Halo: Circumstance ({[IC/Accepting/Started]})

[The True Ace Attorney]

[center][url="http://forum.yugiohcardmaker.net/topic/243066-halo-circumstance-oocacceptingnot-started/"]OOC Thread[/url]

(Now let's get this show started!)[/center]

In the communications room on the bridge of the UNSC Warhawk, a UNSC Frigate slowly drifting on the edge of the Epsilon Eridani system, a SPARTAN-II was speaking to a large blue screen. After slamming his hand against the table he sat beside, leaving a small spider-web crack, a voice from the screen said, in an authoritative and final tone, "Eddy, I know this is a risky job, but we need to find out what's on that planet. And this stays between us, so don't tell the others."

Lifting his hand from the table and slowly feeling the scarred layer of flesh where his left ear should have been, he said, "Aye, aye ma'am. I'll report back when I'm able."

As the light of the screen dimmed, Eddy got to his feet and headed to the adjoining operations room. Tapping the console of a large computerised table, a green display covered it's surface and the wire-frame model of the planet Circumstance slowly rose upwards. Pushing down a large yellow button, and after a small beep helpfully pointed out that the console was working, Eddy spoke in a quick, clear and impressive voice, "Will both Ruby and Sapphire come up to the operations room. We're about to begin the briefing."

Taking his thumb off of the button, he sighed and slowly strode around the table. Reaching out, he spun the wire-frame planet until it became a highly detailed, colour model and zoomed in on it's large, sandy desert. As the zoomed in image set itself down on the table, a small tab on each side of the table lit up with the word "Pandora". While he waited for the others that he had called up, he scanned the desert they soon to encounter.

[Makο]

Chris sat in his quarters, closely examining a shotgun shell. He pulled off the cap, poured the gunpowder in his hand, and sniffed. He stood still for a second, before letting a a large sneeze.

"*Sniff* Ah, the smell of gunpowder. It's enough to get anyone excited for battle."

Chris heard the intercom above him turn on.

"Will both Ruby and Sapphire come up to the operations room. We're about to begin the briefing."

Chris threw the empty shell behind him.

"It took them long enough." He remarked.

He opened his Hard Case and pulled out a small box of Shotgun Shells. He took one out and replaced it with the one he took out of his wrist. He replaced the box to its original location and put his helmet back on. He rushed out of his quarters and headed towards the operations room.

[◇ Void ◇]

Thomas was seated inside one of the laboratory onboard the UNSC Warhawk. We was suited in his Rust orange MJONLIR armor, excluding his operators helmet. The helmet was on a table which he are working at, attached to a computer screen by a single wire.

He had taken a very small, crosshaired shaped screwdriver and was twisting a small dial beside the four lenses on his helmet, back and fourth. The screen beside him showed four images of the surrounding room at a different angle, being tuned in and out of focus each. Thomas had to be very delicate with his actions, his suit multiplying the force of every action he did. Slowly, each of the pictures tuned into perfect view, only the fourth one still unfocused.

"One more..." Thomas muttered to himself, zooming his head towards the helmet.

He twisted the last lens into view with a tiny motion, leaving all four angles crystal clear. Placing the screwdriver away in a little toolbox that was built into the top of the table and unplugged the wire from his helmet with one tug. He took a glance at his helmet at eye level, staring into its deep blue visor with an intelligent look on his pale face.

"Will both Ruby and Sapphire come up to the operations room. We are about to begin the briefing." was barked though the intercom.

"Hm. Perfect timing." He remarked, twisting the helmet around and slid it over his head. He locked the three clips around his neck to the bottom of the operators helmet. He stood for a second as his Heads up display started and checked that everything worked. He nodded to himself and walked though the automated doors into the Hallway, heading towards the operations room.

[Spartan919]

Jacob had been napping in his room when the orders came over the intercom. Though he was snoring, his eyes instantly snapped open. He sat up, looked around, and confirmed that he was indeed where he should be. Letting out a quick yawn, Jacob stood up, and did a quick round of morning calisthenics. For a long time, Jacob had slept in his armor, minus the helmet, so all he had to do now was grab it and shove it on his head. As the seal hissed, he clicked the intercom, and said, "Jacob-G099 on the way, sir," though he was sure it didn't matter. He checked that he had his personal sidearm at his side, then ran a quick diagnostic. Satisfied his armor was fully functional, he exited the room. Suddenly bored, he began sprinting to the operations room. His boots slammed against the steel floor, leaving dents, but he didn't care. Upon reaching the room, Jacob skidded to a stop. He opened the door, and walked in.

