Ongoing thanks to Zimu Yang for beta-reading
I've recently started doing volunteer work that quite literally takes up half my free time,
so expect longer gaps between updates

Red In Tooth And Claw
Chapter 49: Point Of No Return

"This is why I joined the navy, not the police; I like to shoot people who piss me off." Admiral Grant stood in a ruffled duty uniform, an over-sized mug of strong, black coffee slowly going cold in one hand as she looked at a holographic representation of the Kiya, "Someone want to remind me again why I can't just send in the Spartans to do what they do best, and let whatever gods these bastards believe in sort them out?"

"A free press." Major Smith stood beside her, dressed in full combat suit and with his rifle slung over his shoulder, "As much fun as it would be to just cry havoc and slip the dogs of war, it does look kind of bad when they show pictures of mangled 'freedom fighters' on the evening news."

"I told them they should have sent a bloody Ambassador along." Grant lamented, giving up on her coffee entirely and handing the mug to a passing steward, who vanished into the gloom that was the Renewed Purpose's Flag Deck, "Okay, so much for Plan-A. Someone tell me we've got a Plan-B."

"We have people looking for Vice-President Zarek." Smith explained, "Apparently he's the 'go-to' guy for dealing with these people."

"Make sure he understands that if anything happens to Munro I will have Weapons-Master 'Fangos send over some Mgalekgolo to rip that freighter apart until they've found these 'Sons of Ares', and then I will personally keelhaul every last one of them!" Grant snorted, "Until then, pass my compliments to Lieutenant James and his team; I want them suited up and ready for a boarding action thirty seconds ago."

With the Pegasus almost ready to leave the embrace of the Newport News, the Galactica was once again returning to the ghost ship it had been, with entire decks all but abandoned. This made it easier for Halsey and Mendez to slip relatively unnoticed across the Battlestar from the starboard to the port landing pod. Once there, they started to mack their way back towards the Raptor squadron briefing room, hoping that it would be empty, and that their cover-story wouldn't be challenged.

"When I die please bury me deep
Place a rifle down by my feet
Don't cry for me, don't shed no tear
Just pack my box with PT gear"

Distant voices echoed through the hallways.

"'Cuz one early morning 'bout zero-five
The ground will rumble, there'll be lighting in the sky
Don't you worry, don't come undone
It's just my ghost on a PT run"

"Should be through there." Mendez pointed to a hatch just a little further along the passageway, then opened his jacket to reveal the tranquilliser-gun tucked into his belt, "Any trouble, you just hit the deck and crawl for the hatch."

"A wise precaution, but totally unnecessary, I'm sure." Halsey smiled, "Let's keep going, before someone realises we're not where we should be."

The Master Chief fought it hard to keep his breathing under control as he pulled himself tightly against the outer hull of the Galactica, slipping in between two struts that had once supported the outer layer of ablative armour. For some reason, the CAP pilots seemed to enjoy buzzing the hull, making it hard work to move without being seen. In normal space suits, they might have been mistaken for a work crew, but their distinctive green MJOLNIR armour stood out against the light grey hull. Given that they couldn't risk using active sensors, they needed to keep a constant eye out for approaching craft, and be ready to take cover at a moment's notice.

Adding to their troubles was the fact that they only had one EVA unit; as the Master Chief had been the only Spartan sent to the Ark, there hadn't been the need to load more than one onto the Forward Unto Dawn. While their suits were airtight, and carried enough air for up to thirty minutes, they only had one thruster unit. The decision had been made to give it to Linda, as she had more experience with them, and she was currently in the lead, the other strung out behind her on a tether. The Master Chief was halfway down the line, a kit-bag over his shoulder. It threw off his balance slightly, making it hard to move quickly and with precision in zero-gravity, but his famous luck held; the pilots were more interested in showing off than examining the battle-scared hull of the Galactica too closely.

Pulling himself out of the gap, he started moving again, the others following his example.

Baxter had only just activated the encryption system when a new message popped up from the elusive Moriarty. At first it looked like a string of numbers, but she soon realised that it was a set of coordinates and a time. Double checking the date, she realised that she only had a matter of days to get to wherever it was she was supposed to be, and that would mean burning her cover story. Erasing the message, she drafted a new message.

Teach to Anne: I have address for party. Pick me up at 2200-hours.

Closing and erasing the program, she quickly started packing her few personal effects into a duffel and set to work creating the fake orders needed to requisition a shuttle.

Tom Zarek was more than a little shocked when the door to his cabin on Colonial One was kicked open with enough force to bend the metal hatch out of shape. He looked around in time to see a tall, grey skinned alien step aside to allow a man dressed in a UNMC uniform access to the room.

