Chapter 8 NAME "Shit Happens" Part 4

(Orange Team)

=Comm to jason=
"We're fine, Fatet blew up the cruiser but we lost him during the escape, sir. He's probably dead."

(Dormii)
=the first of the Sentinels arrived, and moved close enough for me to grab on and latch myself to it with my mag boots. Granted I was on it's "underside" but at least I could move again. I looked over and increased my zoom, seeing my squad being able to do the same, only they more or less just hung on. I looked like someone flipped gravity around. Granted, up and down are irrelevant in space, but you get the idea. We started moving towards our ships again. I decided to stand up the whole time because, well, why not. It was cool=

(Jason)
=I wasn't willing to accept that. Hey, from what I could tell from my talk with Fatet, he was a seasoned soldier, that had survived a whole freaking war. He wasn't dead. While I sent out Sentinels to pick up Orange Team, I also brought up Fatet's signal I.D. from Orange Team, and sent out a pulse for him=
Fatet, are you alive? Respond.

(Fatet)

=I don't feel any relief at hearing Jasons' voice, but I respond anyway.=

" I'm alive but probably not for much longer. I stole a seraph but Im hit, Im going straight down to the surface of Haven. If I survive I'll set off my beacon, if not... Don't look for me."

(Jason)
=I locked onto his signal, and found where Fatet was. But God dammit, he was right. I couldn't get to him in time=
Fuck. Okay, well, I'm sorry Fatet. I hope you make it, but if not, I want you to know that you have officially earned my trust.

(Molly)
=while I kept flying, I saw another strange sight: Dormii, and several other people, were strapped to Sentinel, that were flying through all this chaos. Unfortunately, they were drawing some attention: more Seraphs. I commed Dormii=
Dormii, look out!

(Argo)
Locking onto Seraphs.
=I fired all weapons at the Seraphs=

(Fatet)
=I closed my eyes and though of New Jerusalem, before the war. If I died, I had resolved to die happy, and this was one of my happiest thoughts. I waited for the blackness of death as my seraph impacted into the ground. When it came I was ready and simply allowed it to wash over me, no struggling, no fear, just blackness.=

(Dormii)
=i looked around=
Ah, fuck...wait! Idea! Molly, pull up next to me. Let me get on your ship. I have an idea on how to make things even easier on ya.

(Molly)
=I flew past Dormii, while Argo kept firing at the other Seraphs=
I'm a little busy here! Dammit! Tom, Dave, where are you guys? I need a little help here.

=I pitched my fighters nose up, and turned upwards, and spun 180 degrees, and faced the Seraphs that were on my tail=

(Dormii)
It's part of getting rid of those Seraphs. I can hack into their systems. Ever see two Seraphs try to mate at over supersonic speeds?

(Molly)
There a reason you can't do that from your location?
=I rolled, dodging plasma fire. A volley of missiles came out of nowhere: my squad had arrived=

(Dormii)
Yea, out of range. And they're going to fast for me to get them from here when they do fly past. Simply pull up, stop, let me latch on, and then go again.

(Molly)
Jesus!
=I dodged a hail of plasma fire=

Yeah, not sure how well that's going to work. If I stop, these guys are going to fry me. And I can't just stop: we're in space.
=I rolled to avoid an incoming Seraph=

(Argo)
Technically, all we'd have to do is apply a significant counter-thrust to slow us down.
=I fired another set of missiles, though we were beginning to run out of them=

(Molly)
Alright, fine. But I am not leaving my back open to these guys. Listen, I'm going to do something a little desperate here, so make sure you're ready.
=I didn't even bother waiting for him to respond. I just sped towards Dormii, and before I got even halfway to him, I shut down my engines, pulled another 180, and fired my engines again, gaining enough counter-thrust to slow me down. While I moved backwards, Argo aimed the guns at the Seraphs, and fired=

(Dormii)
=i saw the move and jumped. Angling to meet on her left side hull, of what I was guessing was the cockpit. A few seconds later, although it seemed like an eternity, I made it. I reactivated my mag boots, landing with what I assumed was a fairly loud clang on the hull=

I'm on. Go, go, go. I'll get to work.

=i immediately started a comm-hack into the Seraphs' systems, but they were going to fast for the connection to be stable=

(Molly)
=as soon as Dormii gave the all clear, I turned the engines to full burn, and sped away from the Seraphs=


=The battle was beginning to end. Many of the Covenant Loyalist ships were destroyed, reduced to molten slag. All that was left was two Assault Carriers, and the Super-Carrier=

(Jason)
All ships, concentrate your fire on the super carrier!

