Here it is Chapter 2!!!!
Chapter 2
October 2553
UNSC Orbital defence platform Cario orbiting earth
The war was over.
This is what the man kept telling himself as he stood out and looked at the blue orb below, shimmering in the sunlight.
Earth was safe. The covenant was gone and the flood, well the flood were stopped.
He took off his cap and wiped his sweaty, wrinkled head, a slight ping as he touched the neural interface at the base of his skull.
A young man approach in dress uniform, carrying a steam mug of coffee and handed it to him.
'Thank you lieutenant'
'No problem Lord Hood sir' as he stood to attention, saluted and return to at ease.
Lord Hood drank the coffee, the stale taste of the coffee beans which had been in storage the last year, tasted as bad most coffee he'd had the last six months. And what an eventful six months....
The lieutenant still stood at attention staring at his superior, waiting for him to finish his coffee. 'Is there something else son?'
'Yes sir there a Dr Chandra Singh who wants to see you, he said it was urgent.'
'No doubt, send him in lieutenant.' Hood grinned to himself. Dr Singh was one of the UNSC's most respected research scientist, almost as Dr Halesly.
At this point he came in, wearing the typical lab coat, which was stained with god knows chemicals. His hair was unkempt and it look like he'd been up most of the night, the dark rings around his eyes, were even darker than his brown skin. He saluted Hood and then said
'Good morning Admiral'
'Likewise Doctor, my lieutenant said you had something urgent to tell me, and you weren't one to mince words, what is it?'
'Well that is true, but I get down to the bottom line: I want to start another Spartan program'
'Need I remind you that we don't have the resources to fund this right now, we just finished a terrible war, a war that pushed humanity to the brink of extinction, we barely have enough resources to keep this station operational, so how do you expect us to be able to afford another project?'
Dr Singh hesitated, thought for a second and replied, 'Sir, that is exactly why we need them, humanity is weak, and even when we regain our strength, there is a big wide galaxy out there, and we might run in to more aliens, more unfriendly species, which will make the covenant look like pushovers, we need elite protectors to guarantee the survival of our race!'
'Enough! I will think about your proposal and summon you when I have made my decision.'
Dr Singh, angrily stormed out, almost knocking a wayward officer of the deck. Hood watched him storm out the door and thought. Do we need more Spartans? Was it worth the cost?
Humanity was just recovering, by the end of the year the UNSC would return control to the Earth government and they would have to do there bidding. But on the other hand, he thought of those brave defenders who gave the life to turn the tide of the war, Johnson, Keyes, John. He stopped at this point and thought of John-117 the Master Chief, and how much that one Spartan had influenced the outcome of the war, how his sacrifice saved humanity.
So difficult, so difficult, but he knew what his decision was, even before Singh had entered the bridge.
He'd tell him his decision tomorrow.
End of Chapter 2
Vigil is watching you
Halo: The Unlatched Casket- The horror is released........