fight with these damn things. Replicators nearly brought two galaxies full of life to their knees and I will be damned before I allow a third outbreak of these things. Request denied."
"Sir, please just listen to our proposition first." Carter tried, however Jack wasn't having any of it.
"No Carter. Replicators have only created problems for us. And no one can control them. Not the Asgard, not the Ancients and most certainly not us. I am not going to risk yet another war with the Replicators after we just finally got free from the Wraith." Jack said.
"With all due respect, not all Replicators have caused problems. As I recall, the subject called FRAN was an asset and followed all of Dr. McKay's orders without question and she was the only reason you managed to beat the Asurans. This proves that with the right codding, we can control the Replicators." Halsey said.
"Alright, I will give you that one. However, I am still not willing to authorise further experiments." Jack said, just before Hood started speaking.
"What have your experiments revealed?" He asked.
"Sir, we have conducted more then 100 small scale experiments in a variety of different situations. In all of them, our Replicators followed orders immediately ad without question, just like our AI's do. Myself, Dr. Carter. Dr. McKay and his sister have all gone over the lines of code many times and Mendicant Bias himself has gone over each and every single component of the code at least a thousand times and he himself has said the code will make sure the Replicators will not only obey us, they will be incapable of altering their own coding, taking on the appearance of others, repair themselves, look into a person's memories as well as modify themselves to become immune to the Anti-Replicator weapons. With this coding, we have effectively taken away all the threats the original Asurans posed. They will not be allowed to Replicate unless by our permission." Halsey explained to Hood.
"Hm. And what will these Replicators be able to do?" Hood asked.
"A lot. Replicators could build us an entire defense fleet to rival the Home Defense fleet for your Earth Hood in at minimum 13 months with the crew to man each and every single one of those ships, while having enough personal to man twelve Super Cradle class shipyards as well as the twenty mega refineries and mines we plan to build. We could get all of our warships rebuilt from the ground up into the next gen of warships as well as updating every single piece of military hardware while we are at it and be all done before years or even decades ahead of schedule. We could then use then to get the civilian sectors built up as well. The Replicators usefulness cannot be estimated. We will need to create a few planets full of replicator Neutronium, the base element of the nanite cell used by the Lanteans. However, we can have that done and be creating Replicators in around a few weeks since we have the machine, we just need the Neutronium, which is at an all time low due to how much we are using for warships." Carter explained.
"Speaking of which, please explain to me once more why we need all these mines as well as refineries if we can simply use the Asgard transport beams to create whatever we need?" Hood asked.
"Simply put sir, the Asgard Beams may be capable of creating whatever we need instantaneously, however it places an incredible strain on the transport beams to do so and it only increases exponentially when we increase the size or quantity of whatever we are creating. Creating a single Stalwart class Frigate using Asgard transport beams would break the transport beams completely and require a complete rebuild of the transport beams from the ground up. It is the same way with the Sentinels; however by feeding the Asgard Beams as well as the Sentinels with the raw materials and then combining them or altering them to how we wish, the strain is negligible since we are simply altering them instead of creating them using energy. That is why we need the raw material as well as refineries sir." Carter explained to Hood.
Hood nodded and then said, "Frankly, I cannot see any reason to deny you request. You, Dr. Halsey as well as Dr. McKay have proven themselves beyond reproach and have created dozens of our most important and useful technologies. Quite frankly, none of us would be here talking about this if not for you three. If you three truly believe that you can guarantee that these Replicators will not turn on us and if Mendicant Bias also gives these things his own seal of approval, then I think I can approve of the project."
Jack turned to him and said, "You don't know Replicators like I do. Trust me when I say that this project will blow up in our faces and it will not be pretty when it does."
"Jack, they are right. We need a better work force as well as soldiers if we are to keep the Ark safe. This seems like the best way to get both of those quickly. Besides, like they said, FRAN worked out well if the reports are anything to go by, so it is possible to keep Replicators under control. Between that and the UNSC's long history of keeping AI's under control, I don't think we have anything to worry about. Besides, we will still have the ability to destroy them all with the Anti-Replicator weapons if it comes down to it." Hood said.
Jack sighed deeply as he clasped his hands in front of his face while closing his eyes. He stayed that way for a minute before he said with a sigh, "Alright. I will give you permission, so long as you can guarantee me we will be capable of destroying every single one of these Replicators at once and without hesitation if the need arises."
McKay and Carter both nodded and McKay said, "We can build a kind of destruction sequence into the nantites that will activate when we give it the go ahead."
Jack then said, "Then you have my permission. Just make sure we don't all regret this."
