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In Chaos and Despair by Maraxus6
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In Chaos and Despair: The 2nd Fall of Harvest
Date: 13 January 2004, 3:25 AM
The event that you're about to experience takes place 10 years after the discovery of Earth by the Covenant.
Peace has reigned throughout humanity's interstellar empire ever since the near-extinction of the Covenant via the Flood, which were released by the Human scientist, Robert Krzewski. However, the Covenant still control certain areas of the galaxy.
Enter the main UNSC barracks on the colony Harvest, which has been rebuilt since its attack by the Covenant sometime before 2552 A.D...
Sanchez was jostled awake when the alarms went off. As the lights flickered on and off, and the sirens blared, his fellow marine, Hill, was already putting on his armor. "Well, get your damn armor on! Downtown looks like a friggin' nuke hit it!" yelled Hill. "But..."
"No excuses. I don't care how early it is. Something's going on, and whatever the hell it is, it's bad."
"Fine."
Sanchez was halfway finished equipping his armor when an explosion rocked the barracks. The sound of gunfire filled the air, along with many rapid, buzzing noises, followed by the sickening sound of flesh being opened up, as if by huge bullets. Screams of pain and death-cries could be heard all over the barracks. At long last, Sanchez got his armor on, grabbed his MA5B Assault Rifle, and hoofed it out of his section of the barracks into the main yard. He looked to the dark sky to his right, and almost screamed.
The city was in ruins. The bigger buildings that still stood were in flames, and billowing clouds of smoke filled the sky, blotting out the nearby star that brought day to Harvest. Among this horrific wreckage, a gargantuan ship hovered. It was black in color, and long, more bulbous at the back, like one of the Covenant CCS battle cruisers. In fact, it was a little too similar... Sanchez wondered aloud why the Covenant would dare attack another world. They had almost been completely destroyed. It would be suicide to attack a Human world.
His thought was interrupted by a low growl to his left. He looked toward the noise, and for a split second, Sanchez thought that he beheld an Elite...until he noticed the wings. Whatever that thing was, it had wings, and a closer-to-human jaw. Additionally, it was carrying a weapon that looked like one of the old MP5s from the 20th century. It raised its weapon to fire and convulsed, falling onto the cold ground. Sanchez saw that it's back was covered in charred flesh. Standing behind it was a marine known to all as Pyro, aptly named for his proficiency with flamethrowers, who was grinning.
"I just love being able to pull other people's asses outta the fire!" Pyro said. "But still, I've never seen anything like these fuckers before..."
"Neither have I.," replied Sanchez. "Do you know the state of the rest of the marines? How are they faring?"
"I've got no idea. I saw the sarge take off with the command team in one of the pelicans, though. Damn cowards can't even stand and fight. As for our fellow marines, I've found at least 50 dead." Stated Pyro, with a face showing sadness.
Sanchez thought a while, and then said: "I know. The barracks is probably already taken. I think that we should head downtown, and try to help the civvies out there."
"You're on. Let's go for it."
Along the way to the pelican bay, the pair found a heap of alien bodies, and a squad of marines stood around it, some dying, others wounded. It was horrible to see the effectiveness of the creatures' weapons; they created 2nd to 3rd degree burns, and marines who were obviously hit by the weapons lay writhing on the ground. "What are you all doing here?!" yelled Pyro. "You should be evacuating! Get the hell outta here! Run-"
His words were cut short by a hail of energy bursts that flew into the thick of the marine squad. Half of one man's head was seared off after being hit a multitude of times. Others were not so lucky with an instant death. They took hits in the torso, arms, legs, virtually anywhere. To top that all off, human blood sprayed everywhere, blinding other marines, who also consequently died in the fire fight, engulfed in burst after burst of buzzing energy.
Sanchez ran. He ran for his life, faster than he had ever remembered running before. The only thought in his mind was to stay alive. The concern he had shown towards others was gone. He never looked back. Looking back could mean death, and Sanchez wasnt ready to die. He just kept running for the pelican bay.
He got to the bay just in time. There was one last ship, laden with around 4 ODSTs and maybe 2 or 3 marines. They montioned to him, and he hopped in.
Just as the pelican sped off toward an unknown destination, a bolt of green was seen speeding towards the craft. Just as it hit... Sanchez's chest, the world before him went black, and he neither heard nor felt anything.
