Kase-V011
Noob II
Classified
Posts: 5
Faction: UNSC
Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDI1KlXRogo
Original Universe: HALO
Discord Tag: Kase-V011
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Post by Kase-V011 on Oct 1, 2019 1:01:59 GMT
*The glittering diamond ocean of stars shone brightly above the small blue planet; its infinite expanse calling into question the infinitesimally-minute level of importance that the third rock from its sun would offer. And yet, for some unknown reason, the Lord of the Dark Dimension - Dormammu - has decided to feast his eyes upon it. And not just this one particular planet in this one particular realm - no. He was merging them all, from every dimension. It was this ultimate action that led to a moment in time when the UNSC Infinity-class supercarrier, the "Eternity", was drawn into the event. While executing a slip-space jump from Grenadi sector towards Sector K-009 to continue on their current mission, Dormammu instigated his plan to action, opening the portal that would send the UNSC carrier hurtling into this dimension. Upon exiting the other side, the ship and its crew would find itself just outside of the gravitational pull of the Earth, yet they would well be able to determine that they were - in fact - "home".*
*On board the bridge, the crew is in a flurry of activity. The jump had not gone like expected, and gravitic anomalies had caused multiple incidents across the entire ship. Some sections were experiencing power failures, while others were dealing with issues such as emergency bulkheads locking down and - more-severely - life support flickering on and off. But the larger issue was that of where they were...*
*Standing before the forward viewport, hands folded behind him, was an older gentleman with all of the bearing of a military commander. Dressed in his finely-pressed naval ACU, cap squarely facing forward, this man was none other than Admiral Edward Gauss.*
Adm. Gauss: "Whitmore, where are we?" *His words were calm, direct.* "This can't be..."
*A console beside him lights up, the digital image of a middle-aged male in similar military attire appearing in a hologram beside him.*
Whitmore: "Earth, sir." *His accent came across a fairly-thick Danish.* "Although, we're having difficulty--"
Adm. Gauss: "Raise the entire ship to Red Alert status!" *He said with an authoritative tone. He began scanning the entirety of the viewport, as if looking for something.* "Does anybody have eyes on the Guardian?!"
*Several voices from nearby stationed consoles barked out "Negative!" responses, and Whitmore tries to interject once again.*
Whitmore: "Sir, there are no apparent contacts in the vacinity. As a matter of fact, I'm not picking up any comms traffic at all. Created or otherwise."
*This made the Admiral stop firmly in his tracks. Turning back towards the A.I.'s console, he took two steps before addressing him.*
Adm. Gauss: "Come again? Did you just say there's nothing on comms chatter?"
Whitmore: "Yes, sir. All current UNSC frequencies and known Created QEP clusters are reading nil."
*The Admiral fell silent for a moment, contemplating the gravity of the situation. It wasn't but a moment longer before the A.I. chimed in again.*
Whitmore: "Wait a moment. Sir, you may not believe this, but I decided to check it out and...sir, on the lower frequencies, I'm getting a lot of noise."
Adm. Gauss: "Lower frequencies?"
Whitmore: "Between 200 and 245 GHz, sir. Operable ranges for tight-band communications dating back in the early 2000's."
*The look of bewilderment on the Admiral's face was total. Could the ship's A.I. be wrong?*
Whitmore: "Sir, pinging a nearby satellite now. Attempting communications...it's confirmed. According to the satellite's logs and the information I'm getting, the current stardate is September 24, 2019."
Adm. Gauss: "I just...how?" *The bewilderment continued.* "And weren't we on our way to K-009?"
Whitmore: "All of our jump calculations were correct, Admiral. By all estimates, we should have been in slip-space for at least another day before we ended up anywhere."
Adm. Gauss: "Then this is an unrelated phenomenon. Continue Red Alert status. Monitor all channels on low-band frequencies for any pertinent information; start your search wherever the nearest data repository is supposed to be during this era. If my history serves me right, this is pre-Waypoint technology...possibly even before the Extranet. Monitor only, Whitmore. Get me a breakdown on command structures and current governments; points of contact, everything."
*He depresses a button on his command console nearby.*
Adm. Gauss: "All stations, this is the Admiral. I need situational reports from every section sent to the bridge immediately. All senior staff and Tier 3 civilian representatives, please report to SECNET stations for debriefing in 15 minutes. I repeat..."
