Halo: Extinction

Started by Sabby, January 25, 2008, 10:10:12 PM

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Sabby

"I like the Demons suggestion. It could not hurt to drop such gases in on a small scale to gage its affect" he also said something to his companion on his left in the Sangheili dialect.

The UNSC officials were understandably concerned over the use of such a terrible weapon, but they to saw the need.

Question Mark

'Vishumee shot a confused glance at the Spartan.  "What is this nerve gas?  How would it incapcitate the Flood?  And what would keep the Flood from slipping onto one of our ships as they purged the infestation?  You'd have to be prepared to destroy one of your on without a moment's hesitation."

'Vadumee nodded in agreement.  "So it was with our Sangheili fleets after High Charity fell.  Many of our ships had to be destroyed as the infection tainted them from the Ring.  It saddens my heart to see so many of our kind fall, but if we do not sacrifice those, then we'll lose entire planets."  'Vadumee looked back at 'Vishumee, the latter having fallen back into the line.  He then looked around the interior of the room.  "So, tell us of nerve gas, and assure us you'd be willing to destroy on of your ships, or one of ours, if even a hint of the infestation appears on them."

LordAnubis

"Nerve gas was developed a long time ago on out world as a weapon of war.  The exact chemical compounds vary from type to type, but they disrupt the Neurotransmitter's and prevent your muscles from relaxing, in effect paraysising the target within second.  The infected lose control of their body and have difficulty breathing, then begin to spasm.  Eventually dieing from suffication due to the spasms.  Even if the flood do not breathe breaking down the neurotransmitter's to paralyiss them would make them much easier to to handle, sending sweeping units over the world to just wrap things up.  As for destroying the ships, if we weaponize the nerve gas it can be distrubtued by missles, and we can install a destruction sequence that can be triggered by flag ships kept away from the battle, constant communication to keep a beed on the fight and allow for an immediate answer to the flood infecting the ship, then we don't waste any time fighting to destroy oen of our infected ships, we push a button.

092 glanced over towards his higher ups without tunring his head, curious how surprised they would be that he knew so much about the weapon.  092 was always looking for new ways to fight his battles.  Nerve gas just didn't have a safe way to protect your own from residual effects.  Even air tight armors meant that you coudl carry it back onto a ship.  So he stopped his research, but it still  might prove useful.

"We'd just need to see how much they change the nerve cells they harvest from the bodies to engineer a proper nerve agent."

Archangel

LT Hawker stood more or less in the background as the proceedings continued around him. His helmet was cradled under one arm and he smiled amusedly as he watched the Spartan and the Elite face off. Even as far as they had scome they were still bickering, he shook his head in disbelief as he turned back to the others...

William was a smart man, but by no means a scientist. He agreed that the smartest minds the UNSC had to offer should research the Flood. If they were a infectuous parasite, then perhaps an antibody could be created which would render the host unusable...? Of course, what did he know, he was only a Helljumper... His men were ready to undertalke whatever mission High Command set before them...
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you...

Sabby

"Hmmm..." Lord Hood brought up a display of a small moon. It was marked as infected, but the stricken area was quite small. "It is true that we have samples of Flood tissue... but live specimens would sky rocket our research. An effective nerve agent should be without our abilities with proper, living samples" He brought the display to a small colony. "This is an usually small infection. Here, with the right weaponry, we can easily box them in and eliminate the targets with minimum casualties, restraining and capturing those we can"

LordAnubis

092 nodded to what is said.  "Ready to go.  Just give us the walking orders."  It wasn't like anyone expected anything else.  He was a Spartan, when there was fighting to do they were first in line.  Didn't matter how much he did scientficly, that base response would always be there, and he didn't really see a reason to stop it.

Course he might have thought it over if he considered the fact that covenant Elite might end up on the mission as well.


Question Mark

((OOC: I sense mass stagnation in where this thread is going, so I'm jump-starting it if you don't mind.  I apologize in advance for the cliche.))