In Chaos and Despair: Bellerophon 3
Date: 26 January 2004, 2:55 AM
Excerpt from The 2nd Fall of Harvest
...Along the way to the pelican bay, the pair found a heap of alien bodies, and a squad of marines stood around it, some dying, others wounded. It was horrible to see the effectiveness of the creatures' weapons; they created 2nd to 3rd degree burns, and marines who were obviously hit by the weapons lay writhing on the ground. "What are you all doing here?!" yelled Pyro. "You should be evacuating! Get the hell outta here! Run-"
His words were cut short by a hail of energy bursts that flew into the thick of the marine squad. Half of one man's head was seared off after being hit a multitude of times. Others were not so lucky with an instant death. They took hits in the torso, arms, legs, virtually anywhere. To top that all off, human blood sprayed everywhere, blinding other marines, who also consequently died in the fire fight, engulfed in burst after burst of buzzing energy.
Sanchez ran. He ran for his life, faster than he had ever remembered running before. The only thought in his mind was to stay alive. The concern he had shown towards others was gone. He never looked back. Looking back could mean death, and Sanchez wasnt ready to die. He just kept running for the pelican bay.
He got to the bay just in time. There was one last ship, laden with around 4 ODSTs and maybe 2 or 3 marines. They montioned to him, and he hopped in.
Just as the pelican sped off toward an unknown destination, a bolt of green was seen speeding towards the craft. Just as it hit... Sanchez's chest, the world before him went black, and he neither heard nor felt anything.
Chapter 2: Bellerophon 3
Sanchez opened his eyes only to shut them again because of too many bright lights. It was as if the room he was in was completely white the walls, curtains, blankets, tubes. Tubes! Sanchez almost screamed out. Yes, there were about 3 tubes going into his arm, all connected to a bag filled with transparent fluid. The third tube was connected to a sack of blood. Sanchez examined the rest of himself to see if he was still in one piece.
The most frightening result of his self-examination was his chest. He saw the nastiest burn right there, smack dab between his heart and stomach. Some of the flesh was charred, but not nearly as much as he thought. Sanchez wondered aloud how he survived that green energy burst until he saw his armor on the wall to his left, or at least, what remained of it. For right where the energy bolt hit, there was a gaping hole in his armor, exactly the same size as the burn on his chest. Sanchez also noticed a red cross on the same wall, not a foot away from his shattered armor.
"Hmm, since I must be in a hospital of some kind, maybe I could call for a doctor around here. Doctor!"
Immediately, a doctor came rushing in, white lab coat flowing behind him. He was tall, probably in his mid-sixties, but yet he seemed to defy his elderly age with his quick movements. "What is it? Do you need anything? Are you in pain?" Sanchez shook his head side to side to negate the barrage of questions; he had to figure what was going on around here.
"Where am I, and what the hell happened down on the planet?"
The doctor's face contorted into a frown at the mention of the word planet. Sanchez knew the doctor would only give him more of what he already had. Bad news.
"I regret to inform you that the planet Harvest has been taken over- or rather was taken over for a short time. Just shortly after you arrived aboard one of our ships, the Viceroy, and initiated an FTL jump, the creatures glassed the planet. No one survived but yourself and the few other marines who made it out. As for where you are, you are currently on the planet Bellerophon 3. The Viceroy dropped off the survivors from Harvest here, and then left to survey the full extent of the damage on the planet, I doubt they'll find anything left."
"Then why didn't those things glass the planet in the first place? They invaded, and then glassed the planet? That doesn't even make sense!"
"It sure doesnt. Nonetheless, I was given orders to tell you that as soon as you're well, you're to depart for Earth with the rest of the survivors. The UNSC leaders will need to hear exactly what happened. Then we can put a stop to this madness."
Sanchez let out a deep sigh, he was in the middle of a newly formed war- there was no time to waste.
"Well, then Id better be going. I feel fine now." Said Sanchez eagerly.
"Hold on, soldier! Its my job to make sure that youre in tip-top shape before you can leave. The UNSC leaders wont want to deal with sick and injured marines, so you'll just have to sit it out for the time being. Think of it this way, this planet is well-defended; so don't be getting all worried about some space-aliens trying to come and get you in your sleep."
