Chapter 9: TBD

=The ship continued to drift towards Haven. The Engines of the ship were fried to hell, so there was nothing propelling it forward except what momentum it had when the thrusters died. There were no weapons on the ship itself, and it had only basic shielding. From the outside, the relatively tiny vessel would seem more like a Scouting ship than anything else. The warriors continued to prepare, stationing themselves at every entrance to the ship, as well as maintaining the main group in the center. The Signal continued to play on repeat. Now they simply waited...=

=In orbit, two frigates broke off from the fleet, slip-space drives firing up. Twin portals appeared before them, and the pair performed an intra-system jump towards the object. Moments later, they appeared several hundred kilometers away from the ship, and their scanners afforded them a better understanding of the vessel. Damaged, weaponless, and incapable of movement, chances were they had picked up on an emergency signal, so they sent out a signal of their own=

Code:

Attention, this is the Ares. Our sensors show damage to your vessel. Do you need assistance?

=The ship's 'captain' replied to the comm=

Code:

This is the XAS Candlelight. We read you. Our vessel is incapable of movement or navigation, with the exception of our current momentum. Our engines are completely nonfunctional. Assistance would be greatly appreciated.

((Map of the ship: http://biomassart.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/clarke-map-b.jpg ))

=The frigate pair relayed the message back to Haven, to Silver Light. He weighed the options of helping them or not, and decided to ask a simple question=

Code:

Are you XNNO's? Are you from Xenos?

=The reply was swift=

Code:

We do not know where we come from.

==Scans of the ship would show Heat signatures, and many of them, but strangly, no lifesigns. At least, none that matched any known==

=That alone made the frigate pair cautious. Moving to the sides of the vessel, their docking clamps secured themselves to the vessel, though they did not open the doors. They had no intention of doing so until they were back in orbit over Haven, and thy posted fireteams by the doors in case the passengers attempted anything. Engines firing up, they ferried the vessel towards Haven, their speed giving them an e.t.a. of 2 hours=

=They felt a jolt as the ship was clamped onto and began moving towards the planet. The warriors did not drop their guard, however. They were still unsure of whether or not these people were hostile. What they did do was begin to disperse throughout the ship to where they had been before the combat alert, save for the six or seven that guarded the doors, and the handful in the Hanger on the lower deck=

--Outer Shell Refugee Camp--

=The large group of guards took the refugee with the bad ankle to see a nurse, though they were holding him as a suspect in Fatet's stabbing. Meanwhile, one of the refugee's in the housing sector found a bloody knife in their belongings, and in a panic ran out of the room, calling for a guard, a Sentinel, anyone. The two guards who had escorted the guy with the ankle had just made it back and went to investigate the disturbance, and found the refugee. They told the guards about the knife they found, bringing them to their quarters to see it. When they found it, they took both the knife, and the refugee. The latter for questioning=


--Haven System--

=The frigate pair made no attempts at radio contact with whoever it was inside the ship, following orders they received from the Monitor=

(Alphonse)
I stand up from my chair and make my way off the ship. Then heading to the bridge.

(Fatet)

I was... awake. Ish. I was groggy from painkillers and medicine, but I was awake. I sighed, I hated hospitals. But that's what I get for trying to jump a spartan, I suppose.

(Caesar)

This wasn't normal, me getting this many guards. They suspected me, I could tell. But while the doctors checked out my ankle, which I could tell was sprained, I needed to think.

They're only human... normal humans... They have to sleep, eat... rest... There'll be a guard change, work out when that is, and get out of sight. Raise an alarm... I can sneak out.

(Jason)
=Clearly, today was a mess of surprises. Still in the conference room, after medical personnel had come to remove Vera's body, I had received a report from the refugee camp on the surface. Fatet had been stabbed, gut wound, and was in the hospital there. Guards had a suspect in custody, and what's more, they had a civilian with a bloody knife in their belongings and claiming it wasn't theirs. I gave an order for a scan of the knife, to check for fingerprints, and to match it against the prints of the suspect. Thankfully, it was established protocol to get the prints of all refugees during processing=

(Caesar)

I had to act fast, so I did. As soon as the doctor left, I got out of the bed, and crouched behind a cabinet, waiting for the doctor to raise the alarm that I was gone.

He did. Now, I was counting on my guards being idiots.

=The guards may have been new at this, but they were far from idiots. Posting extra guards outside Fatet's room, they followed protocol and established a lockdown of the facility. Doors slid into place, hermetically sealed and leaving vacant rooms airtight, while patrols ran through the halls. The guards had a feeling the suspect was still in his room, But with the lockdown of his own room, they simply had to wait him out. After all, it was airtight=

(Caesar)

Sneaky bastards.

I was suffocating, I could feel my lungs struggling to get enough oxygen. I took a deep breath, not a smart thing to do, and stood up, hands raised.

