Halo Mercenary

/DATE: 3/25/2495

/SYSTEM: RED GIANT

/ PLANET: EMBURN

/SHIP: COSTUM VESSEL

/SHIP ID "SHADOW SWORD"

A lone human aboard a ship of droids sat in a dark corner of the ship's mass hall with a tray of food in front of him that he had been working on for the last thirty minutes. He was warning UNSC stander issue body armor under a black trench coat. He had painted the body armor black with red lining and details. He was about to through his tray across the room when his com radio started making a crackling sound, he reached in the coats inner pocket and pulled out a small ear piece and gently placed it in his ear. "Yes, what is happening?" The man said called out as if someone was sitting next to him. "Sir, UNSC ships are here and they are transmitting and are asking to speak with you." A static voice said back. "Shit, tell them I'm on my way." The man replied, and they shot to his feet and then started running to the doors, "Yes sir." The static voice answered.

It took him about ten minutes to reach the command bridge. The doors slid open and the man walked in trying to act calm, the room looked like any other on any other ship except all the terminals were a grey color. "What our states?" "Sir, we have performed a light scan, their weapons are on standby and they have a squad of Longswords in there hanger ready to engage us." A droid with three red strips on its chest replied "alright," the man said as he walked over the caption's chair, "do they still wish to speak to me." "Yes sir" the droid replied "Alright I what our weapons on standby and a fighter squad ready to go, for if things go south" the man commanded to the room of droids. A moment passed before the red striped droid came up and said "Sir Weapons are on standby and a fight squad is ready"

"Alright, lets' see if we can get through here without any problems." The man who now was sitting in the captions chair and holding a data pad scrolling through the lines of names of ships there were on sitting in front of them. A second later the front screen hanging over the captions chair lit up in the picture of a large armored figure, "Hello, you wanted to speak to me." He called out; the figure quickly shifted off the screen to reveal a man in an officer uniform, the man then walked over to the screen, "This is the captain of the UNSC "END OF SUFFERING," who am I speaking with?" the man asked, "This is the caption of the Shadow Sword." the other man replayed, the End of Suffering' caption seemed to be enjoyed by his answer, "Nice to know but I what to know your name" "Its common courtesy to give you name first" the shadowy man answered "True, my name is James, and your." the caption replied the shadowy man eased knowing the man's name "My name is Sevlon."

James seemed to relax a bit in the way he shifted his weight and asked, "What brings you he to this lonely planet?" "I was given a job to deliver some boxes he." Sevlon stated, "I hope you realize that sounds too far off for me to just let you through right" James replied, "Yes I do and I will let you on board so you can see for yourself." Sevlon stated. A long moment of silent's passed before James broke the calm silent's "all right I'm going to bring a security team with me, and we're going to see these boxes." "Alright see you then I'm opening a hanger so you can get in." Sevlon replied al while keeping his calm, the overhead screen turned off. "I need hanger two opened with a security team there waiting, take half of our weapons off but the other half keep on standby." "Yes sir what about the fighter squad?" one of the droids asked, "them can stand down, but keep them near there fighters. We need to show we do not want a fight but must be ready for a fight."

Sevlon walked to half way across the ship, strait to the cargo hold. When he reached the cargo holds door, he looked at the keypad next to the large metal door. He punched in a few numbers and the door opened it was dark inside the room but a moment after he walked in the lights turned on, they reveled several large wooden crates, a pile of grey tool boxes next to a large bin of spare warthog parts the only thing he was worried about was a man sized metal container with a O.N.I. logo on the front. He had the contract to show all the items he was supposed to deliver on the planet. He walked out when he heard the sound of large air seals activating fallowed by a load clank sound, "the hanger doors are closed," Sevlon told himself, "time to get going."

