Infestation: Xeno Protocol (Worlds Collide Book 2)

Chapter 1

Outside known space
November 4, 2556

The origins of the beauty called the galaxy were long debated for thousands of years. Some think of it as a happy accident, others, believed that it was created by a deity of high power.

But no matter what, no one had argued about its magnificence. Every part of space was filled with planets of all different sizes, surrounding beautiful balls of gases known as stars. Their mere existence inspired many cultures and groups that treated them like gods. Space seemed to be as endless as time.

And for the first time in millennia, this part of space was ripped open, allowing a ship of human origin to enter it.

Aboard the Strident-class frigate, called the Manipulator, Captain Peter McGregor, a man of heavy Irish descent, was the first known human to see this part of the galaxy, and always marveled at the beauty of seeing something new.

Captain McGregor looked back down to his tablet, and reread the same paragraph from a digital book about the life of Preston J. Cole, one of the only men to ever win a battle against the Covenant in the war. He put the tablet down on the table next to him, realizing he wasn't quite in the mood to read, and after finishing a different book a few minutes ago, grew bored of it.

Peter took a deep breath before he spoke, "Malcolm." He called for the shipboard AI.

"Yes Captain?" Malcolm's AI body of a priest popped up in a terminal next to Peter.

"Begin scanning the planets around us, find the damn Covenant ship." He ordered calmly, keeping his hands behind his back.

"Right away Captain." Malcolm disappeared from the terminal and went to work.

Peter turned to the holotable beside him right as the holographic image of a planet appeared.

The planet was mostly covered with jungle, swamps, as well as a few bodies of water.

"The beacon was been located." Malcolm said before popping up beside the hologram of the planet. A red light flickered into a circle on a small part of the planet's northern hemisphere.

"Do we have any visuals on their exact location? Maybe we can find the Sword agents Lord Hood was speaking of." Peter referred to a meeting several UNSC and Sangheili personnel had attended nearly a week ago on Earth.

The war against the Covenant was going well, the factions of the old empire were usually single fleets and had not been very unified.

Covenant factions spread across the galaxy, a hundred warlords all claiming to control the true Covenant, but not one proved successful against their enemies. Since the 'Great Schism', most Covenant ships had been destroyed when brutes attacked dozens of shipyards and production facilities in Sangheili territory, to try and crippled the elites. The Sangheili did the same in return, and without the Prophet's leadership, the brutes became divided amongst their various clans and most fell quickly. Thousands of ships had seemed to just disappear, with only a few hundred still in use.

Even something as small as a frigate was now treated like a carrier in terms of value, something of high importance. Which is why the Sword's tried to steal some from the Storm Covenant.

"Scanners are working on it now, sir. The hot jungle is messing with heat scanning, but we should have a good readout within the hour." Malcolm kept his hands behind his back and looked over the information being gathered.

"Good, and Malcolm."

"Yes Captain?"

"Wake them up." He ordered before deciding to return to his tablet.