halo.bungie.org

They're Random, Baby!

Fan Fiction

An Officer named Starblade by Hunter_Killer



An Officer named Starblade: Saving Sol
Date: 5 August 2003, 4:32 PM

Note To Readers:
Ok, I'll do a different spin. Since Covenant Invasion! ended in failure, I'll make a different series with the same stuff. Ok, now I'll stop blabbering! Enjoy! Oh, and I don't know how to spell the Covenant Fighter.
LOL ALERT: Captain, soon to be Admiral Jonathan Starblade is only 11 years old. Lol.


0200 Hours, 14 July(Military Calendar)
UNSC Cruiser Fearless, in orbit around Earth


"Report!" Yelled Captain Jonathan Starblade, as the ship rumbled and rocked.
"Pulse Lasers," Said Lance McDouglas.
"No, that'd make more damage," Said Jonathan.
"No, Pulse Lasers!" Lance pointed out the window, to the Covenant Cruiser. Red bands of light stringed the outside of the sleek covenant shark-like thing.
"Ah! Pulse Lasers!" Jonathan exclaimed.
Lance hit himself on the forehead.
"Take Evasive Maneuvers!" Commanded the Captain.
"Aye," Said a Bridge Tech at the helm, and the ship began erratic maneuvering.
"Pulse Lasers, firing in five," Said a Tech, obviously having a Texas accent.
"Why is it," Said Jonathan, half with amusement, half with annoyance, "That a Texas accent always adds to the suspense?"
"No clue," Responded Lance.
"All hands, Brace for impact!" Came over the intercom.
"Not if we're lucky," Said Jonathan, under his breath.
Seven Lances of Plasma streaked towards the Wolf.
The Computer's AI, Merlin, chimed in. "If I had fingers, they'd be crossed."
Then, an AI Replica of the Magician of Medieval England appeared above a holo-tank, and he crossed his fingers.
"There, that's better."
All but two passed over or under the ship, but one sliced right into it, and the other incinerated the lowest deck, Deck 22, before passing by.
The force of the one that sliced through hurled Jonathan, and most of the other people on the ship, onto the floor. The Ship lurched.
Fire reports flooded the Ship's Tactical Display.
"Warning," Said Merlin, "Deck 20 De-Compressing. Sealing Blast Doors.
"Warning," Repeated Merlin, "Decks 2, 5, 3, 8, 16, 12, and 20 De-Compressing. Sealing Blast-Doors."
Jonathan got up. "Ah... shit. Oh, well. Easily remedied. Oh, and Arm the MAC Cannons and Archer Missile Pods! Launch the Longswords as a distraction."
"Sir?"
"Do it!"
"Yes, sir!"
"MACs and Missiles ready!"
A squadron of Longswords rushed towards the Covie Cruiser.
"Why the Swords, Jonathan?" Inquired Lance.
"Well, they're gona launch Saphara Fighters to intercept, and to do that, they must lower their shields. That's when we pound them with all we got!"
"Sir! Enemy Shields going down!"
"Fire, all Missile Pods and MACs! NOW!"
Several Hundred Missiles, and five MAC bolts hurtled towards the sleek Covenant ship, impacted, and sent it flying backwards.
Explosions dotted the ship, so thorough it looked like the Pulse Lasers were charging again.
The last MAC Bolt drove home, and hit their main reactor.
"Sir! Explosion in thirty seconds!"
"Ensign Hawk, move us away from the wreckage, Full Throttle!"
"Yes, sir!" The Fearless moved away, Engines running at full.
"Fifteen Seconds!" Said the science officer.
"Arm Archer Pods D-1 through F-7! Set for concussion warheads, and heat up MAC Gun Number Four!" Commanded Jonathan Starblade.
"On it, sir!" The Operations Officer went to work, pressing a lot of shiny buttons.
"Helm, bring us around. Full stop." The Captain had a plan.
"Aye." The ship began to turn, as it slowed down. When they had fully come about, they were still.
A Fear-Crazed Crewmen ran up to Jonathan, Pistol in hand. "You can't do this, man! We're gona die, man! Turn it around, and full speed ahead, or Captain Jonathan gets it!" Jonathan felt the gunbarrel on his forehead.
There was a shot, and Jonathan closed his eyes. There was two more. He opened them again, to see the Crewman dead at his feet.
Lance stood there, smoking M6D Pistol in hand. "Sir, I think that'll take care of 'em!" He holstered the weapon, after slamming in a fresh clip.
"Shockwave alert! Impact in Four!" Said the Science Officer.
"Fire the Concussion Missiles, and the MAC #4!" Commanded the Captain.
The ship buckled, as 70 Archer Missiles and a MAC Bolt began to soar towards the Shockwave.
In a dazzling explosion, the Archers, MAC Bolt, and Shockwave all exploded with cataclysmic force, throwing back the ship.
"We did it," Said Ensign Hawk.
"Oh, yah! We bad! Uh huh! Well... in a good way. Communications, contact fleet command. Tell them 'How's the battle going? We won over here.'"
"Yes, sir. Raising them now."
"Sir, we've got a comm. link to Engineering established."
"Excellent. Lieutenant Commander Red, what's our status?"
"Well, if we get no more surprises, I'd say three weeks in Dry Dock should patch us up."
"Take us in, Ensign."

