#colonel-ackerson

[ignusaeternum]

[ # ]

( not sure what number I'm on ) Ackerson refuses to serve Alyss alcohol because in his eyes she's still the little Spartan recruit that he remembers from years ago. 

[codename-sterling]

Unraveling The Mystery - The Grand ONI Conspiracy Storyline

Contained herein, in sequential order, are the events of The Grand Conspiracy, the ONI rp storyline that we've been running here on Tumblr. 

Impatience - A letter from Sterling, to one of the architects of the conspiracy. One of the opening salvos of this storyline.  Promise - And his response. 

Initial Contact 1 2 3 4

Conspiracy Theory - Codename: Sterling/Codename: Toadstool - Sterling makes contact with his mysterious messenger, Codename: Toadstool, and is given a chilling directive. 

Encrypted Log - Contents - Operation: JERRY RIG - The contents unlocked by the keyphrase 'JERRY RIG'. 

Files Received/Unlocked File 2-1 File 2-2 File 2-3

Knife Data Files Access File 1-1 File 1-2

Transmissions to Sterling's Neural Lace 1 2 3 4  5 6 7

Now Will The REAL Toadstool Please Stand Up? - Things aren't what they seem.

Operation: Kill The Fox - A coup d'tat that began five years ago finally comes to fruition. Victory

Or Does It? Codename: Sterling's Messages 1 2 Codename: Toadstool's Messages 1 2

Professional Rivalries - Codename: Seraph may not be the grand master of this conspiracy after all...  And The World Goes Blind - Codename: Archer/Raven's reflections on the situation as he knows it.  The Times, They Are A'Changin' - Codename: Nathaniel and Codename: Yurei have a chat about the developing situation, all is not what it seems.  A Disturbing Proposition - Seraph gets asked an interesting little question.  A Fox In The Hen House - Operation: Kill the Fox - FAILED. Judgment Day Is Coming - Seraph gets another interesting message and reacts.  Loyal To The Cause - Cidnei Olenko receives a message that's rather meaningful, if only to him... 

Cleanup Job - Sterling and Toadstool elect to activate Fireteam Reaper, a Spartan-IV Team tied to ONI, to bring in Codename: Archer/Raven, quietly. Sgt. Taggart meets with Sterling to discuss the job.  Death's Shadow - Sgt. Taggart briefs his team on their upcoming mission.  Briefing - Fireteam Midnight gathers together for a mission debriefing - to extract and secure an ONI operative, Codename: Nathaniel, also known as Codenames: Raven/Archer.  Going To Ground - A Prelude To A Grand Chase - Codename: Nathaniel's new identity and plans are revealed, setting the stage for what's to come.  Fireteam Reaper: Engage - Show time.  On A Snipe Hunt - Fireteam Reaper begins their search for Nathaniel. But it seems like things are going far too easy...  Lasky Is Not Happy! - Captain Lasky becomes aware of the events going down aboard the Infinity, with surprising responses from Roland. 

Current: 

Between Death And Darkness - Fireteam Midnight and Fireteam Reaper face off in a throw down over Codename: Nathaniel, and begin to draw a whole lot of attention to the situation. 

[codename-nathaniel-blog]

And The World Goes Blind - Codename: Nathaniel

The world lurched before his eyes as he fumbled at the keypad, entering his access code incorrectly twice before he managed it. The maintenance passage slid open for him, and he staggered through it, letting it slide shut behind him before he lapsed against the wall. The steel walls were cool against his cheek, and his knees slowly gave way beneath him as he gave in to the weariness and pain, sliding down and down until he was sitting crumpled on the floor. His head itched, and he swept up a hand wearily to tear off the well-made blond wig he'd worn for so long as Archer, tossing it angrily to the ground before running fingers through short black hair dampened with sweat.  "... I'm sorry, Daniel..." He murmured, allowing himself a moment's weakness to close his eyes. His breath came in short, panting gasps, the ribs cracked by Sterling's unexpected strength further damaged by the unexpected arrival and attack by Toadstool. "I tried, but it's not over yet..." 

