A.N.:I DO NOT OWN HALO!
would be so kick ass if i did!
My name is John Miller. I am an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper, Also called ODST, or Hell jumper. This is my story.
16 January 2498: The Covenant lunched an attack on one middle planet. At 0600 hours 6:00A.M. Two Covenant Phantom Drop ships entered the electric space cloud that surrounded the Planet omaga12. Before the both Drop ships could make it planet side seven C709-longsword interceptors were dispatched to destroy the Drop ships. Met with strong resistance the two covenant ships were repelled from the planet's atmosphere. As the ships pulled back a Longsword that was too damaged to reenter the Omega12's atmosphere stayed in orbit. It decided to go after the drop ships. At 07:31:24 hours The Longsword activated its nuclear warhead. O7: 31:30 the warhead imploded on a Covenant battle cruiser. There were no recorded survivors from the Longsword or Covenant Battle cruiser.
"Ever think that today will be your last day? No, I never did. I was the kind of guy that thought of everything as now. That's what pushed me farther then I thought I could go."
I was the commander of a Longsword. At 6:21 my team and I were outside the Omage12's atmospheric levels. The battle was short; we repealed the covenant ships with no deaths reported from any of the seven Longswords. My ship had been heavily damaged in the fight; it could not reenter Omega12's Atmosphere.
"Men we have three options, one try to enter Omega12's atmosphere and pry we don't turn to a crisp. Two other we go after the Covenant and kick their ass. The other we drop pod who ever we can and me and the others left behind will go after the covenant. I'm leaving the choice up to you, but I would go for number three."
As I turned to go I heard a marine yell out; "What the Fuck, I'm staying."
Others picked up the cry. Slowly I turned back.
"This ship only needs five personnel to run at minimum. I'm not going to waste the lives of fifty-three of the best crew the UNCS has." I turned back to the front window to hide the sadness I felt for these men. "I expect the life pods to be filled to capacity with the crew; is that understood Luck?" I asked the AI unit that was installed into my ship.
Yes Sir, would you like me to stay aboard to help with flight controls? She asked.
"No you will wipe the system clear and return with the crew" I said
Yes sir. Luck replied, with something that sounded like regret.
"Luck activate act 23." I said giving my command.
I walked to the command chair, as I sat the control pad dropped into the floor, in its place a joystick.
Sir, the AI said, this will limit your mobility in a dog fight.
"I know, but I'm not betting on a dog fight starting, unlock the N.B." I told her.
Yes sir… Is there anything you would like me to send back in your place, sir? Luck asked.
"Yes, get as many of the men aboard the pods." I said my last request to the AI aboard the Longsword. After the pods were blasted from their tubes, I turned to the remaining crew. I looked over their faces, all-hard set all determined to fight.
"Crew we have two things left to do, first I want everyone in their space suits. Next I need someone to go and activate the two jumpers left in the hull."
"But Sir, we can't run." The one marine half way to a space suit said.
"Well I hell don't want to be here when that covenant Flag ship picks up this ship and finds a nuclear bomb in it," I said more to the hole crew then the one marine, " now let's get suited up and drop a pay load on these sons of Bitches!"
With a yell of pride from the crew they started to suit up, two ran to the hatch and entered the ship port.
"I want two guards with them men in case any of them need help, got that?" I told two marines in the bulky space suits.
"Sir, Yes Sir." The marines said in unison, and turned to go after the two spare pilots.
I turned back to the controller. "Turn on the auto targets, we need to stop one of these Drop ships or they can use them again." I said turning to the First private.
"We can't do that sir," said the first private, "with Luck gone the auto target won't pick up anything that's not part of the ship."
"What about thermals?" I asked.
"No can do sir, the magnetize space cloud stops all thermals, that why were not full of plasma holes. Their sensors can't tell us apart from the cloud, Sir."
I was lust now we had no weapons systems.
"What I would give for a god damn manual turret."
I looked back over the Display screen, the two Drop ships were weaving back and forth now; the pilots must be getting antsy. I turned back to the crew.
"I need someone to go to my quarters and get a black box that's sitting at the head of my bed, any volunteers?" I asked
A young marine raise his hand, he was no older than 15.
"What's your name, son?" I asked.
