Cal was rudely awoken by his CO shouting in his face. "Cal, what the hell are you doing? Didn't you hear the buzzer?!" Cal sighed and stood up, his back to the bulkhead he had been dozing on. Lt. Amari Nickelson was a royal pain in the ass sometimes, but she took care of her squad.
Frankly, Cal didn't see the harm in falling asleep. He already had his ODST combat armor on, and his weapons had been checked and loaded. He figured she would wake him anyway. He moved to his drop pod, the rest of his squad already buckled in and ready in their own pods.
He was Calvin Kransen, medic and picture of an ODST. If a representative was ever needed for the squad, it was him. He was by far the most personable member of the squad, even if he was a little rugged-looking. He had blonde hair expertly formed and shaped, a seemingly irremovable five o'clock shadow, and a solid body honed to perfection by years of infantry service.
The man in the pod next to him was his closest friend, Jimmy DeLuca. Jimmy was known well for his affair with Amari, and didn't particularly care who knew. This raised more than a few eyebrows up at command, but they turned a blind eye due to the fact that the 301st Orbital Drop Shock Trooper battalion was one of the best in the entire UNSC. Jimmy was the squad's geek, working computers and getting them into places they shouldn't. It was rumored that his hacking skills had allowed him to avoid several court-martials and demotions.
Next was Wolfgang Fitzgerald. Although no one believed him when he said he was descended from German royalty, no one could deny that he was the best demoman in the entire platoon. He once destroyed an entire Covenant frigate with a single tactical nuclear warhead. No one knew how, no one ever asked. Then there was Haley Vasiliev. There were few things most ODST's feared, but Haley was one of them. The squad's heavy gunner, she carried a custom SAW with incendiary ammunition. There were rumors she beat up a Spartan once, and no one doubted it. Cal had once seen her kill a pair of Hunters with her bare hands, and honestly had no clue why she wasn't a Spartan herself. The commanding officer, a fresh-faced kid who came through ROTC, was absolutely terrified of Hailey, which was why she still hadn't gotten in trouble for her shock of short pink hair. Lastly, there was Amari Nickelson. Her callsign was 'Spooky' and damn if she hadn't earned it. She was the stealthiest person in the whole company, and a hell of a shot with a sniper rifle. Cal could see why all the men in the company adored her. She had long black hair, fair complexion, and a body that was the perfect mix between military and a Miss Earth contestant. She was born on Luna, and spoke with a perfect accent.
"Do we really have to do this? I mean, we're the best of the best. Shouldn't we be deploying to New Mombassa to fight the Covenant?" Wolfgang complained to no one in general.
"Shut up, Wolfgang. Fighting insurrectionists is way easier, and I can probably get us some shore leave when we get back." Amari snapped back, strapping herself into her own pod, her ODST Marksman helmet already on, the new prototype VISR HUD set to transparent. She gripped the control sticks of the pod and visually confirmed her sniper rifle and submachine gun were stowed properly. One of the most humiliating deaths in the whole ODST division was a case when a trooper literally got his brains scooped out by his entrenching tool.
The buzzer sounded again, followed by a synthetic female voice. "T-minus thirty seconds to drop." The hatches hissed closed on the pods and Cal checked his harness. All set. The screen beside the viewport lit up with Amari's helmet, the VISR set to her preferred jet black.
"You guys know the drill. They have no clue we're coming. Hit 'em hard, hit 'em fast." The secondary screen flickered with a picture of an aging man in a CMA uniform. "This is our target. General Radcliffe, CMA defector and tactician. He's going on a parade this week trying to win over support for the insurrectionist cause. He's going to be heavily guarded by the heaviest grunts the CMA can muster. That's where I come in." She chuckled softly. The screens flickered and went dark.
A moment later, Cal's earpiece crackled to life. "Comms check. Squad, report." Amari's voice tickled his ear.
"Geek, standing by." Jimmy's voice came through.
"Kaiser here." Wolfgang was next.
"Rasputin, ready to kill shit." Haley's heavy Russian accent assaulted everyone's ears.
"Echo, standing by." Cal said softly into his helmet. His callsign was an allusion to his position as second in command of the squad, a position which Jimmy was envious of. Still, Amari was an unbiased leader, and had realized Cal's ability to lead was far superior to that of Jimmy's.
"Launching in five...four...three...two...one...launching pods." The voice of the launch deck's AI stated emotionlessly. Cal readied himself. No one ever got used to the launches. His pod shot out of the tube faster than greased lightning, and Cal's life began to flash before his eyes. He dismissed the visions and gripped the he didn't focus, than he would die. He saw the planet of Eridanius-II through the viewscreen. He experienced the zen moment that all ODST's were accustomed to as he gazed over the beauty of the planet. A slightly smaller, swampier version of earth, Eridanius-II was one of the only outer colonies left undisturbed by the Covenant. The planet was a hotbed for rebel activity, with the UNSC frequently having to intervene.
