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Absolution: CHapter II
Posted By: Havok<detoxpunk@hotmail.com>
Date: 19 July 2004, 4:57 AM
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ABSOLUTION
CHAPTER II
The General leaned forward and spoke. "You, as the former drill instructor at the high altitude training base, are the most qualified to lead the forces we will deploy on this planet."
Heines glanced at the holoprojection. "Yessir."
The straightforward and abrupt answer took the general by surprise. Judging by the look on his face, he was expecting somewhat more of a hesitant answer. He had underestimated this marine. "We have put together a special task force for this mission. The main contingent will be the marines you had a hand in training at your high altitude base. Those will be complimented by the UNSC Prometheus for air support and defense, should it be necessary. The Prometheus is complimented with three squadrons of Longswords, so, barring a full scale covenant assault, you will be in good hands. Your "Mountain Division" will be equipped with complete cold weather gear and munitions." The General looked at the holoprojection, still displaying the jagged, forbidding looking mountains. "That is all, for now."
Sergeant Heines saluted, spun on his heel, and left the room.
The UNSC Prometheus dropped out of slipspace one Astronomical Unit from the ice planet. Immediately, one squadron of Longswords cleared the launch bay, and blue afterburner trails shimmered as they accelerated toward the planet.
After the squadron leader declared the area secure, swarms of Pelicans dropped out of the bay headed for the north pole of the planet. A second squadron of Longswords provided cover while the dropships pounded through the atmosphere. As the Pelicans approached the ground, black ropes dropped from the lead ships. Marines clad in white combat fatigues zipped down the lines and scrambled into the deep snow, seeking cover. They spread into a circle and searched the snow and rocks for any sign of a threat as the rest of the dropships landed behind them and disgorged thousands more troops and supplies. White camouflaged warthogs were disengaged from their couplings and troops jumped in each one, immediately taking off to secure a larger perimeter.
Within an hour, a command post had been set up in the center of a plateau surrounded by concentric rings of bunkers fabricated with instacrete and boasting 50 mm chain guns and mounted jackhammer emplacements. Snowfall covered every surface of the firebase in minutes, blending the newly constructed defenses in with the background.
A newly promoted Colonel Heines sat in front of a table in the command post, taking stock of inventory, while his advisors surveyed the surrounding terrain recorded by the Prometheus' sensors, and compiled them into a three dimensional holoprojection.
"Sir, if you could take a look at this..." one of his officers called his attention to a specific area near the equator of the planet.
Heines stood up and walked around the holoprojection, to the spot where the officer pointed.
"After sifting through the preliminary data recorded by the density resonance scans, this mountain chain here," he outlined the area with a laser pointer, "appears to be entirely hollow. The scans penetrated to a depth of one thousand meters, and then the scans reported a "floor" which the scanners were unable to penetrate. This means that the floor of this cavern is made of a very dense material, something very close in composition to the outer walls of the HALO rings."
"Another anomaly that the scans uncovered is that, while the cavers are hollow, they are not empty. That is, there is no air in them. Something more dense than air, about the same density as water, as near as we can tell." The officer looked up from his data pad. "I'll get on the horn to Section Three Command. We're going to need underwater combat equipment." The officer scuttled away to the communication section to make the necessary arrangements, leaving Heines to his thoughts.
A liquid storage facility, possibly... what the hell would it be doing on an artificial ice planet? Why isn't it frozen? Can it even freeze? Heines ran a hand through the projection, scattering the arranged light particles momentarily. He went back to his desk and began arranging an operation to the equator. He reflected that rearranging men and equipment was a real pain in the ass.
Forty eight hours later, eight Pelicans lifted off from inside the secure perimeter of the firebase. After all the data had been sorted and verified, another chain of hollow mountains had been found on the exact opposite side of the planet. A fire team would land and explore each mountain chain. Due to the horribly jagged terrain, warthogs could not be used. The search would be carried out the old fashioned way; on foot.
Fire team Alpha landed on the central mountain of the mountain chain designated MC1. Follow up scans revealed several "vents" located equal distances apart from each other on the peaks of the mountains. The fire team fast roped down to the snowy ground, and immediately spread out into covering positions. A flyover by several longswords pronounced the area clear; no enemy contact.
Corporal Chris Whol pried his helmet off. The damn thing itched like a son of a gun, and his faceplate de-fogger was all screwy. Why in the hell did I choose the high altitude training? Should've picked tropical deployment. He searched his pockets for the no-fog solution, fished it out, and sprayed a healthy amount onto his faceplate. Snuggling his helmet back down over his head, he picked up the duffel bag containing the submersible combat equipment
He trudged over to his Lieutenant, readjusting the grip on the heavy bag.
"Okay el-tee. Just where in the hell is this point of entry supposed to be?"
The Lieutenant looked up from his tac-screen and pointed to the southern ridge of the snow capped peak they had landed on. "Should be right on the other side of that ridge." He hit the unit com link. "All right everyone! Pack it out and let's go! Follow me."
And with that, had hauled up his equipment bag as if it was no more than a lunch tin, and started jogging to the ridge. The fire team followed suit, the scout elements scurrying from one patch of rocky cover to the next, covering the distance quickly.
Whol dropped over the ridge and skidded to a halt, barely in time to keep from toppling the lieutenant. The team was spread around a massive structure built into the tough ground. Columns rose from the ground and supported a roof four feet above the ground, keeping snow away from the entrance. Red lights pulsed gently, warning away from the hole in the ground. Whol knelt down and peered into the entrance, training his flashlight into the blackness. The liquid sloshed around the opening and reflected the light back at him.
"Readings?" the Lieutenant asked a marine next to him, who checked his meter.
"It's some water based solution, sir. A damn ocean of it. But the strange thing...."
"What? What is it, Private?"
"...Its just that...well, sir, its ionized."
"Ionized?"
"That's what it says."
Suddenly, static filled the team's comm. Channel. Then a voice came through.
"Fire team Alpha, this is fire team Charlie. Do you copy?
Corporal Whol keyed his mike. "We copy."
"We've found the strangest damn thing. The water at MC2...it's negatively ionized. Have you gotten to the vent yet?
The Lieutenant responded, "Yes we've got the same reading you do." He reached for the private's meter. "Except our readings are positive."
The radio crackled. "You want a theory?"
"I'd take anything at this point." The Lieutenant said in frustration. Ionized water didn't make any sense at all. But then, nothing could really explain an artificial planet, now could it?
"Nanotechnology."
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