Two Days Later:

1200 Hours, 16 July(Military Calendar)
UNSC Award Ceremony, UNSC Base #23


"And so, for bravery, excellent skills, and a quick wit, I hereby promote Jonathan Lucas Starblade to the Rank of Rear Admiral in the UNSC Navy," Said Admiral Forest into the microphone.
With the whole crew cheering and hooting, he accepted the Rank, and was also presented with a medal.
He was wearing his special dress uniform, with his now six shiny medals on the right on his uniform. It was a white one, with a golden collar and golden buttons. He was wearing a black tee-shirt under it.
He took a long look at his medals: The Golden Planet Medallion, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Flying Cross, the Purple Heart, the Congressional Medal of Honor, and now, the Golden Medal.
He smiled. He had almost every one now.
He remembered how he got the Purple Heart. Nasty Plasma wound to the chest, that was. You could still see a tiny bit of burnt flesh there.
He didn't wana think about how he got the Medal of Honor.
Well, he would be taking command of the finest ship in the fleet tomorrow: The Lone Wolf.



An Officer Named Starblade: Onward to Earth!
Date: 11 August 2003, 3:04 AM

1450 Hours, 15 July(Military Calendar)
Shuttle Craft Vigilante, en route to UNSC Space Station 1, ETA Five Mins.



Rear Admiral Jonathan Starblade looked at the officers he picked to take with him to his new ship: Commander Lance McDouglas, Newly Promoted Junior Lt. Hawk, and his Engineer, Lt. Commander Red(With a shiny new Distinguished Service Cross).
Then, he directed his attention to the Shuttle's large viewing window. Earth. He had forgotten how beautiful it was, even in this time of great peril.
Then, he saw the dark patches, here and there. The Covenant Invasion had been stopped, but now Earth looked like A Mosaic of Greens, Whites, Blues, Browns, and Blacks. Damn those dastardly Covenant! They were out to basically turn every last Human into a smoldering cloud of ionic gas. But, there were known sympathizers, and Rebel Fractions.
One such 'Elite', a Red One, would be onboard. He was chief of security, though Jonathan was still uneasy, because of the fact that an Elite would give orders to the 200 Marines aboard.
Then, the Space Station, a Massive Sight, floated into view.
Inside one of the Twelve Capitol Class Hangers, his ship lay in wait.
"UNSC Station One, to Incoming Craft. Please transmit your name, security code, and cargo," Crackled over the radio.
Jonathan turned on the microphone. "This is Shuttle Craft Vigilante, Security Code Alpha Gamma Zulu 451. Cargo: One Rear Admiral, a Commander, a Lieutenant, and a Lieutenant Commander."
"Ah, yes. Confirmed, Vigilante. The Lone Wolf is in Hanger 3. Activating signal Lights. Have a nice trip, sir."
The Radio clicked off. Even as it did, several dozen lights activated, announcing the location of Hanger Three.
"Adjusting Course," Said Jonathan out loud. Back when he was a Flight Leader, he flew Longswords. So, he was at home with the controls for the shuttle.
Several port thrusters activated, swiveling the Shuttle.
Several Seconds later, they were in the hanger.
The large ship, in all it's magnificence, revealed itself to the shuttle, as it slowly paced alongside many others: More personnel, mostly for The Wolf.
The ship was larger than Jonathan imagined; the last time he saw anything as big as this, was when he saw the Covenant Assault Carrier.
Launch Bays, two on each side, were on the massive hull. Jonathan carefully maneuvered into one.
The small craft touched down, and the Officers exited.
In the room adjoining Hanger One, was a large welcoming committee.
The Elite walked up to Jonathan. Hmmmmm... a Human Child... Oh, well. Most humans are short in stature. Thought Panthan Onama 'Omaree. He said, "Admiral, sir! Welcome aboard. I am Panthan Onama 'Omaree. I command the security 'Marrenzz' on board. I shall live, and die, in your service!"
Jonathan smiled. "Let's hope it does not come to that, Panthan 'Omaree."
A Black Crewman, in a Gray Uniform, walked up next. "Sir! I am Leautenant Obuto, the ship's Weapons Officer."
Jonathan shook his hand. "Good to meet you, Lieutenant."
So, he was introduced to the Bridge Crew in this manner.
His radio clicked on. "Admiral and Senior Officers to the Bridge, please."
"On our way," Replied Jonathan, and he clicked off the radio.

