Chapter 68

Captain Talia and Lieutenant Taylor were walking down the through the Halls of Sword Base towards Axel's office. They had been summoned to meet with him.

Taylor had finished his training to become an Officer and was awarded the rank of Lieutenant because of his prior field experience. 5 centuries ago, when humanity hadn't explored the stars yet nor invented space travel, Officer candidates were generally chosen from a younger group of people. However ever since 2489 the UNSC mandated that all applicants for officer schools must have some form of field experience, as they would be responsible for managing irreplaceable military equipment and personnel, and later the lives of civilian populations.

Thanks to that and him graduating at the top of his class, Taylor was able to gain the rank of Lieutenant after his graduation and went on to a Secondary school to advance his education.

Talia on the other hand was Captain of a UNSC Frigate and was part of a Battlegroup deployed in the outer colonies. She had participated in 3 battles against smaller Covenant ships such as Frigates and Corvettes. She had assisted her superior officer in planning numerous counter attacks against Covenant fleets and had received a recommendation for promotion.

As they strolled down the corridors, Talia and Taylor exchanged stories of their individual journeys since parting ways. Talia recounted her time commanding a ship and leading the fight against the Covenant, while Taylor talked about his time at Officer Candidate school and the extra attention he received because of his close relationship with Axel.

After a few minutes of walking, they had arrived in front of Axel's office door. The office was a see-through room and inside Axel could be seen talking to a familiar MCU that the two of them recognized.

Axel had noticed them at the door and had motioned for them to come in while he continued his conversation.

"When you find them Commander, I want them taken alive, we need to interrogate them and find out more information about their cell" said Axel referring to a new Insurrectionists cell that was discovered on Luyten from an intercepted communication.

"Aye, Admiral, I will find them and bring them in alive" Responded Hammer who was now a part of a special operations team working alongside ONI agents, and other Special forces to track down and located Insurrectionists cells in the both the outer colonies and inner colonies.

"All right then, that's all I have, dismissed Commander" Hammer performed a salute before he turned around to leave. But before he left, he looked at the two familiar faces in front of him and greeted them.

"Long time no see Captain Talia and Lieutenant Taylor," said Hammer.

"Same here, Commander, I wish you luck on your mission" said Talia not wanting to hold him up. "Same here Commander, maybe next time we can catch up" Added Taylor.

"Only time will tell" Responded Hammer as he walked out of the room and down the corridor. Meanwhile Axel had stood up to greet his two old subordinates as it had been years since they saw each other.

Seeing his towering figure the two of them gulped their saliva as he looked like a titan compared to the two of them. "Nice to see the both of you again, it's been a while since we were all together like this". Said Axel as he smiled at the two of them.

"Indeed, it has, Admiral," Captain Talia responded, returning his smile with a respectful nod. At first, she was a little tense since Axel was basically like a Hero to everybody and was on another level compared to them, but his smile eased the tension and reminded her that despite being on another level he was still the same person as before.

Lieutenant Taylor stood a little more stiffly, clearly still adjusting to the subtleties that came with the rank he had attained. "It's nice to be here, Admiral."

Axel gestured towards the chairs across from him. "Please, have a seat." He turned to his desk and sat back down in his seat.

"First, tell me about your experiences" said Axel wanting to hear their own thoughts on the matter rather than what a simple report told him.

"It was...daunting, to say the least," she confessed. "Taking command of a frigate, knowing that every single decision I made could have far-reaching consequences for both my crew and the mission...it was a lot of pressure. But I had a great team behind me, and they helped me rise to the challenge."

Taylor nodded as he listened to Talia's words. His experience had been similar yet different given his role. "Officer Candidate School was very rigorous," he said, leaning back in his chair. "But it was all worth it when I graduated at the top of my class. My field experience proved invaluable as well during the advanced training."

Axel listened intently to their experiences, a small smile appearing on his face. It was satisfying to see his former subordinates flourishing in their respective roles. The future of UNSC seemed a little brighter with officers such as these.

"That's good to hear from the reports it seemed that the two of you received a lot of praise and recommendations from your commanding Officers and excelled at your respective roles" Axel commented.

"Most of it was thanks to me learning from you and the experienced that I got helped me achieve top of my class in OCS school." Added Taylor, thanks to his decision to become an officer he felt that his future would be interesting.

