Here is the first quarter of the prologue. To read the rest, download the entire word document at the link provided above. Enjoy!
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Halo:
Conviction
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
-John Stuart Mill
Prologue
1630 Hours; September 25, 2549
The UNSC Cruiser Dawn’s Hope; Orbit over Planet Outremer
Admiral Walker stared at the planet before him on the view screen. Outremer, as it had been called, was very similar to Earth in appearance in many respects, although it had fewer desserts and more mountains. The planet, being colonized only relatively recently, did not feature the bustling metropolises that dominated most other human worlds, but had a quiet and peaceful feel to it and was covered in beautiful natural expanses that were untouched by man. Orbiting the planet, an immense shipyard was busy outfitting numerous space vessels for battle, including two sleek Destroyers and a massive Marathon Class Cruiser. Also orbiting the planet were eight Orbital Defense Platforms, each mounted with a “Super” Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. Despite their simplistic design, these stations were quite capable of reducing enormous ships into mere rubble in just seconds. Admiral Walker frowned. He did not like the odds of a pitched battle between his battle group and this planet on the verge of revolt. The Admiral stroked his chin and leaned back in his command chair.
“Tacitus,” he barked. “What can you tell me about the planet?”
A holographic image of a Roman historian materialized over the main hub in the center of the room. “Outremer is comprised of seven different colonies, each situated at different strategic points on the surface. The biggest of these is the state of Acre,” answered the ship’s A.I. “The colonies boast three full military training facilities, two military production yards, a NavSpec facility, an Office of Naval Intelligence compound, and the shipyard which you see in front of you. The planet is protected by eight MAC cannons and various anti-air defenses and a standing army of three divisions, as well as local colonial militias.”
Admiral Walker thought for a moment. “What is the overall political condition of the colonies at this moment?” he asked. Tacitus’ avatar punched a few buttons on an invisable data pad and turned the secondary command screens at the front of the bridge to live news reports on the planet. “Media feeds show that there are mass protests being held all over the planet over the UNSC’s most recent attempts at muzzling the local governments. The colonies have all sent representatives to the capitol city in Acre to draft new petitions to send to Earth. The media coverage seems to be under the impression that the government still loyal to us will be forcibly replaced by morning. Secession is suspected to be imminent.”
Admiral Walker walked around his command bridge and faced the image of the planet and muttered under his breath, “This is a mistake.” He took a deep breath and continued, “Tacitus, what would you advise?” Tacitus replied, “Admiral, this is a matter that requires diplomacy rather than force. The colonies are on the verge of open rebellion and imposing martial law on the planet, as you have been ordered to do, will be seen as nothing short of an act of war. Despite our orders to proceed with all haste and take control of the colonies again, I believe that will lead to a blood bath that will not improve the situation by any means,” replied Tacitus.
Admiral Walker turned to the A.I. “I absolutely agree. If we do proceed as planned however, do you think that we will receive support from the local UNSC forces on the surface?” Tacitus paused, his eyes searching as if he were reading a text. “Highly unlikely. Despite our efforts to gain their loyalty, recent data shows that a resounding 82% of the active military support secession and the majority of the Officer Corps is actively involved with the Insurrectionists.”
The Admiral thought for a moment and then waved his hand. “Thank you, Tacitus. That will be all for now.” The A.I. nodded towards the Admiral and disappeared from the main hub.
“Captain,” Admiral Walker said as he faced his second in command. “What do you think?” Captain Henderson looked up from his console and said, “Sir… honestly, I think this is a no-win situation. We are dealing with a people who have had enough with bureaucrats on Earth trying to control every facet of their lives. They will not stand down until Earth gives into their demands or until we have broken their backs. Frankly, sir, I do not blame them.”
The Admiral looked about his command bridge. The deck was alive with activity as the crewman under his command quickly and efficiently carried out their orders and completed their tasks to ensure that his ship, the UNSC Dawn’s Hope, was operating immaculately. Through the corridors, the barking of sergeants could be heard as Marines were preparing to be combat dropped onto the planet. An uneasy and unsettled look was on everyone’s faces.