1457 Hours, 15 July(Military Calendar)
UNSC Heavy Carrier Lone Wolf, Bridge



The whole crew was on station now, and the Communications Officer requested permission for launch.
"Sir, We're clear to go," Said Lt. Mayweather, the Comm. Officer.
"Mr. Hawk, take us out," Commanded Jonathan.
"Aye aye." The ship's six giant engines sprang to life, shoving the Wolf out of the hanger.
The ship buckled slightly, as they traveled through the heavens.

Just past Saturn, Sol System
Deployment + 00:17:57(Admiral Starblade Mission Recorder)


"Where next, Jonathan?" Asked Lance.
"Well..." Said Jonathan, as he sat down in the Captains' Chair.
"Captain! There's a Distress Call, from the Cruiser Starhammer." Mayweather announced, as his console beeped.
"Where is the Starhammer?" Asked Jonathan, as he rose out of his seat.
There was silence for a second, then a Crewman walked up to Mayweather, and said, "Look, pal. I'll pay you good money not to say: 'Over Earth'."
Mayweather stuttered, then blabbed out, "Over Earth!"
"Go to Combat Alert Alpha! All Personnel to battle stations, now!"
Sirens and Lights went off, and the Bridge Crew ran around, manning posts.
"Hawk, set course to Earth, Full Power! Engage!"
"Yes, sir!" The ship spun around, and hurled towards The 40 Covie Ships, powering up to bombard Earth into a ball of Molten Glass...

To Be Continued...



An Officer Named Starblade: SPARTANs Awake
Date: 20 August 2003, 2:26 AM

1500 Hours, 15 July(Military Calendar)
UNSC Heavy Carrier Lone Wolf, en route to earth orbit


"Admiral, MACs Ready. Crossbow Missile Pods Armed," Said Mr. Obuto.
"When shall we be in firing range?" Asked Jonathan.
"5 Seconds, sir."
"'Omaree! Launch your fighters!"
"Yes, excellency! We shall crush the humans! Er... sorry. Force of habit. Yes, sir!" 'Omaree typed in a series of Commands to the Wolf's three Longsword Fighter Squadrons.
"Sir, enemy ships in range!"
"Target one, and fire three MAC Bolts. Make ready to launch 300 Crossbows, on my mark!"
"Yes, sir!" Mr. Obuto typed in commands on his console to the Weapons Crews who load MACs and Crossbows.
The ship rocked and rumbled, and three MAC bolts soared towards a Cruiser in the Covenant Fleet.
Several Seconds later, the Bolts slammed into the shields of the craft, and downed them.
"Now! Fire!"
300 Missiles were chased by vapor trails, as they formed a V formation, and proceeded towards the shark-like thing.
Jonathan looked at Obuto. "Hehe, creative weapon stuff," Said Jonathan, "Ready all Crossbows, and fire the rest of the MACs, random targeting."
"Aye, we'll get the bastards."
6 MAC Bolts soared towards the Covie Fleet, and six damaged ships slipspaced out of system.
The missiles caused explosions to envelope the Covenant Battle Group, sending two more ships into retreat.
"Plasma Torpedoes, closing fast!" Yelled the Science Officer, Howard Jones.
"How many?" Asked Jonathan, as he went over the main view holotank. Readouts were poring in from may different sides, along with data, numbers and pictures.
"Lots," Said Lance in a low tone, as they looked out of the viewport.
30 Plasma Balls were hurling towards the ship.
The ship rocked and exploded, with each Torpedo.
Support Pillars fell, and screens shattered. A conduit exploded, killing five Un-lucky Techs. On the holo display, heavy damage was reported on all decks.
The lights failed, and a second later, the Red-Tinted Emergency Lights activated.
"We're alive!" Yelled Lance.
"Yah, but weapons, propulsion, and Main Computers are down. Merlin has Auto-Copied to this hard copy," Said Mr. Red, who was at the console marked 'ENGINEERING CONTROL'.
He handed the disk to Jonathan, who put it in his pocket.
Jonathan turned to Lance. "Think now would be a good time?"
Lance shook his head, and said, "No."
"Multitudes of Covenant boarding craft, inbound!" Said a Tech, stationed at one of the few Un-broken screens on the Bridge.
The two commanding officers looked at each other. Simultaneously, they said over the Comm. Channel to Cryo 5, "Wake the Spartans."

