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The Ancile- chapter one
Posted By: Jammerfer<Jammerfer@hotmail.com>
Date: 23 October 2004, 5:09 AM
Read/Post Comments
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THE ANCILE
CHAPTER 1=========================================
0543 hours, April 20th, 2525 (Military Calendar)
UNSC Scout Ship Argo, Harvest System.
First Lieutenant Thomas Garret stood speechless as he viewed the planet. Or rather, what had been a planet. The sphere was no longer the green planet with blue oceans he had read about, but rather a glassy, bright red hell. The scoutship's navigator, Lieutenant Junior Grade Andres Paz, was equally stunned. Only thirty minutes ago, the planet had seemed like a small, insignificant spot in the distance of space. It had been then that Garret sent a transmission confirming their arrival in the System. Paz was certain that the Longsword escorts' pilots were in shock as one shifted away after it veered too close to the Argo. "Are you sure?" The captain muttered. "Yes sir," replied Paz, "this is Harvest. I'm sorry sir, but we are exactly where we have been scheduled to be." Garret chuckled, "I would never have expected you to apologize for your reliability Paz, but right now I wish you were drunk." There was a silence that lasted a couple of minutes before one of the Longswords signaled the ship. "What should we do sir?" Flight Officer Captain Carson Reyes radioed. Garret swallowed his confusion, he was after all, in charge of these bewildered men, and he would rather be dishonorably discharged than to have his crew think that their leader was weakened by any tragedy.
"Return to the Argo, we're going home and giving ONI our report. I want your team back onboard ASAP, the faster we leave this system, the better." He knew that the ONI spooks would be furious at him for leaving the system with little more than pictures showing the death of millions of people, and the destruction of a valuable planet with no knowledge of the cause, but his mind was set. He also did not want Master Sargeant Nicholas Reynolds, the highest ranking ODST on the ship, to see what became of his wife and son, who were new residents in Harvest. Garret was sure even this rock-solid warrior would lose his mind looking at his family's impossible grave."Warm up our translight engine Paz, we're leaving this God-forsaken place." He closed his eyes, but did not budge otherwise.
FOC Reyes repressed his finger back onto the transmitter. "Aye, aye sir," he responded to the captain, "on our way." He shook his head slowly and was headed back to the ship with his fellow pilots when a movement caught his eye. He squinted off towards the planet as an object came around the burning mass. He was staring in disbelief when he fumbled his finger to the transmitter. " Sir," he managed, "I think we have something here."
Garret was also focusing on the object on his viewpad."Sir... I think we have something here." came Reyes's voice from his speaker. The Object was large, larger than the Argo. It appeared to be a a gigantic, wavy teardrop with a boulbous protrusion on the port side. It resembled a whale somewhat, and was bluish in color. "What...the hell?" gasped Ensign Jonas McNeal, another of the Bridge's crewmen.
"Is this a natural phenomena?" pondered Garret. "No sir," Paz replied, "This is artificial... I would say manmade, but I've never seen anything this bizzare, not even from what Section Three has released." Garret straightened up and took a deep breath, "That might be what caused this tragedy. McNeal, zoom in on the object, I want you to get me the best picture possible."
Possible was not saying much, as the heat radiating from the planet greatly distorted the image, but McNeal was already clearing up the vid by the time Garret gave the command. "Sir, Image focusing on main view screen." The Lieutenant was taken back at the craft on the screen, for that is what it had to be, what else had stabilizers on the port section and a clearly defined hull? He winced at the realization that whatever it was, it had to be both hostile and unimaginably powerful if it could decimate an entire planet with a population of three million.
Suddenly something else happened, or rather, appeared. Another craft, Identical to the first, came out of the dark side of the planet, then another, and another, until six ships were formed in a row orbiting the planet. Garret dared do nothing to get their attention, lest he provoke them. He considered the possibility of them being a friendly species, coming in to see if anybody was to be saved, but that thought left his mind, there was no way that these ominous whales were friendly, and as they suddenly veered towards the Argo, Reyes would be the first to find out about their true hostility.
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