Chapter 9: TBD

(Conner)
=I had the same dream again. A distant memory from years ago, during my time in the Marines, when I was still fighting the Covenant. My unit and I were on the ground, defending one of humanity's rapidly dwindling colonies. We were holed up in a small three story building, in a large city. The skyline was a mess of smoke, and a few of the larger towers had smoking holes in them, fires burning their way through the floors. One of the towers had fallen at an angle, and was leaned up against a neighboring tower, both probably on their way to oblivion. All of this was visible for me from my viewpoint at the third story window. There was a sound behind me, a groan of pain, and I turned. Before I could see what it was though, I woke from the dream in a cold sweat. The bed sheet for my bunk was just as drenched, and tangled around me=
Damn, thought I'd be used to this dream by now....

=I got out of the bunk, and hit the showers. After that I changed into fresh clothes. The fuzziness in my head was still there, but not that bad. During the war I drank, sometimes more than other soldiers, and it was enough that last nights little celebration wasn't going to leave me with a hangover. Leaving the barracks, I found it was still dark outside, though over on the horizon was a strip of orange that was slowly getting bigger. Morning was on its way=

I sigh as I think. Just how stupid am I? Sleeping during a mission.
I keep myself leaned against the wall. I want to put on music but decide not to. I wouldn't hear anything if hostiles came by.

(Jason)
=Stupid me, I fell asleep at my desk. Between the fiasco with the GESTR's and the encounter with the Fortress vessel, it was a miracle I didn't collapse the moment I got off the shuttle. Yawning, I straightened myself in the chair, and took a brief look around the room. There was a data-pad on the desk, while several holograms hovered over the desk, serving as displays for the files I had been going over. A clock on the data-pad showed me the current time for Haven: 7:30 a.m. Great, I had been asleep for nearly nine hours. I briefly considered going to the cafeteria for some breakfast, but decided that first thing was first. Placing my finger on one of the holographic screens, I contacted Silver Light=

(Silver Light)
=As per the Inheritor's request, I had remained in the Control Center of Haven. In all my time there, I diligently worked at both my original duties, and the new duties the Inheritor had given me, constantly up to date on affairs with this war he was a part of. The resurgence of one of my makers warships, from beyond Haven, was certainly a surprise, and a significant threat, which was why I had been searching our Archives for any notable weaknesses my makers had been aware of. With nothing as of yet, I was happy to accept the Inheritors call=

Greeting Inheritor. What can I do for you today?

(Jason)
Hey Silver, sorry to ask, but you remember how you offered to handle my work load? Well, I'd appreciate it if you could handle these new orders for me.

(Silver Light)
With pleasure Inheritor. I will see to it at once.

(Fatet)

=I'd taken Jason's response as a 'yes' to training with gear, so we'd loaded the men up in everything they'd have in battle, (Plus a good 30 pounds in a backpack each.) And made them run.=

"Anyone doesn't finish in under an hour is trying again tomorrow. Meaning you hold back this groups' progress, thus putting Haven in more danger than needed, as she won't have a working special operations team. Questions? No? 3-2-1-go."

=I'd said the last part too fast for them to react instantly, so after a couple of seconds they realised and started running.=

Drill Sergeant: You really think they're ready?

"As ready as they can be. If they finish this in the time limit, they have the endurance and mentality needed."

=Denne, once again not learning his lesson, arrived five minutes late. He arrived into a room with Laiara pacing and mumbling to herself about time constraint.=
(Laiara)
HAVE YOU LEARNED NOTHING?!

(Ander)
She's a bit paranoid about time.

(Denne)
I'm here aren't I?

(Laiara)
I suppose, lets get started. You're target is a crime lord. He has ordered many "assassinations". Over all, he's just sloppy, everyone knows who did it, they leave fingerprints everywhere, and they're taking out business. The crime lord ALWAYS wears a beret. And he always has lunch at Bone's Pickins, he orders the buffalo wings. take him out at 12:10, SHARP.

(Denne)
That's it?

(Ander)
One last thing.
=Ander moves in closer to Denne=
Dont miss.

(Laiara)
I want you to get into position now so you're ready when the time rolls around...

(Denne)
But its only seven.

=Rage overtakes Laiara's face=
(Ander)
Dont ever question Laiara... EVER...