Sanchez smiled for the first time in months. "All right, I guess Ill stick around here after all."
"Good, so what division are you-"
A woman's voice on the intercom abruptly cut the doctor off. "All available medical personnel, report to docking bay 3F immediately. Bring emergency equipment- we've got trouble."
"What's going on down there, Smythe?"
"Cant go into details right now doctor, just get down here ASAP."
"I guess Ill be seeing you in a little while," The doctor hastily said to Sanchez, and then half-sprinted out the door.
Sanchez relaxed his head and stared up into the ceiling, pondering his situation. "What is going on here, why did the doctor need to leave like that?" Ever since leaving Harvest, something was wrong, dead wrong. He just couldn't put a finger on what it was yet.
This was all out of his hands, he thought. He was just a Marine, better just get some sleep while he still could and leave the strategy to the admirals. He was a soldier, his purpose wasn't to ask questions, it was to take orders.
"When this is all over I'm gonna need some serious holiday-time." And with that he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.
Sanchez woke up to a loud noise. He opened his eyes to see what was going on. He had no idea how long he had been asleep; it could have been for mere minutes, or hours.
Wait; there was the noise again. He heard it clearly now, it was a scream from someone close by. He didn't know who, or what they originated from, but he heard other voices trying to calm the source. Sanchez then saw a medical cart being rushed down the hall, bearing a blood-soaked, screeching occupant. Some of the doctors pulled the cart, while others appeared to be vainly attempting to staunch a fountain of blood from the man's shoulder. The cart passed soon, however, and was promptly followed by several more. The occupants of these carts weren't screaming, but were obviously in pain.
The doctor he had been with earlier bustled into the room with a distraught look on his face. His former youthful step fatigued down into a slow paced walk with a slight shuffle. His eyes seemed to just to be barely staying open.
"Im sorry, Sanchez, but Im gonna need to move your bed over to the side of the room and you'd better get ready for some company."
"What happened to those guys? It wasnt-"
"It was. They invaded the planet just like at Harvest, but they didn't glass it. From what Ive overheard from the officers, apparently those things were looking around for something. What is was I have no idea."
"Hmmm, That's strange; they're going at pretty long lengths to look around."
Sanchez and the Doctor moved his bed, and Sanchez hopped back in.
"What time is it?" Asked Sanchez.
"Oh, Id say its pretty late by now. Ive had to work for quite awhile getting those wounded down here to the medical wing. It was a very busy day."
"I can tell. you look horrible."
The doctor chuckled for a moment at that, and then said, "Old age catches up with you one of these days, I guess. However hard I try I will always be getting older."
The same woman's voice that Sanchez heard earlier from the intercom abruptly cut into the conversation.
"He may be getting old, but he has his quirks."
The doctor looked a little angry at first, but then quickly regained his composure.
"Ah, I almost forgot to introduce you two. Sanchez, I'd like you to meet the medical AI, Smythe. Here, let me show you to my office so that we can properly meet her."
Sanchez really had nothing better to do, so he got up and started to follow the doctor to his office.
Surveillance officer Robertson sat quietly in the control room that received constant video and audio feed from the satellites orbiting Bellerophon 3. He had been working there so long that he could blot out the noises of the radars pinging. He walked quietly, monitoring every screen in the room. Occasionally he would see a blip, but before the men at the stations could explain, he already knew that it was an asteroid, comet, or the like.
However, when he passed one of the monitors, he noticed a very peculiar looking blip. The radar always created an outline of the objects it hit, but this outline definitely wasnt that of an asteroid. It looked more like a ship.
"Private, don't think that that's a Covenant ship. Ive seen so many of em on radar, I could visualize their outlines on the palm of my hand with my eyes closed. So don't just jump to conclusions. It's not a Covenant Vessel."
"Then, what is it, sir?"
"I don't know."
At that instant, the outline faded, and then disappeared. Whatever it was, it was gone. Robertson got the wise idea to call the general. He may be in bed, but this could be a matter of interstellar security. The Surveillance Officer went over to a screen, and next to it, the Surveillance station A.I called Brutus appeared.
"Its late sir, whoever youre trying to contact would definitely be asleep."
"I don't care. Contact the general, and tell him that it's a matter of security."
"What happened?" Inquired Brutus. "Did you detect something odd?"
"You bet we did."