The three scientists nodded and the meeting quickly ended soon after that.
Carter ran after O'Neill and said, "Sir, thank you for giving us permission. I know you are extremely hesitant about it due to previous experiences."
O'Neill turned to Carter and said, "It's okay and Carter, I am sorry about doubting you, it's just that I don't want to create the thing that wipes us out. Remember how hard it was to destroy the bugs in Milky Way? And then remember what it took to end the Asuarans? I do. A planet's destruction. It took the combined fighting strength of the Wrath, the Travelers as well as us to barely hold the Asuarans off long enough for FRAN to do her thing. It came down to the wire with the Asurans and it was even closer with the bugs back over Dakara. It literally a hair's breadth away from the end of the SGC as well as the rest of the Milky Way. Given all that, I think I am justified with my hesitance in creating a new generation of these things."
Carter nodded and said, "I understand sir. I am also a little hesitant on this Project, but Halsey and McKay convinced me. We need this project desperately. We will take every single precaution we can sir."
"I bet that's what the Asgard thought, right before the bugs began to destroy the Asgard civilization around them. Pride cometh before a fall Carter. And I think we are being very prideful right now, thinking we can control the Replicators any better then the Asgard or the Ancients could." Jack said before he continued walking down the hall.
Carter then went and walked over to the nearest teleportation booth, intent on getting back to the lab, all the while O'Neill's words ringing in her head.
Master Chief, hero of the galaxy and savior of the human race, watched on as the three latest recruits to the Spartan Corp were put through their paces.
Colonel John Sheppard, Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagan, three of the four members of AR-1, the Atlantis Expedition's main offworld team and some of their best soliders. Looking over their service record, John-117 could see why.
Sheppard himself managed to save Atlantis from a Genii invasion all by himself and has been an important asset in some of Atlantis's and Earth's most important battles. The man was a born leader, a skilled officer as well as a good strategist who worked well with his team and listen to their advice. He is also the number one ranker man to use the ATA gene, since he uses his gene a lot more then General O'Neill does.
Ronon Dex. Ex-Satedan officer. What he lacks in planning he more then makes up for in raw skills and physical abilities. Being highly trained and capable of taking down anyone who isn't augmented like ODST's or Spartans. He is an expert tracker, wildness survival expert, crack marksman, and much more that would make him a perfect fit for the ODST's, however his high skill level as well as his resume caught the eye of the Spartan Corp. Ronon jumped at the chance to join the Spartans after learning more about them.
FInally Teyla Emmagan. Former leader of the Authosian people, she left that position to aid the Atlantis Expedition in their efforts to destroy the Wraith. She is a fast and agile fighter, capable of using what is around her to tip the odds in her favor. Her kill count is one of the highest recorded in the Atlantis Expeditions history, only being surpassed by Ronon and even then, it is a close match. She combat abilities as well as her leadership abilities are extremely high and that makes her a prime candidate for the Spartan Corp.
Once the three were brought in, they were put through their passes, having to pass dozens of both physical as well as mental challenges and tests that brought them to their limits, but the three pushed passed it all and managed to pass every single test Master Chief and the other instructors threw their way.
Right now they have just finished their daily drills for the day, once again passing with flying colors.
"Not bad, for a bunch of regulars." Cortana said from inside Chief's MJOLNIR armor.
"Their teamwork is solid. Each one is a good soldier, but together they are a lethal unit. John Sheppard is an effective leader and has a good unit around him. They will make a good Spartan Fireteam." Chief replied.
"Perhaps. So, what level are we gonna set them at?" Cortana asked.
Chief continued to watch on in silence as the three former members of AR-1 helped each other out of the training area, their battered bodies aching with every single step.
FInally Chief answered Cortana by saying, "Set John Sheppard, Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagan as Spartan III's. I believe they have shown the mental fortitude, professionality as well as the respect for authority to justify them becoming Spartan III's."
"Really? If we look into their files, Sheppard has disregarded authority several times, same as Ronon. Teyla might not, but Ronon and Sheppard both have shown disobedience for the chain of command several times tin can. So, why do you think they should be Spartan III's?" Cortana asked.
"That was before the Wraith took Earth. Look over their files once more following the loss of Earth. After the Wraith took Earth, all three have changed. Sheppard, ROnon and Teyla were all affected, Sheppard most of all. He has shown a much more subdued and militaristic personality. Trust me. They will do well as Spartan IIIs." Chief replied to his inquisitive best friend.
Cortana just gave the AI equivalent of a shrug and then filed it away for later after placing the three as Spartan III's. Cortana could only hope the three are ready, for they were about to see real hell during their training to become real Spartans.
