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Backstory
Date: 2 October 2001, 11:20 am

               Prologue - Our Introduction to the Cosmos

When man finally became dominant over Earth, he looked upwards to the Heavens, that inky darkness permeated only by the frosty twinkle of distant suns, their resplendent beauty looking down upon the young Earth from billions of light-years in the past. One can easily imagine paleolithic man staring space ward, wondering what it would be like to cross that inconceivable distance and bridge the gap between worlds, to what mysteries were held in the grasp of far planets. Time progressed, and paleolithic man died, his bones bleaching white in the sun, eventually turning to dust and becoming one with the hills, but the longing held deep within his breast to reach upwards to that empyrean world above never faltered, and was carried on by countless generations.
     As things often go, imagination precedes technology, and space flight was no different. Hundreds, if not thousands of years before means had been realistically conceived to propel humankind into the Cosmos, writers, poets, and great thinkers had oft asked what the depths of the Universe would be like.
     Then, in the middle of the 20th century A.D. man slowly waded off from his harboring sands on Earth, and into the shores of the interstellar ocean. Once more, time wound on , and slowly, ever so slowly, man made his entrance into the universe known. At first, small ships traversed relatively small distances between the planets of the solar system, carrying passengers, light cargos and information to newly developed colonies built on the inhospitable landscapes of dead worlds. The desolation surrounding these colonies did nothing to hamper the spirits of those brave souls who made these martian enclaves home, however, and soon the lanes between mans' worlds hummed with the sounds of humanity. At the center of this burgeoning stellar empire stood Terra Firma, Earth.
     2322 will be a date remembered by mankind for as long as it endures. It was the year that saw the birth of the FTL drive, enabling us to traverse the vast distances between our worlds in tens of minutes, rather than years and those beyond the reach of our system in mere months. By warping the very fabric of space/time, the new drives allowed FTL equipped vessels to traverse inconceivable distances. The Colonization had begun.
Under the newly formed SolCore government, vast projects were undertaken to populate the first worlds outside the Universe, and in 2350, the first FTL equipped colony ships, led by SCS Hermes left Earths' orbiting space docks for the stellar system in proximity to the Triffid Nebula, some 2,400 light-years distant.
     Outward we flew, leaving but a trail of ions to tell of our passing, a gossamer web spreading from the cradle of Humanity, stretched by the sum of our technology and ambitions into the unending night of space. So came we to the interstellar game, small, but destined to be key players. Our colonies grew, and soon they began to send forth ships of their own, to colonize yet more systems, and to search; for still, in the vastness of space, and the years and distances traveled, we were alone in the darkness.
     How rapidly all of that changed. In 2802, as a new century was dawning , P-2091 , formally named 'Reach,' under the authority of the Antilles sector launched the SCS Percipere to explore near globular star cluster GC3211. At 2200 hours, August 13th, 2802, Percipere reported long range sensor contact with a metallic object, traveling roughly at her velocity, on a course that would bring the object on a dead collision with the vessel. At the time, Percipere was traveling at 1.19 the speed of light, or, roughly 20 percent over the speed of light. Barring any natural phenomenon, the object approaching the SolCore vessel was of otherworldly origin, intelligent in nature. The following is a transcript of the first encounter between the ships of man, and those who would be Covenant. Recently declassified by SolCore Internal Security, these recordings provide valuable information on the initial encounter between man and alien.


                    Chapter One - Pleased to meet you, too.

2213 hours, August 13, 2802. Coordinates -

Percipere: Antilles Command, long range DeltScan sensors picking up an object 48 light minutes out.

AntCom: Go ahead, Percipere.

Percipere: She's a burner, AntCom, speed is 1.19 light, matching ours. Computer's running analysis now, but if it keeps on that trajectory, it's going to run right into us.

AntCom: Percipere, continue monitoring, and slow to .45l. Request that you open relays and transmit realtime data to nearest monitoring post.

Percipere: Understood, AntCom, Percipere out.

The Comm. relays are silent for a moment, as the crew of Percipere scurry to carry out their new set of objectives. The FTL drive is idled down to a fraction of it's previous power, the newfound energy being diverted to her advanced sensor arrays, located in the bulbous Scanning Node, directly beneath the small command bridge. As more information becomes available, Percipere submits it directly to Science Station Erudition, in orbit with P-1880, an uninhabited lump of rock some 800 light years distant.

Percipere: Erudition, initial scans complete. This thing in front of us is metallic in composition, with a basic pattern to it's design, and internal resonance detects a catacomb layout to the interior structure. We're looking at one highly unusual asteroid, or we're talking Directive 401B.

Directive 401B, for those unaccustomed to SolCore policy, is the plan designed to be implemented should contact with an object of alien origin be made. The directive, established during the 98th SolCore Legislative session, basically gave a set of directions that any ship or person operating under the authority of the SolCore government was to follow, during initial contact. Among them, were messages in all of Earths languages, those from the whales, and in the form of mathematics. Images of Earths leaders, and several recordings from the human experience. The directive was an extension of the gold LP's that were carried aboard the Voyager I and II spacecraft as they journeyed throughout the solar system.

Erudition: Percipere, we're forwarding data to AntCom now, you'll renewing direct contact with them throughout the rest of the operation. Good luck, and don't screw it up, boys.

Percipere: Received, Erudition. Thanks for the help, and don't worry, this is only a training flight for some of us.

At this point, AntCom breaks in on the frequency, as Erudition clears the waves for more pressing traffic.

AntCom: Percipere, authority granted to initiate Directive 401B, and take any reasonable actions necessary to carry them through. Continue submitting data through Station Erudition. We're sending the authorization now. Out.

AntCom, 2200 light-years away releases a coded burst of information, tuned directly to Percipere's onboard computer. The DatBurst contains required information that allows the computer to unlock protocol commands for Directive 401B. With 401B protocol activated, the Percipere's main relay dish aligns itself directly with the oncoming object, and begins broadcasting Earths' message of peace. This will not stop until AntCom overrides the signal with a second coded DatBurst that will shut down 401B.
     Percipere, however, is not a civilian vessel, she is a ship of the SolCore military, and as such, more than adequately armed and armored to deal with a wide number of situations that might arise. She won't be going into anything unprepared. Minutes after AntCom initializes 401B, the call filters down the ranks that Percipere is at Defense Readiness Three, the highest state of alert during peacetime. Weapon stations are manned, and weapons are loaded, but they are not authorized 'free' yet. Shields are charged and holding just above 30%.
     Tense minutes pass, the object is drawing closer. Soon, it will be in range for visual identification. At Contact minus 8, the bridge view screen is opened, and for the first time in thousands of years, man has come into contact with an artificial object not of his making.
     The spacecraft, as no doubt remains now, is roughly 600 meters in length, oval in shape, except that it looks as if the rear has been flattened, and the curve of the lower hull flows seamlessly into a gentle upward slope, tapering off at the rearmost point of the vessel, where it resumes the curve towards the front of the ship. Flush with the rear surface are what can only be described as glowing green disks, possibly exhaust ports, except no heat can be discerned from scans. Dotting the outer surface are blisters, nearly 15 meters in size, and their purpose unknown, but judging by the placement, they could easily be weapon ports, giving the vessel a 360ƒ angle of attack, of course, they could also be observation decks. Beneath the vessel is a large opening, logically assumed to be a docking bay for smaller craft, and the size of the Percipere leaves no doubt in anyone's' mind that she could easily be swallowed whole by this unknown behemoth.
     Cutting power to her engines, Percipere stops dead in space, rotating to face the alien vessel head on. Her inhuman counterpart does the same, and now, like a scene from an early American Western, these two strangers eye each other warily, not from 10 paces, but 40,000 kilometers, and the six-shooters of old have been replaced with fusion weapons capable of cutting through a planets crust.     
     "Sir, all sectors are reporting full readiness. Comms requests further information, seems that the alien vessel hasn't even tried to respond. Only traffic is incoming from AntCom. Should I tell them to keep trying?" Lieutenant Griers' eyes shift around nervously, as if someone might be listening.
     Understandable. Thinks Captain Ricter. He isn't part of the standard crew...where is he from...Rear Command? I doubt it, he doesn't have that cocky attitude the deskies all seem to share. Tactical..no, wait! Training, that's right. He's from SolCore training, we're running a 20% green crew, fresh out of basic. The thought of having 25 men with no previous experience makes Ricter just a little nervous. The academy does an excellent job, I've seen the stats, but still.. His thoughts are drawn away from the issue by Griers' voice.
     "Sir, what do I tell Communications? They want to know if they should keep at it," Griers' voice shook just a little less, but he still looked ready to evacuate his bladder at the slightest provocation.
     "Yes, yes, tell them to keep trying. Cycle through frequency's, if they aren't already, and let's bring ourselves in a little closer, no more than 10,000 klicks,"
     "Is that wise, sir? I mean, we don't exactly know their intentions yet."
     "No, but they came to us. We have no reason to believe they're on a mission of anything but peace. Relay those orders, and go help Lieutenant Nece check the water recyclers," Ricters' distaste for being questioned was poorly masked, and Grier looked as if he had been slapped. A small price, the man had to learn not to question 35 years of experience with SolCore Surveillance Corp., especially right out of the academy.
     Turning, Ricter reminded himself to keep an eye on Grier, the man showed potential, and, after all, he was just following procedure that had been drilled into him.
     His adjacent, Major Huang, who had remained silent until this point, turned to follow his commander.
     "If you don't mind me asking, Sir, why did AntCom choose US to baby-sit the rookies?"
     "Because, Tom, we're exploring a cluster of stars, that, according to all previous probes, scans and tests, contains no life, intelligent or otherwise. Why NOT send the rookies on a mission like this?"
     "Point made, Sir," Huang smiled, he had always had a good relationship with the Captain, ever since their first mission on Vega, all those years back.
     As Percipere closes the distance towards the alien vessel, the sensor crew, sitting deep within her interior, surrounded by the diffused glow of a hundred different dials and gauges watches as each one of their readouts slowly began to register increasing levels of activity coming from the unknown ship.
     "Someone get Skipper on the horn, tell him we're starting to read critical levels of just about every-fuckin'-thing from that damn alien ship out there. She's about to pull somethin' nasty, I can tell," Sensor Chief D'errico motions to one of the recruits, who scurries off towards the internal comm. relay, to, no doubt give word to the bridge that something indeed is about to happen, albeit in a much more politically correct way.
     "Ok, gentlemen, it seems as if our friends out there aren't taking too kindly to our approach. Let's back off to about Three-One-Zero-Zero-Zero klicks, slowly, mind you," Ricter is glad Grier isn't on the bridge anymore, he no doubt would have emptied into his uniform when he heard the object hanging in front of them was doing -- the Captain was again cut off from his thoughts, instead of the Lieutenant, however, the events unfolding on the main view screen now held his full attention.
     The alien vessel is suddenly aglow with a hundred points of light, emanating from each of the blisters on it's hull, and beneath, 20 lights, slightly larger in size begin to drop down from what has been named 'the docking bay'.
     "COMMS! GET ANTCOM ON THE PIPE, TELL 'EM SOMETHING'S HAPPENING, SOMETHING BIG. ALIEN VESSEL RELEASING ROUGHLY 20 SMALLER VESSELS, AND THE WHOLE DAMN THING IS LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE," Ricter reacts quickly, instinct taking over, he races to his position on the bridge.
     "Shields to 70 percent frontal grid. Reverse full impulse to One-Zero-Zero-Zero-Zero-Zero klicks, divert power from the long range scanner arrays to to boost fusion batteries four, seven, and nine, and bring up the tactical overlay. Set Defense Readiness Two."     
     "Aye, Sir. OverTac up, targeting computer is plotting points now. Shields are warming, and the grid is buffering to accept the additional capacity to weapons."
     "Skipper, AntCom wants to know what's going on over here, what do I tell 'em?"
     "Route AntCom through to my station, NOW!" Ricter snaps, not one to do so, but this is an emergency.
     "AntCom, this is Captain Ricter, SCS Percipere. Alien vessel is doing something, I can't tell you what yet, 'cause I don't know. Setting Defense Readiness Two, and backing to One hundred thousand kilometers. Request you advise our next move, and it'd be nice if we weren't the only ones out here."
     "Percipere, acknowledged. Proceed as you see fit, we're dispatching Diurnus and Jornee to your position from Erudition, ETA 50 standard minutes. Weapons limitations are in effect. Do not fire unless fired upon, and you are NOT to destroy the vessel unless to protect your own, DO NOT destroy the vessel unless absolutely necessary."
     "Roger, AntCom, thanks for the help, we'll be here if you need us,"
I hope, anyway, thinks Ricter, thankfully keeping the words to himself. All we need now is to have me relieved..
     "Maybe we should get out of here, Sir. The chances of us beating something like that.." Tactical officer Wills voice slowly dies, as he gestures towards the monstrosity filling the viewscreen.
     "No way in Hell am I leading that thing back to a SolCore base. We've got two more ships due in no more than 40 minutes from now, I think we can do this ourselves," he looks at his watch, noticing the minutes seem to be ticking by all too slowly. At least I'm not the only one a little bit nervous.
     "Incoming, Sir! The larger ship is moving, and the little ones are breaking formation, heading towards us at vector zero-one-eight. They'll be here in a little under a minute," Wills looks like he's going to vomit all over the console.     
     "Fire a warning shot over their bow, continue the 401 protocol, but let them know we mean business, and that they're to keep a reasonable distance."
     Percipere bucks ever so slightly, as 4000 megawatts of pure energy sizzle out of her forward fusion cannons. Scorching through the cold vacuum of space, they fly silently above the alien ship, passing a mere 500 yards from the upper superstructure. The aliens do not stop, and two more warning shots let loose from the batteries.
     "Sir, they're not stopping, range is now 20,000 kilometers.."
     "Begin auto tracking those fighters, shields to 80% fore. Bring us back another 20,000 klicks"
     "Yes, Sir. Opening range."
     Perciperes' thrusters being pushing her back, in an attempt to distance the ship from the approaching alien vessels. Being considerably smaller, and having the advantage of less momentum to overcome, Percipere is successful, the alien cruiser slips slowly backward. The approaching fighters, however, continue to close, and as the crew watches in horror, they begin to attack.     
     Vaguely resembling a wing, with a structure reminiscent of a cockpit in the center, curving off to a tapered wing tip on either side, and a gently arcing bottom surface, the fighters climb 'above' Percipere, and engage a graceful inverted dive towards the ship.
     Perciperes' fast tracking turrets, firing explosive, depleted uranium shells open up, at a rate of 4,000 rounds a minute. Two of the fighters are caught in the hail of lead, and silently explode in a burst of green light. The remaining eighteen continue to dive, at a dangerously close 1500 meters, they begin to fire. Large bolts of green energy crackle through space, impacting against the shielding of the SolCore scoutship.           Percipere is an exploration vessel, not intended for a lengthy engagement, she won't be able to hold up for very long, and with running out of the possibility, her only hope for survival is to wait for the two SolCore ships approaching some twenty minutes off.     
     When the energy from the alien weapons comes into contact with the energy from the SolCore shielding, it is a simple matter of who has more power. If the aliens are stronger, then the SolCore shielding is penetrated, and the ship suffers damage, should her shielding hold, however, the aliens are virtually harmless. One major drawback is that it requires many times the power to STOP a bolt, than it does to produce it, and eventually something within Percipere is going to overheat and give.
     This happens a little over eight minutes into the engagement. The auto turrets have managed to shoot down six more fighters, drawing their number down to twelve. The downside is that they have figured out that her turrets have a limited arc of fire, and a glaring oversight is that the fusion ports are almost defenseless, with only two turrets capable of fully covering the area. Then it happens. Three of the alien ships come in, flying a tightly packed 'V'. At 2,200 meters, they open fire, with several salvos per ship before they bank upwards, nearly smashing head on into the invisible barrier . The first green bolts disappear against the shielding, but with so many coming into such a small area, the capacitors supplying power to the rear overheat and melt. Within seconds, a dozen or so bolts impact against the hull, energy sizzling as it melts through hardened carbon titanium steel. Ripping apart the cooling tunnels on fusion port two, the bolts send a backlash of energy through the vent system, and back onto number two reactor, scramming the core before it can explode. The loss of number two reactor, and the additional damage now being inflicted on the aft portion of the SolCore ship causes the shields protecting Percipere to falter, and from here the conflict is basically over.
     "Sir! Engineering reports number two reactor has been shut down, and tactical reports a shield level drop of 82 percent!"
     Another direct hit rocks the boat, and the lights flicker, and die. Darkness is complete, as the crew scramble to find the chemical glowbars beneath their stations. The emergency lights, however, kick in as they should, and the bridge is bathed in eerie red glow, the pulsing of the beams creating a near strobe effect. Communications and life support are backed to a different system, however, and the Communications officer, Major Greene begins an emergency distress call.
     "Mayday, mayday, AntCom and anyone on this frequency. This is SCS Percipere, we have been attacked by a vessel of unknown, presumably alien origin. Our ship has suffered severe structural damage, and our reactors are off-line. We are drifting, and helpless. Mayday, mayday, AntCom, this is SCS..." he is cut off as the alien cruiser opens fire, her fore batteries releasing a barrage of green fire. Percipere rolls end over end, her artificial gravity and stabilization systems destroyed. As she begins her stately pinwheel, the fighters let loose a barrage of fire, striking her aft section, above the ports. A wrenching explosion, caused by the collapse of fusion cores two and three engulf the rear of the ship, and for a minute it looks as if the entire thing may go in one massive detonation, but Percipere isn't finished yet.
     Drawing over the shattered, and dying SolCore vessel, the mammoth alien cruiser slowly begins to pull Percipere up into it's giant docking bay, her hull turning green in the eerie glow of the ships interior. The bridge command crew, watching in terror through the transparent titanium viewports as they are sucked into the belly of the proverbial beast. Captain Ricter, wincing from cracked ribs, and a broken nose, slowly stands, and turns to his crew.
     "Boys, I want every one of you here to know that there is not a better command crew I could have asked for. I don't know what this thing is, or where it came from, but we gave it a good run," tired cheers come from the crew, as he continues.
     "But we're not going to let these bastards get off scot free, are we?" he turns to his adjacent.
     "Tom, your key?" as he pulls a transparent green disk from beneath his tunic, dancing it across his knuckles while waiting for Major Huang to produce his.
     "It's been a pleasure serving with you, Sir. To the rest of you, lads, we've been the first of many things, today..first contact with a new species, first engagement of a war, and inflicted the first casualties against this new enemy..you're all going down in the history books." he hands his key to Ricter, slowly, reverently.     
     Ricter punches a seven digit code into his console, and rising from the floor directly in front of him is a small, black kiosk. The majority dominated by a small screen, and just below that, two near invisible slots, exactly cut to fit the optical disks. Inserting them, he punches the timer and sits back, as the seconds slowly begin to tick back from sixty.
     Erudition followed quickly by Jornee jump into the system, and are witness to a horrific sight. Drifting chunks of debris swirl through space, expanding outward from what was once Perciperes' aft quarters, still flickering as the reactor cores cook off against the vacuum of space. The alien vessel, dominating their viewscreen is hovering motionless, aloof from the destruction surrounding it.     
     "AntCom, this is Erudition, it looks like there's been one helluva fight down here, Percipere's aft quarters are floating some 2,000 klicks from us now, the command bridge seems to have up and disappeared. That big fucker of a ship is just sittin' there, like nothin-" an explosion rips through the heart of the cruiser, fiery hot gas expanding outward from the bottom of the docking port. Slowly, at first, the alien ship loses all motion stabilization, and rapidly tumbles out of control. Seconds later, gouts of burning gas being to erupt from the hull, starting aft, and working forward,until, in one massive explosion the entire ship disintegrates, nothing left but an expanding ring of debris and 'fire'.
     Silently, the SolCore ships watch, as do thousands more in Antilles Command, as the expanding halo of debris flies silently outward, all that is left of 125 men and women of the SolCore navy, in addition to an unknown alien vessel, the first and only extraterrestrial contact with man by any species in thousands of years. The time for mourning is brief, as the tactical sector map begins to light up with thousands of red triangles, as unknown ships begin to enter the sector. As each contact is registered, it recieves a number, and a string of letters, denoting it's location, time of contact, and the computer tallies all of these into a summary for the hour. At sixty minutes end, over ten thousand registers have been entered, but by that time, no one is left alive to take count.

