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After the Fall by Glenny



After the Fall - Prologue
Date: 11 December 2002, 6:32 am

(Quick Note: Please post comments and let me know if this is a good story to turn into a series.)

Earth was wiped out, and 17 hours later the Covenant home planet was also destroyed. In the timespan of one day, both of the home planets were destroyed.

Most of the Covenant ships were destroyed in the explosion, but the ones that weren't scattered. In a few weeks, all signs of Covenant in the galaxy were completely gone. Some say they destroyed each other, and some say they just went into hiding.

A lot of Human ships were destroyed in the battle for Earth, but not nearly all of them. There were still tons of ships that didn't even go to help defend Earth, and then there were the ships that survived the attack on Earth. To these survivors, the destruction of both home planets was a new era in their history. This marked the beginning to a new period of time known as After the Fall, and the end to what they called the Great War. The Humans remaining did not unite to protect the rest of Humanity, but instead they began to split up into separate groups.

As beliefs were shared and ideas spread, tribes and clans were formed out of the people remaining. There were four main ones, and dozens of smaller ones that were independent or supported one of the larger ones. One of these main clans was the UMF, or United Military Force. These were the remains of the military forces, including the UNSC. They believed they still had power and should lead Humanity into the new era. They elected former Admiral Benjamin Rocks to be their leader, since he was the highest ranking officer still alive.

Another main group were known as the Leeches. They thought that the future of Humanity depended on survival of the fittest. This group started with a few planets in a system, but became bigger as more people agreed with them. This clan was known for raiding ships and planets, taking resources, and simply leaving. Their leader was Johnny Dodson, but he was known was "Rocky" for his hardcore personality. He was a living legend for what he did while he was in the Marine Corp, but went AWOL when he did not agree with what they were doing. He shows no mercy and expect none from his rivals, and so do all of his followers.

The third main group was known as the Wolf Pack. This group thought that the Humans should unite, but didn't agree with just about anything the UMF believed. The Wolf Pack consisted of a lot of former military personnel that went AWOL before or after the destruction of Earth. They chose none other than the Master Chief to be their leader, but everyone called him John instead of his rank. They are known as the Wolf Pack for some of their techniques used that are similar to the hunting style of wolves.

The last large group was simply known as the Anarchy. This whole group consisted of criminals, gangs, and people that live in the bad parts of the galaxy and that were abused and put in jail by the UNSC and other forces. Their mission is to just survive while getting revenge on the people who put them into jail. They chose their leader to be a well-known criminal known as Ace. No one really knows his true name, but he earned the nickname for his greatness at being a con-artist and other crimes he has committed.

Within a few weeks after the fall of the home planets, these main groups began to fight for power in the galaxy. So although the Covenant were gone, violence and the potential destruction of humanity were still active in the galaxy.



After the Fall - Part 1: Friends and Foes
Date: 20 December 2002, 1:34 am

The head-destroyer Guard of Earth slowly moved through space, along with the remaining UNSC fleet, near the docks around Mars. The Covenant had left as soon as they destroyed Earth, so the shipyards were still active. It was worn and beaten, but still held together strong: It was built to stand against numbers of Covenant blasts. The fleet was also battered and worn down, but they were still there. The ships docked, and repairs began immediately.

Admiral Benjamin Rocks sat in his office on the ship. He held his forehead and held his tears back. Earth was lost, and all of his commanding officers died defending the planet. He was afraid that the Covenant were going to chase them to Mars, but was surprised when they did not. It was two days after the battle ended, and Earth was destroyed. He heard the door knock, and he gave the signal to come in. He looked up to see Captain Ryan, one of his most loyal men. Ryan had acted as his assistant over the years, and one of his only personal friends left.
"Hey Ryan...what's up?"
Ryan looked at him, not sure whether to smile or to try to comfort him. "Nothing really, Admiral. A lot of the officers on Mars met yesterday on our way here."
Rocks forced a slight smile. "Oh yea? What did they have to say?"
Ryan also slightly smiled back at him and placed a document on his desk. "They elected you to lead the rest of mankind."
Rocks looked at him in shock. He quickly looked over the document. "Oh...wow. Why did they chose me?"
Ryan shrugged. "Well, they said that you were the most experienced and have been a good leader through out the Great War. Plus, you are the highest ranking officer left."
Rocks smiled, but then his face turned to a disappointed look. "Something tells me I'm not going to like this 100%."
Ryan nodded. "Well, its true. Not everyone has followed our path to Mars and supported them. A lot of the survivors have actually banned together and formed their own areas."
Rocks began to understand. "So they basically want me to go and set them straight using the rest of the UNSC?"
Ryan nodded in agreement. "Yes, basically. Except that we are no loner the UNSC, we are calling ourselves the UMF."
Rocks look puzzled. "The UMF?"
"Yes, it's not just us. The Army, law enforcement agencies, and others have come together with us. We are now the United Military Force."

