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ONI Black Ops Chapter One
Date: 2 May 2003, 12:09 AM
Vladimir stood perfectly still, and let the body reading laser sweep over him. The scan finished, and a pad slid out of the wall.
"Handprint identification please." A female intoned
Vladimir raised his hand and placed it on the reader. The pad warmed and a blue light seeped through his hand.
"Handprint accepted. Good evening, Doctor Ivanov." The female voice said, with a little more emotion now that his identity had been confirmed.
Vladimir ignored the security AI and opened the door. He strode down to the end of the hallway, where his identity had to be checked yet again. This whole procedure was really starting to piss him off. Reach had fallen less than two weeks ago, and security had tightened to the point of choking him. The security was completely ridiculous of course. The covenant were not going to be sneaking around in a top secret ONI facility. They would destroy the place and leave. That is, if they ever found the place, which was extremely unlikely.
And besides, Vladimir was in a big hurry. He had been woken by a phone call not an hour earlier. His superior told him to come down right away, that something big had come up and needed his immediate attention. Something always needed his immediate attention, but his superior sounded on edge, so Vladimir didn't complain and said he would be right there.
He got to his office. It was spacious, well, as far as offices in ONI go. He had a desk, two chairs, two file cabinets, his own AI, one computer terminal, and one holographic imager. His superior stood, looking at some pictures framed on the wall. Two other men were with him. From the looks of them, one was a bodyguard, and the other was a man of considerable importance.
"Vladimir, you're finally here. Security is a bitch, isn't it." His superior turned and said, earning a glare from the important man. He apparently disapproved of foul language.
Vladimir took his seat behind his desk. "Can I help you two gentlemen?" he asked.
The important man spoke. "I have come to you about a matter of considerable importance. I have asked around, and found that you are the best in the business."
"I try, sir."
"Yes, well before I divulge any sensitive information, I must have you volunteer for this assignment. All I can tell you is that it will involve covenant technology, and the development of a particular technology for military use. This technology could potentially be the deciding factor in this war. Do you accept?"
Vladimir thought about it. "Will I stay here in this facility?"
"No. you will be transported to an undisclosed location, where you will have access to the best equipment and minds that the UNSC can offer."
He thought some more, but in the back of his mind, he already knew his decision. "I'll do it."
Vladimir eased back into his chair, propped his feet up on the desk, closed his eyes, and thought. The man had given a few extra details about the op, but was squeamish about revealing anything really juicy until Vladimir had moved to the facility where he would begin his work. And that sucked. It was against his entire mindset to accept a job before he knew all the details. But this one had a special feeling to it. This one was big.
He looked at his watch. It was almost 11:30. Better get some sleep. He got up, locked his office and headed for his quarters. He got to his room and fell onto his bunk. As he fell asleep, his mind concocted a dozen different possibilities for the mission at hand.
Vladimir woke up to the sound of horns blasting the wake up call. He stumbled out of bed and hit the shower. After the shower, feeling quite refreshed, he sat down to some breakfast bars and reconstituted orange juice. He was almost out the door when he remembered he had to shave.
He was back at his office an hour later, cursing security measures. He walked around his desk and sat down, ready for the morning's email. He opened his email file and found no mail. Puzzled, he called up his supervisor and asked what he should be doing because there was no email work. His supervisor told him to get down to section three headquarters, and that he was to report for his new assignment.
He jumped to his feet and was out the door before his boss could cut the connection. He almost ran down the hall to the elevator, which took him to the lowest level. After another fifteen frustrating minutes, he was standing at attention at his commanding officer's desk. He received his orders and left. He was to report to the main hangar and get on transport C-137A. He was to take no belongings; everything he needed would be supplied for the duration of his assignment.
He made it to the hangar in a personal record of thirty minutes, hoped aboard the transport, and was whisked out of the atmosphere and into space. The transport made slipspace and Vladimir was escorted to a cryo tube. The tube sealed shut and a mist fogged up the chamber and drove him into unconsciousness.
ONI Black Ops Part Two
Date: 5 May 2003, 2:04 PM
Vladimir woke from his cryo sleep and with a choke and gurgle, emptied the nutrient inhalant from his lungs. The fluid drained from his mouth and he stood up, coughing. He looked around. There was no one else in the room. He went to his locker and got out his uniform.
He made his way to the bridge. The ship was not very large, and the bridge was a cramped space. He stood in between the pilot's and copilot's chair, and surveyed the stars. They were quickly approaching a blue planet. That must be his destination. Vladimir looked on as the transport was hailed, and identity code accepted, was allowed to enter orbit. The planet looked defenseless, and Vladimir wondered how the ONI could possibly leave an installation of as much obvious value of this one go unprotected. However, as they entered orbit, he caught a glimpse of a sleek shadow moving past them. It was a stealth ship, but this one was far larger than any Vladimir had seen before. Unlike the other stealth ships, which had no weapons, this ship sported quad MAC cannons, two upper and two lower, as well as numerous 50 mm close defense weapons systems. The ship disappeared once more into the blackness, and Vladimir trained his eyes on the planet again.
A shuttle jumped out of the atmosphere to meet the transport. It docked, and Vladimir departed, mumbling thanks to the pilots and copilot. The shuttle disengaged from the transport and began reentry. Vladimir strapped into his seat as the shuttle began to shake and shudder. Retro rockets were fired, and their tremendous forward momentum slowed. A few minutes later they landed safely next to an immense complex. The building was situated on an island barely big enough to accommodate it. Vladimir surmised that the building extended to the core of the planet.
The shuttle pilot led Vladimir to the main entrance. A guard, blast shield secure over his face, opened the door for Vladimir. He stepped inside, through a second set of heavy doors, through an X-ray scanner, and into the main lobby. He was directed to an office two floors up. He took an elevator up to the second floor and found room 117. He knocked once and stepped inside.
"Welcome to Sigma Draconis, Vladimir." An elderly man greeted him. "And may I be the first to welcome you to the team." He held out his hand.
Vladimir shook his hand. "It's good to be aboard, sir."
"My name is Dietrich. I am heading up our little project."
"Shall we?" he gestured with his hand. He left the room, Vladimir at his side. They headed for the elevator. "After the fall of Reach, Section Three suddenly found itself without a head. A new Director was hired, and a new game plan was set into motion. Nearly all of ONI's vast budget was siphoned into reverse engineering Covenant technology, and defense spending With Dr. Halsey gone, the Spartan program has continued, with nearly three hundred Spartans on operational deployment. However, no more advances have been made into the MJOLNIR battle armor or the Spartans' genetic enhancements. Roughly half of Spartans in training are lost to defects in the engineering process. Project MJOLNIR has been reinitiated, Vladimir. You are now part of the research and development team."