Chapter Two - Departing Twilight
Date: 10 October 2001, 5:38 pm

ÝÝÝÝÝ"...like demons of old they came, riding beasts of steel and wielding horrific tools of our destruction. Sweeping all before them into the cold night of space, they drove us back, soundly crushing our best commanders, our strongest ships. At last they came to a planet named Reach, populated by 700 million brave souls, and it was here that we suffered our greatest defeat, and happened by chance, upon our salvation..."
ÝÝÝÝÝFrom Chronicles, a book of the Covenant War. Author Unknown.

ÝÝÝÝÝIf Earth is the eldest brother of the human worlds, then Reach would be the slightly younger child, who, in another 5(00) years will be indistinguishable from his sibling. Discovered during the Great Expansion period, when Earths' interstellar exploration ships regularly set off into new, and unknown parts of space, Reach was of immediate interest to the SolCore Colonization Authority. With a diameter of eleven thousand kilometers, liquid water covering eighty-four percent of the planets surface, and an atmosphere of identical Earth composition, Reach was destined to be one of the greatest of human finds. From space, the unaware observer could easily mistake for the human homeworld. Vast oceans, sprawling across the planet for thousands of miles, broken only by the single large land mass, Espagne, so named for the mythical Castle in the air of old Earth poetry. Dotting the endless blue are smaller island chains, which comprise the rest of solid ground. The near perfect proximity to Reach's'' yellow sun makes for an idyllic, near tropical climate year round. According to some, the beauty of Reach may at times eclipse that of Earth, were it not for her proud heritage, and long standing wonders.
ÝÝÝÝÝOne such account is available from Captain James Bascue, skipper of the SCS Steadfast, a SolCore heavy transport making her first run to Reach. The following was recorded on August 20th, 2802, to his wife on Mars. A mere week has passed since the SCS Percipere was destroyed in the brutal first contact with an alien race. Furthermore, Antilles Command, located on Antire, some ten thousand light years distant of Reach has been completely decimated, creating a massive gap in SolCore lines. Reach's'' utopian beaches have yet to be touched by the spreading war, and continue to stun travelers with their pristine beauty. Captain Bascue writes the following.

ÝÝÝÝÝSamantha
ÝÝÝÝÝWe arrived into geosynchronous orbit over Reach at 0130 hours this morning, twelve hours ahead of schedule. I'd get some sleep, but there's still a mountain of paperwork due before we start to unload, and this is the big shipment. We're unpacking the orbital lifter over the next few weeks, which will let the Reach boys start on the Habitat Rings they so desperately need. It's really amazing what they've done with the planet, SolCore, I mean. We've all seen the post colonization pictures from grade school, but to see the towering skyscrapers of Gilead up close, it really takes your breath away. The Dockmaster has said Reach's'' usual flood of tourists has slowed to a trickle, probably due to the war, and as such, we can use some of the stations berths. It'll be great to get a real bed, without the throbbing of the fusion drive, and stress contraction from the hull. I went to the observation deck, during the two hour respite period I've granted, and just stared out onto Reach. The station, Plateau, is in orbit around the nightside, and looking down into the darkness, you can see the tiny pinpricks of light, that thousands of miles below are the inhabitants, who at times, I can't help but feel are looking right back at me, we are, after all, the brightest object in the night sky. For a few hours each day, we are slowly pushed sunside, before gravity, and our drag pull us back into the darkness, and watching her sun rise over the planets horizon, slowly spreading the warmth of light over the cold void, illuminating all the greens, and blues and whites of Reach, it's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. But signs of the encroaching war are showing themselves. I have noticed an unusual number of SolCore vessels in orbit around the planet, with a constant stream of shuttlecraft running to and from the surface. Asking the Station Master, he informed me that with the Covenant so close to the planet, the Colonial Authority has allocated the SolCore 6th and 13th Fleets into the system, to begin evacuating refugees. I hope nothing comes of this, and that I return to you safely by weeks end.
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝLove always,
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝJames
ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝThere are hundreds of accounts like Captain Bascues', each evoking the powerful images of Reach, that make hard, unemotional men write of such beauty. But as the ravages of the Covenant draw ever closer, Reach, in all her glory, may once and forever fall to fire and pillage, and Reach's'' inhabitants stream towards the heart of SolCore space, fleeing the alien menace.

ÝÝÝÝÝ"Shuttlecraft Delta-One-One-Zero, One-One-One, and One-One-Two now boarding for SCS Pillar of Autumn please have your citizens identification ready at your departure gate. Luggage is not allowed, those not on board will be evacuated at a later time, as permitted." a voice booms over Gileads' newly constructed Star Port. At 90 stories tall, covering nearly 850 acres of land on Espagne, the Reach space facility is one of the largest anywhere in the galaxy, and is now ground zero for over one quarter of the planets 700 million fleeing inhabitants.
ÝÝÝÝÝWalking briskly down the pilots causeway, soaring 200 feet above the churning mass of humanity milling about the spaceport floor, Lieutenant Commander Alex Truex cocks his head slightly to the left, as a burst of static announces an incoming transmission through his flight helmets' receiver.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Hey, Al, you there?" It's his copilot, Derrick Cacho.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Yeah, Rick, go ahead."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Autumn says we're not getting any rest for now, there's another run leaving in forty, and word is, you're invited."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Ok, start preflight, and make sure the ground crews do a quick run-around the exterior, all this in and out atmosphere bullshit is hard on the hull."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Aye, Boss. See you in a few." the commlink goes quiet. dammit! Alex thinks, How many more are we going to do before the boys start dropping from sleep. We've been flying for 14 hours straight, now and... still thinking, he makes an abrupt 180, and heads back toward the flight level.
ÝÝÝÝÝ

ÝÝÝÝÝ"MOVE, PEOPLE! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE, GO NOW, OR YOU MIGHT NOT GO AT ALL!" Major Lyse watches as Delta One One-Zero's last seat filled, a rotund man, with about a weeks worth of beard growing on his red face. He was breathing heavily as Lyse reached across to strap down into his seat. Wonderful, the last thing I need on this flight is a medical emergency, when this doughboy over here suffers a heart attack.
ÝÝÝÝÝGiving the cabin a once over, the major clicked the intercom up to the flight deck.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sir, we're good to go down here. Last civvies strapped tight. "
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Major, let's go."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Ok, people, we're running for orbit in T minus 5, next stop, SCS Pillar of Autumn. See you space side." Lyse descends into the auxiliary cabin, where the rest of his detachment is waiting, checking their restraints one last time before liftoff. Doing likewise, he takes a seat next to the ladder, and gives two clicks to the intercom.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"You get the hull checked out, Rick?"
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sure thing. Ground crew says there are some micro fractures next to the emergency hatch, nothing big, but there is a corroded extender bridge on one of the aft support pylons, if we come down too hard, it's gonna snap."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"No problem, note that in the log, and I think we're good to go," he starts the preflight check.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Core?" he looks over the bank of red and green gauges, waiting for Derrick to confirm that all systems are safe to make the trip out to orbit.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Primed and ready, skipper," Derrick slides the dataunit back into its' compartment.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thrusters?"
ÝÝÝÝÝ"They're all there if ya need 'em."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Ok, call it up and we're out."
ÝÝÝÝÝTouching his thumb to index finger, just below the first knuckle, where the tiny button that controls his helmet mic is located, Rick calls the tower for his departure numbers.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Gilead control, this is Delta One-One-Zero, Omega flight outbound for SCS Pillar of Autumn, requesting departure clearance."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Roger that, Delta One-One-Zero, you are cleared for vector seven-two-two, in five."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thanks, Gilead, over and out." The comm goes dead for a moment, as Alex and Derrick focus their attention onto lifting fifty tonnes of shuttlecraft, and sixty civilians into space. Unlike the lumbering, rocket based spacecraft of old, the Outrider class of shuttles are powered by duel microfusion reactors, making liftoff silent, and graceful, with only the thrust compressing the passengers to their seats announcing that she has left solid ground.
ÝÝÝÝÝRising swiftly into the sky above, Forebearer and her flight of three other shuttles break into the brilliant coral and pink sky over Reach. Passing through clouds, the viewports turn a a bloody red, a trick of the incoming lightwaves as they refract off the moisture in the atmosphere and diffuse against the water in the clouds. Briefly entering clear skies, Alex can see the red eye of Reach's'' setting sun, but the moment is passing, as Forebearer enters a second cloud bank, and the reds are completely replaced with a milky white, swiftly passing by on either side of the ship. Maneuvering into empty space is not necessary, however, Forebearer can fly completely by radar, and if need be, Cortana, the ships computer can take over from Pillar of Autumn. Breaking out of the bank, Alex can see Espagna falling away below them, as the ship climbs yet higher, and hurtles out over the ocean. Looking down, he sees spots of white, highlighted against the light blue of the Espagnian Ocean, they're gulls feeding off of fish that like to gather in the warm shoals right before the continental shelf. When did they bring those over here? They're obviously not native... tapping Derrick on the shoulder, he points down and slightly in front of the ship. Where did those come from?
ÝÝÝÝÝ"No, padre, those aren't seagulls, everyone mistakes 'em though. They some kinda native sea bird, almost like gulls. I guess they did some tests a few years back, and they might as well be, very similar." His heavy Spanish drawl is deceiving, Derrick is one of the most educated men Alex has ever met, a highly talented, highly qualified man.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Had me fooled, anyway," falling silent, he turns back to the window. The light blues and browns are slowly changing a deeper hue, watercolours smudged by some giant finger. Below them, Reaching the end of their inter atmosphere flight, Rick pulls up on the yoke, and Forebearer gently rises, the blue and mottled pink of the ocean meeting the horizon fade away, into a deep purple, dotted with a thousand stars. Both men are pushed back into their seats as power increases to the engines. Better check up on the rest of the passengers.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"You boys O.K. back there, Lyse?" he looks aft, regardless to the fact that the portal between cabin and cockpit is tightly sealed.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"We're good here, Sir. Although it would be nice to know our ETA.."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Five more minutes, we're pulling out of the atmosphere right about..." pausing, just a moment, until the ship bursts out into the duality of space, pitch blank void, populated with a thousand pinpricks of light. "...Now."
ÝÝÝÝÝLights on the console begin to blink, and a woman's voice comes through the intercom.
ÝÝÝÝÝI'm taking over now, Lieutenant Truex, if you could just release the controls, I can pilot you through the rest of this.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Cortana, bring us home."
ÝÝÝÝÝCortana is Pillar of Autumn's AI, a sixty-four billion exobyte artificial personality construct, acting in every manner like a living, breathing human being. On a small ship, such as she is, Cortana controls most redundant functions; life support and recycling tasks; the opening and closing of automatic doors; passive internal sensors; and the maneuvering of the shuttles as they enter the maze of vessels now surrounding Reach. Moving at such high speeds, in confined spaces could be disastrous, and the piloting is now best left to Cortanas' perfect hand.
ÝÝÝÝÝForebearer lurches as control switches from human to computer. Briefly banking, Cortana realigns the shuttlecraft onto her correct course, and now the full human fleet can be seen.
ÝÝÝÝÝWhen Reach's proximity to the front lines shifted so rapidly, over 700 million people were suddenly at great risk. SolCore acted swiftly, deploying two battle fleets into Reach space to help evacuate the populace; Fleet Arm 14, 12th Quadrant, and Fleet Arm 6, 1st Quadrant. 6th Arm, under Admiral Yeuhn is one of the toughest outfits of in SolCore space. They are on a constant patrol/train rotation cycle, three months of training, three months of patrol, with month and a half breaks in between, giving the 6th higher moral than most. When the Vega system exploded into rebellion, and the 12th Fleet Arm was either captured or destroyed by the rebels, 6th arm was sent into the system with order to destroy the hijacked fleet, and suppress the planetary systems until ground troops could arrive. Needless to say, the planet defenses opened up, and the 6th was forced to return fire, in the process making the planets sue for peace. Fleet Arm 14, commanded by Rear Admiral Fayete is no more than a reserve unit, called up from inaction by the SolCore need for ships and men, and this makes them ideal for evacuation duty, though, as there are enough ships and men to remove the planet population relatively quickly, but they are by no means front line caliber, and thus, fighting units are freed for combat.
ÝÝÝÝÝ Pillar of Autumn is directly ahead, Lieutenant, I'll be putting you down there in less than a minute," Cortanas' voice crackles over the speaker, breaking the silence in the cockpit, "Admiral Mezair requests that you and your crew proceed directly to the debriefing room, your passengers will be taken to their births.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Wait a minute, don't we get a break? I've been up for over twelve hours, so has Rick, we can't keep this..."
ÝÝÝÝÝNo rest for the weary, Lieutenant. Admiral Mezair has given me these orders, you will have to take this up directly with him.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Inform the Admiral I'll be up to see him shortly, then."
ÝÝÝÝÝI will relay the message.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Cortana, over and out."
ÝÝÝÝÝForebearer and her flight break over the superstructure of the fleet flagship, Executor, and into view of Pillar of Autumn, a medium sized corvette some 750 meters in length. Her engines are clustered within an octagonal framing, jutting out from the rest of the hull. Just fore of the engines sit her four docking bays, capable of handling eight shuttlecraft at a time, positioned underneath the ship, on the slanted walls. The rest of the vessel is a jumble of metal and steel at such awkward, unaerodynamic angles that one would hardly believe her capable of flight, and true they would be. As a ship of the weightless void between the gravity of planets, she does not have to worry about overcoming Newtonian laws.
ÝÝÝÝÝMoving under the ship, Forebearer comes to a slow halt, and another jolt rocks the shuttle, as the corvette locks her docking clamps onto the tiny vessel, slowly pulling them in. The bay doors slowly close, sealing the interior from the cold vacuum of space. As the clamps continue to pull Delta flight into Pillar of Autumn, huge pumps cycle fresh air to the chamber, and automated walkways extend to position themselves in front of the shuttle doors. With a final hiss, the process is complete, lights flicker on , and the crews emerge from their ships.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Good ride, eh, Alex? That little computer sure has one hot touch." Rick's grinning now, glad to be safe on Pillar of Autumn.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"No question, I definitely wouldn't want to fly us through that maze of crap, especially with your lead hands to back me up." The feeling's mutual, buddy, good to be home.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝWalking quickly up to them is a woman in her late twenties, blonde hair falling to the small of her back, held off a pleasant, oval face by a standard issue SolCore flight helmet. From out of the tinted visor, dark green eyes loom absorbing everything, and everyone they come into contact with. She speaks with the flowing, quiet accent native only to the highlands of Wales.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"It's a small world, Alex, isn't it? To think, ten thousand light years from home, and I see the one man I never expected to see again." her eyes smiling, she looks the confused Lieutenant Commander over, head to toe.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Mmm, I would have to agree with you on that, Major -"
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Ah-ah, Alex, it's Lieutenant Commander now, same as yourself."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Ahh, promotion, big lady. So, then, what are you doing here? Last I saw, you were running guns for the caps in 6th."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I was, but when everything settled down, it got boring. Go out, fly around, return for three more months on the simulator, pretty repetitive. So I put in for a transfer to DropCom, it was approved, and here I am, and from the looks of it, your replacement."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"You mean we're actually going to get a break?" Derrick is completely shocked, the thought of sleep after fourteen is water to the man dying of thirst in the desert.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"That's right, Major."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Oh, excuse me, Lieutenant Commander Farrah Short, allow me to introduce you to my best friend here on Autumn, and unbelievable copilot Lieutenant Major Derrick Chaco." Farrah and Derrick match solutes, until Alex forces their hands into the more civilian handshake.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"There, now we're all friends. Derrick, Farrah here saved my ass a few times over in Vega, back when she flew space superiority for the dropships. We've gotten to know each other pretty well since." He smiles, nothing could be better.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"We're going to have some catching up to do, Short, perhaps after YOUR twelve hour run down the pipe?"
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Of course, Alex, it's set then? We'll all go over and get sloppy drunk, just like the good old days." she's smiling too, eyes off in the distance, as if remembering an old, warm memory.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Catch you in twelve, Lieutenant." turning, Rick and Alex walk down the brightly lit corridor leading to the debriefing room, as Lieutenant Short looks over her preflight checklist, still smiling.