"Martini, sir?"  "Aren't you two supposed to be off duty, soon?"  A smile came to his lips, as he set the glass down on a coaster, gaze meeting his superior's for a moment before he straightened. Ackerson gazed back at him with a bemused smile that he reserved only for a handful of operatives, few of whom saw it as much as Nathaniel and Daniel, his closest aids.  "Yes, we are," Nathaniel shrugged, running fingers through his hair, eyes like rubies behind his wire-rimmed glasses, their lenses flat-glass, a simple affectation of style. "I'm off in fifteen minutes, and I'm heading straight for the shuttles. You'll have Daniel for an additional three hours, then he's making a stop off for a doctor's appointment, and then he'll be taking a shuttle to join me... Are you sure-" "Nathaniel," Ackerson's tone was gentle and chiding, as he took a sip of his martini and leaned back in his chair, glancing out the window appreciatively at the city of Mare Erythraeum. "I assure you, I can manage for a week while the two of you are gone. Yurei and Cassandra will be here to take your place, and Sterling will be shoring up the duties they can't manage." "I know..." Nathaniel sighed, as Ackerson gestured him back towards the bar, permission granted to make himself a drink. He didn't speak again until he returned with a cocktail of his own, sipping the mojito he'd quickly made up a few times before speaking. "I can't help but worry, sir."  "While I appreciate your dedication," Ackerson replied gently. "The two of you were married how long ago, now?"  "Two years, sir..."  "And you've put off your honeymoon how many times?"  "Point taken..." Nathaniel sighed softly, shoulders slumping for a moment. In the window, he could see Ackerson's coy smile of victory. "It's just that we've never been away from you, both of us, for this long."  "And that's why there are three operatives, all of whom I trust, taking your places for these ten days." Ackerson soothed, turning to face him as he raised his glass, as if toasting the operative. "You and Daniel deserve this time, take it, I insist."  "Yessir." Nathaniel raised his own glass, and both men drank deeply.  "Mm... I will miss your martinis for these ten days though," Ackerson chuckled wryly. "Now then, you mentioned a doctor's visit, before this trip? Is everything quite alright?"  "Yessir." Nathaniel cleared his throat, a sheepish grin forming on his face. "Just... well it's embarrassing."  "Come now, Nathaniel." "It's nothing major... just a test of viability," He cleared his throat, seeing the excitement wash over Ackerson's face as the colonel bit back a question, letting him continue. "We've been discussing for a while now, a surrogate mother and I'm not capable, so we're hoping..."  "Fingers crossed, dear boy." Ackerson smiled warmly, shaking his head. "But you know that means you two will have to actually learn how to separate work and home life, yes?"  "Yessir, I know... and we will if it turns out that we're able."  "Well for what it's worth, I'm wishing the best for the two of you," Ackerson drained his glass, setting it aside as he glanced at the clock. "And you have a shuttle to catch, Nathaniel."  "Yessir..." Nathaniel took the glass from him, draining his own before he moved to wash and dry both glasses, setting them back in their places on the bar. For just a few minutes he caught sight of the colonel in the mirrored bar backing, gazing out the window, illuminated with the golden afternoon light, and he couldn't help but smile. 

He made his way slowly through the maintenance passages, leaning heavily on the wall from time to time. The Infinity was huge, but he'd studied and traveled the route so many times that he didn't even need to rely on his interface for a map to show him the way.   Sterling and Toadstool united and working in tandem - it didn't seem right, not in the slightest. It wasn't Seraph's style, to involve so many operatives from other divisions. Then again, the whole of Mare Erythraeum hadn't seemed his style, not from what little Nathaniel had gleaned from the surviving operatives at least. 

He'd made it to Earth, his thoughts on the prospect of checking into the hotel and surprising his husband with the arrangements he'd made, only to be met by on-duty operatives in grey uniforms and with grim expressions. The pilots had been directed not to broadcast the news over the shuttle speakers to avoid a panic, all flights were grounded. The Covenant had found Sol System and were making a beeline for Earth. Mars was under assault.  He'd forgotten to breathe for a few moments, as his heart leapt into his throat, mind full of the images of his superior, his coworkers, his husband - hell, his neighbors and their bratty child, their useless dog. The other operatives urgent tone had spurred him into moving, abandoning all thoughts of a vacation as years of training and combat readiness came to the forefront.  "Get me a full sit-rep, get me out of this space port, get me a uniform and get me a weapon, doesn't have to be in that order!" 

