Years of military training had them saluting smartly, fluidly throughout the crowd as soon as the first individual gave indication that they had laid eyes on her.
She approached the podium with a quick gait, appropriate for the stern concentration that washed over the bunch, buckling down any stray jittered nerves with a paralyzing appreciation for the sheer air of authority that she carried with her.
Fifteen reasonably preserved Spartans stood before her unwavering, hailing to the unnamed inspection of each and every standing body at her service.
Having just arrived from hovering over an indignant ODST platoon, Kuvira could not have been more pleased with the amount of respect and decency she was given upon arrival.
As she swept her gaze over the lot for the umpteenth time, not even as little as a soldier mouthing words to another crossed her vision.
Disciplined, faithful, deadly.
As far as those above her command were concerned; hers. For the time being.
It was enthralling, daresay breathtaking, to have such specimens under her hand. For all the tales of grandeur that caressed her attention, fifteen (supposedly from the second augmented company) of these super-soldiers was nearly too good to be true.
She yearned to see them all in action.
When Kuvira gave the slightest perceptible nod of her head, dismissing their attentive stances, each one of them sat down, hardly missing a beat. A slighter chill surrendered along her spine.
After a few stagnant moments, a smaller podium-like stand a foot away from her flickered to life.
A holographic being blipped before their eyes and stood along the light-rimmed circular top of the cylinder capsule. Proud and yet reserved, the AI sported the form of a female huntswoman clad in furs. Supposedly Nordic language creased along what leather armour was visible in her chosen form, and she seemed at ease, hands catching their place at her hips while shimmering red and wild hair was attemptedly tamed into two joining braids that bonded down her back. Her attention, unlike the rest of the room's, seemed focus on some dismal corner as opposed to Kuvira herself.
"In the year 2525 CE," Kuvira began, "Humanity made its first contact with the Covenant. Soldiers, not so far different from the lot of you, were tested in combat against the new threat."
She allowed the weight of the statement to settle out long enough that the AI's stare had finally receded from the far corner of the room. All attention had finally been earned.
"The gifts I offer now are aligned with redemption towards this threat and the countless lives wasted within the valiant efforts of Preston Cole. Yes, wasted, not spent for the righteous betterment of our pious efforts. Your augmentation has fixed the natural flaws of your bodies, and we will soon forget the shame of our defeats."
The eyes of her audience grew intent. Kuvira grasped another opportune stall, pondering over the most appropriate courses to take her speech towards. Her company, after all, did not respond like the swain over-influenced and buzzing heads of civilians. Every word that would leave her lips was grappled and fed into intelligently working minds.
Tasted, debated.
What influence she gave them then would stand with her for the time that they served. Respect was commanded, but lawful opinions and willingness would be another ordeal to conquer.
"Only a diminutive number of you will be staying with me aboard this vessel. The rest of you will be spread thin throughout the UNSC. While the enemy overwhelms us with their numbers, I assure you, each one of you is worth a hundred of our own. The Insurrectionist colonies are falling as a new era of war rises, and each one of you is being called upon as a beacon for humanity."
Raising her arm, Kuvira leveled it above the podium where the smaller radiant being stood, a silent signal of revelation. The AI nodded wordlessly, and the various lights about the room darkened.
At a black circular center a few steps down from the podiums where the two stood, a reflective hologram of an orbital planet was produced.
"Reach," Kuvira introduced, observing with another sweep as the minds of those in her charge were collectively churning with recognition. She placed her hands behind her back, and stood a little more rigidly with what she was about to further present. She was almost startled knocking against the braid down her own back, forgetting that she had not taken it upon herself to more formally put her hair up. It created a brief charge of wariness over how she held up within the eyes of those below her.
Unkempt, rookie, misguided even?
Appearance was not handled lightly. Yet as if she held no reservations about herself in the first place, she continued with her refined tone.
"From here on, this briefing is an eyes-only classification for those who will remain beneath my personal charge. I request that the rest of you step out from the room. Whether or not you will return for an alternative briefing has been undecided. You will wait out into the service hall to be redirected elsewhere. Some of you will even be transferred by tomorrow."
The air of professionalism about the Spartans was jeopardized.
The statement gained reactions of understandable disfavour. Every one of them had grown together, survived together, and worked together since their earliest days, and Kuvira was the one placed into the heavy responsibility of telling them all that they were about to be torn apart.