*The Admiral continued coordinating with his bridge personnel, going over sit-reps as they came in. Most of the "fires" on-board the ship were being "put out", so he was able to relax, if only momentarily.*
*Elsewhere on the ship, the lead of Fireteam VERITAS had just received word that he was to report in for the SECNET meeting. Kase was totally unawares of the reasoning behind it, but he followed his orders. Reporting to the nearby SECNET holostation, Kase entered his Priority-1 access code and stepped onto the projector's pad to begin the scan. Within moments, he saw before him a projection of the Admiral, and at once he stood at attention, offering a salute to his superior.*
Adm. Gauss: ::"Ah, Major Veracruz. Good of you to join us. At ease."::
*The rest of those in attendance could no more see Kase than he could them, however, the Major folded his hands behind him at parade-rest while listening to the Admiral continue his address.*
Adm. Gauss: ::"The situation is this, people - we are now in orbit above Earth. But, it's not our earth. Or, at least, it's not from our timeline. We still don't have all the variables, so I don't really have any answers for anyone at this time. I am going to be forwarding what intel I have to the appropriate departments so we can begin assessing our situation to its fullest. I need everyone to operate under the assumption that we are on our own, and understand that means our resources and personnel are limited to what we have aboard this ship. Thus, any operations we intend to carry out will have to be vetted by this board, with ultimate discretion being left up to me. Now, I do not expect to take this lightly - we simply do not have the wherewithal to commit resources wherever we please. Our first course of action is going to solely be "Observe & Report". We will continue monitoring all communications going to and from the planet, and once we have exhausted all possible avenues of orbital observation, we will dispense UCAV resources to the planet and perform necessary reconnaissance. Absolutely no personnel are allowed off-ship at this time, until we have determined the severity of our situation and what all we are willing to commit to such operations. Major Veracruz?"::
*Kase stands at attention once more.*
Kase: "Sir?"
Adm. Gauss: ::"We were supposed to meet up with your superiors when we entered Sector K-009, however, with our current situation that may not even be possible. Therefore, I am giving you an emergency field commission as Commander of Spartan Operations. I'll need you and your team up here on the bridge A.S.A.P. Better bring your A-game, Major. We'll need all the help you can give."::
*Kase offers another salute and affirms his orders.*
Kase: "Aye-aye, sir."
Adm. Gauss: ::"All right, folks, expect your assignments in the near future. That will be all. Dismissed."::
*The projection shuts down, and the Major is left in a dimly-lit room with nothing but his thoughts to accompany him. Commander of Spartan Operations? How was this supposed to play out?*
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Kase-V011
Noob II
Classified
Posts: 5
Faction: UNSC
Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDI1KlXRogo
Original Universe: HALO
Discord Tag: Kase-V011
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Post by Kase-V011 on Oct 14, 2019 14:28:18 GMT
*The "Eternity" continued to rest out in high orbit above the planet, daring not to get too close to the hauntingly-familiar blue planet beneath it. The reports were flying in from every corner of the globe, and the bridge crew was continuously-attempting to decipher between what was relevant to the current predicament and what wasn't. Relaying that information to the Admiral was also a priority, so that he could make an informed decision on how the crew of the "Eternity" was going to move forward from here. Too much was still unknown, and it was quickly becoming a much larger enigma than anyone could have predicted. Apparently, there were multiple discrepancies piling up about which "Earth" this planet was...several governmental structures were in play, each of them similar to the Earth known in the "Eternity's" historical archives, but each of them showing subtle differences. Like who was in power and at what points in time they were in power, and there were branches of each government that existed in historical records, but there were also certain powers in play that never existed in their timeline. So, for now, the ship's A.I. - "Whitmore" - was operating under the assumption that this planet, in its entirety, may possibly not be the one from their past...*
*Elsewhere on the vessel, Kase was busy locating and assembling his Fireteam. He had already attempted contacting them via TEAMCOM, and was able to reach Evangeline. Since he was unable to reach the others, he asked her to meet him in the holodeck observation room, since he was fairly certain that's where he would find his remaining two team members. Standing before one of the large monitors, already armored up - sans helmet, which was at his side - and ready to go meet the Admiral, he turned his head for a moment as "Eva" walked in, her helm also mag-clipped to her waist band. She had her auburn hair short-clipped as always, almost military-male style, but with a very feminine flair to it. Kase's own close buzz cut was more for functionality than fashion. As she approached, Kase nodded, and they exchanged greetings. With both of them now before the monitor, they looked on at the training scenario being played out by Aubrey and Natalie. It involved a human-made facility currently being occupied by a hostile Covenant force. Aubrey and Natalie were currently infiltrating the facility, with "Bray" providing tactical cover with his DMR while "Nat" moved through the close corridors, breaching shotgun in hand.*
Eva: "What's the score?"
