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Contact: Prolouge
Date: 18 March 2005, 8:12 AM
0658 hours, May 4 2552 (Military Calendar), UNSC Sensor Station "Pythagoras", Epsilon Lapis system.
Lieutenant Scott McGill strode through the decks of the Pythagoras on his way to the hourly check-up. He sighed and ran a hand through his collar-length brown hair, again noting the lack of sleep which showed in his every action. He walked with a purposeful stride, but he was haunted by his dreams and the feeling that he was destined for something greater than being a Commander on a remote, albeit important sensor station. It wasn't the work... or the hours that was making him weary, no he was used to that. It was something else... a nagging feeling that he was needed somewhere, for something.
He'd been having the dreams for several months now, not knowing what they were or meant. The dream was white noise, static, hurtling through space and time, and most of all an incessant thumping that drove into his very soul. He had consulted several military doctors and shrinks and they seemed to think it was connected to a childhood trauma. He knew what is was, of course, but it wasn't something he could tell. It was too... private.
McGall wrenched himself from his thoughts as he reached the Command deck, noting that the personnel present looked up from their cups of coffee and sensor readouts. Corporal Roundtree was manning the main station, and not a finer man could be found anywhere. Brilliant at calculating the trajectories of the probes and radio dishes used to monitor this sector of space, Roundtree had been pulled out of the Outer Colonies years ago and bad been jumping from station to station for the last 10 years. He was an expert at his field, and knew just about everything that could pass through the station's sensors.
Now though, Roundtree and the others were busy checking their stations for anomalies. The Covenant could be seen anywhere...and this was a system they could ill-afford to lose. High ranking government and military officials were recuperating on Epsilon Lapis in readiness for their next jump to Earth. If they fell, the war would be lost. Humanity needed hope, hope that their Governments could hold together, hope that the military would succeed, and most of all, they needed to be reminded that there was hope. All was not lost.
"Ok people, listen up. I want a full check of all radio frequencies and the probes sent out. We aren't going to sit here drinking coffee when we should be doing our job." The Lieutenant's voice rang out over the quiet hum of the monitors and the officers on the deck busied themselves with the tasks.
McGill felt a moment of pride as he watched his men and women going about their tasks. He had trained them all, and watched as they gravitated towards their favourite skills. With the exception of Roundtree, every member on the Command deck was under twenty-eight years old.
Communications was manned by a slender Chinese women, Li-Mang. Her striking accent was usually accompanied by cheers of releif on the other end of the comm.
Scanning was manned by a burly Zulu, Ensign Nwamba. His slow, deliberate actions were accompanied by a feeling of lethargy by the African, but time and tike again, his scanning had saved one convoy or another from getting lost or destroyed by the asteroid fields that were numerous in this system.
Weapons and Engines were manned by an Australian, Jack Hay. Hay was extraordinarily optimistic and energetic, something that McGall admired. Although Weapons was a minor role onboard the Pythagoras, he was stil needed as a moral booster for the entire crew.
"Shortwave radio signals are clear," Corporal Roundtree's eager voice answered. "I'm going to activate the long-range dishes now."
"Scanner... clear"
"Weapons... clear"
"Communications... clear"
"Slipspace probes... clear"
"Radio? You got anything yet?" McGall demanded. "Corporal? Speak to me man!"
"Uhhh....sir. I think we've got something here. I'm putting it on speakers." The Corporal's shaky voice was oddly clear over the background noise. "You really need to hear this, sir."
Roundtree thumbed the switch, and the noise he had recorded hammered over the speakers. He felt his stomach tighten as he heard it. It was like nothing he had encountered before. In fact... it was like nothing anyone had heard before.
---Thump�--
---Thump Thump Thump---
---Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump ---
McGill felt his eyes widen. Oh my God, he mouthed. This was... exactly like his dream."
He had no time to ponder on the correlation between his sleepless nights and this bizarre signal, as his people needed him, needed him to say something. He licked his dry lips and tried to comprehend what was going on.
"Jesus... They're prime numbers... Someone is sending us a signal... Communications, get me an Priority Alpha channel to FleetCom on Epsilon Lapis. Scanning, continue to monitor surrounding space for any changes. Radio, keep recording that signal and playing it through the speakers. It;s time to find out what we're dealing with here.."
Around him, the men and women of Sensor Station Pythagoras got to work. Their real challenge was just beginning.
Contact: Conspiracy
Date: 1 April 2005, 7:29 AM
0715 hours, May 4, 2552 (Military Calendar), UNSC FleetCom HQ, Epsilon Lapis.
