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The Revelation of War, Prologue: Part I
Posted By: russ687<russ687@hotmail.com>
Date: 13 July 2004, 6:33 AM
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The Revelation of War
Prologue
0520 hours, August 30, 2552 (Military Calendar)
Aboard UNSC Destroyer Melbourne
Epsilon Eridani System, in orbit above planet Reach
Lieutenant Colonel Jared Reinker stepped out of the Pelican ship and looked around at his surroundings. He had just entered one of the destroyers' many docking bays, and the sight was not amazing. The gray steel, bright overhead lights five stories above him, the pallets and crates, all of it rendered the ship normal by his standard. Normal and uninteresting.
Reinker, however, had an important task that was not dull or normal, and that's why the ONI officer didn't appreciate being sent to a normal destroyer to fulfill his task. What he expected was a cruiser, what he got was not comparable.
But he understood why he hadn't gotten better arrangements. The reason was far more then a simple justifiable cause; the reason was the uncountable number of Covenant ships heading for Reach. The thought of it made him shudder. All his years being posted on Reach he had never suspected that the Covenant would find it, and he often thought that if they ever did, the orbital defenses and fleets around the military planet would be more then enough to hold off any onslaught the Covenant may have. His confidence in the planet's safety, however, was quickly disappearing.
He tightened his grip around the metal suitcase that was in his right hand as eight Marine Military Policemen stepped out of the Pelican behind him. The MP's were a necessary precaution he knew, but the feeling of having so many made him unusually anxious. Reinker had been on worse assignments before, but this one stuck out for some reason. Maybe it was the immanent attack, or maybe it was the precious cargo he was ordered to secure for evacuation.
Whatever it was, he didn't like it.
Two crewmen approached him after entering the docking bay. He recognized the first one as the destroyer's executive officer, but the second didn't look familiar. Two MP's immediately stepped out in front of him and halted the duo of officers approaching.
Reinker waved the Marines back and they cautiously withdrew, allowing the two officers to come up to him. Reinker nodded to the executive officer and eyed the second closely; he was not a suspicious man, but there was no time to take chances. Not with an armada of enemy ships at their doorstep.
"Good morning, colonel." Commander Jay Grover said, extended his arm. "As I hear it, there's a special task that you need us to accomplish."
Reinker nodded. "I need to speak to you and your Captain." He looked at the second officer again. "Alone."
Grover nodded. "This way."
Reinker followed the two officers out of the docking bay, his small squad of MP's following close behind. The walked down the long gray corridors of the ship towards the turbo lift. Reinker watched as crewmembers ran pass them quickly; the ship was a mad house as they prepared to get every function of the ship in top condition for the upcoming battle. He was glad that the Captain had all of his crew busy, but little did the Captain, or anyone else on the ship, know was that they would not be staying for the party.
The thick armored doors closed behind them and the large elevator began rising up. He watched as they quickly moved passed floors towards the top of the ship. So many thousands of men on a single ship, the sight always amazed him at how large the UNSC made their ships, and then the thought of battle flooded over him. Nearly every day they lost a ship to the Covenant, and on those ships were thousands of men and women fighting for humanity's right to live. This war consumed them.
The turbo lift came to a halt, a large digital sign on the lift's control panel lit up. Deck 14.
They exited the lift and walked down another busy corridor. Ahead Reinker saw a sign that pointed down another corridor that read 'Bridge,' but the walked passed it. The XO led them down a different corridor and came to a halt outside of a large double door. This was apparently Conference Room 14A.
Two Marine sentries nodded at the XO, then looked over Reinker's group and his escort. He smiled slightly as the Marine sentries straightened up when they noticed the Helljumper insignia on his own Marine guards. That never ceased to amuse him.
They entered the double armored doors and walked into a large conference room. He glanced around the large room and saw many paintings on them; depictions of battles and ships. Pre-dominantly taking up the room was a large oak table, and seated at the far end were three officers. Reinker immediately recognized the Captain: Jonathon Baker.
