 |
About This Site
Daily Musings
News
News Archive
Site Resources
Concept Art
Halo Bulletins
Interviews
Movies
Music
Miscellaneous
Mailbag
HBO PAL
Game Fun
The Halo Story
Tips and Tricks
Fan Creations
Wallpaper
Misc. Art
Fan Fiction
Comics
Logos
Banners
Press Coverage
Halo Reviews
Halo 2 Previews
Press Scans
Community
HBO Forum
Clan HBO Forum
ARG Forum
Links
Admin
Submissions
Uploads
Contact
|
|
|
The Archangles by Strayer
|
The Archangels: Chapter One-High Flyers
Date: 11 June 2005, 6:48 AM
Chapter One: High Flyers
Lieutenant Jack Wu avoided the debris as his Longsword-class fighter managed to destroy two more Seraph Covenant fighters with its 110mm rotary guns. Jack then fired at another chunk of debris, blowing it to bits allowing the ship the pass through the wreckage unharmed.
"How's our status Rick?" he asked his system ops man.
"We're good. Minimal damage: shields are at sixty per cent; we have seventy-two per cent of our fuel left; and our oxygen supply is ample. Plus there aren't that many bogies left," the mild-mannered technician replied.
"Perfect. Lock onto the nearest two targets. I'll take them out with our last missiles."
"Yes sir!" Rick's fingers danced over the keyboard and brought the targeting reticule on screen. "Target one...locked on!"
The Lieutenant thumbed the button on the joystick, firing missile three. The AGSM-10 missile flew through space, swerving a little bit to avoid a few pieces of oncoming debris. Although plasma blasts from the Seraph bombarded it, the missile withstood the force and ploughed through. As a final attempt, the Covenant ship veered off to the left to avoid the AGSM, flying at full speed, but failed as the missile embedded itself in the hull of the Seraph and detonated. The ship silently exploded in a flash of blue and white, almost a beuatiful sight had it not been during the middle of a war.
"Alright, one last Seraph," Jack commented. He brought the fighter into range and swereved avoiding more plasma blasts from the Covenant ship, his hands gripping both control sticks tightly, nearly breaking them off. "Rick..."
"Yes sir! Targeting...locked on, fire!"
Wu once again thumbed the missile button and the last AGSM shot forwards. It went through a similar routine missile three went through, avoiding more deebris and more plasma blasts as it homed in onto its target. The pilot of the last Seraph was smarter and began to evade before the missile was close to it. Unfortunately for it the missile pursued the Covenant fighter and finally caught up and embedded itself into the purple hull of the ship and detonated, destroying the last Seraph. The Lieutenant sighed with relief and activated his radio.
"This is Knife-Eight Three to all surviving UNSC class ships, all enemies have been destroyed. Let's head home people."
As the remaining pilots replied, Jack still had a bad feeling in his gut even though they won. However he waved off the bad feeling and flew the Longsword back to the Umbra.
-----------------------------------------------------------
As Lieutenant Russell Crewe exited his Longsword, he was greeted by the Captain of the ship long with Fleet Admiral Wilson. They both had uneasy and stern looks on their faces, a fact which the seasoned pilot disliked.
"Sirs, what may I do for you?" he asked politely yet still in a military manner.
"Lieutenant, the Admiral here and I would like a word with you," Captain Rogers answered. Russell felt a little better; however he tensed up again when the Captain also added, "Privately."
Crewe nodded and followed the two officers, leaving his system ops man with the mechanics to work on his damaged Longsword-class fighter. As the three strode down the green-grey corridors of the Vermillion Blade the Lieutenant wondered why he was being called to the attention of the Captain and the Fleet Admiral.
It couldn't have been that recent attack. I came back with all my men and we fought off the Covenant well he thought. Then what could it be?
When they came to the Captain's office, the Admiral took Roger's chair while Russell stood at attention. Both officers were silent for a period of time. It was the Admiral who acted first, taking out a small computer disk and inserting it into the desk's computer. Immediately the monitor lit up and the Admiral tapped the new icon on the desktop quickly three times. As he did, a new file opened, the one that was on the disk the Fleet Admiral had brought with him. Wilson's eyes narrowed as he read it.
