Chapter 288: Chapter 286 — The Gathering Storm
Chapter 286 — The Gathering Storm
Time passed.
Without anyone really noticing, afternoon gradually gave way to evening.
The activity inside the workshop slowed as people finished their respective projects. Tony eventually stepped away from his laboratory, leaving the latest armor simulations to JARVIS, and made his way back toward the residence.
The moment he stepped through the front door, something immediately caught his attention.
Everyone was already gathered inside the living room.
Gaius stood near one side of the room with his arms crossed, his enormous frame making every piece of furniture nearby seem smaller than it really was.
Naruto was sitting on one of the sofas beside Mindy.
Saeko and Diana occupied another.
Tanya stood quietly with her arms folded, while Marcus remained nearby.
Tony slowed to a stop.
His expression gradually became more serious.
Something was definitely happening.
Naruto noticed him first.
"Tony."
Tony looked around the room.
"What happened?"
Naruto gestured toward Marcus.
"Marcus gathered all of us here."
Tony shifted his attention.
"You know what’s going on?"
Marcus shook his head.
"No."
"I was simply instructed to gather everyone."
"I wasn’t told anything else."
Tony studied him for a moment before giving a slight nod.
Marcus genuinely didn’t seem to know anything more.
That alone made the situation even stranger.
ONI rarely gathered everyone together without providing at least some explanation.
Especially not after Halsey’s reaction earlier that day.
The room gradually fell silent.
Nobody seemed interested in casual conversation anymore.
Then a familiar sound broke the silence.
Tony’s communicator rang.
Everyone instinctively looked toward him.
Tony glanced down at the display.
Commander Osman.
Without hesitation, he accepted the incoming transmission.
A holographic image materialized above the communicator.
Tony removed the device from his wrist and placed it on the center table so everyone could clearly see the projection.
Almost immediately, everyone noticed something.
Osman’s expression was unusually stern.
She always maintained a professional demeanor.
Today, however, there was visible tension in her face.
Tony frowned.
"What happened?"
Osman remained silent for a brief moment before answering.
"The Covenant."
The atmosphere inside the room changed instantly.
No one spoke.
Even those who knew comparatively little about the Human-Covenant War understood exactly what that single word implied.
Osman continued.
"Admiral Parangosky informed me a few hours ago."
"The Covenant has glassed another colony."
Tony’s expression darkened.
Another colony.
Another human world erased from existence.
Millions of lives.
Perhaps billions.
Gone.
Despite the grim news, one question remained.
Why had everyone been gathered?
As though anticipating that thought, Osman continued.
"Our current intelligence indicates there is an increasing possibility that Cascade could become one of the Covenant’s next targets."
The room froze.
Even Marcus, a veteran military officer accustomed to difficult situations, unconsciously stiffened.
Saeko was the first to break the silence.
"Cascade?"
"The Covenant is coming here?"
Osman gave a small nod.
"There is a possibility."
Tony frowned.
"How?"
"I thought they didn’t know where human worlds were."
"They don’t," Osman replied.
"The Covenant is constantly searching for human colonies and, most importantly, Earth."
As she spoke, a holographic star map appeared beside her projection.
Numerous human colonies and known Covenant advances became visible.
"The reason Earth has survived this long is because of the Cole Protocol."
Everyone’s attention shifted toward the star map.
Osman continued explaining.
"The Cole Protocol was established to prevent the Covenant from discovering the location of Earth and humanity’s major colonies."
"If a UNSC vessel was at risk of capture, all navigational data had to be erased."
"If necessary, ships were ordered to self-destruct rather than allow Covenant forces access to their databases."
"The objective was simple."
"Never allow the Covenant to find a path back to humanity’s core worlds."
The room remained completely silent.
No one interrupted.
"But despite those measures," Osman continued, "the Covenant continues searching."
"They discover colonies."
"They destroy them."
"And with every world they find, they move deeper into human-controlled space."
She paused before looking directly at everyone gathered in the room.
"And now..."
"Based on their current movements..."
"Cascade may be next."
The weight of those words settled heavily over everyone present.
For several long seconds, nobody spoke.
Finally, Gaius broke the silence.
He had remained motionless throughout the entire explanation, his arms still crossed.
"Then why have you gathered us here?"
"What do you want?"
Osman turned toward him.
Even through the hologram, Gaius dominated the room.
He wasn’t wearing his power armor.
Instead, he wore simple modern clothing.
Even so, his nearly ten-foot frame, immense musculature, and calm confidence made him resemble a living fortress more than an ordinary man.
It was easy to forget that he wasn’t merely an Ultramarine.
The Emperor himself had strengthened Gaius beyond what even most Space Marines could achieve, elevating him to a level comparable to the Primarchs.
For ordinary people, simply standing near him naturally created an almost instinctive sense of pressure.
Osman answered calmly.
"Admiral Parangosky wants all of you to evacuate Cascade."
The room froze again.
Evacuate?
Them?
Naruto blinked.
Mindy stared at the hologram.
Marcus looked genuinely surprised.
Tony frowned.
"Evacuate?"
Osman nodded.
"Yes."
"The order came directly from Admiral Parangosky."
Tony immediately understood the reasoning.
This wasn’t because ONI believed Cascade was guaranteed to fall.
It was because of who currently lived there.
Dr. Halsey.
Gaius.
Himself.
Naruto.
The others.
The strategic value represented by the people inside this single house had become enormous.
