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Vengeance
Posted By: Steele<hoffmansteele@hotmail.com>
Date: 5 August 2003, 1:31 AM
Read/Post Comments
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Vengeance
0200 Hours, December 17, 2569 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC taskforce, 'Narboarlae System
Admiral Stanforth shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He was getting too old for this. Looking out the viewscreen he saw the Covenant home world below. It wasn't the actual home world for the entire Covenant, but it was where the Covenant's leaders were. Already, there were Covenant cruisers coming up to meet his taskforce.
"Lieutenant," he said to his Helmsman, "Bring us about to one-seven-eight."
The officer complied and the greatest human ship to ever roam space swung around to face the incoming Covenant cruisers gracefully.
"Sir, the cruisers are in range," his Weapons officer informed him.
Stanforth gave a feral smile. He had waited a long time for this moment. The moment where he would exact revenge on the Covenant. The Covenant had made a mistake when they had declared war on humankind. And they were about to be wiped out because of one individual.
That individual was none other than the Master Chief, last of the Spartans, slain getting the information that allowed this attack. The Master Chief had assaulted one of the remaining Halos, purged its databanks of information, and fired its main weapon, wiping out the Covenant fleet and giving the UNSC time to build using the information the Chief had taken.
It had turned out that humans were the Forerunner's descendents. Humans had ruled the galaxy with the Covenant species known as the Prophet. The Forerunners had come upon more alien species and had wanted to teach them new technology and coexist peacefully with them. The Prophets had disagreed, wanting to make them slaves. The humans and Prophets had warred, breaking their Forerunner alliance.
The humans were vastly tougher, stronger, and more numerous than the Prophets. But the Prophets had had an ace up their sleeve. They created a monstrous race, known as the Flood, to conquer the humans.
It had almost worked, but the humans managed to build seven devices to rid the galaxy of the Flood, known as Halos. It worked, but it had also destroyed almost all of the humans and prophets. Each had fled back to their homeworlds, the humans falling victim to an Ice Age and having to start all over on their trip to reach the stars. The Prophets fared better, keeping a lot of the previous technology, but forgetting all about the Halos or Flood.
And here he was now, with the technology human kind had created so long ago, about to finish what had been started so long ago. He looked out his viewscreen. The cruisers were easily within his range, but still far out of their own range. But he did not give the order to fire.
"Communications, I want you to broadcast a message in the main Covenant language."
"Yes sir, what's the message?"
"'Through war we will teach your heresy. Through battle we will teach your frailty. Through death we will teach your fate.'
"Follow that up with, 'These are the tigers of wrath,' and 'What you have begun in anger, you shall end in shame.'
"Yes sir, broadcasting now."
Stanforth looked back out the viewscreen and saw the cruisers stop as if in shock. "Fire the LAC. Instruct the rest of the task force not to fire.
"Yes sir."
Somewhere deep within in the UNSC Vengeance an enormous power surge flowed from the main reactor and into the Light Accelerator Cannon's coils, giving the weapon power to fire. A bright golden light shot from the human ship, crossed the void between the Covenant cruisers in less than a second, and slammed into the first one.
The LAC shot parted the shield like a hot knife through butter and impaled the Covenant cruiser on a shaft of golden light. The Covenant cruiser seemed to shiver in space, before disintegrating into nothingness.
"Instruct the others to fire at will," Stanforth barked, his pleasure evident.
All twenty Vengeance-class vessels fired at the numerous Covenant ships. Death rained down upon the Covenant, leaving no survivors.
"Sir all Covenant vessels destroyed."
"Excellent. Full speed ahead. Bring us as into range of the planet."
Stanforth eased himself back into his seat. He hadn't even realized he'd been standing. He felt giddy with sick excitement. He was about to get revenge for everything the Covenant had done to him. Done to Earth. Done to humanity.
"Make sure the video feeds are working. And prepare another transmission."
With anticipation, Stanforth watched his taskforce circle the Covenant world. This was the last Covenant world left; he had destroyed all the others.
"Broadcast this: 'Your destruction is OUR will. Your Gods have failed. Now die in shame.'"
"Sir, broadcasting. Wait, we're receiving a broadcast in return. Do you want to here it, sir?"
"Yes."
A deep voice filled the bridge, "You shall not reap what you have sown."
Stanforth pondered that in silence, until his XO spoke up, "What does that mean, sir?"
He sighed. "I don't know. Charge the LAC to full power and fire."
Stanforth sat down and smiled to himself. A bright golden beam lanced out from the Vengeance and slammed right into the middle of the planet, piercing all the way through, and striking the core in the process.
At first nothing happened, then the planet seemed to expand outward, then bust at the seams with fire. Debris and chunks of planet whirled out into space. All that was left of the Covenant's last planet was an asteroid field.
"Scan for survivors. Kill any." Stanforth relaxed in his seat. He had done it. He had gotten vengeance. Vengeance for his family, vengeance for Earth, vengeance for humanity.
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