*Kase chuckled for a moment.*
Kase: "Five-to-nil. Nat's on a roll today."
Eva: "Poor Bray."
*They were referring to a game that only the two of them knew - how many times "Bray" would ask "Nat" in some form or fashion to go out with him. The creative ways that Nat chose to shut him down were often quite humorous, and unless Bray could come up with an effective counter, the "tally" would go up in Nat's favor. As for today's showing, well...Bray couldn't win for losing.*
Bray: ::"You do realize I technically have seniority, right? I could just--"::
Nat: ::"What? 'Order' me to? Bray, only in your sad, squalid little dreams do you 'outrank' me - and I'd rather face court-martial a dozen times even if you did and you could order me to. So, get your head out of the gutter and let's get to work here, shall we?"::
*The scenario carried on in textbook fashion, each of Kase's fireteam performing their roles with perfection and determination. Aubrey's gear choice was the Security armor; its bug-like visor port was always a little unsettling to Kase, although the Major understood the tactical advantages the HUD offered from a security standpoint. Aubrey's ocular range could be used to its full effectiveness. He was able to see a full 180° range thanks to his ocular implants, and thus, his peripheral skills were always best-suited for breach-and-clear situations. He was only out-classed in this department by one person, and that was Natalie.*
*Her story was interesting, and quite-inspiring, if Kase was being honest with himself. Natalie was born blind. Her parents were made aware of the genetic abnormality during the pregnancy, but did not have the means at the time to afford the gene therapies necessary to counteract it. Thus, as she grew up, she did so with a handicap; although you couldn't tell it from her aptitude scores. Nat was determined from a young age not to let her handicap be her downfall. She practiced gymnastics, martial arts, and even parkour; using her equilibrium and her keen sense of hearing to help navigate her surroundings. When she was old enough, she received ocular surgery that gave her back her sight; an event which became the springboard for her career in the military. She often did most of her training blindfolded, to accentuate her innate abilities. She could assemble her weaponry by touch alone, usually faster than those who had their sight. When ONI came along and discovered her, knowing her story, they couldn't wait to recruit her for Project: ORCHID. Within two years, Natalie became the fourth member of Fireteam VERITAS, and was an expert in Close Quarters Combat (CQC). She could handle a shotgun with finesse, knew gun kata, and her ONI upgrades included being able to link into her suit's HUD abilities with her vision. She could view things in the infrared and EM spectrums, and her mind was able to process the information due to her particular upbringing. She was the one Kase trusted for close-quarters surveillance, because her grace allowed her to move stealthily, and it paired well with her sheer brutality once she closed the distance between her and her opponents.*
*Natalie had already managed to disable two of the internal Covenant patrols before Aubrey even had a chance to offer any true breach support. But Bray had a way of making up for lost time. Slamming a breach charge on one of the doors, he shouted out across the internal comms, his thick New Zealander accent pouring through the mic.*
Bray: ::"Stand clear! Breach in three, two..."::
*The charge detonated, taking the doors off their hinges as they blasted inwards, taking out an Elite and two grunts in the process. Bray wasted no time, having already switched from his DMR to his trademark SMG/Magnum combination as he rounded the corner. Activating his suit's external maneuvering jets, he shot forward with incredible speed, driving an elbow into the throat of the Elite before him as his other hand - toting the Magnum - released two rounds into the vital areas of his torso. Natalie shot past him, taking out a grunt on its way to commit a suicide run with lit plasma grenades in hand. The pair of flaming orbs dropped to the ground, coalescing in a flash of deadly blue light, taking out the pair of Jackals that were attempting to move into flanking position. The only remaining combatants were another grunt trio and a Zealot-class Elite that stood towards the rear of the room, shouting orders at the nearby Grunts, who were quite close to losing their calm. The first of them managed to level its plasma pistol at Bray, letting fly a few green, flaming bolts. Its aim, however, was truly atrocious, the rounds wildly flying off in all directions. It seemed to be hysterical, shouting "It's gonna kill us!" in near-perfect English (a fun little "ploy" by one of the programmers of the simulation, no doubt) as it tried to get away. Natalie moved too quickly, however, taking her knife and plunging it into the lines going from the Unggoy's breather pack to its mask and - subsequently - the base of the small creature's neck. Gases and blood vented from the small alien as Nat pulled the dying body back behind her, retrieving her knife before throwing it at one of the other Grunts. The blade stuck in its forearm, which made it squeal in pain as it