"Alex, Sir, Alex Lion." The marine said obviously now worried about being singled out.
"Ok Alex, I'm putting you in charge of getting the crew aboard the two jumpers. After you get the box, you understand?" I asked the marine.
"Sir, Yes Sir!"
After Alex brought the box to me I pulled the lid off and looked for my Spare A.I. After finding it I slipped it into the controls dock.
Helo sir. Scroled acrost the screen. I am a Temporary AI, what is it you want me to do?
"I need you to get the jumpers locked to the space rails." I tould the AI.
Yes sir… Done, redgestering all crew acounted for apon the jumpers. The AI scroled acrost the screen again.
"Good put the pod doors on lock down once everyone is seated."
"Sir," a speacker cracked on, "The doors just locked down on us, we cant get out, Sir do you copy?"
I pulled a mycrophone out from under the chair, and turned it on.
"I'm sorry marines, but you will have to go back home with out me. The Temporary AI cant do a lock on, or drop our pay load on the covenant."
"Sir we can still all get out. Sir please respond."
I looked up at the screen, the two drop ships had stopped minuvering.
"Put Alex on the com."
After a short pause Alex came on to the com.
"Yes sir?" he asked
"I'm putting you in charge of the jumpers getting home." I turned to look at the scaners after blinked, a covenant flag ship was coming out of slip space, "After the ship goes nuclear I want you to send up a ship to find any suvivers from the covenat flag ship or my body, I'll stick a tracker on me. Do you under stand General?"
"Sir, it was a pleasure to serve you." Alex sounded near tears.
"Never cry infront of you men, I'll buy as much time as I can for you and your men to get away."
" Thank you Commander." Alex said into the com, but I was already back to the controles.
"AI I need you to lanch the jumpers at top speed, as soon as that flag ship comes through slip space, can you do that?" I asked the AI.
Yes sir, calculating… in 16.53 I will lanch jumpers. The AI's words ran down the screen.
It was the longest 16 seconds of my life, each second seemed like an hour. All I could do was stare at the blackness of space slowly turnning gray as the flag ship came through. With a shidder and momentary loss of power the two jumpers were launched.
"what was that?" I asked the AI.
When the jumpers lanched a large amount of power was used to put them out of fireing range of the Covenant flag ship.
"Ok do we still have enough power to activate the nuke?" I asked.
Yes… there is a left over sniper rifle left in the storage room, you should grab it and some spare magzines before the ship implodes on the hull. This was something I had not exspected.
"AI, what is your name?" I asked
Lust… I am past my four year programing…
"That explans why you can worry about others, make a copy of your self to pilot the Longsword, were both getting out of here." I tould Lust.
Thank you sir. Proccesing… copy complete.
"Good, meet me in the storge room. Be ready to sink with the X-unit." I tould Lust.
But sir the X is still in develimental stage, it has not been tessted yet. Lust said, over the speakers.
"well think of this as the test run." I tould Lust as I walked down the corador to the storage room I passed a termanal.
"Lust did you put the clone into the system yet?" I asked.
Yes Lust2 is now pilotting the ship.
„Good put your self into a storage chip so I can connect you up to the X."
Proccessing… leaving the computers in 5,4,3,2,1…
After the count-down a small chip pushed it's self out of the terminal. I pulled the chip out and slipped it in my front breast pocket. I turned around and entered the storage room.
After shutting the door I pulled off my helmet and picked up the X units box, mostly known as the XBOX, after some form of game systems from back around the 21st century. I pulled out the X unit and fastened it around my neck. It was a tight fit; the X unit was make to keep the body active after the human passed out with the help of an AI. In my case I had Lust, an AI that was who knows how far past its working date. I reached into my breast pocket and pulled out Lust's storage chip. Slowly I brought it up to the back of my neck and slid it in to the neural. I hit the red button that was now in the middle of my through. With a hiss the seven needles pushed into my spine. With a click they stopped and started to release micro threads into and along my spine, tapping into all my nerve systems, reading my emotions, memories, and feelings. I could feel the threads crawling up and down my spine like ants, sending waves of cold electricity up to the back of my skull.
Good to see you again caption. The AI said in my head.
"Good to hear you Lust, I think." I said aloud.