Vladimir paused at the door to the elevator. This came as quite a shock. That he would even have been considered for such a position… this was big. Vladimir followed Dietrich onto the elevator.
"Our range of experiments is fairly broad." Dietrich held out his hand for the handprint scanner to admit access to the secure levels of the facility. "We have been working on everything from shielding technology to stealth technology to new weapons systems for the battle suit. With your extensive background in mechanical engineering and pyrotechnics, I have waited until you arrived to assign you to a particular job. Would you be more interested in improving the MJOLNIR armor itself, or working with the weapons?"
Vladimir thought about that. "Well, I have quite a few ideas about improvements on the weapons systems, but would it be possible for me to work both aspects, shift back and forth?"
"Absolutely. We need all the fresh ideas we can get. Any input at all, no matter how stupid it may seem, is greatly appreciated. We need to bring this project along as quickly as possible. The covenant advance may have been slowed, but the war is far from over." Dietrich looked at Vladimir. "We have quite a few secrets down here that, with a little tweaking, can do real damage to the covenant threat."
The elevator slowed, and then stopped in front of a large door. This opened into a scanning chamber. Vladimir and Dietrich stepped into the chamber, which hummed as optical and thermal lasers scanned them from every possibly angle, searching for any foreign objects. The scan finished up and a door opened on the far side of the room.
As they entered the research facility, Dietrich had a sudden epiphany, "Oh, and of course you will get to see the fruits of your labor. Combat evaluation is a big perk in this line of work. There is nothing quite like seeing your inventions at work, killing the enemy with merciless precision." He chuckled, the walked over to a wall monitor and pressed a button. "Allright everyone, listen up. Meeting in the conference room in five minutes. Our last scientist has arrived. Now the real work can begin."
Dietrich led Vladimir down a short hallway to a good sized conference room. Everyone was already there, waiting. "Okay, everybody, this is Vladimir, he will be working on the mechanics of the suit as well as helping with the weapons systems." Then with a sly grin, "some things he enjoys are candlelight dinners and walks on the beach." Dietrich laughed.
Vladimir looked around, smile on his face. He knew some of these people. He had read their reports, done a little work here and there with most of them. He was going to feel right at home here, doing what he loved most; building machines that destroy.
Two days later, he was buried up to his eyeballs in his work; drawing schematics, working equations, building weapons. The MJOLNIR suit, while easily the most versatile and powerful suit of armor ever developed, could be improved upon. One of Vladimir's first considerations for the suit was weapon holsters. On the thigh armor plates he crafted a molded M6D holster, one on each thigh. On the back, attached to the fusion power pack, was a diagonal clip that would hold an assault rifle or shotgun. In addition to the ammunition and utility belt on the waist, Vladimir created compartments in the thigh and forearm armor to hold additional clips. At first he was concerned about all these extra spaces in the armor weakening the integrity, but after he saw the material undergoing development in the lab down the hall, he put his compunctions to rest. Even with these new compartments, the armor would be almost three hundred percent stronger, with a reactive coating to deflect incoming plasma energy that was two times more efficient than originally intended. In short, MJOLNIR II would make the Spartans all but invincible.
The shield aspect of the suit, being augmented next door, was one of the most promising features of the new suit. The fusion pack, being tweaked to amp up the output considerably, would power the new shielding with ease, the old shielding was more than adequate for stopping medium to heavy plasma rounds, but under combined fire, the shield was quickly overwhelmed. This new model would take the energy of impacting plasma, convert it to something the suit could use, and boost the shield strength for a limited time.
The new munitions being created for the Spartans' weaponry was nothing short of amazing. Vladimir was giving only token advice, being occupied with the suit, but the number one goal of the munitions team was to adapt the sniper rounds for the assault rifle and pistol. The sniper rounds, though heavier in caliber, packed a very mean punch because they had anti matter tips. These tips are capable of phenomenal penetration and assault rifle and pistol versions would prove to be very rewarding.
And it seems as though Vladimir and his team will get the chance to prove their weapons in combat very, very soon. The Covenant have regained the momentum of their offensive, and the Spartans will need every tool available to hold them back.
ONI Black Ops Part Three
Date: 7 May 2003, 1:59 PM
Vladimir stood behind the glass of the examination room and peered into the testing center. He looked on as a Spartan was fitted with the new armor. Vladimir had requested the best Spartan available, and he had not been denied. In his hand he held the soldiers CSV. This was the legendary Master Chief, John 117. The soldier stood perfectly immobile as three researchers put the suit together around him.
Vladimir flipped on a microphone. "Okay master chief. Depress the power reset switch now so the suit can accept regenerative power from the fusion pack."
The master chief did so and the air jumped as the shields came online. They glowed a brilliant gold as they stabilized. He moved off of the platform and turned to face Vladimir. "Systems normal. Shields charging."
"If you will kneel down, we can insert Cortana into your armor. I might add that the neural interface between you, Cortana, and the suit has been boosted to 99.9987% your reaction time will be as close to instantaneous as we can feasibly make it." Vladimir said as he gently slid the AI's core memory matrix into the master chief's helmet.
"Now. If you will follow me, we can get on with the test." Vladimir motioned for the Spartan to follow him out of the room. They proceeded down a labyrinth of winding passages, gradually leading to the surface. They went first to the testing range so the Master Chief could evaluate his new weaponry. On a table was an assortment of weapons, both new and old. An assault rifle, two pistols, sniper rifle, grenades, and shotgun.
"Master Chief, you will load these weapons onto your armor. You may choose to carry a combination of any two rifles. The two pistols go into the holsters on your thighs, and the grenades clip onto your belt as always." Vladimir paused. Then, "This will be a live fire exercise. You will be pitted against 50 mm auto guns, captured shade plasma turrets, and some live covenant. We have successfully captured a selection of grunts, jackals, and elites. No brutes or hunters were captured. You will have a grace period of thirty seconds before the covenant are let loose. The countdown begins the second I leave this area. Your objectives are to neutralize all covenant threats, and to "kill" the covenant prophet hidden in a chamber somewhere on this course. Good luck."
Vladimir left the test range, and hunkered down in a bunker with his fellow scientists to watch the action. Inside the bunker, there were twelve displays, each showing a picture of the master chief. The cameras would follow him through the course to evaluate his new armor. A timer at the edge of each screen dialed backwards toward zero.