The shining oceans and lakes of Epsilon Lapis shone in the early morning sun. The citizens of the world went about their daily business, not realising that a momentous event was happening right under their collective noses. It was just as well. The news would start a panic if it ever got out.
At FleetCom, a young receptionist looked up in surprise when he saw a blinking light on the monitor in front of him. He patched through the call and wondered just why Pythagoras was using the Priority One channel.
"Pythagoras, this is Fleet Command on Epsilon Lapis, we have received your transmission. What is it that you need today?"
"Roger FleetCom, this is Lieutenant McGall, we have just received an unknown radio signal. Frequency is neither Human nor Covenant. Requesting orders from FleetCom on what to do now."
The young receptionist swallowed as he realised this was way over his head. Stuff like this was better left to boys at Intel. He resumed the conversation with an air of uncertainty.
"Sir, I'm patching you through to Captain Tell, he'll know what to do about the signal."
The Lieutenant scowled at this further interruption but composed himself when he heard the unmistakable authority of a Captain on the line.
"Lieutenant, this is Captain Mark Tell, what is it you have for me? The clerk at the desk said you had some unidentified signal being broadcast. I hope his isn't some kid playing a prank"
"No sir, the signal matches no known Human or Covenant frequency, and appears, though we can't know for sure, to becoming from the Vega star system. We're recording the signal at the moment as it's made up of prime numbers that are increasing in order. So far they're up to ninety-seven, the 25th prime number. We don't know what the purpose behind the signals is or who is broadcasting them, but with more equipment and time we could probably find out."
After hearing this, the Captain's face crinkled into a puzzled frown. He reluctantly decided to call for help out-system, as this wasn't his area of expertise. It was ONI's...
The Office of Naval Intelligence had a legendary reputation throughout the fleet. It was rumoured that anyone could be an ONI spook, they were that good at hiding themselves. Reports of black-ops were rife in the wider population, though no-one dared to voice their opinions openly. They had heard rumours of their own about certain loudmouthed soldiers going missing...
The Captain discarded all his reluctance about getting ONI involved, and decided to do his duty. It didn't matter to him that ONI would take over the operation at the station and shut out the original discovery team, that wasn't his concern. He motioned to the man next to him.
"Private, give UNSC HighCom a call on the long range radio and see if they can't give us a hand here. Explain the situation as you see fit, but remember to tell them we've got civilians in very close proximity to the station, and we don't want to start a panic. Send minimal specialist teams but make it fast, I want this to attract as little attention as possible. Do you understand?
"Yes sir," the Private replied, before hurrying off to the task.
0730 hours, 4 May 2552 (Military Calendar), on UNSC Sensor Station "Pythagoras", Epsilon Lapis system.
True to its namesake, Sensor Station Pythagoras held a wealth of knowledge and expertise within its walls. The crew, however, had never seen anything like this, the incessant thump that hammered into their ears and seemed to vibrate the deck around them. All eyes were on Corporal Roundtree's monitor for signs of change.
Roundtree himself was undertaking the very delicate operation of sorting through the radio frequencies and selecting the right one to record and broadcast on the wall-mounted speakers. He was also monitoring the beat itself, the prime numbers that the Lieutenant had noticed earlier.
"Hey!" he exclaimed, so suddenly that everyone in the room jumped. "The signal stopped... at 101."
"What?" McGall exclaimed, before taking a look himself. The frequency was now silent, with only the recordings showing it ever existed at all. It seemed that their unknown broadcaster had decided they'd heard enough...
He wondered why it had stopped at 101... but it didn't matter now. He had to give this new piece of information to Captain Tell and find out what the hell was being done about his problem. He tore his gaze away from the screen and gave new orders to his men. With luck, they'd find something soon that would allow them to figure out what the hell was going on.
"Li-Mang, get on the blower to the Captain again, we need to notify him of this new development. Scanning, continue to monitor surrounding space. Radio..."
His voice trailed off.
"Sir?" Hay asked, confused. "What's wrong?"
McGall didn't answer. He was staring fixedly out the large bridge window at a large shuttle that was rapidly exiting Slipspace near Epsilon Lapis.
He shrugged and continued to issue orders to his crew. It was probably just a civilian entourage on its way to the planet. They got them all the time now that the Inner Colonies were under siege. Refugees were escaping from all directions, most heading to Earth, where the main fleet was, some heading to the other Colonies with the hope of starting a new, peaceful life.
Little did he know, ONI were on their way...
Contact ONI
Date: 6 April 2005, 6:51 AM
0748 hours, 4 May 2552 (Military Calendar), aboard ONI Stealth Shuttle Gamma-7, in docking with Pythagoras Station, Epsilon Lapis System.