Suddenly, the screen clicked on, and a very drowsy and ruffled man sat in his bed, Staring at Robertson.
"What the blazes are you doing, waking me up at this time of night?"
"Sir, we've detected a ship. Its not one of ours, and its not one of the Covenants, either. I think that we should send the survivors from Harvest back to Earth. It'll get them out of the way in case any of those things decide to attack this planet just like at Harvest."
"Fine, but be quiet and discreet about it. Send doctors to help the patients. And tell them to talk about this to no one. I don't want a panic if that ship contains what we now dread."
"Yes sir. Ill give the order right away."
The man on the screen stood up and looked Robertson right in the eyes.
"Were going to get off this planet while we still can."
In Chaos and Despair: The Enemy Within
Date: 5 February 2004, 12:46 AM
Excerpt from Bellerophon 3
..."What happened?" Inquired Brutus. "Did you detect something odd?"
"You bet we did."
Suddenly, the screen clicked on, and a very drowsy and ruffled man sat in his bed, Staring at Robertson.
"What the blazes are you doing, waking me up at this time of night?"
"Sir, we've detected a ship. Its not one of ours, and its not one of the Covenants, either. I think that we should send the survivors from Harvest back to Earth. It'll get them out of the way in case any of those things decide to attack this planet just like at Harvest."
"Fine, but be quiet and discreet about it. Send doctors to help the patients. And tell them to talk about this to no one. I don't want a panic if that ship contains what we now dread."
"Yes sir. Ill give the order right away."
The man on the screen stood up and looked Robertson right in the eyes.
"Were going to get off this planet while we still can."
Chapter 3: The Enemy Within
Goross continued to monitor the scouting reports. There had been two planets invaded, and casualties had been far less than expected. The humans had always fought in vain, suffering greatly as they died, one by one. Their weapons were only moderately effective, and only a few of the humans' warriors had killed many of his fellow legionnaires.
"Well?" said a deep voice behind him. "What do the reports have to say?"
Goross almost jumped at the sound of the voice. He hadn't expected it, although he felt angry that he didn't expect the voice when he should have. After a brief moment, Goross spoke up. "They didn't find it, my lord, although the local inhabitants of each planet have been running head-over-heels to escape the wrath of the Legion. Their weapons have no where near the effectiveness of our own." Goross smiled. He loved referring to the more primitive technologies of lower races.
The voice seemed pleased, and continued to speak. "Good. However, you know exactly how important finding this artifact is. We must find it! If we do, then the nearby galaxies will be ours, and I shall rule all the loathsome creatures within millions of light-years with an iron fist. None shall oppose me!" the voice roared. "First, however, these pathetic beings called 'Humans' shall suffer and die!"
"O- of course, my lord." Said Goross shakily. He always got a little nervous when his master got in a rage. "Perhaps we should send out the probes. We could run scans of each planet, and find the artifact far more quickly. Not to mention, it would save us a large amount of time, along with being more efficient."
"Your wisdom never ceases to amaze me, Goross, and I am pleased. Send out the probes!" the voice barked at one of the other creatures on the bridge. "A-a-as you command, my lord." Stuttered the creature.
"Do not stutter before you lord!" screamed the voice as the creature bowed and covered it's head with it's claws. "You know of The Pact. I shall always protect those who serve me. Work and speak to me as if you knew me for your entire life!"
"Yes, my lord. I hear and obey." Said the creature after it had gathered up its dignity.
"And what of the next planet?"
"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Vaelok. We shall invade the orbital station at the planet called Bellerophon 3 by these humans. However, if any ship attempts to leave the planet, board it. As soon as we have control of the station, begin incorporating bombardment weapons on it. We will then run a scan of the planet. If the artifact is not there... invade the planet." The voice paused for several seconds, and said calmly: "And tell the legionnaires to capture as many of the humans as possible. I have a plan-"
Before the voice could begin to speak of it's plans, two more of the creatures walked onto the bridge, dragging a vainly resisting human with them. The human was dressed in the standard UNSC uniform and armor, and had very minor burn marks on his hands, as if they had been near a flame of some sort. His head was also facing the floor, and a dark bruise could be seen on the back of his neck. One of the two creatures spoke to the source of the voice. "My lord, we have brought you this human scum from one of our hangars. He had apparently stowed himself aboard a shuttle, although I do not see the damage that a single one of his kind to do to a ship like this one."