Thirty seconds to impact, he realized. In thirty seconds he would either be dead or kissing the ground. At the twenty second mark he flipped the switch to deploy his airbrakes. Glancing through the top viewport, he saw the chute deploy in it's usual cross-shape. Looking around at the other pods, he saw one speeding ahead of the others.
Jimmy.
"Jimmy, what the hell are you doing?! Open your chute!" Amari roared over the comms. "It's not working!" Jimmy screamed, his voice cracking in panic. The pod accelerated out of sight, and what felt like an eternity later, Jimmy's screams were cut off, replaced with static.
The rest of the drop was uneventful, with the rest of the squad landing about thirty seconds later. Cal landed in a bog, which damped the impact he felt significantly. He primed the explosive bolts on the hatch, and the door blew off with extreme force. He clambered out of the pod, retrieving his silenced MA5S assault rifle and SOCOM magnum as he went. He then began his trek through the swamp to get to the trooper's rendezvous point a mile or so from where he landed. As he walked, he thought of Jimmy. A young man of twenty-eight, he had been the newest member of the squad. He and Amari had been off and on, but Cal knew they both always had feelings for each other. He began to formulate a plan.
Heading off track, he activated Jimmy's IFF tag. The information fed into his HUD told him Jimmy had landed a few hundred meters away. He reached the crater in a matter of moments at a brisk jog. Looking into the crater, he saw the battered, burned pod of Jimmy DeLuca. Scrambling into the crater, he began to try to pry the door off. Realizing it was pointless with his bare hands, he grabbed the entrenching tool off his pack. He jammed it into the slight gap he made in the fuselage and pushed hard. After a few minutes of pushing, the hatch popped off like the top of a soda can. Peering into the pod, he silently thanked any higher being that the heat shield had held. Jimmy was inside, dead of the extreme trauma that the impact had had on his body and organs. His head was slumped, and Cal got his helmet off without too much difficulty. He proceeded to pluck the dog tags from Jimmy's still form, before leaving the pod as it was. By the time he reached the rendezvous, Amari was already there, her helmet lying discarded beside the log she sat on, weeping. Her long black hair hung in front of her face, seeming to have lost some of it's luster, and Cal knew she would never want the rest of the squad to see her in this condition. He moved over to where she sat, sitting beside her on the log. She suddenly stopped crying and whipped out her magnum, startled by Cal's sudden appearance. She put it back in her armpit holster when she realized who it was. She proceeded to wipe her eyes and tie her hair back, giving him an angry glare all the while. Cal took his helmet off as well, running his fingerless-gloved hand through his hair. With his other, he presented the tags to Amari.
He saw tears well up in her eyes again, but she snatched the tags from him without a word. Cal proceeded to gather sticks for a fire, and by the time he had returned, the rest of the squad had shown up. Amari had composed herself, and was outlining the plan tomorrow morning about the hit they were to conduct on the General. Wolfgang was listening intently, and Haley was actively not paying attention. Haley was never needed on hit-and-run missions like this, but she stated that it was better than doing pull ups in her cabin. She went on to add that her bunkmate was also very nervous around her, and that it would be good for her too if she was off-ship for a while. Cal placed the sticks down in a small pile, before using his small napalm canister to ignite them. "I'm just glad we didn't lose you." Wolfgang stated after Amari had finished her plan. "And why is that?" She asked, looking ready to slap him. "You've got the damn sniper rifle!" He chuckled. Amari did actually slap him that time. He sulked off to his tent, nursing his bruised cheek. Haley, after viewing the event, raised her eyebrows and went to her tent as well. Only Amari and Cal remained, staring into the fire as the light died around them.
"Thanks." Amari finally broke the silence. "For the tags?" Cal asked questioningly. "Yeah. I really appreciate you going out of your way like that. You should have them, you two were like brothers." Amari said softly, offering Cal the tags. "No, I got them for you." Cal said back. Amari looked surprised for a moment. "I know you two were...well...you know." Cal continued. Amari smiled and looked at the ground. "Thank you. I really appreciate it." She repeated dumbly, running out of words.
Cal began to check his weapons for damage they may have sustained in the drop, unfazed by Amari's tongue-tied state. Pristine. He began to unload them to check the magazines. Pristine. "So what's the first thing you're going to do with your shore leave?" He asked Amari. She laughed. "Get drunk in the officer's club, meet someone, you know how it goes. You?" Cal nodded approvingly. "Same, I guess, I don't really know. It's been forever since we got some leave, what with the Covenant and all." She shrugged. "You don't have a special someone?" She prodded. Cal shook his head. "Used to. Covenant took everything I had, though. My family, my planet, Sarah, the life we were going to have together, everything." She nodded sympathetically. "You were a Reach kid?" she asked. "Harvest, actually." He corrected. "The Covenant glassed that place when I was sixteen. I barely made it out. As a matter of fact, I was on the last shuttle that escaped." Amari whistled softly. "I guess you really were the lucky one, then." He continued, ignoring her statement. "Sarah was on the very next shuttle." Amari paused, her smile fading. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-" "It's all right. I'm over it. She's gone, I'm here, even though I don't want to be sometimes. Sometimes I wish I was on the shuttle with her." Cal interrupted Amari's apology. "Hey," Amari began, placing her hand on Cal's knee. "This damned war's taken something from us all. It took Jimmy from both of us. It took your whole family. But we're still here, we're the speakers for the dead. Without us, they truly die." Cal nodded in understanding.