Colonel Tanner surveyed the docking bay aboard the Pythagoras with calm distaste. He had been on the finest vessels in the human fleet, and next to them, the station's cramped interior seemed suddenly shabby. The only ships it catered for was the supply shuttle once a month. This was all about to change.
The Colonel stepped off the shuttle, eyes taking in every minute detail around him. There was a reason he was in ONI. At 5 foot 7, he was almost unnoticeable among the normal human population. He had dark eyes, with a narrow nose and smug expression and his brown hair, loosely hung near his collar, was applied with liberal amounts of oily gel to slick it up. His every movement was finely tuned, as though every step and look was important. Now though, he was taking in the surroundings, particularly his men, three armed escorts and two techs.
"Evans and Mikhael, secure the area around the shuttle. Tyler, Benson and Zahir, come with me."
Obediently, two of the soldiers peeled off from the group and stationed themselves next to the shuttle, MA5Bs at the ready. The other soldier and two scientists followed Tanner to the Command Deck.
_______________________________________________________________________
Lieutenant McGall was well aware of the ONI presence on the station. After repeatedly scanning the frequencies earlier, the entire crew had noticed the shuttle nearing them and requesting to land. He still remembered the chill in the voice of the man who did the talking. It gave off an unmistakable feeling of malice that he could not understand.
He rapidly stood to attention as the man in question entered the room, wearing the insignia of a Colonel in the UNSC.
"Officer on the deck!" he barked, and his crew stood and saluted.
"At ease," the newcomer said, his voice cool and slightly threatening. "I would not want to risk interrupting such... delicate... operations. Are you in charge here?" he questioned, gesturing towards the Lieutenant.
"Uh... yes sir. I'm Lieutenant McGall, commanding officer of Pythagoras. What is it you and your team need from us, sir?" he answered, still shaken by the Colonel's tone.
"Spare me the formalities, and tell me what happened here. I received word from those fools at the office that you intercepted some kind of signal. What was it?"
McGall sighed, again wishing that someone else could explain the situation. He'd already done it far too many times.
"Sir, we were running a routine radio scan when we intercepted a new signal the likes of which no-one had ever heard. It broadcasted prime numbers every few seconds, until it reached one hundred and one, and stopped. We are now waiting for any more signals, but without more equipment and expertise, it's like trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack, sir."
The Colonel smiled darkly, thrusting his two techies into the spotlight. They were ordinary citizens who had an expertise in their fields, and not used to military discipline, or protocol. Their faces, a mixture of fear and dislike at the way Tanner was treating them, showed this.
"This is Mark Tyler and Grace Benson, two experts at their fields. They, and their equipment, will help you with your search. However, direct control of this operation will be handed over the Office of Naval Intelligence and the crew of the station Pythagoras will resume their normal duties. Anyone interfering with their tasks will face charges and the full force of the law. Is this clear?"
"But... sir!" the Lieutenant nearly shouted, angry that his team would not be part of the study. "We found this signal, we have a right to know what's going on. ONI can't just barge in here like they own the place and expect us to lie in the corner! What is the point of this, anyway? What has ONI got to do with one little signal?"
The smirk on Tanner's face dropped a little and he leaned forward, his expression ugly, so that he was barely centimetres from McGall's nose.
"You will do as I tell you, Lieutenant, unless you want twenty years in the worst jails the UNSC can offer. When I say you will not be involved in this operation, you will not be! Is that clear, McGall?"
The fire in the Lieutenant's eyes dimmed, and he bowed his head. The Colonel watched, his smug expression now firmly restored on his face. Whatever little control he had lost over McGall's outburst was now back. McGall again raised his head, and looked at the despairing faces of his crew. They wanted this as much as he did. He sighed and bowed to the submission of the Colonel.
"Yes sir," he answered.
Among the crowd of ONI personnel, Grace Benson watched the Lieutenant with curious eyes. She would have liked to meet this man. Now, however, he was beyond her reach. The Colonel would keep a very close eye on the Lieutenant after his outburst. She understood their plight, they had discovered the signal, and thus, it was their right to explore it. She silently vowed she would do everything she could to help the crew of the Pythagoras. She, too, would like to examine the recordings without military restriction. The way that bastard Tanner had treated her on the ride there would not go unpunished.
Grace silently filed out of the room with the rest of the ONI personnel, her face expressionless and her mind already calculating. There was more to her than anyone, even ONI, realised...
It would be a long day...
Contact: Revelation
Date: 15 April 2005, 2:10 AM
1934 hours, May 4 (Military Calendar), UNSC Sensor Station Pythagoras.
