Days earlier
(3rd Pov)
5 months have passed since the UNSC's first victory in the Chi Ceti system. Since then, things have changed for the UNSC.
The UNSC has dove into full-scale war production and focused at the behest of Vice Admiral Michael Stanforth, on combating this new alien enemy. This has given mixed results.
The colony of Bliss, home to approximately 500 million civilians, has been glassed down to the bedrock. 45 ships consisting of five assault carriers, 23 battlecruisers, and 17 destroyers left slip space, entering the system. 3 UNSC defense force ships moved to engage, consisting of 2 heavy cruiser,s the UNSC Weeping Willows and the UNSC Matador, along with 1 frigate, the UNSC Purpose.
The battle lasted 3 minutes.
Afterward, all communication with the defense force was lost, and the Covenant ships proceeded to the orbit above Bliss. From there, evacuation shuttles fled into the vacuum of space whilst Covenant forces were deployed to the surface, killing everything they found that lived.
But it was strange, the strategists of the UNSC didn't understand why the Covenant didn't just glass the planet without losing any infantry. Some believed it was due to personal reasons. That the genocide they were committing was just a game, like a cat playing with its food. Others weren't convinced and believed there was another reason for their actions...
In better news, Admiral Cole led Battle Group X-ray to victory, retaking Harvest from Covenant control. He scored the second Covenant ship kill, managing to take out a Rasus-pattern Interdictor, but at the cost of thirteen ships. Another in a long line of firsts for humanity, but something to be remembered for all of history.
Meanwhile, the Spartan teams have been busy.
Spartan teams Blue, Gold, and Green, along with the help of multiple ONI Prowlers, managed to capture a Covenant ship, a small frigate, the Radiant Arrow. And as of this moment, it is being taken apart at a top-secret facility deep within space by some of the UNSC's best and brightest.
Then went on to perform in Operation: SILENT STORM, destroying a major Covenant Staging area, but at the cost of nearly the entirety of the 21st Space Assault Battalion, the Black Daggers ODST unit. But on a strict look at costs and benefits, the price was well worth it.
Grey team and Silver team have been tasked with keeping insurrectionist cells, and not much is known except that they have been very effective at their job.
Lastly, teams Alpha and Omega have undertaken the task of being Quick Response Teams (QRT) for colonies that have the unfortunate state of being victims of a Covenant attack. Spartan team Omega is currently in transit. As for Alpha team?
There is currently evidence of Covenant activity in and around the Circinius system, a clear sign of encroaching invasion and almost certain danger.
But wherever danger is, Alpha endures.
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Circinius System, Circinius IV
Corbulo Military Academy
April 25th 2526
0800 Hours
[LOG ENTRY 1: Author's Commentary — whoever wrote Forward Onto Dawn's lore has never talked to a veteran.]
(3rd Pov)
Morning had come, and the star in the center of the Circinius system began to climb into the sky above Corbulo Military Academy, an officer candidate school. Upon the training ground, a skirmish between two trainee teams was beginning to unfold…
…
..
.
"UP UP UP MOVE MOVE MOVE,"
The trainees of Hastati squad scrambled out of their cryopods as the yells of their squad leader echoed through the bay. One, a young end of teenage years boy fell out, the moment the hatch opened.
*cough-cough*
He spat out cryogenic preservative fluids as he stayed sprawled out on the metal grate, trying to get it out of his system.
"GET YOUR ASS UP, LASKY," a dark skinned female, the squad upperclassman leader, April Orenski, shouted, grabbing him and shoving him to his feet.
He didn't bother to respond, only moving back to his locker to get his gear on to avoid being yelled at again. He pulled out his uniform, a dark olive green digital camo, and quickly began pulling it up, buttoning it up: doing everything that was needed to put it on. When that was done, he pulled out the lighter green armor, placing the torso, chest piece, shoulder, and knee pads, and finally the helmet, which lit up with his HUD in the orange sunglasses.
The boy, Thomas Lasky grabbed his MA5C loaded with training rounds and rushed out into the wilderness of the battle ground, "2 minutes 14 seconds," An instructor standing by the door clicked a stop watch as he passed through the door way to the outside, "You must be trying to break the record for the SLOWEST trainee Lasky!" he said loudly even shouting the word "Slowest" from behind Thomas's back.
Lasky ran out into a field before immediately heading into the tree line of the forest, the centerpiece of the training ground. He lazily kept his eyes focused on the blue dots grouped on one heading of the compass at the top of his HUD. He didn't bother trying to look around to see if his HUD could identify the red dots that corresponded with the enemy.