'Vadumee scoffed out loud.  "I ask of you, Humans.  Think!  Understand the threat this Parasite poses to us.  What good will having 'live' samples to manufacture weapons if the war is already lost by the time they can be used?  Your logic is sound, but in light of he current situation, it is suicidal.  Focusing on a single, insignificant satellite is no way to win a war.  Do you bring down a ship by attacking its backup communications equipment?"

'Vishumee agreed full heartedly with his leader.  The Humans were too narrow minded, thinking of the long term, not understanding the implications a Flood infestation posed in the short term.  Why can't they see that immediate action is the only way to stem the infection?  It angered 'Vishumee to see such foolishness in the leaders of a race.

The Sangheili Commander continued where he had left off.  "Every second we use now on deciding what to do cycles from now is a second wasted.  A quick, powerful, and decisive strike is what we need.  Even as I stand here before you, trying to convince you of your mistakes, the Council is dispatching specialized strike teams to all of the infected planets.  I do not know--"

One of the Humans, a female with short, greying hair and a crisp naval uniform, interrupted 'Vadumee.  "You are sending military strike teams to Terran settlements?" it asked increduously, anger and frustration lacing its voice.

'Gugomemee, the same Sangheili who had stepped forward earlier, stepped forward again.  "Do not interrupt the Honorable Commander, or I shall add another notch to my weapon in your verminous name!" he barked angrily, his hand hovering over his holstered plasma pistol.  The Human met his gaze with an angry stare of its own, its hand not from far from its own pistol.

The tension in the room was palpable.  'Vishumee found himself holding his breath, his own hand prepared to grip his rifle shoudl bloodshed ensue.  'Vadumee watched with indifferent eyes, then looked at Lord Hood.  The latter glanced back, then stepped forward and barked "Colonel, stand down!"

In response, 'Vadumee lifted a single hand, making an airy, wave-like gesture with it.  'Gugomemee looked at him, hesitated for a split second, then bowed his head and stepped back.  The Human was less disciplined, holding its position.  Lord Hood frowned, speaking with a firm, steady, but threatening voice.  "Colonel.  Stand down," it said.  "Or I will have you forcibly removed."

The female Human looked uncertain, but let its hand fall and returned to her seat.  "With all due respect, Sir," it said.  "Don't you see a problem with the Elites launching their own strike teams to our worlds, without even telling us?"  Its voice carried a sharp edge to it, almost accusatory, and it spat the word "Elites" as if it was dirt caught in its mouth.

Before its commander could respond, the intelligence spoke.  "Lord Hood, unscheduled Slipspace anomalies on the periphery of our radar range," it spoke with a flat, emotionless voice.  'Vishumee forced down revulsion.  "They're handshakes are Covenant, Sangheili, but are refusing to transmit the proper codes."

Lord Hood looked down at a dark holographic display.  Within a second, it sputtered to life, an irridescent male human appearing.  "Remus, how many, and where're they headed?"

"Four vessels.  One Titan-class Carrier, the Justifiable Wrath, accompanied by three Solara-class frigates, the--"

"We don't need names, Remus, thank you," it said.  Lord Hood looked at 'Vadumee, eyebrow cocked.  'Vishumee believed that expression was one of curious inquisition; a "Hmm..?"  The Sangheili, his race eyebrow-less (devoid of all facial hair, in fact), again was confused by the Humans' reliance on facial expression.  Why not just say it?  Bah, Humans are infuriatingly confusing.

'Vadumee seemed to get the hint though.  "The Justifiable Wrath was part of a strike team inbound to the planet you call 'Bountiful.'  It wasn't scheduled to return to this system at all."  A tense pause.  "I suggest quarantining those ships at once.  Don't let them near this planet.  If they do not stop, destroy them.  I fear they may be tainted by the Infection."  His voice was flat, calm, knowing; its emotion betraying the anxious fear that had just saturated the room with the ships' arrival.  'Vadumee seemed unfazed, treating it as yet another minor inconvenience to take care of.

LordAnubis

092 felt himself lurch, to anyone looking on it was just a tensing and a slight change in the battle armor.  He wanted to throttle the 'Elite' both for their general attitude of them being inferiror.  Disagree with a plan sure, question the time frame, sure, but don't sit here and bark the same rhetoric that is losing a war and shoot down a new idea as stupid because it isn't the same idea.