dropped its weapon - a Covenant-issued Needler with a fully-loaded reserve. The Spartan sprung forward, bringing her shotgun to bear and discharging two rounds into her wounded foe before aiming it to her left and taking out the remaining enemy with another round. The Zealot, with its gleaming golden armor contrasted by its dark skin and glowing red eyes, let out a rage-filled bellow before drawing his energy sword and attempting to close the distance between them. Natalie was moving forward just as quickly, her unrelenting attack now letting her shift her weight into a rolling maneuver. As she came into contact with the ground, her arm swept up the Needler. Coming out of the roll, she proceeded to open fire on the charging Elite and succeeded in pelting the Sangheili with over a half dozen bright pink shards of highly-volatile energy crystals. With the activated crystals being in such close proximity, the energy began to coalesce in a fiery, explosive reaction of crystal and gas. The "Pink Death", the soldiers tended to call it. The Zealot, now totally-spent after being assailed in such a display, was thrown to the ground wailing, grasping at its flayed-open chest in its death throes.*
*Natalie tossed down the Needler as she came to a kneeling position, leveling her shotgun and scanning the room to make sure that it was, indeed, clear of all hostile forces. Her voice echoed out over the com channel.*
Nat: ::"Room's clear. You have eyes on anyone?"::
*Aubrey moved further in, executing a precision three-point check before bringing his weapon around behind him and backing towards the position where Natalie knelt. His thick New Zealander accent shouted out over the comms.*
Bray: ::"Negative! Objective reached! All hostiles neutralized and accounted for."::
*Kase was impressed with his team's ability to handle the situation, even at half-strength. He moved forward to the holo-display, depressing a few switches that would activate comms from his end to broadcast through the entire holodeck as the simulation began powering down, turning the "facility" back into the large, empty black room with LED configurations strewn throughout it.*
Kase: "Excellent work, you two. I'm sorry to have to break up the party, but we have new orders. Stow your gear, but keep your skins on and meet us on E-deck. We're heading up to meet the Admiral."
*He received a pair of affirmatives in the form of "Yes, sir!" It wasn't long before the whole of Fireteam VERITAS met up, each of them now without their helmets and sporting their natural look. Aubrey had the look of a rough-and-tumble Aussie, with his sandy-blonde hair, natural tan and blue-green eyes. His square jaw and pronounced cheekbones truly framed his features as though he were hewn from stone, sculpted and fashioned after one of the Greek gods. He kept his hair short-clipped. It always looked stylized, even after being in a helmet for several hours. Chalk that up to good genetics, Kase supposed. Natalie was the one member of the group who had naturally-long brown hair. With her performance results being as good as they were, there weren't many among the brass who would be willing to cite things like "regulation" to her. Due to her personal choice, she elected to wear the Spartan-issued wetsuit hood to keep her hair from being an issue. The fibermesh weave framed her face and covered her ears, showing just her prominent facial features, as well as her deep blue eyes. The ocular implants she displayed gave an eerie cybernetic look to them, but it was still elegant and serene, much like the woman herself.*
Bray: "What's the story, Major? Do we know where we are yet?"
*Kase shook his head.*
Kase: "Not enough information. All we know is that it's Earth. But we can't be sure which Earth - if that makes any sense."
Eva: "Given the lack of Created presence in the system, I think we're stretching the limits of what's 'possible', at this point."
*Evangeline was the team's sniper and infiltration specialist. She was originally from New Mombasa, but shipped out to the colonies at a young age. The French-Polynesian accent never left her, though.*
Kase: "Regardless, we've been asked to report to the Admiral on the main bridge at this time."
Bray: "The Admiral? Didn't realize we warranted such an audience."
Eva: "We do...since our 'team captain' just got promoted to Commander of Spartan Operations for the entire ship."
*All eyes darted to Kase, who stood looking at Eva with a furrowed brow. How she tended to come across her info was something that he had every intent of questioning her about.*
Kase: *Looking to the others of the team now* "We're late. I'll fill you guys in on the way up. Let's move, VERITAS."
*He strode off in the direction of the nearest lifts that would get them to a transport station. Given that the ship was several kilometers long, trying to get to the bridge on foot would have taken a considerable amount of time.*---------------------------------------------- ::To any Republic or Arkanian-friendly forces in close proximity. There is a member of the Royal family in severe distress, please send any and all assistance to this location.::
If there were any ships in orbit, or military facilities nearby, they would most certainly be able to pick up the distress call......
