Chapter 9: TBD

(Alphonse)
"Sir, if you ever need me, just call me and I'll be there. Okay?"
I walk over and sit into the Captain's chair, the crew finding their seats.
"Is everyone ready?"

(Cyrus)
"All systems green sir."

(Jason)
=Leaving the CC, I headed for the airfield to wait for Vera's escort. I knew I should have let him get patched up first, but I needed information fast. Especially to see if he knew the whereabouts of the surviving XNNO's, for Alpha's sake=


=The dropship arrived several minutes later, landing at the airfield. It's rear hatch opening, the escort filed out, leading Vera=

understood good luck

=the platform had started moving outside the barrier when the countdown began and 60 seconds later hits zero but dies stops and stays there showing the test worked=

(Alphonse)
After the test completes itself, I'm able to breathe again. Ilean back into my chair and rub the back of my helmet.

(Cyrus)
"Commander, er... Alphonse. Everything looks like it would have gone well."

(Alphonse)
"Good, good... Great even."

(Cyrus)
"Are you okay sir?"

(Alphonse)
"Just a bit shaken. Nothing to worry about."

(Jason)
=I arrived at the airfields at the same time Vera's dropship touched down. Jogging over, I stood to greet him as he and the soldiers I had escort him walked off the dropship ramp=
Vera, welcome back to Haven. I know this is soon, but what the hell happened? I thought you were going to wait before attacking?

=checks the data currently on the screen in the bridge=

so far so good how's the range

crewmen-acceptable but it'd be much more efficent if we had a pair of smart A.I's and some dumb ones which are going slowly due to not enough parts for full production

zerutry and find if anyone in known unsc or rebel databanks has them price isn't a problem atm

crewmen roger that

We did wait, Inheritor. But we did not know what they were capable of...

=He takes a long, rhaspy inhale=

We should discuss this in a proper meeting. There is much for you to know...

=puts his helmet on and sits back down in the commanders chair and checks on the status of the newly obtained info=

(Alphonse)
"Alright, everyone, do whatever you want until we exit slip space."
I hear a simultaneous Yes Sir! From the crewmen and women. Then everyone just kinda... disperses from the room. Though I just stay in my seat.

Rising Dawn shuddered as it exited Slipspace, jarring Sora and Rika awake. The former untangled herself from the other, already pulling on fatigue pants and a tank-top with the PRIEST Team insignia on the breast. She paused only to flick Rika's nose to wake her up before lacing her combat boots on and jogging away, leaving Rika to wake up on her own.

Xion was on the bridge already, data code streaming down her body. She turned for show.
"We're at the edge of the system; I suggest we send two of our frigates to execute an in-system jump and hide behind the moon."
"I'll ask. I still do not hold rank over them."
"Namine and Olette have confirmed the Xerxes and Simple and Clean are prepared to launch."
"Godspeed."

(Jason)
Alright, I'll call the necessary people to meet in the conference room. It's as private as we'll get on short notice. Please, follow me.
=Turning, I led Vera back inside Alpha Base. As I walked, I made the necessary calls to the people who would need to be in this meeting=


--Inner Shell, Vigil HQ--

(Miranda)
=It had been an hour and change, since I had tried to contact Jason after the arrival of the strange alien vessel, that I finally received a message from him, asking me to meet him in the conference room of Alpha Base. It most likely had something to do with Vera's ship and the remains of his fleet, having already been fed the majority of this information from my personnel on the base=

(Fatet)

I glanced at my guards, checking the distance and how much attention they were paying me. I glanced back to Caesar who was moving through the crowd, slowly and casually.

I took a deep breath and sprinted towards him, hearing my guards attempt to ready their weapons.

I tried to tackle the spartan, but before I could, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach.

(Caesar)

Someone charged at me, so I turned and plunged my concealed knife into him. I ripped it out and tried to move away inconspicuously, seeing that he had guards. Armed guards. I hid the knife again, praying that they didn't see me stab him.

=Vera followed Jason closely, or as close as he could at the pace he was moving. It was difficult to keep up with his injuries. He did his best to ignore the pain and the blood=

(Jason)
=To be honest, I was feeling a little guilty, not giving Vera time for his wounds to be tended to. So as we walked, I slowed my pace a little until I was at his left=
Hey, if you want I can have someone patch you up. Either now or during the meeting, it's your call.

