19 Chapter 19

As Axel was busy creating the new warp drives and reactors for the the three new ships that he acquired, 2 months had passed by in an instant.

The time had come for him to start his campaign against the insurrectionists in the outer colonies. According to his orders he was to spend the next 4 years routing out every insurrectionists hideout within the outer colonies and bring stability to those colonies as well.

Before leaving, Axel had said goodbye to Halsey who wanted to come with him but he forced her not to since she was needed to watch over the Spartan program. She was one of the few people whom he trusted to run the program and continue to educate the Spartans so that they won't lose their humanity once they undergo the Genetic enhancement.

Halsey was reluctant but nonetheless she couldn't do anything as she was currently only a civilian consultant and not some high ranking member of the UNSC military. So she just accepted what was going to happen but promised that once he returns she would have to make up for the time lost.

Joining Axel were his assistant Taylor, now a Petty Officer First Class, and his second in command Commander Talia, who had been promoted from Lieutenant to Commander over the past few years.

Axel had spent time training with both of them in order to strengthen their friendship and make them trustworthy. Though they were already skilled in their own right, Axel shared some of his own techniques and knowledge with them so that he could count on them when needed.

After ensuring everything was good and saying goodbye to the Spartans, Axel had boarded his command ship, the Epoch-class heavy carrier, which he named the leviathan.

He went with something simple instead of trying make something that sounded cool.

The Halcyon-class light cruiser with it's crew of MCU's had undergone a reorg and was now mixed between human crewmembers and robotic crewmembers.

It would take time for the human crewmembers to get accustomed to working with the MCU's which shouldn't take too long since they are already used to working with the ship's onboard AI.

With everything in its place, the Leviathan and its accompanying ships made their way towards the outlying colonies. The nearest colony was about 4 hours away from Algolis, giving Axel sometime to get accustomed and familiar with the people in his Battlegroup.

He also studied a little about the insurrectionists as he would need to know as much about them as possible, their tactics, their weak points, and most importantly, their motivations.

As his subordinates busied themselves with their duties, Axel spent time going around the ship and greeting the various departments, and other officers onboard the Leviathan. Following him around at all times were two MCU security units, Taylor, and his second in command Commander Talia.

For the first two hours Axel toured the ship while for the last two hours he spent long hours within the confines of his quarters, pouring over the vast databases of intelligence reports about the insurrectionists.

Meanwhile, Taylor and Talia took charge of training and drills for the human and robotic crew. Axel had shared with them his philosophies of leadership: trust in your crew, no matter their origins and breed camaraderie amongst them.

Eventually after 4 hours had passed the battlegroup had arrived within the Eridanus system and directly above Eridanus II. 

Axel would first start his mission here where the main rebel problem had persisted for the past 30 years.

Once the battlegroup entered orbit above the planet, Axel had proceeded to the hanger bay where he would take a pelican down to meet with the Attorney General of the Colony Nicholas Johnston.

Johnston had only recently been appointed Attorney General by the UNSC but has allowed many insurrectionists activities to continue to occur within Elysium City.

Even as Axel traveled in the Pelican, he examined Johnston's profile with a critical eye. The Attorney General was a bureaucrat through and through with an uncanny knack for navigating internal power struggles. He had gained his position by balancing his loyalties between UNSC and the various factions within Elysium City.

Constantly looking over his shoulder while straddling the line of loyalty, Johnston was clearly a man under immense pressure. Axel understood this but had little sympathy for such political maneuvering. His concern was for those colonists who lived in fear of the insurrectionists' violent methods.

The Pelican was nearing the designated landing location, located within the local security forces base. The Pelican's hatch opened, revealing a bustling cityscape bathed in the soft glow of an autumn sunset. Axel stepped onto Eridanus II soil for the second time, followed closely by Taylor and Commander Talia alongside an escort of MCU's.

Two additional Pelican's had landed next to Axel Pelican. These were the marines which Axel would use to setup his own base within the city and began an operation to fight against the insurrectionists.

Johnston was already waiting for them, flanked by two local security officers. His face was lined with worry and he looked much older than he appeared in his official portraits.

"Welcome to Eridanus Admiral" Said Johnston. In his head he was worried about what the other insurrectionists would do that once they learn that an Admiral was within the city limits. He hoped they would conduct their operation without affecting the peoples lives or revealing any connection that linked them to his administration.

"Thank you, Attorney General," Axel responded, stepping forward to shake hands with Johnston. He could see the fear in the man's eyes. "We are here to provide stability and security for the citizens of Eridanus II."

Johnston nodded, although he looked as if he doubted those words. "I have been meeting with some important figures around town, hoping to build a coalition against the insurrectionists." Johnston lied.

To Axel this statement was not entirely convincing. He wondered if Johnston was really trying to build a coalition or if he was merely attempting to play both sides as he had always done. Regardless, he knew that it was essential to get locals on board in order to effectively combat the insurrectionists.

A plan had already begun forming in the back of Axel's mind. To win this war, he would need intelligence - and who better to provide it than those who lived among the insurrectionists?

Axel had simply told Johnston that all he would require is his cooperation in which Johnston denied since he didn't want to escalate the insurrectionists activities. Though his real reason was that he didn't want to UNSC to just start flexing their Authority within the Colony.

Axel stared at Johnston trying to determine if he should go ahead and arrest the man for associating with the insurrectionists or should he use Johnston to gain valuable data on the insurrectionists therefore limiting the amount of casualties on his side.

He chose the latter since he didn't have an infinite number of lives which he could just use to attack the insurrectionists.

"Alright then Attorney General, since you won't cooperate I will just find the answers myself" Stated Axel as he turned around and began shouting orders to the Marines to set up a base within an abandoned building he found in the planets records while he was on the Pelican.

Johnston didn't know how to react since if he showed a hesitant expression then it could reveal his ties with the Insurrectionists, however if he just allows them to set up then he would have to hear from the insurrectionists leader whom he friended.

He was about to voice his opinion to Axel who was walking away when he was blocked by the two machines in front of him.

Seeing this he turned around and walked back to the Government headquarters followed his his two guards.

Meanwhile the Marines under orders from Axel began to create a headquarters within the city to start gathering intelligence and conducting operations against the insurrectionists.