After showing the ONI crew the inner workings of the station, the normal residents of Pythagoras had retreated to their cabins, feeling about as useful as a fifth wheel. McGall and the weapons officer, Hay, were standing in a corridor quietly talking about the spooks. The Lieutenant seemed on edge, even anxious, something that Hay didn't miss.
"Sir? Are you feeling alright?" he said, noticing the almost permanent look of weariness on his commanding officer's face.
"Fine, fine. Just... bad dreams," McGall answered. "Go back to sleep, there's nothing else to do around—"
He was cut off abruptly as they both heard the piercing whistle of an incoming transmission. Both heads turned towards the sound, and Li-Mang poked her head out of her cabin nearby, wondering what was going on. She appeared to have had as little sleep as the rest of the crew.
"Is that the HighCom beacon?" she wondered, casting a worried look in the direction of the bridge... and the ONI agents. She didn't need to say aloud the second thought. They all knew from her worried expression.
"I'll go and answer it," said McGall, and they hurried to the bridge, concern etched on all their faces. Whatever the signal was, they had a feeling it wouldn't be good.
________________________________________________________________________
When they reached the bridge, the first thing they saw was Tanner, leaning casually against the Ops panel wearing his customary smirk. In his hand he had an earpiece, which he handed to the Lieutenant.
"Lieutenant, here, take this call" he smirked.
McGall snatched it from him, and placed the earpiece on his head, still shocked by his own anger. There was something about that man that made him want to—
His thoughts were interrupted by an official sounding voice on the other end of the line.
"Lieutenant Scott McGall?" the voice said sounding bored, apparently not concerned about who he was talking to or what the message was.
"Yes, who is this?" The Lieutenant asked, still confused about the call, and why the Tanner was looking smug... even more smug than usual.
"I'm Corporal Jacobs, UNSC Melbourne. I've been sent to give you a message from Admiral Hawkes."
UNSC Melbourne, UNSC Melbourne... where had he heard that before?
With a rush of realisation, it hit him. It was the flagship of the UN Security Council... The Secretary General was coming to Pythagoras. Although he was about as angry as a man could be about this latest development, he refrained from throwing the earpiece at Tanner. Barely.
Instead he answered the Corporal, struggling to keep the tone of his voice under control. Only one person in the room noticed his hands were clenched and shaking, and she was a specialist.
"Go on, Corporal"
"Sir, Admiral Hawkes says that he will be inspecting the recent events at Pythagoras station along with an escort fleet and the UN Secretary of Defence and the Secretary General."
Standing next to the Pythagoras crew, Roundtree was listening to the conversation on his personal communicator. He whistled appreciatively as he heard the entourage that was coming their way. The ONI agents stared at him with no obvious confusion. The soldiers had already been briefed by Tanner, and the specialists either didn't know or care.
McGall, however, was anything but happy. This was exactly the kind of thing he hated. If his team had been left alone to figure out the signal, none of this would have happened. He again forced himself to remain calm and continued his conversation.
"Did the Admiral mention a time?" he said, once more controlling his feelings of anger, not with a little effort.
"Yes sir," the other man said, sensing something was wrong despite the Lieutenant's best efforts at keeping the emotion out of his voice. "He said that he will be arriving with the Secretary General and the fleet in five hours as of when you get this message. That is the all sir. He wished me to end this conversation immediately after I told you."
It was fortunate the Private had ended the talk when he did, as he would not have had to hear the Lieutenant's outburst, aimed directly at Colonel Tanner.
"You!" he said, stepping very deliberately at the Colonel, disregarding all protocol and etiquette.
The smirk on the senior officer's face broadened as he watched the younger man's anger manifest itself. Behind him, a woman watched with interest, her eyes taking in everything, and her face expressionless.
"Is there something wrong Lieutenant? I simply alerted the Admiral to our little finding here and he was happy to call in the UN. I wasn't aware you would be so... affected by our prescence here."
The Lieutenant took no notice of Tanner's speech and continued his advance, this time flanked by Hay and the burly Zulu, Nwamba. The smug look on Tanner's face dropped a little, but he still convinced himself he was in control of the situation.
The Lieutenant opened his mouth, his face pale and eyes wild.
"You knew we discovered the signal, you knew we wanted this discovery for ourselves, YOU KNEW! Why did you come here, why damn you, WHY? ANSWER ME DAMN IT! The Lieutenants face was haggard, and his mind was full of betrayal and anger that he had kept bottled up in the conversation. It was his station, his dreams, his signal, damn it!
