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Contact ONI
Posted By: Bronzemage<mrbronzer@hotmail.com>
Date: 6 April 2005, 6:51 AM
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0748 hours, 4 May 2552 (Military Calendar), aboard ONI Stealth Shuttle Gamma-7, in docking with Pythagoras Station, Epsilon Lapis System.
Colonel Tanner surveyed the docking bay aboard the Pythagoras with calm distaste. He had been on the finest vessels in the human fleet, and next to them, the station's cramped interior seemed suddenly shabby. The only ships it catered for was the supply shuttle once a month. This was all about to change.
The Colonel stepped off the shuttle, eyes taking in every minute detail around him. There was a reason he was in ONI. At 5 foot 7, he was almost unnoticeable among the normal human population. He had dark eyes, with a narrow nose and smug expression and his brown hair, loosely hung near his collar, was applied with liberal amounts of oily gel to slick it up. His every movement was finely tuned, as though every step and look was important. Now though, he was taking in the surroundings, particularly his men, three armed escorts and two techs.
"Evans and Mikhael, secure the area around the shuttle. Tyler, Benson and Zahir, come with me."
Obediently, two of the soldiers peeled off from the group and stationed themselves next to the shuttle, MA5Bs at the ready. The other soldier and two scientists followed Tanner to the Command Deck.
_______________________________________________________________________
Lieutenant McGall was well aware of the ONI presence on the station. After repeatedly scanning the frequencies earlier, the entire crew had noticed the shuttle nearing them and requesting to land. He still remembered the chill in the voice of the man who did the talking. It gave off an unmistakable feeling of malice that he could not understand.
He rapidly stood to attention as the man in question entered the room, wearing the insignia of a Colonel in the UNSC.
"Officer on the deck!" he barked, and his crew stood and saluted.
"At ease," the newcomer said, his voice cool and slightly threatening. "I would not want to risk interrupting such... delicate... operations. Are you in charge here?" he questioned, gesturing towards the Lieutenant.
"Uh... yes sir. I'm Lieutenant McGall, commanding officer of Pythagoras. What is it you and your team need from us, sir?" he answered, still shaken by the Colonel's tone.
"Spare me the formalities, and tell me what happened here. I received word from those fools at the office that you intercepted some kind of signal. What was it?"
McGall sighed, again wishing that someone else could explain the situation. He'd already done it far too many times.
"Sir, we were running a routine radio scan when we intercepted a new signal the likes of which no-one had ever heard. It broadcasted prime numbers every few seconds, until it reached one hundred and one, and stopped. We are now waiting for any more signals, but without more equipment and expertise, it's like trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack, sir."
The Colonel smiled darkly, thrusting his two techies into the spotlight. They were ordinary citizens who had an expertise in their fields, and not used to military discipline, or protocol. Their faces, a mixture of fear and dislike at the way Tanner was treating them, showed this.
"This is Mark Tyler and Grace Benson, two experts at their fields. They, and their equipment, will help you with your search. However, direct control of this operation will be handed over the Office of Naval Intelligence and the crew of the station Pythagoras will resume their normal duties. Anyone interfering with their tasks will face charges and the full force of the law. Is this clear?"
"But... sir!" the Lieutenant nearly shouted, angry that his team would not be part of the study. "We found this signal, we have a right to know what's going on. ONI can't just barge in here like they own the place and expect us to lie in the corner! What is the point of this, anyway? What has ONI got to do with one little signal?"
The smirk on Tanner's face dropped a little and he leaned forward, his expression ugly, so that he was barely centimetres from McGall's nose.
"You will do as I tell you, Lieutenant, unless you want twenty years in the worst jails the UNSC can offer. When I say you will not be involved in this operation, you will not be! Is that clear, McGall?"
The fire in the Lieutenant's eyes dimmed, and he bowed his head. The Colonel watched, his smug expression now firmly restored on his face. Whatever little control he had lost over McGall's outburst was now back. McGall again raised his head, and looked at the despairing faces of his crew. They wanted this as much as he did. He sighed and bowed to the submission of the Colonel.
"Yes sir," he answered.
Among the crowd of ONI personnel, Grace Benson watched the Lieutenant with curious eyes. She would have liked to meet this man. Now, however, he was beyond her reach. The Colonel would keep a very close eye on the Lieutenant after his outburst. She understood their plight, they had discovered the signal, and thus, it was their right to explore it. She silently vowed she would do everything she could to help the crew of the Pythagoras. She, too, would like to examine the recordings without military restriction. The way that bastard Tanner had treated her on the ride there would not go unpunished.
Grace silently filed out of the room with the rest of the ONI personnel, her face expressionless and her mind already calculating. There was more to her than anyone, even ONI, realised...
It would be a long day...
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