"We don't function using only one plan and hope for the best.."  He'd begin before the interruption caught his attention and everyone elses.

"Have the Sangheili leader here send orders for a weapon power down and shut off of the engines.  Then there isn't a human ship giving them orders, we can see how well we're getting along right now.  If they don't then we have our answer."  092 would suggest, nearly the same plan, but taking into account the bad blood, would be best if it was specficly a command from the Sangheili.

He'd turn his attention back to the Sangheili who commented the plan was like attacking the back-up communication.  "And as for the back-up communication comment.  This would be like blowing up the life support on a ship while you're still shooting at it.  Hard to fight if you can't breathe.  No one said we'd stop trying to quarintine the flood, but containment is a losing stragedy.  When our ships are finally enough to securly defende the boarders, they will have so much ground that they'll just reproduce until they can throw waves at us until we break.  We need an edge, and unless your side has a new intresting Weapon of Mass destruction that hasn't been shared this is currently the only plan that is different from the previous losing stragedy there is no harm in trying it.  We can bicker further after we handle those ships and getting the research started.  Once it's in the hands of the scientists and a security team we'll be freed up to pursue other avenue's to find a way to make it work.

Simple stradgey, fire enough bullets of varying sizes and types, eventually one of them will be the one to bring down the enemy.  Not a great plan, but a step in a direction and at the moment, any direction ios better then the way it's going that he can see.

Question Mark

'Vishumee wished to speak; to declare the fallibility of the words pouring from the Dem-- Spartan's mouth.  But 'Vadumee had not bid him to do so, so he kept his mandibles clamped tight.  However, 'Vadumee seemed to echo 'Vishumee's opinions, alhough saying that both 'Vadumee and 'Vishumee are aligned with the general Sangheili beliefs would be more truthful.  The elder of the two began.

Looking at Lord Hood, 'Vadumee's voice cracked with a bare hint of increduility.  "Hood, these Spartans are much less discplined that the others I have met before," he said slowly.  "And nowhere near as intelligent."  The last part carried an accusatory tone.

Lord Hood looked uncomfortable.  "Beside the point," it said.  "092, you are correct, but 'Vadumee is correct.  We must act in the short term or we won't have a long term to plan for.  I suggest you and the rest of your squad stay silent for the rest of this meeting," it said in an embarrassed, almost reprimanding voice.  "This is not the time."

It looked like it might have said more, but the intelligence again cut him off.  "Lord Hood, the Covenant ships are clean.  We're trying to figure out why they travelled here as we speak."  Remus' avatar turned slightly, now looking at 'Vadumee.  "Although we should let these matters stay within their respective races, correct?"

"Correct," it said back, hands clasped behind its back and ridges, wrinkles, forming on its forehead.  "Now, about these strike teams..."

'Vadumee grunted in acknowledgement.  "If it comforts you, Human, the decision was not entirely mine.  I supported it, yes, but it was ultimately up to the Council."  He gave what appeared to be a sigh, though his mandibles barely moved.  "The team's are composed of several ships, each with specialized training adapted specifically to combat the Parasite.  Considering your..."  He searched for the right word.  "...weakened state, the Council thought it best to take action in their own hands, lest the Parasite contaminate more worlds, including their own."

Lord Hood frowned even deeper.  Or at least that's what 'Vishumee thought.  It's mouth grew thinner, and the edges seemed to slant downward.  "The survivors?"

'Vadumee replied.  "They will be evacuated.  Quarantined, of course, on specialized ships.  They will be put through rigorous, but harmless, testing and decontamination, and then returned to your space for your own decontamination processes.  The Council was... determined to call off all evacuations; completely sterilize the worlds and eliminate all risk of a carrier escaping.  But myself, and others, insisted that this would push your species beyond the extinction point."

The room sombered quickly.  The extinction point was the population where a species was no longer caoable of fully restoring itself.  No matter the reproduction rate, they would eventually die out and become extinct.  The Human woman, the Colonel, looked regretful.

'Vishumee did his best to hold back a smile.