"You should get some sleep." Amari finished, suddenly embarrassed she opened up so freely to Cal. She was supposed to be the squad leader. Cal was her second in command, sure, but Jimmy just died earlier that day. She was still mourning, but not as intensely as she had been earlier. She supposed it was just an ODST thing. People she knew and cared about died around her every single day, and their deaths just became another routine, like the cleaning of her rifle. Cal sighed. "Yeah, I guess. Big day tomorrow." He then set about pitching his tent. Amari was going to stay awake anyway-as she was always on first watch due to her position as squad leader-so she decided to help him out. "Thanks." Cal stated when the tent had been erected."It's no problem at all." Amari said, retrieving her sniper rifle from her own tent and sat on the log she had been crying on earlier, beginning the long process of cleaning it.
She first removed her custom Hawkeye-V3 scope she used for long range ops, and polished the lenses. Placing the clean scope beside her, she proceeded to unload the weapon to make sure all her ammo was still in place and hadn't shifted, as a jam could mean life or death. Amari's sniper had a custom 8-round box magazine, and fired a depleted uranium hollow-point sabot. She'd yet to meet anything that could take a direct hit and keep walking, bar a hunter. She then unscrewed the reinforced barrel and checked the length of it for damage. It was perfect. She peered down the barrel to check the rifling. Also perfect. She pulled the bolt back. This was a rare occurrence. For once, her rifle was in perfect condition after a drop. Actually, she realized, not quite. The scope needed readjustment. That would have been extremely detrimental to their mission success-not to mention embarrassing-if she missed her shot due to misalignment of the scope.
As she did this, she thought about Cal. He was an unlucky bastard, that was for sure. He must think he was cursed or something. His entire family, his home planet, his sweetheart, now his best friend, all ripped from him in an instant. War really was Hell, taking everything from the people who deserved it the least. Yet he somehow went on. She had been in the Army a lot less time than he had, and had seen far less death and carnage, so she supposed she really couldn't tell what drove him. The light was completely gone now, replaced only by the eerie glow that the Eradanius-II's triplet moons cast. She placed the reassembled sniper rifle on its bipod in the grass beside her.
The rest of her shift passed uneventfully, and she went to go wake up Cal to have him take her place. Retreating to her tent, she began removing her body armor. She started with her leg plates, working her way from her legs up. The shoulder plates weren't too tough, having to be simply removed by a combo of velcro and clips, ancient technology, but still effective. She removed her breastplate without too much difficulty, a rare feat, given how the straps were positioned. She finally stood over the empty shell of her battle armor, clad only in her standard trooper wetsuit. She sat down on her bedroll with a sigh, not feeling like sleeping quite yet. Instead, she chose to compare her tags to Jimmy's. She read his tags aloud. "DeLuca, Jim A. O Positive. 05-17-2524." She didn't feel like saying his long string of serial numbers, so she reviewed her own tags. "Nickleson, Amari L. AB Negative. 12-28-2529."
Once she was done, she slid Jimmy's tags around her own neck before moving out of the tent to talk with Cal some more. Cal was also in his wetsuit, making it apparent he wasn't too concerned about an ambush. She sat on the log next to him, causing him to jump in surprise. She hadn't realized she was sneaking up on him, a bad habit of hers.
"What's up?" He asked curiously, motioning to her tent. "Aren't you supposed to be asleep?" She shrugged. "Couldn't, I guess." was her only response. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Amari broke it. "I kind of just wanted to talk some more, actually." She went on. "I never really got a chance to talk to you one-on-one before, and some of the stuff you said really got me thinking." He nodded. "I never really got a chance to talk to you as an actual person either. Before I thought you were just another bitchy squad leader." They both laughed a little at that, before Amari asked, somewhat randomly, "Have you ever looked at the stars on other planets? It's something only ground troops can really get. They're so lovely on the surface." Cal paused, then looked up. "I suppose you're right. I love looking at the moons." Amari looked up as well, admiring the moons as well. "This is such a beautiful planet." She said simply. She finally felt herself beginning to grow tired from the exhausting events of the day.
She woke up when Cal shook her gently. She looked up groggily, realizing she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Hey," She heard Cal's voice say softly. "My shift's done. We need to get you back to your tent." She mumbled something in protest, but it was pointless. Cal had already easily lifted her to her feet and was leading her back to the tent. As they entered it, Cal gently laid her down on the bedroll, before disappearing out the flap to get Wolfgang. She laid there for a short while, fantasizing about Cal. He was really handsome, but seemed disconnected somehow. Amari wanted him, but she felt terrible about it. She knew it was what Jimmy would have wanted, but it still felt wrong. Jimmy had once told her not to worry about him, and if anything ever happened, to not dwell on it and get on with her life. ODSTs were trained to do this, of course, but it was almost impossible to not feel some sorrow and grief when someone you knew and loved died right in front of you. Eventually, she fell into a troubled slumber.