[The True Ace Attorney]

"Ah, Jacob. Good to see you. Please, take a seat." Eddy motioned to one of the many chairs surrounding the table before continuing, "You're in Sapphire, yes? Have you seen Reina, your squad leader? Haven't seen her in years, glad to see her name on a list of the living, though. But I shouldn't worry you with that, I'd actually like your opinion on something, nothing too big though. I was wondering, my armour, should I keep it this same gun-metal grey or should I give it a quick change to something more patriotic, I could say, you know, a more ruby red colour?"

After finishing, Eddy walked back and forth, tapping parts of the table while muttering about being "too exposed" or "too dangerous".

[The Amazing Avian]

Upon hearing the announcement, Nathan stood up from his seat, picked up his rifle and donned his helmet. He walked towards the Operations room. Once he got there, he leaned his rifle against the wall and sat down next to it. He looked at the hologram for a few seconds, analyzing every major landmark he could find, then looked around the room at the rest of the task force assigned to Circumstance. Once he was done with that, he moved closer to his rifle tilted his head down and silently dozed off.

[Spartan919]

Jacob nodded respectfully at Eddy, not worrying about saluting. He hadn't seen the larger II-model for some time, but it felt good to be back; Jacob hoped that Eddy hadn't changed too much. He listened quietly as Eddy spoke, almost swallowing the flow of questions and statements that Eddy spewed forth. Then, he retaliated. "I myself haven't seen Reina for some time, and correct, I'm her right hand man in Sapphire." Then, he let his eyes roam over the older, and larger, man's body. After a quiet study session, Jacob answered Eddy's final question. "The gun-metal suit fits you, as does every part of your armor. I find it imposing, intimidating, and commanding...all at the same time." Jacob glanced over at Nathan as he entered the room, then turned back to Eddy.

[Makο]

Chris burst through the door to the operations room, tripping in before stumbling to a halt. His legs quivered for a moment, before giving out under him. He scrambled up to his feet and wiped himself off, attempting to retain what dignity he had left. He cleared his throat and saluted Eddy.

"Spartan O098, reporting for duty, sir."

Chris looked around the room, taking quick glances at Jacob and Nathan. He lowered his salute without waiting for an 'At ease', and walked over to a nearby hologram, which was displaying Circumstance. He slipped his hand in and out of the hologram, as if trying to grasp it.

"So this is the place we're going? Just frikkin great...I hate deserts!"

He slowly backed up against a wall, slumping, while mumbling to himself.

"...deserts...hot...almost as bad as flight combat..."

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

"Do we have everyone?" A soft feminine voice spoke up from nowhere. After a bit, the voice continued. "Good. Let us begin."
A white-armored SPARTAN-II, a bit shorter than usual, de-cloaked in the chair next to Jacob and took off its helmet to reveal a beautiful woman with porcelain skin, purple hair tied into a braid, and gold-colored eyes. It was hard to believe such a delicate-looking flower was underneath the heavy armor.
"Good morning, fellow SPARTANs. I am Chief Petty Officer Reina-001, and I am the commander of what has been designated 'Sapphire Team'. You all have the honor of being some of the few SPARTANs the UNSC has left."

[Spartan919]

Jacob glanced over, not at all surprised to see Reina appear out of nowhere. He followed her, and pulled his helmet off, revealing his scars, ginger hair, and hazel/gold eyes. Now free of his helmet, he gave her a smile in greeting. "You make us all feel so special, Reina," he said, "although, you are right." He glanced at the hologram in the center of the room for the first time. He let his eyes roam over the planet's terrain, the deserts, everything. It reminded him of three other planets: Reach, Onyx, and Earth. But mostly, he was reminded of Onyx, considering that's where he had grown up. Deciding now was time, he relayed his own rank. "First Class Petty Officer Jacob-G099 here, boys and girls." Again, he threw a smile at Reina, before picking up his helmet, and appearing to study the interior of it.