"That intrigues me as well. Set him before me." Commanded the voice.
The two creatures threw the human onto the metal floor before them, and a loud clang echoed from the striking of the armor against the floor. The human did not lift his head, as if afraid to see the being that created the voice.
"Leave us." The voice said quietly. All the creatures in the room left immediately, filing out in neat, orderly lines. Many of them glanced at the human in almost a look of pity, as if he was about to suffer the worst torture in the whole universe.
Once the room was quiet, the voice spoke in a calm but demanding tone. "Tell me everything about yourself and the weapons that your race holds, along with every ounce of information about your anatomy, and any other information regarding... ancient alien structures."
The human remained silent.
"I will warn you once. If you do not tell me what I need to know voluntarily, then I will take any information I need from you by force." The voice warned.
The human began to look up.
"Ahhhhh... You are one the few brave enough to behold my visage. I respect that. Most cower in fear. Continue, and behold what sits before you." The voice said proudly.
The human finally looked into the face, and gasped.
"You see? I am not pleasant to look upon. Because you have shown courage, I believe that I must give you a more... proper introduction. I am Vulkarius, Emperor of the Vocorian Empire." The voice explained. "My empire comes from a galaxy that is approximately 24 million light-years away from this general area of the galaxy that you call the Milky Way. According to the astronomical data salvaged from your databases, you humans would refer to it as Sb-type spiral galaxy M64, located in the constellation Coma Berenices. We have control of a vast amount of territory. Speaking of which, do you know the name of the aforementioned galaxy, human?"
"Yes, I do. It's called the Black Eye galaxy. I excelled in astronomy at the UNSC trading academy." Said the human carefully.
"Very good. Now, you must give me your name." The voice inquired.
"I'm called Pyro. Not that it's anything to you." The human said.
"That's true... Now then, Pyro, prepare to spend the rest of your measly existence aboard this ship. The only times you will leave the brig will be for memory retrieval. I will access your brain, and take any information that may be of use to me. Goodbye." Vulkarius called for some guards.
Immediately, two Vocorians walked onto the bridge, and dragged Pyro off.
Vulkarius pressed several buttons on a terminal. Then he said: "Now, I will commence with the rest of the plan I have in mind. I'll have to brief Goross later."
And thus, the alien ship continued towards its destination...
Commander Kronus Noslomee paced the bridge impatiently. "Where in the seven hells are those scouts!?" he roared. "I'd better hear a report soon, or I'll start bashing your puny skulls in!"
A few grunts quivered in the background after hearing the words 'bashing', 'your', and 'skulls'.
Noslomee loved the watching the grunts quiver in terror. It was his opinion that grunts were placed in the Covenant forces for the amusement of the other soldiers. Most of the crew agreed (at least the ones that weren't grunts), and almost always laughed about it.
Suddenly, one of the bridge's doors produced a tone and slid open with a hiss, and a troop of several elites strolled onto the bridge.
"By the names of every god, what took you so long?!" Noslomee roared. "Speak quickly, before my blade finds your heart!" Noslomee motioned his hand menacingly over the hilt of his plasma sword at his belt. At that moment, one the elites spoke up.
"Commander, the planet Harvest has been destroyed. Whoever was there before us, they glassed the planet. It's in ruins." The elite said.
"Was it one of ours?" Noslomee asked.
"No." The voice said callously. "Our scans revealed that whatever bombarded the planet was using huge amounts of supercharged electricity. Our guess is that the attackers were using... macroelectric weapons."
Noslomee looked shocked. "That's not supposed to be possible. Our weapons designers have tried for centuries to come up with that kind of firepower. It's even supposed to be only theoretical!" Noslomee then spoke in a whisper. "What else? What of the humans?"
"No survivors, commander." The elite said. "Every deteriorating biosign we detected was burned from the electricity." The elite wondered what could have massacred the humans in such a way.
Noslomee pondered this news for a moment, wondering what to make of the information. "This is very interesting indeed. Perhaps we have allies somewhere in the galaxy. Set a course for the homeworld!" He barked at one of the grunts, who was the navigations officer. He then turned back to the elites. "I must speak of this strange incident to the prophets, and you'll be coming with me. I think that they'll be very intrigued by this bit of news."