(Dormii)
=after a few moments, I managed to get into the Seraphs' systems, well, two of them, anyway. The third and fourth were too far away for a good connection, and it didn't dawn on me to bounce the signal. So anyway, I took control of their navigational computers and effectively told the to go to hell. I made one swerve right, and the other swerve left, right into each other. Blood, flash frozen, debris, sparks, and other things I couldn't tell what flew apart in one massive cloud=

Ta-da! Seraphs mating at the speed of sound!

(Molly)
Congratulations, you've killed two Seraphs.
=The second I had finished that statement, a swarm of Seraphs came from behind one of the carriers=

Now here comes a hundred more.

(Dormii)
How many thrusters, and where are they located on this craft?

=i instantly started another hack, causing one of the Seraphs to crash into two more. Two exploded while the third just drifted, dead in the water=

=the troph turns it's fire from the ships to the seraph swarm firing on them=

(Molly)
Hey, whatever it is you're thinking, don't. I need those thrusters to move out here. Besides, it looks like we'll make it.
=on screen, a large number of green blips appeared: our allies=

And, it looks like we will be getting that back up.

=hundreds of fighters opened fire on the remaining Seraphs=

(Dormii)
I was thinking of doing another momentum bleed, but that works too.

=i turn to look at the swarm rapidly turning into debris=

=Plasma beams painted the hulls of the Loyalist carriers. Within minutes, the two assault carriers were destroyed, leaving the super carrier the last Loyalist ship alive=

(Jason)
All ships, continue to fire on the super carrier. Concentrate fire on it's weal spots.

=Both Haven's fleet, and Vera's fleet concentrated their fire on the super carrier. It's shields held off two volleys of fire, then they failed, and the hull melted, the ship dissected by the plasma beams=

(Dormii)
=as I watched the swarm behind me get annihilated, I noticed that I was running out of oxygen. I tapped lightly on the cockpit hatch=

Hey, Molly. Any idea on when we might be able to make a stop in the hanger of a ship?

(Molly)
Yeah, I'll have to land in the Silver Hawk, it's the closest ship with a hangar. Hold on.
=I hailed the Silver Hawk=

This is Arrowhead Squad member, call-sign Edge, requesting permission to land in the Silver Hawk.

*Bridge Officer of Silver Hawk*
Copy that Edge, you are clear to land.

(Molly)
Roger that, landing now.
=I sped towards the Silver Hawk, and we landed in the hangar=

(Dormii)
=i turned off my suits internal air supply and let it refill in the hanger. I walked over to the side of the cockpit and crouched down=

You're good, Molly. Very good. Maybe someday I could show you a few tricks or two, like a 90 degree turn and such.

(Molly)
=Yea yeah, pride goeth before the fall. But I couldn't resist=
I already learned that trick Dormii. Maybe I'll be the one that teaches you someday.

=I hailed Jason=
Jason, I'm on the Silver Hawk. What's the status of the battle?

(Jason)
=I couldn't believe what I was about to say. It actually brought a tear to my eye=
We won Molly. We beat them! WE WON!!!

=the bridge exploded into cheers, and I turned to my communications officer=
Spread the word to the surface: We've won.

(Dormii)
=i chuckle=
We'll see. I got a few tricks up my sleeve I've been saving for a special occasion. So what's the status out there? Last I looked it was a lot of explosions.

(Molly)
We won! The Covenant fleet has been destroyed.
=I let out a cheer of triumph=


=the message was spread to all of Haven. All the bases, and all the cities. They won, and they would live=

(Dormii)
=i started cheering as well. While I don't like fighting, I'm glad that the majority of lives were saved. It's part of who I am=

=to himself out loud=

wonder what threat will appear next

The explosions and the events of the space battle happening above Haven was unknown to Nicholas, the Medical intern. He was busy going through a packet of notes he had kept, stolen, from the Dr. Nikolaus. He had gone back to the ship he came in on. Searched through his room for some bare essentials and left, leaving a note to the Captain about his leaving his internship and the ship. He did not tell the Captain, however, what he planned on doing. He also left his Ph.D dissertation, all two hundred and ten pages, on the desk next to his bed.

On the outer surface of Haven, and electrical storm was forming off the coast of one of the mainlands. This electrical storm would be the bane of one Nicholas Muntele Maslinilor. He was working just off the coast, in a well forested area, in which the storm was headed. This storm, moreover, would greatly influence the events that would lead to his sudden and shocking appearance on the inner habitat of the Shield World Haven.

Having taken only half doses of his medication that reduces the electro-chemical potential energy produced by his cells (he later found out that an organelle was added to his cells via gene therapy, he immediately assumed at that time that it was the doctor who had added it.)