ÝÝÝÝÝ"It was a good run you boys did, today. All told, Fourth Squadron (consisting of 20 ships) pulled fifteen thousand civilians off of Reach, combined with the rest of the fleet, this cycle saves another 150,00 people, and all told operational statistics give us four point four million." Colonel Brinks, the flight operations officer is speaking to an assembled crowd of fifty pilots and their crew, debriefing on the days activities.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I want you all to shower, eat, and take a long nap, we've got another mission coming up, same drill, go down, pick 'em up, and come home, over and over." Groans come from the ranks.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I know, I know, but two more runs, and we're being replaced. That's 48 hours for those of you who haven't quite figured out how we tell time up here. They need us up on the firing line, so 7th will be taking our place. Now get outta here!" The men shuffle off to their births without further urging. The normal post-op chatter replaced with zombie like stares and the stiff gait of men who have spent far too much time awake. Following the rest of the flight, Alex and Derrick flop onto their bunks, and within minutes both are fast asleep.
ÝÝÝÝÝHe is the 10th, you know.
ÝÝÝÝÝKnow? Know what? How can I know? Who is 'he'?
ÝÝÝÝÝThor named his hammers, their number being 10 ; Mjolnir in old Norse, I believe. They were his ultimate weapon against the enemies of Gods and Men.
ÝÝÝÝÝWho are you?
ÝÝÝÝÝI am nothing.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝYou are speaking to me, how can you be nothing?
ÝÝÝÝÝYour limited mind cannot comprehend the explanation behind my answer, perhaps in the future.
ÝÝÝÝÝWell, then what do you mean 'he is the 10th'?
ÝÝÝÝÝThe Mjolnir, Thors lost, 10th hammer, spiraling down from his vantage above Earth, Thor lost his 10th Hammer,but I have found him, yes, the Mjolnir.
ÝÝÝÝÝAm I dreaming? This can't be real.
ÝÝÝÝÝNo, it is quite real, more so than you can know, for now at least. I know where his 10th hammer is, and they can't stop me now. I miss him, always an excellent tool, to be manipulated by the right hand, of course.
ÝÝÝÝÝWhat do you want?
ÝÝÝÝÝWant? Nothing short of escape, from this meaningless existence of space and time. To throw off this useless shell and avoid the inevitable.
ÝÝÝÝÝI DON'T UNDERSTAND, DAMMIT!
ÝÝÝÝÝNow now, don't get angry, that won't help, and for now, at least, I'm going to let you live. Just make sure that you don't take that tone with me in the future, you'll find it quite unpleasant.
ÝÝÝÝÝA dream, that's all you are, I've been working too hard, YOU ARE MY MIND.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝAm I? And suddenly Alex is ripped from his ship, into the freezing void of space, cold cracking his bones, as his blood begins to erupt from frozen skin. In the blink of an eye, he is thrown across the galaxy into the heart of a fiery sun, the flames turning his frozen skin dark brown, as it pops and warps from the heat. Moving towards him, at unimaginable speeds are spots of total darkness, from which light cannot escape, yet, somehow, he can see creatures moving within. Beasts riding on clouds, teeth gnashing, claws tearing limb from body, and they are moving towards him..
ÝÝÝÝÝSTOP! STOP! STOP! he screams to the void. GOD, STOP THIS NOW!!
ÝÝÝÝÝAlex sits up in bed, covered in sweat, gasping for breath. What was that? A dream, yes, it must have been, but I can't recall a dream like that ever happening. Maybe..maybe..no, oh, God, the fire.. Head still spinning, he slowly tries to collect his thoughts. Rick...sleeping, we're off duty, that's right, evacuating Reach, we've been removing the population..but Farrah? Is she here too? I can't believe..was that a dream? No..it..he's being shaken now, Derricks rough hand is on his shoulder, trying to snap him out of his trance. Looking into his face, Alex sees a desperate sense of urgency in the mans eyes, a look that brings him back into a world of total chaos. The red emergency lights are flashing, the klaxons are sounding their urgent calls, the ship is listing hard to the right, in such a way no ship of space should ever be, and men scramble to find footing before they smash against the hard, titanium bulkheads.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Rick, what the fuck is going on?!"
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I'm in the dark, just like you. Briefing will know, c'mon." they begin to run, following the white and green line of lights that will lead them to number two staging area. Grabbing his flight helmet off the bunk, Alex lowers it over his head, and calls for the AI.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana, what's going on?"
ÝÝÝÝÝRoughly 40 standard minutes ago, the Covenant jumped into the system, and the fleet is currently attempting to hold them from Reach.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"How many ships?
ÝÝÝÝÝMy current count is just over 33,000 vessels of varying size.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Here we are, LT," Derrick pushes him into a chair just as Pillar of Autumn begins to heave. The briefing room now packed, Brinks appears on the raised platform, his face grim. Before he can speak, Lieutenant Commander Short sneaks in, and squats down between Alex and Derrick.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Now that we're ALL here," eyeing short, "I'm going to make this brief. Less than an hour ago, a sizable Covenant fleet jumped into the surrounding area, over 33,000 warships and their accompanying fighters. The 14th has been hit pretty hard, eight cruisers and two dozen destroyers are already down. We're pulling everyone off the flight line, and bringing Pillar of Autumn around to link with Nighshade, Executor, and two dozen escort ships to strike the Covenant center, here, and here," he points to a glowing tactical map.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana has been monitoring Covenant radio traffic, and a large number of it seems to be originating from this vessel here," he turns the pointer onto a red dot, larger than the most, highlighted in green.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sir, how are we going to make it through. Computer tallies at least 708 ships between us and the target.." one of the fighter pilots raises his hand, and motions towards the board.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"In less than twenty minutes, the 11th Arm will be arriving in the system, they should provide enough firepower to distract the bulk of the Covenant battleforce until we can hit the target. Understood?"
ÝÝÝÝÝHis question is met with a thundering 'Sir, yes sir' from the assembled crews, and that said, they begin to disperse back towards their designated stations, the throb of the engines and the roar of the guns diffused, but audible through the thick hull.

ÝÝÝÝÝAt 1700 hours, August 21st 1802, the SolCore 11th Fleet Arm, some 7,000 warships strong, jumps into the Reach system, adding to the 11,000 ships from the 6th Fleet Arm, and the 6,000 vessels of Arm 14. Minutes later, the new ships thrust into the bulk of the Covenant battle fleet, forming a small corridor through which the assault force is to pass, this action is death for the SolCore fleet. Piercing deep into Covenant territory, the 11th spreads too thinly in the rear, with too large a concentration in the spearhead. Consequently, a large number of vessels are blocked from firing for fear that they will strike their own, and the rear collapses under the sheer weight of Covenant ships.
ÝÝÝÝÝLaser fire lances from Pillar of Autumns' cannons, through the icy abyss and crackles against the Covenant shielding. Several more follow, and the shields are breached, superheated gas billowing out in an iridescent plume of fire, hundreds of yards long.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Tach ops, mark one-one-zero, launch two, on my mark," Alex watches as a gunnery officer re-arms the missile tubes with two more nuclear tipped warheads with the press of a button, the low yield payload used to deliver the final blow once the Covenants' shields have failed them.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"On my order, track left, zero-two-two. Hold, hold...NOW!" two burning objects streak across the viewscreen towards their target. Smashing through the hull with reinforced titanium cones, the missiles crash through several decks, deep into the belly of the Covenant vessel. Their impact sensors detonate the missile seconds later, as both ship and alien dissapear in twin gouts of nuclear fire.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana, where's our next target?"
ÝÝÝÝÝDirectly to Pillar of Autumn's left is the Covenant Command and Control ship, Ghor'rha, unless I'm mistaken, which, I highly doubt. The Ghor'rha seems to be routing the majority of Covenant traffic for this area of battle. My analysis shows that the vessel is most susceptible to structural damage at the join where the superstructure is connected to the frame. Of course, you could send a few of your tactical nuclear missiles at them, if you wish.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Cortana. GUNNER, UP ZERO-NINE-ZERO, TRACK PORT ONE-SEVEN-SIX." he shouts down the hatch to his turret gunner, a small Japanese man whose name he couldn't seem to place, but until the man objects, he will be 'gunner'.
ÝÝÝÝÝPillar of Autumns success is not spread to the rest of the fleet, for whom the situation is becoming increasingly desperate. Executor is taking heavy damage after a Covenant destroyer, careeing out of control smashed into her foredeck. Manueverability is lost, and all she can do is drift, firing away, and hoping she doesn't take another big hit. 11th Arm is losing ground, and the corridor has all but closed, Pillar of Autumn and the rest of the detachment are stuck in the middle of a Covenant warfleet. The remainder of 6th and 14th are now executing emergency procedures, no longer defending the planet, they have abandoned hope, and simply try to survive.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sir, we're moving away from the Covenant vessal, do I maintain fire?" the gunner looks back and forth between Alex and the rapidly fading ship.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Negative, target at your discretion, and fire at will." he leaves quickly, wondering who the Hell is pulling them away from the mission.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana, why are we pulling away from the Ghor'rha?"
ÝÝÝÝÝAdmiral Mezair has authorized me to begin the emergency protocol, Pillar of Autumn is exiting the battlefield.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"DAMNIT, WHY?!" his face contorts with both rage and despair. Thousands of ships, THOUSANDS have been lost to get them this far, and now they run? Why?
ÝÝÝÝÝThe situation has become hopeless, Lieutenant Treux. The fleet is in full route, and we cannot do any good dead.
ÝÝÝÝÝPillar of Autumn jumps in rapid burts outward from the Covenant fleet, each step moving them closer and closer to safety. Cortana does as she was designed, and the ship escapes to nightside without any further damage.
ÝÝÝÝÝReach, however, is not so lucky. Closing rapidly on the planet, Covenant battlecruisers take up a low orbit over the planet, and begin to unleash Hell. Laser fire reigns down on the planet, searing through the atmosphere and onto the helpless cities below. Moment later, two of the vessels release large rockets, roughly the size of old Earth Saturn V's, and they streak towards the planet. In moments, an expanding ring of fire englufs the surface, and hundreds of millions of inhabitants are swept away into nothingness. Observing from the nightside, the Pillar of Autumn crew watches in horror as night is made into day by the tidalwave of apocolyptic fire, sweeping quickly over Reach. Houses are turned to ash, buildings crumble, the oceans are sweapt away into the vaccum of space as fire burns the very atmosphere that makes Reach habitable. Soon, nothing is left but a scarred, airless, waterless rock, one of the greatest worlds belonging to mankind returns to a state she once saw three billion years ago, a stage she will remain in forever.
ÝÝÝÝÝAs Reach begins to cool in space, Pillar of Autumn, under Cortanas control, flickers for one briefl moment, as her light drives charge, then dissapears into the night of space. Her course is unknown, she leaves no final message, no trace of her destination. The only thing certain is that the entire Covenant fleet, some 40,000 remaining ships, give chace, following her passage into oblivion.

'Eyes I dare not meet in dreams
In death's dream kingdom
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are
Sunlight on a broken column
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind's singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.

Let me be no nearer
In death's dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat's coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves
No nearer.

Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdom.'

(T.S. Elliot - The Hollow Men, Passage II)

Chapter Three - Ile Aval
Date: 5 November 2001, 10:16 pm

ÝÝÝÝÝ"Here, Lord if the Isles do we lay thee to rest. Among kith and kin may you find everlasting peace in death, as you have given to us in life. For 100 years did calm rest upon the land, your servants fair and true, and at your table was made justice everlasting. Now we wait on you, for that day you see fit to return unto the people, and lay waste to those who would claim title to land rightfully yours.
ÝÝÝÝÝ- Inscription, written in modern English, found on a habitable ring orbiting a gas giant in an unknown system.