(Denne)
Fine! I'll go. Just let me prep and get some coffee.

(Laiara)
=looking all happy and perky.=
Thanks!

(Jason)
=Once Silver had taken control of my work load, I headed for the cafeteria for some breakfast. The stuff may not have been gourmet, but I didn't let that bother me. Hell, I kinda liked it better than the stuff I could have gotten in the cities. I brought my data-pad along for the ride though, just to keep track of something important: the date for the colonists arrival. Well, refugees, but I had a feeling that they'd be colonists all the same. After all, we were building them a settlement. Anyway, according the calendar on the data-pad, they were in fact scheduled to arrive today. Oh boy=

Dammit, how could I forget something so important?

=I decided that it might be better to put a hold on lunch, and head on out to the settlement that had been built for the new arrivals. Okay, settlement wasn't the right word. The damn thing was a city, still being built, but with all the main housing and critical areas finished. While not as large or extravagant as the Inner Cities, the new place was certainly something to look at, so I had been told by workers on site. In fact, a large number of civilians from the Inner Cities were gathering at the settlement to meet the new arrivals, and I had even allowed some of my own soldiers to gather there. A lot of people on Haven had family members out there, and they were hoping, even praying that some of these refugees, were their family. I wished them luck. For those that couldn't attend the arrival, they all submitted their names for a list of inhabitants here, so that the new arrivals, no doubt in the same position, could look up their own family=

(Simile)
=i radio everyone=
I got the database. Let's head out and figure out our next stop.

(Deniv)
=i press my comm bead=
Roger. We're all set here.

=i put my helmet back on and look at our friend=
We're out of your hair now. Just make sure next time you check your targets before trying to blow the hell out of it, okay? You ain't 'Splosions.

(Punikav)
=i had been listening in and I called out using external speakers=
I heard that!

I sigh as I get up from the wall. I equip my sword and pistol has I had before. Then I tap my comms button on my helmet.
"Aren't we suppose to be quiet? The enemy still hasn't detected us. At least until now."

(Punikav)
=i radio Alphonse=
The person knows we have a squad here, saying that won't do anything.

=comms the troph on a secure line=

we're done have the intel group standby they got alot of work to do

Rika headed for the door, shotguns slung.
"Bro, come on down. Time to had back to the Xerxes."

=High over Haven, the fleet was gathered in orbit, between the planet and the coordinates for the UNSC ships, ready to greet the arrivals from the UNSC. They didn't need to wait very long. Slip-space portals opened, several kilometers from the planet, and a large number of civilian transport ships emerged, some of them Phoenix-class colony ships, many others freighters that had been re-purposed into civilian transports. In total, there were maybe 15 ships=

(Jason)
=Currently, I was on a transport bound for the refugee camp. Sitting in my chair, I was contacted by the fleet in orbit, and the news was good so far: the refugee ships had arrived, and the lead ships captain was requesting to speak with whoever was in charge. Translation, me. So the Hyperion diverted the signal for the captain to my comm=
This is Admiral Shepard of the Haven Military. I welcome you to our home.

*Captain Hikowa*
Pleasure to speak with you Admiral. In all honesty, I wasn't sure to believe the news they were telling us when they had us come here.

"I er... well uh... never mind. Let's just finish this up."
I hit the button and wait. What for? You ask. Orders. I'm waiting for orders.

(Jason)
=I chuckled a little. Hell, if I were in his shoes, I wouldn't have believed it=
Yes well, I'm sure they gave you the confidentiality talk?

*Captain Hikowa*
Yes sir. We're to drop off the civilians, and after we leave we're to never talk of this planet to anyone else. So, where are we to drop off these civilians?

(Jason)
If you head to these coordinates, you will find a camp we constructed for the refugees. It's quite large, so it won't be too hard to miss. There's a landing and unloading zone outside the camp, and you should probably warn your passengers that they're going to be greeted by some of my own people. A lot of civilians here are hoping that their families are aboard your ships.

*Captain Hikowa*
The same can be said for our passengers Admiral. Hopefully a lot of them find their families.

