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Shadows of an Empire: Chpater 2
Posted By: tsukahara10<st.krueger@comcast.net>
Date: 29 September 2006, 9:09 pm
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Chapter 2: Beta Cassiopeia III
1000 Hours, March 30th, 2561 (UNSC Military Calendar)
UNSC Shuttle Eclipse, En route to Beta Cassiopeia III
Markus opened his eyes and saw nothing but a white hazy blur. He blinked several times and the haze cleared. The hatch to his cryo tube opened and he choked on the slimy cryo inhalant in his throat and lungs.
"Good morning, Major Gunderson," a smooth, comforting, female voice said. "Sit up. Take a deep breath, cough, and please swallow the cryo inhalant."
Markus slowly climbed up out of the tube and sat on the side. He tried to breathe, but doubled over, coughing. The gooey substance reached his mouth and he swallowed it, almost gagging as he did. It tasted like shit. If he wasn't going straight into battle he would've spit it right onto the floor, but it contained vital nutrients that he was going to need that day.
"Hello, Athena," Markus replied. He stood up and stretched his arms over his head and out to the sides. "How long do I have before we land?"
"ETA to Delta Base at Beta Cassiopeia III is thirty minutes, sir," Athena answered.
"Good, I've got time to get ready," Markus sighed.
"Just as a reminder, you are scheduled to meet with Lieutenant Colonel O'Brian at twelve hundred hours today," the AI said. "That should give you ample time to get familiar with the facility."
"Thank you, Athena," the Major replied.
Markus walked over to his locker and found his uniform hanging in pristine condition. He quickly put it on and made sure he looked presentable. Feeling a little hungry he reached into his travel bag and grabbed an energy bar. He munched on it while he made his way to the bridge of the Eclipse.
All the equipment on the bridge was turned off. Since Athena was piloting, it didn't need to be on. Markus made his way to the command chair and sat down.
"Athena, could you turn on the view screens for me?" Markus asked.
"Right away," came the disembodied reply as the four screens around the bridge snapped on.
A small planet was centered on the forward screen. Reddish brown land dominated the surface. The only water on the planet was contained in large lakes. Beta Cassiopeia III had originally been a Mars-like planet until it was terraformed. The water on the planet only existed because the Humans had caused the ice caps to melt, thus creating a habitable atmosphere. It was a technique used to make several UNSC owned planets inhabitable.
On the starboard screen was the small red star, Beta Cassiopeia. BCIII was approximately the same distance Earth was from Sol, but since Beta Cassiopeia was a smaller and cooler star, BCIII was frozen like Mars.
Also on the starboard screen was the gas giant Beta Cassiopeia II way off in the distance. There had been rumors recently of a group of pirates controlling one of the moons around BCII. Markus knew that sooner or later that would have to be taken care of, and his battalion would most likely be the ones to do it.
Markus turned his attention back to BCIII. By now he should've been able to see UNSC ships in orbit around the planet, but there were none. Is the rebellion that bad already? Markus thought. No UNSC ships usually meant only one thing: rebel forces had control of the majority of the planet and access to the planetary defense system. If that were the case, the Eclipse probably wouldn't even make it to the ground. Now he saw exactly why General Patterson sent him alone.
"Be ready for anything, Athena," Markus warned.
"I am, sir," she replied. "I've been monitoring radio chatter on the planet. This isn't a UNSC military ship, so there shouldn't be a problem. They don't even seem to notice us."
"Good, let's keep it that way."
And so the Eclipse silently floated alone to the surface of the planet.
"Welcome to Delta Base, Major," a young Marine said as Markus stepped out of his shuttle. He stood as tall as his stout figure allowed and saluted the Major. His strong British accent slightly amused Markus. "I'm Lance Corporal Charlie Buckingham. I've orders to show you to your quarters so you can drop your bags off."
"Thank you, Lance Corporal," Markus said as he hefted his large bag over his shoulder.
Delta Base was like a large bunker. The top level was the ground level, and everything else was a hundred meters underground. The ground level was mainly for vehicle storage and base defense. Everything important was down below. The only way to get to the underground section of the base was through a single staircase and elevator. This made the base much harder to capture. The underground portion of the base was divided into six levels with an armory and barracks on each level. Several research labs were on the bottom two levels. Offices, power generators, and the communications were located in the middle two levels. And while the top two levels contained mainly living quarters, there were a few recreational areas as well. Markus's quarters were on the second level.
