Chapter 11

2 Months later and Axel had returned back to Algolis where he resumed his duties as Head of Section three. Once made it to his office he had released all the information on the Admiral out to the public.

And because of this the information was quick to catch the attention of the news stations on Earth whom reported the information to the rest of the people.

It didn't even take a full week before the Admiral was recalled from duty back to Earth. But before he could return, his ship had went missing.

The UNSC deemed this to be the result of insurrectionists activities and had called the Admiral a traitor who was now wanted for treason.

Axel had envisioned something like this would happen but it was beyond his control at this point.

For the next few months until the new year started, Axel had worked on some small projects for the UNSC. Special High-ranking civilians and Admirals often came to his base to work on a few projects together.

These projects involved improving the Intelligence capabilities of the UNSC to help intercept insurrectionists communications.

The result of this was a new program called Red Dragon being created which would be able bypass the insurrectionist encryptions and pick up their frequencies and signals to intercept their communications.

The Red Dragon program could be used both for long distance and short distance communication.

Already the program was increasing the amount of arrests made across the colonies and slowly diminishing the insurrectionists numbers.

Because of this Axel was presented with the Legion of Merit by Admiral Cole his adopted father who was a Vice Admiral at this point.

After the ceremony was over Axel was then tasked with a brand new project. The Top Brass wanted to officially restart the Spartan program with him as Head and Dr. Halsey as his assistant.

Axel accepted the task as it was exactly what he wanted. With this he could develop himself into the ultimate soldier and slowly start to climb the ranks of the UNSC.

On the day that Dr. Halsey arrived Axel was inside his lab looking over a draft of the first step of the Spartan Program.

The draft outlined a series of training modules, surgical enhancements and biochemical adjustments that would transform a normal human into a super soldier. It was ambitious, daring and borderline unethical. But it held the potential to give the UNSC an upper hand in defending humanity from insurrectionist activities.

Dr. Halsey entered, her eyes scanning the lab with an expectant gleam. She was a renowned scientist, known for her contributions to AI research and biochemistry. Slowly, she approached Axel, her gaze settling on the draft in his hands.

She stood behind him and placed her hands around his eyes. "Guess Who" She asked playfully.

"Is it you Dr. Halsey" Asked Axel as he sighed since she was still the same playful girl whom he spent time with at the University.

"Hey, don't call me Dr. Halsey like we are strangers, It's just Halsey" Said Halsey as she was angry at Axel for addressing her like she was a stranger.

"Well next time don't interrupt me while i'm working then I won't call you Dr. Halsey" Said Axel

Halsey gave Axel a punch in his back "Your as cold as ever" She cried hoping that Axel would have changed by being in the UNSC. But it seems she was wrong.

Despite her disappointment, Halsey, or rather Dr. Halsey, as was more fitting in the current circumstances, moved to sit on a nearby lab stool, pulling up her glasses to perch on the edge of her nose. She looked over at Axel, rotating the papers in her hands with carefully manicured fingers.

"The Spartan program," she mused, tapping a finger along the edge of the document. "It's ambitious, even for you." It wasn't a criticism, but an observation—proof that she had read and understood the magnitude of what Axel was put in charge of.

Without answering her musings directly, Axel turned his attention back to the draft at hand. "The war against insurrectionists is a war against shadows," he started. "Conventional conflict resolution methods won't work; we need unconventional soldiers."

"Ambitious and terrifying." Halsey agreed. Yet she was hardly deterred by the proposed project's audacity. Instead, she reveled in it - the thrill of innovation and reinvention seducing the scientist within her. It reminded her of the University days when they would worked on a project to learn about the Forerunners technology which opened her eyes to the idea of a superior Alien race being out their in the Universe somewhere.

They argued over details late into the evening. The methodology of selecting candidates for the program, their training regimen, medical procedures – everything was scrutinized and debated upon. Despite their disagreement on many accounts, or perhaps because of it, they worked well together.

Halsey broke off mid-sentence as a thought struck her. "Wait," she said slowly, "you're not planning on... becoming one of these Spartans yourself?" Her eyes widened at the implication of this question, scanning Axel's expression for any sign that he might have considered such an idea.

His face remained as impassive as ever, belying no hint of emotion or intention. He looked up from the draft and met her gaze, the fluorescent light of the lab reflecting off his stoic expression.

"Why wouldn't I?" he finally asked evenly. His voice echoed off the cold, white walls of the lab, bouncing back and forth between Halsey and him. "If I'm to be in charge of this program, it stands to reason that I understand first-hand every risk, every advantage it provides." Of course this was a lie since his real reason for this was just to get stronger and basically transform himself into a weapon which would be important for his future plans.

Halsey blinked and pulled back slightly as if his words had physically struck her. She fumbled for a response, her fingers tightening around the sheaf of papers she held. "But... but Axel," she stammered, "the risks..."

"Are necessary," he finished for her continuing to manipulate her, his gaze never wavering from hers. It was a harsh truth they both knew well. The road to progress was often paved with sacrifices and risks.

His determination seemed relentless, and Halsey found herself unable to argue against it. Instead, she nodded slowly, resigned.

"Alright," she said after a moment's silence. "If you're set on this path, then there's no one better suited to guide you through it than me." And although there was a shadow of concern in her eyes, there was also an undeniable spark of excitement.

Axel watched her reaction carefully before returning his gaze to the draft. The room fell quiet once more as they resumed their work while outside the laboratory glass wall, Algolis' twin moons rose over the horizon bathing everything in an ethereal glow.

The Spartan Program, thus kicked-off under their dedicated supervision.