=The Medical Center was not a hundred percent complete, considering that it and the rest of the refugee camp, a settlement the size of old Manhattan island, was all built in the span of a few days. The only things that were complete were the quarantine systems, while the life-signs tracker was still being brought online. So while the guards suspected that the prisoner was in the room, they had no way to tell without actually opening the door. Unfortunately, they had no choice, they needed to know if the prisoner was in his room. Two guards flanked the opening, a third stood opposite the door, and a fourth was tasked with opening the door and checking the room, once the lockdown was lifted=

*Guard*
Alright, lockdown lifted in 3..2..1, go.

(Caesar)

I stare at the guards coolly. Waiting for them tomake their move.

*Guard*
Hey! Get down on the ground now! Get on the ground, now!
=The guard that opened the door had their weapon drawn now, trained on the prisoner=

Get on the ground with your hands behind your head, now!

(Caesar)

I drop slowly to my knees, moving my hands slowly behind my head. They may not know I'm a spartan yet, so I could use that lack of knowledge to my advantage.

=The first guard slowly moved into the room, keeping their distance from the prisoner while the guards flanking the door moved in, weapons drawn and trained on the kneeling figure=

*Guard*
Lay flat on the ground, and interlock your fingers.

(Caesar)

I do as he says with a slight grin on my face.

"Enjoying yourself?"

*Guard*
Shut the fuck up.
=He gets closer, behind the guy and pulls out restraints. Holstering his weapon, he brings the mans hands behind him, and binds his hands together=

William looked at his scanners seeing two smaller ships pursuing a much larger one. He pushed down a button and said, "Tabitha, can you give me the coordinates on where those ships are jumping to?" A few seconds later and a long list of codes and such popped up on a hologram monitor. "Clear my schedule Tabitha! We're gonna go see what's happening with these guys." He punches in the Coordinates and entered slipspace.

I sigh, not dropping my grin entirely.

"So. Where are we going?"

=As the three vessels came closer to Haven, word spread through the ship to prepare for arrival. The warriors and crew alike began gathering in the Ship's central area, around the Mess Hall. Some were wondering what their rescuers would be like, or what their planet would look like, but most remained totally focused on the present=

=They took the suspect, who at this point had just about everyone convinced he was the one who stabbed Fatet, to a more secure holding area. None of them spoke with him, not really wanting to indulge the dick=


--Haven System--

=The trio of vessels finally arrived in orbit over Haven, though that was where the journey ended. Once they managed to get the vessel into a geosynchronous orbit, one detached while the other remained docked, and a new message was sent=

Code:

Prepare to be boarded. Personnel will board and aid in evacuations.

=All aboard the ship gathered at the Starboard airlocks and awaited the visitors. The Warriors stood at the front of the group, just in case. A reply was sent back to the adjacent vessel=

Code:

We await you.

--Refugee Camp--

=The scans of the knife handle revealed fingerprints that were a match for the suspects prints, and the bold on the blade was a match for Fatet. Once it was confirmed that he was the would be killer, they had him restrained to a hospital bed, considering the fact that this was still a hospital. At some point, a guard came in to basically tell the guy how screwed he was=

--In Orbit Over Haven--

=the team on the frigate, donning combat skins for protection and environmental purposes, managed to get the doors open. Accompanying them were a team of medics who were there from the med bay to assist in any wounded=

=When the Airlock doors opened, the warriors and crew found what they could only describe as small versions of themselves. Standing around 8'8", the Haven crew would be greeted by what would seem like towers of semi-human Armor. Lights on the surface of the metal humanoids rapidly faded from color to color before finally settling on White. One stepped forward, and spoke with a deep metallic voice=

Greetings.



((Referances:
Appearance - https://i.servimg.com/u/f37/16/47/24/52/mechax10.jpg
Voice - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEozsxoOJvw at 6:40 ))

--In Orbit Over Haven--

=To say that the human soldiers were surprised, was an understatement. The imposing figures made them nervous though they did their best not to show it when they walked forward=

*Soldier*
Welcome to Haven.

=The figures seemed to express no emotion=

You have our thanks for aiding us.

=The apparent leader's lights flickered colors for a moment before fading back to white=

You are permitted to enter our ship. Come with me.

=It turned and walked out into the central area, where the rest of the warriors and crew were gathered=

is the pre-recorded message ready

yes sir it's prepped and ready to send out anytime

very well launch it then

roger sending it now

=the bridge crewmann inputs the commands and the slipspace comm pod exits the ship and speeds off to it's destination=

The Meta wrote:

Lucas: Boss...I positive ident on the contact.

Aaron: We got a name for the face?

Lucas: =Nods= Yep. Denne Calvaruso: bounty hunter and contract assassin for an organization simply called 'The Nothing'.

Aaron: =Shakes his head= No wonder we haven't heard of them. Their plans?

Lucas: I did manage to get a feed.

=Lucas then plays a recording from a hidden camera, and they both listen as the plans are spelled out=

=Lucas and Aaron nod and sigh in semi-relief=

Lucas: Well...that keeps our Op running and NOT in jeporady.

