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Triple Threat
Posted By: Ghalos<Ghalo113@hotmail.com>
Date: 19 August 2006, 6:33 am
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**September 21, 2552**
Sean, Brooke, and Jessica sat at a mess hall table on the UNSC Destroyer Horatio enjoying a decent meal while wondering why they had been called back from their respective mission's in the Janus system.
"Maybe the Covenant hit another inner colony, and we're being sent in?", Jessica said with notable anger in her voice.
"If that were the case, there are plenty of Marines and ODST's that could hold the planet instead of us," Brooke replied, trying to down play the question posed by her squadmate.
"Not if it was Earth," Jessica said.
"If it was Earth, the Covenant fleet wouldn't stand a chance against the Super MAC's and capital ships there. Only if they piled in-system like Grunts would they have a shot at winning," Brooke quickly replied, once again trying to calm her friend.
"Well, if it is an inner colony, we'll do what we can," said Sean, interupting the back and forth conversation.
"Yes sir," the two female Spartan's quickly replied.
"Heh, Grunts..." Jessica said, visibly relaxing as she said it.
_______________
"Route the transmission to my quarter's, Lieutenant", Captain Yasakawi said over the intercom.
"Aye, sir", the young Lieutenant replied.
A small screen on the Captain's desk instantly had a window appear with new coordinates and orders on it. Charles Yasakawi slowly sat up from his bed while reaching for his glass of scotch he'd been sipping prior to falling asleep. He looked at the digital readout in the corner of the screen, "0134". "Great, half an hour of sleep." He stood up and stretched slightly, taking a step forward and hoping it wasn't another inner colony that was under attack. His senior staff had been told about the attack on Reach, with orders to tell nobody on the ship. Most of the time someone would have let such an order slip their minds, but given the gravity of the planet that'd been glassed, they knew what it would do for the morale on-board and had kept quiet. Right now the ship was heading for Reach, to quickly examine what was left, strangely it hadn't been completely glassed, and then head to Earth for a desperately needed break.
Charles put the glass of scotch to his lips while leaning forward to read the message on the screen.
The glass slipping out of his hands and shattering on the floor had no apparent effect on the Captain while he snapped for the intercom to the bridge.
"Lieutenant Williams, set a new course, I'm forwarding the coordinates to you now." The Captain fumbled with the touch screen, trying to highlight the coordinates with his index finger, he finally did it and sent them to his helmsman. Standing up and taking a weak-kneed step back before collapsing upright on the edge of his bed, the blood drained from his face, he silently whispered, "Earth".
_______________
The Captain thought of "greater things" as he slowly regained his bearings. The Horatio had been patrolling the outer colonies for over two years without any major Covenant-related incidents, the same couldn't be said of a majority of ships in UNSC space. There was the odd scuffle with a raider or pirate group who used the genocide on the UNSC as a distraction for their illegal activities. Not being a spiritual man by any measure he had to wonder if this was fate, or karma, that his ship, after being relatively lucky in terms of victorious combat operations over the last 24+ months was being sent into what would no doubt be called the "final fight" for generations to come. Assuming there was a future for Humanity.
Charles had spent the majority of his life onboard the Horatio, signing up for the UNSC Naval Academy at 18, showing great prosperity within a year of his tenure there before finally securing the title of Valedictorian of his class. His first assignment, in 2512, was as a Lieutenant Junior Grade on-board the Frigate Powell on a simple mission to the Sigma Octanus IV system while en route to the outer colonies to run anti-pirate operations. For the next year and a half the Powell chased renegades through half a dozen star systems. Playing cat and mouse games with eachother, maneuver, counter-maneuver, trying to lure the other out was a challenge, even exciting.
None of that prepared him for his first job on board the UNSC Destroyer Heracles. By the time he was transfered to the Heracles he had spent time on ship, and in the classroom, polishing up on his Advanced Naval Tactics at the UNSC's Naval Officer's Academy on Reach. The tactics he learned there and his continually high-marks had led to a promotion to Lieutenant Commander and his return to the Powell with that rank.
But his first job on board the Heracles as a full Commander was to create a battle plan with three ships, against a completely unkown force, that may not even have been a force, it could've been an astronomical anomoly, and find a way to defeat it. He had no idea, for good reason, what he was supposed to do. He decided the best way to fight something unkown was to react, not act. The idea was to jump in-system, run a continuously defensive recon operation the entire time they were there, and make a quick getaway. The plan that took place at Harvest didn't save the two frigates that had guarded the Destroyers' retreat, but it had saved the Heracles.
The captain sat there, thinking it all over, he was there for what was the first fight with the Covenant, he had to wonder, "would this be the last fight?"
After what seemed like an eternity lost in self examination, the Captain stood with a hardened stare aimed at the message he'd received. "I'm not letting them glass another planet, especially Earth." Relaxing slightly due to years of combat training he began to think up a battle plan and a schedule for the Marine detachment on his ship, knowing they'd be needed the instant they entered Earth's orbit. The first order of business was to inform his senior staff of the situation, he would need their valuable insight in making the most of his ship's weaponry when it came to blows with the Covenant.
_______________
"Everyone have a seat," Cpt. Yasakawi said to the three Lieutenants and Commander that stood around the table in the ready-room.
"Our planned recon mission to Reach has been scrapped. We've been recalled to Earth ASAP."
"Why?" asked Cdr. McKenzie, feeling a sense of tension in his superior.
He paused slightly, searching for a way to break the news.
"The Covenant...They found Earth", Lieutenant Harmann said in a soft, inquisitive voice.
"...Yes", Charles answered simply.
It felt as if a Halyceon-Class cruiser had landed on each of their chests, caving them in, stopping their breathing.
The Captain continued, "We've been ordered to Earth to join the fight, along with..."
"What fight?!", Cdr. McKenzie blurted out.
The Captain took a breath before proceeding. "Yesterday fifteen Covenant ships attacked Earth, fourteen were destroyed in orbit while the fifteenth took up position above New Mombasa. On arrival it sent repeated distress calls that made it through the jamming systems aboard the Super MAC's stationed in orbit" He paused before continuing, "The city was levelled when it made an atmospheric jump away from Earth."
The room was silent for a full thirty seconds before Lt.Harmann spoke up, "What are we supposed to do on arrival, sir?"
The four sets of eyes around the table locked on him.
He stood straighter and spoke. "We've been ordered to a close Earth orbit, our job is to protect the Super MAC station Cairo."
There was something wrong, he could see it in their eyes, in the slightly slouched shoulders, they felt hopeless. First the news of Reach, now Earth, it wasn't any wonder they felt helpless. On top of that, they knew based on the after-action reports they'd read of the battle at Reach that the Super MAC's were the first thing that'd be targeted by the Covenant. They knew if it came to it, they'd have to sacrifice their lives for at least one more shot from the giant MAC they'd be guarding. He had to say something, even if it wasn't perfect, something to get them to fight, to want to kill anyone who got too close to the Cairo.
He relaxed his stance and leaned forward putting his weathered hands on the table they sat at, locking eyes with each of them, getting their attention, making them sit straighter with his stare.
"I don't need to tell you all what the combination of hitting Earth, the time this message getting to us, and the 36 hours it'll take us to get home means. Don't deny or kid yourself, by the time we get to Earth the Covenant will be there..."
The three men, and one woman surrounding the table looked at him with a mix of shock and horror on their faces.
Charles Yasakawi stood straight up, crossing his arms over his chest, while forming a sadistic, yet cocky, smile, "And when we get there, we're going to kill every single one of them".
_________________
**End of Part I**
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