John stood completely still in the slight morning breeze, weapons affixed and ready. A counter in his helmet display counted back towards zero, and Cortana's soothing presence in his head put him at ease. The new suit felt lighter, faster, and much stronger than his old suit. Maybe "old" wasn't the right word, considering he had only received it a month and a half ago, back on Reach...
John shook his head of the memory. Now was neither the place nor the time for sifting through memories.
"Ok master chief, you ready for this test?" Cortana inquired, obviously impatient, as she frequently was.
"Yeah, just thinking." John replied, his muscles tensing. The counter spiraled towards zero, and he zipped forward, into action. His motion sensor was suddenly alive with hostile indicators.
"Covenant on your six!" Cortana squawked as john whipped around, bringing his assault rifle to bear. A group of five grunts had been let loose right behind him. They were barking and growling, obviously angry at being imprisoned. They clutched plasma pistols and needlers. John didn't give them a chance to adjust their aim onto him. He leapt six meters sideways, all the while pivoting and spraying the grunts with anti matter tipped rounds. The bullets tore through the grunts spraying purple bone and gristle in an arc around their bodies. One grunt body spasmed in its death throes and squeezed off a charged plasma bolt. It struck the master chief in the side. Used to seeing his shield bar drop by half from such a blast, john was quite surprised when the shield status flickered a hair the other way, outside of the shield bar. So that scientist hadn't been kidding when he said the new shields would change everything.
John pivoted again to his right, searching for more targets. An elite rushed him, aiming to tackle him to the ground. With the speed of thought, john put away the assault rifle and drew his two pistols. He popped off six rounds before the elite took four steps. The new bullets did their job with perfection as they obliterated the elite's shields and tore its chest apart in a bloody spray.
His motion sensor had quieted slightly for the moment, and john took the opportunity to draw a grenade from his belt and prime it. A half dozen jackals were grouped in a shallow depression in the ground, trying to figure out what to do. John lobbed the grenade like a baseball at the group of shielded aliens. The grenade smashed into the side of one jackal's head, crushing it. The contact fuse detonated the grenade, which exploded into a thousand molten steel fragments which tore through the grouped aliens, thrashing vital organs and lopping off limbs.
"Nice work, john. Twelve covenant downed in a little less than fourteen seconds." Cortana praised the Spartan, sounding unusually cheerful. "A couple of grunts have found those plasma turrets and are turning to engage you."
John dove to the ground... just in time. Purple plasma flashed toward the spot where he had been a moment before, fusing the dirt into dirty glass. He rolled to his feet, turned his head and spotted one of the turrets. It was on top of grassy hill fifty meters away. John sprinted at full speed toward the turret, dodging volleys of flashing plasma. He reached the turret and knocked the grunt out of it with two rounds from his pistols. The master chief climbed into the gunner's seat and sought out the two 50 mm auto gun emplacements. They were situated on either side of a rough hewn tunnel into a rocky hillside. He fired sustained bursts of plasma fire at both guns, rendering them useless.
John hopped out of the shade turret as plasma rifle fire splashed across the barrels, melting them. He fell flat on his stomach, and unclipped the sniper rifle from his back. He raised the rifle and sighted in on the elite firing with startling accuracy on the now-empty turret. The scope's crosshairs spiraled in on the elite's head. A sharp crack shattered the morning air as the master chief fired. The elite slumped to the ground, beheaded.
"Just five more grunts and a jackal, huddling like frightened sheep just inside that cave entrance. That last shade turret is in that depression left of the cave. Better take him out now." Cortana intoned, apparently bored with the mission already.
John sighted in on the turret and aimed a shot at one of the barrels of the gun. The heavy round hit with a clang, bending the barrel almost ninety degrees to the side. The second shot tore the throat off of the jackal, forcing it to swallow its on blood.
He got up and jogged toward the cave entrance, unclipping another grenade as he went. He pulled the pin on this one and lobbed it inside the cave entrance. It bounced down the tunnel and exploded with a dull thud. John switched out his sniper rifle with the assault rifle, and entered the tunnel.
He thumbed a button on the side of his helmet and the darkness came alive with green light enhancement. He slowly surveyed the carnage. The grenade had done its job. Several arms and a head lay scattered around a black mark on the floor, surrounded by a thick pool of alien blood, fluorescent in the darkness. He advanced down the tunnel, gradually finding the rest of the aliens.
The tunnel opened up into a large antechamber. At the back of the room sat a life size model of a covenant prophet in a high throne. John advanced carefully, wary of any surprises that scientists were known for incorporating into their exercises. Nothing appeared. John walked up to the prophet, closed to point blank range, and emptied the assault rifle's clip into the alien. Bits of foam exploded into the air, accompanied by the staccato bite of the assault rifle, magnified by the confines of the chamber. John wiped away the last bits of the prophet and took its place on the throne. Mission completed.
ONI Black Ops Part Four
Date: 11 May 2003, 12:23 AM
Vladimir sat in the cushioned launch seat, harness strapped across his chest. He peered out the viewport and watched silently as the blue planet that had been his home for the last year gradually shrank. Across the aisle from Vladimir sat the master chief. The super soldier. Even now, without his imposing armor, he was quite a spectacle. His head almost touched the ceiling in the passenger compartment; his biceps strained against the black fabric of his uniform, and his broad shoulders made him take up two full seats. This was a soldier to be reckoned with.
Vladimir turned back to the viewport, and was greeted with a view of the stars. They had left the touch of the atmosphere and were approaching their destination: the UNSC Archangel. Probably one of the newest vessels to enter the fleet. It was the second in the production line of the new Hades class battlecruisers, Protected by four full meters of refractive alloy, the same energy absorbing armor on the MJOLNIR armor, she was equipped with the latest Battleaxe missile systems and four MAC cannons, two upper and two lower. Along the cannons' lengths were electromagnetic recapacitators which would recycle waste energy generated by weapon discharge. The Archangel could keep up a constant rate of MAC fire for a limited period of time.
The ships seemed to flow into and out of the blackness of space. The ship no doubt also had stealth characteristics built into it. Vladimir began to wonder if the covenant would even see this thing coming. The ship was only visible when looked at from certain angles, making it a tricky thing to target with weapons or even dock with.