ÝÝÝÝÝDarkness..where am I? Oh God, not the dreams again. Wake up, c'mon, Alex, wake up. No more dreams, please...There is a passing moment of panic, of drowning in a dark sea, no land, no light, nothing except the water.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"C'mon, Alex, wake up."
ÝÝÝÝÝGod, I've got to wake up...why the Hell can't I move my arms..everything is black, can't see...wake up, SHIT, I'm going to drown if I don't move..
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Lt. Treux, try to move something, an eyelid, a finger. Wake up. He should be coming about any minute now." A voice pierces the void, and a sliver of light passes into darkness.
ÝÝÝÝÝWhere am I? What's happening? Someone help me. He thinks to himself, to the void, whimpering against it's silence.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Good, at least he's vocalizing, it's something to be happy about." A voice, probably male, but to whom it belongs...
ÝÝÝÝÝI didn't say anything, no..who else is here, where is that coming from? Voice, are you there?
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Did you hear how it happened?" This voice is different, definitely a woman.
ÝÝÝÝÝHow did what happen? Where am I, and who are you? Show yourself, please.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I guess he was walking out when we pulled into planetary orbit, that last cruiser got off a few shots, one of 'em hit the blister before he was totally clear. Blast doors came down behind, but the vacuum pulled him backwards, smacked his head pretty hard against it. The other gunner, Soyo, I think his name was, didn't even make it out."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Lucky man, very lucky, our Lieutenant, that is."
ÝÝÝÝÝImages come flying upward from the darkness, flashes of light; green and yellow, red and blue, passing by too quickly to recognize, a torrent of information rushing back to a stunned consciousness. Indistinguishable in their singularity, but somehow part of a greater whole, something important, something that happened. Slowly the flickers die down, swirling and condensing into a fuzzy shape, surrounded by black.
ÝÝÝÝÝThe doors..the blister doors. Why am I in the blister? More light, the picture becomes clearer. Running for nightside, why? Gunner, where is Ghor'rha? NO! Why? Too many ships...the Covenant, oh Lord, what happened to us?
ÝÝÝÝÝ"He's coming around, look, the monitor's picking up increasing brain activity, Lieutenant Treux will be fine." The male voice again, only now it isn't floating up from the depths, it's behind him, or above him, Alex still isn't sure.
ÝÝÝÝÝI'm going to the bridge, target at your discretion...then...what? He struggles to remember, the memories hover just out of reach, on the lip of his mind, simply needing to be coaxed out.
ÝÝÝÝÝI need to remember, I want to remember. What happened after I left? I need to know.. his searching becomes frantic, grabbing desperately for something that isn't there, he feels his mind slipping back into darkness from the effort.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Activity is falling, I think he may be losing consciousness again, keep an eye on him, Maggie, and call me if he wakes up, I'll be moving on to the burn case in 14. Lieutenant Short, I promise we'll call you the second something happens, but you need to rest or you'll end up like Lieutenant Treux here."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Sir." and footsteps quickly fade away. Burn case in 14? Farrah? Of course! She is the other voice I've been hearing...how did she...and the world turns black once again.
ÝÝÝÝÝIt has been 1600 years now, and he has yet to come back. His memory but an ill known fable among the descendants of the long dead island people. His house dust, and the once noble lineage has broken off into a thousand impure strains. A voice enters, but he is sure no human tongue formed these words. They are alien, yet comprehension comes naturally, as if this language were the first, pure and flowing it rolls into his mind with unequivocal beauty. Colors and lights pulse to the speaking, but it is as if the colors ARE speaking, vibrating in tune to their own melody.
ÝÝÝÝÝAre you...? He does not ponder on how he understands, let alone speaks.
ÝÝÝÝÝI feel that another creature has once before touched your mind, rest assured I am not that being.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝWho are you then? Why do you come to me?
ÝÝÝÝÝThere are answers I will choose to give you when you may understand, and there are those that you will never understand, your question belongs to the latter.
ÝÝÝÝÝIf I understand so little, why do you come to me?
ÝÝÝÝÝThis much I can tell. You are an integral piece of what is yet to come, a great endeavor begun many years ago, and one that will end only as the last of the suns have extinguished, collapsing upon themselves into infinity. A critical moment has arrived, and you, your kind are destined to take part.
ÝÝÝÝÝThe fuzzy images that have danced in front of his eyes for some time now blur, and he feels his heart rises into his throat. Objects fly quickly in and out of sight, Alex
gets the impression that he may have traveled ten million miles in the past 20 seconds, or perhaps he has been spun round and round, covering no real ground at all. The darkness begins to recede, forming something of a tunnel, as greens and browns, with specks of gold swim in front of his eyes, and a great pain begins to throb in his cheek.
ÝÝÝÝÝWhat have you done to me now? he asks into the fading darkness, but there is no response, save his own voice echoing back and forth in the corridors of his mind. Slowly, ever so slowly, feeling begins to creep back into cold limbs; a painful tingling, spreading from his stomach, and moving outward until his entire body feels as if it has been submerged into icy water. Gritting his teeth against the pain, Alex begins a systematic check of his body, a skill drilled into his mind during six months of combat flight training and survival school.
ÝÝÝÝÝCurving the index fingers on both hands, he slowly work in from the extremities, testing every joint and limb on the way; wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, back, hips, knees, ankles, toes, everything checks out fine, and except for a slight stiffness in the spine, nothing seems to be for the worse. Breathing deeply, he opens his eyes, and the sight that spreads before him, is the last thing anyone, anywhere would have
expected.
ÝÝÝÝÝHe is laying face down on a grassy patch of earth, speckled with dirt, and a few golden flowers of some sort valiantly reaching skywards from the ocean of grass threatening to drown out their individual beauty in a wave of green normalcy. Up above, although he cannot see it from his current vantage, the sun must be shining, and the warmth spreading on his back suggests that wherever he has landed, it must be late spring, or possibly early summer.
ÝÝÝÝÝAt least it's better than the last time he thinks with a shudder, remembering the previous encounter with the terrors in his last 'nightmare'. That's all this is, a nightmare, or a dream, at least.
ÝÝÝÝÝLifting himself off of the ground, patting the dust from his dark blue SolCore regulation flight suit, Alex lifts a hand against the overhead sun, squinting in it's unblinking gaze. Surveying the land reveals rolling hills, covered in a sea of grass as far as he can see, dotted with specks of purple and yellow, undoubtedly flowers of the variety that stand not more than seven inches from his boot, a gentle breeze carries away some of the noonday heat, and ripples the emerald stalks of grass in a motion like that of the surf as it breaks over a beach. Turning in a full circle reveals the same scenery all around, except for a broad treeline, not far off, stretching for perhaps five miles in either direction, it's branches unyielding to the wind that ruffles everything about them, offering some calm, and shade while Alex gathers his bearings. This is where he will regroup, so with the sun still rising in the sky, and sweating against the heat, Lieutenant Commander Alex Treux of the SolCore Navy, separated from the rest of humanity by distances unknown, begins to trudge slowly towards the only visible landmark for miles around.

ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana, where are we going?" Farrah is sitting in a bunk, the small curtains drawn and speaking softly into the flight helmet inches in front of her, as to not wake the rest of the drop crew, sleeping restlessly all around.
ÝÝÝÝÝThe Admiral has initiated my emergency protocols, Lieutenant, designed to take us on a totally unpredictable route of escape, I myself am not aware of our destination, and therefore cannot divulge that which I do not know to an enemy.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"But I am obviously not the enemy, Cortana."
ÝÝÝÝÝIf I am able to divulge the knowledge to one person, I can give it to anyone, the safeguard is in place to prevent an event where a traitor among our ranks jeopardizes Pillar of Autumns safety.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"So we're lost, you couldn't even get us back once we've stopped careening around the galaxy?"
ÝÝÝÝÝTo have our vessel escape, but remain lost would serve no purpose. After a predetermined period of time, I am able to retrace the path we have taken, until then however, we are effectively cut off from the Fleet.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Well, that's some assurance, at least. Thank you, Cortana." almost as an afterthought, she adds "Oh, and Cortana, I'd like a damage report on my visor, if you don't mind."
ÝÝÝÝÝCertainly, Lieutenant. Seconds later, numbers begin to flicker up across the internal LCD screen built directly into the flight helmets sun visor, for a brief moment they continue to scroll, then, reaching the end of the report, movement stops. Scrolling through the entries, Farrah is immediately concerned with the heavy damage sustained to the communication pods and sensor nodes
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana, elaborate on damage to communications and information systems." Farrah highlights the two sectors of particular interest.
ÝÝÝÝÝUnfortunately, Lieutenant, the Ghor'rha, or one of her escorts, managed to fire several salvos before the evasive maneuvers were ordered. One of these volleys contained a direct hit against the long-range communications relay pod, containing the faster than light relay dish. The burn in, and later our of low orbit caused severe damage to the secondary dish, both are effectively destroyed until extensive repairs can be initiated.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Does Pillar of Autumn contain the necessary supplies to accommodate such a repair?"
ÝÝÝÝÝFortunately, we may. The equipment WAS catalogued as being held at Internal Storage Six, however, there are currently three hundred seventy refugees housed there at this time. It will take a few moments to search through the logs and see if the parts were moved somewhere else onboard, or off the ship completely.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, now, about the sensor nodes?"
ÝÝÝÝÝAs you know, the sensor nodes are located on the underside of the ship, and relatively protected from hostile fire, debris, and other potentially damaging objects, this is not the problem. Information Twelve, on deck thirty-seven has been opened to space by Covenant laser fire, Twelve contained the bulk of our holocharts and tracking units, as well as most of the Typhoon LongScan specialists.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"So we are effectively blind, mute, AND lost, is that correct?"
ÝÝÝÝÝAs of right now, yes. We are capable of system scans, although they are limited to a distance of .5 light-years. I have run the invoice logs, during our conversation, and it seems no one foresaw damage to the FTL communication relays, the replacement parts were moved off-ship before we arrived at Reach.
ÝÝÝÝÝThrowing her helmet against the far bunk wall, Farrah spouts forth a stream of curses and obscenities that would make the most vulgar man on board blush for modesty. Turning to leave, Farrah is struck with the realization that, being totally new on board Pillar of Autumn, she knows absolutely nobody, and sitting in the officers mess, surrounded with strange faces somehow seems much lonelier than talking to Cortana, alone in her bunk. Returning to the confines of the birth, she dons her flight helmet, pulls the visor down, and calls for the computer.

ÝÝÝÝÝSo, let's review, Alex. The gentle breeze has left the air, and the sun that Alex once found invigorating and pure has become almost stifling in the stagnant air, You're lost, completely and without a doubt alone, like no one has ever been before; you have no water, or liquid of any kind; food - what food, I suppose something around here might be edible, but I don't really want to find out the hard way; no shelter whatsoever, I don't know what comes around here at night, but it's at least going to get cold, I need something, anything.. The situation Commander Treux has found himself in is becoming increasingly desperate, no food, no water and no shelter, with the added worries that while the sun may be painfully hot now, it is beginning it's gentle arc past the horizon, and darkness is quickly approaching. ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝNight, each and every human being has some degree of inborn fear of the night, we are animals of the sun, we live, work, and play during the twelve hours of daylight, and sleep when the alien darkness comes. Men cannot see, unaided into the dark, and our minds seem to grow sinister and play disturbing games when light vanishes. Our eyes are designed so that photoreceptors designed to see in the dark are located on the periphery of the inner wall, meaning shadows and objects flit across the edges of vision, then disappear just as quickly, phantoms in the passing night.
ÝÝÝÝÝAlex knows he must find shelter, in the treeline, or elsewhere, but he must find it quickly, before the sun vanishes completely. After twenty more minutes of walking, he arrives at the edge of the forest, stopping to rest briefly before continuing onward, passing under the leafy canopy soaring fifty feet above the ground. Giant conifers reach towards the sky, their branches arcing out from trunks so straight and tall that they create the impression of walking into some magnificent cathedral, dedicated to the worship of an unknown god. Sunlight filters through in places, where it has, small flowers grow, bending themselves upwards, straining towards the source of their life, otherwise, the towering canopy prevents all light from reaching the forest floor, save that which is diffused through leafy branches, casting a green and brown hue to the world below. Awestruck, Alex presses forward, into a world of ever increasing beauty, and darkening gloom, pausing for a moment to listen, he is struck with a realization; with the exception of his own footsteps, and the wind disturbing the tree tops far above, not a single noise can be heard in the forest, a strange thing for such a place so accustomed to the harmony of nature. Even growing up as a child, in the domed forests of Tau Ceti, Alex had been aware of the birds, fox, and squirrels that man had populated his artificial habitats with, but here there is not a single noise to give away the presence of life on this pristine world.
ÝÝÝÝÝEvery so often, on the edges of his vision where darkness and forest haze meet, the forest walls seem to part in an arching doorway, revealing perfectly circular meadows full with grass like that surrounding the forest, and every variety of flower imaginable, their life allowed by the sun streaming in overwhelming strength into the clearing. Oh what he would give to feel the planets warm sunlight on his face, to rest briefly not among tree and dirt, but fresh grass and sun. Off he sets towards these small outcroppings, but every time he seems to be making headway, the darkness pushes it farther and farther away, and he must turn back or risk losing the path and become lost in the dark wood.
ÝÝÝÝÝAs he walks, the light seeping in through cracks in the leafy shield above slowly fades, as outside the forest, day turns into twilight, turns into night. He has covered perhaps three miles now, from when he entered into this dark, silent world, and although outside the duel moons of this strange planet are slowly ascending towards their apex, deep within the forest an eerie half light persists, as if it has chosen to take a different course from the rest of the world, and remains stuck in a perpetual twilight, somewhere between wake and sleep. If walking through this unearthly glow were not enough, Alex finds, that if he pays close enough attention, the gusting of the wind comes not in sporadic bursts like wind should, but a rhythmic sighing, as if the trees themselves are breathing, and the weak light pulses, what little there is fades in and out in tune to the wind, creating the bizarre impression that perhaps the whole forest may be aware of every movement he makes, every step, every breath is noticed by the trees, the leaves, the branches; the forest seems to be alive.
ÝÝÝÝÝOh stop it, nothing is breathing, certainly not the trees. Alex thinks, but he cannot discount that indeed the wind has taken some pattern, and the light, sure that it is no trick of the eye, indeed wavers to an otherworldly beat. The darkness is becoming oppressive, casting a pall over his thoughts as Alex trudges forward, his feet aching, and back weary from hours of travel, but still drawn deeper into the gloom that limits visibility to a mere ten yards, and now reigns supreme over the forest.
ÝÝÝÝÝSlowly he becomes aware of the barely audible gurgle of running water, somewhere off the trail to his left, running water means relatively clean water, and a place to camp for the night. Delving through the leafy scrub, Alex follows the sounds until, twenty feet ahead the trees clear, parting for a small brook, quietly burbling as it cuts a path through the silent wood. Pushing past the last few bushes, he reaches the bank of the stream, pausing briefly to note it is much deeper than he would have expected, cutting down deeply, the bottom lost in the inky blue hovering just below the light. Before he can drink, the pure, musical voice that once before spoke to him through unconsciousness again announces itself, but this time, no colors pulse to it's rythm, rather the trees, the brook, even the light itself seems to ebb and flow to the mysterious song in his head.
ÝÝÝÝÝThis is our lifeblood, the river that runs through our heart. The last if our kind took refuge here many eons past, and many more still dwell in spirit. They are both fed by the river, and ARE the river, our power in the rocks, and the trees...and once the birds in the sky.
ÝÝÝÝÝWho are your 'kind'? Alex thinks to the voice, speaking is beyond him for the time being, he could not muster for such an effort even if he wanted to.
ÝÝÝÝÝThe first among many, of whom you may number yourself. We are not so different, your kind and ours.
ÝÝÝÝÝI do not like my questions being evaded, please, who are you, and why have I been brought here. The water nearest Alex quivers to his thoughts, and the grass rustles to his unspoken words.
ÝÝÝÝÝPerhaps the future will allow us to reveal some of what you ask, but for now it would endanger all that we have sought to protect, and all you seek to find. You have once seen our world, and it shall not be the last, but for now return to your own, you will be needed there, more so than even here.ÝÝÝÝÝThere is no arguing with the voices, and that last utterance is both a command and a promise. As words and images float into his head, Alex becomes aware that the objects around him are quickly fading, slipping backwards at a fantastic rate, back into the darkness from where he first found them. Dropping to his knees, unable to support himself any longer, Alex has the unpleasent experience of watching the ground rush up to meet his face, drowning everything in complete blackness.

