Project Ares

Departure

Coruscant - Republic Navy Shipyards

As the LAAT gunship cruised through the air, Chief observed the new world he had arrived in. Before his long slumber, he had been stationed on Coruscant in secret and would be sent out alongside his squad to eliminate or capture high-value Sith. Defeating a Sith was near impossible for any other non-Jedi combatant, capturing was unheard of. During 117's last few missions, he had successfully captured over a dozen influential Sith leaders.

Now that he was back, the atmosphere around Coruscant seemed all too familiar, bustling traffic on all levels with over a trillion citizens living in the planet-wide megacity. However, the only building he could recognise was the Jedi temple. Besides that building, everything had changed in the 1,500 years he was M.I.A.

Upon touching down in front of a large capital ship, Chief disembarked the craft. Pulling up the ship's files on his HUD, 117 learned that this ship was called a Venator star destroyer. Equipped with eight dual-heavy-turbolasers and a plethora of point defence cannons, the supersoldier couldn't help but admire the sheer size of the battle cruiser. Coming in at over a kilometre in length and approximately 500 metres in width, the ship is larger than the majority of dreadnaughts the Sith Empire used during Chief's last war.

Using his mini-map on his HUD, Chief soon navigated to a service elevator that took him up to the closest entrance for the Negotiator, General Kenobi's flagship. Approaching the blast doors, Chief was greeted by a clone trooper in a modified kit of armour that had various orange markings painted on it. "Master Chief, my name is Commander Cody. I will be one of your primary handlers for future operations as well as your guide for integrating into the Grand Army of the Republic."

Saluting the senior officer before shaking his hand with a steel grip, Chief followed the Commander to his quarters. 117 admired the internal design of the Venator, everything was built for maximum efficiency and security. Large blast doors protected entire corridors and even some ray shields around the more critical areas. The Master Chief's quarters were located in an ideal area where he was somewhat separated from the other clones but close enough to the medical facility, training simulator and hanger. This way he could train and familiarize himself with his new weapons.

Speaking of which, within his personal room stood a large container that kept all of his weapons and ammo. When Chief had initially observed the latest weapons, he concluded that the GAR used some of the best weapons that one could find and decided to just use the weapons that should in theory be readily available for him to use. Equipping himself with a set of dual DC-17 pistols, a large vibro-blade and a modified DC-17m assault rifle, Chief still had space on his armour to carry an additional heavy weapon on his back but preferred to leave it open for now.

His DC-17m rifle had been modified to include a rigid stock along with a slightly extended barrel. By using this configuration, 117 could use it effectively in every possible situation given that the weapon system itself would function properly. Being a specialised weapon, Chief acknowledged the fact that the chances of him getting ammo in the field were slim. So to amend this, he carried an extensive supply of spare magazines within his suit in hidden compartments around his waist that could open and close. This was also how he carried a large supply of grenades that consisted of both EMP and thermal grenades.

Feeling the cruiser starting to take off, Chief locked his cabin door before checking for any cameras or bugs in the room. Only finding a simple video camera in the corner of the room, 117 lifted the tiny little camera from its resting place before crushing the device in his armoured hand. Sitting down on his bunk, Chief leaned with his back against the wall to get some rest. Even though he had been in cryo "sleep" for over a millennium, the process of getting unfrozen was draining for anyone. Take this in addition to the non-stop briefings and examinations he had undergone in the last few hours truly tired the Master Chief out.

Nodding off to the gentle sounds of the battleship, Chief could only wonder at the future that lay ahead of him in this similar yet completely unrecognisable galaxy around him.