Osman continued.
"Admiral Parangosky considers all of you strategic assets of the highest priority."
"If the Covenant attacks Cascade, she is unwilling to risk losing any of you."
"The evacuation ships can be prepared immediately."
Silence returned.
Naruto looked around before finally speaking.
"So we’re just leaving?"
His expression wasn’t very good.
During the past month, he had spent much of his free time exploring Cascade.
Meeting ordinary people.
Talking with shop owners.
Playing with neighborhood children.
Helping whenever he could.
The city had gradually begun to feel familiar.
Leaving all those people behind simply because danger was approaching didn’t sit well with him.
Mindy quietly nodded.
She felt exactly the same.
She had also spent much of her time among Cascade’s civilians.
The two of them had spent more time among the people of Cascade than anyone else in the group.
Leaving now felt wrong.
Saeko remained silent.
But judging by her expression, she had no intention of evacuating either.
Diana likewise said nothing.
Her face revealed the same conclusion.
Tony slowly turned toward Gaius.
The giant Ultramarine looked back.
Neither of them spoke.
No words were necessary.
Both already understood what the other was thinking.
A second later, Tony answered.
"We’re not leaving Cascade."
Gaius gave a single nod.
"I agree."
Naruto visibly relaxed.
So did Mindy.
Neither of them had believed Tony or Gaius were afraid.
Quite the opposite.
If those two concluded evacuation was the correct course of action, convincing them otherwise would have been nearly impossible.
Osman frowned.
"Tony."
"This is not a suggestion."
"This is a recommendation from Admiral Parangosky herself."
Tony folded his arms.
"I know."
"I’m still staying."
Osman shifted her gaze toward Gaius.
"And you?"
The enormous Space Marine answered without hesitation.
"If the Covenant comes."
"I will fight."
For Gaius, the matter was simple.
Evacuating civilians was reasonable.
Running away from battle was not.
Osman pinched the bridge of her nose.
She was clearly trying to remain patient.
"You are not understanding the situation."
"The Covenant has destroyed worlds colonized by humanity."
"They have exterminated billions."
"If they attack Cascade..."
"There is a very high possibility the colony will fall."
Tony simply shrugged.
"Then we’ll help stop that."
Osman stared at him.
Tony calmly returned the look.
Neither looked away.
Naruto suddenly raised one hand.
"I’m staying too."
Mindy immediately nodded.
"Me too."
Saeko spoke next.
"I have no intention of leaving."
Diana nodded.
"Neither do I."
Finally, Tanya crossed her arms.
"I’m not evacuating either."
Although she disliked fighting whenever it could be avoided, and despite retaining the pragmatic mindset of the salaryman she had once been, abandoning billions of fellow humans to extermination was something she simply couldn’t accept.
One after another.
Every single person rejected the evacuation proposal.
The room became quiet once more.
Osman slowly looked across every face.
Then sighed.
She had expected resistance.
She had not expected unanimous resistance.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Finally, she spoke.
"I already knew this would probably be your answer."
Tony raised an eyebrow.
"Then why ask?"
"Because Admiral Parangosky ordered me to."
Osman answered honestly.
"If I didn’t at least try to convince you..."
"She would have been far more upset with me."
A few people couldn’t help smiling slightly.
Even under the circumstances, the image of Admiral Parangosky scolding Commander Osman was unexpectedly amusing.
Osman gave a small shake of her head before returning to a more serious expression.
"Very well."
"If you’re staying, ONI will adjust accordingly."
"The military is already preparing defensive plans."
"And if the Covenant fleet truly comes here..."
She looked directly at everyone.
"Then Cascade is going to become a battlefield."
Nobody responded.
No one needed to.
Everyone understood exactly what those words meant.
After a moment of silence, Osman simply looked at them.
Truthfully, when Admiral Parangosky had first ordered her to arrange their evacuation, she had agreed without hesitation.
It had been the logical decision.
The safest decision.
The correct military decision.
But over the past month, she had come to know these people.
Naruto.
Mindy.
Tony.
Gaius.
Saeko.
Diana.
Tanya.
They were all different.
They came from different worlds.
Different histories.
Different cultures.
Yet they all shared one quality.
None of them would abandon innocent people simply because the situation had become dangerous.
That was why she had eventually stopped trying to persuade them.
Once they had reached a decision like this, there was very little chance of changing their minds.
She kept those thoughts to herself.
Outwardly, her expression remained calm and professional.
But inwardly, she felt a small sense of relief.
Humanity needed help.
Now more than ever.
The Covenant War had pushed humanity to the brink.
World after world had fallen.
Billions were already dead.
For so long, every report had carried more bad news.
More losses.
More sacrifices.
But for the first time in a long time, Osman felt something she had almost forgotten.
Hope.
Hope that these people from other worlds might finally tip the balance.
Hope that humanity’s future was no longer defined only by survival, but by the possibility of victory.
The hologram flickered slightly.
"I’ll inform Admiral Parangosky of your decision."
She looked at each of them one final time.
"Until then..."
"Stay prepared."
The transmission ended.
The hologram disappeared.
Silence settled over the living room once again.
Outside, the lights of Cascade continued shining peacefully beneath the evening sky.
The city’s millions of residents carried on with their ordinary lives.
Unaware that somewhere beyond the stars, a relentless enemy continued its search.
And that before long...
War might arrive at their doorstep.
~~~
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