[The True Ace Attorney]

"Well, now that everyone is here, let's get this briefing started." Eddy said this with a smile and, before continuing, clapped his hands, dimming the lights. "I've always wanted to do that... But, regarding the mission. As you may, or may not, know, Circumstance has just recently been attacked by the Covenant. Because of the scientific interest in the planet, as well as the few cities that are within the small amount of habitable areas on the planet, we're being sent in. There are only a few SPARTANs being sent in, only the ones that are on this ship now are the ones I know of. This is a tactical decision. Because of the heavy variation on the planet, it would be highly dangerous to send even a small army onto it's surface. Now, this desert, Pandora, is where we will be landing." Eddy gave the table a few taps.

"The reason we are landing here is because it's the only safe place to land and still remain undetected. What we will be doing there should is, essentially, building ourselves a small base of operations. Thankfully, because of a small UNSC research facility in Pandora, this won't require any real physical labour on our part. When we hit the ground, our first objective will be getting into the facility. Now, you may be wondering how we're getting onto the planet." Eddy tapped a few buttons and the desert disappeared and a model of another UNSC ship took it's place. After a small intake of breath, he continued, "This is the UNSC Vesuvius. A Destroy-class ship that has taken heavy battle damage and is currently orbiting Circumstance. Our plan is to board the Vesuvius and give it the push it needs to descend to Circumstance. We have to survive this, obviously, so, before we cause this catastrophe, we're moving a couple of Elephants from the Warhawk onto the Vesuvius. The Elephants are protected by ODESA, which is Orbital Drop Elephant Shuttle Armour, just so you know. Now, our plan is, after we cause the Vesuvius to start plummeting towards Circumstance, we will take our positions within the Elephants and, when the hangar doors break off, which will happen, we will be forced out and safely, albeit extremely roughly, land in Pandora."

"I know that it may seem like a long shot, but it will work and it's the only way to do this without having to encounter heavy resistance when we land. The only problem is the potential separation of the two teams when we hit Pandora, though that's not extremely devastating considering the fact that having two teams means we would be separating at certain points anyway. Now, do we have any questions?" Eddy finished with an inquiring look around the room.

[Makο]

Chris raised his hand high into the air, as if in a classroom. He cleared his throat.

"Um...question? If the Vesuvius was damaged in battle, won't there be Covey's in space to worry about? I mean, look at this!"

Chris walked over to the Hologram and pointed out the starboard engine.

"This engine has taken severe punishment, while the other one was blown clean off!"

Chris began pointing out other sections of the ship that had maintained heavy damage, but halted around the bow.

"What?...Huh. That's strange. Look at this."

He pointed to the front of the MAC.

"There is a Covey drop pod on the nose of this vessel, leading right into the barrel of the MAC. Any reason as to why they might do that, Eddy?"

[The True Ace Attorney]

"Huh, strange. Reconnaissance told us that there weren't supposed to be any Covenant near the Vesuvius, I guess we'll need to tell them to check the damn ship next time. Oh, and the Vesuvius was damaged while the Covenant were dropping onto Circumstance. we were told that they hadn't taken enough ships to survey the space around the planet. Vesuvius was just unlucky and turned up when the Covenant did. As to why they would be looking into a MAC Cannon..." Eddy was perplexed by this and while he thought it over he stroked the scarred patch of skin where his ear should have been, a habit he picked up soon after he had lost his ear. Giving up with a sigh, he said, in an uncharacteristically slow voice, "I honestly have no clue as to why there would be a drop pod in a MAC Cannon. I could guess that, considering that it's just a single drop pod, a group of them panicked and launched themselves from their ship, accidentally lodging themselves in the cannon, but that wouldn't explain why they were still there. No matter why they are actually there, it's just an extra thing to do before we land on Circumstance. We can't run the risk of the Covenant finding out anything that would make our mission more difficult. I guess we'll have to clear the ship before we do make the Vesuvius plummet. We'd have to make it quick though. If it takes too long it could make our landings quite a bit further away from Pandora's research facility."

[Makο]

Chris placed his hand on his chin.