As the Covenant Vessel entered slipspace, a long, bulbous, black ship roughly a mile from the Covenant vessel's previous location faded into view. The ship sat in space for a moment, elongated, and disappeared into a flash of light.
In Chaos and Despair: Escape to Earth
Date: 4 March 2004, 10:09 PM
Sanchez was once again jostled awake by the doctor, who looked like he was going to pass out in a few minutes.
"What the-" he mumbled.
"There's no time. We need to get out of here. Be as quiet as possible." Said the doctor. The doctor seemed almost paranoid, constantly looking down the hallway. He then motioned to Sanchez to follow him.
"That's it, doctor." Sanchez growled. "I know I'm not supposed to ask questions, but at least tell me what we're doing!" Sanchez was starting to get angry. He felt like his body was running on pure adrenaline. The doctor motioned to Sanchez once again, and raced around a corner and down a hallway. Sanchez didn't need to do his best to keep up; the doctor's age slowed him down considerably.
After several minutes of moving down hallways, the doctor stopped outside a door. "Alright, we're going on board a pelican that's going to deliver us to a ship. Once on board the ship, we're going straight to Earth. Any questions?"
"Not anymore," Sanchez replied.
"Good. Follow me to the landing pad."
The pair rushed out the door and onto a landing pad that boasted enough space for four pelicans. They hopped into one of the pelicans, and waited. Several more minutes had passed before a man carrying a large crate hopped into the pelican. "Alright, you two might need these, in case the worst happens." He opened the crate, revealing half a dozen MA5B Assault Rifles. Sanchez and the doctor took one each, along with 3 clips of extra ammunition. Several more people bustled into the craft, and grabbed a rifle for themselves. That being done, the pelican hovered into the air, and blasted off into the night sky.
The ride was nice. Almost fun. Sanchez enjoyed the feeling of cool air on his face, as wind currents entered the pelican as it made the occasional turn. Several hours of this passed before the pelican landed on another pad. The pad had a down-escalator that carried everyone down into a starship hangar.
The ship was ready for launch, since the engines were powered up. All it needed was all the people from Sanchez's pelican on board.
Sanchez and the doctor entered the ship, and were led to a cafeteria, where they were given seats for the journey.
A realization sprang into Sanchez's mind. "Doctor, we're leaving because They're coming, aren't they?"
"To be honest, Sanchez, you're probably right. I can't think of any other reason myself. Maybe the guys at the radar station saw something, and sounded the alert." The doctor stated. He looked especially tired now.
The whole ship trembled. Obviously they were headed up into space. It took a while for the trembling to stop, but as soon as it did, Sanchez knew that they were in space.
Suddenly, the whole ship shook violently. Amidst the shaking, everyone heard an explosion, coming from down the outside hallways. The marines in the cafeteria grabbed their assault rifles, clicked off the safeties, and aimed them at the door opening into the hallway.
Sanchez barely heard low voices in the hallway, speaking in a low, guttural tongue that he couldn't decipher. All of a sudden, the voices stopped, and a dull clinking noise was heard bouncing and scraping across the hallway floor. A small egg-shaped object then rolled in through the doorway.
"Grenade!" someone yelled. Many of the marines, including Sanchez and the doctor, averted their eyes immediately. Others didn't.
Sanchez then saw an immensely bright flash against the wall. He also heard screams of "I'm blind! I'm blind!" and "I can't see!" Those many voices were drowned out by a multitude of buzzing noises and screams. The buzzing was answered in a hail of bullets. After several seconds, six marines lay dead, along with 8 winged, elite-like creatures. Sanchez immediately knew what they were. The ship had been boarded.
A sergeant next to Sanchez stood up on a table and spoke in a low voice. "Alright. Since it seems that the ship's been boarded, we'll have to clean out the damn things. We have to get to Earth at all costs. So, I want all of you monkeys to form groups of six. Check all the hallways, and don't hesitate to shoot. Now move like you've got a purpose!"
The marines began organizing themselves. It wasn't long before they started leaving the cafeteria, and slowly making their way down the hallways. The sergeant turned to Sanchez. "I've never seen you here before. Are you one the guys going to Earth to talk about the recent disasters?"
"Yeah. That being the case, what should I do?" Sanchez said eagerly.
"Get to the bridge." The sergeant ordered.