Codename: Yurei - WIA.  Codename: Cassandra - WIA.  Codename: Sterling - Active.  Codename: Daniel - KIA.  Colonel Ackerson, James - KIA.  The memory of seeing the names on the after-action reports stung, as he slid open the access hatch to the main halls outside the quarters he'd secured for himself, deep within the crew accomodations of the Infinity, under a pseudonym. It had taken the better part of a year, to dig deep enough to uncover and piece together everything. A chance find, a surviving access log from a Prowler bay had led to the eventual revelation of Sterling's betrayal, and he'd been planning a strike in return ever since . Toadstool, the situation with Comet, however... both had been entirely unexpected. He'd chosen to act because he knew Sterling stood the chance of piecing two and two together, matching Archer's voice to Raven's. Sterling was a predictable beast - as much as he enjoyed playing the monster, he was a hero at heart. It had been a matter of survival, moving in haste, though it certainly hadn't paid off well for him in the slightest.  He staggered in and secured the doors behind him, before moving to strip off his shirt and jacket, noting blood on the shirt from how hard he'd been struck by the chair. He staggered to the bathroom, appraising dark bruises against pale skin and scars, the swelling of injured tissues that spoke of fractured bone, before he wet a towel and began scrubbing hard at his face. Prosthetics and makeup came away in strips and smudges, erasing the youthful visage of Archer and revealing a man of indeterminate age, dark circles under eyes that repolarized from blue to red, his preferred color, a vanity that his husband had always loved.  "... I'll make them pay, boys," He whispered to the mirror, free of the pretenses of being Archer, of being Raven, for a moment just himself. Codename: Nathaniel, as he'd ever been. "I'll make them pay, I promise."

[ignusaeternum]

⊗ - Colonel Ackerson

Ackerson had chosen her to be part of his little guard to accompany him to Earth. Though, like a typical ONI man, he’d left out many of the details as to why exactly he needed her there with him. But she accepted the mission without hesitation.

The Pelican began its descent, the rear hatch following suit, and Six immediately took point. Ackerson behind her, and a man at each of his sides. They were landing on a rather blatantly obvious landing pad on the roof of a building only about ten floors tall, the surrounding structures quite a bit taller. Six scanned the area cautiously as she began to step out of the aircraft. For the most part the windows in the two buildings directly in front of them were clear.

“All good, sir.” She said quietly, making a half turn towards the four behind her.

“Excellent, I-” Before he could even finish his sentence, Six noticed the soldier directly behind Ackerson begin to pull a knife from his belt. She sprung into action quickly, nearly throwing the Colonel behind her to get him out of the way. The Spartan slammed her fist into the man’s sternum, shattering his rib cage in a single blow. He collapsed instantly.

Six turned quickly on the ball of her left foot, to find one of the other men of Ackerson’s ‘guard’ holding the Colonel’s arms behind his back, and a pistol to his head. The second man with his rifle to her. She didn’t care about him in the slightest, for he wasn’t a threat. But the one holding the gun to her superior’s head was.

Six growled low to herself, frozen in place.“HAND OVER YOUR WEAPONS.” The first Marine hissed loudly. “Or he dies.”Six slowly removed her pistol from her thigh, and dropped it as well as her DMR, and kicked them both over to the two men. James remained silent the entire time, an odd glint of curiosity in his eyes, to see whether or not she’d be able to properly handle the situation.

“And the knife.”She rolled her eyes, and removed her combat knife from it’s holder on her chest piece. Rather than drop that too, she kept it in her hands, letting it hang from between her pointer finger and thumb. The first Marine, holding the pistol to James’s head, cussed loudly, and waved the gun at her. “Stop fucking stalling! Drop it!” She quickly whipped the knife at him, nailing him in the throat. 

His partner let out a shout, and before Six could even attempt to take him out as well, sent a single round into the Colonel’s chest. She tackled the Marine, snapping his spine simply from the force of the impact and threw his limp body off the side of the building.

