Author's Note: To Anybody that has been reading Lone Wolf, Drag'lan Sorell will be making an appearance in this story, but this is not necessarily the only timeline that can happen.
Prologue: M.I.A.
Grefor was moving in with his team towards a Xenomorph hive. This mission just didn't sit well with him. But then again, if they doubted he wouldn't get the job done, why would they send him?
"Alright, people." He said. "We got two things wrong here. First, this is a Xenomorph hive. Second, there have been covenant sightings in the area."
"So, what?" Jenkins, a soldier fresh out of boot said. "We can handle them."
"It's not them on their own that bothers me." Grefor said. "It's the idea of them mixed that bothers me."
"So, you're scared." Jenkins said.
"Listen, Meat." Grefor said, using the name he gave new soldiers that ticked him off. "You wanna find out why they gave me the callsign 'Blade' the hard way?"
"No, sir." Jenkins said, shutting up.
"Now, check your firing lanes and keep your eyes open." Grefor said. "Here we go."
He removed his shotgun from its harness and activated the flashlight on it and his chest piece.
The lights danced across the walls and ceiling. Then his motion tracker started going off.
"Alright people, weapon check." He said. "Infantry, you ready?"
"Ready." Jenkins, Fred and Kaila said. They were classified as "Infantry" because their primary weapons were standard-issue Assault Rifles.
"CQB, you ready?" Grefor asked.
"Ready." Alex and Jacob, the shotgun wielders said.
"Marksmen, you ready?" Grefor asked.
"Ready." Jenny, Gregory, and David said. They were holding DMRs.
"Yo, Heavy. You ready?" Grefor asked to Frank.
"You know it!" Frank said, bringing up his grenade launcher. On his back, a rocket launcher was strapped in.
Then the signals of movement were beginning to get closer and closer. Then they just stopped.
"Shit." Grefor said. "Keep your eyes peeled. They've set an ambush."
"What do you-"
A black form darted from the wall, tackling Jenkins. As he was pulled along the ground, Jenkins' gun fired for a good few seconds while he yelled and screamed before his voice was cut off.
That's when the entire situation went to hell. The whole team, aside from Grefor, ran out the entrance they had used as fast as they could, only they didn't make it. The Xenomorphs flew from all directions, butchering the soldiers one after another. Quickly, Grefor was the only one left.
"Alright, you damn motherfuckers." He said, switching the shotgun to semi-auto mode and slamming the pump back, locking it there. "Come get some, then."
He then started walking back towards the entrance. As he went, the Xenomorphs tried to tackle him, but his shotgun went off again, and again. As he fired, the rounds shattered into sharp shrapnel coated in a gelatinous basic compound upon impact, to prevent their blood from spraying on him.
After he left the hive, he caught a very disturbing transmission.
"The mission was a success." A voice said. "The Task Force was wiped out. Pull all military forces off the planet. We're done here."
"What the fuck is going on here?" Grefor asked nobody in particular. "What did that transmission mean by 'The mission was a success.'?"
As he walked back towards the compound, he saw multiple Pelicans lift off.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY DOING?!" He yelled. "They're leaving me here!"
Then he ran to the compound and saw that everything was busted. Shot up. Apparently, whoever was running the show wanted no evidence to be found. However, they left behind a single Pelican.
"What the fuck is going on?" Grefor said as he walked towards the dropship. "This shit ain't normal. But the UNSC had been becoming rather annoyed with me, so maybe this isn't such a bad thing. I always wanted to be a mercenary."
As he got into the dropship and took off, he knew he had to go one place: home. He had to get some knowledge of a place where work as a mercenary wasn't in short supply, at least until he could accrue a decent amount of money. If there was anyone he knew that could know that kind of information, it was his father.