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Hotel California: Part 3: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Posted By: PeterPiperArbiter
Date: 26 August 2005, 7:03 pm
Read/Post Comments
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"Please repeat, over.
Please respond, over." a man sitting in front of the communication's desk kept saying. After five minutes of unsuccessful efforts to get contact, he said
"No response, ma'am." and turned to face the Master Sergeant.
The Master Sergeant, Ellie Wincott, looked calm. Inside she was worried. No one had ever before seen a white Elite, or at least lived to talk about it. The colours of other Elites were also confusing.
"Do we have any long-range communications?" she finally asked.
"Yes ma'am. Who do you want to contact?"
"Central Command of operations in Africa."
The communications officer, named Jonathan Loken, began working with his equipment, only to find out that no-one answered. He tried again, his fingers started to sweat as he desperately pushed the buttons on the panel. After a few awkward minutes, he gave up.
"I'm sorry ma'am. It seems that something is wrong, either in our end or on their end. We could try sending a recorded video message and hope someone
can hear us."
"Anything will do." she replied.
"Very well ma'am, come here. You can sit on my chair, the camera's that spot there", he said and pointed at a small black lens on the corner of the monitor, "I'll just activate it and.. There you go."
---
"This is Master Sergeant Ellie Wincott, stationed at Nyali, local HQ of the Kenyan operations. We currently have a quite of a shortage in men, ammunition,
and material. Pretty much everything on our hands, is all we have. We are requesting any nearby UNSC forces to report in, and relay this message to anyone
who could provide us with more supplies. Thank you - and may the God be with all of you." she said and stopped the recorder.
Jonathan now returned to his chair, started once again to work with the panels and keypads, and after a while stated; "The message has been sent,
along with the co-ordinates."
"Well... Let us hope that we have been heard.", she said and walked again in front of the window. It had started raining.
--
Meanwhile, about a kilometre away:
The group of Elites stood in front of the museum, the white Elite was discussing with one of the Spec-Op Elites about recent events.
"Are you absolutely sure about this?"
"Yes. I do not question the word of my brothers."
"Hmh. Well. We'll have to contact the humans somehow. It seems that we are now on the same side…"
The black Elite looked like it just had remembered something, and said:
"Excuse me, sir." after that he ran back inside the museum.
When the Elite came back, it was carrying something.
"Sir.. One of the humans was talking on this thing before I killed him. I think I know how to use it."
--
Back at the base:
"Ma'am. We've had some luck.. We've received a few replies to our call.. Most of them are troops that are left of New Mombassa. Unfortunately not much,
but better than none I guess. They're coming here as fast as they can, even as we speak. There's two Scorpions coming, each of them are armoured with
marines.. I mean, they don't have any aerial units left, and they're relocating. The old fashioned way.."
"Good, I'm sure that four Scorpions.." she replied, but was interrupted in the middle of her sentence.
"Uh, sorry ma'am, I'm receiving an incoming message.. It's identification is.. It's from private Terry.. But it doesn't make any sense. I'll put it on speakers.." Jonathan said, and pressed a button on the console.
"…Ew evah neeb deyarteb. Ew wonk erehw ouy era, snamuh, dna er'ew gnimoc. Esaelp, t'nod toohs, ew hsiw ot klat ot ouy. "
Master Sergeant Wincott stood in front of the window, of which opened a great view to the small recreational area behind the hotel. She just watched for a while, but finally turned to face Jonathan and muttered behind her hair which had escaped the clutches of her uniform and now was covering her face.
"That's the Elite's language.. But I don't understand it. Not completely, at least. Do we have any means of trustworthy translation?"
"I'm checking.. Yes. Cortana has gathered quite a dictionary. Though this may not be 100% accurate, but it's the best we have. I'll just run it in to the voice recognition software.. And.. There. Want me to read it?"
"Go ahead, Jonathan.."
"Uhh.. Um. Well. It apparently says, that they know where we are.. And they are asking us not to shoot them?" Jonathan faced Ellie and looked as dumbstruck as she did.
Wincott seemed to be thinking hard. She closed her eyes and sighed.
"I must be out of my mind.. But I'm issuing new standing orders: Do not shoot approaching enemy units, unless they fire at you first. Send this order also
to the reinforcement teams."
"Ma'am?"
"Just trust me. I have a good feeling about this."
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