[center][hider=Music to set the mood][youtube]https://youtu.be/5n06Y0EzaUM[/youtube][/hider][/center]

A slight nod of her head combined with a half wave of her right hand was the only acknowledgement that Aviza would give the new Spartan arrivals at docking bay [A1-33] This was not due to disrespect, in fact she respected each and every Spartan equally. The reason was quite simple in fact, she wanted to introduce herself to the whole squad at once when they had all gathered. As each new Spartan arrived, Aviza's tactical visor would automatically do a quick scan of each of them, gathering basic information and then storing it for later use. This was done so that if any injuries were sustained upon the field of battlefield, she could quickly and effectively treat them. Each of these Spartans that had been hand picked by the council wore a unique set of armor that made them stand out from the others in the squad. She figured that each of them had their own unique abilities as well that would help them all form a very tight, capable and formidable squad.

 There were now six Spartans standing outside the large metallic doors that lead down a long and brightly illuminated hallway which lead to one of the many airlocks upon the Infinity Class Super-carrier Solares. Finding a break in the conversations between the squad, Aviza inhaled and was about to introduce herself when the large metal doors behind them opened with a hiss. Turning to face the doorway, Aviza found herself only a few feet away from the Captain of the Infinity Class Super-carrier Solares. [color=fff200]"So this is my squad of Spartans then?"[/color] the man that stood in front of them wore the clean and highly polished uniform of any well respected Naval Captain. Upon the left breast of his jacket was a large patch that showed his rank, a number of his accomplishments that were impressive to even Aviza, and his full name, Nicholas Roger Young.

Nicholas Young stood up straight at roughly over sit feet tall, the mans face was grizzled and warn from years of combat both upon a Naval fleet but also being feet first upon the ground during some of the most infamous wars the UNSC and ONI had seen. His eyes were a strong azure blue that seemed to look through those he talked to. He kept his facial hair at an almost permanent five-o-clock shadow, his body was muscular and very well taken care of, even though now a days he barely saw any combat first hand unless someone was stupid enough to attack his ship, the Solares. [color=fff200]"Welcome to my ship, the Solares. She is a Infinity Class Super-carrier designed by ONI roughly around the same time the Infinity was being produced. I'm sure all of you are curious as to what our mission entitles, if you follow me to the command deck of the ship, all will be explained by myself and the ships AI, Nova."[/color] By now, Nicholas Young had turned his back to the Spartans and was now heading to the airlock in front of him. Once they reached the doors, they would open and all of them would step inside. The room would decontaminate them, scan them for any abnormalities, then allow them to enter the receiving area of the ship. 

The first thing they would all notice was the mass amount of active personnel upon the ship. No one really seemed to notice the Spartans arrival, they were nothing new and everyone had their own assignments to carry out swiftly and to the letter. [color=fff200]"I run a very tight ship here Spartans, everything is done to the letter without any messing around. The ship has over twenty thousand personnel working at every second of the day to ensure everything goes smoothly. For your information, there are other Spartans on-board the Solares, they will carry out their own assignments separate from your own. I have no doubt you will see them sometime during our assignment, in fact, I know you will. They are also acting as back up in case shit hits the fan and I need them to clean up a mess, which it seems to always do when ONI gets involved."[/color] A sly smirk spread across Nicholas's face at this last comment, he was UNSC and ONI himself, but knew how much trouble the two could cause for each other.  
  
The group would reach a large elevator and step inside of it before the doors would shut, sealing them in as it quickly ascended to the top floor of the ship, the command deck. All the noise within the arrival area of the ship faded way and all that could now be heard was the soft hum of the elevator. The elevator would come to a stop upon the command deck and the door would open with very little sound. Upon the command deck, many operatives of both the UNSC and ONI were hard at work, interacting with a number of interfaces, large screens, holographic tables, and many other electronics that made everything function perfectly. within the middle of the room was the largest holographic table that Aviza had seen, around it were angled monitors that showed random but crucial information about the ship and its surroundings. Nicholas stepped out of the elevator with his hands clasped behind his back and approached the large holographic table in the middle of the room, staring out into the vastness of space through a massive window directly in front of him.

[color=fff200]"Nova, detach couplers and prepare for jump."[/color] Nicholas would motion for the Spartans to join him around the holographic table if anyone was lagging behind. In the middle of the table, a very realistic and life like female figure wearing a set of ONI flight combat fatigues would instantly appear as the Captain approached, giving him a stiff salute. [color=ed1c24]"Already on it Captain, engines are at ninety-five percent capability and all systems are green, let me know when you would like to depart."[/color] Nicholas would nod his head at Nova in thanks before noticing that they were already a safe distance away from the space station where they would engage the ships drives. [color=fff200]"You have my permission, let's get this show on the road."[/color] Suddenly, the ship would accelerate at and travel at a tremendous speed, the only sign of the ship moving so quickly was how everything outside of it turned into multi-color streaks that flew past them, seeming to create some kind of tunnel that they traveled through.