"Lieutenant, it seems you have been chosen for a special program," he said. Crewe was surprised. He expected a new mission or some bad news. However he was yet to hear the specifics of this program. "HighCOM needs its best pilots for the program. Unfortunately you really have no choice but to join. You and four other elite pilots will be brought to the space station Atlas for your briefing."
As soon as he finished his sentence, Wilson deleted the file on the disk and threw it into the trash can.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"So we're we going?" James asked Lieutenant Michael Anderson. James was the system ops man on Anderson's Longsword fighter. Recently Fleet Admiral Wilson had made a stop and now he and Michael were being taken to the space station Atlas. James shifted the strap of his bag on his shoulder uneasily as he continued to walk with the Lieutenant.
"We're going to the Atlas for a special program. Something HighCOM's got for us. I wouldn't be too worried 'Jimbo'," replied Anderson in a friendly tone. "If Earth has any hope, this program will be a success and those Covenant bastards won't know what hit them."
James smiled as his officer and friend said those words. They always comforted him, but not as well this time.
-----------------------------------------------------------
As Lieutenant Rita Hill stepped onto the transport ship, she saw the others were already seated. She and her system ops man were chosen for some program and now she was pushed onto a ship full of strangers going to a space station to face her uncertain fate.
Rita and Julian, he system ops man, took two seats as the transport was about to take off. While she looked around the cabin, a streak of blond hair caught her eye.
"Liz?" she asked, knowing the fellow pilot seated across from her.
The blond female pilot smiled as she saw her friend greet her. "Rita, long time no see. Guess you've also been chosen for this program as well."
"Well we had no choice," the brunette replied, uncomfortable about that fact. She and Elizabeth had been trained together. However when they reached the rank of Lieutenant they parted to fight the Covenant in separate parts of the galaxy. Now here they were, together again as they flew to the Atlas.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Upon arrival, the pilots and their partners were escorted to their rooms and were told to be in the briefing room in ten minutes. When Lieutenant Jack Wu and Rick entered the room, everyone else was there.
The two took their seats along with everybody else as Fleet Admiral Wilson stepped up to the podium.
"Pilots, I'm glad you all made it here well. Let me start by congratulating you for your previous outstanding efforts in the war. As you know, the Covenant has us now cornered at Reach. If they get past it, all that will be left is Earth. Even though the SPARTAN II program has been a success, they have only been useful mainly as ground support. The Covenant has an advantage in space which we need. That is why you have been called here.
"You ten people have shown excellent skills in the past. You all have your own style, some plan while others charge in head first. Either way, you are all valuable. This program will give us the edge in space and airborne battles. You pilots will go through hard training while your system ops people will be tested mentally. I wish you all the best of luck," and with that, Wilson stepped down as the ten UNSC personnel were left speechless. Soon a Captain stepped up to the podium, a stoic look on his face.
"People, return to your rooms now. You'll need the rest for tomorrow you'll all start training. And may I say, welcome aboard to the Archangel program," the Captain stepped down as well, while the pilots an system ops crew were still left speechless but not clueless as they returned to their rooms.
The Archangels: Chapter Two-Training
Date: 8 July 2005, 3:30 am
The three rounds tore through the cardboard cut-out of the Covenant Elite as Lieutenant Wu ejected the empty magazine and slammed in a fresh one. He brought his eye down to the scope once more and continued shooting the practice target.
The new BR55 Battle Rile was almost in mass production for the UNSC ground forces. With a new three round burst, 2X scope and more accurate firing than the old Assault Rifle, this weapon would hopefully give the military more of a chance against the Covenant. Although the design was complete, testing needed to be done. Jack and his fellow pilots were the second group to try out the new rifle. Personally, Jack liked it.
Suddenly an alarm rang and the pilots stopped firing. The test was over. The lieutenants returned the rifles to their proper racks, took off their protective goggles and earmuffs and began walking towards Captain Miller, their new commanding officer and trainer.
"Not bad people," he started off. "I suppose you all like the new rifles. Well good, with these new babies we can take out those Covenant bastards a little easier. Now, form two lines. We're heading over to Rifle Range 01356-A. Let's move people!"