--Vigil HQ--

(Miranda)
=It was a simple matter of handing over my duties to one of my subordinates, and then taking a teleporter to the North side of Alpha Base. Argo rode along in my pocket, while I carried a data-pad for the meeting=


--Civilian Refugee Camp, Outer Shell--

=When the guards reached Fatet, and saw the blood, they called for medical aid, and orders were issued for a complete lockdown of the entire refugee camp. Sentinels descended from above as voices on speaker shouted for all civilians to remain in their quarters. The Sentinels and armed guards herded the refugees back to the buildings that served as their quarters, while a medical team arrived for Fatet, and carted him away to a proper medical center=

(Fatet)

"F-fucking spartan..." I cough, bringing up a little blood. "There's a fucking spartan here..."

(Caesar)

I got rid of the knife, my only weapon, by stashing it in a civilians bag. It wasn't a good thing to do, pretty much framing him, but I still had to give these people cause to call off the 'alliance' with the UNSC.

I return to my 'home', sitting down and half wishing that ONI could've sent me a little help.

=He continued walking, trying to increase his pace=

I will be fine, Inheritor...

=He cringed slightly=

This is urgent. The rest can wait...

=checks the time till the ships arrival and gets an estimate of a few hours give or take=

making good progress

(Jason)
Alright.
=I decided to keep pace with him though, instead of guiding him. It wasn't long though before we reached the conference room, and I found Miri and two others, the commanders of Beta and Gamma Base=

Miranda. Commanders.
=The door we stood outside opened of it's own accord, sections sliding away into the wall, and I led the group inside=

=Vera took no time to admire the Forerunner design of the Conference room. He knew there were more pressing matters to attend, and he was unsure of how much time there was left. He nodded to the other Humans in the room, not wasting any time with formalities=

(Jason)
=Once everyone had taken their seats, I figured now was as good a time to start the meeting=
I'm sure I don't need to explain to you all why we're here. Vera has news for us that he needs to share and I have a guess as to what it's about. Vera, you have the floor.

(Miranda)
=While Jason talked, I made sure Argo was plugged into the data pad, activating the tiny micro-phone so he would be able to hear the conversation=

=He stood from his chair, supporting himself with one hand on the table, and keeping the other over one of his many injuries. He looked around for a moment, took in a deep breath, and began to speak=

As I am sure you are all aware, the Fleet of the New Covenant has been all but destroyed. Only my ship, the Sin of Wrath, remains, and as it sits now it is nearly useless for anything but scrap metal. Few know exactly what happened in Slipspace. I do.

=He took another breath=

When we received word from the Inheritor to belay our attack on the enemy at Xenos, we altered our course to fly past the Xenos system by a large enough distance to not be discovered on sensors, and make a more complete adjustment towards Haven. Before we could do this, however, we were ambushed. While in slipspace...

=He coughed a bit=

They came from nowhere... As if they knew our exact location in space, and jumped in after us. We saw them on our sensors, but never with our own eyes. Within three seconds of them appearing, they were gone, and all the fleet lie in pieces, an armada of flying debris.

=He breathed heavily again=

Even the Sin's shields were as nothing to their weapons...

=He began to feel a bit dizzy, but did his best to mask it=

(Jason)
Now they can attack in slip-space? Is that even possible?

*Beta Base Commander*
If they're advanced enough, it would be possible. Technically, we could do the same, but it would tax our slip-space drives to a great extent.
=The room was silent as everyone looked at him=

What? I study the mechanics of our slip-space drives in my spare time.

=Vera did not smirk in the slightest. He spoke again=

Heed me, Inheritor

=He coughed again. He was getting dizzier=

You must call... for aid...

=His vision was beginning to black out=

Dammit... I thought I had... more... time...

=He passed out from the wounds he had sustained on the Sin of Wrath. He fell forwards and hit the table, then slumped off onto the floor, leaving blood where he impacted. The force of his chest hitting the table forced one of his broken ribs the rest of the way into his second heart. Within seconds, he was gone...=

(Jason)
Vera? Vera!
=I was crouched over the fallen Sangheili, shaking him, trying to wake him up. But it was no good. Standing up, I turned to face the three people standing from their seat=

He's dead.

*Gamma Base Commander*
Crap.....What do we do?

(Jason)
We take care of the body with all due respect, and we continue to prepare. We can't call for aid, because there's no aid available that can challenge these guys.

Xerxes and Simple and Clean left their hangers, leaving Rising Dawn to enter Slipsoace once again and follow the massive Trophaeum.

On the bridge, the two girls were curled on a blanket, asleep. Xion observed them with mild curiosity before returning to flying the vessel.

Aqua and Kairi did their duties as all vessels prepped combat. Rika - 077 had been very clear about that. And when it was the team leader for a surviving Spartan...
"Wonder how they are still alive."
"Tenacity." Was Aqua's only response.