Nova reappeared once more upon the large metallic holographic table in the middle of the room, this time she was wearing a set of female Spartan flight armor, without the helmet. [color=ed1c24]"So these are the Spartans that were referred to us then? Welcome to the Solares. I am Nova, the ships advanced AI. I will not only be helping the ship function to its full abilities, but I will also be picking one of you to join while on the field of battle. I can interface with both the ship and the person I choose to pair with at the same time, a little perk that was created not that long ago. Once we arrive to the Hyperion solar system, I will choose. For now though, I must review each and every one of your records, abilities, history and current status. Regardless of who I choose to pair with, I look forward to working with all of you. Please let me know if any of you need anything while on board the Solares."[/color] Nova would give a stiff salute with a smile across her face before vanishing from sight. 

Nicholas would take center stage once more, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention before speaking. [color=fff200]"Now that we have that out of the way, let us talk about the situation at hand. Deep from within the Erathellian Cluster of the Milky Way, an encrypted emergency distress signal is being sent across all secure ONI and UNSC receivers. The message explains that an unknown force has attacked the Hyperion solar system, effectively decimating any opposition that tries to interfere. The message is cut short by what is apparently an explosion and panicked shouting in the background. The Hyperion Solar System holds a large number of highly populated planets that contain important UNSC and ONI facilities as well as a Forerunner planet we are currently trying to crack the secrets of."[/color] Nicholas would then press a button upon the large metallic holographic table and the message would play for all of them to hear, once it came to an end, he would speak once more. [color=fff200]"As you can tell, we need to face the situation immediately, we do not know if it is a trap or not but we are fully prepared for anything any hostile can throw at us. Now, I have some time before I must retire to my private quarters for a very important meeting. If there are any questions about the situation at hand or anything else, please go ahead and ask me them now."[/color]

For the first time since all of the Spartans had gathered, Aviza spoke, her accent easy to pick up on and quite pleasing to listen to. [color=00aeef]"I have a question, you said we could be heading into a trap with an unknown hostile of unknown size and strength. Do we really not have any other information about the situation at hand? I know these planets are covered with sensors, video feed, and other important items of the such to help inform people like us when something goes very wrong."[/color] Aviza's eyes never left Nicholas's own as she spoke, and they held contact untill he was done answering her. [color=fff200]"Most camera feed, sensors and items that would help us identify the hostiles were somehow taken offline, this could be due to an EMP type of attack or something else that is interfering with the solar system. We managed to recover a very blurry and short video of what we think was the initial attack."[/color] Nova would had been watching and listening to the conversation, quickly faded away, being replaced by the footage Nicholas had just discussed. 

The video first showed a man in a building up a couple of stories, filming the chaos that unfold below him upon the streets. He was shaking so badly that it was very difficult to tell what exactly was going on or what was attacking civilians and military personnel below. The video would go on for around thirty seconds before a large plasma bolt would collide directly with the building that the man had been taking cover inside of. There was a massive explosion and yelling as the camera went flying out of the window and landing on the ground below, just in time to show one of the modern civilian living complexes fall into itself with a massive plume of plasma fire and smoke. Something moved by the building, picking up a solider and using what could no doubt be an energy sword to cut the man clean in half. The footage would end abruptly with something running over or stepping onto the camera. [color=ed1c24]"The footage was thankfully being broadcasted live to anyone that was listening, we were lucky to pick up the signal and record it before it was destroyed."[/color] said Nova, chiming in.

[color=00aeef]"Clearly, that is an energy sword being wielded by a Sangheili. We all know that the Covenant broke up into different factions at the end of the last war, and not all of them take kindly to our existence. The best example of this would be Jul 'Mdama, but from last I heard, he was active on the other side of the galaxy, so I very highly doubt it has to do with him. My educated guess is that it's one of the left over shards of the Covenant causing trouble down there, that or something much worse is happening, maybe a new faction has formed?"[/color] Aviza shrugged. Nicholas, nodded his head in thought, [color=fff200]"I agree with you Aviza, it has to be a splinter group from the Covenant, at least that is what I hope it is, if it's another faction that has formed since the fall of the Covenant, this will become a much bigger issue for not only us but the rest of the galaxy."[/color] There was a pause, but Nova broke the silence, [color=ed1c24]"Captain, we will arrive at the Hyperion Solar System in three hours. I have contacted Sargent Mattson to show the Spartans around the ship before we arrive, if they are done asking questions, that is."[/color] Nova looked around the room at each of them, crossing her arms over her chest.