UNSCDF Chapter 29- Similarities and Differences

Richmond, British Columbia, Canada

UNSC Richmond Outpost

July 27, 1999

0830 Local Time

            “Good work on retrieving our asset.” Cole took the briefcase from Charlie’s hand and placed it under his desk.

            “Sir, if I may, can you tell me what’s in that case?” Charlie asked politely.

            “To be honest, it’s even above my clearance. I’m a Lieutenant Major and I don’t have a clue either.” Cole looked at the briefcase.

            “Then who knows?” Charlie glanced at Cole.

            “Only High Command knows and can open it.” Cole took a piece of scrap paper and jotted down some notes.

            “Alright, what about the Scavengers?” Charlie patted his report on Cole’s desk.

            “Well, I’ve got to admit; you’ve definitely got talent in doing extra work.” Cole laughed.

            “What do you mean?” Charlie was confused.

            “Look, we only assigned you to recover out asset and not deal with any negotiations or open up an alliance.” Cole opened the report folder.

            “Are you saying that we are not going to be allies with them?” Charlie sensed uncertainty in Cole’s voice.

            “They’ve killed a lot of our men and women serving in the UNSC.” Cole looked at Charlie with glaring eyes.

            “With all due respect, so have we.” Charlie argued.

            “Well, most of the time we don’t engage them. They attack us first.” Cole countered.    
            “That’s because we’re near their home and they are protecting themselves.” Charlie explained.

            “They started the rivalry first, not us.” Cole closed the report folder.

            “Just like that? We’re not going to offer a partnership aren’t we?” Charlie felt angry.

            “Yes, just like that. I suggest you scrap any ideas you had for an alliance out of your head.” Cole stared.

            “This is outrageous!” Charlie stood up from his seat and shouted.

            “Stand down Lieutenant!” Cole slammed his desk and stood up.

            Charlie closed his mouth and looked at Cole with disgust.

            “Go to your quarters and cool off.” Cole ordered.

            Charlie nodded and left Cole’s room fuming about what Cole had done. He had thought of Cole as a good man, but now he was beginning to doubt it. He knew innocent civilians were officially relying on the UNSC for medical supplies, but he had no support. Charlie decided to find a senior officer until there was change. To him, it’s all about helping each other and surviving in a post apocalyptic world. Charlie walked down a hallway and saw an open door marked with “Major Tory”. He knocked on the door as he saw a bald man in his early forties looking at his computer.

            “Come in.” the man answered.

            “Major Tory?” Charlie asked.

            “Yeah, that’s me. What can I do for you Lieutenant…?” Tory looked at Charlie standing at his door.

            “Lieutenant Charlie.” Charlie stuck out his hand.

            “Ah, I’ve heard of you by your other name.” Tory shook Charlie’s hand.

            “Zyrok.” Charlie smiled.

            “Yeah, that one.” Tory offered a seat.

            “Are you busy?” Charlie asked.

            “It’s alright. What can I do for you?” Tory sat down.

            “It’s about the Scavengers…” Charlie began.

            Charlie began to tell Tory of his search and recover mission and how they got captured by the Scavengers. He then went on describing what he saw and the discussion he had with the leader of the Scavengers. After that, he told Tory what Cole had to say about a possible alliance.

            “I see.” Tory took out all the info and jotted down some notes.

            “Yeah, that’s pretty much it. Is there any way we can work together?” Charlie concluded.

            “I really don’t see why not. Even though we’ve fought with each other, an alliance will be beneficial to both parties.” Tory grinned.

            “Is that a yes?” Charlie widened his eyes.

            “I’ll have to file some paperwork. It’s great you were able to open discussions with the Scavengers. Eventually we would have either attacked them or negotiated terms of an alliance. It’s good an alliance is underway, we already have difficulty fighting the zombie faction.” Tory laughed.

            “My thoughts exactly.” Charlie laughed in agreement.

            “I’ll go have a chat with Cole. I don’t think he sees the big picture like we do.” Tory opened his drawer.

            “Ok, thanks. I think he’s still mad at me.” Charlie got up and headed out to the door.