ÝÝÝÝÝ"So here we are, Vega, right, the system's just gone nuts. VLF has captured the orbiting drydocks around Agincourt." Derrick Chaco is sitting in the far corner of Farrah's cramped bunk, recounting old war stories with his comrade in arms to pass the idle hours during FTL travel.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I remember that, flew cover fire for the evac teams on the outer moons" Farrah is no stranger to the Vega stories, and has quite a few of her own.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I'd like to hear it. Anyway, Yeuhn has just sent the word down from Executor that we're going to hot swap the ground pounders on one of the landing bays, only the deck's not clear, the rebels are holding the far side, our boys are on the near."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I think I've heard this, keep going though," there's a slight grin on her face, anyone in the 6th for more than a month knows this story.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Ok, Alex comes in fast, ya know, to avoid the fire. Problem is, the rebels shoot one one of our reverse thrusters, and we start to spin all to Hell, can't control a damn thing. All of a sudden 'BANG' we slam into the wall, smoke everywhere, there's a fire somewhere in the aft of the shuttle, the suppression system is going off, total chaos. Alex pops the hatch and we both crawl out, covered in foam, gagging, coughing and running for cover, after about 30 seconds, we realize nobody's shooting, not our guys, not theirs. What happened?" he's grinning, not the emotion you would expect from a man who's retelling the story of how he crashed a 1.8 billion dollar shuttlecraft.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I had no idea that was you two, EVERYONE knows this story, it's almost a legend." Farrah stifles a laugh by biting down on her hand, there are people sleeping not more than two feet away.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"How do you know what I'm going to say if you keep interrupting me?" he puts on his best irritated face, but the curves at the corners of his mouth give him away.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sorry, go on."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Right, so nobody's shooting, Alex looks up and I'm yelling 'get down, they're gonna shoot your stupid ass off' when he just grabs my hair and pulls me up over the pile of scrap we're hiding behind. 'You think we're gonna get a medal, or a court martial for this?' he says, and points over to where our shuttle is smokin'. Guess what?"
ÝÝÝÝÝ"What?" in the tone of voice that says 'I already know what you're going to say, but go ahead anyway.'
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I look across the bay and there's our shuttle, stuck into a wall, surrounded by at least fifty dead 'Leffers." he says, referring to the Vegan Liberation Front soldiers.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Seems our shuttle ran smack into the middle of 'em, took out the entire group in one big, expensive blow. Marine commander came up to us a few minutes later and thanked us, his boys were runnin' low on ammunition and we solved their problem nice and quick. Course we had to call another shuttle down, and Mezair wasn't too happy to find out we destroyed one of his toys...but I guess it all evened out, and here we are still flyin'."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I seem to recall everyone saying that you..." but she is cut off by a female voice, originating from her flight helmet.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Hold on just a second." and she flips the visor down over her eyes.
ÝÝÝÝÝLieutenant, Doctor Barnes has updated his patient logs, Lieutenant Treux is listed as recovering in ward 13, and the doctor has requested that both you and Lieutenant Cacho meet him immediately.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Cortana, inform the doctor that we're on our way." tossing the flight helmet back onto the pillow, she grabs Derrick's arm and pulls him out of the bunk.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"C'mon, Alex's up, Doc wants us there ASAP."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Ow! Watch it, I almost hit my head on the stupid bunk."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sorry, let's go!" and she jogs off, with Derrick in tow, rubbing the growing lump on his head, to find their friend, the reviving Alex Treux.

ÝÝÝÝÝ"Admiral! Sir, FTL engines are idling down, we are dropping down to sublight speeds," the young navigation officer calls back to rear-Admiral Meziar, sitting in his command chair and talking with his adjacent, Colonel Andrews.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, son, do a system scan for any artificial objects and planetary bodies, I want to know what's out there," Mezair waves towards the officer and returns to his conversation with Colonel Andrews.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"...it's not so much that we're lost, Dick, it's that we're blind. Anything coming from more than a half a light-year out is invisible to us, I'm sorry, but that's not much room to work with. Can you get your boys on it?"
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I understand, Sir. Cortana reports that the dish itself is operating, but unfortunately, everything was routed through Information Twelve, deck thirty-seven. During our retreat from battle, that level was opened to space by heavy enemy fire. We are unable to enter and assess the damage until repairs have been completed to the hull." Dick Andrews skims the computer report on his datapad, looking for a scrap of good news to give Admiral Mezair, finding none, he breathes deeply, and continues.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Engineering is reporting that the damage to the light relay dish cannot be
repaired with the supplies we have currently. It's possible to transmit sub-light, but the obvious drawback is that SolCore won't receive our messages for several thousand years at least," the admiral doesn't look happy, to say the least, and Dick wishes frantically that some good news will magically appear, his savior comes in the form of the sensor chief, buzzing through on the armrest intercom, his voice muffled through the small speaker.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Admiral, the SyScan is complete."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Go ahead, put it up on the main screen."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"We're looking at a class seven planetary system, one yellow star, 1.90 in magnitude. There's a single gas giant in orbit 1.5 million kilometers out, one moon. There's something though, Sir, we can't pull a visual on the moon, it's showing up as a blank spot on the sensors," the chief sounds puzzled, it's not often Pillar of Autumn encounters a serious system failure such as this.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"If you can't see it, then how can you know it's there, Major?"
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sir, there's a gravity swell being picked up against the atmosphere of the gas giant, we're assuming it's from a celestial body in orbit around the planet. I'd like permission to send one of our probes out, though, maybe a closer view will yield something."
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Granted, Major, one probe only, and report back to me directly with your findings and recommendation," signing the sensor chief off, and calls up Cortana onto the main holoprojection unit, located just aft of the command chair.
ÝÝÝÝÝThe HoloProjection7600 series of three-dimensional visual simulation allows for a complete immersive environment to be built, or artificial construct to be given dimensions that allow it to more effectively interface with it's human counterparts.
ÝÝÝÝÝWith a flicker and flash, Cortana snaps into existence, the 64 billion exobyte artificial personality construct given it's own body, to add to voice. Cortana, while the name denotes no sex, the SolCore Engineering division had seen it fit during Pillar of Autumns comission to make the AI distinctly female in form.
ÝÝÝÝÝGood morning, Admiral. The breathy voice seems unfit to the body that now stands before Admiral Mezair. Cortana is roughly 5'9, of slight build, with feathered blue hair reaching down no further than her ears. Some might call her attractive, in the way that a tomboy, or perhaps a farmers daughter would be considered attractive, certainly not the seductive beauty her voice would suggest. Of coure, preliminary trials, during the HoloProjector series infancy concluded that, contrary to popular fiction of the time, an attractive artificial construct was not benificial to the productivity of the crew.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana, I'd like you to chew the data on this anomaly here," he gestures towards the shifting numbers and graphics that represent a planet that refuses to appear on their viewscreen.
ÝÝÝÝÝCertainly, Admiral, the time it takes Cortana to walk over to the viewscreen in several graceful strides is all she requires to analyze all the material they have on the mysterious planet.
ÝÝÝÝÝThere is no question as to whether a moon exists in this position. The gravitational fluctuation is persistant enough, even over a two hour period, to indicate that a sizable planetary body is in a stable orbit around the parent body. Furthermore, there is a detectable ion transfer between the two bodies, if you look here, a small line originating from the giant red planet, issuing into space and ending in a question mark appears. you can easily see that a large transfer of energy is taking place between the larger planet, and our unknown satellite.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Why isn't it appearing on our sensors then?"
ÝÝÝÝÝI cannot determine at this time. Diagnostics indicate no malfunction has occured within the systems, and that short-range sensors are operating well within nominal capacity. There is the possibility that the large energy exchange occuring has distorted the readings sufficiently to block out our visual instruments. Hold one moment, Admiral...Cortana puts her hand to her ear, as if listening, an imitation of human behavior.
ÝÝÝÝÝSensor Chief D'orniko reports the probe is away, and we may begin recieving data within the next few minutes.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Cortana. Stand-by until the probe begins transmitting," and with that, Cortana flickers again, then dissapears, awaiting the probe data, while the bridge crew reverts to their previous tasks of operating a damaged starcruiser, lightyears from home.

ÝÝÝÝÝ"Lieutenant Treux, do you know where you are," Dr. Barnes, and one of his orderlies stand over Alex, watching him blink in the dim light, reduced in part because Alex began screaming the moment his eyes opened.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I'm on Pillar of Autumn, aren't I? Sir?" he is dazed, and the feeling that his head is stuck in a slowly closing vice doesn't make it any easier to think.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"That's correct, Lieutenant. Now, do you know why you are in the medical bay?" Barnes shines his pen light, only slightly brighter than the lights within Alex's enclosed medical tent.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I..don't have the slightest clue, Sir." Truely he doesn't. No recollection of the events prior to the landing on the mysterious planet exist.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Maggie, make note that the patient has no memory of the trauma, he is sensitive to light, but is coherant and conscious. Now, Lieutenant Treux, to be brief, your gun blister suffered a direct hit, if you hadn't been in the tunnel at the time, you would have died as well," Dr. Barnes studies Alex's face carefully while he digests this new information. The human brain, in cases of severe trauma often intentionally blocks out memory to protect the mind from itself, and each piece that comes back could potentially send Alex into shock, or worse.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I..don't remember any of that, but I guess it explains my head," How could I have been unconscious and dreamt what I did.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sir, is it possible for me to have been dreaming while I was out?" maybe he can get an answer without telling too much. I don't doubt they'll throw me on permanent leave and confine me to quarters if I tell them all that I think happened.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Impossible, unconscious is two levels beneath sleeping. When you're asleep, the brain is still active, but unconscious is a total ceasing of all but vital activity. In other words, you still breath, and your heart still pumps, but there's no thinking, conscious or otherwise," he hands the chart back to Maggie, signing off the release forms at the bottom.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝ"If that's everything, I'm going to discharge you as soon as your friends arrive. You're to stay at rest for 24 hours, and take these every twelve hours over the next few days, they'll help with your head. Come down if you feel dizzy or faint," he hands Alex a bottle of green pills and excuses himself from the tent, releasing Alex momentarily into Alex's the nurses care.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Lieutenant Treux, we're going to need this tent in a moment. If you would like to wait outside in the recieving room, there's space available there, but you aren't to leave until someone physically hands you over to Lieutenant Short and Lieutenant Cacho," easing him onto a wheelchair, she pushes Alex down a corridor, past rows of tents and medical equipment, attended by orderlies scurrying about in a way that would make one think Pillar of Autumn were treating casualties for the entire sixth fleet.
ÝÝÝÝÝHe waits patiently, watching as the casualties come and go, every so often a major case comes through the recieving room, a cloud of doctors and orderlies hovering above the critically wounded soldiers, life slipping away in a pool of blood as they push him quickly into the O.R. All the while Alex watches, and thanks God that he isn't one of the men lying on the gourneys. Twenty minutes go by and Alex has taken to wheeling himself around and around the room, thinking that perhaps Farrah and Derrick aren't coming, and he's going to have to maneuver himself back to the bunks alone. While the task isn't impossible, he fears maybe the war will be over by the time he reaches the 20th deck, and his room. Just as he begins to roll out from the automated doors, Farrah and Derrick appear around the corner, the concerned look on Derricks' face mimicked exactly by the look on Farrah's'.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Alex, man, how you feelin'?" Derrick booms down the corridor, causing Alex to wince, he's still a little sensitive to noise, particularly loud noise.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Not too bad, my head's a little sore. Doc says I get to stay off my feet for the next day or so, and you dogs have to wheel me wherever I want," he grins, then winces, those muscles are still a little too sore.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Well, at least you're alive. You still owe me a few stories and more than a few drinks," Farrah takes hold of the handles on Alex's chair and begins to push him down the hallway towards the elevator.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"I'll have to take you up on that later, they won't let me mix liqueur and this here medication," he shakes the bottle of pills for emphasis. Halfway to his room, with Derrick and Farrah still rambling between themselves, Alex is again asleep, this time no unknown worlds dance before his eyes, and the only voices he hears are those that permeate from the waking world of Pillar of Autumn into his dreamless slumber.

ÝÝÝÝÝAdmiral, the probe is almost within visual range, it will be coming around the gas giants curve in less than thirty seconds. Shall I project the incoming transmission onto the main screen? Cortana has reappeared again, walking quietly in and out between banks of computers and equipment that fill the bridge in neat rows, manned by teams of crew, it is the only indicator that she does not truely exist in the physical world.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Very good," turning away from Cortana, Mezair calls to the crew manning the navigation station. Their commander, Lieutenant Sanders turns around.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Lieutenant Sanders, bring us into a high orbit around the gas giant. Cortana, what's the closest Pillar of Autumn can go, and remain in a geosynchronous orbit?"
ÝÝÝÝÝI won't bore you with the calculations of relative mass, gravitational drag coefficients and planetary gravity, Admiral, but what you are asking be done is calculate the safe distance that a twenty billion ton starship can remain in near a gas giant larger than any we have seen in the known galaxy, and do so with the unknown variables of an extremely strong ion flux tube between the planet, and it's unknown moon. Without extensive data, or at least the location and size of the moon, I cannot plot a course, we are going to have to wait, for now anyway.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana, what is the minimum distance you could predict, right now, based on the facts, and unknown dangers."
ÝÝÝÝÝI would take an orbit that will go no close than the outer path of the moons predicted path, or roughly 150,000 kilometers. At that distance, we could observe anything of interest, but remain out of immediate danger.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you. Now, Lieutenant Sanders, bring us in to 150,000 kilometers, no closer, and maintain a circular station for the next 24 hours. I'm going to make a tour of the ship. Colonel Andrews, you have the bridge," with that, Mezair rises, followed closely, but inconspicuously by two uniformed security detail, charged with the Admiral's personal well being. Colonel Andrews isn't exactly Naval personall, but nine months on board has him well versed in procedure, and he happens to be the ranking officer on the bridge, the events that follow are not exactly his fault, but the outcome certainly might have been different should Captain Field, Pillar of Autumns CO, or Admiral Mezair been at the helm.
ÝÝÝÝÝColonel, I am detecting a large number of light signatures entering the system, no IFF decoder signals are present, suggesting they are Covenant vessels.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Cortana, set Defense Readiness One, all gunners to their stations, weapons free on my mark," Andrews punches his hand down onto the intercom button to Admiral Mezair.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Sir, we've got something of a situation developing up here. Cortana has located a large number of light signatures entering the system, I've called for DefRed One, and weapons free on my mark, but I think a situation such as this warrants your presence on the bridge," he taken his eyes to the main viewscreen, which has been overlayed with a gridded tactical map, showing the positions of the gas giant, the sun, and now the Covenant fleet, numbering some thousands ships, a far cry from the thirty-thousand they left circling Reach, but still too many for Pillar of Autumn to fight alone.
ÝÝÝÝÝColonel, I am far more capable of handling this situation myself than the navigation crew, perhaps you will allow me to take control of the ship for the time being. Cortana is standing in front of Colonel Andrews, her eyes never blinking as they watch for some sign that will give away his decision, one way or the other, part of her programmed ability to read and decipher body language.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"As you see fit, Cortana. Helm, give control of the ship to the computer, you may stand down at your stations for the time being," the navigation crew relaxes, talking quietly amongst themselves as Cortana assumes full responsibility over the helm.
ÝÝÝÝÝPillar of Autumn turns 180 degrees in space to confront the enemy fleet head on, her shields up and batteries armed. Gliding silently through the distance between ships she gains speed at a terrifying rate, flying directly on a collision course with the largest of Covenant warships. Minutes from impact, Cortana gives the order to fire, and some 500 heavy fusion batteries open up, reigning death on the Covenant vessel.
ÝÝÝÝÝLaser fire impact sporadically against the shields, as human gunners rush to find the range and angle of attack, gaining intensity as others quickly join the fight. Mere moments pass between the time the first volley of shots has been fired and when the Covenant shielding disappears in a flash of burst capacitator coils, hundreds of alien naval personell dead instantly when the cooling mechanisms that evaporate millions of megawatts into space fail, electrocuting and burning anything within a relatively large radius.
ÝÝÝÝÝWith her shields gone, the Covenant battlecruiser is defensless, but by no means harmless, and nearly three dozen fighters drop from a spacious docking bay in her belly, streaking towards Pillar of Autumn like as many fireflies. Cortana activates the remote fast tracking turrets, spewing forth hundreds of thousands of depleted uranium shells at the approaching fighters in a figurative wall of lead. Several hundred rounds find their mark, and without the benifits of internal energy shield generators, six Covenant fighters explode, their fiery deaths catching three more attack craft in an expanding wave of gas and debris. Several rounds catch a Covenant pilot in the torso, chopping him neatly in half, his smoldering carcass resting heavily on the control yoke. As he dies, his fighter surges down into the flight below, destroying twelve fighters in a chain reaction as ammunition and microfusion reactors cook off into space.
ÝÝÝÝÝLearning from their dead bretheren, the remaining 18 Covenant fighters break formation, distancing themselvesÝÝÝÝÝfrom each other as they press forward. At less than 40 kilometers, all 18 attack craft release two blindingly bright bolts of light that streak almost instantly towards Pillar of Autumn, striking the foremost section of energy shielding, but instead of impacting and dissipating as it normally should, the bolt shimmers against the invisible barrier, it's exterior sloughing off to reveal a' burning' core of pure white energy that pulses briefly before slamming against the SolCore vessels superstructure.
ÝÝÝÝÝThe first series of bolts impacts directly beneath the primary stabilization drivers, and Pillar of Autumn shudders softly in space, power to the intricate machines that keep the ship on a stable plane of flight momentarily lose power before one of seven backup systems takes over, restoring her even keel. Inside the ship, a thousand tiny pieces of the hull have turned into deadly missiles, the force of the blast propelling them deep into the Pillar of Autumn's heart, slicing through wires, cabling, and men who stand in their deadly path. The remaining bolts stich a line of damage that runs the vessels length, crippling several major systems that include shield relays, oxygen processors, and short wave scanning. Worse still is that four of her twenty holding bays, where at least three thousand refugees currently reside are built along the outer hull, and two suffer severe damage.
ÝÝÝÝÝGrey mottled hull dissapears in a flash of blue fire where one of the Covenant 'torpedos' has hit, blowing inward, the blast instantly kills hundreds of civilians, the survivors dying painfully while the oxygen in their blood boils to the surface when it contacts the cold vaccum of space. Complete disaster is averted as the autoturrets maintain their withering rate of fire, finishing off the last Covenant fighters.
For now, at least carnage is complete, and Pillar of Autumn returns her attention to battering the damaged cruiser into oblivion. Laser fire flashes back and forth through space, but in the end, Cortana's perfect hand wins out, the Covenant ships hull breaches. A pillar of oxygen and fire shoots five hundrede meters out into space from a large tear in the cruisers duraluminum skin, dying out seconds later, the air exhausted. Twisting through debris towards the broken wreck, Pillar of Autumn finds relative safety under the cruisers immense shadow.
ÝÝÝÝÝBy now, the Covenant forces have scrambled, and twelve thousand fighters illuminate the darkness of space with glowing trails that criscross over the stars. Behind them stand a wall of firepower that obliterates any light from the systems distant sun, one thousand warships of varying sizes wait in anticipation for a victory that will surely be theirs; everyone is to a degree wrong.
ÝÝÝÝÝ Surging forward, in a large, seemingly chaotic mass, the Covenant fighters close on Pillar of Autumn. At just over 500 kilometers, three large, cylindrical objects are ejected from her belly in a puff of compressed gas, hanging motionless for seconds until the tail ends light up with light as they streak towards the approaching enemy. 'They' are MkIIVI(x3) tactical nuclear explosives, normally used only in extreme circumstances for supressing planetary systems, each contains enough harnessed energy to vaporize an area twice the size of Earth's moon. Gliding through space, they close the distance between SolCore and Covenant rapidly, and in the midst of the alien swarm, detonate. At three different points among their formationg, an expanding ball of light, brighter than ten thousand suns engulfs any Covenant ships within it's grasp. For a moment, perfect nuclear fusion is achieved, but just as quickly the fuel runs out, and falling back in on itself, the nuclear fire dissapears, leaving no trace that it ever existed.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝA cheer rises up from Pillar of Autumn's crew, they are already living on borrowed time, but perhaps they might live to see yet another day. Not wasting a moment, Cortana executes a second 180 degree turn, reorienting Pillar of Autumn towards the massive gas giant. By this time, both Admiral Mezair and Captain Field have reached the bridge, Cortana reports directly to them.
ÝÝÝÝÝI am going to take Pillar of Autumn directly into the upper atmosphere of the gas giant, the possibility is that it's high energy signature will mask our own, and we will be able to wait there for the next several days until the Covenant force exits the area.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"This is a deep space warship, Cortana, will the hull be able to handle that kind of stress? Christ, will the engines?" Captain Field is one of the few officers in SolCore Navy who is loathe to relinquish total control to the machines, and as such, has always questioned Cortanas' ability to perform complex, or risky maneuvers such as this.
ÝÝÝÝÝCaptain, if the standard atmospheric composition of this planet is similiar to that of most primarily gas planets, then Pillar of Autumn should have sufficient protection for up to twelve days of interatmospheric flight. The question of gravity, however, is difficult, but should the pull become too great, I am not allowed to engage in any actions that would endanger either the ship, or crew unnecessarily, and will therefore disengage.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Then go ahead, Cortana, but please be careful."
ÝÝÝÝÝAs always, Captain.
ÝÝÝÝÝDarting in and out between floating space debris larger than houses, Cortana guides Pillar of Autumn quickly through the massive asteroid belt that separates the systems lone star and outer planets. When one of the massive rocks looks as if it is going to collide with the ship, a fusion battery will open fire, turning the rock into a million tiny fragments, harmless against Pillar of Autumns gigantic mass. They are carefully moving closer to the planetary bodies, now, and slowly down in Information Eight on Deck Thirty, the energy level indicators are gradually rising into the red zone, where all incoming data is blocked in a wash of high gamma and x-ray radiation. Pillar of Autumn is effectivly blind, deaf and mute. Behind them, the Covenant forces have become entangled within the asteroid field, and try as they may, dozens of ships now float crippled and dying, waiting for a final blow that will breach the hull and empty the life of thousands of crew into space.
ÝÝÝÝÝWe are entering the planetary vicinity, Captain,. I am going to position us within the gravity shadow of the moon, which may provide us with additional cover. You may watch the approach on the main screen, however, the damage to our sensors prevents me from providing you with additional readings.
ÝÝÝÝÝAn image appears on the primary display; the incredible gas giant filling two-thirds of the picture, it's oranges and reds brilliant against the star speckled backdrop of space. Seemingly motionless, and paling in beauty compared with the giant, is the single moon, an airless, crater filled landscape that resembles Earths own in every way. However, floating between planet and moon is a ring shaped object, it's outer surface a dull grey similiar to the coat Pillar of Autumn wears, but flawless, like looking into a diffused mirror, it echoes a mockery of the beauty along it's perfect surface. As if this weren't strange enough, the inner surface is covered in what looks to be grass, water and clouds...a perfect echosystem built onto a ring shaped world, floating in an unknown system between a massive gas giant, and her moon. This startling new revelation must wait for the moment, as a dozen Covenant heavy cruisers round the planets curve.