"Yes, it was a very unique experience serving under you who did things that a normal Naval Officer wouldn't, like leading a special ops operation to attack an Insurrectionists base." Talia was referencing the battle Eridanus II against the Insurrectionists and Colonel Robert Watts.

"Well, this may be an old saying, but a Leader should sometimes lead by example, and sometimes sitting in a chair in space watching a battle go on can get boring" Stated Axel. "Still, I'm glad to hear that from your experience with me that you learned a lot."

Axel leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together "It's officers like you two who will be the backbone of our efforts."

The two of them listened closely to Axel as he said that previous sentence "Now I won't waste too much time talking about the past" Axel continued, "Soon I will create an Officer enhancement similar to the Spartan Enhancement only it won't have all the effects as the Spartan enhancement. Once this is implemented across the UNSC, it will greatly improve all branches capabilities against the Covenant. Anyway, to keep it simple, I am gathering a particular group of Officers to recruit into the new Fleet that will be created once the new ships start to finish construction." Explained Axel.

"This will be the first fleet of next generation ships, and I want to make it the best fleet the UNSC has. Of course, the other fleets will also get upgraded with the new ships but before that happens, the plan is to create an brand new fleet full of next generation ships to give relatively young officers to thrive in their roles and prove themselves" Continued Axel.

"Admiral, with all due respect," Talia started, raising a brow, "Are you saying that we are being considered for this... new fleet?"

Axel simply nodded as he reached out to open a drawer, withdrawing two data pads and sliding them across the desk to Talia and Taylor.

"You're not only being considered, but you've also been selected," he affirmed. "My self and the CNO believe in your abilities and your potential. these are your official orders."

Both officers looked at the data pads laid out before them in stunned silence. Glancing at each other for reassurance, they simultaneously reached out and took hold of the devices. As they read the details assigned within, their surprise turned into a mix of pride and anticipation.

Taylor let out a low whistle as he scrolled through his assignment. "A position in the newly formed fleet's special operations team? That's a big leap from OCS school."

"We wouldn't offer it if we didn't think you could handle it," Axel said firmly. "I've seen your potential Taylor. You have what it takes."

Turning to Talia, Axel continued "As for you Captain, you'll be taking command of one of the new generation ships. They're not done being built yet but once They are done you will be given command of one of them and probably a promotion considering the time it takes to build them."

Talia's eyes widened at this new assignment. She had heard rumors about these ships, state-of-the-art technology, advanced weapons systems, definitely worlds away from her former position as Captain of a frigate. And it possibly came with a promotion.

"Thank you, Admiral. I'm honored," Talia said, emotion making her voice thick. "I won't let you down."

Axel gave her an encouraging nod. "I know you won't, Talia."

Taylor cleared his throat, breaking the silence that followed. "May I ask who else has been selected for this new fleet, Admiral?"

"We're still finalizing the list," Axel replied, folding his hands on top of his desk. "The majority will be announced once we have completed all necessary preparations."

"A new fleet... This feels like a turning point in the war." Taylor muttered, eyes still on his orders.

"It is" replied Axel, "These next generation ships will level the playing field in terms of space combat."

A heavy silence descended upon the room as the two of them contemplated what this meant, not just in terms of their own roles but the wider implications for humanity in their fight against the Covenant.

"And what about you Admiral," Talia finally asked, breaking the silence. "What role will you play in this new initiative?"

"To begin with, I will supervise the formation and training of this fleet." Stated Axel. "Once we're operational, I'll assume command."

Talia and Taylor smiled with excitement for their new roles. They were going to be a part of something great.

"Last thing, there is training for the new ships since they will be different from the current UNSC ships. You two will attend this training alongside other people and learn how the new ships work until they are completed" Added Axel.

The two of them nodded as the information on the location of the training was sent to the two data pads in their hands. They didn't have any more questions so after they received the training location, they left the officer eager to learn about the new ships.

Once they left, Axel continued strolling through a list selecting some young officers to fill in some of the Officer positions within the fleet. For the higher-ranking Officer positions some veteran officers were chosen to fill in these roles to bring in experience to develop the young officers' abilities.

Shipyards were already being built above Reach to construct these new ships and plans were already being implemented for the creation of the new Fleet.