Cal awoke to the sound of silenced gunshots ringing across the clearing. He bolted out of the tent, grabbing his assault rifle as he went. He emerged to see Haley shooting at an empty contraband energy drink can with her SOCOM, a bored expression written on her face. He rolled his eyes and put the MA5S down, flicking the safety back on as he did. This wasn't the first time he'd nearly shot Haley, and he doubted it would be the last. The first few times she'd pulled something like this he'd gotten pretty mad at her, but she didn't seem to care at all. It was her version of a wake up call, he supposed. As this never seemed to wake anyone but him, he went to go round up Amari and Wolfgang.
Wolfgang got up with much grumbling and complaining, as usual, and Cal proceeded to Amari's tent. When he got there, however, he paused. Why had she been so open last night? Did she...no, that was ridiculous. There was no way she possibly thought that...then again, Cal knew he was a ladies man. But still...it wasn't that she wasn't pretty, it was just… Cal decided to stop overthinking the situation right there. She was probably just sad Jimmy was dead. Yes, that was it. She just needed someone to vent to. He entered the tent, and was immediately greeted by Amari putting him in a lip-lock. He was startled at first, but after a moment, all those doubts returned and he found himself kissing her back. Just when he thought he was about to pass out from the lack of oxygen, she got off of him, smiling like a brand new woman. "W-wha…" He sputtered, still trying to catch his breath. "You were standing outside for a while. I was already awake, and I saw you." She said giddily. "What about Jimmy?" He asked, confused. "I figured it out last night. Jimmy's dead, and he once told me not to dwell on his death, and get on with life. It's what he would have wanted." Cal nodded at the ground, unsure how to respond. "But what about command? Surely they'll catch wind of this-" "Ah ah ah." Amari said, placing a finger to his lips. "What command doesn't know won't hurt them." Cal silently disagreed, but doubted Amari was still thinking about the UNSC at the moment. "We should probably leave before the others get suspicious." He said around her finger. She rolled her eyes irritatedly. "I guess you're right."
As they exited the tent, Wolfgang and Haley were already suiting up, checking their weapons, and securing their gear. "Ve scuttling ze camp, boss?" Haley asked, looking at Amari questioningly. "Sure." Amari sighed. "Yessss…" Haley hissed under her breath, relieved that she didn't have to pack up her tent. Cal was already emerging from his own tent, carrying his own gear. He began strapping his armor back on, and Amari realized that she should do the same. As soon as everyone was clad in their body armor and had their weapons stowed, they headed out.
As the squad moved through the wilderness to the hit zone, a small knoll on top of a hill. They reached the spot without too much trouble at about midday. As the sun sat in its apex above the field, Amari laid prone, the small portable sniper's cover protecting her from the intense heat. Cal sat in the shade beneath one of the trees surrounding the clearing, observing her. Could he do this? Sure he could, but did he really want to? He thought for a moment. Amari was beautiful, driven, and successful. He definitely wanted her. The next question: Should he do it? Command would have their heads for sure if they found out, but Amari had a point in saying that they may never find out.
He was still on the fence when Amari's gunshot rang out across the clearing. The next thing he heard scared the hell out of him. "Missed." Amari stated bluntly. She racked the bolt back and scoped in again. The next shot was followed by a triumphant sigh. "That was a close one." She said, standing up and grabbing her rifle. "Problem is, they probably know exactly where we are. We need to get the hell out of here, now." She saw something glitter in the distance on top of one of the cities massive towers, and dove out of the way. The railgun's impact blasted a small crater exactly where she had been standing a moment before. "Yep, they definitely know where we are!" Amari shouted over the comms. "Jesus, what the hell was that?" Wolfgang said, already breaking formation to move further into the forest. "Sanction gauss rifle, I think." Amari replied. "I'm trained to use them, but don't like to. They kick like a bitch. It's basically a MAC rifle, it can shoot through anything thinner than six inches of Titanium-A." As she said this, the top of the tree she was crouching under exploded, sending splinters of wood flying like tiny missiles.
Turning and seeing the rest of the squad pinned under the sniper's fire, Wolfgang came back to assist. As he sprinted towards the tree Cal was hiding behind, the sniper's next round hit him in the arm. He flew a few feet back, blood spurting from the stump of his shoulder. He began screaming in pain and shock, eliciting an immediate response from Cal. "Amari, give me cover!" He roared over the comms, before dashing over to where Wolfgang lay. He knew it was risky moving him, but he had to or else they were both dead. He moved Wolfgang's still form behind a rock, before he pulled out his trauma kit. He first applied a tourniquet to Wolfgang's still-bleeding shoulder. Next he pulled Wolfgang's helmet off. His pupils were already dilated and his breathing was shallow. He then tried to suppress the bleeding even further by applying a mixture of cauterizing gel and biofoam to the wound. The bleeding hadn't completely stopped, but it was ebbing away steadily. Wolfgang was stabilizing. Cal breathed a sigh of relief. He would need significantly more medical attention, but he just might be okay.
