Rise of the Arbiter
By Kerry Freeman
Note: I do not own Halo or any of the species featured in the games. Those are the property of Microsoft Corporation and 343 Industries. This is merely an Alternate Universe Spin-Off of the events in Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo Wars, and any other games that may come out after April 29, 2011.
Chapter 1
Rendezvous
Rendezvous
"Move, spook!"
Kerry groaned. He hated mornings. He rolled out of bed. The Barracks were as empty as always. Six bunks to a wall. He may have been an officer, but he had requested to be treated like an enlisted man. Fairness, he said. Now he was beginning to regret it.
He got into his underharness, the underlayer of Sangheili combat dress. He went to wake his friend Adam Holz, species name Rha' Chonchiyee. He shook Adam.
"Five more minutes…"
Kerry smacked him in the head. Startled, Adam rolled over. This was bad as he was on a top bunk.
THUD!
After he helped him up off the floor, he went to his bunk and got his service harness, a cut-down non shielded version of a Sangheili Combat Harness. Then he and Adam left the barracks. As they walked across the field, they marveled at the utter perfection at which the base was run. Phantoms, Spirits, and Pelicans took off and landed at the airstrip. Hornets, Falcons, and Sabres flew training runs. Scorpions carried heavy trailers behind them. Troop transport Warthogs loaded with Marines and Grunts drove by. They made their way into the mess hall. It wasn't without incident. A Ghost shot by, its anti-gravity generator warbling. It nearly clipped Adam.
"Hey, asshole! Watch where you're going!"
They finally got to the mess. Today's breakfast was unusually normal, ham and eggs. They took a seat at an empty table. After they finished eating, spec ops commander Rtas 'Vadumee, a large Sangheili with half his mandibles missing, called them into a meeting.
"All right, men, we just got orders from ONI Command. Our team has been selected to assist in a raid led by ALPHA Team on Mars. This Op we go in by Phantom. Get suited up, we leave at 1000 hours. Dismissed!"
Adam and Kerry left the mess and headed back to barracks, this time without incident. Kerry got into his standard issue Sangheili Minor combat harness, and grabbed a Type-25 Directed Plasma Rifle and a Type-51 Carbine. This was just stand in armor until he got his personalized Assault harness. Adam got into a specialized Ranger harness and grabbed his Type-50 Sniper Rifle System (Particle Beam Rifle) and Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol. They both grabbed a bandolier of Type-1 Antipersonnel Plasma Grenades.
On the way out to the airstrip, they ran into a Sangheili in an Officer harness.
"Sup, Kevin?"
Kevin Golden, species name Voro 'Grioto, looked stressed.
"Didja hear about the op we got to go on? Freaking Mars!"
"We're in the same op! Your whole team goin?"
Two more Sangheili, both in Zealot armor, walked up. These were Nick and Chris Oliphant, species names Nihai and Rha 'Chonchiyo. They were the other members of Kevin's team.
Everyone went to the landing pad. Once there, a Type-25 Troop Transport Spirit was waiting for them. They all got in on the sides. The pressure seals hissed and they were sent on their way to the flagship Repentant Victory.
…...
A barren, red sand landscape. It went by many names. Mars, the Red Planet, The Red Star, fourth rock from the sun. But SPARTAN-241 had a different name for it.
Hell.
He had been dropped in with the ODSTs, using Single Occupant Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicles, known as SOEIVs, HEVs, or drop pods, depending on your squad. With the thin atmosphere, insertion had been mild. Only two casualties.
Once they landed, they had immediately come under fire by Innie forces. Their snipers took out most of his team. It was just him and a rookie ODST.
An explosion ripped the ground next to SPARTAN-241, destroying the ODST standing next to him. He fired back with his portable AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun Turret. The rounds tore into the insurgent's body, leaving a bloody pulp.
A sniper round tore past his helmet. He ducked behind the wall he was using as cover and switched to his M392 Designated Marksman's Rifle. A quick shot took out the sniper. He was on his own.
"ALPHA Leader to Command, come in Command!" he yelled into the helmet mike.
"We have you, ALPHA Leader. Go ahead."
"Command, I am running low on reinforcements. I am in need of assistance!"
"We have a Phantom incoming on your position. ETA: 7 minutes."
"Copy that, Command. Awaiting friendly reinforcements."
This is taking way too damn long. That marine was my last chance at covering fire.
He hunkered down,waiting to ride out the storm, knowing that these seven minutes would be the longest of his life.