A hand towards the back was raised. With relative patience, Kuvira gestured to the individual, who stood up and spoke clearly.
"We're a squad as a whole," the female had started, keeping any indignant undertone in careful check. "We've functioned with a high success rate as we are now. We don't work together like other marines. We're closer – there has to be something to that for –."
Kuvira cut her off sternly, as if interrupting a protesting child over a small matter, and reigning her reasoning as supreme under all circumstance. Which, by all means, it was. "Tomorrow at o' five hundred, pelican drop ships will board. I will have a list with your names printed and posted in the following locations –."
"We can section off for certain missions. Petty Officer –."
"Stand down."
A more gentle tone pervaded the thickening atmosphere of the room. Heads turned to be greeted by a graying female, regal but kind-sighted. In spite of catering to the armour on her body, her hair remained untainted by the oppression of a helmet.
Kuvira diverted herself into attention. "Major General Suyin is present."
When recognition flowed throughout the group, all stood and saluted at attention, until Suyin eased them down, and they were seated once more.
Behind her, another soldier entered in standard apparel; blue eyes optimistic and brown hair lengthy, arranged in two parting sides along her face and a high pony tail. It made her stand out from the rest harshly.
"Sorry for the unceremonious intrusion," Suyin amended, approaching the podium, and relieving Kuvira of her salute, tugging her away from the seeking eyes of the audience for quick words. "We have another that just boarded in from the last vessel. She's replacing one of your charges, Jason-045. He's going to be transferred with the sub-Beta company on the second pelican out of here."
"Is there any particular reason for this, or is it a standard switch?"
"I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. Some ONI spook came in and started handing out new directives sheets to Lin and her company as well. I know every one of them is uncomfortable being separated out, and as amazing as it would be to hold them all here under our directives, our hands are tied at best."
Kuvira nodded thoughtfully at this, and returned to the stand, switching a tone for something akin to compassion instead of boiling impatience for the reluctance of the super-soldiers before her in order to regain charge.
"I understand your apprehension over the idea of being separated. I've just been informed that there is nothing I can do about the ordeal, and I'm sorry for that. The best you can do at this point is make-do until things become clearer for us all. Orders are orders, and your job is to follow them. If there are no further questions on the situation, I need you all to collectively file out into the hall, except for SPARTAN-five-five-seven, three-four-eight, and four-four-one."
With the dismissal, all stood and proceeded to evacuate, excerpt from the three named. Kuvira motioned them closer to the hologram of Reach, and scrutinized the trio, who stood boldly, and exchanged brief looks upon one another.
One had a rounder nose, and a puppy-doggish demeanor. He might have been intimidating were in not for that factor. The one beside him, however, was similar, but a bit more thinned out and sporting more severe eyebrows. Kuvira checked the list for last names, all of which were redacted. It suddenly seemed expected. Requesting sibling information only seemed out of place for the time being.
She backtracked her attention to the female on the end of the other two, who seemed to lack the disciplined attention of a soldier, let alone a Spartan. The female's eyes roamed around endlessly, like a child who was just introduced to the program and was being given an initial lesson from Doctor Catherine Halsey's Déjà with a complementary side of snacks. There was appreciable wonder when her stare finally rested on Kuvira.
She tried not to let distaste shine through, and instead, prompted a question once the doors to the room were sealed, and Suyin backed off to the side, giving her space for her assignment.
"Do you remember which system Reach resides within?"
"Epsilon Eridani," the thinned male responded.
Kuvira made a mental note to begin addressing them properly; Mako-441.
"Within the inner colonies," the female, Korra-557, added. "Right?"
"Yes." Another wave of her hand, and the AI zoomed in on the atmosphere around the spectacular planet. "It's the UNSC's powerhouse. Twenty-seven hours in a day, and three-hundred and ninety days within a year. The facility that it houses is, by all means, your birthplace. Before the outbreak of the Human-Covenant war, this site was also prime for terrorist bombing from Insurrectionists. Its sister planet, Broker, has been a prime recent target for both the remaining, squandering Insurrectionist forces, and smaller Covenant artillery ships."
She rested her hands on the platform as the image of Reach fizzled away, replaced by the smaller and more ice-dominated form of Broker.