The warship also packed in the latest nuclear power plant, being almost identical to the Pillar of Autumn's reactor, albeit much more powerful to support the larger ship. Also to be found on board was a vertical launch system located in the battlecruiser's bow. In each of the twenty-six tubes were Shiva nuclear missiles. The Archangel could take on an armada of Covenant warships and prevail. Vladimir could only pray that it would keep him safe on this deployment. Indeed, that it would keep the entire team safe. After the untimely demise of Dr. Halsey, it had been a stretch to come up with the brainpower for this project. If they were killed, no one would be left to carry on the MJOLNIR program. Less knowledgeable and talented scientists would have to start practically from scratch.
The shuttle broke free of the gravity clutch of Sigma Draconis and docked with the UNSC Archangel. Vladimir, along with the rest of his team, was led to the research section of the warship. He was given his own quarters, with a personal work station and the usual amenities. He had instructions to get settled in, and then report to the main briefing room in one hour. Vladimir was unpacked in minutes, not having very many personal possessions. He took advantage of his remaining time until the briefing to track down the master chief.
He found the legendary soldier at the far end of the research section of the ship. He quarters were bare, with a bed, footlocker, and closet. That was it.
"Master Chief." Vladimir said as the soldier turned to face him. "We have got quite a while until the briefing, so I thought I'd track you down."
John nodded and motioned for Vladimir to enter the room. Vladimir sat on the bed, John leaned against a wall. "What I can do for you sir?" he asked.
"Well I was hoping you could tell me a little about yourself, your past, your future. Something left out of your CSV. I've read the entire thing, being one of the privileged few that have had the opportunity to do so."
The master chief looked at Vladimir for a long moment. "Well, Sir, there's not much to tell that isn't already in my full CSV. If one of your questions is if I regret how I was conscripted at the age of six, stolen away from my parents and childhood; If I regret being harshly indoctrinated into the military system, and genetically altered to become what I am today, then the answer is no. Doctor Halsey gave my life a direction and an importance that would have not been possible otherwise. No doubt you think it is a cruel and unusual punishment for a child to be so ruthlessly indoctrinated, as many people do." He paused. "But what those people do not realize is that any trainee who empathetically did not want to become a Spartan did not have too. Though conscripted, there is a great deal one can do to get drummed out of the military. Becoming a Spartan seemed to be the only real direction for my life to take. No doubt every other Spartan feels the same way. I can and will vouch for any of them." He leaned back and looked at the scientist.
Vladimir shifted uneasily on the bed. That was actually his main question, and it seemed to be a popular one. "I have heard respected people argue that what section three did to you was unethical, morally wrong, and illegal."
The Spartan folded his massive arms over his chest and spoke. "How people at this dark time of peril, when humanity lies on the brink of extinction, how they can say such things is unthinkable. Doctor Halsey took the initiative and started a project that has a chance of saving humankind. What they must fail to comprehend is the fact that is we fail; it won't matter if what has happened is illegal or morally wrong. And if we prevail, those illegal and unethical wrongdoings will be justified."
Vladimir thought for a moment. "Master Chief, I have always supported the SPARTAN program from the moment it came to my attention. It has been my dream to work on MJOLNIR. And now it has come true. I want you to know that I have put a great deal of faith in you. And now I can be sure that that faith has not been misplaced." He looked down at his watch. "Well, it looks like its time for the briefing. We'd better get going."
As he headed for the door, Vladimir paused and extended his hand. "I hope the new suit works out okay."
John reached out and shook the scientist's hand with a firm grip that threatened the bone structure of Vladimir's fingers. "I hope it works too, sir."
ONI Black Ops Part Five
Date: 13 May 2003, 3:09 AM
The main briefing room aboard the Archangel was fairly empty. Designed to seat over thirteen hundred personnel, the twenty-five scientists, along with the master chief and their support group, barely filled the first two center rows.
Dietrich was standing on stage, along with a grizzled looking Marine Lieutenant and a middle-aged Captain in a Navy uniform. "Hello everyone, and welcome aboard the UNC Archangel. This," He gestured to the Marine, "is Lieutenant Brenner Holwitz. He is heading the security detachment aboard this vessel, and will be accompanying us to the surface for field deployments. The Marine gave a curt nod to the audience and said nothing.
The scientist continued, "And this is Captain Wallace. This man is a veteran of one of this first encounters with the Covenant. I believe that he once ferried the master chief to a very important location on the UNSC Commonwealth." The Captain stepped forward and nodded, and Vladimir could see that his left arm ended just below the elbow.
Dietrich continued. "We have placed this cutting edge vessel in the capable hands of Captain Wallace. Since his first encounter at Chi Ceti 4, he has survived more encounters with the Covenant than any other ship commander.
Now Dietrich stepped forward, and the lights dimmed. On the stage in front of him, a large holographic image was displayed from the holo crystals on the ceiling. On the image was a planet. "Ladies and Gents, I present to you, our objective. This planet is the fruit of section three's hard labor over the last six months. A new mission order was issued to virtually all ONI stealth ships. That order was to search systems previously unexplored, the objective being to find any systems inhabited with Covenant life forms." He paused, trying to find his audience through the dim lighting. "Of course, we looked in all the wrong places at first. We found a few dozen empty systems, which we promptly took over for colonization and shipbuilding. But then a ship stumbled on this place."
The image sharpened into crisp focus and then zoomed in on the planet, which took on an ethereal swirl of green and purple as the image got larger. "We have determined that this planet is on the edge of Covenant controlled space. Not necessarily a home world, we have reason to believe that it was terraformed into something the covenant could survive on."
The image zoomed out and a dozen covenant ships lanced into view. The Captain took over from here. "This system is not very heavily defended, as far as covenant systems go. We believe that this place either has very little importance to the Covenant, or that they would never think we could find them and take this war back on the offensive." The old man grinned, continuing. "Well, we are going to show them that they have a lot more to fear from us. We will be entering the system in force."
The image changed again, this time displaying ten UNSC ships. "These will be our support group. The UNSC Warspite, the Iowa, the Stalingrad, the Interceptor, the Executioner, and the Stiletto. All Hades class battlecruisers. These have been pulled right off the assembly line to assist us in this operation." Vladimir caught a glint in the old man's eye. "This will not only be a test of MJOLNIR II. This will be an operation to strike a very real fear into the minds of our adversaries. The other four ships in our group consist of three cargo ships and one ONI stealth job. The cargo ships will be choc full of MAC rounds, as our new guns will cycle through one hell of a lot of ammunition. The stealth ship will reconnoiter the area surrounding the area before we jump into the system."
"Once we have confirmed the total number of covenant ships, well, then they will all be blown to hell. I doubt they will even see it coming. The stealth characteristics built into the ships in our little armada should hold up quite nicely." The captain grinned against the harsh light of the holo image and stepped back into darkness.
