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The Coming Storm by Half-Jaw
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The Coming Storm
Date: 15 July 2005, 10:52 am
The Coming Storm: Part 1
The Chief checked his Battle Rifle one last time. He inspected it carefully, and set it down on the seat next to him. It was scratched badly and had been rendered completely inoperable. I'll need another one of those, the Chief thought. He had just returned from a mission in London, England. It had been a pretty bad skirmish; most of the men under his command had been killed, and he had also been wounded badly. There was a deep cut in his armour, on his right shoulder. It was still smoking from where the Energy Sword had sliced it. A group of Brutes had somehow infiltrated the city and had set a bomb. If it had exploded, it would have taken the whole city with it. Fortunately, the Master-Chief and his men had defused it just in time. They were on their way back to the Cairo onboard the Dropship. The Spec-Ops Commander had also joined them, and was now seated opposite the Chief. Purple blood now stained his bleached-white armour.
"They will not be the last", he said, sighing. He had given up hope a long time ago. "No, there will be many more. They will retaliate swiftly. They have many allies, and they vastly outnumber us", the Chief replied. The Dropship rumbled suddenly. They had docked at the Cairo.
The Chief and the Commander watched as the rear door dropped down, and they stepped off. As they walked down the ramp into the Docking Bay, a group of Elites in black armour stepped onto the Dropship, led by a Commander suited in gold. They showed no emotion as they walked past. It was not uncommon nowadays to see the odd Elite or Hunter pass you in the hall; ever since the Covenant Civil War, they had declared peace with the Humans. The Bay was huge: A few Longsword fighters were docked, and the sleek, purple curves of a few Phantoms could be seen further down the Bay. Mechanics ran to and fro, while Covenant Engineers studied the inner workings of the human vehicles. There isn't really much to learn what the Covenant don't already know, the Chief thought to himself. Making their way to the Bridge, the Chief surveyed his shoulder. Blue sparks crackled from the red-hot wound.
"I'll have to get that fixed up. The pain is unbearable".
"Mine too. I was slashed across the chest by the same Brute", the Commander answered. Between the gaps in his armour could be seen a large gash dripping with blood.
"It's only a flesh wound", the Commander said, even as he struggled with the pain. The Chief recommended that he should go and see the Medic, but he refused.
Two Honour Guard Elites stood either side of the door to the Bridge, their crimson, curved crests almost touching the ceiling. They held long, metallic spears in their left hands, and they remained motionless. Since when were Honour Guards stationed on patrol here? The Chief thought. The reinforced steel doors slid open as they approached, and they stepped inside. Across the vast hall, Lord Hood was busy coordinating their next attack. The Arbiter stood nearby him, listening intently. His smooth, metallic armour glinted spectacularly from the number of times it had been polished. A hilt for an Energy Sword hung loosely from his belt, strapped around his waist. There was no mistaking it was the Arbiter. As the Chief and the Commander strode up, they were greeted.
"Congratulations on a successful mission gentlemen. The bomb was defused, but we suffered heavy losses. Unnecessary casualties, that may have been avoided. I know we have the Covenant to rely on, but we don't have many men left onboard this station. If we were to be attacked directly, we would be crippled. From now on, it has been agreed that the Arbiter coordinates our defences. The MAC gun has already been imbued with Covenant technology to improve its power and rate of fire, and we are having plasma cannons fitted. Very soon, we will use plasma weapons as well as our own", Lord Hood explained. He led the Chief away from the two Elites.
"You'd better see to your arm Chief. I'll have the new Gunnery Sergeant repair it for you", Lord Hood said. He gazed down at Earth. Several more Orbital Stations like the Cairo were being constructed since the destruction of the Athens and the Malta. Their thin, metallic, glittering frames could just be made out above the Earth's surface. He sighed. Lord Hood suddenly appeared older, as if he had been worn away. His eyes were full of fear, and for a moment, he was just an old man. A frail, old person, with no authority or even a glimmer of hope. It appeared to the Chief that he had withered before his very eyes.
"If they attack, we won't last long. There are simply not enough men. They will sweep through us and then head straight for Earth. Chief, if anything happens to me, you're in command of this Station".
"Sir-"
"Don't question me, Chief. I trust you more than anyone. You're in charge of the Cairo if I die. I trust you'll make the right decision in my absence", Hood answered, then walked away. Then the Chief suddenly realised. No one has any hope anymore. Even as he thought it, the words stung his heart. Everyone had simply given up. No one believed they could win any more. The Chief turned and walked over to the Arbiter.
"There are not nearly enough men to hold out if the Brutes attack. What are we going to do?", he asked, in despair.
"What of the Heretics?", the Chief answered. The Arbiter looked at the Chief in surprise and shock.
"You would trust them to fight?! They are nothing but petty scum! Murderers. Traitors. Betrayers, who believe in nothing!", the Arbiter spat.
"Do we have any other choice? There is no one else", the Chief replied solemnly. The Chief and the Arbiter stared at each other for a while, before the Covenant Leader submitted.
" Very well, but you will have to go. I assassinated their Leader, so I don't think they'd be very happy to see me again", he said, a spark of humour in his voice for once. The Chief turned to exit the Bridge, but was unexpectedly interrupted by one of the Senior Mechanics. His face was red; it looked as though he'd been running. His suit was filthy and had oil spills and dirt all over it. He quickly saluted the Chief.
" At ease, soldier", the Chief spoke, returning the salute.
"Sir, the Spec-Ops Commander gave me this for you. He said it was a kind of thank you after you saved his life down on the surface", the Technician puffed. He handed the Chief a small, black cartridge.
"What do I do with it?", the Chief questioned. The Tech pointed to the Chief's helmet. The Chief slowly inserted it into his neural net. The item sprung to life. Words and numbers suddenly flooded the Chief's visor until his vision began to refocus itself. There was a voice inside his head, speaking in what the Chief thought was Covenant.
" It's a Covenant Shipboard A.I. One of the 'Smart' ones too", the Tech added. Eventually, the voice in the Chief's net translated itself into human English.
"I am Tycho, a highly advanced Shipboard A.I. I am very pleased to meet you. How may I serve?", the voice explained.
" Is there an off button?", the Chief asked. The Tech shook his head.
" The Technician informed me of the loss of your previous A.I. Quite careless of you", the A.I said.
" It was her decision, not mine", the Chief explained. The Chief continued towards the exit to the Bridge, on his way to the Armoury, while the voice inside his head rambled on.
1 hour later…
" We're just about finished, Chief", the Gunnery Sergeant said, as he tended to the Chief's shoulder. The wound stung still, but not as much as before.
" Thanks", the Chief answered. He flexed his arm. The Sergeant handed him a Shotgun.
" It's the same design as before, but we've made some modifications. There's an infrared scope attached, and a second barrel underneath the first. It fires a contained ball of plasma, that detonates on contact", the Sergeant explained, demonstrating each aspect of the new weapon. The Chief studied it, then held it in his grip firmly. He'd need it. The Chief left the Armoury casually, heading for the Hangar.
The doors slid back gently as he entered the massive room. He examined each and every vehicle, deciding which to take. Which would be the fastest? , he thought. He eventually selected the first Longsword fighter to his left. The Chief strode up the boarding ramp, and strapped himself in at the controls. He wrapped his fingers round the control stick, and slowly lifted the fighter into the air, the ramp retracting behind him. The Hangar doors opened smoothly in front of him, everyone evacuating the Bay. He moved the stick forwards and the Longsword sped away into space. The Cairo was left behind.
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