章 26: Chapter 26

As the sun rose, everyone returned to their assigned tasks. Axel was the final one to leave his quarters. The facility was alive with the aftermath of the celebrations from the night before, its hallways filled with the sounds of laughter and conversations about the crew's adventures.

As Axel walked through the facility he could tell that the cleaning staff of the facility had worked hard to clean up the mess that had appeared overnight. The smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, a stark contrast to the sweet scent of spilled ale and smoked meats from the festivities.

After a few minutes Axel had arrived at the facilities hanger where Commander Talia and Petty Officer Taylor was waiting for him.

"Good Morning Admiral" Said Commander Talia as she, Petty Officer Taylor and the escorting Marines had saluted.

Axel returned the Salute and walked up to Commander Talia "How has the morning been so far Commander" Asked Axel.

"After last night it has been quite a morning but after some coffee and a hearty breakfast, everything fell into place," Commander Talia replied, her face reflecting the toil of the morning coupled with the glow of the previous night's celebration.

Petty Officer Taylor, ever so chipper, chimed in, "The hanger bay's been swept and inspected, Sir." Taylor was designated the Petty Officer in charge of conducting inspections in Axel's place with Commander Talia helping out here and there.

"Excellent," Axel responded before turning his attention to the vast hangar bay where maintenance crews were working diligently on the Longswords and Pelicans.

Axel took a few moments to look over the Longsword's and Pelican's and thought that they could use some improvement. Both the craft could use some energy shields to be able to survive longer in battle. The Pelican was already a good troop transport ship for the UNSC so changing the design wasn't something that Axel wanted to do at the time. While the Longsword had room for improvement in its engines, weapons, armor, and technology.

After a few seconds of staring at the two aircraft in the hanger, Axel finally pulled his gaze away and turned back to his officers, "Let's get going. We have much to do today."

With that, they proceeded to board a Pelican and head towards the Spartan Training Facility where Axel would look at the progress of the Spartans and see how far they have come and to also become the first one to be genetically altered.

On the way to the facility, Commander Talia passed Axel a small tablet displaying an article about a recent change in leadership within the UNSC. Axel took the tablet and read the headline: 'Chairman of the UNSC Fleet Admiral Ross resigns due to political pressure.'

Axel sighed upon seeing this since it was only a matter of time until this happened. Admiral Ross tried to ignore the politics just focus on doing what he thought was right and for the betterment of the UNSC. And while he was correct in a sense he still caused some internal strife with other Admirals and Officers.

'Though there could be some other motive as to why Admiral Ross was fired' Thought Axel. Because the position of chairman was the highest position that one could hold within the UNSC and maybe some other Fleet Admiral wanted that position.

And with Admiral Ross gone Axel knew exactly what was going to happen. 'No more promotions for awhile I guess'

��Seems like they couldn't handle Ross's blunt approach," Commander Talia said, breaking Axel's train of thought.

"What Admiral Ross saw for the future and what the others saw was two different things" Axel replied. "But I'll be damned if they think they can meddle with my Battlegroup."

"There's talk of another Fleet Admiral taking his place but I'm not sure who" Taylor mentioned.

Axel nodded hearing this information. The new Chairman will probably be another Fleet Admiral who will prevent Axel from rising in the ranks for a few years. Should Axel be worried? Maybe but there was going to be a big war in the coming years where they will need people like him to save humanity. And once that time comes he will use his knowledge of advanced technology and his ability to command in order to rank up to the top.

And if is still blocked from getting promoted then he will just take matters into his own hands. He didn't want to waste time on dealing with those stubborn old fools on the Security Council who will deny him what he deserves when the time comes.

Leaving that matter aside after a few more minutes of flying, the Pelican had landed at it's destination which was the Landing area at the Spartan Training Grounds. Axel could already see the line-up of Spartans standing at attention, perfectly positioned in a row.

"Admiral on deck," bellowed a Chief Mendez as soon as Axel stepped out of the Pelican, and swiftly every Spartan saluted, their combined motion sounding like a gust of wind passing by.

"At ease," Axel commanded. The ranks lowered their hands in unison, waiting for his next words. "You're looking sharp today, And I see you have grown" Said Axel as he observed how taller the Spartans had gotten.

"How has the training been Chief Mendez" Asked Axel.

"It's been quite well Admiral, your training regime has helped the young Spartans balance their duty with their humanity and they have shown considerable progress as a team" Replied Chief Mendez.

"Excellent to hear, Chief Mendez. I have read over their training reports and I am pleased with the progress they are making," Axel responded with a nod of approval. He walked along the line of Spartans, observing their disciplined stance and sharp focus.

Once he made it where Spartan-117 also known as John was standing, he stepped forward and saluted. "Admiral, it's an honor to have you here today. We appreciate your guidance and support."

Axel returned the salute and replied, "The honor is mine, Spartan-117. You and your team have been performing exceptionally well. I have no doubt that you will continue to excel in your training."

Spartan-117 nodded respectfully before speaking on behalf of the group, "Thank you, Admiral. We are committed to becoming the best that we can be, for the UNSC and for humanity."

Impressed by their dedication, Axel smiled and said, "That kind of determination is exactly what we need in this critical time. Remember, each one of you plays a vital role in defending our future."

As he finished his brief speech, Axel turned around to face the training grounds. The vast expanse of simulated terrain, dotted with varied obstacles and marked targets stretched out before them. "Your training ground is a testament to your dedication. All of you have overcome its challenges, time and time again. But remember, the real battle will be much more unpredictable."

"Understood, Sir." John's voice echoed strong and clear, prompting unified responses from the other Spartans.

With that Axel walked further into the facility leaving the Spartans behind to continue their training. Once inside Axel had walked over to the Medical part of the facility where the Spartan enhancements would take place when the time comes.

Once he entered that part of the facility Dr. Halsey was already waiting on him. "Halsey" Said Axel trying to maintain a professional environment in from of the other staff.

"Admiral," Halsey said, attempting to hide her embarrassment from the previous night's events.

"It's time for the first test of the Genetic alteration" Said Axel.

Halsey sighed since she had been waiting for this day for years but she still wasn't prepared for it. But she had been decided to accept it and she would be lying if she said she didn't want to see the results.

"Very well" Said Dr Halsey as she turned around started talking to the staff to prepare Project: ASTER for activation. For Axel Halsey had prepared various special procedure for Axel since he wouldn't need the same enhancements that the Spartans would get.

This was a secret project that would be conducted on Axel and was only known by a select few people to keep it secret. Now once everything pops off Axel would be able to fight on the frontlines.