=With the coordinates locked in, the transports began their descent to the surface of Haven, under escort from fighters deployed by the Haven fleet. They passed over a large ocean before arriving at one of Haven's larger continents=

=On Haven, a signal could faintly be picked up from a distant and fast-moving source=

M-yd-y! M-yd-y! ---s -s --e A-u-- -om-- -o -ny n--rby, --ey're -om-ng! I --pe-t, --ey -re c--ing!! --l -nit- -o --a--ons!

=There is a rush of Static=

--at --e f--- w-s --at!?

=The signal fades off...=

--Civilian Settlement, Haven--

=The ships arrived at the settlement, a large city along the coast. Descending even further, they arrived at the drop-off point: an outpost for Haven's military, to help oversee the refugees. Each ship either landed where they could, or hovered in the air to allow their own dropships to ferry civilians to the surface=

--Alpha Base Control Center--

=Within the Control Center of Alpha Base, an officer manning the long range sensors picked up a signal. It's origin was tough to pinpoint, and they had no way of knowing whether it was approaching Haven or not=

=A while later, the Signal returned, looping the same message=

M-yd-y! M-yd-y! ---s -s --e A-u-- -om-- -o -ny n--rby, --ey're -om-ng! I --pe-t, --ey -re c--ing!! --l -nit- -o --a--ons!

=There is a rush of Static=

--at --e f--- w-s --at!?

=The signal fades off again...=

=The ships began to empty. Large shuttles from the largest of vessels flew down to the surface, carrying dozens of civilians, while freighters that had landed opened their cargo doors, to let larger groups out. The landing zone resembled an airports arrival zone, with many of Haven's own civilians waiting to see if any of their family was among the refugees. The unloading would no doubt take another hour or two=

=starts heading out=

-private comm-[u]how much info do we have now counting what i got and all the info you all found on their systems, need to know for the tech division otherwise i'll get the we don't mind but next time tell us before hand lecture//u]

(Jason)
=My transport arrived at the Outpost, right as more and more people were being unloaded. I made my way to the tower that overlooked the unloading zone, a large field as big as ten football fields. The soldiers in the tower greeted me, but were so busy in their work none stood to salute me, which was fine. They had more important things to do anyway, so I settled for linking my data-pad into the field reports. Everything was going smoothly, much more organized than when I brought the first generation of civilians here. That was just 'dump them all in a field and figure out what to do next.' Here, it was soldiers, doctors and civilian volunteers checking on the refugees, escorting them through processing, and helping them find a home in the new city=

(Simile)
=i reply to Zeru=
About a terrabyte. So just let them know we have a fuck load of shit to go through.

(Punikav)
=i start heading towards the door. I motion towards Alphonse=
C'mon. Let's go.

=comms the crew=

it around a terabyte so tell them to get the lab up to full speed

Rika exits the casino, leaving the others behind after obtaining what she asked for. She then started to head towards a more open area so Jeremy could pick her up.

"Alright."
I follow jog over to the door, eager to kill something. To get my mind off things.

=after awhile gets outside and the troph moves postion and activates the grav lift=

finally can get off this world and hopefully find dormii

(Jason)
=While I watched the civilians empty out of the ships, I felt a familiar presence in the back of my head. The Forerunner intelligence was awake, and looked like he wanted to talk=

*Star*
So, more humans come to colonize my world....

(Jason)
It's hardly your world anymore Star. Despite you being alive through me, you're still dead. You're no longer in control of this world, I am.

*Star*
And yet you are of Forerunner blood, even if it has been diluted by humans. This world is still Forerunner, so why do you allow an ancient enemy to make it's home here?

(Jason)
That war ended hundreds of thousands of years ago. Time to put the past to rest Star, or else we'll all end up repeating its mistakes.

Once I realize that we're leaving I'm disappointed. I fought only a couple guys, I want more. Oh well.
I run out the door, run a little bit more and jump straight into the gravity left. I don't know why.
Then the feeling of gravity pulling me upward, I like it. It's like metaphorically lifting your metaphorical weights.

(Burk)
=i nodded to Rika as we went past, heading for the grav lift. One by one we went up, feeling the sensation of being pulled from every inch of our body=

=Far above the surface of Haven, a blip appeared on radar. A slipspace portal opened, and out came an XNNO Exterminator-class battleship. The very same kind of ship that made up the bulk of Delta's fleet during his genocide campaign against the UNSC. It did not make any attempt to hail the planet, and did not seem to be putting out any signals of any kind. It simply sat silent...=

=chuckles=

im gonna take a guess and assume there's probably gonna more planets to go to given out luck anyone wanna guess how many tho?

