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HALO: The Aftermath (md) by Michael Dentico
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HALO: The Aftermath- Part 1
Date: 13 November 2005, 4:02 am
HALO: The Aftermath
By Michael Dentico
PART I: EARTH
_______________________________________________
CHAPTER ONE _______________________________________________
0345 hours, September 28, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Aboard UNSC vessel Gettysberg, Slipspace, nearing Sol System.
15 Days after destruction of Covenant Battle Station Unyielding Hierophant
"Locking gamma reduction sequence," the AI Cortana said, as mathematical symbols scrolled across her body, and she faded away from view with her hand on her forehead.
"Cortana, what is our ETA to the Sol System?" the Master Chief said exhaustedly. He had been working non-stop for the past umpteen hours. Cortana shimmered back into focus.
"ETA is 6 hours and counting, Chief," Cortana replied, looking over the Master Chief's bulky armor. "In the meantime, I think you should get some rest… I've already locked in my NAV subroutines," She told him. "You sound extremely lethargic." She added. With a nod, the Master Chief headed out the bridge doors into the main corridor, which ran the length of the entire warship. He headed toward the service lift. Stepping on, he pressed the button marked "7", for med bay level. The high-speed elevator ascended, and the Chief went deep into thought. He thought about all he had fought for, how many of his fellow brethren had passed, and the bizarre derelict ring world coined "HALO". The lift reached its destination, and the shaft doors hissed open. The Chief walked along the corridor, and instead of going straight to the med bay, he stopped into the tactics room first. He parked himself at a computer terminal, and opened a new battle report document. He typed rapidly about the new Covenant species his squad had encountered on the Unyielding Hierophant dubbed the "Brute". He continued on about how this species was considerably stronger than the Elite and how it used melee attacks more commonly than ordinance. He included video feed from his helmets recording unit, which showed the Brute in sharp detail that had almost strangled him to death. He pondered the battle, how Cortana's copy's copy had gone haywire and copied itself an uncountable amount of times. He noted that in the report too. The reaction had jammed Covenant COM relays, resulting in the unavailable contact between the Covenant Battle Station and Covenant warships. The Chief saved the file and shut down the computer. He exited the tactics room and proceeded directly to the med bay. He popped open an intact cryo tube, entered, and shut it. He thought about sleep, and his HUD read:
BEGINNING MJOLNIR STAND BY SEQUENCE…
The Chief fell into a deep sleep and started to dream…
______________________________________
CHAPTER TWO___________________________________
0357 Hours, Year 03085, Ninth age of reclamation (Covenant Battle Calendar)
Aboard Covenant Carrier Descendant of Honesty,
Nearing human homeworld, the Prophet's chamber
"Have the fleet form up immediately… I want all ships moving into their assigned slipspace vectors in five minutes," the Prophet spoke to the Elite Officer Appa 'Gamamee.
"Yes sir." The creature responded to the prophet.
"And Appa," the prophet continued, "Find the humans. And give them a warm welcome."
The grunt Citap awoke to the burning coil that touched his back flesh to wake him. He jumped to the deck, a solid, purple-silver alloy. Citap was concerned about the early wake up call, because he wouldn't be needed until the fleet reached the human system. He looked around him and saw several of his grunt comrades awaking as well. "Ritap, what is the reason for the early awakening?" Citap queried.
"The prophet wants all crew to be moved up to Alpha position… we found more humans; including the one with the special armor." Ritap replied. Citap squealed with terror. The armored human had almost trampled him on the holy ring HALO. Rumors had it that HALO was destroyed, along with the flood and all humans. But Citap was still a grunt, and grunts were still used as cannon fodder. Plus, they were complete cowards. But prophets always told the grunts that when they were afraid, to fire their weapons. No matter how weak his caste was the prophet ordered that everyone be brave and vicious. Despite that though, Citap knew that if the human could cripple HALO's defenses, he could destroy anything. Citap wished he could see his mate. Only male soldiers were enlisted to fight in the Covenant.
In the small bridge chamber, Elite pilots and officers flicked at hologram displays rapidly, readying the Descendant of Honesty's slipspace drive. The readouts showed that the reactor was fully charged, ready for a jump and awaiting coordinates. Silma 'Ramalee, the craft's pilot, popped in the data crystal containing Earth's coordinates. And the blank was filled in with pinpoint accuracy for the human's homeworld. Silma pressed the EXECUTE button on his monitor, and with a slight, resonant shudder, the ship quietly entered the inky blackness of slipspace.
TO BE CONTINUED
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