The calm and deceivingly peaceful void of space rippled, distorted as though it were water. Suddenly, six large and gaping holes of swirling purple and azure shuddered into existence, their abrupt appearance accompanied by no sound. Sluggishly, six long, rectangular ships were birthed from the vortexes, and once their steel-hued hulls were free the portals slammed shut behind them. A few moments later, the escort was accompanied by the arrival of one massive rupture, a vessel of monstrous proportions escaping its depths. Once the dreadnought of gun-metal grey was clear of the portal, it slowly collapsed behind it. The six smaller ships quickly took up the flanks of their flagship, and as one they began to slowly advance towards a large system of planets in the distance.
The behemoth of a ship within the center of the fleet was a sight to behold. Five point seven kilometers of thick titanium-A3 plating surrounded by a barrier of reverse-engineered Forerunner shielding, it was an Infinity-class warship, the second of its kind, with a name to follow suit: UNSC Glorybound. Inside the capital ship's bridge, Admiral Maximus Finch stood next a holographic projector, his arms folded. He was a short man, stocky and in his late fifties, his receding black hairline peppered with signs of grey and age. His facial hair had been trimmed down to an orderly mustache. He wore a rather non-ceremonial grayish-green navy uniform, the insignia of the UNSC stamped over his left breast. His service pistol was holstered upon his right hip, and upon his head he donned a simple military cap.
Finch would have been studying a data pad clutched in his right hand, multiple reports streaming in from the Strident-class Heavy Frigates which surrounded the Glorybound. There was a brief flash of red to his left, and he peered his copper-hued eyes over to the projector. Standing where there had once been nothing, the flickering visage of a Roman Legionnaire held firm, arms folded behind his back, a gladius short-sword sheathed upon his side. His form would be comprised of multiple layers of flowing crimson, with the detailed trim of the armor seeming to pulse brightly with the passing of the moment. "Nero," Finch inquired, "What is the fleet's status at the moment?"
The A.I. paused for a moment, before listing off in his ever-stern voice, "Reports of isolated injuries amongst the crew have come from the Judgment and Flawless. A Pelican dropship derailed in the Forefront's third deployment bay, and is being looked at by the crew. Repairs to the damaged equipment shall be completed shortly. Everyone else is in tip-top shape, save the Stormfall." Finch gave out an annoyed sigh.
"Again? Don't tell me it's the-"MAC Cannon, yes. It's come loose on multiple sections, and cannot be fired without a seventy-five percent chance of severe damage being dealt to the ship." Finch nodded, muttering to himself, "That's the third jump in a row. I swear, it's like that ship is cursed…" He returned his eyes to the data pad, all the while saying to Nero, "Bring up a diagnostic of the ship. I want to make sure everything is in peak condition." Nero nodded, before flashing off of the projector, reappearing on a holo-table nearby. As Finch walked near the device, a full image of the Glorybound assembled, showing the massive length of the starship.
Much like the eldest craft of the two ships, the Infinity, the Glorybound shared the title of being one of the largest and deadliest of the UNSC's vessels. It was currently a peacetime vessel, used for exploration and expeditionary assignments and missions. However, unlike the Infinity, whose main goal was the discovery and subsequent retirement of Forerunner installations, the Glorybound's current mission was the discovery of new races, mainly those that comprised the little-understood Covenant Fringe. The Fringe was a section of the Covenant that had remained largely hidden during the Great War, but as of 2558, negotiations with the Sangheili and various individuals of the now-shattered hegemony have begun to reveal details of the Fringe. It was comprised of an untold amount of races, many of whom that were accepted into the Covenant, but kept out of combat due to a lack of numbers.
The Glorybound had kept the same design as its sister craft, but had many things changed about the cargo it carried. Over eighteen-thousand souls manned the Glorybound, with a large focus on marines and ODSTS. Forty Spartan-IVs were stationed upon the starship, divided into eight five-personnel fireteams. A large-scale simulation deck, similar to the program dubbed WAR GAMES on board the Infinity, was present but suffered from numerous drawbacks, such as a smaller design to compensate for the Glorybound's increased amount of cargo. This simulation was made available to the regular military personnel upon the ship, who spent a large amount of time training with their squads in it, provided that the Spartans didn't lay a claim on it at the time.
