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Anomaly #679- pt. 8
Posted By: RogueFox<roguefox68@gmail.com>
Date: 9 November 2006, 11:00 pm
Read/Post Comments
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Date Estimated Late 2552
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D
Station Keeping between UNSC and Fleet of Enlightenment
"That is unacceptable, Hood! Earth is a lost cause! You would be better served being integrated within our fleet!"
"Listen, Arbiter, we have to try! If the Covenant activates the construct they've found, God only knows what will happen."
"Admiral, you have no other forces, save your fifteen ship fleet. How do you propose, even with the capable assistance of the Enterprise, that we defeat 300 Covenant vessels? All of which are equal or superior in firepower to our own vessels."
Picard had sat back and watched the UNSC admiral and the Sangheili fleet master go around and around one another. The Elite wanted everyone to pull back and gather forces, something Picard thought was wise. The human wanted to take the force they had and attack Earth. This construct on Earth apparently had great importance.
Lock-Jaw looked to Picard. "What do you say, Captain Picard?"
Picard looked at his senior staff. "Well, I fail to see the immenent danger posed by this construct; however, I am new to this dimension, so I am not one to make a decision either way."
"Is it an energy beacon? A weapon of some sort?" LaForge asked.
"Unknown, Commander." The Chief answered. "I got in close to it whenever the Covenant first discovered it; I couldn't determine a purpose. But I did get some good data, and I can think of one person who would know what to make of it."
"Who?" Hood asked.
"Well, I imagine she's right where I left her." The Chief jerked a thumb at High Charity.
"What you suggest...it is infeasible. The station is flood infested, I have eight ships burning any craft that exits the station." the Arbiter said.
"I'll go alone, if I need to. Cortana can tell us what this construct is, and how pressing it is that we retake Earth."
Picard looked to the Arbiter. "Infested?"
Keyes cleared her throat. "Captain, the Halo rings contain parasitic life-forms, known as Flood. They infect other organism and use them to reproduce infection forms, or turn them into combat forms to attack and protect the carrier forms which hold the offspring. These Flood managed to capture space-faring vessels and get on board the Covenant station. It's probably crawling with such organisms."
Picard mulled this over. "Well, it seems that finding this Cortana is our best option." He tapped his combadge. "Mr. Data, scan the Covenant space station. Are its shields down?"
"Negative, sir. The shields of the station are still up."
"Mr. Worf, calculate the amount of phaser energy it would take to bring those shields down."
"A phaser on 45% capacity for 15 seconds would be the safest way to overload the shield generators without destroying the station."
"Prepare the phasers and move us into transporter range. Prepare fifteen Marines for boarding actions and have them report to Transporter Room 3." Picard ordered.
"Even with your transporter, you will still take casualties Picard." the Arbiter said.
"What's the matter, backing away from a fight?" the Chief said, hefting his phaser rifle.
The Arbiter moved his mandibles and drew his plasma rifle. "It will be interesting to fight along side you, rather than against you for a change."
The Chief nodded. "Permission to assist in boarding operations."
"Granted." Picard and Hood said in unison. Hood stood. "Can I access a communication station? I want to prepare some Marines to assist you."
Picard tapped a few controls on the conference table and Commander Maddox appeared on the small viewscreen in the conference room.
"Yes, sir?"
"Commander, prepare a fifteen member fire team and have it ready to go in ten minutes on the Enterprise's signal."
"Aye."
The viewscreen clicked off. The Arbiter had withdrawn a communciation device from his armor and was giving similar orders for fifteen Elites to prepare for boarding actions.
USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-D
Holodeck 2
The Master Chief stood in front of Lieutenant Silvermann and fourteen other Federation Marines in the yellow and black grid pattern of the holodeck. Most carried the Type-3 Phased Compression Rifle. A few carried the Federation Assault Rifle, which fired plasma in a shotgun blast. One hefted a small photon torpedo launcher.
"Alright, Chief, what are we looking at?" Silvermann asked.
The Chief briefed the Marines on all facets of the Flood organism, from its unbelievable strength to the dangers of the pod like infection forms.
"Whenever engaging combat forms, watch for the following tactical manuevers. Computer, begin program Spartan-1."
John had come in with Lieutenant Worf while the Marines gathered themselves together and, using his MJOLNIR armor's video recorder, recreated all of his Flood encounters through the holodeck. The Enterprise's holodeck was a device that took video or specified oral parameters and used photon particles to make an actual representation of the event, rather than the event just being on a screen.
The yellow and black grid pattern of the holodeck disappeared and the interior of High Charity appeared. An Elite Flood form charged at the Marines and leapt into the air.
"Freeze program." John ordered.
The Flood form halted midair.
"You can see how the Flood form will leap into the air to attack you hand-to-hand in the absence of a weapon. Be prepared for it to use both energy and projectile weapons, when it does have access to them."
"Computer, run program."
The Flood form fell to the ground dead, accompanied by the blasts of a compression rifle.
The Chief looked to the Marines. "Lieutenant Worf's set your weapons to holodeck training parameters. You should get some experience before we leave. Fan out!"
Lieutenant Silvermann began barking orders to the Marines as they learned and adapted to fighting the Flood.
John wondered how different things would be in his universe if they had only a fraction of the technology of the Federation.
Three Hours Later
The Enterprise, the Elite flagship Glorious Salvation, and the UNSC carrier Ark Royal all moved within the Enterprise's transporter range to the station. The Enterprise's phaser array glowed a warm orange and let a beam of phased energy go. The beam struck the station and the shields shimmered. After fifteen seconds of fire, the shields winked out of existence.
"Transporter operators, begin beaming operations to the control center. Be advised; if we detect Flood overrunning your position, we will destroy the station. Also, scanners cannot penetrate inner decks of Covenant construct. You'll be going in blind." Riker ordered. Forty-eight Elites and Marines, some UNSC and some Federation, plus Lieutenant Worf, the Master Chief, and the Arbiter, beamed over to High Charity.
High Charity
Command and Control Center
"CONTACT!!" A UNSC Marine screamed after he materialized, and shot a Flood form in the head. It crumpled and died.
John checked to make sure everyone had finished the transport process and looked up to see one hundred Flood forms turn to face them.
They made gurgling noises and snarled. They charged.
Spartan-117 raised his compression rifle and fired.
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