Suddenly, automatic gunfire was heard. The CMA Marines had arrived. Haley laughed, eager for some action. She hurled a frag grenade down the hill with enough force to knock someone down. The resulting explosion sent several bodies flying comically, while she followed up with heavy fire from what she called 'Chain-SAW'.
The incendiary ammunition wreathed the enemy soldiers in flames, and their screams could be heard by Amari, who was focused solely on giving that sniper hell. Finally, she got her chance. The CMA sniper stupidly poked his head up from the balcony he was hiding behind, and the back of his skull exploded outwards. Amari frowned. She didn't like sniper duels, but they were necessary. It always made her a little sad killing another marksman, given how it all came down to reflexes and luck. She was always waiting for someone to be just a little faster and a little luckier than her.
"Haley!" Cal shouted. She dropped behind cover, looking at him. "Wolfgang's hurt bad. I need you to move him to the evac point." He ordered calmly. He knew Wolfgang and Haley were close friends, and that they would do anything for each other. She slung 'Chain-SAW' and charged to their position. Cal could tell she winced under her helmet when she saw how bad he was, but she grabbed him bridal-style and began moving for the evac as quickly as she could. "Amari! We're checking out! Call the evac bird anytime!" Cal proceed to yell over the comms.
It was then that Amari registered that she still had to call for evac. As she darted away to rejoin the squad, she was already on the radio with the frigate orbiting the planet. "Lt. Nickleson to the UNSC Crusader, the target's down, but we're under heavy fire with wounded, requesting immediate evac!" "Copy that, Lieutenant. Your bird's away as we speak. ETA five minutes. Patching you through now." The crewman's voice disappeared, replaced instead by a gruff, militaristic growl. "This is Master Sergeant Bird, crew chief of the UNSC Pelican Romeo-24. Heard you need evac." Amari didn't bother introducing herself. "We need you to set down about a mile away from the city, by a small hill. Look for blue smoke." "Will do. Starting our approach now." The squad sprinted for the evac zone, trading bullets with the Insurrectionists behind them. Finally, they reached the clearing, with Amari popping a flare the second they got there. She flung it into the center of the clearing, he blue smoke drifting upwards lazily. She twirled and pulled out her SOCOM, grabbing Wolfgang's out of his holster as well. She opened up with the magnums, blasting any Marine that she could see.
At last, the Pelican hovered above, it's gatling gun raining brass into the clearing as it mowed down the waves of CMA Marines that approached the 301st. As Amari moved to the rear, she saw Master Sergeant Bird standing on the open ramp. "The LZ's too hot to land! You're going to have to jump!" He shouted over the Pelican's howling thrusters and roaring chaingun. "Negative! We've got wounded!" Amari yelled back, as she did, however, Bird pulled his head in for a moment and came back a moment later. "Get back!" He screamed, panicked. A moment later, a SAM arced up, racing towards the Pelican. It dipped away, but not in time. The missile impacted the right tail thruster and detonated. Romeo-24 spiraled out of control and crashed into the trees a short distance away, before exploding into a violent firestorm.
Cal watched the Pelican go down with a sense of dread. That was their lifeline. Their last hope. Nevertheless, he kept fighting. He emptied four rounds into a CMA operative's chest, and the ammo counter on the MA5S read three rounds left. He dropped the mag and reached for a new one. To his growing horror, there were none left. He threw the rifle aside and pulled the SOCOM off his hip, shooting down a few
more hostile soldiers. As the weapon clicked, he didn't get a chance to reload. A gutsy marine charged him, and Cal drew his combat knife in an instant. The man blocked it with his bracer, and punched Cal in the stomach. ODST battle armor was designed to take punishment, and while the blow didn't hurt Cal in the slightest, it still threw him off balance slightly. The marine didn't relent, driving his steel-toed boot in his lightly armored side. Cal definitely felt that one, falling to his knees. The soldier attempted to kick Cal in the head, but he saw it coming this time. He grabbed the CMA marine's foot and twisted. The man screamed in pain and drew his pistol, aiming directly at Cal's head. Suddenly, the marine's chest exploded outwards in a hail of battle rifle fire. Standing over them was a female CMA marine holding an BR85, which she then used to gun down the rest of her comrades in the forest.
As soon as they were all dead, she spoke into her earpiece. "All hostile contacts down. Heavy casualties, but no medics needed. We're headed back now." She then took off her helmet and fired a burst directly into the comms unit. "Figured you'd show up eventually." She had a soft British accent, and short creamy blonde hair that was styled so it fell in a curtain in front of her eyes. It was clear the color came straight from a bottle. "The name's Madeline Smith. I'm with ONI." The ODSTs of the 105th looked at her suspiciously. "I actually have my ID here." She said, taking her boot off. From the heel, she produced an ONI ID. "Who's in charge of the squad?" She asked. Amari raised her free hand, the other one clutching a bullet wound in her side.