Now the Lieutenant Holwitz stepped forward to finish off the briefing. The image hovering in front of him morphed into a computer simulation. "As you can see, once we have eliminated the covenant ships, the battle group will dispatch a full ODST division to the surface." The hologram showed an image of three hundred troop transports diving through the atmosphere. They landed at a spot marked 'Landing Zone Alpha' and disgorged thousands of troops. The Marine waved his hand and the image halted. "They will assault and secure this land to the west of this city. An additional armored battalion will be shuttled down to supplement their defenses. Once the beachhead has been secured, a shuttle will make its way down to the surface with all of you." He stopped and looked at the master chief.
"This will be the staging area for the first operational test of the MJOLNIR II armor. The tests will be conducted under combat conditions. Bases around the planet's surface will be assaulted and all threats are to be neutralized. Test data on the armor and evaluations on the master chief's performance will be carried out at the divisional research center on the surface. Specifics will be given at a later time." The lieutenant wrapped up his speech and stepped backwards into the shadows.
The lights came back on and Dietrich took center stage again. "I hope this answers all of your questions. Any additional comments or questions can be sent to me via email. Well, this wraps up the briefing. We will be leaving orbit shortly. It's a pretty long ride, so you gotta hit the cryo chambers."
A multitude of groans met this last sentence. The audience filed out of the briefing room, headed for the unpleasantness of cry sleep.
ONI Black Ops Part Six
Date: 16 May 2003, 12:17 AM
Vladimir woke up from his super chilled sleep, coughing and sputtering. He absolutely hated cryo sleep. Nothing was worse than waking up and having to swallow the mucus that had filled your lungs for the last few weeks. He wiped his mouth and stumbled out of the cryo tube. He went to his locker and put on his clothes.
The tube next to his hissed and opened. The master chief sat up, coughed up the nutritious fluid, and swallowed it without as much as a gag. He stood, looked at Vladimir, and went to his locker and put on his fatigues.
Vladimir, still stiff and sore from his sleep in the freezer, walked to his quarters. He powered up his computer and checked his email. The first message on his screen was from Dietrich. He opened up the letter and read it. Dietrich wanted him to muster along with the rest of the research team in the conference room in fifteen minutes.
He shaved, showered, and got some food from the cafeteria, then headed for the conference room. The door opened in front of him and he saw that he was the last one there. He muttered his apologies and took a seat at the end of the long conference table. He sank into his chair and finished up his food as Dietrich powered up the holoprojector in the middle of the black table.
Dietrich spoke up. "Hope everybody had a comfortable three week rest."
Mutters all around about where he could shove that three week rest.
He chuckled, then continued. "Right, well we got a lot of work to do. We are currently in slipstream space, rapidly approaching our objective. We will re-enter real space in the next ten to fifteen hours. Until then, Vladimir, you are to supervise the prepping of the MJOLNIR II armor." An exploded schematic of the armor shimmered into existence above the table. "The master chief is to be suited up and ready to go an hour before reversion to real space. This is a precautionary measure to ensure that the armor will be safe in case of any mishaps."
Vladimir grunted acknowledgement, then went back to his food. "When we engage the covenant defense force, I want everybody to muster in the main docking bay. If we take a hit, it won't be pretty even with the new armor plating. If it looks like we are going to get hit, I want everybody in a drop ship and away from any of the ships."
"Now, any questions?" Dietrich peered around the room. Vladimir raised his hand. "Yes?"
Vladimir choked down the food in his mouth. "Well, I was wondering if the master chief would go with us in the drop ship if we get hit."
"No. you will be taking a few spare armor suits, but the master chief will be with the marine detachment below decks."
"Okay, any more questions? No? All right then. Lets get to work." Dietrich flipped off the projector and left the room. The research team followed, leaving Vladimir behind to finish his breakfast.
The Black Ops battle group jumped into the covenant system amidst pools of the soft blue light of slipspace. The warships were scattered throughout a three thousand kilometer area as they reverted to real space. Not bad considering ships could tear their way out of the alternate space millions of kilometers apart. All the covenant saw of the ships' arrival were the blue swirls of re-entry, and then... nothing.
The ships promptly vanished from covenant telescopes and long range sensors. The battlecruisers powered up their sub light engines and moved into a staggered formation. As they advanced into the system, the master chief's AI, known as Cortana, hacked into the Covenant BattleNet, and retrieved snippets of alien transmissions. The Covenant defense force grouped into a single line and advanced out system. They left a few ships behind to watch the planet. The hacked transmissions were translated and sent to the bridge, where Captain Wallace reviewed them.
The ships were sent out by the planetary HQ to investigate the strange re-entry signatures that appeared on sensors. The advanced cautiously, strung out over several hundred kilometers. The most recent count of hostile vessels in system stood out on the bridge's main screen: fifteen ships.
Usually, Captain Wallace would have discarded the idea of victory in a scenario like this. Human ships almost never won when they were outnumbered. The ideal scenario was to outnumber the covenant at least three to one. But with these new ships came new opportunities and confidence. This battle was destined to be a lopsided one, but it was all stacked against the covenant this time.
The Captain had Cortana open a com link to the covenant ships. He wanted the covenant to know what was coming, and who was going to destroy them. When Cortana signaled that the link was open. He spoke with authority. "This is the UNSC Archangel. We have come to kill every last one of you." He closed the link and called the ship to General Quarters.
All six human warships brought their crews up to combat readiness as they steadily closed the distance with the covenant ships. MAC cannons were brought online and firing solutions plotted. Each battlecruiser was assigned two targets. Each covenant ship was targeted my at least MAC heavy round each.
"Ready, FIRE!" Captain Wallace shouted through the comm. system. Twenty four burning projectiles streaked toward their targets. Five seconds later the second volley was fired, thanks to the electromagnetic recapacitators that recaptured waste energy. Another five second after that, the third and final volley left the gun tubes. 72 red streaks shot toward their targets.
ONI Black Ops Part Seven
Date: 20 May 2003, 2:07 AM
The rate of fire was simply stunning. All shots had been fired before the first even impacted their targets. The covenant ships tried to shift course, but there was no time. One destroyer turned ninety degrees, and caught four MAC rounds on the port side, crushing the shields and obliterating armored plates. Another two rounds ripped into the unprotected flank, breaking the ship in half.
Three covenant frigates didn't even have the chance to change course as the ships caught four rounds each in the bow, destroying shields and systematically gutting the warships from stem to stern. The lone covenant carrier in the group had eight rounds impact her stern, igniting her fusion reactor in a white flash.