Markus followed Charlie through the base and ended up at a door with his name on it. Charlie opened the door for him and Markus walked in. It was a small room, only about ten feet square with a bed in the corner, a dresser at the foot of the bed and a desk with a computer next to the head of the bed.
"All the officers get their own room and office," Buckingham said. "Your office is a level below next to the Colonel's."
"Thanks for showing me here, Lance Corporal," Markus said as he tossed his bag on the bed. "I think I would've gotten lost if I had been trying to find this myself."
"You're welcome, Major," Buckingham said with a nod. "I'll be up in Rec area B-2, so if you've got any questions, come find me. Cheers!" And with that, the Lance Corporal scurried off down the hallway.
Major Gundersen stretched his arms out again and yawned. He still was a little drowsy from the cryo sleep. Maybe a little walk around the base would wake him up. As he walked around, he made himself familiar with the layout. He covered all six levels of the base making sure he noted where the most important rooms were located such as the power generators, the armories, the communications room, and, of course, the restrooms. He spent quite a bit of time checking out the research labs. In one of the labs, a few engineers were working on a prototype handheld plasma weapon for Marine use. The only resemblance the weapon had to its Covenant counterpart was the firing mechanism at the front that heated, collected, and fired the plasma. Otherwise, it looked like a standard issue assault rifle.
Markus watched while they tested the plasma weapon. The men all stood behind large blast shields and the weapon was fired remotely. At the front of the weapon he could see a bright golden glow as a small globe of plasma appeared. Suddenly the ball of plasma burst before it even left the weapon. Droplets of plasma hit the window Markus was looking through and partially melted the glass. Now he could see why it was tested remotely. Handheld plasma weapons were a lot harder to perfect than shipboard plasma weapons which could be easily controlled by an AI.
Once he was satisfied that he had seen every part of the base, Markus made his way to O'Brian's office. When he got there, he saw a female officer approaching from the other direction. He couldn't make out the collar insignia, but he figured it had to be Lieutenant Colonel O'Brian, so he saluted.
"You must be Major Gundersen," she said as she returned his salute.
"Yes, ma'am," Markus replied.
"I'm Lieutenant Colonel O'Brian," she offered a hand and he firmly shook it. "Please, step into my office and I'll explain our current situation."
O'Brian walked into her office and held the door for Markus. She motioned for him to grab a chair as she sat down behind her desk and began to explain.
"As you probably figured out on the way here, rebel forces control the majority of BCIII. To be honest, I don't know why they sent only you, and not another battalion for support. You might be a brilliant tactician, but one man won't help us. I guess that's the brass's way of saying we're all 'expendable' here. Anyways, the rebels control several of our military bases and weapons caches, meaning they have access to nuclear warheads, plasma prototypes, both weapons and shields, armor support, light vehicles, aerial assault vehicles, and pretty much any nasty weapon you can think of. We are severely outnumbered. The rebels have conscripted nearly one million people to fight for them. And the brass expects us to hold them off with eight hundred? Bullshit.
"Delta Base is the largest UNSC outpost on this planet and it's the only one that is still UNSC controlled. Despite the odds against us, we can not let the rebels capture this base. If they do, the planet will be lost, and the rebellion will spread to other planets and spiral out of control.
"Now I hate to send you out into the fray right away, but it's the only way we can gain any ground," O'Brian continued. "There's a small military installation about two hundred kilometers northeast of here that contains several large plasma prototype warheads, each essentially the size of a fifty megaton nuke. I want you to take Sierra and Tango companies and use any means necessary to retake that installation. Those warheads are extremely dangerous in rebel hands. It will not be easy, and it will spread our forces a little thin, but there's nothing else we can do. The brass won't send reinforcements, and we can't just sit here and wait for them to push us out. Any questions?"
"When should I begin the operation?" Markus asked.
"Gather the troops together and be ready to leave by 2200 hours tonight," O'Brian answered. "You will attack in the dark giving you the element of surprise. All your troops will have night vision goggles. Delta Base's AI, Gaea, will provide you with maps and other intel if you need it. We do not know exactly what the rebels have, so be prepared for anything."
"Yes ma'am."
"Unless you have anymore immediate questions, you're dismissed, Major."
Markus quickly thought over all the intel he had just received and was satisfied with everything he heard. He quickly snapped a salute and walked out of the Lieutenant Colonel's office.
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