Prior to the mission's launch months ago, hundreds of deep-space probes were launched into the stars, given slipspace jumps to a plethora of randomized vectors. The Glorybound tracked these probes, which set out a distress signal should it begin to detect signs of spacecraft in the area, Covenant, Insurrection, or otherwise. During the long journey, only a handful of probes had actually activated, with a majority of them leading to the discovery of a Remnant Fleet. On two separate occasions had they discovered a member of the Fringe, and even then, they were incredibly hostile towards all attempts of contact. This time, however, something was different. On every occasion, the probe in question was ignored, seen by the detected party as a hunk of scrap floating through space. They saw no value in it, despite the fact it was still transmitting, and simply let it be. Every once in a while, a slipspace jump in close proximity of a probe would fry it, but not on this occasion.
The probe in this system had been deliberately fired upon and destroyed. Video feed of the device's last moments showed the faint outline of a bulbous, ungainly-looking fighter speeding towards it, followed by the discharge of a bright pulse weapon. Whatever was in this system, it did not take kindly to intruders. This had invoked the curiosity of Admiral Finch greatly, and he automatically set his sights for the unknown plot of space, guided only by the old coordinates of the probe.
Finch nodded, waving a dismissive hand at Nero, who promptly closed the hologram. Maximus turned on heel, bringing his gaze to the bridge's view. In the distance, he could clearly see a planet; its surface riddled with faint splashes of blue and vibrant green. He called out to one of his officers, "Boggs begin to quicken our pace. Alert the fleet of our destination." Boggs, a tall, thin man with dark skin, raised a brow at the admiral. "Where exactly is that, sir?" Finch responded by bluntly raising his hand, pointer extended towards the earth-like sphere upon the horizon. "There."
They had reached the planet's proximity within the hour; Initial scans showed that it was covered in dense, hilly jungles and ravines. It was abundantly clear that it was a life-supporting planet, and just as well could more than likely support human life. Finch leaned forward, eyes narrow with curiosity, and at the same time, worry. Though the Glorybound could easily punch through a Covenant fleet on its own, he had no idea what he was up against. He muttered a small prayer to himself, before glancing over to Nero. The A.I. shared his look of interest, before turning to face the admiral. "Sir, I'm picking up multiple transmissions from the Planet's surface. For a foreign race, their language is extraordinarily similar to English. They are aware of our presence, though it appears that we've brought a stand-still to some sort of engagement going on in-atmosphere."
"Any signs of ships being scrambled at us?" Finch said, his posture straightening. Nero shook his head, "Negative. It appears as though they are waiting for our move. Which makes me ask…What is our course of action, sir?"
Admiral Finch was silent for a long time, seeming to weigh his options. They had certainly discovered alien life, and as it was, they were showing signs that they were not part of the Fringe. He needed to know what he was up against; He needed to make contact, somehow. But it was clear that peace wasn't on the table, yet. He nodded, mumbling to himself, before turning to Nero.
"Have Fireteam Harbinger report to the armor bay. We're sending them in."
Deck VI, which held both the armor bay for the Spartans and the vessel's munition storage was already filled with curious eyes. The deployment of Harbinger always attracted the attention of the ship's personnel, even amongst the Helljumpers and S-IVs. The reason being was that Fireteam Harbinger was unique amongst its peers, a collection of veterans whom had both survived both the Insurrection and the Great War. It had been assembled for the purpose of potentially hostile first contact with the various Fringe species they could potentially come across. The members themselves were brought into questioning from the officers aboard the Glorybound, due to the nature of their pasts and for one of them, the soldier himself, but this was eventually ignored in favor of the success they had shown during past engagements, more-so as individuals than as a team.