"Oh, shit." Cal breathed, before darting over to Amari to take care of her.
Madeline came over too, pulling out a first aid kit of her own. She and Cal began to
remove Amari's breastplate to get a better look at where she had been hit. "So what's an ONI spook doing here?" Amari wheezed as the armor came off. "I'm afraid that's classified, love." Madeline said tartly. "You got lucky." Cal told Amari. "The bullet just grazed you. You'll be okay, I just need to put a dressing on it."
"Ve need another Pelican, boss." Haley stated, still holding Wolfgang. "No, not yet." Madeline said. "What!" Cal exclaimed. "Wolfgang's hurt bad. He needs to get medical attention as soon as possible." "I'm aware of that, Sergeant Kransen, but if we call in another Pelican, it's going to meet the same fate as the last one." "I beg your pardon, but how the hell do you know my name and rank?" Cal said, irritated at the aloofness of ONI operatives. "I was briefed on your mission and personnel before you dropped. I've been on Eridanius-II for about three months now." Madeline said, a knowing smirk on her face. "And please, call me Madi." Cal sighed, not feeling like fighting any more. "Fine. And why can't we call down another Pelican?" "Due to the fact that rebel sympathisers on board the Crusader deliberately gave you bad intel. South of the city is bristling with anti-aircraft missile pods." She said gravely. "So what are you suggesting we do?" Amari interjected. "We need to destroy the AA batteries before another Pelican can be safely called in." Madi said. "Wolfgang's the only one who knows anything about explosives." Amari replied sadly. "Not quite." Cal contradicted. "I've done a bit of demo work. I can destroy the batteries." The others looked at him. "Why wasn't that in your file?" Amari asked quizzically. "It was part of my job in the private sector when I was a kid, that's probably why. Now, Haley, be a dear and pass me Wolfgang's satchel."
Wolfgang always carried a satchel full of handmade bombs and other instruments of destruction. Now, as Haley tossed him the pack, Cal hoped nothing was amiss. Sure enough, Wolfgang didn't disappoint. He had enough C-12 in here to level a city block, as well as a few molotov cocktails and captured plasma grenades. Cal really didn't know how this stuff didn't just spontaneously combust and kill them all.
As Amari watched Cal rifle through Wolfgang's bag of toys, she grew increasingly nervous. Were they going to get out of here? Would she and Cal ever get to be together? She shifted slightly and winced. This bullet wound hurt like hell, even though Cal had said she was going to be okay. She didn't really trust this ONI agent, but then again, no one ever really did. There were stories of ONI operatives killing squads and then erasing their files for jeopardizing their mission, but Madi hadn't shown any hostile intentions. At least, not yet.
Trying to be friendly, she tried small talk. "So, uh, Madi, what's your military rank?" Madi looked at her for a moment before answering. "Sergeant Major." "Nice. You went the enlisted route then?" "Clearly. In ONI, only the enlisted get field assignments, the officers work at a desk most of the time. I couldn't stand that." Madi finished. She looked around. "I thought there were five of you?" She asked, concerned. "We lost Jimmy in the atmosphere." Amari said wistfully. "Oh. I'm sorry. Are those his tags?" She pointed at the two sets of tags that hung around Amari's neck. "Hm? Oh, yeah. Cal went and found his pod after we landed. Snagged them while he was there." "I see. I really am sorry. I was an ODST too, for a little while. I know how close you guys get." Amari nodded. "I appreciate it."
Suddenly, Amari became aware of chatter coming from her helmet's comms, lying discarded a few feet away. She snagged it and put it on. "-I repeat, this message is being broadcast on an open channel. The Covenant are here." Amari took the helmet off, casting it aside. "We have a serious problem. The Covenant decided they wanted to finally glass Eridanius-II. Whatever we're doing, it needs to be done quick." Haley swore in Russian, Madi went pale, and Cal zipped up the satchel. Slinging it over his shoulder, he smiled. "This is perfect." Haley glowered at him. "Und how iz zis perfect!" She snarled. "A distraction for the rebels to deal with." Cal grinned. "Now, we should get going."
As the group moved along quickly, Wolfgang began to regain consciousness.
"Ulgh, holy hell. What happened? I can't feel my…" He stared at the stump where his right arm used to be. "Goddamnit, that was my favorite hand." He said, surprisingly calm. "Hey, Amari?" He called up to the front. She turned to face him. "Will I get more leave because I...well...you know, kind of need a prosthetic." She laughed and smiled. "Of course you will, I'll make sure of it." "Sweet. You can put me down now, Haley. I'm fine." She set him on his feet,and he took a few steps before collapsing again. Haley immediately picked him back up. "I don't think that's advisable." Cal stated absentmindedly. "You lost a lot of blood, Wolfgang. Take it easy." "Thanks, professor. My damn arm's gone, and you tell me I lost some blood?" Wolfgang snapped. Cal raised his eyebrows. Wolfgang's angry scowl turned into a saddened expression. "Sorry, mate. I guess I'm just kind of pissed about...well...you know. It's not your fault. I should have stayed behind cover." He turned to Amari next. "You avenged me, right?" She smiled. "You know it, buddy. Nobody outsnipes me."
