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Rites of Passage:Part 1:Chap. 3
Posted By: Elitehunter676<brent_winfield@yahoo.com>
Date: 12 August 2004, 8:58 PM


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Authors note
Ok, here's another one for you guys, and I hope you like it.




Chapter 3

0830, tuesday
August fifth.
UNSC cruiser, Titan.
Engaging Covenant ships in low orbit over Angus four.



      Admiral Connely watched the deadly red torpedos graze the lateral line of Prescotts cruiser.
Fire spouted from the gash the plasma left, as it sliced through the lower decks before it finally exited near the ships rear engines and into space.

      "This wasn't supposed to happen." Connely said to himself shaking his head. "How could this happen?"
"Sir," one of the Lieutenants said from his station. The Admrial didn't have the will power to look up and see who it was.

      "Yes, what is it?" he asked exsasperated.
"Sir, the Covenant ships seem to be braking formation."
This got Connelys' attention. He quickly looked up at the center screen, and watched the Covenant ships brake formation and proceed towards seperate targets.

      "What in the hell are they doing?" Connely asked.
"Sir, I don't know sir." the Lieutenant replied with the best answer he could manage.
"Well, I guess we don't need to find out." Connely said to the whole crew in general.
"I think Prescott could use a hand." the Admiral said turning to face the active holo-tank.

      "Kahn," Connely said still facing the holo-tank.
"Yes, Admiral." said a calm yet strong voice. Then a stocky yet agile looking figure appeared. The figure wore the ancient armour of the samuri.

      "Kahn," Connely said to the AIs' figure, "Set a timer for eight seconds."
"Aye, sir." the figure said bowing, it then dissappeared.

      "Mickerson," Connely then said, turning to address his seniour weapons officer.
"Yes, sir?" Mickerson replied.
"Get me a firing solution on the nearest Covenant desroyer, then charge both MAC cannons to 100%, and arm archer missile pods A-1 to C-12. Once you get within range of the alien son of a bitch, you fire just one of the MAC rounds, then when Kahns timer hits zero, you fire all the archers. Understood?"
"Sir, understood sir."

      Connely knew he had just put a lot of pressure on his weapons officer, but it had to be done. And plus, Mickerson wasn't going to be the only one under pressure.
"Alan," he said directing his attention to his navigational officer, "Bring us about, I want to be facing the entire Covenant formation.'
"Aye sir." the short blonde-haired women replied as she typed in the coordinates.

      "Alright, now I want the call sighns and names of those frigates down there." Connely said pointing towards the center screen and at the seven UNSC frigates there.
"Aye sir." the rest of the bridge crew said in unision.

      "Kahn, is that timer ready?" the Admiral asked taking a seat in his command chair.
"Yes, sir," Kahns calm voice said over the bridge comm system, "It's been ready."
Connely looked at the center screen. In the lower right corner was a small timer that read, 08 sec.

      "Good, activate it as soon as the first MAC round is fired." Connely said leaning back in the chair.
"Aye sir." Kahn acknowledged.
Connely watched the center screen. The Covenant ships began to slowly seperate and move off in differant directions. Except for one of the destroyers, which stayed, and prepared to fire another plasma round at the Independance



      Prescott stumbled backwards as the ship rocked under the force of the plasma torpedo.
"Damage report!" Prescott shouted to Lieutenant Hilson at tech station.
"Sir, we have hull breaches on decks seven through ten." Hilson said in her soft female voice.

      "Vent atmosphere and seal off those deck areas," Prescott ordered regaining his balance, "And evac the crews from the decks surrounding them."
"Aye sir," Hilson acknowledged.

      "Sir," Parker said turning his head to face the Admiral.
"What is it Parker?" Prescott asked.
"Sir, port thrusters are overheating at a high rate." Parker said urgently.
"Vent coolant to thrusters, and bring us about to face the Covenant ships.

      "Aye sir." Parker ssid typing in the coordinates.
Prescott faced the center screen as the ship rotated. Slowly the remaining Covenant ships came into view. Most had turned and broke formation, but one destroyer remained, and it was preparing a second plasma projectile.

      "Sir, sensor warning." Leias' artificial voice announced.
"Sir it seems the enemy torpedo has changed course. It's turning back towards the ship." she said, remaining calm.

      "Damn." Prescott cursed. This was begining to look hopeless.



The hard faced Captain McNeal looked down at his navigational Lieutenant.
"Jacobs." he said addressing the man.
"Yes, sir?" the man said turning his head to face the Captain.

      "How, far are we from Connelys' position?" McNeal asked.
"Sir, we're at eighty-thousand kilometers and closeing."
Jacobs replied cooly.
"Good," McNeal said standing from his command chair, "Are we within communication range?"
"Sir not yet, but once we reach fourty thousand kilometers we can asstablish radio contact." Jacobs said facing the center screen.

      Black space filled half the screen, while the deep green planet of, Angus four, filled the other.
And as the ship moved through the low atmosphere it rounded the side of the planet.

      In the distance the Captain could see small dots of light. "It must be Connely engaging the Covenant ships." McNeal said to the crew.
"Jacobs, did you contact the rest of the fleet?" McNeal asked still facing the screen.
"Sir, yes sir. Three more UNSC ships are on the way. The Carrier Mongol, and the two destroyers, Sioux, and Triumph.

      "I hope it's enough." McNeal said frowning at the screen as bright dots of light flashed on the screen.
"I hope it's enough."



      "Prepare to fire," Connely said watching the Covenant destroyer close in, blue pinpoints of light glowing along it's body as it readied it's pulse lasers.
"Fire!" Connely ordered loudly.

      The ship shuddered as one of the massive MAC rounds fired toward the Covenant destroyer. Instantly the timer on the screen began ticking down from eight.
"Come on, come on." Connely whispered watching the massive projectile fly through space towards the Covenant destroyer.

      Suddenly, plumes of smoke filled the screen as the archer missiles launched.
Connely watched all of them streak after the MAC round. The Admiral quickly faced the Covenant ship as the MAC round slammed into it.

      The destroyers shields flashed a brilliant white, then faded and flickered out as the MAC round was sent tumbling through space harmlessly, but the shear force of the round had sent the Covenant ship spinning to starboard.

      "This has to work." Connely whispered to himself again, watching the missiles sail towards the destroyer.
But as the missiles drew near, the enemies pulse lasers fired. The plasma rounds impacted on some of the archer missiles causing them to detonate. But it was to late, more than three fourths of the missiles made it through the pulse lasers and found their mark on the Covenant ship.

      Pock marks of fire dotted the Covenant ships outer hull as the missiles impacted.
"Sir," Mickerson said from his station, "Over eighty percent of our missiles hit the destroyer sir."
"Good," Connely said with a sigh.

      Connely stood from his command chair, watching the rest of the destroyers hull catch fire, and melt away as enternal explosians damaged the ship.
"But this fight isn't over."



Hope you enjoyed it, sorry if I take to long to get them out.





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