Captain Wallace looked on as pandemonium broke out in the covenant lines. Ships tried to break formation and were caught with four round broadsides that tore the ships apart. Two ships on the edges of the covenant formation tried to fire their main weapons. Coherent ruby light gathered along their lateral lines as they prepared to fire. On ship took three rounds to her foredecks, and disintegrated. Before the other ship was similarly destroyed, one plasma torpedo got away, streaking for the human ships.
A total of three plasma torpedoes were launched before the remainder of the fleet was destroyed. The Stalingrad turned and accelerated as the pursuing plasma closed in on it. Emergency thrusters were fired, blowing the warship onto an alternate course as it tried to evade the covenant weapon. The human ship seemed to leap up and over a smoking hulk of a covenant ship. The plasma could not make the turn and crashed into the covenant ship, blasting it to pieces.
The last two plasma blasts were directed toward the Archangel. The engines flared to life as the great ship accelerated with alarming speed. Captain Wallace got on the comm. system and ordered the research team to get on the drop ship and get the hell away from the ship.
"Well, we're gonna see if this expensive new armor plating was worth it." The captain grumbled as he watched the plasma close in on the rear monitor. The Archangel executed a very tight turn, and started heading into the torpedo. The emergency thrusters were activated and the plasma missed as the warship crashed onto a new course. One of the plasma torpedoes compensated and skinned the right side of the ship, leaving a jagged, blackened scar. The plasma skipped of the side of the shi, and continued off into space, away from the ship.
The bridge crew cheered as the damage control reported that the armor had worked, and not one compartment had been breached. The last weapon turned around and was back on the tail of the fleeing ship. Despite the evasive maneuvers, the plasma closed in and struck the portside engine shield. The ship rumbled as the engine shield was melted away, and the plasma began to attack the hull of the ship.
The majority of the plasma was absorbed by the refractive alloy, and only two compartments were breached. Those rooms were sealed off, and damage control teams were dispatched. The battle, as well as the test of the new armor, had been a smashing success.
Vladimir stepped off the drop ship and back onto the safe and inviting deck of the Archangel. It had been a hectic and nerve wracking few minutes as the research team watched as the mighty warship clawed around space to avoid the ruby plasma torpedoes. Vladimir had felt his stomach rise into his mouth as he watched the covenant weapon slam into the back of the ship. The entire research team had had an intriguing view as the armor boiled away, much slower than it should have. The survival rate of UNSC ships had just jumped to a more tolerable percentage.
* * *
The master chief strode down the long hallways back to his regular quarters. He had always hated being holed up in a ship, especially when that particular ship was under fire. His armored feet clattered on the deck as he turned a corner. Well, soon he was going to be back in his element. On honest-to-god ground, where he was king.
* * *
The ONI assault group advanced toward the planet, and opened up on the remaining covenant ships with a steady barrage of MAC fire. The covenant ships shook under the first impacts, and then broke apart in furious fireballs as multiple weapons found their targets. The space battle was over. The ground assault was soon to begin.
ONI Black Ops Part Eight
Date: 23 May 2003, 11:41 PM
The human battle group reached orbit over the Covenant planet. Three battlecruisers, the Warspite, the Executioner, and the Stiletto took up random patrol routes around the system. The other three remained in a tight orbit around the planet to provide fire support. Hundreds of drop ships streamed down through the atmosphere. The research tea sat riveted to their seats as they watched a monitor display the landing action.
The lead ship took heavy ground fire. The plasma weaponry melted the nosecone of the ship, killing both pilots. The ship dropped like a stone the last thirty feet. The soldiers in the back crawled from the wreckage, stunned but alive. The other ships made it down and disgorged their cargo. The ODST troopers hopped to the ground and lay down a heavy grazing fire, cutting the knees off of their closest adversaries. More and more ships landed, and marines poured out, overwhelming the covenant reaction force with sheer weight of numbers.
The Marines established a perimeter and lay down fields of fire, cutting down grunts, jackals, trees and bushes. Jackhammer missiles streaked out from the human lines, cutting up the covenant infantry. The perimeter was extended with every new drop ship that landed. Plasma fire slackened off, and then halted altogether as the last of the aliens were sought out and destroyed.
Once a rudimentary firebase was established, the larger troop transport moved into the proper position in orbit and commenced the deployment of the marine armored division to bolster the firebase's defenses. Huge transports loaded with Scorpion tanks and Warthog light recon vehicles slowly entered the planet's atmosphere and dropped through the skies toward the ground.
The reinforcement division made it to the ground with few losses and immediately got caught up in fierce fighting as a large Covenant counterattack splashed against the human forces. Military bases elsewhere on the planet had organized a strike with ground troops and ghosts, along with banshees for close air support. The Scorpion tanks performed excellently, downing fully a third of the banshees before they reached optimum weapons range. The air was white with the choking exhaust fumes of jackhammer missiles as the pounded the attacking covenant forces. Vapor trails streaked toward the alien lines as snipers picked off elites and hunters with deadly accuracy.
Within twelve hours of hard fighting, the marines on the ground had, with light losses, taken and maintained a beachhead on the surface. The covenant forces had withdrawn to the far side of the planet under a steady hail of cannon fire from the orbiting warships. Phase two of the black op was coming to a close, another success.
The research team packed its equipment for the trip to the surface. Vladimir brought a spare armor suit from storage and packed it, just in case. Monitoring equipment was checked and double checked, and then checked again for good measure. The third phase of the op was expected to proceed as planned, and hopefully exceed expectations.
Vladimir had learned long ago never to hope blindly. He had put his sweat ad blood into perfecting this armor. Now would be the time of judgment, to see whether his labors had been worth it. This armor would be the key to more and more victories on the ground. His work could save the lives of the Spartans, and also the lives of potential millions of civilians.
The master chief was waiting for Vladimir at the back of the drop ship, clad in his shimmering green armor. Vladimir loaded the final load of equipment, and then turned to the Spartan.
The master chief looked at him for a long moment, his helmet in the crook of his right arm. Then, "I'll see you on the ground sir." And saluted.
Vladimir returned the salute, strange though it was for him to do such a thing. The Spartan slid on his helmet and clicked it into place, then turned on his heel and walked to his own drop ship where he climbed aboard with a contingent of marines. The drop ship ignited its engines and floated off the deck. It spun around and slid to the airlock, where it cycled through and blasted off toward the surface.
