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Orion began to wake the bridge crew from cryo sleep. He woke Captain Abrams last. "Please sit up Captain," Orion said. Orion was a "brother" of Cortana, another advanced AI that was installed into the Justification immediately after its induction. "Sit up and take a deep breath." Captain Abrams did so and the usual fluid flowed out. After 35 years in the UNSC, he was more than use to it. "Status Orion." Abrams said. "We will exit slipstream in twenty minutes," Orion added, "All ship systems optimal, the Vindication has been in system for some time now Sir, you won't believe what's happened." "By all means, tell me." Abrams ordered. "I think it'd be better to show you Captain" Orion said. "Okay, I'll be on the bridge in ten minutes." Abrams said. Captain Abrams had ten minutes to ponder what had happened. He walked over to the showers, grinning. No time to ponder, the more he pondered, the later he would get to the bridge and find out. He showered and dressed faster than he ever had in his 35 years of service. He boarded his secure elevator, and punched the key to the bridge. He was thankful his new ship was one of the experimental ones that were testing the new gravity fields. He didn't think he could stand another assignment with micro gravity. After the short lift, the doors slid open, revealing the busy bridge crew at work trying to input new coordinates. "What's going on Orion?" "Cortana has told us to input new exit coordinates, she doesn't think it's safe to exit near our previous coordinates" Orion replied. "Why?" Captain asked. "Have a look for yourself, these are images taken from the Vindication upon its exit." A screen materialized in the air in front of the Captain. It showed a vast graveyard of ships. But they weren't like anything Abrams had ever seenmost of them were Covenant. "We're exiting slipstream now Captain, due to the new coordinates." Orion said. "Understood Orion, make contact with the Vindication as soon as possible." Captain ordered. Stars fazed into existence as the ship entered normal space. The holoscreen was full of ships, only dead ones. The Vindication is going to rendezvous with us in thirty seconds. Sure enough, motes of green light began appearing a few kilometers to port. The huge ship appeared dead for a few seconds, then came to life as tons of information began pouring from it. "Patch Cortana through Orion" Abrams ordered. A multicolored face appeared in mid-air, along with Orion's armored form. "Captain, something has happened, a species more powerful and more advanced than the Covenant has decimated their fleet" Cortana added, "What you see on-screen is the result, few ships of the intruders were destroyed, this is the most intact one we've seen" Cortana and Orion were pushed to the side of the screen as the ship took up the picture. It was even stranger looking than the Covenant ships. It looked hollow, like a long tube. "I've accessed some of the Covenant ships' that still had power to their memory core, this is what I found." Cortana displayed the video. It showed one of the intruder's ships preparing to fire. The hollow tube in the middle of the ship began to glow, and the energy was released. Fifty Covenant ships imploded under the invisible pressure. "Dear God." Captain Abrams said. "Are those things on our side?" he added. "I don't know Captain, who's to say they are even aware of us. They could be another race that the Covenant thought they had exterminated. However they are oriented with us, I don't think it would be a good idea to engage any of them." Cortana said. "Agreed. So, is the planet safe for orbit?" Captain replied. "It appears so, there isn't a functional Covenant ship in the system, but there aren't any of the intruders' ships either. I don't know why, I think there's something planetside they need." 'I'm going to jump near the planet and set the Vindication into orbit, I will contact you as soon as possible." Cortana said. The Covenant ship veered off and pointed towards the planet, and began accelerating then disappeared. It contacted the Justification before its image even reached the ship. "Scanning the surface. Stand by-" Cortana told Abrams. The Covenant are fighting something. Can't tell what, we'll have to go planetside. Fires everywhere, plasma craters in a few areas. Let's see what this baby can do." Cortana said. The Justification's holoscreen focused on the Vindication. It began a slow descent into the atmosphere. Its shields were off. Fire turned on and off like a light switch on the underbelly of the ship, the erupted in a constant torch as the atmosphere scorched its surface. Cortana turned from the ship's controls and looked at John. He stood there for hours now without moving. "We're going to stop in one of the glassed craters. It looks like the area with the least activity, so it will be safe." Cortana said, "Do we know what these new things look like?" John asked. "Not yet, but we have to be careful, if their ships are that powerful, they must not be too weak." she said. "Understood, I will assemble my team." he said. Cortana made one last transmission to the Justification. She told them to stay put unless she needed reinforcements or until the rest of the UNSC fleet arrived, a few minutes later she received the acknowledgement signal from Orion. Cortana would remain in the ship, John's information, including video, would be relayed to her at all times. So she could still help him and control the ship at the same time. She began preparing for the invasion. She hoped months of planning and strategizing would be wasted by this new foe. She wondered if they would be allies or another race the humans had somehow infuriated. Only time would tell she thought, only time will tell... |
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