The first, and perhaps the most mundane member of Harbinger, was Major Mark Ellison, an ODST. He held the appearance of a tall yet lithe man, being of African American descent, his skin a shade of dark brown. He was always noted amongst the Helljumpers for being an intelligent and decisive, if cold and strict, soldier. His mix of tactical knowledge and perhaps even pure instinct had saved the lives of his men before, though this came at the cost of his extreme irritability and arrogance. Both of these bitter traits had culminated in three acts of insubordination on Ellison's part, which lead to a series of demotions, putting him back in the rank he currently held. He preferred to stick with the M392 DMR and MGC/SOCOM Handgun, proving to be a mid-to-long range combatant. His armor had little variation from the standard ODST garb, with the exception of a large gouge in the right shoulder plate, provided to him by a glancing blow from a Spiker's duel bayonets.
The second member of Harbinger was Captain James Kaufman. Compared to Ellison, James kept the ODST's imposing height, but was much more built, his muscles etched into his tanned skin like marble statue. One thing he did not share with Ellison, however, his European descent included, was his military career. Kaufman was a surviving member of the original ORION project; a Spartan I. Kaufman was impressive compared to the standard soldier, but like everyone else amongst the hidden program, their augmentations fell well below the standards the scientists had been hoping before. Kaufman had been reassigned to colony of Eridanus II, with the task of training the colonial militia in case of an insurgency forming upon the planet. He was displayed to have shown proficient skill with the SRS 99 Anti-Material Rifle during the Battle of Eridanus II, with a Sangheili zealot being amongst his kill count. He managed to make it off-world before the Covenant gained victory, and the subsequent glassing that followed. To this day, he still attacks from long range, acting as Harbinger's sniper. He has since upgraded from the Series 2 rifle to the Series 5, which saw action during the First and Second Battles of Requiem.
The two newest members of Harbinger were Spartans Demeter and Vali Akos. They were twins, born upon the planet Reach in one of the numerous off-the-grid and self-sustaining kivas. They were of Hungarian descent, as were many of the planet's settlers, and it showed in a strong accent, one which was more apparent in Demeter than his sister. They were both extremely pale compared to most aboard the Glorybound, and they both shared an auburn shade of hair which had existed in thick mops upon their heads, before being cut away after joining the military. The twins showed a remarkable talent with explosives, and could almost sense when the other was in trouble. This trait was described as an odd feeling which wormed itself into their stomachs, and was almost always right. Their expertise in demolitions gained them numerous medals throughout the duration of the war, but through a twist of fate, was shipped off to Mars weeks before the Fall of Reach, sparing them the fate of their homeworld. The twins saw combat during the First and Second Battles of New Mombasa, during which Vali received discharge from a Brute-variant Plasma-Rifle directly to the face, scarring it severely and blinding her left eye. During the peace between the end of the war and the discovery of Requiem, Demeter and Vali were selected to become part of the Spartan IV program, though Vali was nearly turned down due to her blindness. They both wore the standard S-IV armor, a main tone of ebony with a detailing of gold, the visor a shade of dark blue. While they both carried MA5D's, Vali brought a handheld Railgun to play, whereas Demeter brought a M319 Grenade Launcher, despite its very old model.
The finale, and perhaps most notorious member of Harbinger, was Marius-050. Marius was born on Reach, a solitary feature he shared with the twins, and lived within the city of Quezon. He was extremely large, dwarfing everyone else aboard the Glorybound at a solid seven feet and four inches when out of armor. It was a rare sight to catch him out of armor, and even less-so to see him out of the MJOLNIR undersuit. Whenever somebody could see his features, it was usually of his face, which was broad and weathered, his black hair buzzed and his beard trimmed down to rough stubble. Compared to other Spartan-IIs which were still alive by this point, Marius was noticeably younger than his surviving brothers and sisters. Though Marius had been biologically alive for forty-seven years, he was only the age of thirty-three. During the Battle of Miridem, Spartans Marius and Sheila were assigned to protect Dr. Halsey while she was being evacuated off-world. Sheila was killed by a Sangheili Major later identified as Thel 'Lodamee, who then abducted Halsey. Marius was severely injured in the confrontation, though 'Lodamee's concentration upon the mission provided a window of escape. Marius managed to get his way off-world and provide the information to the UNSC, before subsequently falling into a critical condition due to his wounds. Medical personnel stabilized him, and put him in cryo-sleep, where he was kept safe in one of the multiple ONI bases on Earth. He was awoken in the year 2553, one year after the war ended, and was healed completely. He was immediately contacted by the officials of the Spartan-IV program to help train and assist the future generations of super soldiers, a roll which Marius eagerly took. He was assigned to the Glorybound, and had begun to take a more combat oriented role within the program months into their mission. The imposing man was described as being surprisingly caring for a Spartan, but could be quite gruff and blunt, prone to openly stating his mind.