Vladimir watched the ship depart, and then turned back to his own ship. He strapped down the last of the equipment and climbed aboard. He strapped himself in to the last seat, next to Dietrich. The hatch sealed and the pilots started the preflight sequence. The engines roared to life and the drop ships rose of the deck, cycled through the airlock, and started off toward the planet. Phase three of the mission had begun.
ONI Black Ops Part Nine
Date: 28 May 2003, 9:00 PM
The drop ship plunged toward the ground at a startling rate. The atmosphere buffeted the ship, knocking the scientists around and knocking loose some of the equipment that had been securely fastened only moments before. One crate shook loose and landed in the lap of one of the scientists, crushing his pelvis. He cried out in pain as he quickly slipped into shock.
The ship slowed slightly, leveled out and the shaking stopped. Several scientists got out of their seats and muscled the crate off of the victim. One woman administered a sedative and pain suppressant. The wounded scientist was laid out on the floor.
No sooner had the man's cries of pain stopped then the drop ship took a heavy plasma round through the left engine. The turbine coughed and died, sending the ship into a flat spin that drove the crew and passengers alike into unconsciousness.
Vladimir awoke with a dull throbbing pain in his head. He froze and waved his hands in front of him as he realized that he could not see. No. Wait a minute. He struggled to open his eyes and looked around. A marine corpsman was peering into Vladimir's face with concern.
"All you all right sir?" the worried medic asked.
"Mmph. Yes...yes I'm fine." Vladimir mumbled. His mouth hurt. He struggled to sit up and looked around. Around him in a large depression was the mangled debris of his ride down to the surface. Other scientists were being helped to their feet or carried away on stretchers.
Vladimir stumbled over to Dietrich, who was sitting on a rock with a towel draped over his shoulders. "Are you all right Dietrich?" he asked, unsure. The man had a far off dazed look in his eyes.
The old man looked up eyes unfocused. "Is that you Vladimir?" his eyes finally focused on Vladimir's face, and his sharp features softened into something resembling a smile. "Yes. It is you."
A medic came over and helped Dietrich onto a stretcher. He was carried away to the infirmary.
Vladimir turned to the corpsman standing behind him. "What happened?' he asked
The man's face became grim. "Sir, your drop ship took a fuel rod shot through the left wing. The pilots were knocked unconscious and you crashed. Four scientists were killed. The crew was killed also. I'm sorry sir."
Vladimir stared out at the wreckage. How? Why? Of the all drop ships in the entire galaxy, why this one, carrying some of the brightest minds humanity had? Vladimir was not a religious man, but seeing this made him angry, and he cursed whatever being was watching over them.
The able bodied scientists were escorted to a prefab barracks, where they fell fast asleep, completely drained from the day's events. The five scientists requiring surgery were shuttled back up to the Archangel, where they got much needed medical attention.
* * * *
Vladimir woke from a very troubled sleep. In his dreams, he had relived the crash a thousand times. He felt depleted, mentally drained. He shuffled to the bathrooms. He got into a prefabricated shower stall and vigorously rubbed the sleep out of his body. He dried himself off and dressed. Feeling somewhat better, he walked to the command center.
Dietrich was already there, staring at the multitude of screens. He looked considerably better than yesterday. Vladimir said a round of hellos to the men in the room, the approached Dietrich's side and turned his attention to the screens as well.
A dozen firefights were in progress. Marine casualties were light, Vladimir took some pleasure in noting. The third armored battalion was moving to take the covenant population center thirty miles away.
"Today we are going to begin the first operational test of MJOLNIR II." Dietrich had turned to face Vladimir.
"So soon after the crash?" Vladimir blurted, knowing that it would have been his decision also.
"Yes. We must get our minds off of the events of yesterday and focus on the operation today." Dietrich said, though Vladimir could see in his eyes that he mourned for those lost, probably more than he did.
As if on cue, the Master Chief entered the room, where he promptly stood to attention and saluted. "Master Chief 117 reporting as ordered, sir." He barked to the general up on the platform in the center of the room.
General McPherson returned the soldier's solute. "At ease, master chief. If you will follow Mr. Dietrich, he will get you suited up and ready for today's test."
ONI Black Ops Part Ten
Date: 30 May 2003, 8:31 PM
The Master chief ducked and rolled as a green plasma blast narrowly missed his face and slammed into the rock behind him, blasting hot rock fragments into the air. He returned fire with his assault rifle. Steel jacketed anti-matter rounds whistled through the air, aimed at one very unfortunate jackal. The rounds drove into the alien's midsection, tearing him in half.
The Spartan came out of his roll and sprinted for a shade turret emplacement. A group of grunts saw a green blur streaking for the gun emplacement, and hardly had time to raise their weapons before the blur rematerialized as a Spartan and jumped into the gunner's seat. The weapon pivoted and fired, roasting the grunts into a pile of stinking alien carcasses.
John jumped down from the shade turret as a fuel rod shot melted it into slag. He dove for cover behind a large rock as a second green blast burned into the ground around the turret, fusing the rocks into glass.
John yanked out the two pistols from his thigh holsters and jumped ten meters straight up, onto the top of the rock. Two hunters were spraying the area with green fire, barely noticing the form that hurled itself off of the rock and toward them. Twin M6D's spat fire and metal into the unprotected sides of the great beasts. The hunters collapsed into a neon orange puddle of their lifeblood.
The Master Chief holstered his pistols and kicked the head of one of the armored hulks, denting the armor plate and splashing blood in a wide arc on the ground. He unclipped his shotgun and surveyed the area. His helmet displayed a map of the area, and his objective. He headed for the hanger, wishing for the thousandth time that he had Cortana with him. But she was urgently needed up with the battle group in space. John could understand that. No sense winning on the ground and then getting burned from space when the fleet was destroyed.
John fed more shells into the shotgun, and then pumped the action. He took a deep breath and blurred into action. His boots churned up the soft ground as he sprinted all out for the hangar. The reason for the mad dash was apparent: four shade turrets whined and tried to target him. The Spartan was moving too fast. Before the first gunner could adjust his fire, john was upon him, and gave him a mouthful of steel buckshot. The metal BBs chewed the methane breather off of the grunt as it writhed in pain and death.
The second gunner got off three sloppy bursts before his gut was pushed out the back of his body. The third alien put three purple blasts on target. The soldier's shields flared and glimmered as they fed off of the plasma energy. A grenade sent the turret and its occupant high into the air, the grunt thudded into the ground, and the shade turret right on top of him, one barrel right though the diminutive alien's chest cavity.
