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Sep'Rep [The Reclamation] by JJiggssaw
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Sep'Reo [The Reclamation]: Chapter 1
Date: 25 February 2004, 10:09 PM
Chapter 1
Aboard UNSC frigate Gettysburg
Slipspace
Master Chief Petty Officer, Spartan John -117, stared out in to the inky blackness of slipspace, his thoughts mulling over recent events. Admiral Whitcomb and Lieutenant Haverson and their kamikaze mission near the Unyielding Hierophant... Private Locklear and the strange explosion that seemed to be his death...and finally the disappearance of Kelly and Dr. Halsey and the mystery shrouding the doctor's intentions. "Cortana, do you still have the information on Halo?" he inquired. Her holographic body swirled into view. "Yes, 3-D blueprints of everything that the Covenant had onboard the Ascendant Justice, and any other technology I found along the way. I'm still sorting the Covenant-related data but the Halo info is stored on my chip."
The Master Chief smiled. Cortana was truly a 'smart' AI.
"Tell me more," he demanded softly. Cortana sighed and once again turned her attention back to him.
"Technically this technology is roughly 270 years ahead of the cutting edge stuff ONI has been working on. If we have enough time before the Covenant attack again we can match their effort."
-117 smiled. This was going to be one helluva fight if they could plan everything carefully. Humanity would have a fighting chance.
Temple of The Holy
Restammaleeia (Colonial High Command City)
Covenant Planet Shesh'Nui'Haz
Grand Prophet Holva sat stock-still on his floating dais, his eyes peering intently into the gloom. He had memorised every fluorescent tile, every meandering stream that ran along its length, every plant, animal, or guard that spent time in his Divine Chamber in the Temple of The Holy. He motioned his head to the left. The lights rose. Three Spartans stood stock-still in the middle of the room.
New York City
Earth
Dr. Halsey walked down the gloomy hallway, Kelly following in a dreamy trance. Or so it seemed. The strange pair arrived at a door, Kelly's head bobbing two feet above the Doctor's. A shiny plaque above the doorknob read Col. Ackerson. Dr. Halsey knocked. The door opened to reveal a man with pale features, and everything from the mirror-like sheen of his boots to the crisp uniform to the pristine lab-coat overtop revealed him to be a military man.
"Catherine. It has been a long time, has it not? I see you've brought your wind up soldier friend as well." He said in a condescending drawl.
"I don't have time for this, Julian; we need to work together if we want to get this done."
"I do", he replied with a smile. He raised his UNSC issue M6D pistol and fired point blank at the doctor's chest.
UNSC frigate Gettysburg
Luna IV space dock
The various manufactured moons circling earth's surface were each named "Luna" and assigned a number. Currently there were seven, another in the making. They were hives of activity, massive balls of titanium half the size of their namesake. They served as the base for many projects, as well as the headquarters of the Plasma Research Centre that was manufacturing the first human plasma weapons. The Lunas and the MJOLNIR armour shared the prize of being the pinnacle of human engineering.
The Gettysburg slowly backed onto the dock, atmosphere locks latching onto the exits in its hull. It lurched to a halt. Sergeant Johnson and the Spartans stayed on the ship, talking about sitting back in the Lounge.
The Master Chief, however, had another objective. He walked through the airlock into Luna IV, with two resolute marines in compressed alloy combat armour who escorted him to the office of Commander Claes Andersen.
"Sir!" John said with a crisp salute. "Master Chief. At ease." The Commander replied, a kind of respectful awe in his eyes, "It is an honour to meet the man who has made such an immense difference to humanity. The long transmission Cortana sent out after the destruction of the Unyielding Hierophant and the loss of your brave comrades was, if you allow me to be so blunting, amazing. If you'd oblige, please leave Cortana to talk to the ONI techs down on floor 8b75. I think you've earned yourself a bit of R&R, so your duties have been postponed for a month. I hope you enjoy it." With that, the commander left.
Temple of The Holy
Restammaleeia (Colonial High Command City)
Covenant Planet Shesh'Nui'Haz
The three Spartans were sent away long ago on the covert mission designed to be the fail-safe for the operation to capture a Prophet. They were sent ahead by the Admiralty and nearly forgotten after the fall of Reach. Dr. Halsey had briefly contacted them after her escape from the Gettysburg, telling them only to be on Earth in 7 days, with or without the Prophet. Now they stood in the centre of the chamber, their camouflage giving off only a light shimmer, perfectly resembling the room. The Prophet seemingly satisfied that no-one had entered the Temple of The Holy motioned for the lights to be turned down and went back to his divine train of thought.