"Okay. The matter with Sheppard's team aside, I just got some god news." Cortana said.
"What is it?" Chief asked his companion.
"Noble Team was just cleared for active duty, all seven of them." She replied to her olive green giant of a carrier.
Underneath his helmet, the upper corners of Chief's right lip moved just a millimeter higher, the joy and happiness he felt for having more of his brothers and sisters back in duty managing to create just a miniscule crack in Chief's armored personality.
"That's good to hear. What about the others?" Chie asked as he left the viewing balcony.
"Well, a large portion of the Spartan III's along with all the Spartan II's have finally managed to pass the medical examinations and are ready for active combat, of which we do not have. Only around ten to twenty more remain to get approved of for action. A few minor issues preventing them for getting cleared." Cortana replied.
Chief said nothing. He couldn't imagine what those remain Spartan's were going through. Being brought back to life, slowly reaching mental insanity and then being brought back from going down that rabbit hole after being reborn once more. He was lucky enough to never have been killed during the war and so was spared being cloned by ONI and brainwashed into being a attack dog for them and then having the brainwashing reversed and then being given a new cloned body on top of all the other problems. However, many of the other Spartans were not so lucky and so are dealing with a load of mental issues. None of them are in danger of snapping and going on a murder spree, but they are being kept from active duty as the issues are being treated.
That is one of the reasons not many people have been cloned to bring them back. Another is the fact a lot of the DNA samples saved were destroyed by the Covenant when they attacked the remaining UNSC facilities. They did clone as many people as they were capable of, but in the end it was merely a handful of people that could be brought back.
Master Chief walked through the halls of the Spartan Corp facility, the sounds of gunfire as well as physical training filling the air.
Once he reached the room he was looking for, Chief opened the door, revealing a large open area where five Covenant Elites were facing off against a familiar shape.
The man was large, easily the same size as Chief and was wearing a MJOLNIR armor that was exactly the same as Chief's, his helmet helmet having the same shade of gold for the visor while the symbol for the UNSC marines was proudly emblazoned upon his left chest, while the letters 887 was on his right chest.
"C'mon you four jawed sons of bitches! Let me show you how a real soldier kicks ass and takes names!" The Spartan yelled out in a familiar voice as the five Elites roared and when running towards him.
The Spartan leapt into the air, the 1,000 pound piece of military hardware seemingly weight nothing as the man flew upwards and away from the Elites.
However, gravity pulled the man back down, who arched his left arm back and slammed down with a massive crash on the Elites, destroying the energy shields and crushing the Elites chest into paste. The Spartan stood up and pulled out a large blocky gun that has a blue glowing energy core at the back while the Elite underneath his feet broe apart like glass and floated away into the sky like dust.
The Spartan raised the large handgun that was longer then two of his hands and let loose a large blue bolt of energy that crashed against another Elite's shields, blew past them like they were nothing and blew open a hole into the Elite's chest large enough to fit basketball through with room to spare. The Elite fell back and fractured apart exactly like the first Elite.
The other three elite's had their energy blades drawn and ready as two of them charged forwards while the last one drew a Covenant style Energy Carbine and started firing at the Spartan.
The Spartan ran, dodging the energy shots while he aligned his own and fired, the blue energy bolt blasting apart the Elite firing at him with ease, causing yet another alien to bit the dust,
The other two Elites gave chase and tied to close the distance with the Spartan, but he was just managing to keep ahead of them, until he suddenly stopped and stuck out his arms while spinning around to face the Elites.
So determined to catch up with the Spartan, the Elites had no chance to stop and so they both slammed into the extended limbs, the shields flashing as the Elites flipped end over ends unti, they collapsed onto the ground.
The Spartan wasted no time and slammed another energy bolt into the left Elite before he could get out of the way, however the other Elite was lucky and got up before the Spartan could fire a second time.
The Elite ran and managed to slam his Energy blade into the Spartan's chest, his blue shields flashing as they preventing the lethal energy blade from carving his chest open.
The Spartan responded by slamming his right fists into the Elite's face, pushing the aline backwards from the force of the blow, which was followed up by a left hook and a right hook after that.
The Elite tried to fight back, but the Spartan would not let him. The Spartan quickly grabbed the Elite's arm, got behind the Elite and violently twisted, the Elite's arm snapped with a sickening snap that echoed throughout the room.
Just as the alien went to scream in pain, the Spartan wrapped his arms around the Elite's neck and with all his strength, twisted the Elite's head around and cracked the aliens neck.