*As the Fireteam approached the bridge through the attaching corridor, the doors slid open, and Kase could hear the message squawking over the bridge's loudspeakers. The group quickly made their way to the situation deck, where the Admiral stood pouring over the conference-style holotable that held multiple displays of varying information; ranging from the 3D sonogram whose pattern matched that of the message being displayed, a TACMAP of - what Kase assumed to be - the area from which the message originated, as well as several open windows displaying UNSC resources ranging from ships to vehicles, and a window displaying Spartan-IVs in their armor. Upon closer inspection, Kase recognized the armor configurations to match that of his own Fireteam. Apparently, they were to be involved in whatever countermeasure the Admiral was looking to employ. The Major didn't want to assume too much, however, so he decided to wait to hear what the Admiral had to say.**The group approached the table, stopping short and falling in at attention. Kase was the first to offer a salute, to which the others quickly followed. The Admiral returned the salute, and then began to address the group.*
Adm. Gauss: "Major, Fireteam VERITAS, welcome to the party." *He motioned for them to join him at the table, and waited for them to move around and look at the information presented.* "I assume you've informed your team of recent developments, Major?"
*The rest of the team turned to look at Kase, nodding. Kase also offered a nod to the Admiral directly.*
Kase: "Aye, sir. I briefed them en route."
Adm. Gauss: "Excellent. I suppose we can move forward, then." *He motioned to the display* "The area you're currently seeing is in the Americas, specifically the section of North America that we know as the United Republic of North America. Information is coming to us at this time, suggesting that this 'version' of Earth is both not in our time, and also not in our dimension...I am still attempting to wrap my head around it all, so if we can stick to the issue at hand, I'll continue."
*The Admiral received no retort to his statement, so he moved on.*
Adm. Gauss: "The political climate of this area suggests that it exists as the United States of America, circa 2019. The technology level is pre-space colonization, and they haven't yet attempted deep space exploration. Thus, we are operating under the assumption that our technology level far surpasses that of the current state of this world. We are currently compiling as much data as possible to support that conclusion, and to that end...Whitmore?"
*The hologram of the A.I. appeared on a small console adjacent to the table.*
Whitmore: "Yes, Admiral?"
Adm. Gauss: "Bring up all the video and images of the latest incidents being reported planet-side."
*Several displays began to light up, detailing the events surrounding Area 51 and what had happened in the skies and on the streets of Las Vegas. Everything from news footage to video leaked on local social media outlets. Apparently, there were several suits of armor that had mastered complex flight. They were capable of manipulating energy, too, and weaponizing it on a devastating scale. The news referred to one of the individuals as "War Machine", and said that the other flying suits were much like another person known as "Ironman". Regardless, the two of them were regarded as heroes, and the others were mostly being vilified due to their destructive nature and lack of concern for human life. There were other incidents mentioned elsewhere in the country and around the world, more of the "portals" showing up here and there. The world was flush with chaos, and even the "Eternity" itself was considered to be a contributor to that. The vessel was being shown in photographs, likely from some sort of observatory telescope.*
Adm. Gauss: "What you're seeing has just been reported over the last few days. We have been monitoring the planet, and just over the last six hours, we've seen energy fluctuations that rival the power of some of the 'Eternity's' weapon systems. We deployed UCAV resources to the sites-in-question executing stealth protocols, and they were able to get detailed footage of the suits in action while they were fighting over the city known as 'Las Vegas'. This reckless display of power endangered many members of the civilian population there in that city, and devastated several sections of the infrastructure there. Then, based on other footage we've come across, we determined that one of the suits managed to broadcast the emergency message that you're hearing over the loudspeaker right now. It seemed to happen while the individual in that suit had the upper hand during that battle. We're still attempting to determine what the message means by 'Republic' and 'Arkanian' -- no information given to us by our current surveillance matches any organizations going by those sole monikers. However, it was made apparent to us that the individual controlling this suit was working to minimize casualties while taking on the other individual shown...here--" *He indicated the Harvester-style suit* "--which seems to be the actual problem. UCAVs were able to watch the end of the fight, where the larger suit apparently calls in reinforcements in these armored vehicles - which apparently employ some sort of anti-grav technology - and they seem to employ some sort of electro-static field to trap the smaller suit."
*Kase moves in closer, using one of the small control dials in the holo-display to cycle the footage backward and forward, displaying the moment when the field was employed, and also when the Harvester unit walked up and ripped out the power core. He was really interested in what the suit did after the power core was removed, as its outer "shell" seemed to slink back into the suit itself. He wondered if that was some sort of nanotechnology powered by the suit, or if it was something else entirely...*
Kase: "Sir, did you notice that?"