This was not the first time the two officers had met. In fact, Reinker had seen Baker on numerous occasions, and had come to know him as a good Captain and brilliant leader. He knew now why his commander still on the surface of Reach picked this vessel. They could trust this man.
Captain Baker rose as he saw the group enter the room. "Lieutenant Colonel Reinker, it's a pleasure to see you again."
Reinker walked to the other end of the room and extended his hand, his MP's following close behind. "I'm glad to see that my superiors have made a wise choice." He turned and motioned for his guards to move off. The ODST's naturally set up a perimeter around the room and stood silent.
Baker nodded slowly, his face giving away the obvious distrust. Reinker understood why the Captain before him was weary; any Captain would be in the face of an ONI officer with an assignment for them. Part of him was mad that ONI had such a reputation among the UNSC, but he knew first hand why, and that there was no way to avoid it.
He looked around the room. "Can we have some privacy? Just yourself and your first officer?"
Baker nodded and motioned for the two staff members with him to leave. Cmdr. Grover dismissed his own aid and the doors closed to the room. The XO walked over and stood near his Captain.
"Let's have a seat, gentleman." Reinker said. "This won't take long, for obvious reasons though."
The two officers nodded and sat. "What is it the Office of Naval Intelligence has for my ship?' Baker asked.
Reinker sat and opened his briefcase. "With the knowledge that the Covenant are en-route to Reach, there is much concern that some valuable materials on Reach may be compromised. What my superiors have ordered is that these materials be evacuated as a safety precaution and prevent any information leak if the Covenant are able to..."
He trailed off. He thought about what he was saying and how the message was being portrayed to the two officers listening to him. He had slight suspicions that Reach would not hold, but did his commanders know Reach would not stand? Half of the Executive Command Staff were leaving when he got his orders.
Reinker continued, but the pause had changed the Captain's and his first officer's perspective already. "If the Covenant are able to land forces, we cannot allow these materials to fall into their hands. That is why we are here, to use your ship as transportation of these materials."
Baker's eyes were hard; the Captain obviously did not like what he was hearing. "What materials might these be?"
"I cannot tell you," Reinker said.
"Then tell me why," Baker said, "ONI doesn't just use one of their many prowlers or stealth frigates?"
Reinker sighed as he reached into the suitcase and pulled out the official memorandum containing the orders for Baker, directly from ONI command and approved by his fleet commander. He hated the truth, the real reason why ONI couldn't spare any of its own ships. It was the pure and simple selfishness that seemed to corrupt any man with power when their life was threatened.
"All of our ships are conducting other operations," Reinker said dryly.
Baker read his orders. The Captain seemed somewhat surprised that his own fleet commander would approve the order when every Captain in the system knew they needed all the help they could get to defend Reach. Reinker knew it all too well, but he also knew the importance of getting these 'materials' off of Reach and someplace safe.
Baker looked up and set the paper down. He had done enough dealing with ONI to know that most questions he had would go unanswered. Reinker partly appreciated that fact, since time was running out.
"When will the materials be arriving?" The Captain asked.
"Three Pelicans will be requesting an inbound vector no later than 0545. The Pelicans will have all of the required materials along with some other ONI personnel." Baker closed the briefcase. "You will also have an escort."
Baker's mouth almost dropped open. "We're sparing another ship just for escort?"
Reinker nodded. Baker leaned back and rubbed his eyes, he may not know what he was going to be carrying out, but he was beginning to understand that whatever it was it was of a very high priority. The Captain leaned forward again and nodded for his XO to leave. Grover stood and nodded, then headed for the door.
"The Triton will rendezvous with you at this location also by 0545." Reinker said. "Then you will receive further orders on to where you will be jumping." He stood slowly and adjusted his Class A jacket and tie. "Captain, this is necessary, far more then you may ever know."
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