A two part halo oni short that I liked a lot
Link: https://forum.questionablequesting.com/threads/bukharins-archive-snippets-omakes-and-ideas-compilation-discontinued-new-thread.14359/page-12#post-4485158
Slayer 10321 said: ↑
How about a Halo one where you're an ethical ONI agent who managed to work your way to the top of the organization and was elected to become the head of ONI instead of Parangosky? Let's see how you handle the Insurrection and later Human-Covenant war.
Go full AU with handling the UEG/UNSC's intelligence arm.
There we go.
Margaret Parangosky was a name many in ONI and in the UNSC in general that was shrouded in respect and hatred. A terribly intelligent woman that was responsible for many unpleasant but 'effective' operations. Shrewd, ambitious and having a moral doctrine that could shake even the sturdiest Marine to the core. She was a Military-Grade Bitch, and not in the funny or positive way. But it was this very personality of hers, and her viciousness during missions, that made her a less delectable choice to the role of Commander in Chief. Many in ONI approved of her loyalty, but weren't that keen to extend that pleasantry towards her aggressive methods. So when it came the time where the new leader of the Intelligence Group had to be elected in 2511, there was just minimal surprise when her name didn't manage to reach the top. But there was indeed a massive uproar for when news of an investigation saw both her and her apprentice, Serin Osman, were detained due to a bribery case.
John Bukharin was a name not many in the whole UNSC knew about, and within good reasons. I had made sure that I wasn't detected by anyone worrying, and I approached those I knew I could rely on and give my trust to. Only a few, but just enough to make up for a pleasant network of favors and support. Nothing really illegal by the Military Laws, but I was definitely tip-toeing that line. Two years had gone since I joined ONI and those two years... well, I decided to play a careful game with both my superiors and the missions I was provided. Never too cautious during operations, but always ready to back down when a superior brough a strong enough counter to any extension to my presence in missions. I was an eager agent that didn't have a single issue with my bosses and managed to rise through the ranks with ease with that combination of effectiveness, loyalty and a work ethic that didn't promote any twist into radical choices. I was a model spy and administrator, which meant I was up for the job by the time the election started. The only fault I had to fight about was my age. I was incredibly young for someone aspiring for the role and the rank of Admiral that came with it. People doubted, there were discussions, I had to give speeches and show off a couple of missions I could reveal without getting arrested for divulging secrets to non-authorised officers.
I had pulled my weight quite brilliantly, and as much as some loud voices were keen to criticize my 'ambitious and dangerous' ways, there was inherently no opposition to my rise to power. And so, after months of tedious campaigning, I found myself sitting in a nice chair, with a nice desk and a nice list of people that had to die. You know, just cleaning things up before focusing on important stuff. Like destroying numerous rebellious groups, some of which have valid reasons to be, others were just thrown in the mix for fuck shit up even harder. I was going to really enjoy the next five or so decades, I could already tell from my new increase in paperwork and need of coffee.
The first order of the day was a change of pace and approach when it come to the Insurrection. I managed to pull a conversation between some of the ONI's heads and eventually came to confirm a big development within our current action towards the rebels: No more we were to use the Carver Findings, the paper which optimally described that we had the time to face these rebels with modest force- I was keen to adopt the variant offered by Doctor Catherine Halsey: We didn't have the time to stop and lazily pick up these bastards, we needed to be harsher on them. Use the factors which were used to calculate it and establish a solution to bring a swift end to this Civil War for good.
Vicious, more daring than the previous administration and... I think I got more support in taking this path than any others. There were men in the Navy that wanted this mess to be solved at once, with ONI really sticking a lot by the position of a more subtle resolution. But knowing that the problem managed to miraculously survive through the Human-Covenant War, I wasn't taking any chances about these bastards putting an issue while we faced the First Contact. I had roughly 14 years to get the rebellions suppressed, the Army bolstered and perhaps get chemical advancements to start making the Spartan II Project successful in keeping more candidates alive compared to OTL. As much as amoral the project itself was, the real issue wasn't the reason as those super-soldiers were needed- it was that there was such a disgusting short-sightness when it came to 'what happens when the Covenant situation is over' that makes me really... well, irritated. Why the hell didn't they think of ways to repurpose the Spartan-IIs? Why not give them a job that didn't officially turn them obsolete? Because as far as I could tell, no matter the advancements we were going to see in the next few decades, I doubted they were going to ever lose their efficiency.
So, to start making the entire process less upsetting and horrible, I knew that I had to start from little. And that was by having Halsey herself lead a staff of scientist to take care of the armor, chemical and psychological aspect of the project she had in mind. I think I surprised her with the lengthy letter I sent her, but I had a strong belief that she was more worried about this sudden interest in her from the ONI's leadership. Maybe I should visit. Maybe that would fix things up for any doubts and-
Yes, I was running right into a trap and I had yet to understand how fucked I was going to be the moment I met her personally. Literally.
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AN
A story about spies, war, aliens, relationships... War-Criminal Idols?