Adm. Gauss: "What? The 'skin'? Yes, we thought it was odd. It almost seemed biological in nature. We are realizing now that there is a lot we don't know about this planet. It's not our Earth, for sure. But we aren't going to get any closer to the answers waiting to see how things unfold. To that end...Major?"
*Kase snapped to attention.*
Kase: "Sir!"
Adm. Gauss: "I am currently authorizing Fireteam VERITAS to execute a S.A.R. mission to retrieve the individual that was sending out that broadcast. You will report to Captain Montrose aboard the UNSC Strident-class frigate 'Aequitas' -- currently being prepped for a ground-based op that your team will carry out. The target for this op is currently being held in this--" *He depresses a flashing icon on the holodisplay, which shifts the TACMAP to another section of the map, looking over an abandoned military base.* "--facility. A decommissioned ammo dump that has been occupied by unknown forces. Their armor configurations are unlike anything that we have seen, with the exception of some sort of science fiction movies. We will forward all relevant intel to the 'Aequitas' -- the methods and operational strategy, strike packages and ordnance, we will leave entirely to you, Major Veracruz. Do you understand your orders as you have received them?"
Kase: "Sir, yes sir! Requesting permission to utilize UNSC personnel, sir."
Adm. Gauss: "Of course. You will have full utilization of your Fireteam, and I'm authorizing ODST Spec Ops for your use, as well. If things get too hairy, you can request backup at any time. We need to keep the remainder of the Spartan Corps aboard ship, for the time being, though. I trust you believe your team can handle this assignment?"
Kase: "Yes sir!"
Adm. Gauss: "Good. Fireteam VERITAS, you are dismissed! Good hunting!"
*Kase and company offered their salute to the Admiral once more, and then turned on their heel to fall out and execute their assignment.**Making their way down to the Strident-class hangars, they prepared themselves for the zero-grav transfer along the tether to the "Aequitas". The ships themselves were docked inside the ventral portion of the "Eternity", facing - what was effectively considered - downward from the vessel's belly. Thus, the transfer from one ship to another would be like switching from walking on the floors to walking on the walls when the gravity changed from ship-to-ship. It was always a little unsettling to Kase at first, but he had gotten used to the exchange over the years. Helmets on now, the Spartans gripped the mag-line's handle. It was a dual-railed track going either way, so the transfer would have to be staggered to avoid people crashing into one another when the handle would change positions. As they approached the other side, Kase felt his body's weight shifting positions, the effect of the vessel's grav generators kicking in. Letting go a little early, Kase allowed his suit's directional boosters to help guide him down safely to the airlock's "floor". Once his mag-boots held him firmly in place, he moved forward to the airlock's bulkhead, waiting for the rest of his team to join him there before beginning to cycle the doors. As the doors slid open, the team was greeted by two lines of soldiers, standing and saluting at attention. In the midst of them stood a man in his Navy ACUs, his rank insignia marking him as the Captain. He had dark hair, golden eyes, youthful features, and a cocksure grin that seemed to fit his face perfectly. Beside him was his XO, a young woman with golden hair tied back in a tight bun, dressed in the same style of ACUs, but she had her cover (hat) on. On approach, Kase greeted the Captain with a salute. It was returned, but the Captain also reached out his hand to shake the Major's as he introduced himself.*
Cpt. Montrose: "Major, welcome aboard. I'm Captain Aedon Montrose, and this is my XO, Lieutenant Rockbell. We are at your disposal, Major."
*The team removed their helmets, setting them to their sides as Kase introduced them.*
Kase: "You have my gratitude, Captain. I'm Major Kase Veracruz, and this is my fireteam - First Lieutenant Evangeline Sovalyev, Second Lieutenants Aubrey Vincent and Natalie Mitchell. I guess we need to get this show on the road, eh?"
Cpt. Montrose: *Nods* "Yes, indeed." *He turns, taking a step and gesturing for Kase and company to come along.* "I'll be honest, Major - I wasn't expecting to be sent on a Vanguard op this soon. I'd actually prefer it if my intel came with a little more...well, intel. There's still a lot we're not sure of."
Kase: "I share your concerns, Captain, believe me. If the Admiral didn't believe this asset worth the retrieval, I'd be hard-pressed to put my Spartans and our soldiers in harm's way. But, if things go as planned, we won't need to be worried for too long."