With a start, the wild frenzy in his eyes increased, and he lunged at the Colonel. Hay and Nwamba grabbed his arms and held him back, but just barely. They could see the strain on McGall's face, but they weren't about to get him thrown into the brig, especially with the head of ONI on the way. Tanner could easily shift his story and make it looked like it was an unprovoked attack.
The Lieutenant could see he was getting nowhere, so he stopped his wild attempts to strike the Colonel and hung limp between his two men. He seemed diminished, somehow, as if that outburst had cost a lot of his strength. He turned away in disgrace and started to walk to his cabin. Tanner let him go.
Turning, McGall passed his eyes over the ONI soldiers, and received no response, no sympathy. He glanced at the male specialist, but he was looking anxious... scared even. He didn't seem to know what had just happened. McGall was about to turn back to the doorway when his eyes passed over those of Grace Benson. She nodded silently to him and put a finger to her lips. McGall took the hint, and retreated silently, all the while thinking.
Tanner switched his attention from McGall to the crew of the Pythagoras, watching them with amused eyes. The Colonel was a man who liked to watch people squirm before he spoke. It gave him extra... motivation.
"You're lucky that he didn't attack me, you know", he said, his voice matter-of-fact. "I daresay the Admiral would be displeased if he found him in the brig."
He laughed as the crew filed out, and turned towards his own people. The soldiers' faces were impassive, as always, it was one of the reasons he had selected these few for his mission, he needed men that had no values. The techs, however, were looking around nervously, as though he might attack them, too.
He frowned as he noticed one of them; a woman, looked sympathetic towards the retreating crew. She would have to be dealt with, and soon. Before she became a liability... He had his own methods of convincing people to like him, and none of them were particularly pleasant.
2145, May 4 (Military Calendar), UNSC Sensor Station Pythagoras, Commander's cabin.
Lieutenant McGall was having a restless few hours sleep before the Admiral arrived when he heard a gentle knock at his door. He looked at the small screen mounted on the door control, and saw the face of Grace Benson looking back at him, a strange expression on her face.
"Can I come in?" she asked, her voice gentle.
"What is it you want?" the Lieutenant asked wearily. "If it's about today—"
"No. I just want to talk."
With an exhausted sigh, McGall ran his hand through his hair and typed in the opening command, fingers shaking with lack of sleep. The door opened with a hiss to admit the woman.
"Thank you." she said. "I know it must be hard for you, having that bastard around all the time, but don't worry... I'll deal with him."
She lent closer to the Lieutenant and whispered softly.
"What I tell you know will never leave this conversation Lieutenant... Do you understand?"
McGall made to question him, but was silenced by a kiss. His eyes went wide and he slowly stood up, momentarily forgetting his weariness. He rested his hand on the small table near the bed and tried to comprehend what was happening.
"Wha—what?" he stammered.
"I had to shut you up somehow" she laughed, her expression briefly showing its true form, hidden under layers of training and discipline.
The Lieutenant gave a hoarse grunt that may have been a laugh, then sat down heavily on the table, taking a swig of a jug of fresh water nearby... one of the perks of being in the middle of an Oort cloud.
"Alright, Ms Benson, what do you have to tell me?
She laughed again, and whispered:
"I wonder if you know, Lieutenant, the number of empires throughout history that have fallen because of their intelligence agencies? The very organisations they have created to gather intelligence on their enemies wiped them out. Five years ago, when I was still living on Earth, I was arrested by ONI for broadcasting on restricted signals.
My arresting officer was James Tanner... the man you see here today. He was very much the same, then. A twisted bastard who enjoyed watching people suffer. He...beat me, on the prison shuttle there. I was under a different name then, and they changed my appearance but—"
"Who's "they"?" interrupted McGall, feeling confused and just a little intrigued.
"All in good time, Lieutenant. As I was saying, I was arrested and sentenced to one year in prison. Fortunately, I didn't serve a week of it. An officer came to see me on my first day and asked me how I'd bypassed the ONI safeguards protecting the restricted channels. I told him, and he busted me there on the spot. Tanner never knew.
They told me that a high ranking Admiral in the UNSC has founded an organisation dedicated to monitoring ONI and their actions, in case of an attempted takeover. They trained me, gave me a home, and a purpose. I'd been doing routine surveillance up until now, when I was told that Tanner would be overseeing this investigation. I signed up and, because of my radio antics when I was younger, accepted for this mission.
I have a plan, Lieutenant, that if used correctly, will get us both what we want. Are you interested?"
Sitting on the table, now with the full realisation of what was happening before him, Lieutenant McGall again reached for the water beaker and nodded once.
Just once...
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