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The Fall of Fate: Destiny (Part 7)
Posted By: 'Nosolee<crugg2003@optonline.net>
Date: 1 July 2003, 12:05 AM


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(Quick Review: The Covenant were planning a stealth a mission to excavate a Forerunner room beneath the human colonized planet of Ucundus. This mission failed and the Covenant destroyer, Fate, was blown out of the sky. The few survivors: an elite Field-master named Wkehu 'Drrana and a grunt with the human given name, Grunter, are POWs. But before the grunt was captured, he sent a message to Fate's sister-ship, Destiny. Trapped in the Forrunner room are the Spartan named Gregory and his AI, Augustus. They go through a few passages and find a Control Center similar to the one on HALO. Augustus is in the Forerunner control panel and has just figured out the true purpose of the instillation.)

April 29, 2548. Onboard the Covenant Sistership of Fate, Destiny.

      The black armored elite, Tusla 'Pokaree, stood before the Prophet of medium power in a dimly lit room. They were to discuss the second invasion of Ucundus, and the excavation of the room beneath the planet's surface. 'Pokaree stared at his marvelous leader. The Prophet wore a complex and intricate headpiece and his body was draped with opulently embroidered crimson robes. The Prophet gazed at his soldier with cold, black eyes, as if he were analyzing the elite's soul. Tusla 'Pokaree lowered his head in respect and waited for the Prophet to speak to him. The bony lips of the Prophet parted but no words came out. He closed his mouth again as if what he was about to say would have been deemed wrong, like a question to an oral examination. The Prophet took another breath and sighed. Now he spoke.
      "I have heard rumors, 'Pokaree. Are these rumors true?" the Prophet inquired. The elite raised his head.
      "May I inquire what these rumors concern, Your Excellency?" the elite asked.
      "You know very well what they concern. The transmission we received from the grunt. Is it true? True that we have lost three ships and the only survivor is a grunt? What of Field-master Wkehu 'Drrana? Hmm, why have we failed!" the Prophet exclaimed in anger.
      "Your Excellency, the humans found our sister-ship, Fate, hovering above the excavation site. The two Seraph fighters were not enough to hold against the human forces. I believe we were overwhelmed. The ship could not drop off enough troops before humans entered the ship and planted their nuclear weapon. The bow was blown to pieces, thousands of troops were killed in that one single blast, the debris alone killed hundreds. The ship fell upright and was held in place by dirt and rubble. The ship could not deploy any more dropships, the abundant human forces overwhelmed our troops and then fled. And as if the destruction of the ship was not enough, the humans persisted on knocking it down upon our survivors! No one, except the grunt, survived. I am sorry, Your Excellency," Tusla said. The Prophet stared in disbelief for a few seconds, let out a deep breath, and said:
      "Well, how do you know all of these details? Surly the grunt didn't explain them to you," the Prophet asked.
      "I watched on a view screen via our battle cameras, Your Excellency," the elite responded with his head lowered once more.
      "Hmm, this is a problem. This is a very, very difficult problem. How many ships are in this armada?" the Prophet questioned.
      "Two destroyers, Destiny and Providence, Fate's two sister-ships. Three frigates, The Repentance, The Candor and Appeasement, and The Belief and Wisdom. We have twenty Seraph fighters, and one assault carrier, The Judgment," the elite explained.
      "Excellent. Where are we en route to?" the Prophet asked.
      "We are headed to..." at that moment a blue armored elite bustled through the door holding a coordinate chip, gasping for air.
      I-I A-am very s-sorry to disrupt you, Your Ex-Excellency, but we h-have received anoth-another transmission from Ucundus!" the elite said.
      "Well, what is it?" the Prophet asked impatiently. The blue elite made a gesture with his hand to let him catch his breath.
      "The grunt has been captured, this transmission is from the hunter named Yugo Kosa Bohrrok. He says that Field-master Wkehu 'Drrana is still alive, but is being held prisoner at theses coordinates," the elite placed the chip into a control panel and a holographic representation of the battlefield sprang to life. The target was marked on a small shack-like building where Grunter and 'Drrana were imprisoned, "The hunter is severely wounded and his bond brother is dead," the blue elite said.
      "Alright, I want the Ship-master alerted to place his Slipspace coordinates on Ucundus. Get the combat Ossoonas ready to be deployed as soon as possible. The failure on Ucundus was unacceptable. We will not fail again," the Prophets orders were immediately executed and in a matter of minutes the armada was facing the blue and green countenance of Ucundus.

April 29, 2548. In the Control Center of Ucundus.

      "What? What's wrong?" Gregory stared at the horrified expression that engulfed Augustus's face.
      "T-this instillation," Augustus stammered, "is a weapon," on the word 'weapon', both Augustus's and Gregory's eyes flared.
      "What, wuh-what do you mean this is a weapon?" Gregory asked nervously.
      "This Control Center has a pulse radius capable of annihilating this galaxy, and it also contains the coordinates of...Earth," as soon as Augustus uttered these words, a holographic representation of the blue planet appeared, along with a series of numbers marking the coordinates.
      "Shit!" Gregory exclaimed.
      "N-not only that," Augustus continued in his horrified drone, "but it contained the coordinates of many other colonies also. The Covenant must not gain access to this instillation. We've got to get a rescue party here. We need reinforcements," Augusts said as if commanding Gregory to execute his orders immediately.
      "Okay, but what kind of weapon is it? Can it be controlled? Can it be used against the Covenant?" Gregory asked this questions hastily.
      "No, no it cannot. But, if I'm translating this encryption correctly, this instillation has its share of defenses. There are several, highly powerful energy-pulse cannons. I believe they would be capable of defending the planet from the ground. If I can locate these cannons, we may be able to harness Forerunner weapons technology. We may be able to lead an effective stand against the Covenant!" Augustus said with a new triumphant vigor.
      "Great," Gregory said dully, "but I don't want to have to touch any holo buttons."

To be Continued...





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