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Desolation by John Morris
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Desolation
Date: 22 March 2004, 2:57 AM
Desolation:
It's Always Darkest Before Dawn
2548, UNSC Frigate Orion,
Zulu Quadrant, March 25th
1800 hours
Captain Harold Grey sat motionless on the bridge of the UNSC frigate ORION, quietly rubbing the short stubble that marked his age worn face. Outside the commotion of men running back and forth and officers desperately trying to gain control of the situation, he was at peace. Tapping a few buttons on the soft glowing mainframe, the door to his cabin slid shut with a brief hydraulic hiss. Captain Grey was a man of few words and even less a man of leadership, he never wanted to command his own ship, but tough times and shortage of officers, promoted Grey through the ranks at enormous speed. He often enjoyed solitude to collect his thoughts, and now in his darkest hour he no longer cared.
Waving his hand across a small holo-pad, the lights dimmed, and Grey reclined in a leather rolling chair. He yawned, To hell with the UNSC, he thought to himself. War had already taken it's toll on Grey, and although to his superiors he seemed to be sound, he was an emotional train wreck. His wife of 20 years had died of cancer, and his only son had died on routine training mission when his assault rifle misfired. Now he just needed time to collect his thoughts, one last chance.
Inside Grey's personal quarters only the muffled sounds of shouts could be heard, and even then it took keen ears to verify the vibrations. On the other side of the 6 inch titanium doors, chaos reigned as personnel desperately looked for any semblance of rank, however Grey no longer cared, the numbers just weren't in his favor, and the slipspace drives were shot, they were sitting ducks. Grey was realist, a man who played by statistics not harebrained notions, and four to one odds in the Covenent's favor, would be a massacre. Pouring a small glass of scotch, Grey gulped it down and then drank straight from the bottle. A brief plead for help through the cabins intercom interrupted his respite, but a few typed commands muted their cries and replaced it with the soothing sound of Mozart.
Grey reclined further, and placed his weak legs on top of his mahogany desk. Grey knew what his actions meant, how history would condemn his cowardice for as long as humans were alive, but he took some relief in knowing that might not be to much longer. A few days? Weeks? Months? He dared not to venture a guess any longer, for the enemy was on Earth's back porch, and soon it would all be over. The war, the death, the destruction, all of it. Captain Harold Grey, smiled and closed his eyes, he never wanted this job, and now it would cost him and his crew their lives, but for once in his life, his apathy paid off, and he fell fast asleep, the last time he would ever do so.
Lieutenant James Walker Page winced as his head bounced off the low hanging rail that was fastened to secure the bunk above him. Quietly he swore and brought his right hand up to touch the, wound which was slowly seeping a small amount of blood. He ran his hands through his shaved hair and exhaled. Swinging his legs off the corner of the bed, he paused waiting for his eyes to adjust to the light; they didn't. A rush of panic swept over him. As calmly as he could, he raised to both feet, struggling to remain upright, he staggered his way over to the control panel on the far wall. After a moment of fiddling with the lock, it gave way, and exposed a multitude of switches and circuits. Squinting to read the text he began to flip the toggles for the back up generator for C deck. After a moment a dull hum filled the ship, and vibrated through the floor boards. Several seconds passed before the main lights reached full capacity, and he smiled as he was once again able to see the surrounding area.
Several Marines moaned as the light awoke them from their comatose state. James walked back to his bunk, and threw on his boots and Jacket.
One Marine protested "Hey James what the Hell are you thinking?"
James peered over at the source of opposition and shrugged. "I just have a feeling Kesanik" he replied "Get your gear on and follow me." he ordered.
Corporal Davin Kesanik protested by throwing his pillow at the floor, but soon he too was strapping the Titanium armor plate to his chest and limbs. "This better be one hell of a hunch Lieutenant." The younger man sneered. Page simply nodded and waved him into the galley, once there Page guided him through the winding steel corridors until they reached the command and control area for Deck C.
"Notice anything?" Page asked, Kesanik simply shook his head. "Their all gone" Davin tilted his head comprehending what it meant. "All decks are supposed to have at least eight crew members on their command and control rooms unless Cole Protocol has been declared."
Davin's Eyes widened, "Holy Shit, you mean that they abandoned ship?" the young soldiers heart skipped a beat.
"I'm not sure, but I can guarantee it's not a good thing." Page whispered.
Davin nodded his head "What now?" he asked.
Page bit his bottom lip, something he only did when nervous, "Grab the men, tell them to gear up, and meet in the galley, tell them were abandoning the Orion."
"Yes sir!" Kesanik said nervously, "But what of Captain G....." His statement was cut short, as tremor rattled the entire ship. Page was thrown to the ground, but Kesanik managed to brace himself in time.
Sitting up, Page glared at a light that began to pulse a soft red. "Covenent boarding teams!" Page said aloud.
Kesanik froze "What now sir?" he cried out.
"Warn the others, tell them to down full combat gear and meet in the Armory and do it quickl..." Page stopped mid sentence, a faint sound made it's way around the hallways and to his ears, the screams of others, Human screams. Page grabbed Kesanik by the shirt collar, and drug the terrified soldier around the corner, to better see where the sounds were coming from.
Upon seeing the desolated sleeping quarters and bodies strewn across the hall, Page recoiled in hatred. The same murders of his family had just taken 18 more. An Elite appeared from the room, red blood staining his pristine blue face, It hooted and bobbed it's head. Page watched it for a moment, captivated by the creatures immense power, that was until the creature made eye contact. In a mighty roar the Elite positioned itself to charge as two more joined it.
"Run, now!" Page muttered emphatically. The young soldier didn't need to be told twice, and soon they had rounded the hall their footsteps being followed closely by the monsters. Page paused for a moment at the back of the corridor, a dead end. He turned towards his Impending doom, it would soon be over.
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