The fourth gun was firing at a constant rate, and the rapid rate of fire was wearing down the master chief's shields. He would not tolerate this, and gave the alien a steel haircut.
The firing subsided, and the soldier checked all around. The hangar door slid open, and a reaction force poured out. Five special ops grunts, wielding fuel rod cannons, trundled out of the hangar followed by three jet-black elites. Trouble.
The Spartan tossed two grenades, which detonated in a cloud of fire and shrapnel, tearing two little grunts apart and throwing their insides all over the surviving aliens. The elites howled in rage as they came at the master chief, brandishing plasma swords. John fired the shotgun, three shells taking out the leading elite. Four more shots and the second dropped to the ground without legs.
The third elite came on strong, and swiped at the master chief, grazing his shields as he dropped his shotgun. The shields flared and sparked with the raw energy coming off of the plasma sword. The master chief ducked and exploded off of the ground with a powerful uppercut. The blow caught the elite under the chin. Its shields shimmered brilliant silver, straining to ward off the blow that would destroy an unprotected head. The Spartan followed up with a haymaker to the side of the alien's head. The shields flickered and died as the elite howled in surprise and pain. With lightning speed, the master chief unclipped his assault rifle, flipped it around and smashed the alien across the jaw with the butt of the rifle. The elite's jaw snapped on impact, and neck bones were crushed as the alien's head was twisted viciously around by the blow.
The covenant soldier dropped to the ground as its last breath escaped its hideous mouth. Unable to control its body anymore, the alien shuddered and died. The master chief brought the assault rifle up and emptied the clip at the black clad grunts, who stood frozen on the spot by the stunning fight. The anti-matter rounds slammed into their unprotected bodies, spraying fluorescent blood onto the hangar wall.
The master chief clipped his assault rifle to his back, and stooped to pick up his shotgun. After a quick check of the perimeter, he cautiously entered the hangar. The dark hanger lit up as motion sensors detected his presence. In the center of the room sat a Shadow light attack aircraft. It was quite a piece of covenant construction. Purple materials flowed together gracefully, the short wings tapering to needle sharp points. The cockpit sat elevated on the nose of the craft. Twin fuel rod cannons protruded from the nosecone, and three plasma barrels were affixed to each wing.
Circling around to the back, john spotted another two plasma cannons. Probably for covering fire after the craft pulled out of an attack run. Very clever design.
John opened a com link to headquarters. He had neutralized all present covenant units, and had control of the objective.
ONI Black Ops Part Eleven(Finale)
Date: 3 June 2003, 3:20 PM
Spartan 117 stood to attention as the two scientists circled the shadow that he had brought back. The two Russians seemed perplexed with this new craft the Covenant had produced.
Vladimir clambered inside the ship. "Looks like the plasma power plant is larger." He studied the small chamber where the power source sat. "I think these red diodes are meant to soak up the waste energy and feed it back to the power plant. A lot like the electromagnetic recapacitators on our MAC guns." He made his way to the pilot's seat as Dietrich joined him inside the craft.
"You can come up if you would like, Master Chief." Dietrich announced to the open portal. "After all, you captured this thing." The old man turned back to the control panel, which displayed a dizzying array of unknown symbols and holographic icons.
John leaped up on top of the craft, and deftly swung himself into the cockpit, startling the two scientists. Vladimir was hunched over a panel, studying something. After a few minutes, the scientists got up and began another inspection of the underside of the craft. To john, they were speaking absolute gibberish, mixed in with few words he could understand.
The Spartan followed the scientists around for another twenty minutes. They had apparently forgotten about him as they conversed in a mathematical tongue that seemed utterly alien to the soldier. Finally, one of them noticed him. "Oh, sorry to drag you around like this, master chief. You may leave if you like." And with that they turned back to their gibberish.
* * * *
Vladimir sat on his cot, thinking. The covenant attack craft that the master chief had brought back was truly amazing. New technologies had been incorporated into this ship that the covenant had not had before. They must be absorbing a new race and its technologies into its caste system.
Vladimir turned his eyes to the hologram that shimmered above his desk. A new Covenant race. A Brute. A fierce looking alien, much like the hunter except this covenant soldier sported tufts of shaggy hair and a superior intellect that lurked behind its red eyes.
There had been no sign of such a beast yet on this world. But that didn't mean anything. There were only a few hunters on this planet, protecting vital installations like the one designed to protect the shadow. ONI's calculations had showed this to be a very low priority planet, so maybe the brutes were assigned to protect much more valuable information.
Vladimir leaned back and rested his head on the metal post of his bed. Closed his eyes. This operation was drawing to a close. The battle group had gotten what it had come for. The test of MJOLNIR II was labeled a complete success, and orders were in the works requisitioning a mass production of the armor for all operational Spartans. The new battle cruisers had shown under battlefield conditions that they held the upper hand when it came to confrontation with a numerically superior enemy.
And on top of all of that, they had captured a Covenant shadow. Quite a success that Section Three had managed to procure.
The ground troops had mostly pulled off of the planet, leaving only a security detachment to keep the LZ secure until the scientists had arrived back on the Archangel. The last drop ship was due to leave in half an hour. This black op was over. Vladimir would remain with the research group, but he and Dietrich would have to take a trip around to neighboring colonies and maybe even earth to replace their fallen comrades. It was a job that he did not relish in the least, but it was one he had to do nonetheless.
The Archangel battle group pulled out of close orbit with the covenant world. They pulled back to a safe distance, and then slowly turned around, special weapons systems armed and ready. The order was given to fire, and three hundred huge black shapes skipped across space and plowed into the planet's atmosphere. The protective black casings were stripped away by the immense heat of reentry.
All around the planet, the strange black shapes shuddered to a halt and digital timers began to count down. Those on station on the ships' bridges looked on as the planet began to bubble and burst. These new weapons were tearing apart the molecular structure of the planet. The weapons produced a field around them in which molecules could not hold together. Molecules separated from each other and floated out into space as the energy fields expanded. The wholesale destruction tore across the entire planet, shredding matter, molecule by molecule.
It was humanities first taste of true revenge. The covenant had destroyed hundreds of their planets, and now it was their turn. The planet began to wobble and spin erratically, launching off huge chunks of disintegrating matter. The intense gravity of the planet pulled the dirt back together, the heat of the planetary core fusing the dust into a much smaller, denser, planetoid.
In the black void of space, the human ships turned their backs on their gruesome work. Their engines rumbled to life and a soft blue light enveloped them as they entered slipspace.
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