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Just Getting Started Chapter Six
Posted By: James Kinsella<jckinsella@redrunr.net>
Date: 4 April 2003, 8:24 PM
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Just Getting Started
Chapter Six
0714 Hours, September 26, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC Keyes, In Geosynchrous Earth Orbit Sol System
As John walked aboard the Keyes, he thought of what he had done over the past six days. All of his time had been spent on ordinance and training. He hadn't even had time to talk to James. Cortana had been admonished twice, both times because she had been "testing" the security A.I.'s at ONI HQ. They weren't happy with her but they couldn't stop her; she was the only A.I. advanced enough to hack into Covenant networks undetected. There was one bonus however; when she had been in the control room she copied Halo's entire weapon database to her personal directory. The Covenant is more advanced than the outdated Forerunner, but that doesn't mean we wouldn't get anything useful from them. John just wanted to get this mission over with. He had the same feeling in his stomach he'd had before they left Reach, and that hadn't turned out too well at all.
"Chief, I've been reconnoitering the Keyes. The ship has a lot more under its skin than you would think. The ship has a stealth capability much like Active-Camo. The Skin is Titanium A battleplate, but that's just the surface. Underneath is a Mutli-fractile dipersion coat that I found on Halo; it spreads plasma like water. It was however highly expensive and extremely experimental. The Ship also has two shielding systems, one primary and one backup. We have a total of four MAC guns, each capable of three round bursts, quite effective at downing Covenant Craft. The ship has two A.I.'s. One A.I. is for point defense and the other for maneuvering and tactical ops. We also have eighty Havok Tactical Nuclear devices, with a thirty megaton load each. I personally feel that the ship will be very effective at subversion and destruction."
"That's good," John responded in a cold voice, "we'll have something to fight them with finally." He was analyzing the mission in his head and had a few questions. First of all, how was he supposed to 'Infiltrate' the Covenant when everybody on the planet was Covenant? He would stick out like a sore thumb. Secondly, how was he going to plant the Havok nukes? The enemy wasn't just going to let him waltz into their ship. And finally, how was he supposed to get out? Cortana hadn't briefed him of any single ships in Keyes arsenal, so how was he going to get planetside in the first place? All of these questions made him worry, and he didn't like worrying, it kept him off the ball. He would think about these things later, for now, he got to Cryo-sleep. As he entered the Cryo-bed he wondered if this mission could be pulled off at all...
1351 Hours, October 2, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC Keyes, Undisclosed Location
"Chief, I need you to cough and swallow, the bronchial surfactant needs to be cleared. Then go to the showers and clean up." The tech told John as he woke up. Within fifteen minutes he was cleaned and suited up.
"Chief, we're being called to the Bridge. Gates wants us. We are within a million kilometers of our target planet, and we need to be briefed."
"Okay, Cortana I'll get going." John responded and made his way to the bridge.
"Welcome, John I know you've already been briefed on this mission, but there is more I need to tell you." Gates said, "First, you need to know how you're going to infiltrate the Covenant. I want you to chin the third button in your helmet."
John did so and disappeared. He could see a little bit of his outline if he moved, but not enough to even know he was there. He deactivated the control and reappeared.
"The plan is for you to pull another on of those famous ship to ship jumps of yours and get inside a covenant cruiser. You will go in the loading bay door this time though. We will lock in a tight grouping with the cruiser and Cortana will lower the shields on the bay. We've determined that it is going to land on the planet and drop troops off. While onboard you will plant a nuclear device. When you make it to the ground you will find a 'Care Package' left by ONI a few days ago at grid thirty-two by fourteen. It will have the Havok devices that you need to annihilate their fleet on the ground. After you have placed the nukes you will make your move against the Prophet. After the Prophet is dead you will make it to any transport you can and get back in space. While you our on the planet we will be planting Havoks on the orbiting fleet. As we leave the system we will detonate the nukes. The window for this mission is fourteen hours, that's how long your suit can go before it starts to overload from the power it takes to fuel the Active Camo. We will be at the cruiser in five minutes; I suggest you get to our airlock soon."
John only had one question, "How are we going to get past the ship's shielding system without letting them know we are there?"
Gates responded, "The Covenant fleet doesn't keep their shields active unless the aare in hostile space." With that statement the Captain turned away and started to attend to other matters.
As John walked to the cargo bay he thought of his earlier questions, they seem to have been answered, but he still felt a bit off. Three minutes later the airlock closed behind him and he stood magnetically attached to a platform on the hull. They eased closer to the Covenant ship and all of the sudden the shield on the docking bay disappeared. John watched as the Jackals, Elites, and Grunts in the bay decompressed, sending frozen globs of blood and chunks everywhere. John deactivated the electromagnets in his boots and shoved.
As he flew across the void he wondered, "What can possibly go wrong?"
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