You don't have to talk aloud I can also read your thoughts. Lust said in a matter-of-fact voice.
"Can you hear this?" I asked Lust in a thought.
Yes, I can also tell you I can still controle the ship from inside you.
"How much time do we have till the ship hits the flag ship?" I asked Lust.
We have Three munites left. said Lust, We may want to leave now.
"Good idea."
I grabed the sniper rifle, a battle rifle and a small prototype of one of the new weapons from Reach, a Spartans Laser. I turned to the hatch and stopped. I turned back to the terminal.
"Lust2 can you hear me?" I yelled into the comm.
Yes sir, your orders sir? Lust2 asked.
"Yes keep the ship from firing on the enemy, at least until were out of range. Can you do that?" I asked the copy.
Yes sir. May I make a suggestion, Sir? The copy asked.
"Yes lust2, you can." I told the copy.
You could jump onto one of the rockets. I could put three on a course to flee the enemy. The copy had a point.
"What about the explosion?" I asked the copy.
You can jump off it or I can turn the rockets war head off. The copy was on a roll.
"Ok that's a good idea, send a surrender signal to the Flag ship, then drop all the rockets, but not the nuclear bomb."
Yes sir. Good bye sir it has been a pleaser to serve. The copy said as I neared the hatch.
"Same for me Lust2, Give them Hell." With that I turned and jumped out the hatch door into the black vacuum of space.
Sir, lust said after a few minutes of hanging to a rocket, we cannot stay here. The enemy will see us. Lust said showing her discomfort.
"We need to wait till Lust2 launches the rockets so they can't find us."
With a click the rockets drop from the wing, sending Lust and me into space.
We floated through space as the Longsword drew closer to the flagship.
This is Lust2 do you hear me sir? Lust2 was calling over the X-unit.
"Lust2? What are you doing?" I called into my helmet.
I'm about to activate the thrusters to the rockets around you, please continuing to move away from the back and hold onto the warhead sir.
"Lust2, understood." I felt a ping of gilt after saying that. "Lust2, give them hell."
Yes sir Lust2 said as she activated the thrusters.
With that we were launched farther into space. She activated the left wings missiles and shot out at the drop ships. As they launched some of the missiles that were dropped while we made out escape pulled off and redirected themselves and hit the hull of the flagship. From here my Longsword was a small black smug on the overly large covenant flagship.
With a flash the covenant's plasma turrets came to life. It tore holes in the Longsword; Oxygen poured out of the shredded remains of my ship. The covenant had stopped firing on the ship and now was trying to bring it aboard with a tractor beam. Within a few seconds the Longsword was pulled into the flagship.
As we pulled farther away the covenant ship went up in a blue, green, and blindingly white light. It took only seconds for the shock wave to hit us; we were flung off the rocket and out into space. I blacked out not long after being flung off the rocket.
Lust's POV
After Commander John Miller became unresponsive I took over the major body controls. I took a look through Commander John's eyes. For some time nothing was picked up on my new sight, or the scanners from the X-unit. About an hour after the destruction of the Longsword, and covenant flagship a UNCS scout ship had entered within communicator range.
This is The Temporary AI for Commander John Miller's Ship; a Longsword marked as 2835-6G. Dose anyone copy, please respond. I sent the call to the ship.
This is the UNCS scout ship number 5904-1D. Charts show that the Longsword with ship number 2835-6G was just destroyed. How many survivors are with your party? The ship's AI sent in reply.
One survivor, Commander John Miller, all other crewmembers were lunched off the ship before encountering the Covenant flagship. I sent back to the AI.
With the ship destroyed how are you able to communicate? The AI was thinking of us as suspects.
I am using the X-unit that was stored aboard the Longsword. Now we are floating with little ability to propel ourselves. Commander John Miller is unresponsive but alive.
Please stand by for space scan and pick up. The AI sent back after a few minutes.
Within the hour we were being brought aboard to the UNCS ship. We were taken to the med. Bay. After a few hours John was out of critical and put in normal care. After a few hours surgical procedures were taken to remove the X-unit from John Miller.
NORMAL
"Hay, man you ok?" Someone asked
"Were the fu…Ah!" with a jolt of energy I was flung strait up.
Hello John, it's been awhile. Lust said in my head, increasing the headache that was building up.