I activate comms to Zeru.
"If it was my luck it'd be another three planets before we find anything useful. That's not counting yours."
I chuckle before cutting the link. I'm about halfway up the grav beam so I should be doing something.
"Hey Elane, put on Tension, thanks." A second later the music plays.

(Simile)
=i contact the Trophaeum, which wasn't hard due to...well I was going up into it. It's not like I needed to search for it anywhere=
This is Sanity, transmitting information now. Let's get a headstart on this info.

=i eye-click my way into the data and move it over into the Trophaeum's database, beginning the transfer=

(Jason)
=My thoughts were interrupted when a comm came through from Alpha Base. An XNNO ship had arrived in orbit over Haven, with no signals emanating from it=
Crap, what are they doing here?

=The response had to be immediate. From the Observation tower, I rapidly began issuing orders: the fleet was to gather in orbit again, between Haven and the XNNO ship, while the UNSC vessels were to remain in atmo. Sentinels were given orders to fill the skies, and stand watch for any infiltration craft. Attempts were to be made, to hail the ship=

*Star*
So, this ship belongs to the race that committed the most heinous of crimes. They butchered and slaughtered another race, in a genocidal campaign.... You should have taken their weapons, and devolved them. It is the law of the Mantle.

(Jason)
Not anymore. I won't send them all back to the stone age, because of the crimes of a few.


--In Orbit Over Haven--

=The Hyperion was at the head of the fleet formation, her crew making sure to bring as many of her weapons within range of the XNNO ship as possible. All attempts to contact the XNNO ship failed, with no response, and the Admiral was called for further orders=

(Jason)
Very well. As per standard Haven naval protocols, all attempts to contact the vessel have failed, and we are left to fire a warning shot. Fire a plasma beam, as close as possible to the ship, without hitting it. We're sending them a warning, not signaling the start of a war.


=The order was followed. A single lance of blue white plasma shot from the front of the Hyperion, streaking past the XNNO vessel=

=The ship continued to sit dormant in space, seeming to have ignored the warning shot. Then, a staticy transmission came through from the ship. It's voice was deep and almost metallic=

---------e-------r------h--e---------f-----y-------o-----------h--v-----d--w-----l----r---sssss-----------------


=Another voice entered alongside this one=

--ig-----n------th--------H--v--n---------th------w---t---d--s----t-------y--u-------------------

=The second voice faded out behind the static. The first came back, much clearer=

Y-u C-nn-t h-de... --re i- n- l-fe -n --e void... -nly... Dea--...

I -EE Y-U...!

Rika climbed aboard the Pelican, not bothering to hold on as it pushed off from the ground and roared into the sky, heading for the Xerxes.
"Captain James, Requiem here. On the way back."

The Xerxes stayed in orbit, not bothering to hide. It seemed as if it demanded a staring contest with the Trophaeum, just sitting there. It calmly waited for the Pelican...and possibly something else.

(Jason)
Okay, whoever's talking, I don't think they're friendly.
=The transmission we picked up from the ship, the first one, was not encouraging. It was barely intelligible, but it sounded a lot like a threat and we had to respond in kind=

Admiral to fleet. We are to treat the ship as hostile. Target the ships sensors and long range communication arrays, and open fire. Destroy that ship.


=The crews of the fleet did not need to hear the order twice. Firing solutions locked in, the fleet opened fire on the lone XNNO vessel. Pinpoint beams of plasma reduced the sensors and communication arrays of the ship to slag, while Gauss impacted on the ship=

=The weapons that hit the XNNO ship did signifigant damage to sensors and long-range communications, but to the trained eye there was something severely off: The ship's shilds were down, and the vessel was not in Lockdown. But that was not the end. The ship began moving again=

=As the ship began to move, the fleet moved into a defensive position between Haven and the ship, forming a blockade. They opened fire again, targeting the bulk of the ship. From the surface, the Forerunner vessels were finally beginning to arrive, emerging from the entrances to Haven's Inner Shell=