Quietly, with such slow painstaking motions, Emmanuelle -58 crept over and soundlessly charged an Elite guard with two thousand volts of electricity, frying his brain and bringing on instant rigor mortis. She continued with each guard, rejoicing at the fact that they were never in pairs. Lucas -85's AI, Xafay, took x-ray and MRI scans of the Prophet to calculate the amount of electricity it would take to put him into a temporary state of unconsciousness. Lastly, Jered -42 unlocked the exit to the room with a UNSC Lockbreaker. The three Spartans then turned and slowly made their way towards the Prophet. Lucas crept behind him and held his hovering dais still while Emmanuelle and Jered 'fried' him. Just before the charge reached his brain, however, The Prophet's innate sixth sense realised something was very wrong. It instantly set off an alarm throughout the entire Temple linked to his cranial functions. Lucas shoved a camouflage pyramid into the Prophet's chest, rendering him invisible like the humans. The Spartans picked the Covenant leader up and ran madly towards the door.
To Be Continued...
Sep'Reo [The Reclamation] Chapter 2
Date: 9 March 2004, 9:34 PM
Chapter 2
September 16, 2552
ONI research complex
New York City
Earth
Kelly walked down the gloomy hallway with Dr. Halsey, feigning fatigue. Her shoes echoed on the titanium floor, while dimmed, cobalt floodlights gave stark illumination. Altogether, the atmosphere was very eerie.
She loved the doctor like a mother, yet she had a very wide streak of curiosity in her personality. If the Doctor believed her lassitude, so much the better to find out exactly what she was doing.
[indentThey stopped at a varnished wooden door, a bronze plaque naming the residents of the laboratory.
"Colonel Ackerson, Guest Doctor, Section Three".
Kelly stiffened, fingers instantly gripping the butt of a non-existent weapon. Dr. Halsey knocked thrice. The Colonel answered, resplendent in his swamp green uniform. Kelly paid little attention to the tense conversation that ensued, and focused her eyes on the M6D hanging from Ackerson's belt, which the Colonel slowly reached for. He grasped the weapon and raised it.
Kelly felt 'Spartan Time' kicking in. Her enhanced mental skills analyzed each piece of information available at that point, and then used it appropriately. The Colonel was going to fire directly at Dr. Halsey's heart, a fatal shot at any range. She guessed it would be three milliseconds before the bullet entered the Doctor's chest. Kelly's hand lashed out at 50 kilometres per hour, caught the barrel of the M6D, and twisted it upward slightly. The bullet dented the metallic paneling. The Spartan lightly flicked a nerve in Ackerson's neck and he fell, twitching, to the floor.
September 16, 2552
Temple of the Holy
Restammaleeia (Colonial High Command City)
Covenant Planet Shesh'Nui'Haz
Jered flung the prophet over his shoulders, picking up two plasma pistols as he went. They exited the room onto a long corridor with the standard purple panelling of Covenant architecture, except the walls were inlaid with a strange metal, forming graceful calligraphy. The writing on the walls shimmered, light dancing across its surface. Three brutes lumbered out of a side passageway ahead of them, not daring to fire for fear of killing their divine leader. Emmanuelle, taking advantage of this weakness, threw a plasma grenade into their midst. The explosive detonated, leaving one of the monstrosities remaining. Jered charged up both plasma pistols and aimed for the Brute's head. The whirling fireballs baked the Sacred Guard's cranium at a temperature of several thousand degrees.
The Spartans emerged from a hallway into a large, plain hall. The enemies shimmered into view as their camouflage died, still sprinting as fast as they could. Five spec ops Elites rappelled down from the rafters, blocking the kidnapper's path, and ignited their plasma swords. One took a wild swing at Jered's ribs, but the supersoldier protected himself with the Prophet, stopping the plasma sword in mid-air as the Elite realised he was about to decapitate his Most Revered. Lucas emptied the clip in his BR on another, grabbing the plasma sword just before its owner perished. Emmanuelle ducked a swipe from the largest one, raised a scavenged plasma rifle and fired until the Elite fell to the ground with a hollow thud. Lucas impaled the last two after a short yet furious fencing match. The humans wasted no time and continued their flight, taking off again. They eliminated any who jeopardized their mission, and avoided any large forces as they hurried through the resplendent corridors, halls, and chambers that made up The Temple of the Holy.
September 16, 2552
Northern Province
Inner Colony "Gather"
"GODAMMIT Oswald if you do that one more time you are facing one toasted ass do you hear me?"