Marius sighed with relief as the MJOLNIR cradle-system did it's work, fastening on the Spartan's power armor in under half the time it took an entire technical team to apply it. Truth be told, the Spartan had felt odd whenever he was without the armor. It had become like a second layer of skin, the neural connection between the suit and its user flawless. His eyes light up as at long last, his helmet was slowly lowered over his face, the HUD coming to life seconds later. The sage-colored giant stepped down from the armor rig, his boots clunking against the metal floor of the bay loudly. Even with newer and improved versions of MJOLNIR available, he stuck with the Mark VI, it's once bright olive paint having dulled and darkened after years of nonstop warfare. His orangish-golden visor reflected the staring faces of other Spartans within the bay, many of which he had helped train himself. Most of them gave a nod of respect, though there was the occasional salute mixed in. Even to them, an S-II was a living legend.
Marius collected his usual weaponry; an MA5D secured unto his back and an M6H handgun upon his right hip, with two frags on his left. All three of which were held firmly in place by the armor's magnetic locks. With everything set, he headed to the Glorybound's bridge for debriefing. Due to the ship's great length, this took a great deal of minutes, a tram system carrying him to his selected destination. As his ride quickly flew by, he pondered how this mission would. He pondered how every one of his missions would go; it was a habit he had carried with him all the way through training and beyond. His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the tram coming to a screeching halt, and the doors orderly sliding open. Resigning his thoughts to his worn-out memory, he slowly walked down the neatly-kept corridors of the ship, which eventually lead to the entrance of the bridge. The two marines stationed outside gave him a crisp salute, which to their surprised he returned, before the door unlatched, slid open, and gave the Spartan entry.
Finch, Ellison, Kaufman and the twins were bent over a display, a hologram of the planet slowly rotating before them. Nero would have been pointing out something about the planet's surface to them, his red arm aimed for one of the larger landmasses, before he quickly halted upon seeing the S-II. The group of five, six if the AI was included, all looked up at Marius as he stepped forward, raising a salute to the Admiral. Before the super soldier could even begin to say sir, Finch waved him over with an impatient "At ease". Marius complied, shrugging, taking his place between Kaufman and Demeter, the former of the two knocking on his green shoulder. "Took you long enough." He said with a grin, a grunt being the S-II's response.
Finch raised his head at the assembled team, taking a deep breath before he began. "I am afraid to tell you that we are in the dark right now, gentlemen. Whatever is down there is blocking our comms, making any form of audial contact impossible. It's safe to assume that once you're in-atmosphere, you will lose contact with the Glorybound. Nero has managed to trace the main source of the jamming to a dense part of the rain forest, as seen here." He paused, gesturing to the red AI, who in turn expanded the planet's image, centering on a landmass in the middle of the planet. It continued to center itself until it came upon an area similar to a large valley, with small clearings mixed in between the foliage. "I'm not willing to send anymore boots on the ground until I either know what I'm dealing with, or I have no other choice. You will be deploying in two pelican dropships: Ellison, Kaufman and Spartan Vali shall be in the first, followed up by Spartans Marius and Demeter in the second. Once on the ground, the dropships will retreat to a pre-determined LZ, which has already been notified upon your HUDs. Find the source of this frequency, and whatever the hell is causing it, and take it out. Avoid casualties if possible. You have a timeframe of forty-eight hours once contact is lost with the Glorybound. If we're still without comms by the end of this period, we will be entering the planet by force. Make this quick, and all of you make it back safe. Any questions?" The resulting silence was their answer.
