[center][img]https://www.pngkey.com/png/full/391-3919368_file-unsc-symbol-logo-halo-wars-the-great.png[/img][/center] [center][h2]UNSC [i]Unbroken Hope[/i][/h2][/center] [h3]1910 Hours, April 30th 2550 (Military Calendar) / Unknown system, Unknown sector.[/h3] ------------------------------- Aboard the [i]Unbroken Hope[/i] ------------------------------- The return of Team Omicron, Issac and Sentinel 1-1 were met with a standing applause at the Hangar bay by crew-members and Marines alike. With Issac brought back to the main podium at the Bridge, all was well as the crew welcomed and got re-adjusted with their missing friends. Shortly after the mass arrival, operations resumed as nominal as Engineering began coordination to further look into the schematics with the arrays and connections to the main power grid. The only events to note was a jump to another system, and more alarmingly, the construction of a Super-Weapon known as the Death Star. Down in Debrief sat the five members of Omicron, Marcus Oliver, Leon Dare, Elizabeth Carver, Jackson Briggs and Amir Abadi. Sitting in a council-like room formation of chairs encircling a holotable, Issac's position was next to the Captain; the blue-white hologram gesturing to the skeletal-looking sphere on the screen. With an info-panel displayed next to the mysterious Dyson-Sphere looking object, it was obvious that the information about the 'Death Star' was wholly incomplete; sections of categories were largely unfilled- with most of the reported data coming from other members of the task-force. Had this been an Epoch-class, an onboard Science Team would have had a field day with the information given to them. Alas, it was not like this- and the crew of the [i]Unbroken Hope[/i] had to make do with anything they could at this point. Many hours later following their return to the Hope, every single HIGHCOM personnel was called to the bridge. Centered around the briefing area's main holotable were all five officers plus Omicron alongside the wall of the door entrance, with Kendra stepped up to the table. With Issac standing at the podium's emitter built into the rightmost side of the table closest to Marcus, the rest of the space was occupied by what appeared to be a large, white spherical-shaped planet that appeared to be under construction. Even as everyone filed into the room, their gaze was momentarily interrupted with a salute toward the Captain, then instantly redirected toward the massive sphere projected just above the surface of the table. The projected information chart next to it displayed limited information; some fields missing their contents due to the unknown nature of what exactly the massive weapon was capable of- at least to them. Once everyone filed in, Marcus gave a wordless nod toward Issac, who cleared his throat and spoke aloud. "As... most of you are aware by now, this is one of Anubis's main playing field devices. This... 'Death-Star' is a planet-sized station reportedly capable of destruction on a systemic scale. How powerful, we can only speculate- but..." Issac trailed off as the main spherical body of the massive structure faded into the background; leaving the dish-like part of the station lit up as he continued speaking after his pause. "...This is apparently the primary weapon system of the station. Mainly because, you know, planets don't have giant internal-looking antennas built into them." Issac brought the object back into its default view on the table as he clasped his hands together with a sigh. "Obviously speaking this thing is going to serve as a hot-spot for hostile activity. Fighter craft, destroyers, carriers and cruisers look like it wouln't be impossible to have them deployed from the station itself. As it stands, this is a worrisome development. Especially if the Anubis guy gets ahold of the station, which I assume he most likely already has in some capacity. For now, we'll just be throwing theories based on our own individual ship's capabilities in dealing with threats like these- I'm sure there'll be another summit with the group's leaders, but for now, I'd like to hear your thoughts on the issue. Captain?" Marcus nodded toward Issac as he scanned the individuals in the room briefly; his haggard appearance seeming to accentuate the stress of his position catching up on him. Glancing back toward the hologram of the Death Star, he sighed. "We got unusually lucky with Sentinel's C-SAR deployment to the Jedi Temple, and later to Alderaan. Combat data has shown that our conventional ballistics can easily penetrate the armor of the combatants found in the Temple, but as it stands, we've never as of yet engaged in space combat with this 'Empire.' Keeping the station out of weapon's range is easy, but as for the fleet no doubt guarding one of their most prized stations, it'd be a nightmare. Excluding ship weapon systems for the time being, Amir- what's our fighter inventory like?" Marcus and the of the personnel in the room went silent, focusing their attention on the leader of the [i]Hope[/i]'s 22nd