"Yes sarge", replied the private after shooting a round just too close to his Sergeant's ear.
The small fire team Acadia fought fiercely behind a makeshift bunker of sandbags on the top of a small rise, all five members of the team excelling at exactly their strength. As a third phantom dropped down Pt. Reynolds, the team's explosive expert, timed his shot and launched a rocket directly into the right engine of the magenta aircraft. It exploded. The ODST s continued to fight in defence of their race.
They had made their temporary home in the middle of a shell-blasted field while Covenant forces swarmed to destroy them. The Covenant had a total of four elites, ten grunts and six jackals desperately trying to bring the intrepid marines down.
"Charlie! Left!" said Pt. Smith, while blasting an Elite with an M90. She was tough, the team's close combat specialist, self-trained to perfection in five martial arts. ODST s of the opposite sex seldom made fun of her gender. If they did, they only tried it once.
"I'm on it Sammy! You work on that red freak." Corporal Henderson said as he turned to shoot down an imposing four-Jackal shield wall his battle rifle.
"GRENADE!"
The team threw themselves out of the bunker as plasma enveloped their makeshift shelter. Sergeant Donaldson watched the sand bags fly in every direction, taking some of the hostiles with the miniature sandstorm.
They back-pedalled away from the remaining aliens, guns blazing, and scrambled into the shelter of the forest edge.
"Alright, see if you can pick them off from here people, and then we'll call back to Beta Base.", ordered Sgt. Donaldson as he aimed with his pistol. Their weapons coughed as the remaining Covies went down.
"Beta Base 3 this is Pt. Madison of fire team 'Cadia requesting pickup at eleven point three kilometres north-north-east of your position, do you copy?"
"Yes. Fire team Acadia please hold position we cannot send a Pelican at this time, however we can send a troop war-OH MY GOD NOT NOW! HOW COME-". The transmission ended with a crackle.
"Beta Base do you a-read?" The private once again answered with static. The sergeant grabbed the radio from him yelling, "BETA BASE DO YOU COPY? LIEUTENANT JENSON CAN YOU HEAR ME?" the same results re-occurred with the sergeant's desperate cries. The Helljumpers looking at each other and started to walk, knowing the order before it came.
September 16, 2552
Restammaleeia (Colonial High Command City)
Covenant Planet Shesh'Nui'Haz
While the Covenant knew that their beloved Prophet had been captured they did not know by whom, what, or where he was. The Spartans yet remained undetected, as they had eliminated everyone who saw them.
The three Humans left the Temple of the Holy to find themselves in a hangar filled with phantoms and the characteristic u-shaped drop-ship of the Covenant. Exactly where they wanted to be. Emmanuelle, now the carrier of the prophet, ushered her comrades into the open hatch of a Phantom. They were invisible once again after finding an entire cupboard of the active camouflage so crucial to their mission. Lucas crept up behind the dozing grunt pilot and shot him with his silenced pistol. Jered sat down on one of the troop seats that matched the indigo interior while Emmanuelle closed the door of the fluorescent spacecraft, and then sat down beside him.
They were off.
They whizzed up at top speed through the atmosphere and headed unknowingly directly into the open belly of a Covenant cruiser.
September 16, 2552
ONI research complex
New York City
Earth
The two women walked over the colonel's body through the open door into an empty white laboratory. The only feature was a closed, reinforced door at the other side of the room, reading CHIRON TL34.
"Thank you Kelly. That was very...thoughtful. However next time please admit it when you have fully recovered from the anaesthetic." Doctor Halsey gave Kelly a reproving look, which Kelly answered with a guilty smile behind her opaque visor.
The women looked around the lab. In one corner sat an active Covenant overshield in a glass case, in the center a large table with a small one-person fighter jet on it, and the rest of the room was filled with a jumble of test tubes, books, and instruments. The Doctor walked over to a radio in the corner.
"ONI operative 315. This building. Urgent." commanded Dr. Halsey into the mike. The computer processed her simple statements and a line formed.
"ONI operative 315 this is Catherine Halsey. Colonel Ackerson has just committed an act of treason towards me."
The Doctor answered concisely as she was interrogated about the crime.
"Attempted murder."
"I am fine, thank you."
"Pistol...M6D line I think."
"In front of his laboratory."
"A minute ago."
"Precisely."
"I brought a Spartan with me. Her actions saved my life."
"A pleasure."