When he got to the hanger he saw the caption with his hand on his holster and he was with a small squad of ODST's. The four had surrounded the caption and showed sign they had their weapons almost raised up completely; they were ready to a fight. The security team was standing in front of the troopers blocking the door they were trying to get through. The troopers were yelling at the droids to get out of the way. Sevlon walked up to the angered group, "Well I see you've met my security team." He said with a little humor in his voice, "Yes and they won't let us through!" James yelled, facing the droids. "There doing what I needed them to do," Sevlon told them as they stare at hem with anger and worry, "They here to close the hanger doors and keep you here until I arrive, so you don't wonder my ship and get hurt my the automated security system." Sevlon glanced at the caption to find he was still angry but a there was a bit of understanding as well. He took his hand off of his sidearm, "Stand down; he's trying to keep us from getting shot." The caption barked at his men, "We don't even know the layout of this ship." The four troopers lowered their weapons but we're still tense.

"Alright, let's get going I'm pretty sure you don't want to be here any longer then you need to be." Sevlon said as he turned around and began to talk to the door he came from. The walk to the cargo hold was quiet and an unsettling feeling of eyes watching hem and everything around them, he did seem to mind to though, there were other living people onboard his ship. When they reached the cargo holds doors Sevlon reached for the keypad when James asked, "Are you sure there nothing in there we may find suspicious?" "Honestly it sounds like you expecting something." Sevlon replied have a bit of bitterness in his voice. He then pushed in a slightly different set of numbers, and the door opened, he walked in then the lights come on. Sevlon scanned the area for anything out of place, he couldn't find anything. Sevlon turn to look at the caption to find his see were locked on something, he turned his head to what the James was looking at it was the man sized container, no doubt because of the O.N.I. logo. Sevlon was about to speak when he heard the unmistakable sound of the ODST's taking their weapons safety off.

Sevlon turn around to find one of the troopers had their gun aimed for his head. "Care to explain," James asked as he pulled his sidearm out, "that's not something you get at any local market." "I have a contract to deliver all the items in this room including that container." Sevlon told them trying not to make any sudden movements. "Well if you have a contract, then where are the forms to conform your statement?" James asked with anger and some curiosity in his voice. Sevlon began to reach in his jacket when another ODST grabbed his arm "whoa, what are you doing?" the trooper asked, his had a soft but rough voice. "The contract is in my coat." Sevlon snipped of the trooper, than the grip loosened and the trooper released his arm, he began to reach in his coat again his hand side over a hidden M6 sidearm and on to a thin pile of papers, he slowly pulled out the papers, "here is the contract it has all the items on it and has a signatures from the client." Sevlon told them while reaching to hand over the papers to James; he took the papers with a puzzled look on his face.

A few minutes passed as James reed the contract, but it felt like years for Sevlon. James finally broke the silent's "alright it's odd for O.N.I. to hire someone outside the UNSC to take care of anything." He commented with confusion in his voice and on his face, "trooper put your guns down, he's working for O.N.I." "Sir you're got to be kidding with me." The ODST holding the gun said. "NO I'm not now put your gun down, NOW!" James yelled the trooper, he drop his gun to their sides. "Sorry for the misunderstanding." James said as he striated up, so did the others in the room, "Please don't I can understand what may have been going through your mind" Sevlon told them try to get them to calm down, he hated be treated like a person of higher interest. "I'm just a little ceros about why you asked if I was sure about the cargo?" he asked

This planet is restricted by high command, so when a civilian ship stumbles here, we find out whom they are, where they're going and then direct them away from the planet." James explained to Sevlon, "Alright well now that we've sorted out this little problem can I finish what I came here to do." "Yes, you may." James said and motioned for the door, then noticed the door and closed and wouldn't open, "can you please open the door." Sevlon walked up to the keypad pushed another set of numbers and the door opened. There were several teams of droids arm with shotguns and smg "It's fine, nothing to get worked up about back to your duties" Sevlon told the droid and they turned around and walked away. "Where did you get the droids." an ODST asked, "there most definitely not standard haz-op, training or any other I've seen." "They were made by a friend of mine," Sevlon answered "before he died."

The rest of the time they were onboard "SHADOW SWORD" close to no words were said. When the time came for them to leave they simply got onboard there pelican. Sevlon left the hanger to let the droids depressurize the room, and then open the door for the craft to leave then closed the door to pressurize the room. Sevlon headed to the bridge, by the time he arrived the other ships had moved aside to allow his to pass through with enough room to get his ship through with ease. As he was about to give the order to pressed to the surface the com can alive." this I caption James, I told the space port about your arrival and to let you do your baseness, as long as you don't cause to much trouble, they get you get you throw the necessary checkpoints." "Forgot to turn the com off" Sevlon thought to hem self then called out "All right let's get this done and over with. The ship jolted slightly as they started to move slow and steady, towards the planet's surface.