Finch nodded, "Very well. Your dropships depart in fifteen minutes. Good luck, and godspeed. Dismissed!"
The pelican shook as it plummeted through the atmosphere of the newly-discovered world, rattling the two half-ton passengers in the troop bay. Demeter sat at attention, his position stiff and worried, his assault rifle clutched tightly in his hands. Even after becoming a Spartan, the twin always had a fear of aircraft, especially during atmospheric entry. The senior super soldier, whom had sat on the opposite section of the ship's seating, seemed far more relaxed, his visor tilted down, staring at the dropship's rough floor. Demeter sighed as the ship's nerve-racking jostling finally came to a halt; in his mind, the bad part was finally over. He glanced over to Marius, and within his helmet, a brow raised. He had only been on a few missions with the S-II, yet he never could wrap his head around how easily he accepted it all. How, after a life of non-stop violence, against both Humans and The Covenant, that he kept so firm in his resolve.
He spoke up, his accent betraying his origin once again, "So, what do you think we'll find down there?"
Marius gave a shrug in reply, his brass voice showing just how calm he really was. "Don't know, and can't say I don't care. Either we're Demons to them, or less likely, Aliens. Whichever is the worse of the two, I have yet to find out." Demeter gave a chuckle, before he was silence by a sudden discharge of static.
The pelican's pilot, a man of seemingly Spanish descent, swore vividly at this. "Fuck, there goes communications. Everything's gone; Got no chatter from command or any of the Frigates. Even my instruments are screwed up. Going almost off of sight alone right now."
Demeter shivered at the finale sentence, before both he and Marius brought their attention to something else; The Pelican's bay door was opening. Slowly, the hatch descended, revealing a bright, thick jungle quickly passing below them. The rainforest-like biosphere was teeming with wildlife, as the roar of the dropship's engines caused numerous birds and other flying creatures to stir below them. "We'll be at the LZ in ten." Their pilot called out to them, before irritably muttering something they couldn't understand.
That's when Marius heard it; the faint sound of machinery slowly activing in the distance. He almost wanted to label it as the pelican, but it sounded too foreign. It reminded him of Covenant plasma-weaponry charging up, but compared to it, this new source sounded much more refined. Before the Spartan could say anything, a sound like thunder boomed in the horizon, and something slammed into the Pelican's left-rear thruster. The dropship began to spin out of control, plummeting to the forest canopy below, the scream of the now-mangled engines having reached an ear-shattering height. On instinct, Marius locked his armor, unable to move himself anymore as he was hurled out of the dropship, and into the jungle.
Marius slowly awoke to multiple sights which he did not favor. Out of habit, he initially reached for his magnum, only for his HUD to read that both of his weapons had been ripped off his armor during the crash. Growling in frustration, he slowly forced himself up, his boots making clear indentions on the damp ground beneath him. He turned on heel, his visor casting of a reflection of the grim sight before him. The pilot had managed to find one of the clearings within the jungle to attempt to land in, but had been mostly unsuccessful in his endeavor. Multiple large shards and pieces of steel from the hull of the dropship were strewn throughout the crash site, with fuel leaking from one of the damaged engines.
Marius glanced up to the bottom left of his HUD, near his motion detector. There had been only one tag assigned, which had simply been "Spartan DMTR". On all other occasions, a small blip beside the name had flashed green, showing the squad member was alive and operational. Now, it shined a dark and somber crimson. Marius frowned, knowing what this meant. He looked about the area slowly, before finally stumbling upon the now lifeless body of the male twin. Demeter had lost concentration during the crash, and as such, forgot to lock his armor. He had been hurled out of the dropship, much like Marius, though his shields broke his fall. It wasn't the fall which killed him, however; a long, jagged piece of metal from the ship had impaled him, directly in the chest. Such damage couldn't even be resisted by the armor's biofoam injectors; The native of Reach was dead.
Marius new the right thing to do would be to at least try and bury him, possibly even do the same for the pilot, whom he suspected had not survived either. However, something caught his attention on his HUD.
Blips of red had appeared upon his motion tracker, twenty-five meters in the foliage behind him, and they were closing in on him.