After a minute or so of jogging, he arrived at the outcropping that had become almost boringly predictable as a rally point, 'Will Vickers ever change it up? Maybe come up with a plan before we are under fire?' but it didn't matter.
"Finally," an older young man snorted, seeing Lasky as he crouched down, "Did you put your pants on backwards or were you thinking about quitting again?" he said with a snarky tone.
"Knock it off, Vickers," another cadet, a female with her hair in a blonde braid, spoke up, interjecting. Her eyes were sharp as she snapped at the interim team leader before they softened as she glanced at Lasky.
Lasky, however, didn't pay attention to the insults or jabs and simply sat there in the group with a tired expression. He had the look of someone who simply didn't care, with eyes that seemed to look into the distance as if he was stuck in a daze.
"So what's the plan, team lead?" a dark-haired cadet, Michael Sullivan, asked, bags under his eyes.
"We are gonna rush them," the red-haired Walter Vickers said with determination, "They know where we are because of the test, but that's just a crutch for them. We'll catch them by surprise as they're focused on our positions."
Lasky, for the first time today, perked up hearing the plan. He involuntarily spoke out from habit, "No, that won't work. Our main issue is a lack of information; our best chance is to fan out and flank them and funnel them into a kill box."
"Oh, you want to be a leader again?" Dimah Tchakova, another female cadet, remarked.
Walter reached over, grabbing Thomas by the shoulder armor pad, yanking him until the red-haired young man was in his face, "We are doing things my way, and don't you dare fuck this up," he said before shoving him back in his spot.
Lasky's expressionless face finally morphed into one of quiet anger, "No screw that," he said, shaking his head as his mind began to calculate.
He felt a small hand on his shoulder, causing him to temporarily pause his train of thought. Turning his head to see who it was, his own posture relaxed slightly.
"Please. Don't, Tom," the blonde-haired cadet, Chyler Silva, who had stood up for him previously, seemingly begged.
And for a moment Hastati team thought that for once Thomas Lasky would do as he was told… but that was only for a fleeting moment.
As if spontaneous, he stood back up straight before sprinting out of the concrete enclave they were using for cover and around into an arc.
"Shit! Cover that damn idiot," Vickers scrambled, barking out an order.
The instant they left their cover, all hell broke loose. Starting with Michael Sullivan, taking three rounds to the chest from three different locations, dropping him instantly as the paint locked up his armor.
"Sully!" Tchakova called out only to be stopped hearing Vicker's voice again.
"Leave him!" he shouted as he began to open up with his own MA5C. He couldn't exactly tell the enemy's location, and so opted just to suppress the general area.
But even that was not enough as the enemy team of trainees saw through it and, with a couple of well-placed shots, brought him to the ground as well. Now the enemy's main target was Dimah, sending volleys of red pain in her direction as she desperately took cover. She waited, and when the firing finally let up, she took it as a sign they were reloading. The moment she popped up from behind her cover, a red paint shot found its mark on her throat, instantly incapacitating her.
Cadet Silva had taken the opportunity to try and follow Lasky's plan, running along the outskirts of the forest and finally finding an enemy who scrambled, finding they were outflanked. She shouldered her rifle, yanking the trigger, firing a burst of paint rounds, and taking out the enemy soldier. Her eyes caught the sight of another turning to begin firing at them, but she fell over, a large blotch of red staining her back armor plating. Another enemy had counterflanked her, surprising her by attacking her from behind.
Meanwhile, the main culprit of the entire escapade was finishing his flank. He caught the first enemy by surprise, firing a few accurate shots, his rifle set to semi-auto. A second nearby realized they had been flanked and attempted to swivel, only to be dropped as well. Lasky decided to push his advantage, moving on what would have been his third kill, only to quickly dodge as he caught the glimpse of red paint rounds heading his direction out of the corner of his eye.
He attempted to retreat back to a defendable position but began to take hits. One or two landed on his back, causing him to spin around before being hit an additional three times in the chest.
He fell onto his back, his gaze directed at the blue sky above through the canopy of the forest. It was certain, they had lost again. And all the young trainee boy could say:
"That's life,"
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Yeah this will be a bit interesting arc to write.
Be on the look out for the Covenant Scythe it's something I thought up.
But yeah drop questions if you have em.
We'll be slow on updates for this month as I somehow managed to pick up 2 jobs as well as joined a club at university building a plane (not a full size one). So I am STRAPPED for time, but thankfully I have a bit of a back log.