It took roughly four minutes for Sanchez and the doctor to get to the bridge. When he got there, a grim-looking marine walked up to him. "What are you here for?" He asked. He was blocking the threshold to the bridge.
"I'm here because one of the sergeants told me to go up here. I'm supposed to go to Earth to report on these recent incursions into human territory." Sanchez replied.
"Alright." The marine let him pass, and gave him a seat. "Stay here." He ordered.
"Sure thing. I'll do my best to stay out of the way." Sanchez replied once again.
It was about an hour before the sergeant Sanchez had spoken to earlier walked onto the bridge, holding a clipboard. The sergeant stopped in front of the ship's captain, who was easily recognizable from all the awards on his uniform.
"Sir, we've cleaned the damn things out. Here's the final tally regarding losses on both sides." The sergeant gave up the clipboard. The phrase 'both sides' made Sanchez almost queasy.
The captain looked at the report for a while. "So, we've lost about 40 men, and they lost 120. Those odds aren't bad, although we've got a shit-load of wounded. What's the average condition of the wounded?"
The sergeant sighed. "Critical. Their weapons have been taking their toll, especially since our armor seems to conduct it... like it's some kind of electricity." He said sadly.
The captain then said more quietly, "What about our friends in the cryo bay?"
"They're all right. None of those things got in there." The sergeant replied.
The captain turned around and said to a crewman: "Initiate the jump. We're going to Earth." The crewman obeyed. Sanchez could now see the stars stretching into lines, and, overcome by fatigue, fell asleep, leaning on the doctor.
After several hours, Sanchez awoke, although the doctor was snoring. It was amusing, watching the doctor snore. It made Sanchez feel like a kid again, being amused by the slightest things that most adults would take for granted. All of a sudden, the ship shuddered as it stopped from its FTL jump. A bright object caught Sanchez's eye.
It was Earth. As beautiful at it had ever been. The oceans glittered below, and he could almost sense trees swaying in the breeze on some tropical island, or a waterfall in some peaceful jungle.
Not all of Earth was that pretty. Some areas were dominated by huge grayish objects, which were the bigger floating cities of Earth. Sanchez could recognize a few of them, such as New Rome and Chicago. He remembered what happened to the first Rome. It had been invaded about ten years ago when the Covenant found Earth. The Covenant had gone into Rome, and, oddly enough, seemed to be specifically trying to get into Vatican City. Sanchez remembered hearing on the news that snipers had spotted Covenant troops burning religious artifacts, and collecting the other, larger artifacts into huge piles and watching as Hunters smashed and blew them to bits.
But the resistance from the people of Earth eventually prevailed, and the Covenant were almost kicked off the planet and forced to retreat when losses became too great. What a glorious day that was. It was made a worldwide holiday, and it was called: "The Turning of the Tide". It wasn't very original, but it fit well with the public.
So, the ship started to land. Sanchez would have a big day ahead of him.
In Chaos and Despair: The UNSC Council
Date: 29 March 2004, 2:42 AM
Excerpt from Chapter 5: Escape to Earth
...The Covenant had gone into Rome, and, oddly enough, seemed to be specifically trying to get into Vatican City. Sanchez remembered hearing on the news that snipers had spotted Covenant troops burning religious artifacts, and collecting the other, larger artifacts into huge piles and watching as Hunters smashed and blew them to bits.
But the resistance from the people of Earth eventually prevailed, and the Covenant were almost kicked off the planet and forced to retreat when losses became too great. What a glorious day that was. It was made a worldwide holiday, and it was called: "The Turning of the Tide". It wasn't very original, but it fit well with the public.
So, the ship started to land. Sanchez would have a big day ahead of him.
Chapter 6: The UNSC Council
Sanchez was led through a pair of massive double doors, which let into a cavern-like room. Several other marines who had survived the catastrophe went with him. All around and above them, men were seated, All of them members of the UNSC council, who governed each world within the bounds of the UNSC.
Sanchez was led to a pedestal in the center of the room. He was so nervous that even though the room was at a cool 60 degrees Fahrenheit, sweat trickled down the back of his neck. He gathered up all of his strength to speak, but was cut off before he could say anything by one of the leaders.
"What exactly happened on Harvest, private... um... Sanchez?" The council member asked.