"This information is, again, eyes-only classification. An underground operation is being settled to retake this smaller outer-colony planet. No military housing facilities have been established here, and the population is almost entirely civilian, which gives the UNSC reason to believe that the Covenant certainly has alternative motivations for hovering around its atmosphere. Whether or not they have passed through into landing has not yet been confirmed."
Korra shifted, and furrowed a brow. Bolin-348 seemed entirely intent and focused on the rotating hologram.
Sparing a moment to clear her throat, all three pairs of eyes were fixed on her once more. It was appeasing.
"Too many of our colonies have been jeopardized. Based on my understanding, Spartan forces will be spread throughout various colonies in an attempt to even weakened points within the planetary systems. Whatever the Covenant is looking for – we're going to make sure that they do not get their hands on it. It's insulting enough that members of the human race, the Insurrectionists, are bartering with them on such severe borders." The last point was pressed with more emotion than she intended.
The AI on the smaller podium shot her a look that was a clear warning she was treading on unauthorized data for the ears of her charge, so she altered her course, swiping stray strands of hair back from her face.
"When the rest of the group of Spartans is evacuated from this vessel, our course will be set for Broker, and you will be briefed. Stealth carriers have already penetrated the planet's atmosphere to establish a temporary base, and a majority of your tasks will be fed from Command through radio." Suyin once again approached the podium, and established a hand on Kuvira's shoulder, effortlessly relieving her of the duty to brief while offering the soldiers before them a smile. She could sympathize with all of the sudden information being gifted.
Kuvira dutifully stepped down, taking the documents that Suyin passed to her behind her back.
CLASSIFIED read across the folder in dark messy printing. Her palms began to sweat just handling the papers when it became known that the documents were ONI issued, even if the word "classified" was used a bit too freely when it came to their organization. Her gloves thankfully preserved their untainted condition, and the bundled was tucked beneath her arm before she gave a smart salute, and excused herself out the back door.
"Alva, please close the hologram. Open navigation ports, check the docking station, and tell the mess hall to begin preparation for a late dinner." Suyin posed leniently, laying her arms on the podium as she leaned against it.
"Consider it done." The AI regarded her kindly, and blipped off of her own podium, disappearing to complete the assigned tasks as listed.
"Permission for free-speech granted, but not lenient. If you have any questions, now is the time."
Bolin shot his hand up, with Korra quickly in tow.
Suyin jabbed a finger in his direction respectively, awarding the male for his reflex.
"Are all three of us going to the planet? Do we have other reinforcements? Are the other Spartans going to other planets? Are we –."
Her expression dimmed slightly, and Suyin was quick to cut him off, holding true to lackery-lenient speech. "Yes, you will be working as a joint unit, reinforcements are questionable at this point, and that information cannot be released at this moment in time, I suggest avoiding questions similar to it. Korra?"
"I think – he kind of covered what I had in mind, for the most part. I'm not really sure what to ask. We're departing tomorrow?"
"The rest of the Spartans are boarding the Pelicans tomorrow, but we're already close enough to the system that we can slip-space and be there within a few days' time."
After a short pause with no further prompting, Suyin arched a brow, and looked pointedly at Mako, who twisted his expression for a moment, and folded his arms behind his back.
"What part about this is eyes-only? We're the ones going on it, and we're receiving minimal intel. Or the wrong questions are being asked."
"The fact you are going on it is eyes-only classification. We might have a few suspected leaks throughout the lower quadrants that are freeing information to the Insurrectionist rebels. Since each separate mission is crucial to the larger piece, we want to keep as few mishaps as possible. I'm allowing you to ask questions to put rest to an over-worked mind. You've been fed a lot all throughout today. You'll be filled in on the more appropriate details when we hit the orbital drop point of the planet."
Her explanation seemed to satisfy the trio, who exchanged reasoned glances once more, before repairing their posture.
"If that's all for now, then you're dismissed to the mess hall. When the bell sounds at twenty-hundred, check in at the brig. Kuvira will be there to assign you to a bunker and supply you, as well as perform an armoury check. Maybe get you some busy work."
They saluted with no amount of untrained hesitance, and turned to exit towards the door.
Suyin could practically hear the gears in their heads struggling to pull through the sudden drop of events as they padded off to fulfill given duties, no doubt favoured amongst them.
Superbly honed abilities could be set to iron testing in the actual field.
Success, however, was set to trial and error.