As the battle raged on above him, unbeknownst to him, he began to exhibit the signs of the electrochemical-potential energy being released in the form of a low level Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) which was not enough to create the anomaly he wanted to. This frustrated him, he knew that simply not taking the medication would result in him blacking out and eventual memory loss. So he moved further into the forest, closer to the coast.

As the battle rage on above the surface of Haven, the electrical-storm moved over the ocean, and neared the coast. Nicholas felt the winds puck up and the sky darken and thought he would be caught in a rainstorm. Moreover, he thought that in being caught in a rainstorm he would be able to safely utilize the conductivity of water to create a large enough anomaly to do what he had wanted to do. Unfortunately this would not happen the way he planned.

The Electrical Storm moved over the coast, the forest Nicholas was in. An electrical storm, if you don't already know, an electrical storm is a Thunderstorm. A thunderstorm is a storm with the presence of lightning which cause the acoustic effect of thunder within an atmosphere. This type of thunderstom was a supercell. So named because of it's size and power. Supercell storms are large, the have high-speed winds that vary in the direction that they travel. The storm, in the troposphere, can be up to fifteen miles wide (it's insane). Storms like these can produce many other weather related disasters, such as tornados, which is not happening here because the storm is coming off the coast and tornados don't form over water, and the storm is moving too fast for a cyclone to form. However, hailstones are falling from the storm, ranging between four and one inch in diameter. The winds coming from this storm ranges between thirty and eighty miles per hour (enough to tip a cruiser, which is pretty cool) flash floods, which will happen because of the amount of rain coming from it. Something I've also discovered is that supercells are the most powerful type of thunderstorm. Which is scary, supercells are similar to hurricanes in destructive power and weather anomalies that they create.

This storm would inevitably fuel Nicholas' attempt to gain entry to the inner wonders of the shield world. Nicholas' waited for the storm he thought would bring rainfall. The storm hit the coast like Fatboy hit Nagasaki. Lightning and thunder raged through the sky. Hail fell and made little craters in the sand. Rain fell like the heavens were crying. Nicholas realized that this was not a storm he wanted to be in. The winds hit him and sent him flying to the ground. He hung onto a tree for dear life, not wanting to be swept away by the winds. A tree was uprooted near him and nearly crashed into the tree he was holding on to. Lightning struck the ground around him, the air became charged and he knew, it was a gut feeling that he would be struck by lightning. He could feel the charge in the air around him begin to increase, static electricity began leaping across his skin, and he was struck by lightning.

(Silver Light)
=I monitored the battle, and was relieved when the invaders were destroyed. Casualties for our fleet though, were bad: Out of the total 40 ships that comprised Haven's human fleet, only 36 survived. The losses were two frigates, and two destroyers, though several members of the crew managed to evacuate before the explosion engulfed their ships. However, fighter losses were worse, in terms of life: we had originally close to 100,000 fighter pilots, and only 15,000 of them returned alive. Damage was also worrying: of the surviving ships, ten had sustained moderate damage, 5 critical, and the rest were in minimal states of damage. It would take maybe a week, or month, before the damages were repaired, and even longer to replace the ships that were lost. The lives lost though, could not be replaced. Still, now was a time to celebrate. Our ships were already returning=

(Fatet)

=I lie in the wreckage of the crashed seraph, unmoving.=

Where am I?
Am I dead?
Shit, my head hurts...


C'mon... Open your eyes...

= Despite my efforts, my eyes remain closed. I give up and fall back into unconsciousness=

(Jason)
=Every ship, short of the Forerunner ships, Vera's ships, the Trophaeum, and the Silver Hawk, entered Haven to land at the ship yards. Repairs were underway, while any wounded were sent to better equipped medical areas. I had the Silver Hawk take position above Alpha Base, and I headed to the hangar where Molly and Dormii were. A shuttle was already on its way up here for a pickup. I called ahead=

Dormii, I'm coming down to you two. Keep an eye on Molly till I get there, okay? I don't want her to run off.

(Dormii)
=i reply to the comm=
Yeah, I'll keep her here.

=i knock on the cockpit=
Hey, Molly. Brace yourself.

(Molly)
=I started to sweat, and it wasn't because of the temperature. Truth be told, it was cold in the hangar. No, the reason I started to sweat like a turkey on Thanksgiving (an expression that still made no sense to me) was because Jason, my godfather, was coming down here, and he was sure to be pissed=
Hey Dormii, just so you know, in my room, underneath my mattress, is my last will and testament. When Jason kills me, could you take care of it?