They continued along their way, before Cal finally had the presence of mind to ask, "Hey, what are we going to do about weapons? All I have left is my SOCOM, and it only has a few rounds." Madi looked up from her tacpad. "What about Romeo-24? Surely it had a weapons locker on board." "How can you be certain?" Cal asked her. "Come on, Kransen. A Pelican gunship packing that much heat had to have a weapons locker." Cal shrugged. "Just asking." "Alright. Me and Kransen will go check out the wreckage. You guys keep going, we'll catch up." Madi said succinctly, already turning and heading towards the crash site.
As they approached it, Cal saw the Pelican was still mostly intact, just the tail section was missing. However, the rest of it still smoldered and had small tongues of flame licking at the fuselage. Cal knew the odds of finding any survivors were almost nil. As they approached the rear, near the ramp, they saw it was still open. As they moved in, Madi was the first to spot the locker. "Over here." She breathed, moving towards it. It was situated on the front bulkhead, near the pilot's cabin door. Madi placed her hand on the reader, and the locker popped open. Reaching inside, she removed two BR85 battle rifles, and tossed one to Cal. He shouldered the weapon, allowing his VISR to link to the weapon's scope. "Oh, baby." Madi said triumphantly, producing a jackhammer rocket launcher. Cal raised his eyebrows. "Need someone to carry that for you?" She smiled at him. "Would you, love?" She passed the launcher to him, and he slung it over his shoulder. The damn thing was heavy, weighing almost fifty pounds loaded. She proceeded to give him five full magazines of battle rifle ammo, as well as taking a few for herself. "Your lady-friend doesn't have a solid medium range weapon, does she?" Madi asked Cal questioningly. "My what? Uh, we're not like that...well...no." Cal trailed off. "Whatever you say, love. But I wasn't born yesterday. I see the way you two make eyes at each other. I'll just take this last rifle for her to complement that fancy sniper of hers."
As they moved out of the wreck, Cal decided to ask a question. "What were you doing here, anyway?" "What do you mean, love?" She replied. "Undercover. What were you doing posing as a CMA marine?" " Oh. Classified information, that." He looked at her. "You seriously think I'm going to blab to someone? Come on, what were you doing all the way out here on Eridanius-II?" She glared at him. "Fine, I'll tell you, since none of you will stop nagging. But if I hear any rumors about this floating around in the future, I will slit your throat. And that's a promise." She continued after the message had sunk in. "There are unconfirmed reports of the rebels trying to create Spartans. I'm sure you've heard of them." Cal nodded. He'd never actually seen a Spartan, but he knew the stories, or legends at this point. He'd heard that a single team of six Spartans had single-handedly killed thousands of Covenant troops and saved countless lives. However, the entire team perished when Reach fell. He'd also heard the story that a single Spartan was better than ten ODSTs. He didn't much care for that one. All in all, the Spartans were gods among men.
He nodded, adding, "And were those reports correct?" She looked grim. "Yeah." "So how advanced are they?" "Nowhere near as advanced as ours, but that hardly matters. They'll get better in time." "Than I suppose it's a good thing the Covenant's wiping out the planet." He said cautiously. She nodded. "I hate to see so many people die, but it's for the best."
As she finished, an Orbital Banshee screamed by overhead. The Orbitals were faster than a standard Banshee but handled far worse in atmospheric conditions, due to their odd front-swept wing design. Cal had always thought the Orbitals were beautiful, but had seen many good pilots die to them. The CMA anti-air batteries were doing a decent job of holding off the alien attackers, but they were fighting a losing battle. Missiles and plasma fire crisscrossed the sky above, and several Banshees exploded into small firestorms above.
"We need to move." Cal heard himself say, already running to the treeline. They were too late, however, as a hawk-eyed pilot had already spotted them. A line of plasma discharges stitched along the ground after them as they ran. They each got behind a separate tree, and the pilot looped around for another strafing run. This time, he opted to use the Banshee's fuel rod cannon. The explosion of green radioactive material landed just a few feet away from Cal's tree, and he used the opportunity of the Orbital's slow turn rate to his advantage. He sprinted back into the clearing, already hefting the jackhammer missile launcher. As it circled for another run, he heard the whine of a lock-on from the launcher. He depressed the trigger, and the rocket shot out of the tube, already set for the Banshee. The pilot tried to roll out of the way, but the Orbital proved too sluggish. The missile detonated, blowing the wing off in the process. As the Banshee spiraled down, Cal was already cycling the tubes on the launcher. Madi poked her head around from the tree, sighing in relief seeing Cal moving towards her. They continued, making their way to the CMA base. Once there, they met the rest of the squad.