Air Wing. The man looked to be in his forties; with heavy Middle Eastern features overlaying a head of black hair and intimidating hazel eyes. Clearing his throat, he spoke up in a thick Arabic-English accent. "Captain, as it stands, we have twenty-four Longsword fighters; split into three squadrons with six craft per each." Amir gestured to the table with an expectant look from the Captain, to which he nodded as Issac sensed what Amir was after. The hologram of the Death Star was minimized and shuffled off to the side as a new panel opened up; pulling three nearly-identical Longsword variants up and into view side-by-side as a spec sheet lined the bottom. As the man spoke, additional information appeared above the their respective tables. "We have two specialized variants suited primarily for space engagements, and one for exoatmospheric CAP and CAS capabilities. The C709 is our front-line exo-atmospheric strike fighter, as you know. The C708 are atmospheric bombers- ideal for surgical strikes against enemy ground forces, armor, buildings- you name it. The C712 is capable of both dogfighting in space and providing ground support- but that really depends on what's happening on the battlefront. All of my fighters are equipped with the maximum capacity of their respective payload configurations- including Shiva nuclear warheads- for the bombers." These was a subtle pause for the crew to digest the information, nodding as Amir concluded. To the surprise of nearly everyone, the haggered, 50-something cigar smoking irritated veteran that was Colonel Briggs piped up next- much to a notable disgruntled huff of Amir. "So- we just sit on the ship while you pansy-ass Flyboys steal our thunder? Give me a goddamn break." Amir sighed with an eye roll, glancing to and failing to receive support from the CSM standing beside the Colonel, who gave a lightly amused chuckle at the rapidly flustering flight leader. "With respect to you, Colonel Briggs, this isn't exactly an op for a boarding raid. Sentinel 1-1 happened to have access to a friendly ship that was able to get them aboard an enemy vessel- we don't have that technology and you'd be far better off sitting this engagement out unless told otherwise, Sir." Briggs bit down in his cigar as the embers flared at the burned end as he gave a silent venomous glare toward Amir, before nodding with a grumble and refusing to speak up any further. Marcus sighed, and spoke up to address the brooding Colonel, "If you're looking to do something about it, I'd advise you and the Sergeant Major refresh your men on EVA and accompanying boarding procedures in the event we actually need them on a hostile ship. This isn't our world anymore, and we can't afford such risk as it is. Our only option as it stands is to prepare and analyze situations as they appear, then strike where it's needed. This 'Death Star' remains a primary target to neutralize in the long run, but I'm more concerned about the primary fleet ships the Empire has in their possession, and what exactly Anubis is going to bring to the table. As soon as I have any significant updates on our situation, I'll call you all here again. Dismissed for now." The abrupt conclusion to the briefing had everyone slowly file out of the room, and as the footsteps faded into the hallway, Oliver sighed as the holotable cleared- glancing to the AI. "Issac, put in a call to the [i]Tantive-IV.[/i] Get as much information on the Empire's fleet capabilities as you can; I want a full report by tomorrow morning. Understood?" Issac turned toward the Captain, clicking his heels together with a grin as he snapped into a salute. "Aye, Sir." Vanishing into the podium, Marcus turned back toward the bridge view and strode toward his chair, taking a seat and rubbing the bridge of his nose, eyes squinted. Even as the operation was mostly a success, he couldn't help but feel as if this Empire and Anubis had no doubt caught word of their presence, and would make a series of guerilla tactics all the more difficult to accomplished. Begrugingly, the breif reprieve he had was soon interuppted by Issac's voice. "You've been summoned for another delegation meeting- aboard the [i]Ageis.[/i] Should I prep a shuttle?" Marcus winced, then nodded as he arose from his chair. "I'll be down in the bay. Get it ready." The man said with a sigh as he turned toward the bridge, exited it, and took the elevator straight to the hangar bay. He was going to do this alone. ---------------------------- Marcus Oliver / Aboard the [i]Immaculate Ageis[/i] ---------------------------- With the Pelican's arrival into the bay of the massive CCS-Class Battlecruiser, Marcus wore a light scowl as he made his way to what could only be assumed to be the central meeting room. Relaxing his expression, he stepped into the room as the automatic alien door slid open after sounding off a quick two-toned signal. Wordlessly glancing to everyone present, he strode to his own position near the conglomerate, and waited until he was addressed as he listened intently to everyone else.