Admiral Walker sat back in his chair. He turned to his Communications Officer. “Ensign Lowell, halt all ships.” The Ensign repeated the order into the ship’s computer. The Dawn’s Hope and its seven companion ships engaged their reverse thrusters until the ships were motionless.
“I want to resolve this issue without bloodshed if at all possible. I do not like the idea of waging warfare on a planet full of civilians when the Covenant is reaking havoc in the Outer Colonies. Let’s settle this matter quickly and cleanly and get back to the front lines,” said the Admiral.
A resolute “Hoorah!” came from all of the marines on the deck.
Captain Henderson walked over to the admiral and asked quietly, “Sir, what do we do if the locals don’t back down?”
The Admiral looked him in the eyes and replied, “Captain, I am not going to go into the history books as the man that ruthlessly put down the Outreman Insurrection, consequences be damned. We have much more to worry about than a few disgruntled civilians on a small outfitting planet.”
Ensign Lowell interrupted their conversation. “Admiral, I apologize for the interruption, but the UNSC Shadows and Mist is hailing us.”
The Admiral groaned. “Damn it… Put him on.”
The Ensign keyed the command into his station. The image of the planet on the main view screen disappeared and the image of a man in a very dark room appeared. “Admiral, why have we stopped?”
The Admiral looked into the shadows on the screen. It was so dark that he could not see the man’s eyes. “Captain Giovanni, what an unexpected surprise,” he said dryly.
“Please, Admiral. I beg that you dispense with the pleasantries. We have explicit orders from people in very high places to put down this rebellion with all speed and with the use of any force necessary. I ask you again. Why have we stopped?” slowly replied the captain.
The admiral, composed and cool, said, “Captain. I appreciate that the Office of Naval Intelligence, in their infinite wisdom, thought that sending you to supervise a military op was a good idea, but I do not answer to you. And if I hear you question my orders again, neither your rank as a Captain or your station within ONI will protect you from the yardarm from which I will personally hang you. Do I make myself absolutely clear, Captain?”
Captain Julius Giovanni glared at the Admiral for a moment. He had never met anyone who was not severely intimidated and afraid by the fact that he worked for ONI. The Office of Naval Intelligence, or ONI, was the shadowy intelligence arm of Earth that was distrusted by everyone with which they interacted. It wielded supreme authority and acted like the Gestapo as it rounded up anyone it believed to be a threat to UNSC domination. Housed within the organization were several different divisions that dealt with matters such as military intelligence, propaganda, and black operations. The organization was made up of the elite and it used its knowledge and power to spread propaganda, sell disinformation, and do anything it felt was necessary to protect the government on Earth.
Captain Giovanni looked at the admiral and responded, “Of course, Admiral. I meant nothing by it. I only wished to make sure that you had not lost the nerve to do what is necessary.”
“Captain, I will do what needs to be done. Is there anything useful that you would like to discuss or can we return to the problem at hand?” asked Admiral Walker.
The agent smiled and said, “Actually, Admiral, there is. Once we reach the surface, I will need to lead a detachment of marines to take control of the ONI facility. There is valuable data that I have been ordered to secure.”
Admiral Walker sighed, “You couldn’t have told me this during the two weeks that it took us to get here?”
Captain Giovanni smiled again, this time much more sinisterly. “You’re on a need to know basis, Admiral.”
The Admiral turned to Ensign Lowell. “Cut it.” The smile on Captain Giovanni’s face disappeared as he was disconnected. The image of Outremer was a gain on the main viewport.
“F*****g spooks,” muttered Captain Henderson.
“Let it go, Captain,” returned the Admiral. “We have bigger fish to fry without pissing off ONI. Ensign! Contact the surface and find out what is going on. Put the battle group on high alert. Command Crew! I want a complete analysis report in fifteen minutes in the conference room.”