"Hmm...well, it couldn't have been an accident. If it was, the actually boarding part of the vessel should have been sticking out in a random direction. I think they intended to board the vessel this way. But...why there? It would've been easier just to impale the vessel anywhere else. And to my knowledge, I don't know of any way to access the vessels main body through the cannon. Could the pod have done this without permission? Maybe the captain of the landing vessel refused a boarding operation, but some of the crew decided to do it anyway, and that was the only way to do it without getting themselves killed. Bah, there are too many possibilities to sift through."

Chris stretched his neck, looking up.

"By the way...why do you say MAC Cannon? MAC stands for Magnetic Accelerator Cannon. So, really, you are saying Magnetic Accelerator Cannon Cannon."

He smirked.

"Just curious."

[Spartan919]

Jacob silently listened to Chris and Eddy. After Eddy's small 'lecture,' Jacob did indeed have a few questions, but decided to keep them to himself. He stepped forward and stared intently at the Covenant Pod on the tip of the ship. [i]That is strange. But the Covenant aren't really the panicking type; and they aren't especially friendly when it comes to UNSC technology.[/i] Jacob remembered seeing Elites completely ignore human weapons, and fight hand-to-hand instead. He cleared his throat. "I have light pilot training," he announced. "With your permission, I would like to take a Shortsword fighter and investigate it, and meet you all on the ground."

[Makο]

Chris looked towards Jacob.

"I can see a small problem with that. If there are Coveys there, we wouldn't want to alert them. If you want to investigate, you be better off using something with a smaller size. Perhaps going in with just a Jetpack. But it's not my call. I just don't think it's a very good idea."

[i]The last thing I want is to start any Space combat. Ugh, just the thought of it makes me sick.[/i]

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Reina put her helmet back on. "I have a better idea. Those of us who are EVA-rated and have the suits to match could simply launch themselves out of the airlock on a trajectory towards the [i]Vesuvius[/i]. If we keep our power signature to a minimum, we could simply look like dead bodies floating in space: detritus, flotsam, junk. They won't think twice if we suddenly impact into the side of the ship. The only problem would be precisely maneuvering us to the [i]Vesuvius[/i] upon ejection, but we could use short jetpack bursts to accomplish that. Also, our timing would have to be perfect and completely synchronized, or else a number of horrible things could happen."

[Makο]

"Such as flying off it the cold void of space never to be seen again? Or having to use our Jetpacks to adjust our trajectories, only to alert the Coveys and have or bodies turned to ash by plasma bolts? Or..."

Chris looked around the room for a second.

"I'm...not really helping the situation right now, am I? One way or another it sounds like a potentially good idea. Though we shouldn't get to deep into the planning stages. Hey Eddy, what do you think?

[Spartan919]

Jacob shook his head. "I've never been that good with the thruster packs," he told both Reina and Chris. "I'd have a much better chance of living if I were in a fighter. And besides, even if you do avoid detection, you'll probably still have to deal with Covenant on the ship, and I can, from the cockpit of a fighter, potentially draw them back onto the pod, and distract them, giving you a much larger window of opportunity. Besides, I'm the one best rated to fly anything out of the Spartans here." He tapped his helmet, reminding them that it was a [i]Pilot[/i] helmet. "I'll be fine; I'm sure I'll be in no risk of harm from any Covenant. I'll take whatever would be the best fighter, whatever suits the mission best: maybe a Sabre, or a Longsword."

[Makο]

"What makes you think you'll be able to 'lure' them back into their pod? As stupid as I think the Covey's are, they aren't that dumb. They know that if we have a fighter out there, they'll be much safer inside the main hull of the Vesuvius than inside their flimsy boarding craft."

Chris leaned over and examined the hologram of the Vesuvius. He shifted the shotgun on his back.

"Besides...I am reading large heat signatures from within the ship. It still has power. This means that, if nothing else, Grunts or maybe Brutes* are controlling the ship's main guns. You'll have a hard time avoiding that rain of gunfire. And because we can't risk damaging the Vesuvius, you'll be a sitting duck. We have no choice BUT a stealth boarding, in person. Even if you can distract them long enough for us to board, they will be alert of boarders, because we have no reason otherwise to have a lone fighter circling outside the ship."