(Jason)
=I entered the hangar, and put on my best scowl, of which I had few. I wasn't really angry at Molly. Oh sure, I was upset, but I was just glad she was okay. I saw her fighter, with Dormii standing on top of it, and I stomped over=

(Dormii)
=i give the smile gesture on my helmet=
No problem. Anything else I should know?

(Molly)
Uh, unless you want me to say, "I'm going to die a virgin," then no. Nothing else.
=I got out of the fighter, and climbed down. By the time I got to the floor, Jason was standing behind me, and he looked angry=

(Jason)
Molly Josephine Borden. Of all the things you've done, this by far, is the most reckless, irresponsible thing, you have ever done.
=Okay, truth be told, I was not really sure if this really was the worst thing she had done. I mean, I've only been her godfather for half a month, and I hadn't seen her for nearly five years, so there was no doubt things she had done I was not aware of=

(Molly)
Hey Jason.
=I actually looked him in the eye. Most people, would have barely looked an angry Spartan in the eye, but he just used my middle name. I hated, my middle name, and I once beat the crap out of a kid at school ten years ago, when he used my middle name. Hey, he was a bully. I don't like bullies=

I thought I told you, to never use my middle name.

(Dormii)
=i sat down on the fighter and began to inspect it's cockpit, trying to learn how it works and the controls and such. I noticed a small device plugged into what I guessed was a terminal It looked a lot like an AI core. I could only guess but I had a pretty good guess=

Hey Argo.

(Argo)
Greetings Dormii. How have you been?

(Jason)
You're my goddaughter, and that means I'm responsible for your safety and well being.

(Molly)
Yeah, and I'm almost a full adult. It's my life, and I've done a pretty good job of living it so far. Besides, like I already told you, Haven is my home now. I had the skills to help defend it, so don't expect me to just sit and hide.

(Jason)
=I actually felt a smile stretch across my face, my anger evaporating. Well, fake anger anyway=
You, are one hell of a kid Molly. You do me proud, and your father would be proud of you, more so than me. Look, I'm still a little upset, but I'm just glad you're okay.

=I walked over to her, and grabbed her in a hug. I wasn't crying. I just had something in my eye is all=

(Dormii)
Good considering I actually decided to use the vacuum of space as an escape route. You?

(Argo)
Well, considering the fact that I just got used as an auto targeting system, I'm fine. And hey, I helped save her life out there.

(Molly)
=I didn't say a thing. I just hugged Jason back, in that whole, father daughter way. Or maybe it was more like best friend hug. He did hover somewhere in the middle=

(Jason)
=I broke off the hug, and looked her in the eyes=
Well, not much I can do now. You're in the air-force, and if i try to get you out, it'll look suspicious. So for now, looks like you'll remain in "Arrowhead Squadron." But, since I am supposed to be keeping an eye on you, you and your squad, are getting transferred, to the Silver Hawk.

(Dormii)
I saw. Pretty good shooting.

(Argo)
Thanks, but the flying was all her. Say what you will about her age: she's one of the most talented pilots I've ever seen. Granted, I haven't really flown with a lot of people.........

(Molly)
Wow, I don't know whether to be happy, or miserable.

(Jason)
I'd say both. Listen, we're going to be celebrating soon, and you might want to join us. After all, we did just save the planet.
=I remembered though, that we lost a lot of people. They gave their lives to save their home. They died heroes. It still felt like I lost though. I looked up towards Dormii=

What do you say Dormii: want to celebrate?

(Dormii)
=to Argo=
Tell you what, once I get my next ship, you can fly with me. Sound like a deal?

=to Jason=
Yeah, why not?

(Argo)
Sorry, but I think I'll stick with them. No offense, but they are my crew.

(Jason)
Good. Let's get on the shuttle then, and we'll head for the capital. Can't promise parades though.

(Dormii)
No problem, Argo.

=i hop off the fighter and walk over to Jason=
Ready when you two are.

(Jason)
Alright, let's go meet our adoring fans.
=we started walking off towards the shuttle=

(Dormii)
=i followed them, the plates twitching nervously=

(Jason)
=we got into the shuttle, and I called Miranda=

(Miranda)
=I got a comm from Jason=
Jason, what's going on?

(Jason)
Oh, nothing special. We just defeated the Covenant, and we're on our way to Osea to celebrate. Care to join?

(Miranda)
Are you kidding? Hell yeah. I'll meet you there.

(Jason)
Got it. Put on your party face Miri.
=I ended the call=

=Xazhi still sat on the entry ramp of the Eirav Wing in the Silver Hawk's hanger, too far away to hear the conversation between the spartans, or even really to notice them. He got up and went into the Wing's cargo hold, looking for something=