____________________________________________________________

"Everyone at attention!"
The large stadium-like room silenced as the booming voice came over their individual conversations. The crowd looked towards the entrance at "ground" level, and saw him. He looked even stronger than they heard about as he walked forward, deeper into the ground floor of the stadium. He looked around at the crowd of thousands, shaking hands with his own group of council members already at ground floor. He faced the large crowds of people and spoke.
"All of you have come to us, sharing our thoughts and beliefs! We thank you for that! By now you should know my name. I am Johnny Dodson, but I prefer my nickname Rocky. Now yes, Earth is destroyed. But humanity is still going strong!"
This brings large cheers from the crowd, and then they are silent as he raises his hands.
"The military thinks they are automatically in charge. I'll tell you what, I have been there and done that. And I'll tell you, they are full of it! You saw what happened last time we had a proper 'government' and all that, and you saw what the Covenant did to our 'defenders' we call the military. We will not follow them, and we will not suffer because of them again!"
Again, more cheers rise from the crowd. They calm down as he continues.
"Our mission here is not to take control. No, it is not to try to take charge. Our mission is to simply ban together and survive using anything necessary! For that is what is to come, a competition of who can survive in the galaxy! They are calling us leeches, and I have no problem with that. Hell, I'll call myself a Leech...and all of you are my Leeches!"
More cheers rise, now with the crowd being pumped up.
"So let us survive this era of Humanity, and start an era of our own!"
The cheers continue, until they head off to challenge one of the newly made forces.
___________________________________________________________

John looked around their meeting room aboard the Wolf Spirit. He was joined by about 5000 Marines aboard his ship and on a few other ships with it. He had taken command after it was deserted on Earth, and he and a group of Marines tried to escape. He was not only accompanied by marines, but by three other Spartans. There was Mike, Joe, and Tom. They did not make it to Reach, so they headed back to Earth and met with John a few months after Halo was destroyed.

John left the UNSC after he got in a fight with a superior officer. The Spartans joined him, and so did a lot of Marines. The Marines were loyal to the Spartans, and the remaining Spartans chose John to lead them. He had been through the most combat, and he knew how to lead successfully. More followers were joining them as they cruised through the space. Their numbers had nearly doubled since they left Earth, with civilians joining them and others.

"So, John, what is our name?"
John's thoughts were interrupted. "Excuse me?"
Mike looked at him. "A name. We know that the remaining military are calling themselves the UMF, and then there are those Leeches."
Joe interrupted. "That's not what they are officially called. The UMF started calling them that and it just caught on."
Mike nodded. "Well, what are we calling ourselves?"
John smiled. He looked around the room and saw a torn sign that once said the name of the ship, Wolf Spirit. Now it only said Wolf. "What about the Wolves?"
Tom nodded. "Sounds good, but sort of weird. What about something as a whole, like a single thing."
Mike smiled. "What, like a wolf pack?"
Tom sat up in his seat. "There you go."
John replied. "I like it." He looked at a Marine watching them. "Spread the word to our followers that we are the Wolf Pack." The Marine nodded and left.
Joe interrupted the conversation. "Ok, we have a name. But more importantly...what are we going to do? We know those Leeches are already going to war with whoever opposes them, and we've picked up messages that the UNSC...I mean, the UMF...have already attached Leech ships and such."
John thought about this for a moment, and then he replied. "Let's let them do what they want for now. We will start to build up our forces. As soon as someone brings us into the fight, we will join in on this new war. What kind of fighting are we looking at?"
Joe glanced at the other two. They stayed silent for a few seconds, and then Mike spoke out. "Ok, from our reports, a lot of the fighting has been on the ground, believe it or not. The UMF has actually attacked Leech bases on the ground. There have been very few battles using the ships."
John smiled: That was how he liked it. Anybody can shoot back and forth with ships, but it took skill to actually fight on the ground.
"So, what does each side fight like?"
Mike continued. "Well, the UMF is the same as the UNSC was. They were a mixture of aggressive and passive, using techniques that they've always used. The Leeches on the other hand are nuts. You heard of a guy named Johnny Dodson?"
John nodded. He actually met the Marine once.
"Well, this guy is leading the Leeches, and he is crazy. The two sides will be fighting, and he'll rush up by himself and jump behind their lines. All of the Leeches are following his lead, and they all have become very suicidal."
John put his hand on his forehead. "Great, more of the human wave type fighting...that is what is going to get us the most."
"I agree," said Joe.
John leaned back in his chair and smiled at his group of Spartans. "All we have to do now is sit back, and wait for any action."
_____________________________________________________________

The guard walked by his cell. Ace sat in his cell, waiting for the guard to pass by one more time as he pulled the small string from his pocket. There wouldn't be a better chance than this: Only about 5% of the prison guards were still around. The rest left to fight for Earth on UNSC orders. Ace had heard the news that Earth had fallen, and knew that guards might be returning soon. He knew this is when the prison management would be the weakest.

He leaned against the wall as the guard passed by his cell again. The guard looked at him and continued. Without hesitation, Ace jumped forward and reached through the cell bars. He wrapped the string around guard's neck and pulled him against the cage, tying the strings to a horizontal bar to hold him up. He reached around and pulled out the guard's keys. He tried a few keys and finally got the right one. He opened his cell and stepped out, the guard now dead. He grabbed the guard's rifle and his pistol, then began to open up the cells down the aisle. He had planned this with the prisoners the day before, and everything was going as planned.

He lead the prisoners out of that section, the ones with guns leading the way. They quickly took the building, outnumbering the remaining guards 10 to 1. They left that building and entered the specific building containing all of the prison's weapons. The guards there were taken by surprise and quickly killed.

TWO DAYS LATER

Ace stood before representatives from all of the prisons in the Prison System. He couldn't count them all, but there were well over 2,000 in the large hall. All of them gave him their complete loyalty, and they all vowed to take control of the Human race.





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