Jeremy and Seth played chess; besides video games, it was on thing they did in their free time.
Jeremy moved a bishop forward, taking a rook. In response, Seth's queen moved to block. He grinned, taking the piece with his other bishop. But then Seth put him in what seemed like a checkmate.
"Looks like I win." He said smugly.
Then Jeremy moved his knight, taking a rook and both ending the check and putting Seth into checkmate.
"Never underestimate Le Chevalier Noir."

(Miranda)
That seems a bit cynical. I mean, let's look at what this attack tells us about our enemy.

(Jason)
What do you mean?

(Miranda)
Well, they attacked Vera and his ships in an ambush attack, in slip-space where they would be weakest instead of a stand up fight. Which means that on some level, they were afraid of Vera and his ships, all of which were Covenant vessels in origin, yes?

(Jason)
Yes.....so this was simply a preemptive attack to remove a threat, otherwise why bother?
=Thoughts raced in my head as I considered the implications of what this meant=

So, we need to gain the Covenant, as allies?

(Miranda)
Yes. Either all of them or a faction with the ships to help us out.

*Gamma Base Commander*
Whoa whoa whoa, the Covenant? Same guys that tried to kill us before, not to mention half the refugees on the surface?

(Miranda)
=I grimaced=
I know it's not ideal, but they have the ships and the firepower to help us out.

==Over Xenos==

Has everything gone according to plan?

Yes. They never knew what hit them. The message will reach Haven, if it has not already.

Good. Then we must accelerate our operations here, before they arrive, if they so choose.

Sir?

We must protect Xenos. At any cost. We cannot afford to loose such a perfect world for the cultivation...

I agree.

Then rally your warriors. Show no mercy to whatever enters this system.

What of the Signal?

Has it continued to play?

It has.

Find them. Wipe them out.

Yes, sir.

(Fatet)

This was bad. There was a spartan here, and I was the only one who knew, and after being stabbed and pumped so full of drugs no one would believe me.

I was alive, at least.

(Caesar)

I had to find the medical center, I knew that much. And I had to kill that guy. I think it was Fatet. I had to kill him, or I'd get caught, and that wasn't happening.

I slipped out of my room, trying to keep hidden and acting like I was headed to my room, as per the announcement.

=For the refugee trying to slip out of their room, it was easier said than done. The complex housing them was under guard by Sentinels and a few human soldiers. The humans weren't able to detect when the refugee managed to slip by, but the Sentinels detected him, and flew down to intercept, an electronic voice sounding from their speakers=

*Sentinel*
Please return to your home as a curfew is in effect. Failure to comply will result in neutralization.


=As for the medical center, a large ten story structure as wide as a football stadium, Fatet's personal guard stood watch outside his room. Even if he was a patient, he was still their responsibility=

(Caesar)

Shit... think...!

I scrambled for an excuse.

"I wanted to visit the medical bay!" I blurt out. "I think I recognised the man that got hurt today. We were friends."

=The Sentinel pair unfortunately, was not a cop. All it had was its programming and its orders, the prime order being no one was to leave the refugee housing until the curfew was lifted=

*Sentinel*
Return to your room now. Final warning.

=The commotion had drawn the attention of two guards, who arrived behind the Sentinel pair=

*Guard*
What's going on here? Why are you out of your quarters sir?

I raised my hands, mocking the way civilians acted when threatened with a gun.

"That man who was stabbed earlier, I think I recognised him. I just wanted to go visit him."

Sloppy. Medical Center, not bay. Civilian, not soldier.

*Guard*
Sir, I'm afraid you cannot see the patient. Until we identify who it was stabbed him, everyone that came off those ships is a suspect. So I suggest you turn around, and return to your room or we will use force.
=To emphasize the point, both guards raised their weapons, aiming them at the refugees chest. They were standing a good distance in front of him, not wanting to risk him doing anything stupid=

(Caesar)

I flinch, backing away towards my room. I purposely-accidentally trip over my foot in my haste, and land with a lot of weight on my ankle.

Shit. That doesn't feel good.

My ankle felt sprained, not broken but... still, I was going along with this.

"Ah, shit! My ankle!"

I put my face to the sky, pretending to be an injured civilian.

I'd seen them react like this to less severe stuff, it was probably passable.

=To say the guards were skeptical, was an understatement. They didn't buy the act, but they had a feeling that the poor actor was the one that stabbed Fatet, so they were willing to play along=

*Guard*
Alright, we'll take you to get that ankle looked at. Now my partner here is going to help you up, but I'll be holding on to both his weapons, and the Sentinels will be following us. Try anything, and we will put you down and lock you up? Comprende?

I nod, holding my ankle. Also noting the way he was looking at me.

So one and one makes two here as well... Fine.



"th-thanks." I murmur as he helps me to my feet, might as well keep my failing ruse up.