1527 Hours, 15 July(Military Calendar)
Sol System, proximity of Earth
UNSC Heavy Carrier Lone Wolf(Ident. Code: JXQY1293-EDU6), Marine/Docking Bay 2


"ATTENTION, ALL COMBAT PERSONNEL. PLEASE REPORT TO YOUR ACTION STATIONS. REPEAT, COVENANT BOARDERS INBOUND, ALL COMBAT PERSONNEL TO ACTION STATIONS." Lance's voice boomed over the loudspeakers over the ship, as the Marines hastened to gather.
Marines ran to one or the other side of several Scorpion tanks.
"FIRE TEAM ZULU, REPORT TO BULKHEAD CHARLIE TACTICAL 1-7. GAMMA TEAM, MEET WITH DELTA TEAM AT SECTOR 8-D."
A warthog slid into place with several others, as the occupants filed out and into the lines of Marines at attention.
A Black Sergeant, Sarge. Johnson, began to walk along the ranks, saying, "OK, men. As you likely know, the fate of Humanity once again is in the hands of the UNSC Marines. We will fend of Covie raiders on the ship until the Crew's off-ship, then high tail it to Earth. We will then stage a last man resistance. The Covenant want Earth, bad. But we ain't gonna let 'em have it! What we is gonna let 'em have, is a belly full 'o lead, and a pool of their own blood to drown in!"
He was now at the top of the ramp leading out of the Marine Bay. He turned to face his Valiant men. "Am. I. Right. Marines?"
"Sir, yes sir!" All the Marines yelled.
"Uh huh. Damn right I am. Now move it out! Double Time!" The Marines instantly filed out, running.
The Sarge walked out, following.
[i}"ATTENTION, ALL PERSONNEL. WE ARE ENGAGING THE ENEMY IMMINENTLY, MAKE READY FOR INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL COMBAT."
"This is gonna be one helluva show," Said the Sarge, as he ran after his men.

1527 Hours, 16 July(Military Calendar)
Sol System, near Earth
UNSC Heavy Carrier Lone Wolf(Ident Code: JXQY1293-EDU6), Cryo Bay 5, Observation Deck



"Understood, sir," Said Lt. Watkins, head of Cryogenics. He killed the link to the Bridge, and began the wake-up sequence.
1st Class Ensign Tom Howard was also working the controls by the Lt. "Ok, Wake-Up began. T-Minus 15 Seconds 'till wake up."
There was one SPARTAN II, and two SPARTAN IIIs in the cryo-tubes below. They all had on MJOLNIR III Armor, three times stronger than normal.
"Temperature Increasing, Wake up in 5, better get down there, Tom," and the Ensign went down to meet the super-soldiers about to awaken.
George SPARTAN-71 felt a swirling in his head, then his vision cleared. He was in a Cryo-Tube.
Chelsea SPARTAN-21 Quickly got her wits, she was in a Cryo room.
John SPARTAN-117 awoke from his weird dream, and he remembered reality.
They went through the tests, standard procedure.
Then, they were ordered to the bridge. But, at that moment, a Red Elite busted in the lower Level of the Cryo, and Leveled his overcharged Plasma Pistol at Ensign Howard...

TO BE CONTINUED...





bungie.org
brr!