Jack and the others quickly stepped into formation and jogged towards the range, which apparently was on the other side of the field. He sighed as he and his fellow pilots made their way across the training grounds. It had been a week since they had been recruited for this special program. Although he and the others felt uneasy in space with the Covenant out there, they were soon taken to the military planet Reach where Jack and the others would receive weapons and tactics training in case any of them found themselves stranded on the surface.
Finally they stopped as they arrived in front of the P and R area of the range. Captain Miller excused himself for one moment and shortly came back with the officer in charge of the range.
"Pilots, this is Lieutenant Bamford. He will be your instructor and supervisor while at this range. Here you will be trained with the SRS999C-S2 AM sniper rifle," Miller explained. "You will also answer to the Lieutenant as 'Sir' while you are on this range. Do I make myself clear?"
"Sir yes, sir!" Wu and the other pilots answered.
"Good. I'll be back in two hours." Miller then returned the salute Bamford gave and walked off the range.
"Well," Bamford started. "Let's get suited up."
-----------------------------------------------------------
While the pilots trained, the system ops people studied. In a way it was just like High School, James Ferrer thought. While the 'jocks' trained and played sport, the less athletic people would study hard and get good grades.
However the system ops technicians also had to be in good shape, or else they wouldn't be able to handle the G forces and roughness that was pitted against them during dog fights.
James sighed as he locked in his answer for the equation. He knew the stuff he would be tested on would be tough but this was beyond what he had imagined. While he and the others had been tested before with the estimated mass, hieght, width and speed of a Longsword Interceptor, these equations were testing them on an entirely different ship; something smaller and faster, a lot faster, than a regular UNSC fighter.
When the answer turned out incorrect, Ferrer grumbled and began going over the problem again. He and the other system ops crew were vital when flying with their fellow pilots. While they maneuvered the ship and fired the weapons, they would monitor the ship's status; think up new tactics and ways to get out of a bad situation fast. However James' thoughts were interrupted as his answer came back, this time correct.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Russell felt the rifle jolt back into his shoulder with a large amount of force as he fired. The antimatériel projectile punched through the cardboard with ease, while the Lieutenant ejected the clip and placed a fresh one into the sniper rifle. He sighed as he gently lay the weapon down. He then picked up the rifle and tucked it once again into his shoulder as he placed his eye to the scope. Although the SRS was quite heavy and many beginners had trouble aiming the rifle, Crewe found it easy with his muscular build as he continued shooting the target.
The Lieutenant repeated the process of ejecting the magazine and sliding in a fresh one. However before he could fire four more shots, a horn went off, signaling the end of target practice. He laid the weapon down and stood up, stretching once he was on his feet.
"Alright people, that was some good shooting. Although most of you need improving," Bamford said, addressing all of the pilots. "Now, head off to the mess hall, you've earned your lunch today."
The pilots happily complied as they set off jogging towards the cafeteria.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Chief Mechanic Weaver supervised the construction of the new ship. He paced around the small fighter and made sure that everything was in place and that nothing had gone wrong.
The new ship was smaller than a Longsword interceptor however it was approximately the size of a Pelican dropship, maybe a bit smaller. It was equipped with new 90mm Ventral guns and a smaller 50mm machine gun which was attached to the nose of the fighter. The cockpit was an old fashion design, with the pilot seated at the front while his or her system ops technician sat behind their pilot. Another odd design was the wings. Shaped like a right-angled triangle with the ends cut short and two smaller "wings" protruding from them. However the newest part of this ship, were its missiles. The missiles were new versions of the current AGSM-10 Missiles. These AGSM-5 Missiles were nicknamed "shredder bombs" seeing as they could take out one Seraph also damaging the other significantly. If the pilot was lucky, he or she could even take out two of the Covenant fighters at once. The new missiles also used a proximity sensor, so they didn't need to even touch the enemy to allow to explosives to detonate, the AGSMs just needed to get close.
"Yup," Weaver muttered to himself. "This baby will definitely give us an advantage." He then began to instruct his fellow mechanics to construct the four other ships. It was going to be a long day. A very long day.
The Archangels: Chapter Three-Green Light
Date: 4 September 2005, 12:11 am
Chapter Three-
Colonel Ackerson strode into the room full of officers. Sitting at the main table were Fleet Admiral Sir Terrance Hood, Fleet Admiral Peter Wilson, Major General Nicolas Strauss and Vice Admiral Whitcomb. The Colonel smiled, he was ready with his presentation. Even though the SPARTANs had an advantage, the other high ranking officers wouldn't be able to decline his offer of his next project; especially seeing as he had already started it.