After they passed the other ships one of the droids at the navigation and com shouted "Yes there sending us the coordinates to their star port and a suggested rout." "Send the rout and coordinates the head flight station." Sevlon ordered, he then realized he was standing in front of the bridge, he shook his head then made his way to the back to the caption's chair, a few minutes past, and he saw six Longswords fly past them, "com report, what's going on!" Sevlon barked across the room. "Sir there just came on radar and a massage had just come in saying that we are being escorted us to the star port." "This is already became a pain in my neck." He replied in aggravation, "Let me know if anything else comes up."

When they finely arrived at the star port Sevlon had counted thirty-six passes by the their escorts, he waited to hear the landing clamps attach to the ship's hall, he waited for what felt like a hour be for he heard the clamps attach to the side of the ship, he got up and walked out of the room. He headed to the cargo hold, and got the shipment ready to be sent to the people now surrounding his ship. He checked the box and creates then finely the mystery container. Everything had checked out, he walked over to the keypad and hit a six numbers and a handle came out of the wall, he pulled down the handle and the room started the lower.

The whole entire cargo room was a large lift, the room lowered down to the pad beneath the ship. Sevlon walked over to the edge of the floor to find dozens of soldiers in black and white armor and a few lab coats waiting for him on the floor below. The lift made a scratching sound with a thud, a ground of soldiers walk up to him. Sevlon scanned the soldiers they looked like standard high security guard, but the guard in the back was wearing heavier armor then the rest. The guards stop but the heavy trooper kept walking and stop in front of Sevlon, "what's the cargo status." The trooper asked, "all the supplies are good to go even your mystery box, so where do you what me to put it all, and where do I get my pay I was promised" Sevlon replied, "We'll take the supplies and I will take you to get your reward" the man answered.

Sevlon helped the guards unload the crates and boxes; a few times he glanced at the lab coats to see they were shifting through a few things but turned away and got back to work. When all the item were unloaded the heavy trooper told Sevlon to fallow hem to receive he's payment. Sevlon simply followed they walked though several doorways, after what felt like hours of walking they reach a room that looked like a lounge of some kind. The room had a few large tables surrounded by chairs they looked slick and smooth like silk, at the center of the room was a man in an officer uniform with his head down, and a slim case on the table. "Speak with the major about your payment." The trooper stated and walked to the doorway.

Sevlon didn't care want the trooper went to he just wanted to get his payment and leave. He began to walk to the man, he hadn't moved since he entered the room. When he reach the table the man had been sitting at the whole time, Sevlon scan the figure for a name tag of some kind and found none, he was about to ask about the payment, realized the person's slim figure the man sitting in front of him was a female. Sevlon had grown up around men who thought women were good for one thing only; he was the only boy who thought otherwise. The major stood up and revealing her face, Sevlon could see a scar that ran from her left eye to her chin. Sevlon opened his mouth to speak when the major began talking "you had completed your contract I need you to sign this form, it's just to keep my high up's calm and off your back." Then slid a data pad with a pen.

Sevlon didn't need it to be explained he heard about ONI didn't trust anyone not even with their own. He picked up the pad and quickly reed the contract. It basically said he would not speak of the base or anything related to the base, or he will be hunted down. "This seems standard." Sevlon stated as he signed the contract and slid the pad back to major who sit like a statue, watching him. She took the pad and checked for the signature after she found the signature at the bottom. She reached under the table and pulled out an old fashion style briefcase. Sevlon was surprised; he didn't see it when he walked up to the table. "This should be all we agreed on." She sated as she opened the case to reveal the multiple credit cards, "are they cleared to be used?" Sevlon asked, as he counted the cards, he counted twenty. "Yes, each one has 2,000 points on them." She replied they out hesitation. "Then my job is done, I'll be leaving now." Sevlon commented, as he closed the case and walked back the door he came from, with his money.

End-001