Quickly dropping to her knees next to the ONI operative, she attempted to start patching him up, but noticed he was smiling, blood trailing from his mouth.“Well, that was unexpected…” He rasped. “I’ve-I’ve known those two, for t-ten years.”“You’re going to be fine, sir.” She insisted, trying to keep herself together. James was the very closest thing she’d had to a father figure throughout her training in his program. Though she’d never properly expressed it to him.

“How many times have I told you to…quit…calling me sir, Alyss.” His hands trembled as he attempted to grasp hers.She clenched her teeth, fumbling for a tube of biofoam on her belt. “You’re not leaving me too.” Her voice cracked, only making him smile more.“So you do have a h-heart under there…” He squeezed her hand. “It’s alright, Alyss. Karma…finally…officially…caught up to me. Y-You’ve made me proud…”His grip weakened, and she watched as the light faded from his eyes, and one last breath escape his lungs.“…S-sir?” She whispered in disbelief, simply staring at him for a long few minutes before it finally set in. He was gone too. Another one that she couldn’t save.

[codename-seraph]

Professional Rivalries

"You may not believe it, Kerubim, but I did shed a tear or two when I heard that he'd been killed."  Kerubim glanced upwards sharply at his superior's words, gaze flicking towards the vice admiral as reflected back at him in the mirror-backing of the bar.  "Sir?"  "When I heard that he'd died in the Battle of Mare Erythraeum." Seraph sighed softly, as he drained the last dregs from his glass and set it aside somewhat clumsily, slouched in his chair, gazing out at the lights of the city below him. Kerubim said nothing as he moved to his superior's side, catching up the emptied glass in his free hand even as he held out another vodka and tonic to the Vice Admiral. He couldn't help a momentary glance over the man, it was rare that Seraph allowed anyone, even Kerubim, to see him devoid of the makeups and prosthetics, the dyes and the polarized eye colors, just in his base state as a pale, flawless blank canvas of a man. "I shed a few tears because that's a terrible way for a man like Ackerson to go," Seraph continued, taking a sip of his drink with a nearly imperceptible nod of thanks to his most devoted subordinate. "Men like he and I should die at the hands of someone... artful, someone as skilled and cagey an opponent as the other, or as the result proper of a coup organized by the two of us. For him to die at the hands of the thrice-damned Covenant is just... unsettling and upsetting."  "But wasn't it, technically, the result of a coup, Seraph?"  "Yes and no," Seraph sighed, pale eyes tracking a departing shuttle, like a shooting star returning to the skies. "Either way, I'd rather that coup have gone... differently, that he'd been able to die with some semblance of dignity instead of at the mercy of those barbaric aliens."  "... Are you quite alright, Seraph?" The question escaped Kerubim before he'd even realized he wanted to ask it.  "Tonight, I'm as far from it as I could be," He replied softly, regarding his glass for a moment before draining it. "Another, forget the tonic, just the vodka. I'm in a morose mood and I feel the need to drink until I can't feel feelings anymore."  "Aye aye, sir."  "Kerubim?"  "Yes, sir?"  "You do realize you're the closest thing I have to a friend on equal footing, yes?"  "Sir..."  "Entertain me, for five minutes, Kerubim. Pretend that what I'm saying holds some meaning to you beyond the drunken ramblings of your superior."  "Aye aye, sir. No, I didn't know that."  "It's true. You're the closest thing I have to a friend, the closest thing to someone I can trust." Kerubim remained silent as he returned with his superior's drink, and one for himself, standing at his side as he sipped at it slowly and listened. "Hell, you're the closest thing I have to an equal now that he's gone."  "... Is that why you wish things had gone differently?" "Of course it is," Seraph sighed softly. "Had things followed their proper course, the culmination of our professional rivalry would have been the death of one, both, or the burying of the hatchet between the two of us, but... now there's no chance to know. Not really."  A silence fell between the two men, before Kerubim finally asked the question that was on his mind.  "... You never intended him to die in this coup, did you, sir?"  "... No." Seraph replied softly, taking a sip from his glass. "No, I never intended it."  "... What did you-"  "It's been five minutes, da?" Seraph's terse tone made Kerubim snap to attention as he nodded, knowing that he'd crossed a line without even meaning to.  "Yes, sir. Another drink?"  "Bring the bottle."