"Gentlemen," he began, addressing the other officers. "I am here today to present you with my newest project.
"Lately, the SPARTAN II project, run by Dr. Catherine Halsey, has been a success with our ground battles. However, we are still losing to the Covenant in space and air. They have superior Slipspace technology, their ships are highly advanced and their shields have made some of our previous efforts worthless. With my new project, we can overcome these issues and triumph in this war."
Ackerson was cut off as Strauss stood up. The seasoned soldier, now officer, looked irritated at the Colonel's eagerness to waste even more money on another one of his failed tests.
"Colonel, if I may ask, why bring this up now? With the SPARTANs we can probably hold off the Covenant until we find an even better solution than yours."
Ackerson had prepared for this; he knew most of his projects had failed, but not this one. "Sir, with all due respect, let us review some of the losses we have suffered on the ground, thanks to minimal air support.
"Just last week, Lieutenant Nicholas Wu lost his whole platoon of ODSTs during a skirmish, thanks to lack off reinforcements, for our Pelicans had been shot down and nearly all the Longsword fighters available destroyed. The only punishment Wu received was a demotion to the rank of Master Sergeant.
"Another incident; Captain Michael Robinson of the 317th Marine battalion lost half of his men after his Pelican was damaged and the dropship had crashed. He later traded three more lives for one civilian girl. However the child didn't slow the remainder of his team much, but because all ships were occupied with Covenant forces, and losing if I might add. One marine, the girl and Robinson himself had to trek all the way back to HQ on foot as a result.
"I'm not sure about you Sir but I'd like to keep our men alive. Our Pelicans are too weak and our Longsword interceptors are too slow. The only thing we have that is dangerous to the Covenant in space and air are our MAC guns-"
"That will be quite enough Colonel," Admiral Hood interjected. He sighed and aimlessly scratched his head. "We are painfully aware of those previous encounters as well as the losses we have sustained. Now, inform us of your plan."
"Of course," Ackerson replied. "Thanks to the engineering staff on Reach, my team has been able to construct a brand new fighter, fit for space and air combat. Although the design may be small and unusual, it has proven to be extremely efficient in the simulations."
"How so Colonel?" Whitcomb enquired.
"Well Sir, with its small shape, sleek design and new engine, the ship is three times faster than the best Longsword fighter we have. It is fitted with twin 90mm Ventral guns and one nose mounted 70mm machine gun. Its new missiles-"
"Excuse me, new missiles?" Strauss asked, his brow knitting together. "Colonel, why do we need new missiles?" the General said through gritted teeth.
Ackerson panicked a little. He didn't want the higher ranking officers to ask why he had spent even more money on brand new, proto-type weapons. This was the one thing he hadn't prepared for. He didn't request permission to manufacture the new AGSM-5s. However there was no backing out of this. The Colonel took a deep breath and hoped for the best.
"I am sorry Sir, but the old AGSM-10s were too large for the new fighter. These new armaments were more suiting an-"
"Ackerson, I don't care if these new missiles make the new ship look like a tuxedo with a bow tie. I want to know why you manufactured the AGSM-5s without obtaining permission," the General requested quite sternly.
"General, don't worry. I'm sure these new weapons were worth the extra effort, time and money. Right now we need to focus on these new fighters and their pilots," Wilson commented, saving the Colonel. After all, the Admiral had taken a part in the project as well. "Tell me Ackerson, what information do you have on the pilots?"
The Colonel sighed with relief and silently thanked Wilson. "Sir, I have their files here with me. I will start with Lieutenant Jack Wu. Brother of former Major, Captain, Lieutenant and now Master Sergeant Nicholas Wu; Five feet and eleven inches tall with black hair, has been involved in many fights with the Covenant in space. His system ops man is Rick Xavier.
"Next is Elizabeth Perkins; Another decorated Lieutenant as well as experienced pilot; Five feet and eight inches tall with blond hair. Her system ops man is Mark Fredrick.
"Lieutenant Russell Crewe is the most experienced and oldest of the five pilots. He has fought the Covenant in space at Sigma Octanus IV, even a little during the end of the battle at Harvest as well as some bombing runs on Paris IV. His system ops technician is Selena Roberts. He is six feet tall with brown hair.
