Date: August 22, 2166
Location: UNSC High Command, Sydney, Earth
The silence in the conference room was thick with tension. The senior brass of the UNSC sat around the long war table, their faces grim. The UEG's decision to grant partial autonomy to the colonies had shaken the foundation of everything the UNSC had fought to maintain.
Fleet Admiral Nathaniel Drescher exhaled slowly, his fingers drumming against the metal table. "Governor-General Cho has made a grave miscalculation." His voice was low, sharp. "We gave everything to put down ATLAS and its radicals, and now we're just handing the colonies power?"
Vice Admiral Celeste Rahmani, more diplomatic in her approach, countered, "We don't have the manpower to fight another war, Drescher. If we push too hard, the colonies will unite against us, and then we'll have a full-scale rebellion on our hands."
General Elias Becker of the Marine Corps leaned forward, scowling. "We should've finished this when we had the chance. The ATLAS radicals may be dead, but their ideology isn't. This autonomy nonsense is proof of that."
Drescher sighed. "I agree, but our hands are tied. The UEG has spoken."
Then, a new voice cut through the tension like a scalpel.
"We don't need fleets."
All eyes turned to Vice Director Eryn Halbek of ONI. Unlike the UNSC officers, her expression remained calm—calculating. Though she wasn't the highest-ranking person in the room, her presence commanded instant respect. Or fear.
Rahmani narrowed her eyes. "Explain."
Halbek leaned forward, her voice smooth. "Autonomy is fragile. It requires legitimacy, stability. If we introduce… instability, then the UEG will have no choice but to request our assistance."
Becker scoffed. "You're talking about sabotage."
Halbek smiled faintly. "I'm talking about ensuring that the right elements rise to power. And that the wrong ones… do not."
Rahmani straightened in her chair, her expression darkening. "Absolutely not. We are not going down this road again, Halbek. The radicals are dead. ATLAS is finished. The colonies deserve a chance at self-rule."
Drescher, despite his reservations about autonomy, nodded. "ONI's interference is exactly why we ended up with ATLAS in the first place. No black ops. No shadow wars. We will respect the UEG's decision."
Halbek studied them for a long moment. The UNSC had made its stance clear. Fools. They truly believed that politics would stabilize the colonies? That ATLAS's ghost would simply fade into history?
She gave a slow nod, as if accepting their decision. "Very well," she said simply.
Drescher gestured toward the room. "This meeting is adjourned."
As the officers filed out, Rahmani shot Halbek a warning look. "Don't go behind our backs on this."
Halbek only smiled.
Location: ONI Black Site, Io
Vice Director Halbek stood in a dimly lit command room, her hands folded behind her back as she watched a series of data feeds flicker across the screens. The UNSC had made their choice. But ONI? ONI had its own agenda.
"Begin operations," she said, her voice devoid of emotion.
A nearby analyst nodded, sending encrypted orders across multiple secure channels. Within hours, assets embedded in the colonies would activate.
Sabotage. Assassinations. Manufactured instability.
The UEG would soon regret their decision. And when the colonies inevitably fell into chaos, ONI would be there to pick up the pieces.
Halbek's lips curled into a smirk. Let them believe they are free.
For now.