User:XW3 AR3 L3GION/Halo: Battle of Yaris IV/Chapter One

Yaris Prologue

Chapter One
August 26th 2624

In orbit of Yaris IV

UNSC Cruiser Octavius Augustus

Reports of a new counter-offensive by Imperial Jiralhanae Forces littered Ensign George Patal's work desk. Patal had pulled the graveyard shift. This was the third week in a row. It may have something to do with spilling the Captain's coffee some four weeks ago. It wouldn't have been so bad, if he had just spilt it on himself and the floor. But no, Patal thought, he had to spill it on Captain Riesemann leg, while his commanding officer was on the horn to Fleet Admiral O'Donnell himself.

Patal sighed and refreshed his command station, looking for any unnatural pings or signals that would indicate life in the black abyss that was space. His command station flashed back a negative, so Patal popped a pair of earphones on and started to play his favourite song: Indus - Party in the Ganges. It reminded him of the drunken nights of Luna Naval College and the womens who loved a man in uniform. Patal smiled to himself and recline in his chair, resting his feet on his station and started to remember that one girl from before he shipped off to Reach. Priya, ahhh...

His console had started to flash. He hadn't noticed at first. Too caught up remember how much he had to drink with Priya, the med student from New Delhi. He mentally scolded himself and begin to check his station. An unnatural ping had been detected by the cruisers long-range sensors. George swore under his breath, a habit developed from living with his overbaring mother and reset the sensors again. It took a whole thirty seconds to reset and re-do the sensor sweep, partly due to Patal's shaking hands.

His mind had gone racing, George had never encountered the Covenant before. The closest he had ever got to an alien lifeform was from watching one of those action-packed holofilms as a boy or even during the training where they simply showed a short clip of Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar and Unggoy boarding force on an old Marathon-Class Cruiser. Even then they were told to lock up and simply wait for the Marines to take care of it all.

Then it could be just an asteroid that managed to tumble into slipspace. Yeah, his instructors warned him of such stellar anomalies that could occur. They also warned him that there was more of a chance to see a toilet coming out of slipspace than an asteroid. The preliminary report from the sensors came back: a mass blob of mass moving through slipspace towards them. It could be an asteroid, in could be a huge mishaped shitter or it could just be an Imperial fleet. With a certain degree of hesitation, George Patal pressed the alarm, causing red lights to start flashing and a loud claxon to start wailing.

Within minutes, Naval crews started to file in, not all together but in ones or small groups, attending to their position. Captain Donald Riesemann marched in with the rest of the bridge crew, flanked by his XO Lieutenant Commander Myra Herst and the Colonel Roger Lewis, commander of the 301st Marine Regiment aboard the cruiser. Patal was surprised by how quickly they had all arrived and he stumbled to feet awkwardly. He saluted the Captain but it was not returned immediantly. Riesemann was staring intently at Patal's flashing command station, a scowl forming. Herst stood at ease and stared gently at Patal's slightly sweating forehead, while Lewis gazed at the male crewmembers, totally lost in the bridge of a naval warship.

"What is this, Ensign Patal?" Riesemann asked gruffly, gesturing to the Ensigns command station. "An unnatural ping, sir," Patal replied trying to keep his voice steady, his eyes glanced at the Lieutentant Commander, who had taken her eyes off him and onto Patals flashing command station. Lewis had left the Captains side and was now helping the young Lieutenant Peter Howards with his weapon station.

"An 'unnatural ping'? Ensign, did you wake up the entire ship for this?" Riesemann asked angrily. Patal heart sank, by the tone of Riesemann's voice had not forgotten the coffee incident and still thought he was useless. Patal made to reply but was cut off from Herst's firm voice, "Captain, do you mind if..." as she made for Patal's seat. She didn't need finish her sentence, her intention was clear and Riesemann agreed with a grunt. "Captain, it could be an Imperial fleet," Patal almost sounded like he was pleading, "I was beginning a secondary scan before I pressed the alarm, -" Whatever excuse Patal could have made up next was cut short by Riesemann's face turning a deep shade of red, "Ensign, are you informing me that you called the entire ship to general quarters on a preliminary sensor scan? Actually, I don't want an answer."

Before he could continue, Herst swivelled in her chair, "Captain, hasn't Ensign Patal been on the graveyard shift for the last three weeks? Perhaps, the Ensign needs a break to calm his nerves and sort out his sleeping pattern?" Patal sighed quietly, Herst was a good commander - she was trying to save his ass from the Captains ire. The Captain seemed to mull it over for a few seconds before nodding, "Patal, get the hell out of here. I don't want to see you for at least twenty four hours. Got that?"

Patal, somewhat relieved, stammered an affirmative, saluted and quickly marched out of there. He made a mental note to get the Lieutenant Commander a beer when they next had shore leave. As he left he could hear Riesemann bawling at Colonel Lewis for interfering with his bridge crew, chiefly a certain Lieutenant Howards. Patal had barely made it ten metres when, fellow Ensign Steve Driver threw his arm around the tired Ensign and informed him jokingly, that he had some explaining to do, as he led Patal to the Rec Room.

Back in the bridge, Lieutenant Commander Myra Herst watched with a smile as her CO yelled at the Marine Corps Colonel. Lieutentant Howards, smiled shamefully his face burning red, while Lewis' face developed into a massive grin which drove Riesemann higher into his rage. Tactically, Riesemann was a genius, a true naval captain with a list of kills and victories from previous engagements under his belt. However as a fellow human, he was a bit of an ass.

Patal's station, appropriated by Herst began to flash again. The secondary sensor sweep had returned, after a much more thorough check. Patal was right. It hadn't just been a blob of mass flying through slipspace. It only seemed that from a certain angle. The secondary sweep had revealed more, much more. Herst barely had cry out to the Captain when the space directly ahead of the cruiser, bubbled and opened. The bridge crew stood there aghast as the realisation that one hundred and thirteen Imperial warships were here.

For the second time within the hour, the call for the general alarm was heard, much to the annoyance of the crew but within minutes, it was silenced again.

Halo: Battle of Yaris IV/Chapter Two