"Michael Anderson, somewhat inexperienced compared to the other pilots; known for certain stunts which have saved him and others. He is six feet and one inch tall. His technician is James Ferrer.
"Finally, Rita Hill; trained with Elizabeth Perkins. She has as also flown with Lieutenant Crewe before during a battle surrounding Sigma Octanus IV. Her system ops man is Julian Cheung. She is five feet and nine inches tall with brown hair."
The other officers nodded at each other, approving of the Colonel's choices. After agreeing, Admiral Hood stood up; however Ackerson already knew the answer.
"Colonel, we approve of your project. You may proceed with it," he announced.
The officer smirked. Too late he thought.
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Damn it," Anderson cursed as his ship hit another piece of debris. However it wasn't hard to pull that off, the whole area was littered with the chunks of blown up Covenant Seraphs. Even though the simulation wasn't set on one of the higher modes, it was still quite a feat. He and his team had managed to take out most of the enemies, even with limited weaponry. Apparently they needed to be tested on how they would react in situations with low resources. Low resources my ass the Lieutenant thought. Two missiles and a couple of weak guns were a death sentence, not a test.
Suddenly another purple, teardrop shaped craft came into view. Michael was about to fire another missile. That was until he realized he had none left. "Oh son of a…" he muttered. Without much time to react he swerved to the right, sustaining a few glancing plasma shots. Anderson saw his shields drop down another ten percent as he tried to avoid the virtual enemy fighter. He dodged a couple more plasma bolts before barrel-rolled to the side. The Seraph flew right by him, exposing its behind to the gunfire from the officer's ventral guns. Although the guns themselves were weak, so was the enemy. Plus the fact that both weapons were focused on a certain spot and not spraying about missing didn't help the simulation that much. The fighter silently exploded into a ball of blue flames, its remaining debris flying past the wreckage and battering Anderson's fighter.
"Damn it, not again," he cursed under his breath.
Elizabeth wasn't having as much luck with the two Covenant ships on her tail either. She had done everything she could, swerve, dodge and even perform a few tricks to get out of the situation, however it wasn't working. Her shields began to drop even more as the plasma bolts barraged her fighter. If only Mark were here she thought. She mainly relied on her system ops man for help in these sorts of predicaments.
By the time the shields had dropped down to thirty percent and the fuel began to run out, Liz had nearly given up hope. That was until one of the Seraphs was hit from behind by a missile. The explosions also damaged the second Covenant fighter, but soon it was destroyed by gunfire from where the missile came from. The Lieutenant was surprised. What the…she asked herself.
Suddenly one of the other pilots' ships came into view. Then Jack's voice invaded her helmet radio.
"Sorry to interrupt, but you looked like you needed help," he teased. Perkins sighed and rolled her eyes at the childish pilot.
"I appreciate it, but I could've handled it," she argued. "Sorry again, but I don't think so," he retorted. "I've only seen a few pilots take out two Seraphs with no missiles, low shields and practically no fuel."
She grumbled and thanked him, reluctantly. She began flying around, trying to find any more enemies, but before Perkins could prove herself the simulation shutdown, signaling the end of the test. Elizabeth sighed as she exited the makeshift cockpit. As she walked over to join the other pilots, Jack gave her a cheesy grin. Rolling her eyes once again, Liz ignored him and started walking along with Rita.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Inside the glass observation room, Captain Miller and Chief Mechanic Weaver began to talk and compare notes.
"Jack seems to be pretty talented, even without his system ops man," Weaver pointed out. "Crewe and Anderson come next. However Russell seems to be more strategic than the others. Rita's doing as well as we expected, but Perkins is struggling."
"She'll get the hang of it, trust me," Miller replied. "Well they seem to be doing well. How's construction coming along?"
"Great, we have two functioning models and the other three all being worked on. The radio and radar systems are operational; Life support systems are ready; Weaponry is good to go and the engines and shields are finished," the Chief explained, smiling at his accomplishments.
Miller noticed Weaver's expression. "Good job. Now stop smiling like an ass and get back to work Chris." The Captain then strode off with his notes, leaving the grumbling mechanic in the observation room.
|