The alien fell downwards while cracks formed all over it's dead body that lead to the alien's body breaking apart into tiny fragments that flew into the air and disappeared.
The Spartan sighed as the training program ended, unaware of the Chief's presence.
"Very nicely done. Looks like you are getting used to the augmentations Johnson." Cortana said, using the speakers in Chief's suit.
The Spartan turned around and saw Chief and then let out a laugh as he took off his helmet, revealing the face of one Sergent Major Avery Johnson, one of Master Chief's few friends. He was with him on Alpha Halo and then Delta Halo afterwards. Johnson has faced the Covenant, the Flood and whatever else the galaxy has thrown at him with grim determination and Sweet William Cigars.
After coming to the Ark and finding out what has happened to Earth, Johnson was furious that he couldn't do anything to keep Earth from falling, but he quickly picked himself back up and returned to his gun-ho attitude. He was one of the first Spartan-IV candidates when the program was initiated, however he was given much more powerful and extensive augmentations that gave him abilities near equal to Spartan-II's and he is so far the greatest result of the Spartan-IV program due to his mentality as well as his previous military experience.
Johnson has quickly found himself adjusting to his new found capabilities which are miles beyond anything he could do beforehand and he enjoys everything that he can do now. All he needs now are some real enemy soldiers to test these new abilities out on.
"Damn right I did good. I was kicking ass and taking names long before I got all these fancy smancy armor and weapons. Why when I joined the core we had two sticks and a rock for a whole platoon! And we had to share the rock!"
Cortana rolled her nonexistent eyes at Johnson's usual gung ho speech but she wouldn't have him any other way. Johnson is one of her best friends and his grand and bizarre speeches are one of his greatest character traits, in her not so humble opinion.
"So, looks like you are enjoy the new pulse gun." Cortana continued on, referring to Johnson's handgun.
"You bet your blue ass Cortana. If we had a whole bunch of these during the war with the Covenant, we would have sent the damn bastards all running back to High Charity with their balls ripped off." Johnson said with a proud smile as his took out one of his Sweet William cigars and lit it up, enjoying the ever familiar taste of the cigar in his mouth.
Cortana laughed and said, "I bet you would have. Also, what do you think of the new interactive holographic training system. I think the elite's aren't smart enough nor are they fast or strong enough."
"This new holographic training system is a bunch of rubbish. When I was a recruit, we actually went out to the range where we got our asses beat by the Sargents. These holograms have all the bunch of a wet paper bag and they have all the intelligence of a piece of dog shit." Johnson replied with a scowl on his ace.
Master Chief nodded and said, "I agree. This new training system is inefficient and needs improvements."
"Damn straight Chief." Johnson inclined his head.
"I will notify the technicies adjustments need to be made. Again." Cortana sighed as she sent the electronic message out.
"Well, I am done messing around with these imaginary threats. How about we have a real match, me and you Chief." Johnson said.
Chief nodded, knowing Johnson would be a good opponent to spar against compared to the interactive holograms.
The two took up stances apart from one another, the two legendary Spartan soldiers ready to duck it out.
With an unsaid command, the two Spartans charged forwards and the spar began.
As another day draws to a close, humanity continues their efforts in increasing their technological prowess to combat any future foes they might face. For while they do in fact cherish peace, they are wise enough to know they must be preparing for war.
And that is it for chapter three! I hope you enjoyed it.
Next chapter we will be seeing a few more next generation human warships and their specs, as well as a few other pieces of human technology.
Yes, I did in fact make Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon and Johnson all Spartans. Why? A: They are some of the best soldiers either humanity has, all of them having saved their respective Earth's and humanity's more then a few times. And B: Because it is awesome.
Also, the Jaeger design is basically a mix between Gypsy danger, Striker Eureka and Gypsy Avenger. The visor of Gypsy Danger with the wings and limbs of Gypsy Avenger with the missile tubes in chest idea from Striker Eureka. The forearm Asgard Beam cannons look like Gypsy Danger's plasma cannons, while the Hard Light cannons are simply open barrels with golden light inside of them. The swords are also the same as Gypsy Avengers, while the shoulder cannons are taken from Coyote Tango.
As for the Replicators, I thought O'Neill's response was logical considering how badly messing with the Replicators always turned out in either SG-1 or SGA. The incredible building power as well as increased manpower comes at the cost that it might create an enemy of almost unparalleled danger.
And that is it, so if you have any comments, criticism or concerns, leave a review or send me a P.M., always appreciated.
Until next time, this is StrikeFreedom10, signing off.
Farewell for now!
PLUS ULTRA!