=The second voice from earlier came back=

-s a -l--s---- ---t--e..! Y-- n-- t-- --------------------------------------

=The ship continued moving towards Haven as the voice was again silenced. Then, something very odd happened. The damaged ship jumped to slipspace while under fire... Towards Haven=

=The fleet split into two groups: one group moved to try and intercept the ship as it continued moving, the other moved towards the surface of Haven, hoping to catch the ship before it arrived. The small Sentinel carriers began dispersing their own interceptors, swarms of Sentinels racing for the surface, following estimations of where the ship might turn up=

=The ship came out of slipspace on the opposite side of Haven, just high enough above the surface to miss hitting any buildings that might be present. As soon as it was clear of the portal, all power cut. The engines disengaged, and the ship, now without any means of forward thrust but it's own momentum, began to freefall down to the surface=




=Elsewhere in the Galaxy, a signal was coming through, weakly=

M-yd-y! M-yd-y! ---s -s --e A-u-- -om-- -o -ny n--rby, --ey're -om-ng! I --pe-t, --ey -re c--ing!! --l -nit- -o --a--ons!

=There is a rush of Static=

--at --e f--- w-s --at!?

=The signal fades off...=

--Gamma Base--

=When the ship emerged several kilometers away from the base, everyone jumped into action. Fighters were scrambled from the ground, and dropships picked up large numbers of troops for deployment. As they all rushed towards the soon to be crash site, an order came in from the Admiral=

(Jason)
All ground forces, keep your distance. The last time one of Delta's ships crashed here, it had the Flood on board. I want fighters and bombers to soften that thing up. Pound the ship for the fleet, tenderize it.

=The ship slammed into the surface of Haven with great force, crushing all beneath it as it fell. Dust and dirt kicked up by the impact began to fill the sky, blackening the area over the crashed ship. There was something even stranger though... From inside the ship, radar could detect multiple slipspace jumps from... within the ship? The ship itself did not move... This must be some mistake...=

The Xerxes hovered there, then Captain James leaned forward.
"Namine, contact the massive vessel."
"Channel open."
James set his face. "This is the UNSC Xerxes to the massive vessel in orbit of Sanctum. Identify yourself."

=Fighters screamed overhead, racing towards the crash-site, while small swarms of Sentinels below accelerated towards the ship, making a perimeter. Missiles were fired from the fighters, leaving tiny smoke trails. Dozens of them impacted on the ships hull, creating more fire and smoke, while Sentinels moved in to carve into the hull with their weapons. High above, in the upper atmosphere, Haven's fleet began to gather, finally reaching the coordinates of the crash site=

(Jason)
All ships, wait for the fighter squadrons to retreat to a safe distance. Once they're clear, use pinpoint plasma beams to pummel that thing.

=The ship crumbled and burned, some sections collapsing in. It then became apparent that the ship was almost entirely... empty. As large sections of the hull fell into the ship, it became clear that much of the ship had been stripped of technology, leaving only yhe bare essentials for the ship to function. What was strangest of all, no life signs, or evidence that something inside was even dead, showed on any scanners. It was as if the ship were a ghost. The signal from far off came in again, repeating the same message as before. But this time, it was clearer, as if whatever was transmitting it was slowly drawing closer=


Mayd-y! Mayd-y! Th-s -s t-e Azu-- Com-t -o -ny nearby, They're -om-ng! I r-pe-t, --ey are co-ing!! A-l unit- -o sta--ons!

=There is a rush of Static=

W-at t-e f--k w-s t-at!?

=There is the sound of bending metal barely distinguishable amid the static=

N- -im- -o e-pla-n! Th-- --e h---! A-- th-- a-- c-mi--!!!

=There is another sound of metal bending=

G--s h-lp u-- --l... -------------------------------

=The signal fades off to Static...=

=Despite the fires, it was still dark around the crash-site, night time still somewhere in the middle of its cycle. That all changed, as the sky lit up with a pale blue light. Dozens of pillars, all glowing as bright as stars, rained down from the sky, impacting the hull of the ship. Like knives, they carved through the ship, cutting it into different sections, and leaving the ground beneath nothing more than glowing glass=

=waits for everyone to get on then has the bridge crew get the troph moving out of atmo which would take awhile before looking at the others nearby=

anyone here wanna play secretary?

"What do you need sir?"