"End line." The oral command shut off the radio. Kelly went looked at the jet. It took up all of the space on its 4x8 steel table, and it seemed to be missing a windshield. If the letters UNSC weren't stencilled up the side, the supersoldier would have thought it was a captured Covenant aircraft. The Doctor walked over to join her.
"Could you strike the jet please?" asked Dr. Halsey, making a punching motion to clarify.
The Spartan immediately slugged the wing; its shields became apparent as energy rippled up and down its length. The Doctor gave a knowing smile.
"This might win the war for us, Kelly."
September 16, 2552
Northern Province
Inner Colony "Gather"
The five ODST s had been walking briskly for an hour along the only road that led through the dense forest having already covered 5 of the 14 kilometres; the journey was longer because they had to skirt the vegetation. Pt. Smith had plasma pistol burns on her arms; Cpl. Henderson had needler wounds in his shoulder; the Sergeant had a burn on his chest from the twin cannons on a ghost; Pt. Reynolds was clean; ironically the medic, Pt. Oswald, was worst off with needler cuts all across his back and plasma pistol burns across his torso.
"Look, Sarge if Ossie doesn't stop to fix himself up he's gonna get real messed up. Can't we wait?"
"Fine. Oswald if you could fix us all up a bit please; we might as well be our best if we want to re-capture the base." Ordered Sergeant Donaldson, though under his breath he muttered "not that we have a hope in hell".
After a break and two hours more walking, the Helljumpers approached their base. It was in ruins, though the Covenant had set up camp with multi-coloured tents adorning the smoking wreckage. On each corner of the camp sat a squat Shade with a grunt gunner, roughly 30 jackals, 15 elites, and 45 grunts patrolled, dozed or worked at their various tasks. A mammoth Wraith tank sat unmanned on the far side of the camp. Their only hope was to capture the base and re-assess, Charlie Base was three hundred kilometres away and a battle in orbit was evident as white flashes were often visible through the planet's thick stratosphere. A munitions bunker sat untouched by the Covenant, and it was their only hope for surviving a little longer; it might even contain a warthog. These thoughts all occurred to the Sergeant, and slowly he formed a plan.
September 16, 2552
Northern Province
Inner Colony "Gather"
Nodo 'Sangalee sat proudly on a piece of debris of the Human house that the filth called "Betta Baze" and he had conquered it. He already had his burgundy armour; after this victory he might win his place as a Ship Commander; he hoped that the humans would cause at least one major naval casualty in the battle for Gather. His eyes swept the alien trees, had he seen movement over there? No, it was just an animal. His train of thought went back to promotion as four things flew through the air and landed under the manned Shades. Explosions instantly killed the grunty gunners as the turrets flew upwards. Instantly he roared an order to the rookie blue elites and they raised their plasma rifles and hosed the forest. No human screams met their fire. The jackals and grunts ran bumping into each other, firing their pistols and needlers into space. 'Sangalee ran towards the Wraith, hoping to burn down the forest and the Humans, when two rockets in rapid succession flew toward the mortar and exploded. It seemed like this was a full frontal assault from a guerrilla force; he cursed himself for not charging up an extra oversheild for his armour. More grenades flew in and exploded around the camp, sending sand, Jackals, rocks, Grunts, and occasionally Elites into the air, wildly swinging their arms as massive internal bleeding ended their lives. Rockets crashed into the most concentrated groups of the Covenant while the aliens combed the forest with their bright gunfire.
"To me, brave soldiers of the Covenant! Kill the Humans!" Nodo cried, running towards a muzzle flash that was partly concealed behind a fern. A ragtag force of a few Elites, twenty or so Grunts, and roughly eight Jackals followed him. They ran into a small clearing where they found part of their quarry. The she-human said something in her uncouth language and scrambled to exit the scene. Plasma bolts whistled past her, but she was agile. She scrambled behind one of the foreign trees and stopped to take down some Grunts with her SMG. The Covenant pursuers re-organized as 'Sangalee roared out orders. A Jackal had charged up his plasma pistol and crept up behind the woman. He released the plasma and it hit her back like a battering ram. She fell forward, stunned and burnt, and the Elites pounced. Their rifles cut her down, and, knowing she was doomed, she pulled the pins of her five remaining grenades and jumped into the midst Covenant warriors. The explosion killed eight Elites, twenty Grunts, all eight Jackals, and of course one human. The few remaining Covenant soldiers, having survived both a kamikaze Human, fourteen grenades, and five rockets ran after any movement they saw in the bushes, any muzzle flashes hidden in the loam. Slowly they too were cut down as the Humans proved elusive.
Another victory for Fire Team Acadia.
To be continued.
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