"Harvest was attacked, as you already know. They weren't Covenant, but something else that I'm not familiar with. They had advanced weapons, and sleek, bulbous black ships. I can't recall anything other than those major details." Sanchez said. He was sad that he couldn't say any more. It felt like he was telling the council information that they already knew.
The room was filled with muffled voices for several minutes. After a few moments, a different leader spoke up. "What do the creatures that attacked Harvest resemble? Are they similar in any way to the Covenant?"
A marine with a scar along his eye looked up at the council member, and said: "As far as I could tell, the damn things look a lot like those elite bastards, except they got wings, and they're guns make buzzing noises and hurt like a bitch."
Another marine piped up. "I saw 'em searching everywhere, like they were looking for something."
The council member said: "This news of them looking for something is very, very interesting. I've got no idea what they're looking for, but whatever it is has extreme importance. I want all of you marines to meet me into briefing room 10A. You have five minutes."
Thusly, the council was concluded. The council members left their seats and proceeded to their personal quarters in the building.
Sanchez and the other marines hustled it over to the briefing room. As the door closed behind them, the council member emerged from the shadows of the room. "Sit down, gentlemen." He said calmly. "We have a lot to talk about."
The marines sat down in the heavily upholstered chairs in the room, and silence ensued as they waiting for the council member to speak.
The council member walked to the side of the room opposite the marines. "Although none of you know this now, due to your postings on other worlds, I am Nicholas Everwood, UNSC council member of Earth. I must ask you spare your personal introductions, since we don't have much time." He paused. "What I am about to tell you must never, ever leave this room. If none of you feel like you can keep secrets, leave immediately."
The marines stayed as they were, ever-vigilant.
"Good." Nicholas said. "Firstly, I will inform you that we know... well, we think we know what these creatures are looking for. It never occurred to us what could've sparked their sudden interest in this galaxy other than this... artifact."
"What is it, sir?" one of the marines asked.
Nicholas sighed. "For now, we only have vague ideas of this artifact's capabilities. The only facts we do know are that it's Forerunner, and that it's emitting almost undetectable pulses through space, which span the whole of the galaxy within mere seconds. We have no idea what it does, nor any capabilities that it has."
"Where is it?" another marine asked.
"It's on a planet that we call Sahara 7. It's named after the Sahara desert in Africa, so it's obviously a desert planet." Nicholas replied.
"So, if we know where it is, why don't we just go there and take it over?" a marine inquired.
"I wish it were that simple, but the planet's inhabitants wouldn't be too happy about it."
"Then... kill em!" a marine whooped.
"That is another problem. The planet has over 20 billion inhabitants. And all of them are human-sized arthropods." Nicholas replied sadly.
One marine, looking confused, said: "What's an-"
"-In this case, they're insects... Arthropods are anything from crabs and lobsters to bugs and arachnids." Nicholas stated calmly.
Another marine spoke. "So you're saying that the planet is inhabited by 20 billion human sized bugs?!"
"In a nutshell, yes. They don't have advanced technology, but every single one of them are warriors whose claws could tear through your armor like a hot knife cuts through butter." The council member said calmly. "Which brings me to my next point..."
"Which is...?" the marines said in unison.
"After the war with the Covenant, we've made huge advances in military technology. The Spartans proved very affective in times of need." Nicholas answered.
"So, are you suggesting that we become Spartans?" One marine piped up.
"In truth, I'm not suggesting that to all of you." Nicholas explained. "The Spartan program requires that it's 'subjects' have fulfilled certain parameters. Simply put, you've have to be as close to genetically perfect as a human can be." The council member paused for a moment, and then said: "It's impossible for us to turn you soldiers into Spartans. We do, however, have an alternative that has had equally promising results as the Spartan project. It's called CHMEP, or Collective Human Militant Enhancement Project. It has close to the same results as the Spartan project, but we don't need nearly perfect human beings to do it. All we need is volunteers. If you're in for this, say so now. The rest who don't wish to take part, can leave now under a vow of silence regarding this project."
"I'm in!" A sergeant stepped forward.
"Me too!" Said close to a dozen other marines.
After a few moments, all the people in the room, except the council member, had volunteered for CHMEP.
"Good," Nicholas chuckled. "I'm glad to see such enthusiasm in all of you. Welcome to the CHMEP project!"
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