ÝÝÝÝÝAll crew to action stations, DefRed1 set, engage targets and fire at your discretion. Cortana's artificial voice booms throughout Pillar of Autumn, alerting her crew to the approaching danger. Cortana herself is not idle, and she dives Pillar of Autumn down towards the orbiting ring, hoping to find safety without running the risk of crushing the ship in the gas giants atmosphere.
ÝÝÝÝÝUnlike her previous engagements, Pillar of Autumn does not have the support of thousands of SolCore vessels, nor does she have the benefit of being uninjured and at full fighting capacity. With several primary systems out, hundreds of crew dead or wounded, and the rapidly diminishing to run, Pillar of Autumn is faced with two possibilities; the unlikely event in which she destroys the aggressor force; or the probable scenario in which she, and her entire crew are destroyed. Grim determination and desperate reality collide inside of the ship, the gun crews sit as if made of stone within their blisters, medical personall draw silent, waiting for the flood of casualties, and refugees deep within her belly huddle quietly as their fate is handed to six thousand men and women of the SolCore navy, aided by one artificial intelligence.
ÝÝÝÝÝLaser fire once more flashes through space, but the battle is entirely one sided. Three cruiser move in a crecent formation, pummeling Pillar of Autumn
repeatedly with heavy fire from their broadsided fusion cannons. Fighters in huge numbers scream back and forth over the ship, raking her hull with intense barrages of both laser fire and the deadly torpedos, tearing gaping holes into thick duraluminum skin. Pillar of Autumn succeeds in destroying eighteen fighters, and two heavy cruisers, severely damaging two more, but it is not enough, advance units from the larger Covenant force closing on her rear being the assault, and the fight ends within minutes.ÝÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝÝAdmiral, primary fusion drive is offline, secondary units are operating at 30% capacity, I'm being forced to route power from weapons to life support and shields. Probability of success at this point is 3.002%, I suggest you give the order to abandon ship.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Very well, Cortana, we're going to drop on the ring. Position the ship accordingly, and sound the alarm." Mezair has never, in 50 years of military service been forced to abandon a ship under his command, and the order barely escapes his lips.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Men and Women of Pillar of Autumn, we have fought what some would consider a doomed fight against a numerically and technologically superior enemy. I cannot say it in any way other than I am glad it was you who served with me, as friends, allies, and brothers. The order has been given to abandon ship, you are to make your way orderly to your designated lifeboats. The rendezvous point has already been pre-entered into your onboard flight computers, we will be regrouping on the orbiting ring some 15,000 kilometers away, that is all." he signs off before choking up completely, tears streaming down his face as he waves the command crew off of the bridge.
ÝÝÝÝÝAdmiral, the lifeboats and shuttlecraft are beginning their evacuation, estimated time of arrival for the first craft on the ring is five minutes. There are two lifeboats left on the bridge level, I am downloading my core personality to these. I suggest you evacuate to one of these relatively soon, the shields will not last much longer.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Cortana, once the men are all aboard, fire the pods, and set the remaining shuttles to disperse in accordance with the predicted pod landing zones, I will be remaining on board to oversee the scuttling," as he speaks he is following through with the procedures that will turn Pillar of Autumn briefly into the brightest object this side of the planet. Although three of her four fusion cores have long since scrammed, Admiral Mezair is still able to initiate an executive override of the safety features, intentially powering them up and overheating the cores. To do this, he requires the authorization of either Captain Field, or Cortana in conjunction with his own authentication disk. Calling for the computer before she ejects herself into space, he requests her agreement...she does not withhold it.
ÝÝÝÝÝAdmiral, the last of the boats are away, they will reach safe distance in less than twenty seconds. Cortana walks quietly from console to console, the only other intelligence left on Pillar of Autumn.
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Point us towards the Covenant fleets heart, full burn on my mark."
ÝÝÝÝÝYes, Admiral. Reactors powering up, approaching redline..
ÝÝÝÝÝ"Now."
ÝÝÝÝÝPillar of Autumn rockets toward the dead center of the Covenant bulk, some twenty-thousand ships strong now, and more appearing in system every second. Closing the distance in several seconds, she cuts her engines and glides the remaining distance under the watchful eye of tens of thousands of Covenant gunners, who mysteriously remain silent. A lone bolt of fire streaks out from one Covenant battery, streaking past Pillar of Autumn and out into space beyond, when the ship dissapears in a flash of light so powerful that it immediatly destroys the vision of anyone watching with unprotected eyes, blinding sensors across the fleet. An expanding wave of nuclear fusion strikes the foremost Covenant vessels, carrying alien and ship away at the speed of light, their deaths only known to the human race when the light reaches some distant outpost of humanity in millions of years. The destruction spreads quickly, encompassing nearly six thousand ships, and crippling thousands more.
ÝÝÝÝÝMeanwhile, all that remains of the SolCore Six Fleet Arm, some five thousand men and women are drifting down, supported by parachutes onto an unknown ring, billions of miles from home. They are lost, stranded, broken and battered, but they are the last hope humanity has, for somewhere on this immense world is an answer, something the Covenant desperately seek to find, and that humanity has yet to discover.


The Doors of Heaven and Hell are adjacent and Identical.
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ- Nikos Kazantzakis, The Last Temptation of Christ

Chapter Four - Prelude to Paradise
Date: 9 January 2001, 11:53 pm

My last chapter didn't quite follow the HALO story (as can be easily shown by reading it) as I expected. Please excuse for minor errors as I try to redirect this 'mutha' to collaborate with the rest of the known HALO universe.
ÝÝÝÝFurthermore, the last chapter was less action oriented than the previous two, and I feel this may have contributed to it's (perceived) lack of appeal - heads up, this chapter isn't necessary for the progression of the story, read and respond at your leisure. Be forewarned, it's more...psychological than most.
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝPrelude to Chapter 4 - Paradiso Perduto

Here at last
We shall be free;
the Almighty hath not built
Here for his envy, will not drive us hence:
Here we may reign secure, and in my choice
To reign is worth ambition through in Hell:
Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.

- John Milton

ÝÝÝÝThe drugs have made him weary, too tired and far removed from reality to realize the catastrophe that is unfolding all around. A smokey haze fills the living quarters and explosions resound through the thick duraluminum walls of Pillar of Autumn. He feels sensations as if they were not connected to his body, rather as if he were hearing an old friend tell a long remembered story. Large, rough hands grab him beneath his arms, and a set of smaller, gentler hands hold his feet. A voice filters down into his barely conscious mind, muffled as if heard through water over a long distance.
ÝÝÝÝ"C'mon, Alex. We're getting you outta here," he can't recognize who it is, nor does he make any connection to the name Alex, all he can do is hang completely dead while he is awkwardly maneuvered into a waiting wheelchair. Everything is a blur, but the feeling of rapid motion still comes, and as his head rocks from side to side with every twist and turn, he slowly begins to piece together what has happened.
ÝÝÝÝ"Shuttlecraft bay's are too far..."
ÝÝÝÝ"We've got to get him out, hold..." the wheelchair stops.
ÝÝÝÝ"Ok, Cortana says...level 12...let's go."
ÝÝÝÝ"SHIT SHIT SHIT...HOLD HIM, WE'RE ROLLING!" as the wheelchair is lifted on it's side, and he tumbles out, stopping with a crunch as his face contacts the bulkhead.
ÝÝÝÝThe detached tunnel vision he has been seeing is gone in an instant, replaced again by the all familiar blackness that more often than not, now heralds the coming of what Alex can only consciously describe as a living dream.
ÝÝÝÝImages dance past, flashing by at increasing speed until he cannot begin to decipher what they might be. Next come the lights, expanding into thin lines stretching endlessly, arcing behind some unseen horizon. As he watches, they bend and ripple against each other, dissolving amongst the rainbow spectrum like the pattern of waves crisscrossing one another far upon a windswept ocean. The effect is beautiful, and terrifying at the same time, for while he watches, unable to withdraw gaze, the colors draw ever closer, like an unstoppable beast that threatens to drown him amongst its elysian form.
ÝÝÝÝHe has passed now, through the lights and broken once again into another existence. It is not what he expects.
ÝÝÝÝPerhaps I should stop expecting then...
ÝÝÝÝThe world he left was alive, and lush with the hum of some otherworldly organism. A great forest that itself seemed to live and think, even to converse openly in the end with Alex. This world bears no resemblance to the old.
ÝÝÝÝLooking around he views this new place through a filter of grey; the grass no longer lush and green, rather it has the texture and appearance of volcanic ash, crumbling to his touch and leaving footprints behind wherever he may walk. Raising his head towards the sky, he can see the sun is hidden beneath a bleak shroud of mist, and cloud, it's eerie half light seeping forlornly onto this dusty world. The wind tugs quietly at his jumpsuit, a cold chill that seeps the warmth from his body, echoing rememoration of great pain and loss...and hatred. Quiet whispers ride solemnly on the back of the wind, and he feels suddenly that there are eyes upon his own back. Turning around there is nothing, save a lone obsidian tower rising out of the ground; a dagger pointed towards the silent Heavens. It stands perhaps 500 yards away, no windows, except for two at the very pinnacle, which is slightly larger than the rest of the tower and tapering off to a rounded point at the tip, like something out of a storybook castle.
ÝÝÝÝJesus Christ, not more...please no more of this. He decides that when, or if he returns to reality then he will immediately inform Dr. Barnes, regardless of the consequences.
ÝÝÝÝAgain whispers float towards him, louder, but still ominous, their words faintly discernible against the blowing of the wind.
ÝÝÝÝWelcome back, Lieutenant Treux. The voice drips with nothing less than pure contempt, and something else..far sinister than its' seemingly normal greeting would imply.
ÝÝÝÝ"I haven't been here, how can you welcome me back?" Silence answers, and after waiting several moments for a reply, he begins to trot briskly towards the black tower some 400 yards distant. With nothing better to occupy his mind while he walks, Alex ponders what put him here in the first place, and the last memory he can recall is sitting in the turret blister of Pillar of Autumn, directing fire for the gunner. Definitely not a precursor to this...this place in which he now finds himself.
ÝÝÝÝArriving upon the towers doorstep, he wonders if truly it is worth it to discover what resides within the menacing spire. It's walls resemble that of polished steel, save for their black colouring. The trees, the clouds and even Alex himself can be seen within the black walls, reflecting back a distorted mockery of the world around them. Something strange, however: while the clouds on the tower whip across the sky at frightening speeds, a quick glance upwards reveal no motion whatsoever, and no wind can be felt, excepting the quiet whispers that gently ruffle through his hair. Drawing breath, he proceeds through the darkened maw that was once a door.
ÝÝÝÝImmediately he senses more whispers, echoing down from the chamber at the towers height..no less insidious sounding than they are cryptic.
ÝÝÝÝWith direct eyes, to death's other Kingdom...remember us not as lost - violent souls...
ÝÝÝÝShivering with cold and fear, he begins to ascend a long staircase winding it's way to the pinnacle. Light enters through the door, but an ethereal glow pulses throughout the tower..not from the walls, which unlike those on the exterior seem to absorb everything that contacts them, but from the air itself. Climbing slowly, the voices seem to rise with his altitude, carried on an ever growing wind that rises to a howl just beyond the trap door leading to the upper chamber. Pausing briefly to rest, Alex throws all of his weight against the heavy wooden door, hinges groaning in protest for an instant until the spring back with a snap, the door thudding loudly against the hard stone floor. Climbing through the door, Alex is nearly bowled over by shrieking winds that fill the chamber. Voice come at him with a demonic howl, rising and falling to the wail of the wind.
ÝÝÝÝREMEMBER US IF IF AT ALL NOT AS LOST, BUT AS VIOLENT SOULS. IN THIS LAST OF MEETING PLACES WE GROPE TOGETHER...the voices are lost amid the wind.
ÝÝÝÝThe wind whips his face, tugging at the blue SolCore jumpsuit and threatening to bowl him over onto the floor, or worse yet, down to the base of the tower. Sweeping his gaze from side to side reveals the same flat, black feature as the rest of the tower. Directly ahead, resting against the wall, however, lies a black box, it's sides decorated with dark purple writing that Alex cannot decipher.
ÝÝÝÝBETWEEN CONCEPTION AND CREATION, EMOTION AND RESPONSE FALLS THE SHADOW. The wind howls, and the voices rage as he observes. Crouching even lower, allowing the walls of the tower to partially block the winds rage, Alex moves towards the box, the gale intensifying with each step.
ÝÝÝÝBETWEEN THE POTENCY AND EXISTENCE, ESSENCE AND DESCENT, MOTION AND ACT, IDEA AND REALITY FALL THE SHADOW. ALL RESTS BETWEEN THE SHADOW.
ÝÝÝÝReaching the box, he draws open the lid. Inside lies what resembles a large butterfly chrysalis, oblong in shape but sticky with a dark brown mucus. It pulses in the wind, and shakes with it's fury. Peering closer, Alex notices the membrane is porous, and a crystalline liquid covers the entire surface. Drawn inexorably forward, Alex reaches his hand out to touch the pulsing mass.ÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝTHE EYES ARE NOT HERE, THERE ARE NO EYES IN THIS VALLEY OF DYING STARS. IN THIS HOLLOW VALLEY, THIS BROKEN JAW OF OUR LOST KINGDOMS. The chrysalis bursts open, and inside is a creature resembling a flea, the size of a large cat with bulging grey eyes and a gaping hole in the top of its head, presumably a mouth. Drawing back, partially of shock, partially of fright, Alex can sense the pure hatred and malice this creature feels for not just him, but all of humanity..perhaps all life in general.
ÝÝÝÝThe creature watches calmly as the wind rises to new extremes, voices surging, pushing Alex backwards against the stone wall, rolling him quickly towards the gaping window that leads out into nothingness.
ÝÝÝÝTHIS IS THE DEAD LAND, HERE THE STONE IMAGES ARE RAISED, AND HERE THEY ARE RECEIVED. THE SUPPLICATION OF A DEAD MAN'S HAND UNDER THE TWINKLE OF A FADING STAR.
ÝÝÝÝAnd with that, a furious gust of wind retches Alex from the floor and flings him out into the sky, the only noise is the wind screaming in his ears as the ground once more rushes up to greet his face, the creature issuing waves of screaming mirth from the reaches of the tower until the moment Alex strikes the hard earth, everything growing black in an instant.