            “Don’t you worry Charlie; I’ll take care of it.” Tory searched his drawers for a stapler.

            “Ok, thank you sir.” Charlie saluted and walked out.

            Charlie got in an elevator and stopped at the second floor. He decided to find the Communications Department and wanted to see if he could get clearance to access the UNSC network. He approached a metal door marked “Communications” and swiped his badge.

            “Access granted.” the computer spoke as the door slid open.

            Charlie walked in and saw a room full of computer servers. In the center of the room was a circle of marines sitting at their work stations. A marine in his late twenties with the marking of a sergeant stood up and walked over to Charlie.

            “What can I do for you sir?” the sergeant asked politely.

            “I would like to access a network for a chat program.” Charlie answered.

            “What for?” the sergeant questioned.

            “I want to find someone.” Charlie replied as he thought about Sarah.

            “Sir, you are in the wrong department. If you are looking for someone, you should go to the Archives.” the sergeant explained.        

            “Alright fine. What is your name sergeant?” Charlie sighed.

            “Pat Douglas, sir.” the sergeant offered a handshake.

            “Lieutenant Zyrok or Lieutenant Charlie.” Charlie shook Douglas’ hand.

            “I think I’ve heard of you over our communications before.” Douglas said.

            “Douglas, here’s why I want to access a network...” Charlie began to tell his story about the day he joined the UNSC in hopes of finding Sarah.

            Charlie grabbed a seat and sat down beside Douglas as he navigated through his computer.

            “You know Charlie, I usually don’t do this even for my superiors unless they give me paperwork.” Douglas clicked his mouse.

            “I really appreciate it.” Charlie smiled.

            “You remind me of myself when I was your age, except your spirit and hope is stronger than what I had.” Douglas sighed.

            “What do you mean?” Charlie asked.

            “Well, I used to search for a girl who moved on to the East Coast after I finished post-secondary. I’ve lost contact and slowly lost hope over time. I should have told her, but I hesitated.” Douglas typed a command into the computer.

            “Aw, that’s sad.” Charlie sympathized.

            “I know. This is why I’m doing it for you. You can still have your shot and won’t live with regrets like I did.” Douglas turned and looked at Charlie.

            “Thank you.” Charlie placed his hand on Douglas’ shoulder.

            “Your welcome. Also, I didn’t want to be that jerk that ruined your dreams.” Douglas joked.

            “No, you’re not. Be glad that what you did means a lot to me. You have helped me and I can assure you that you won’t regret his.” Charlie assured.

            “I hope so.” Douglas printed out a page and handed it to Charlie.         

            “What’s this?” Charlie observed.

            “It’s an override code to access our network.” Douglas explained.

            “How does it work?” Charlie studied the code.

            “You’ll need to login to your account and go into your account. Find the network configuration and go to advanced settings. After that, copy and paste the code and you’ll be granted access to the UNSC network.” Douglas slowly explained step by step.

            “Thank you Douglas. Much appreciated.” Charlie thanked and folded the paper into his pocket.

            “I hope you find her.” Douglas wished.

            “I hope so too.” Charlie thought about the possibility of seeing Sarah.

            Charlie waved goodbye to Douglas and left the Communications Department. He was excited to get back on chat and talk to Sarah. He missed her very much and was relieved that there were people out there willing to help him find her. He hurried back to his office to see Cole standing outside.

            “Lieutenant.” Cole greeted.      

            “Yes sir?” Charlie asked.

           “Looks like my superior wants an alliance with the Scavengers. Here’s your new task.” Cole handed Charlie a folder.

            “Okay.” Charlie accepted the folder.

            “Good luck. Once again, you’ll be departing in an hour. Sorry for the short notice.” Cole spoke and laughed.

            “It’s fine. I’ll get ready.” Charlie opened the folder and looked at the documents.

            “I’ll see you later once you’re back.” Cole walked off.

            “Great…just great.” Charlie muttered as he looked at his computer and then at his watch.

            Charlie locked his door and walked off to the armory in disappointment.