=While the two Sentinels hovered in front of the fallen refugee, the first guard took possession of his partner's weapons, and the partner then walked over to the fallen man, picking him up=

*Guard*
Alright, easy does it. We're going to walk you over to the medical center, and get that ankle looked at.

I nod weakly, leaning on the guard for support.

"Those are some fancy suits." I state meekly, "You kinda remind me of spartans."

I chuckle nervously, as if I'm uncomfortable in this situation.

*Guard*
Yeah well look all you want, but chances are you won't be getting one of these suits anytime soon. Especially if you're clumsy enough to trip over yourself in a panic.
=They began walking towards the medical center, though it wasn't going to be a long walk. The first guard, the one that was armed, turned off the speakers of his suit so he could send a message to the guards outside the medical center=

*Guard*
Attention, we're bringing in a possible suspect in the stabbing of Fatet to the Medical Center. I need an armed escort to meet us there to take him into custody.

Something was... off. I could just tell from the change in atmosphere.

"So, uh... what kinda armour is it? What's it do, other than protect you?"

=Once the message was received, an armed group gathered outside the Medical Center. The escort in the meantime was only a moderate distance away=

*Guard*
Oh, you know. Enhanced speed, reflexes, strength. I bet my friend here could pop your head off if he wanted.

I smile casually.

"So... kind of like MJOLNIR, huh? Armour like that doesn't have many flaws."

==Over Xenos==

Have you located the Beacon yet?

No, sir. We cannot seem to pinpoint its location. Wherever it is coming from must be very cleverly disguised. It does not show up on any of our sensors.

Hmm... Double your search. I want them found, and processed.

Yes, sir.

Have you anything else to report?

A small group of survivors was found on the surface. They have been brought to the Platform.

Good. Dismissed.





==Out in Space. Location unknown==

=A metallic voice speaks to another=

When do you suspect we will be found?

I do not know.

Ever?

Perhaps.

What if the Humans discover us?

They will kill us.

And if Haven?

They will kill us.

=There is a pause=

What about the Covenant, or the Srevaerans or Sethalii?

The Covenant is unlikely to aid us. The Srevaerans or Sethalii would likely kill us.

Were they never told?

No.

=The Distress Signal continues to broadcast over the drifting ship's comms relay=

Code:

If anyone can hear this, please respond. If anyone can hear this, please... help us...

*Guard*
No it does not.
=They reached the medical center, along with the armed group that was waiting for him=

*Guard*
Well, I guess we'll leave you with them then. Take care of his ankle boys, and keep an eye on him.


--Alpha Base Conference Room--

(Jason)
Well, we at least know one member of the Covenant who might be willing to talk with us. The fleet master we saved from the Reclaimers.

(Miranda)
You want to reach out to him?

(Jason)
it's worth a shot.

(Caesar)

Well. Shit.

I hopped, almost falling towards the guards.

"Little help?"

=The unarmed guard moved forward to help the man up, while two of the group trained their weapons on the refugees chest, fingers on the trigger and ready to subdue him if he tried anything=

=One metallic voice speaks to another=

Sir. We have sighted a planet.

A planet?

Yes, sir. If estimates are correct, our signal should be reaching them within the next few minutes.

I am unsure if this is good.

Sir?

This may be it. Bring the ship up to full combat alert. Have all remaining warriors prepare for the possibility of battle.

Yes, sir.

=The armored figure left the bridge of the small ship, and began spreading the word to all the crew that remained. The ship was smaller than a UNSC Frigate considerably, which in many ways was very good considering the current situation. So few people would never be able to crew a ship that size for any length of time. Soon enough, the ship was buzzing with activity. The warriors had gathered in the central area of the ship, in and around the mess hall. Each soldier carried either an MCR-III or SMAR-18, as well as a pistol. Only the necessary crew remained at their stations. The rest gathered into the main group, and began hoping for the best. One from the bridge came forth. He spoke to the group=

Be strong, my brothers. You do not know Pain, you do not know Fear. We do not yet know if we approach an Enemy, but soon we shall. Prepare yourselves, and we will all be safe...

(Jason)
Alright, we'll work on sending an envoy to that syst--
=I was cut off mid-sentence when my earpiece activated, and a voice, Silver Light's, came through=

(Silver Light)
Inheritor, I have detected a signal on the edge of the system, though I cannot verify it's origin. The signal seems to be coming from an object, perhaps a ship. I cannot confirm anything else at this range.

(Jason)
Crap....one thing after another. Alright, assemble a pair of scouting frigates to investigate, but tell them to keep their distance. I want them to stay out of weapons range.

(Silver Light)
Understood.