"My head, someone get me a beer." I mumble out, rubbing my temples as I do so.
"No can do man Doctor's rules, no alcohol without surgery." Looking over I see a woman, she's a good 7ft tall leaning against the wall, but what shocked John was the fact that she was in Spartan armor her helmet was resting under her arm, showing it was the E.O.D. variant of the normal armor.
That is Unit number 006, name: Jai, squad medic of Spartan Gray team. Has a Known unrecorded 3,627 covenant kills and 1,539 unconfirmed. She is known… Lust was cut off by my next words of anger, "Will you shut up you're giving me a bloody migraine."
"Calm down man, no one said anything." The Spartan said in a calm voice, one hand on my shoulder, the other putting his helmet on the table.
"Sorry, bloody AI keeps talking." The Spartan looks at me with an odd look,
"Are you sure, we pulled the X-unit off you a while ago. The AI couldn't survive without an electrical system to support it or a chip to store and sort its memory."
Looking up I see a new Spartan, female from the sound of her voice, in full armor that I recognize as the R variant of the Mark VI armor known as RECON.
That is Unit number 111, Name Adriana, scout of Gray team. Has an unrecorded number Kills, but is speculated over 4,000. Lust listed the facts on the new Spartan that had entered the med bay.
"It's still here," I grinned softly as I looked at the Spartan's faceplate, around the area where her eyes would be, "Spartan number 111, Adriana." Silence came from the Spartans before Adriana reached up and pulled her helmet off.
"I see," she looks over at Jai who shrugged her shoulders not knowing what was going on ether.
"What happen to my crew?" I ask, breaking the two Spartans out of their thoughts. Adriana looked me over before giving a small, almost unnoticeable, smile.
"All your crew made it out alive and unharmed by the radiation or the covenant forces."
She is right; all reports say the full crew, minus one John Miller, has made it back to Omega12 unharmed and alive.
The AI reported, making me scratch my chin for a moment.
"I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say I'm no longer listed among the living now am I?" Both Spartans looked at me with blank curiosity, before I tapped my head. "Lust says I'm not listed with the rest of my crew as alive."
Jai looks from me to Adriana then back to me before chuckling, "That's right, you were found by us, Gray team, we do not exist, so you were reported dead, but you also got a promotion…" Adriana and I both rolled our eyes at this.
"I couldn't care less about a promotion; I'm just worried about my men."
Jai looked up at Adriana then both looked at me.
"I will say this, if you're going to kill me," I looked up at the two Spartans, my eyes cold, "I won't go down without a fight."
I don't think they are allowed to kill you John, when you used the X-unit that option was removed from play.
Lust informed me, but this time it wasn't from the inside of my skull, but from the speakers in the corners of the room. The two Spartans looked at each other before looking at me; I just raised my hands into the air showing I didn't do it.
"It seems that John here it telling the truth…" Jai spoke breaking the silence.
I believe you have some interesting information to reveal for John here, unless you would like me to tell him the news.
Adriana let out a sigh; her features seemed to age before my eyes. "I was hoping to hold this off for a little while, but now it seems I have no chose." She takes a seat before continuing "The X-unit you used to escape, it was an experimental S.P.F.K."
Jai sees my confusion and starts to explain "It means Spartan Producing Field Kit. ONI saw that Master Chief's performance relied heavily on the A.I. known as Cortana, so they started with the idea of inputting A.I.s into a few volunteers, success rates were low, but not low enough to stop the idea."
Adriana continued from there. "The next step was to try and lower the death rates and put it onto the battle field, but a problem arose. Normal human minds can't take the stress of an A.I. and the nerve endings start to burn out. To solve this the took a few pages from the Spartan programs and mixed the research to fit their needs, so you would only have the brain power and nervous system of Spartan level, but when the drugs mixed inside your body it opened up some hidden surprises in you DNA."
I looked at both women trying to understand what they were saying. "What does the X-unit have to do with my DNA?" Jai took this chance to answer. "One or both of your parents were part of the Spartan1 program. The X-unit just up graded all that stored data from your parent's enhancements and basically turned you into a super solder."
Adriana continued. "You are now the new level of humanity, a new level of Spartans. A Spartan 4."