บท 30: Chapter 30

Seeing that others were also seeing the incompetence of the new Chairman Admiral Gardner, Axel used this opportunity to make some allies within the High command.

The first would be General Daniel Black of the UNSC Marine Corps. General Black had already expressed his concerns over the new leadership and after some thorough investigating by Ivan, Axel found out that General Black was a potential ally within the UNSC security council.

The Second was General Jakob Stone of the UNSC Airforce. General Stone was a close friend of General Black since they shared the same views about the UNSC with each other. General Stone was also against the defunding of the MCU's as he saw their potential use within all branches of the UNSC.

General Liam Graham of the UNSC Army was more of a neutral party who didn't appear to lean on one side or the other. But still he could maybe be convinced considering the the amount of lives the MCU's saved during their deployments.

Next was Admiral Margaret Parangosky who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence. She had been in office since 2511 and was the one who supported Admiral Gardner's decision to defund the MCU program. She saw it as a direct threat to her position as the Commander-in-Chief of ONI because of Axel's Quick Rise in the ranks and his rising influence within ONI.

And the MCU's only reinforced his influence because of their efficiency and uses. So when Misriah Armory asked for data on the design, she didn't hesitate to give them that data despite Admiral Ross's decision to deny them that data. But what she didn't know was that the data that Axel had gave them was not the full data on the MCU's which is why the Misriah robots were created with many deficiencies.

But to Admiral Parangosky the Misriah robots had their uses and they were cheap to build making them easier to mass produce in the thousands.

The last member of the high command was Admiral Jake Jackson who was the newly appointed Chief of Naval Operations(CNO). He was a tough and hardened military man who had fought in many battles throughout his tenure. Ross was a traditionalist, dedicated to the classic naval strategies and opposed to the use of MCU's.

Axel decided to approach General Black first. The latter had an air of war-weariness that Axel found reassuring. Axel had traveled to Earth where the two met in a private place, where Axel shared his concerns about the new leadership.

He found Black to be receptive, nodding along to Axel's words. "It's not just about defunding the MCU program. It's about making sure we have the right tools for this war," Axel told him. "And right now, I don't think Gardner understands that."

Next was General Stone. The meeting with him was brief, but Axel knew he had made an impact when he saw the telltale signs of thoughtfulness in Stone's eyes after their discussion. "You might be onto something, Axel," he admitted finally. "I'll think about it."

General Graham was exactly as his reputation suggested — neutral, almost too neutral. He neither agreed nor disagreed with Axel's viewpoints but gave them careful consideration. However, Axel left their meeting feeling somewhat hopeful.

As for Admiral Parangosky and Admiral Jake Jackson, Axel didn't even bother with those two since Admiral Parangosky was already wary of him and he saw her as someone who valued their position above anything else. While Admiral Jake Jackson was just a political replacement for Admiral Ross as the CNO.

Next Axel started to look for other people who shared his thoughts preferably other Officers, and even some civilians. He also looked for other highly intelligent people to join him as civilian consultants. These civilian consultants would be used to in a sense to help develop advanced technology.

Axel's first step was to bring in Dr. Yvonne Carter, a brilliant civilian scientist who had been involved with the original MCU project. She had been vocal about her displeasure at the shortsightedness of suspending the program and Axel felt she would be a valuable asset to his cause. When Axel proposed his plan to her, she agreed readily, her fiery spirit fanned by the prospect of bringing Axel's creations back into action.

Next, was Lieutenant Jack Harper, a young officer from Marine Corps. He had served under Axel aboard the Leviathan before and held a deep respect for the Admiral. He had seen firsthand the practicality of the MCUs on the battlefield and held no loyalty to the new chairman. With a bit of persuasion, Harper too joined Axel's growing coalition.

From within his own ranks, he approached Major Karen Lewis, an ONI intelligence analyst whose insights and loyalty were unsurpassed. Lewis was known for her independent thought and keen knack for predicting political maneuvers. Although reluctant at first due to her standing position in ONI, she finally conceded when Axel presented her with undeniable evidence of the potential threats looming over UNSC.

In Admiral Parangosky's department, he managed to sway over an unlikely ally — Commander Marcus Bishop. Bishop was a veteran field agent for ONI who didn't share Parangosky's disdain for the MCUs. His influence within ONI was limited but his resources and intelligence network could prove invaluable.

With his allies gathered together, Axel began crafting subtle strategies aimed at shifting the balance of power within the high command. Mirroring the intricate moves of a galactic chess game, he worked meticulously in the shadows, setting his pieces in motion.

Once his pieces were in motion it was all a waiting game. Once the war initially starts the incompetence of the UNSC to handle to Covenant will warrant some action from many Officers, and Enlisted alike. Hundreds of Thousands of lives will be lost in the beginning but their sacrifice will allow Axel to prevent Millions more in the later stages of the war.

So for the next 2 years until 2524, Axel continued to gather like minded individuals in secret and expand his battlegroups fighting capability. With the resources from the Outer Colonies Axel created a new autocannon that could tear through ship armor, with a secondary role of shield penetration.

Axel had only come up with the idea of penetrating the Covenant's shields in theory; he wouldn't know if it would work until their first encounter with the enemy fleet. However, his knowledge of energy shielding gave him confidence that it could potentially be effective against the Covenants. If not, he would have to continue refining his technique after witnessing the initial battles between the UNSC and the Covenant.

Leaving that matter aside for now within these 2 years, the Spartans have completed their training and had successfully undergone their augmentations in 2522. All 150 Spartans had survived the procedure and they were given their Mark IV MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor.

So from 2522 to 2524 they carried out Assaults on the remaining insurrection bases both in the Inner colonies and more recent ones in the outer colonies that had risen once again following Axel's departure.