=Aaron pats Lucas's shoulder, and comms command=

=Lucas then gives word to the operational team to continue the operation=

==Karino Sekai==

=The two lost soldiers sit in some sort of artificial cave, perhaps an old military outpost long forgotten and buried beneath the ice and snow. Only a small door, just big enough to crouch-walk through, connects the room to the outside. Very little light inside the metal room=

Rok- [Have you gotten any replies on the comms?]

Mar- Nothing yet... I'm beginning to think this will not turn out to be a fruitful endeavor.

Rok- [Keep trying. Someone is bound to hear us... eventually...]

James was sitting at the fire at his makeshift base camp when he got the signal...the young spartan smirked and tuned his transmitter...he sent a live reply. "If you can hear me...come to my coordinates and pick me up...you got yourself a man for the job."

==Planet Hayarohayaro==

=By now, the UNSC forces at Gold Base had all but given up their search for the Spartans. After a long and unsuccessful search, the UNSC Guild Navigator was ordered to depart from the planet and aid in an exploration mission to a mountainous jungle planet that was currently without an official name. Feyd could not have been happier to be relieved of this dreadfully boring search duty. Within 48 hours, the Guild Navigator was all loaded up, and entered Slipspace=

=The soldiers cautiously followed the unknown alien, noting that their weapons were very similar to XNNO weapons, raising doubts about their claims of not being associated with Xenos=

*Soldier*
I'm sorry, but do you need evacuation? Medical aid?

==XAS Candlelight==

None of our warriors or crew require any medical aid. We are all unharmed, except our leader. His vitalsigns have ceased.

=The lights on many of the figures in the vicinity faded to a deep violet=

Or so he thought, turned out his slipspace drive malfunctioned and didn't turn over. That's when he received a transmission, talking about a job. The message came with a set of coordinates. He started punching them in when his computer intercepted another signal. It seemed to be another contractor of sorts, expecting a pickup it would seem. William responded to this new message, "This is William Gitz. If you need a ride I could swing by, I'm going on the same job as you."

=had decided to sit back down when the console comms systems lit up=

sir we're detecting several incoming messages

who are they from

one is apparently a reply the probe picked up and sent back,the other is from the fleet they're requesting a list of coords to rendevouz with us

have they finished the modifacations and upgrades already

yes sir they say the're 2 weeks ahead of the estimated scheduled finish date

very well send them the coords we are heading to and we'll meet up with them and this new freelancer

roger that

=the crew starts and sends out the coords to the O.D.F and prep for their arrival and the trophs own arrival as well as the future meeting with the freelancer=

James picked up this second transmission and tuned his transmitter to the new frequency. "This is Spartan 666, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the offer I'll be waiting for you with my gear ready to go. Over and out." He signed off and turned to his meager campsite, he smiled and packed it all back up and extinguished the fire. He sat down and waited with his helmet on and his shotgun and captured needler attached to their respective points on his armor.

=The UNSC Guild Navigator prepared to drop out of Slipspace. Feyd was sent to the Hanger to meet up with his squad and get them ready for departure. After a few minutes, he got a comm from the Bridge telling him it was nearly time. The Frigate dropped out of slipspace and the team began final preparations=

Spartan huh? William thought then checked where the Spartan's transmission was originating from. It was coming from a world close by. Gitz grabbed the controls and activated the engines, moving his ship towards the planet. A few minutes passed and he entered the area of this planet, and he started to descend upon it's atmosphere.

Spartan 666 smiled and looked at the ship from behind his helmet...he waved so the pilot could see him. "Hey! Over here!" He was glad to see some one at last sense his awakening from cryo sleep

William slowed the ship down to a near hover, then swung it's stern toward to Spartan, and touched down on the planet's surface. William got up from his chair and walked to the cargo hold/Boarding bay. He left his assault rifle leaning against the control console, but he still had his compact shotgun, and his M6C strapped to both his hips. He walked up to the door controls, and pressed down one of the buttons. And with that the large hatch lowered down.

James watched the door lower and walked up the ramp it made. He nodded when he got close to the pilot. "Thank you for the assist. I appreciate it. Now lets see about this job shall we?" He didn't take off his helmet as he walked toward the front of the ship.

"Of course. Welcome aboard The Final Horizon." William pressed another button closing the hatch. He noticed that the Spartan wore MJOLNIR armor, indicating he was a second generation Spartan. Gitz made his way to the ship's controls. "Didn't think there were anymore of you guys left, after the war." He then lifted the ship up off the planet and back into space.

=the troph exits slipspace and near the outer edge of the sytem and shortly after the fleets first group exits and moves to regroup with the troph=

where's the other groups

sir they'll be here in half an hour to an hour

alright have battle group alpha follow us to the planet

=the crew send the intructions which are picked up and the ships begin to follow the troph to the planet=

James shrugged and set his gear next to him. He looked at the needler on his hip and sighed. "Well...the war did take its tole...honestly I'm lucky to be alive." He ran a hand over a long slash on his CQC shoulder plate

=The Guild Navigator picked up a ship on it's sensors... A big one... The captain gave no order to hail the ship, only to watch and wait, and to prepare for an escape if need be=