Cpt. Montrose: "Speaking of which - I've seen the strike package you've requested. The Prowler's on board, and the Pelicans are prepped and ready with their respective packages. Care to go over your plan with me before we head out?"
Kase: "I wouldn't have it any other way, sir. Let's get to the situation room and I'll tell you all about it."
*The group would then head to the top decks of the ship, and the prep would take the better part of the hour before Kase believed everyone was apprised of their roles. Once all assets were on board and secured, the "Aequitas" would launch soon after, heading down planet-side to begin Operation: WANDERLUST.*
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Post by The Arbiter (Thel 'Vadam) on Oct 15, 2019 11:19:31 GMT
The Shadow of Intent was traveling through slipspace. Once the Premient Assault Carrier of the Covenant, and the flagship of The Last Arbiter, it had been last seen after the events of Installation 00. It and its one time shipmaster Rtas Vadame, had elected to return home, however it now returned, newly painted and with a new Ship Master. Thel 'Vadam, known as The Arbiter. The ship was still stripped of its Covenant colors, it was now a uniform gray, however the original covenant marking son the forward section where removed and in their place, proudly proclaiming who the ship belonged to now. The Mark of Shame was emblazoned upon it.
The Arbiter starred out the viewport of the Bridge, into the nothingness of slipspace, his mind was troubled, the events following the Forerunner escapades and the subsequent call for his return to Sanghelios weighed heavily upon him, Their planet had disappeared, Rtas had elected to give The Arbiter The Shadow, and search elsewhere, and it was that he now returned to the place of so much change, Earth.
"Ship Master, we will be exiting slipspace in a matter of moments." A Grunt said from a console to his left, The Grunt's armor was different similar now to The Sangheli themselves and on his shoulder the mark of shame was emblazoned as it was on all crew members of the ship save the Arbiter himself, whose armor was open in the chest revealing his burned in mark, The Arbiter nodded. "Prepare to hail earth and all UNSC personnel in orbit around Earth, I do not wish to alarm our friends. " Thel said passively.
Suddenly the ship lurched and a rip opened and they came out of slipspace a few thousand meters away from The Eternity. "Sir, there is only one UNSC ship in the proximity of earth..." An Elite to his left said quietly, his voice awestruck. Earth was visible as a floating blue orb some distance away though growing larger in size as they approached slowly. That couldn't be right The Arbiter thought to himself, The Earth looked different no orbital stations, no MAC cannons nothing to signify the defenses they had spent years building it was as though they had gone back in time, or to another dimension entirely. "All hands report! Send word to the UNSC ship immediately! And find out where and when we are!" The Arbiter said to the ship at large as an Elite opened a channel to the UNSC Eternity that was now visible on their port side.
::UNSC Eternity, this is Swords of Sanghelios ship, Shadow of intent, how copy?:: The Elite said speaking english and using similar wordage they had been trained to do so by their UNSC operatives which even now walked the bridge around them. They had entered a new prosperous world and so UNSC officers and scientists from ONI had been assigned to travel with the newly formed Swords of Sanghelios, so that they may learn more about each other and their worlds and ways. The Arbiter at last stood up from his chair and began to pace, his golden armor creaking ever so slightly. This was unprecedented, according to his ships logs it was sometime in the space date 2019 hundreds of years before their own time, but also perhaps even another dimension entirely where the UNSC and Covenant have never existed, nor the forerunner. Strange. The arbiter stood and looked out the viewport once more staring at the Eternity, hopefully they were alive and well there, though he couldn't help but fear the worst, It was after all his job to worry about such things, if they where he would take a Spirit Landing craft over and meet with whomever was in charge of the massive Vessel built by Swords of Sanhelios Engineers along side their Earth counterparts, the Swords had decided it was best to arm their former foes and assist them in anyway they could, though they hadn't yet discussed it with their allies, the Covenant was far from finished, Dozens of worlds still believe the prophets lies. At the very thought The Arbiter clenched a fist and touched The Prophets bane at his side. And Now he would wait for the return message from Eternity.
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Post by Kalic Daws on Oct 16, 2019 14:45:53 GMT
Hyperspace. Always boring. At least the Miraluka had his droid to talk to. They were on a more personal mission though. Kalic's Y-Wing had picked up on some strange transmissions that he couldn't quite make out, so the mercenary decided to go investigate, much to the annoyance of his droid. Whistle came from the astromech, which just made the pilot sigh.
"Yes, I'm sure ya bucket of bolts. Could be some kind of distress call." Some more whistling came before he sighed again. "I get it! It could be a trap, or maybe nothing, but who knows, could be good credits." The droid let out a few more whistles, seeming to relent. At least until they exited hyperspace to see a temperate world with two other spacecraft in orbit. Two he didn't recognize.