"Mr Vice-President." The Marine managed to look and sound amazingly deadpan for someone who had just broken at least half a dozen diplomatic protocols, "Admiral Grant would like a word."

The Raptor crew ready room was thankfully deserted, allowing Halsey and Mendez to pass through unchallenged, and they quickly made their way down the last hallway and out onto the gantry overlooking the hanger deck. To their dismay they looked down to see a squad of ODST's standing guard over the Bad Moon Rising as a pair of technicians in UNSC uniforms started to open boxes of complex looking equipment while a pair of Huragok hovered nearby, watching with interest.

"This may be a problem." Mendez frowned, hand already reaching for his concealed weapon.

"You two, up there!" One of the Marines challenged them as he raised his SMG, "What are you doing up there?"

"Just passing through." Halsey stood her ground, slowly and carefully signing to the Huragok while doing her best to seem non-threatening.

"What's the problem?" Shaw stepped down the ramp leading up into the Prowler, "I thought your admiral wanted this ship taken over to the Turing ASAP?"

"Nothing you need worry about, sir." The marine motioned for his companions to get their own weapons ready, "Dr Halsey was just going to explain what she's doing here in breach of standing orders for her to stay away from any FTL capable ship without escort."

"I have Chief Mendez with me." The scientist replied dryly, "Isn't that escort enough?"

"We'll see what Admiral Grant has to say about that." The Marine reached for his radio, but was distracted by the sound of a nearby airlock started to cycle open.

Turning towards the unexpected noise, he made the mistake of turning his back on the Huragok. Normally docile and peaceful, the creatures were none the less capable of amazing feats of strength, speed and dexterity, and it wasn't hard for them to whip out their tentacles and snatch the weapons out of the hands of the marines before they knew what was happening. It took but a moment to dissemble the guns and drop their component parts onto the deck at the feet of their former owners.

"Son of a..." The Marine sergeant reached for his holstered side-arm, but felt the cold touch of gun-mettle against the back of his neck.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you." Shaw warned, her voice cool and level, "I've killed people for less."

There was a hiss as the airlock opened and the Master Chief stepped through, followed by the other Spartans. He took the scene before him in instantly, then singled members of Team Katana to secure their unexpected prisoners while the others located the large crate Chief Mendez had had shipped over from the Hugh Dowding and moved it to the Prowlers small cargo bay.

"This isn't your fight, Captain." Halsey pointed out as she strode purposefully across the room, "You don't even know what you're getting yourself into."

"You're going after Cortana." Shaw responded matter of factly, "It's not like I haven't been expecting you to at least try something, although I am a little hurt that you didn't come to me for help."

"You're a friend, but you're not one of us." Mendez pointed out as he double checked that they had loaded everything they might need, "We felt it best to keep it in the family, so to speak. We'd understand if you'd stood aside and done nothing."

"Cortana's one of the few friends I have, and I'm not about just give up on her because some Admiral I hadn't even heard of two weeks ago, who's outside of my chain of command, says so." Shaw crossed her arms, blocking the hatchway to make her point, "Anyway, you need me. I've had more spare time on my hands than is good for me since I got busted down from Major, and learning to pilot this old crate was all that kept me from going crazy: I've got more time logged on her than anyone."

"You do realise that by siding with us, you've effectively thrown away your career." The Master Chief warned, "HighCom will see to it that you're kicked out of the fleet so fast you'll get friction burns."

"If that's the price I have to pay, then so be it." Shaw turned and stepped through the hatch, "Now let's move before someone realises what's going on."

"I have to say, I'm surprised with you." Zarek stood before Henry's squad, trying to find an angle that would give him at least some leverage with them, "From what I've heard, you're little more than indentured servants, slaves, to your government. Why support them when you could so easily make your own way?"

"I'm afraid that you're woefully misinformed, Mr Vice-President." The Spartan captain shook his head, "Yes, we are clones, born into the military. But after five years of operational service, we're given the choice of re-enlisting or mustering out, same as any other UNSC solider. Some opt out, and they get a military pension and full veterans benefits, but most of us are lifers. I've re-upped twice, and there isn't a Spartan here who hasn't signed back on of their own free will at least once. We serve because we chose to, not because anyone is forcing us."

"I see." Zarek sounded somewhat dejected, his last gambit having failed, "Well, you'd better find me a wireless set so I can contact the people on the Kiya then."

Far enough away from the fleet to avoid detection, the Machiavelli class Stealth Cruiser Queen Anne's Revenge emerged from slipstream and started to move closer as silent and unseen as a shadow at midnight. Its sleek black hull seemed to shimmer for a moment, then changed colour to mimic the star field behind it. The electromagnetic equivalent of a black hole, it snuck past the outermost ring of sensor drones and the cap with ease.

To Be Continued...