[spoiler=*]Are there Brutes in this RP?[/spoiler]

[The True Ace Attorney]

(OOC: Yeah, there are going to be Brutes. It'd feel odd without them)

"I know MAC stands for what it stands for, it's just a verbal tic. When things are abbreviated, we say the in two different ways, as they look and as individual letters. It feels odd to just say M A C or MAC and it's just weird to say MA Cannon. It's a struggle for me to even say ODESA without saying Armour afterwards." Eddy explained this to Chris and allowed everyone else to finish talking. After he had weighed everyone's arguments, he cleared his throat loudly and spoke in a clear, authoritative tone, "Okay, first of all, we'll need to be able to get on without a problem. By 'without a problem', I mean that we can't be detected. From the looks of it, the Vesuvius isn't in the best shape. I doubt they'd get much range with their guns, nor do I think that it even has a fully functional radar. That gives us some leeway. It means we should be able to get within a distance that makes it safe to carry out what Reina has suggested, and simply launch ourselves at the Vesuvius. If we make sure we stay on the left side, considering that the majority of that side has been destroyed and sealed off from the rest of the ship, they'd have to rely on whatever short range radar they have, making it easy to get in without detection. All we'd have to do after is make our way further in, make sure we 'clean' the ship and then we can carry on as planned."

As he finished, he looked at Jacob and spoke directly to him, "And Jacob, as good of a pilot you are, we really need to keep in the dark. If they know we're there, it could make everything a whole lot more complicated."

[Spartan919]

Jacob was about to argue more, but the tone of Eddy's voice made him stop. So instead, he released his anger by slamming a fist into the wall. The metal dented, but his arm felt perfectly fine, save for a small tingle. He stayed that way, arm in the wall, for a moment, collecting himself. Much as he hated to admit it, both Eddy and Chris had good points. He sighed, and let his arm drop. "Alright," he sighed, "we'll do this your way. I've just never been good with the stupid T-packs; those things' unpredictability scares the crap out of me. I like having at least some armor between me and space." He shuddered. "And I'm sure our trainers have all told us the same thing: start spinning in one of these, start praying." He shivered again, trying to forget about what they would have to do, at least until it was time to do it.

[Makο]

"Well, we should get ready for our departure. It looks as though this will be a close quarters combat scenario, so I suggest we stick to short to medium range weapons. We also should limit explosives, as I don't have any reliable data on the Vesuvius's structural integrity. All I know is that one stray grenade in the wrong place could blow us all, and the Elephants, to smithereens."

Chris ran to the door leading to the armory. He looked back at Jacob.

"And you should probably fix that dent."

Chris chuckled to himself as he ran off.

[The Amazing Avian]

"You know, I have another idea, not sure how great it is though." Nathan said. He had woken up during the short argument about what to do to clear out Vesuvius. "Since the right side of the ship got blown apart, I say we come in from the right and scan it for any signs of life. I have a heartbeat detector and a heat signature scanner installed in my helmet to perform this task, if there are signs of life we go through the vents. I doubt that the right side is completely sealed off, due to the ventilation, we pry open the vents or use some small explosives to pop them open. Then we go through them to get to the other side. On the left side, we will just perform a sweep and clear out all Covenant personnel. I believe there would be some kind of life support because I doubt that even the strongest of elites can survive without breathing so we have to be as quiet as possible once we get to the left side. We should probably stick to close to mid-range weaponry and since it is a stealth mission, have them equipped with suppressors." He removed his helmet and raised an eyebrow. "Sound like a plan?"

[Makο]

Chris came back just as Nathan was saying his plan. He sighed.

"That is basically what we said, except more specific. I was thinking it would be a better idea to go in where the Covey's did. The Drop Pod. It is a quick and simple solution if we're lucky. Since I am unsure if there is a way to access the main hull through the MAC, we will weld our way into the pod. If there are Covey's still trapped in the pod, they will die swiftly, being sucked into the void. If they did find a way into the ship, our best option would be to open the boarding seal that keeps the Pod airtight, and keeps people out of the pod from the breaching point. Once we do that, we will standby until we are sure that all the Covey's are dead, since the ship would be depleted of oxygen. The worst case scenario to this plan would be that the pod was filled with Ranger-Class elites. In that case, we should follow standard ship boarding protocols."

Chris took a breath, after fourty-five seconds of non-stop talking.

"And that's my plan. Any objections?"