"Poodoo! Jee, tell me you can ID those ships?" The droid let out a series of whistles, making Kalic worried. "Great.... No clue who they are, and they seem to be heading towards the planet. Would be nice to come across something not wanting to kill us at least."
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Kase-V011
Noob II
Classified
Posts: 5
Faction: UNSC
Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDI1KlXRogo
Original Universe: HALO
Discord Tag: Kase-V011
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Post by Kase-V011 on Oct 30, 2019 9:14:56 GMT
*The "Eternity" was in the midst of monitoring the operation happening planetside when the alarm klaxons began going off.*
Whitmore: "Admiral, sensors report a slip-space rupture approximately fifteen thousand kilometers off our aft-portside." *He paused for a moment, the new data registering as he was able to process it.* "Sir, it's a Covenant supercarrier! Unknown affiliation! Wait...they're hailing us, sir."
Adm. Gauss: "Open channel on loudspeaker, Whit. Let's hear it." The Arbiter said to the ship at large as an Elite opened a channel to the UNSC Eternity that was now visible on their port side.
::UNSC Eternity, this is Swords of Sanghelios ship, Shadow of intent, how copy?:: *The Admiral had been briefed on the "Shadow of Intent" before their year-long campaign had begun. He knew it as the former flagship for the Covenant forces, one that had been liberated by their newest allies, the Swords of Sanghelios. As far as the Admiral knew, the ship was under the command of the Arbiter, himself. That the Sangheili had been wrapped up in the same fate as the "Eternity" was an upsetting note, but possibly a welcome one. The Admiral had a brief moment of pause before addressing Whitmore, knowing that he needed to choose his words carefully when addressing their honor-bound allies.*
Adm. Gauss: "Whit, if you wouldn't mind, please open the channel to the 'Shadow of Intent'. I'd like to address them personally."
*The A.I.'s avatar nodded, and waved his hand. A moment later, a series of chirps resounded over the bridge, indicating a secure channel had been achieved.*
Adm. Gauss: ::"'Respect and Honor', my friends. This is Admiral Edward Gauss of the UNSC. Forgive my impertinence, but, is the Arbiter with you?"::
*The phrase was a greeting of sorts that the Admiral had been taught to use by the ONI liaisons who had introduced many of the Swords of Sanghelios' upper echelons to him. It served to bridge the gap between their respective organizations, as these virtues were the ideals upon which both their societies were built upon. Mutual respect for one another, and honoring the vows that they had chosen to take. Admiral Gauss knew that the Arbiter was certainly one who knew the measure of respect that the UNSC had for him, and so he secretly hoped that the Arbiter was able to make the trip with the "Shadow of Intent" - if only to make things flow a bit more smoothly.*
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Post by The Arbiter (Thel 'Vadam) on Dec 11, 2019 14:30:17 GMT
The Arbiter delayed his response as various personnel UNSC and his own crew stared at him, The Arbiter did not delay because he was offended by the Admiral, but because since hailing the ship he had been lost in thought. He steepled his fingers together before standing and walking to the console himself. Finally before speaking to the other ship he began to issue some orders. "Send out slipspace probes to all known and inhabited worlds within a travel distance, find out if any of our discovered worlds are there, or any we or the UNSC control, send probes to far ends of this region of space as well, look for Covenant and UNSC controlled ships, or equipment, send the report to myself and the Eternity." In an instant a few grunts had left the room and elites began barking orders into their comm's systems, at last the Arbiter hit the console and responded to the Admiral. "Glad to see you well, my allies, this is Arbiter Thel' Vadam, of the Swords of Sanghelios, I would like permission to join you on your ship so that we may discuss what has happened at length, face to face as you humans like to say, and I do have one question, is he with you. " The Admiral would know of which he The Arbiter spoke, the one human who had changed Thels ideas of what humans are and could be, the one human who regardless of how he felt about others around him the one he would /die/ for or with depending on the situation. Like a brother is what humans called these emotions and Thel was immensely fond of chief though he would never admit it to the man himself. "I am launching probes and ships to explore further reaches and local as well do not be alarmed when they launched." He sent as an after though to the Eternity as he waited for a response he told them to beam the response to his personal communication device as he left the bridge and headed for the closest hanger and a ship to take him to Eternity. He knew the Admiral wouldn't delay a meeting, things where strange enough not to delay two allies meeting to discuss what was happening.
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