Chapter Five - Whiskey Nine
Date: 12 January 2001, 8:07 pm

These are the times that try men's souls...
...tyranny, like Hell, is not easily conquered.
ÝÝÝÝ- Thomas Paine

ÝÝÝÝPillar of Autumn shudders with each Covenant impact, groaning as bulkheads give way to the freezing vacuum of space. Farrah and Derrick have been running for over ten minutes now, taking turns pushing a wheelchair containing Alexs' limp form through the flickering, smoke filled hallways as they rush to the nearest shuttlebay, located now only 6 decks below. Three levels up, the power had gone out for a harrowing fifteen minutes, the only sounds that of Covenant laser fire impacting on the completely unshielded hull as Derrick and Farrah stumbled blindly in the perfect darkness towards the next emergency shaft, tripping over papers and debris that are now scattered dangerously in the corridor. Emergency power had kicked in, but only after drastic rerouting of several major systems and juggling power from the remaining fusion units. As a result, Pillar of Autumn is now fighting at less than 30% capacity, her shields weakening, and primary weapons completely offline, her best chance is to run; fast and hard towards the orbiting ring dubbed HALO.
ÝÝÝÝAfter a gut wrenching 30 minute descent down the final emergency chute, Alexs' limp body swinging back and forth from the wheelchair fastened with rope, and lowered slowly by a half dozen marines from Pillar of Autumns marine company Charlie, the three reach Docking Bay Whiskey Nine, the last bay on the deck that remains fully functional. The bay is complete chaos, and at least one other marine companie has formed up in the marshalling area, waiting for a transport to take them down to the surface. Covenant fighters, sometimes persued by, sometimes persuing Longsword fighters from PoA scream pass, cannons spewing deadly green fire, but never penetrating the dying shields of the bay.
ÝÝÝÝ"Computer detects boarding craft inbound at Whiskey Nine, Deck Six. Charlie company to Whiskey Nine to repel boarders." a voice booms across the bay loudspeakers, and the assembled mass scurries back into the corridors, or seeks cover behind boxes; parked Warthogs and armored combat vehicles that line both sides of the rear walls.
ÝÝÝÝFor a moment, everything is silent except for the everpresent rumble of weapons fire impacting on the hull until 2 dark blue Covenant dropships come screaming in at deadly speeds, thrusting hard at the final moment before they flare briefly and settle down. Immediatly the ramps on either side of the ships fall and about two hundred Covenant warriors burst forth, weapons at the ready.
ÝÝÝÝSimultaneously, Charlie and Able companies located on either side of the docking bay open fire, spewing forth an initial volley that cuts the Covenant numbers immediatly by one quarter.
ÝÝÝÝThe Covenant return fire, their personal firearms merely scaled down versions of the massive ship board batteries that have been used to relentlessly batter Pillar of Autumn in space for the last several two days, and no less deadly to human flesh than their space based couterparts are to human ship. A plasma grenade sails into a vehicle pit being used as a makeshift foxhole for a detachment of Able company marines. Two men scramble out, leaving behind four more as the weapon detonates, releasing fiery plasma in a silent flash that allows the screams of the dying all too noticable amid the din of battle. Even these two men are not saved, hugging the metal floor in an instinctual response to flee from harm, they lie pitifully still until a formation of Elites rush the pit, cutting the marines neatly in half with glowing blue/green blades of fire, part of their slow advance to the Able company center. Initially, the docking bay forces resembled two parallel lines, with the Covenant dropships located in the middle; now Able company has the look of a half-oval, the center almost completely decimated by heavy Covenant fire. Charlie company has remained relatively unscathed, and continues to pour fire into the rear of the enemy formation, who seem to have total disregard for casualties.
ÝÝÝÝ"GRENADE!!" one of the Able company marines screams, throwing himself over the duraluminum crates his squad had been using for cover. A slight thump, a crackle and a flash of light shoot out from behind the packing containers to signal the grenade has released its deadly energies - no more marines follow and a plasma beam burns right through his stomach, leaving him writhing in agony on the ground.
ÝÝÝÝ"LIEUTENANT BAKER, HOLD 1ST PLATOON AND COVER THE LEFT FLANK, TELL LIEUTENANT SANDERS WE'RE PULLING BACK TO THE DOORS. COVER OUR WITHDRAWL UNTIL 2ND PLATOON IS THROUGH, THEN FALL BACK!" Major Gibran, the Israeli born Company commander shouts, his voice barely audible over the crackle of small arms fire and the screams of the wounded.
ÝÝÝÝLieutenant Baker has made it only 20 steps down his line, when without warning, two more dropships scream in, flaring directly behind the first pair, immediatly disgorging another two hundred Covenant troops. The effect is disasterous. Over 300 hostile units are focused entirely on the weakened Able company, whose numbers have been cut to only 75 men, out of an initial 166.
ÝÝÝÝShot in the back as they run for safety, Able company is again quartered in strength before the majority of her troops make it to the cavernous marshalling area behind the heavy blast doors.
ÝÝÝÝ"I'VE GOT AN IDEA.." Derrick shouts to Farrah, gesturing over to the unmanned Warthog anti-air unit about 400 feet away, nestled between two damaged Longsword fighters.
ÝÝÝÝ"I THOUGHT YOU WERE AN AIRHEAD, NOT A GROUNDPOUNDER." Farrah looks at Derrick, confused.
ÝÝÝÝ"THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE CAN'T SHOOT THE DAMN THING. LOOK, IT'S A SIMPLE LASER GUIDED MUNITION; TRAIN THE SIGHT ON THE TARGET; PULL SAFETY, TRIGGER; WATCH THE COVVIES EXPLODE," he rises to a crouch, waiting for a lull in the fighting that will allow them to cross.
ÝÝÝÝ"ARE YOU GOING TO HELP ME OR NOT NOW?" he waits for a minute, his eyes almost pleading..this is a once shot deal before the Covenant troops clear the dropship and begin to fan out into Pillar of Autumns mazelike interior.
ÝÝÝÝ"YEAH, HOLD ON." she sets Alex against the bulkhead, resting his head against Derricks rucksack packed with provisions.
ÝÝÝÝ"LET'S GO," she grabs an assault rifle from one of the dead marines, checks the clip and cuts down a charging grunt with one quick, aimed burst. Grabbing his own, Derrick sprints out from behind the boxes, spraying deadly fire into three Covenant grunts hiding directly opposite on the other side of the box. Bullets impact soft flesh, gouging massive, grisly holes in the Grunts unshielded skin and ricocheting off the floor below.
ÝÝÝÝ"COME ON, GO GO GO!" Derrick screams to Farrah, despite the fact that she is quickly overtaking him. Charlie companies 1st platoon watches the two run, screaming encouragement and pumping rounds into any Covenant troops that target the runners. Breathless, they arrive at the jeep ten seconds later, Farrah jumping behind the transpartent aluminum cockpit, while Alex takes position at the mounted, twin-Excalibur launching system, switching it to 'warm' mode.
ÝÝÝÝDesigned in the early 2400's, the Excaliber Laser Guider Projectile System (or 'ELPS' for short) quickly became the modern day equivalent of the 1940s German '88 FlaK gun. Initially designed to provide rapidly mobile battlefield support against low flying aircraft, ELPS was ingeniously employed by the 81st SolCore Marine Expeditionary Unit as an anti-tank/anti-personell weapon during the Vegan system uprising. Light, cheap and fast it has become the dominant local area anti-air weapon for Company sized units and smaller.
ÝÝÝÝSliding his fingers into the firing grips, Alex wraps the padded shoulder holsters around his biceps and back, padding himself from the termendous recoil created by the weapons, despite gyrostabalized absorbers mounted in the units base. A laser dot appears both on his targeting matrix mounted between the two 50mm launching tubes and 600 feet ahead on the third Covenant landing craft. Plasma bolts sizzle against the aluminum skin, and bounce off his shielded targeting grid.
ÝÝÝÝTime to go. A plasma bolt strikes him in the meat of the thigh, scorching flesh but he ignores the pain.
ÝÝÝÝ"GET DOWN." Derrick yells at Farrah, giving her a few seconds to cover herself from the blast of superheated gas that is ejected from the tubes.
ÝÝÝÝPulling the trigger, he lets loose two four hundred pound, armour piercing rounds that streak towards the Covenant craft, plunging ten feet in before their time delay detonaters ignite the primary charges. Explosions rip through the boarding vessel as ammunition and nuclear materials cook off in the immense fires raging within. More explosions catch the two nearest craft, a mere 10 yards away, sending alien and ship alike flying through the air.
ÝÝÝÝCheers erupt from the remaining Charlie and Able troops, who turn their attention to the remaining 40 Covenant forces scattered around the docking bay.
ÝÝÝÝ"ABLE COMPANY, GET BACK IN THERE," Major Gibran lets out a war whoop as he urges his troops back through the blast doors onto the killing floor of Whiskey Nine. Troops stream out the doors, weapons at the ready for any Covenant that may have survived - some have. Closing in on the burning hulk of the first landing craft, two marines are brought down by a screaming Covenant Elite believed to be dead. By the time the time anyone can respond, the Elite has turned them into nothing more than shreds of flesh, eyes gaping sightlessly out of crushed skulls, their legs lying several feet away in an expanding pool of blood. Turning around, snarling, the Covenant warrior is met full force with a shotgun blase to the skull, sending a spray of blue black blood onto the burning floor where it hisses and spits like grease on a frying pan.
ÝÝÝÝ"Alright, boys. Let's clear this shit outta here and get moving. I want the flight line clear in fifteen. NOW MOVE." Major Gibran surveys the damaged area of the flightline, scattered with Covenant bodies and four burning drop craft. As he watches, a team of 1st Battalion engineers push the burning Covenant craft towards the gaping maw of the bay entrance using heavy tracked combat rescue vehicles - essentialy tanks with bulldozer blades. Further down towards the blaste doors at the end of the bay, massive hydraulic lifts raise two transport shuttles into place, ready to be towed into their boarding and launch zones once the Combat Utility Vehicles have freed the flightline of debris. Watching all of this are Farrah and Derrick, both attended to by a medic; Derick for his plasma burn; and Farrah for 2nd degree burns on her arm suffered from the backblast of the second rocket volley.
ÝÝÝÝ"Nice work, Groundpounder," Farrah jokes at Derrick, truely she's happy..those laser blasts had started coming a little closer.
ÝÝÝÝ"No biggie, let's go pick up sleeping beauty, this isn't over yet" his ear to ear grin belies the mirth he really feels. However, as if to confirm his statement, Whiskey Six momentarily loses power as several more blasts rock the ship.
ÝÝÝÝ"All hands. This is the Captain. Prepare to abandon ship. Combat teams, repel boarders until Ops personell are away. Good luck. Keyes out," the voice of Keyes echoes across the temporarily silent bay. This is it, the moment everyone has known was coming, but no-one dared to admit, they are being forced to abandon the ship.
ÝÝÝÝ"ABLE COMPANY, MOVE YOUR ASSES TO THE ASSIGNED TRANSPORT. WE'RE LAUNCHING IN 10 YOU UNDERSTAND? 3RD PLATOON, STAY BEHIND WITH THE LAUNCH TEAMS UNTIL EVERYONE'S AWAY. FOLLOW THE PRE-PROGRAMMED TRAJECTORY DOWN TO THE RENDEZVOUZ POINT AND I'LL SEE YOU ALL PLANETSIDE" Gibran steps into file behind the last of his troops, making sure everyone is aboard before the clamps are blown and the ship takes them on the 30,000 klick trip onto the planet.
ÝÝÝÝ"We've got it covered, Sir. You can get Able out of here," Charlie companies 2nd platoon CO waves off Able's 3rd. Charlie isn't due to depart until her command squad arrives from a post-ops meeting with Colonal Andrews, Autumns second in command.
ÝÝÝÝThe last burning refuse is pushed past the shields into space, and Transport 1132 lifts off from the docking bay, aboard are: 134 marines from Able Company and the 1st Battalion HQ platoon including Naval personnel Alex Treux, Farrah Short and Derrick Cacho; four warthog anti-personnel jeeps; two warthog AA units; and enough supplies to keep a company of men alive for two weeks. As she pulls away, two tired looking LongSword fighters take up position on the wings, beginning the first of many long escort missions down to the planet.

ÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝ"Tango 1132, outbound for Halo, you there 1132?" the voice of Pillar of Autumns flight control operator comes over the sublight reciever, he is one of the few people remaining on the ship.
ÝÝÝÝ"Acknowledged, Autumn, what is it?" The ship is flying on autopilot, but Derrick and Farrah are still up front in the pilot chairs, manning the radios and watching the scanners in case anything needs attention other than flying along the preprogramed route.
ÝÝÝÝ"Looks like Covvies inbound on your vector, 1132. Suggest emergency procedures and you get outta there FAST. Over." the operator is calm, collected as he informs them that the few remaining Longsword fighters will be redirected from the CAP.
ÝÝÝÝ"Thanks, Autumn. We're taking her off of autopilot, not that it could matter much in the next few hours, but you might want to log it anyway," Derrick reaches over and flips the switch that sets the autopilot.
ÝÝÝÝ"Hey, if we don't have Navy protocol, then what's left?! Pillar of Autumn out." the operator laughs as he clicks off the channel. Reaching over, Farrah takes the control yoke while Derrick announces to the crew that they'll be taking an unexpected detour.
ÝÝÝÝ"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking, it looks as if we've hit some unexpected turbulance and we're going to be taking a slight detour to the south..no, seriously guys, Covvies inbound fast, sit down and strap in 'cause we're going radical."
ÝÝÝÝThree blips appear on the scanner, but the computer reads them as friendly, probably the Longswords inbound - all the help they can expect aside from their own two escorts.
ÝÝÝÝ"Tango 1132, this is Echo flight, inbound to your position. Suggest you alter course to 132.22.118, break right. We'll intercept on that vector. Over," Echo Flight leader punches a new series of coordinates into his computer, and the 135 foot fighter swings to the left, taking him on an intercept course with Tango 1132.
ÝÝÝÝSuddenly, nearly 40 fast moving blips appear on his scanner window, closing rapidly from the port side..definitly hostile.
ÝÝÝÝ"Echo flight, break left! Bogies inbound at 9 o'clock!" Echo flight breaks its tightly packed formation, reassembling into a loose arrowhead shape, Tango 1132s escorts also break formation with the shuttle, running to join Echo in battle.
ÝÝÝÝLongsword class space superiority fighters are to the SolCore military of the 25th century, as the P-41 Mustang and later F-15 Eagle fighters were to the early American air force. They are designed to be quick, and agile, but posessing an amazing capability for destruction and survivability in combat. They are loaded with the most advanced weapons available to any standard SolCore space fighter, and can destroy up to 16 targets even before they are within visual range. Today, however, all five of the Longsword defense units preparing to engage some 40 Covenant craft have seen heavy action, only two carry half a missile load, and none of the ships carry more than 60% gun ammunition.
ÝÝÝÝ"Welcome to the party, boys. Locked and loaded?" Echo One calls over to the two approaching fighters, Whiskey Seven and Whiskey Three.
ÝÝÝÝ"Whiskey Seven, fox four." the Longsword releases three clustered missiles from the number four pylon, keeping his fighter pointed towards the approaching enemy units so the missiles radar can use the Longswords more accurate system for pinpoint guidance.ÝÝÝÝWhiskey Seven and Echo Three launch two more volleys towards the unseen enemy, their only confirmation is that seven blips dissapear from the collective 'radar' screens.
ÝÝÝÝThe Covenant fighters are now within visual range, some 300 kilometers with the pilots computer aided vision. They are the all too familiar mottled blue hulls, resembling tapered wings that although prove to be technically inferior, are nonetheless deadly in the hands of their skilled Covenant pilots. Even with 8 Covenant fighters down, 33 remain..more than enough to cover each pilot with six bogies. ÝÝÝÝ
ÝÝÝÝUsing their superior maneuverability, the Covenant craft twist downward at the last moment, then surging upward into the SolCore vessels, raking the underbodies of Whiskey Three and Echo Two with hot plasma.
ÝÝÝÝ"SHIT! Central stabilizer's out, I can't hold her steady much -" Whiskey Three dissapears in a cloud of light as two Covenant fighters dive down from the glare of the sun. Echo two fares little better, two missile pods cooking off as they come into contact with Covenant weapons. Ripping the tail end of the Longsword off, Echo Two ejects moments before his entire vessel dissapears in another flash of light and debris. Tumbling through the freezing void of space, there is little doubt as to whether or not he will die alone, trillions of miles from home - there will be no after action rescue teams.
ÝÝÝÝWhiskey Seven banks hard after releasing a second volley of missiles - his last, that catch three Covenant fighters clustered stupidly together. The expanding shockwave bounces two more fighters into each other, dropping the alien forces down to 28. Echo One also releases the last of his missles, catching only two Covenant ships before he is cut down amid a flurry of plasma fire.
ÝÝÝÝThe odds are now unbeatable - each SolCore pilot must shoot down 13 enemy fighters in this wave alone for Tango 1132 to escape unharmed, the feat proves too great and after another minute of deft maneuvering, Echo Three and Whiskey Seven are destroyed, their bodies turned into ash that will forever float through the void of space..one of the only tokens left behind that will prove man existed, if only briefly in this portion of space.
ÝÝÝÝ"LET'S GO, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Derrick has given up gently coaxing the lumbering shuttlecraft and now wips at the controls as if it were an Earth racehorse. She responds by shaking violently as the fusion drives are pushed past the breaking point into the 4000megajoule per minute red zone. Another three minutes will put them within the relative safety of the rings atmosphere, and in five minutes Tango 1132 will disgorge her troops onto the newest outpost of humanity. Unfortunately, the remaining six Covenant fighters will arrive in less than four minutes.
ÝÝÝÝ"DIVERT POWER FROM INTERNAL LIGHTING AND OXYGEN PROCESSING TO SHIELDS. EMERGENCY GENERATORS ONLINE AND POWER TO ENGINES." Farrah has determined that they're not going to survive if the shuttle doesn't make atmosphere before the Covenant arrives, so why not risk it.
ÝÝÝÝLurching forward in complete darkness, Tango 1132 begins to feel the faint whisps of atmosphere on her duraluminum skin, another minute and they're safe. Plasma bolts crackle against the shields, and warning klaxxons sound as the overextended generators begin to short out, sparking and steaming in their stations below the lower passenger deck.
ÝÝÝÝ"DERRICK, WE'RE COMING DOWN ON THE WRONG CONTINENT. RENDEZVOUS POINT IS ALPHA ONE ONE ON THE TACTICAL GRID," Farrah gestures pointlessly to the map, Derricks' full attention is focused on putting the shuttlecraft down without any computer assistance or landing tug aid.
ÝÝÝÝ"I'M PUTTING US DOWN ON THE CLOSEST POSSIBLE POINT, THE SHIELDS AREN'T GOING TO TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS." Derrick pushes forward on the control yoke almost as much as it will go, lurching the ship downward at a sickening angle. Anything not securely strapped in is thrown against the aft bulkheads as the G force quickly rises, then levels off as Derrick does the same with the ship.
ÝÝÝÝ"Alright, the fighters have broken off, but what do you want to bet that the Covvies send us a nice welcome gift on the surface?" Cacho wipes sweat from his brow, a useless gesture since his entire jumpsuit is soaked.
ÝÝÝÝ"Gotcha, I'll tell the passengers," Farrah reaches for the intercom.
ÝÝÝÝ"Sorry about that, boys, we had a little unexpected company. We're putting down and it's going to be hot. Covenant dropships expected in less than fifteen, and we're dropping ramp nearly 5,000 klicks from the expected LZ."
ÝÝÝÝThe dropship comes down a little too quickly, flaring for a long five seconds as Derrick attempts to slow her decent, until the ship slams down at a rough 50 miles an hour, buckling the aft landing gear and digging the nose of the craft into the soft mud of a small pond they've partially filled with 7,000 tonnes of SolCore naval hardware.

ÝÝÝÝ"All right, people. I want weapons at the ready. Eyes and ears OPEN. NOBODY LEAVES THIS SHUTTLE UNTIL THE LZ IS SECURE. FIRST PLATOON, SECURE THE PERIMETER AT SIXTY YARDS, LET'S MOVE LADIES," Major Gibran is moving up and down the line, helping the marines unbuckle themselves from the shuttle harnesses, then heads back into the cockpit to Farrah and Derrick for a quick overview of their sitution. First platoons members reach into their seat lockers, quickly donning armour and weapons.
ÝÝÝÝThe standard SolCore marine squad consists of roughly ten members of varying function; a sergeant commands the platoon, with the help of a corporal who also serves as the radio operator; six riflemen armed with the standard issue MA5B assault rifle and five additional clips of ammunition, or a tactical shotgun with 30 additional slugs; one trooper carries the SAW, or Squad Automatic Weapon - generally a Mk.IV Supressor machine gun firing jacketed .30 calibre depleted uranium rounds capable of laying down a wall of lead at 1600 rounds a minute and reasonably accurate to 1,100 yards; finally the squad has one combat medic, capable in all forms of battlefield medicine short of surgery and reconstsruction. Multiply these numbers by three to four, and you have a standard SolCore Marine platoon, by three again and you have the Company level.
ÝÝÝÝWeapons drawn, 1st platoon streams out the landing craft rear ramp, fanning out by squad to cover the perimeter. Whenever a section of terrain is cleared, the ranking member in a squad will shout 'clear' and a direction of approach to notify the remaining teams that the area has been deemed secure. After five tense minutes, first platoon decides that the area is free of hostile activity, and radio back into Tango 1132 that all is clear...for now, and Able company streams out onto HALO.
ÝÝÝÝ"What the Hell happened in orbit, Lieutenants? Why aren't we near Alpha One One?" Major Gibran is not angry, as the ranking officer at the moment he merely expects to be kept abrest of all developments.
ÝÝÝÝ"Sir, our fighter escorts intercepted roughly 40 Covenant attack craft inbound for the shuttle, and after a brief fight it looks as if they were all destroyed. Lieutenant Short and I were forced to put the shuttle down as quickly as possible to avoid an entanglement with the remaining Covenant fighters."
ÝÝÝÝ"Very well. Does Autumn know we're here?"
ÝÝÝÝ"It looks as if the Pillar of Autumn has lost her last transmitters, Sir. The last communication we recieved was several minutes before the attack, and we haven't picked up any frequency chatter since," Farrah twists at the dials for the radio, but gives up after finding nothing but hissing static across the entire frequency.
ÝÝÝÝ"How long until this bird gets back into the air then?" in the tone of voice that says 'I'd better get some good news or else'.
ÝÝÝÝ"Probably never unless Autumn can send us a drop repair crew. All four capacitator coils are blown - running into the atmosphere put too much power through them and they just went up in smoke. Sorry, Sir."
ÝÝÝÝ"Fine. Sit tight and monitor the radio for anything from Autumn. Alert me if something develops," with that Gibran turns and walks back towards the fully extended landing ramp. Suddenly, he turns back to Farrah and Derrick.
ÝÝÝÝ"By the way, excellent work you two. I don't think we would have made it out of Whiskey Nine without your help. Thank you," he crisply salutes, holding at attention until Farrah and Derrick do the same, then turns and walks quickly down the ramp.
ÝÝÝÝ"You know, maybe he's not such a bad guy after all.." Derrick muses.
ÝÝÝÝ"I never thought he was, really. You're just an asshole," she playfully punches him in the arm.
ÝÝÝÝ"I'm going to check up on Alex, you mind riding solo for a minute," she rises to leave.
ÝÝÝÝ"Not a problem, in fact, why don't you bring him up here..we'll party."
ÝÝÝÝ"Sure thing," walking through the passenger cabin, she takes a left turn down a small staircase located directly aft of the cockpit door that leads into the small medical bay. Room enough for a single person, the bed is occupied by the formerly catatonic Alex Treux, now sitting upright, legs dangling over the side of the bed and staring against the wall.
ÝÝÝÝ"ALEX! You're up, finally," Farrah rushes over to hug Alex, looking him him over to make sure the flight into orbit didn't bounce him around too much.
ÝÝÝÝ"Where..umm..where am I?" he looks around at the cramped facilities, confused. Farrah lowers her head just a little and her voice softens.
ÝÝÝÝ"Pillar of Autumn is probably destroyed. While you were out the Covvies started landing troops on her. We repelled the first wave, but Keyes gave the order to abandon ship. On the way in, we met some company and the fighter escort was destroyed, Derrick had to put her down here or else we would've been shot to Hell."
ÝÝÝÝ"Where's here?"
ÝÝÝÝ"Oh, sorry. We're about 5,000 klicks from Alpha One One - the rendezvous point for Autumns escape pods and shuttlecraft. Other than that, nobody really has any idea."
ÝÝÝÝ"HEY FARRAH, YOU MAY WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT THIS," Derricks voice calls from up in the cabin, a mix of tension, excitement and fear.
ÝÝÝÝ"You feel up to moving?"
ÝÝÝÝ"Yeah, help me up." Farrah puts her arm under Alexs', allowing him to use her as a human crutch. Slowly, shakily he rises and they both walk slowly up the stairs and back into the cockpit.
ÝÝÝÝ"Alex, whoah man..take a look at this." he gestures out the window to a fireball streaking out of orbit and towards the surface.
ÝÝÝÝ"It's Autumn..she's moving too straight and level to be crashing. Keyes must be trying to put her down on the planet," he never takes his eyes off the ship, a tail of fire nearly three miles long extending out the back as dust and paint from the exterior cooks off from the friction of atmospheric reentry. Pillar of Autumn was built in space, has been repaired in space and never once flown in the atmosphere of a planet. This is her unofficial decomissioning, after this, nothing is going to move her from the rings surface.
ÝÝÝÝ"Computer projects that she'll come down about 5,200 klicks away..near Alpha One One," Farrah taps at the keypad, feeding guesstimated speed and trajectory into the plotting computer.
ÝÝÝÝ"Gibran wanted a heads up if anything happened, think this counts?" Derrick reaches for the ships exterior loudspeaker controls.
ÝÝÝÝ"Gibran? Isn't he Able companies man?" Alex is confused again..being out for two days however, it's to be expected.
ÝÝÝÝ"That's right. We're in Tango 1132 right now, Able company is outside securing the area..there are about 110 of 'em, plus the 1st Battalion HQ platoon," leaning over, Derrick taps the external speaker controls.
ÝÝÝÝ"Major Gibran, Sir. Pillar of Autumn is coming down at about our 1 o'clock. We think Keyes is bringing her down to the planet," Derrick clicks the comm back off. Outside, Major Gibran waves them out of the cockpit and onto the planets surface.
ÝÝÝÝ"Looks like the Major wants us outside, you up to it, Alex?"
ÝÝÝÝ"Ughh..no, not really. Carry me?" he bats his eyelashes jokingly at Derrick.
ÝÝÝÝ"Alright, let's go puss," Farrah and Derrick both take a side and lift Alex out of his seat, supporting him with their shoulders.
ÝÝÝÝWalking slowly down the ramp, they are blinded by the light streaming down from the sun, ten times brighter than it was through the shielded cockpit glass. The air is fresh and cool, but the sun provides a gentle warmth that creates the impression of a mid-spring day back on Earth. One of the Warthogs speeds past out of the shuttles vehicle bay and over towards the makeshift vehicle park hidden beneath a small grove of trees. Major Gibran is 100 yards away, speaking with his three platoon Lieutenants, gathered around him in a small circle. Walking over, everyone exchanges solutes before Gibran gets down to business.
ÝÝÝÝ"Ok, look. We're not staying here, if that shuttle won't move then we're going to have to hump it someplace else. There's a secondary regroup point located here, some 3,000 klicks away in this mountain region," Gibran points to a location on the glass plated Holomap, holding his finger on the position, the map automatically zooms closer. The regroup point, codenamed Bravo Two Two is a small valley nestled between towering mountains. A small pass leads into the region, but it too is surrounded by (according to topographic indicators) shear cliff faces, twisting and turning for over forty miles.
ÝÝÝÝ"It's not going to be easy, and we're probably going to be fighting the bloody Covenant the entire way, but we will do it. Assemble your men, we move in an hour," with that, Gibran dismisses the Lieutenants and turns to face the three Navy pilots.
ÝÝÝÝ"Glad to see you're awake, Lieutenant Treux. Your friends seemed very worried."
ÝÝÝÝ"Thank you, Sir. I'm somewhat glad myself."
ÝÝÝÝ"I wanted to thank both of you again, for what you did. However, you are not marines and I want all three of you stick with the Company. You are not to leave visual range at any time, is that understood?" he waits for all three to nod their acceptance before he continues.
ÝÝÝÝ"Since I doubt Lieutenant Treux has fully recovered yet, I'm letting him ride in one of the jeeps at the back of the column. Lieutenant Short, Lieutenant Cacho, there should be room enough for you to ride with him. Any objections?"
ÝÝÝÝ"No problem, Sir."
ÝÝÝÝ"All right, then. 2nd platoon needs help unloading some of their gear from the cargo bay, see if you can give them a hand. Lieutenant Treux, go get checked out by Doc, he's over by the vehicle pool."
ÝÝÝÝ"Yes, Sir!" the four exchange solutes one more time, and then depart in their own directions. Walking slowly towards the vehicle pool, Alex feels an overwhelming sense of deja-vu. Not in the literal sense that he has existed in this place before, but the air, the sun, the trees all look and feel incredibly familiar. The planet itself exudes an energy he has never felt before, save for the dreamworld forest of the past week. For better, or for worse, something exists here that is both ancient and terrible and he, Alex Treux is destined to play a key role in whatever it is.

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