From: ISitInA.ERROR DATA UNAVAILABLE
Origin: ERROR DATA UNAVAILABLE
Received:
Sent: ERROR DATA UNAVAILABLE
Classifications: Captain's Eyes Only, Message Archival Allowed, Neural Net Upload Permissions Denied
Attachments: 1 (F484 Reach Announcement, 48 Mb)
Subject: Reach
Captain,
February 13, 2568. Friday the Thirteenth. And also a day that will go down in infamy.
The day Reach was attached.
The third generation of Orion-IVs were still in training. Contrary to popular belief, up until graduation every day is a critical day for Orions. The entire training program is designed to shape them quickly into the ultimate soldier. Many “chance” happenings are perfectly planned. Every missed treatment can cause havoc on an Orions body. Every stress they encounter is carefully analyzed.
This, naturally, was blown out of the water the moment the Covenant arrived. We're still studying the effects on the surviving members. Being able to dethaw those who were placed in cryo is still a high priority. I'll be honest, Section Two needs all the ammunition it can get these days.
I was off doing some work involved with the next Orion program when I heard the news. Earth might be the cradle of humanity, but Reach is the stronghold of the UNSC. I was shopping when I got the call – the planet was legendary for its coffee, and I fell in love with it. (You can probably guess where I was already.) My comms burst into life with frantic news to get to the local ONI facilities ASAP. I remember asking why; I thought it was another false alarm, or maybe something had happened in one of the things I was assigned.
They told me Reach went Winter Contingency.
I remember feeling... nothing for a long moment. I couldn't even feel the heat of the coffee in my hand. And then panic. Blind panic. They were assaulting my Orions. I don't know why I suddenly felt possessive of all of them; I'd only helped in recruiting generations two and three. But they were all mine, as of that moment. Even the Orion-Is through the Orion-IIIs. Before I even made it to the facility, blind panic had turned to cold rage. The kind of cold rage that can help you focus on the task at hand.
My task was sifting and cataloging massive amounts of data from Reach. Roland, god bless his digital soul, was maintaining a secure link and passing everything he could to ONI stations throughout the UNSC with the assistance of every AI who wasn't dedicated to the fighting somehow. Not just the combat data, either. He was also passing along every file that might not have an off-planet backup. Trust me, there were more of those files than you can imagine.
I can't explain how, what, or why, but I moved as if the universe moved through me. Every byte of information that passed through my makeshift desk was of vital long-term importance, and I made sure that as much of it as possible went where it needed to be. Because, God knows, the AIs there were so overloaded it was insane.
It was 46 hours after the initial news before I finally slept. I literally passed out in the middle of working. Coffee can only keep you going for so long. Cold fury can push it farther, but the crash is worse. Somebody literally carried me to my hotel room, or so I'm told. It was fourteen hours later when I woke up. As soon as I was showered and had a bite to eat, I was back to work.
Do you remember where you were when you got the news? Or were you too young to remember?
Sincerely,
Chair
*************
Note by Hive: Captain, I have encountered additional encrypted data within this message. The encryption keys are old enough to be added to my own databanks upon my creation due to our frequent status in the outer regions of humanity's occupied zone, in case we encountered any of the number of missing ships from the war. However, it uses a completely different set of encryption keys than the previous messages used. Below is the unencrypted message.
*************
I wish I could have been there for you. But it wouldn't have done any good, would it?
*************
F484 Reach Announcement wrote:F484: Now, I'm sure that some of you are wondering why you need to learn the proper programmed procedures if the programming adapts to you. That's a a good question. Your HMD will learn, if you'll pardon the phrase, your own idiosyncrasies in due time, however it is not a smart AI. It can't make intuitive leaps of logic as to what each motion of your eye, each twitch of the cheek, each personalized blinking pattern, and each random impulse your CNI pick up means just by you doing it at random. You start with the basics, you drill them into your head, and then it has a base with which to observe your own gradual adaptations. When you need to use the link to your weapon to zoom, you don't need it to give you a full detailed report on your urine recyc, now do you?
Audience: (QUIET LAUGHTER)
F484: Kavacha armor is designed to give you as much data on the battlefield as you need and more. However, we don't need everything all the time. If you'll look at the screen, you'll see what it looks like when all available data is displayed at once. I sure as hell can't see the grunt in there, so I can't expect you to, either. By learning how to call up and dismiss information as the situation requires, you gain more freedom. Now, as Science Corps, there are several packages that I can tell you from experience you want running at all times. The radiation detection package allows- (INTERRUPTED)
Roland: (URGENTLY) Alert! Six Covenant cruisers have come out of slipstream and are being intercepted by the automated defense systems. By all previous data, we expect more within the hour. Please assume Reach Winter Contingency Protocols! This is not a drill!
F484: (BARKING WITH AUTHORITATIVELY) Alright, maggots, class dismissed! To your bunks, secure your gear! Stay there and await further instruction! Move! Move! Move!