"Do we really need to blow this place? I mean, the Covenant's going to do it for us anyway. Why don't we just book it?" Amari asked nervously, watching a Spirit dropship deposit several squads of Covenant infantry into the courtyard a short ways away. The Spirit began to lift off, but was struck by several SAMs and exploded. It didn't slow the Covenant juggernaut, with several more Spirits landing around them. Above, Phantom gunships orbited the base, raining plasma blasts like hellish starfire. "The batteries are still oriented to take target priority from UNSC craft. If we don't destroy them, our bird's not going to make it." Madi said, already taking some of the C-12 from Cal's bag. "Now, I'll take the left side. Cal, take the right. We'll meet back here when we've rigged all the batteries." She darted off, and Cal ran to the left. He moved out into the open, and the plasma from the Covenant's small-arms began to splash and sizzle around him. He made it to the first missile pod, and began wiring the C-12. The magnetic clamps grabbed ahold of the battery, and he twisted the handle on the detonator, before pressing the button to arm the explosives. He did this several more times, occasionally checking on Madi.
At last the final battery was rigged, and the two sprinted back to the forest. However, the Covenant infantry had gotten closer, and the two marines no longer had the element of surprise. As the two ran, a plasma discharge hit Cal in the ankle. He fell with a muffled "Shit!" and resumed trying to crawl after Madi. She turned and saw him, and motioned for the rest of the squad to give her cover. They complied, pinning down the Covenant attackers. Madi ran back, slinging Cal's arm over her shoulder and, moving as quickly as she could, made it back to the forest.
Amari was already requesting another Pelican, and Wolfgang had his thumb on the detonator. "Blow it!" Madi roared at him. He laughed hysterically and depressed the button. The anti-air emplacement erupted into a explosive pyre, incinerating the Covenant troops.
At last, the Pelican cruised along the treetops, fending off several Banshees in the process. As they watched, a marine with a jackhammer launcher opened the bay doors and shot a rocket, impacting one of the Banshees. It spiraled out of control, taking out two others. The remaining Banshees broke away, a pair of Shortsword interceptors in pursuit. The Pelican set down in the clearing previously set aside for Romeo-24, and the marines of the 301st ran as fast as they could to the ramp, the crew chief already on the ground and ushering them into the troop bay.
As the Pelican began to lift off, Cal saw several more Longswords arcing their way through the sky, their rotary cannons stitching lines of fire around the fleeing Covenant craft. He removed his helmet, letting it fall from his grasp onto the deck. He reclined his head in his jumpseat, closing his eyes and trying to ignore the blistering pain in his leg. Unconsciously, the medic inside of him was relieved. 'You can feel pain, means it's only a second-degree burn. It'll heal alright.' As he sat, he felt someone move across the cabin to sit by his side. He opened his eyes, and was greeted by the sight of Amari, grinning happily at him. Feeling Madi's eyes boring into him even without looking, he smiled back, and a moment later the two found themselves kissing. When they were finished, all eyes were on them. Amari blushed at her sudden outburst of affection, and Wolfgang whistled obnoxiously.
The Pelican finally docked on the UNSC Crusader, and as the bay doors opened, the squad froze, their jokes and banter forgotten. Standing at the foot of the ramp was a graying man with Colonel wings on his uniform. Madi strode down the ramp confidently, giving the officer a crisp salute. He saluted her in return, and motioned for her to follow him. As she walked away, she gave the 301st a casual wave over her shoulder. The others returned it, suddenly feeling the fatigue of the battle they had just won. The ship jumped into slipspace as soon as the final longswords had landed, and the doomed world was left behind.
Three Months Later
Cal and Amari sat together at the small cafe. The war was over. The legend known as the Master Chief had given the ultimate sacrifice for his race and was presumed dead, and the Covenant lay in splinters.
The Shangheli, formerly the Covenant's shock troops and military leaders, had allied with humankind and a few were trying to integrate into their culture. Cal nodded respectfully to one sitting in the booth opposite, who was struggling to drink a mocha through a straw with it's strange mouth configuration. It paused for a moment before smiling and nodding back. Other people were uneasy around the large aliens, and vice versa. Cal didn't mind them, and often helped them if he saw that they were struggling, such as now.
He couldn't be bothered, however, as his attention was focused solely on the beautiful woman sitting across from him. Amari's hair was down, her long, glossy black hair flowing down her shoulders and back. She was wearing a plain white shirt and jeans, looking just like any other civilian that worked out on a regular basis. He, by comparison, was wearing his dog tags, a drab shirt with the flaming skull of the 301st printed on it, and cargo pants. His leg had almost completely healed, leaving a small mass of scar tissue. You could definitely tell he was military. Or, rather, ex-military. He and Amari had resigned the moment they heard the war was over, and their enlistments were due to be up in a few weeks anyways.
Cal knew he had the eyes of every woman in the place, but there was only one pair he wanted. He and Amari had been seeing each other since their final mission, and he was finally ready. As they finished up, the two stood. Cal dropped to a knee, pretending to tie his shoe. Pulling a small box out of his heel, he looked up at her. She was as beautiful as a goddess, yet fierce as a warrior. He loved everything about her. He held out the small box, and her eyes widened. No words were needed, they both knew the answer. She took the ring and slid it onto her finger. The two left the cafe holding hands, Amari resting her head on Cal's shoulder.