"Sir! We've just left UNSC space!" Echo Two said, announcing what was already obvious.
"Echo Two, you need to loosen up a little. Just because it's protocol doesn't mean that you have to point out what we already know," Echo Five said.
"And you, Echo Five, need to learn how to speak when spoken to. May I remind you that I outrank you?" Echo Two chided.
"Hey, I'm just giving some friendly advice, so if you'd kindly-"
"Will you both just shut up? We're out of the clear zone and I need to focus. Just a few more hours an we'll be at the asteroid belt," Echo One pointed out, frustrated with his new team. He'd known them all for years, but this was his first mission since gaining command of a full squad. He didn't want his men's mindless bickering to distract him.
They'd been traveling through space in their corvette for two weeks now. It was small, with just a few cots, and manned entirely by their all-Spartan team. Their mission was to destroy a covenant base that had sprung up on an asteroid far too close to UNSC space for comfort. The job was simple. Run and Gun they'd called it back before deployment. Get into the base, blow it sky-high, then get out. Still, they didn't have much information on how many covenant troops would be there, or how to blow it up.
Echo One's crew started readying their gear (or in Echo Five's case, polishing his sniper rifle), checking their fuel supplies, stocking up on ammo, and looking over their armors. Although it took a good hour and a half to check all the equipment, there was plenty of time left for waiting.
Whereas most of Echo squad was cool and collected, Echo One was nervous. This mission could end up badly if only because of the lack of confirmed information on the targeted base, he thought. And he definitely didn't want to screw up on his first mission. He also cared about his soldiers, and didn't want them to die painful deaths in an area where their bodies wouldn't even make it back to base.
Echo Two was annoyed at Echo Five, but kept driving. Even though he wanted to brain Echo Five for being so disrespectful, that would've been out of protocol. Echo Two believed in the military laws and protocols. He knew that laws kept order, and order kept peace, and peace kept happiness. So he followed it down to the dot. He knew that if they just followed their orders, they would successfully complete the mission without any losses.
Echo Three did what he always did when Echo Two and Echo Five started arguing like children. In the two short weeks that he'd come to know everyone but Echo One ,who was someone he'd met way before he'd been inducted into this squad, he'd learned to ignore them.
Echo Four chuckled inside his helmet. He knew that trying to stop these arguments would result in him getting yelled at by Echo Two, which was always annoying. Although he didn't really like Echo Two, he understood his reasons behind being so strict. Something about order breeding peace. Echo Five was cool sometimes, but he could be really annoying sometimes, too. So Echo Four settled to staying out of the arguments.
Echo Five laid back down on his cot, happy to have finished his argument with Echo Two. He always found it funny to listen to the guy yell at him for ridiculous reasons.
If only Echo Two would relax a little, then maybe Echo Five would be a little happier with his squad. Echo Two just ruined all his hard-earned fun, Echo Five thought.
Echo Six stayed silent throughout this exchange, and stared out the window thinking about this mission they were on. He was wondering about how this squad would fit together during any mission if they were at such odds. To him, it wasn't about protocol, or relaxing. It was about teamwork to Echo Six.
Echo Seven sighed in her helmet. Sometimes these guys could be so stupid. She wished she didn't have to listen to these annoying conversations. Sure, she got along with all her squad mates. In their own ways, they were all good, nice people.
If they didn't have to work together in such close quarters, maybe there wouldn't be so much friction between them, but hey? What can you do? She thought to herself.
The last few hours of the flight passed without incident. There were no more arguments, no faulty equipment, and no problems. As the asteroid's gravity started pull down on the nose of the corvette, Echo Two started to adjust the Corvette's angling to pull off a smooth landing. Everyone stood in silence as the corvette slowly pulled down to the asteroid, waiting for the exit ramp to extend to the ground so they could get out and finish the mission.
"This is Spartan Ben-A246, calling in to report that Echo Team has arrived at the destination," Echo One said while the exit ramp slithered down to the surface of the asteroid.
"Thank you Spartan A246, we are now going let you talk to your new tactical support, who will give you your mission's details," replied ONI Headquarters.
Echo One waited a few seconds for his radio to connect with the newest member of his team, and got ready to introduce himself.
"This is Spartan Ben-A246 spe-"
"I already know who you are, Ben. Do you really think command would've assigned me to a new team without giving me any background information? By the way, I'm Rachel Goldman, you new ONI tactical support. Pleased to meet you," said Rachel.
"Pleased to meet you to, Ms. Goldman. Now, I'm assuming you have our orders for the rest of this mission?" Echo One said, in a formal tone.
"Yup. They're very simple. 'We need Echo Team To go into this covenant base and demolish it by any means necessary. It would preferable if you could steal some information along the way,'" Rachel said in a mocking tone, "Or at least, that's what they told me."
"So, are we allowed to go in now?" Echo One asked.
"that base needs to be gone by the end of the week. You can start the operation whenever you like, as long as it stays within that time frame," Rachel said.
Echo One switched off his radio, and announced to his squad,
"Alright Echo Team. I've received our orders. We need to get in and demolish that base by any means necessary before the week's end. When do you guys want to go?" Echo One said.
"I'm bored as hell right now. Can we go right now? We're already prepared for the mission anyway." Echo Five said.
Echo Four said, " I have to agree with Echo Five. I'm really bored right now."
Echo Two said, "I hate to agree with Echo Five, but we're already prepared and we should get it done early."
"Now or never," Echo Seven said.
"Alright, that's majority. We're going out now," Echo One declared.
Everyone walked out of the corvette, ready for action. Crouching in craters and hiding in shadows to avoid detection, they slowly made their way to the covenant base. After about fifteen minutes of sneaking across the asteroid, they came across the first covenant patrol.
The group was made of an elite, leading four grunts, with two jackals bringing up the rear.
Echo Five said, "Sir, we've got some fresh meat out there. Want me to take care of them?"
"Sure, Echo Five. Just put on your silencer and make sure they don't notice us. We want to stay unknown as long as possible." Echo One ordered.
Echo Five took aim with his SRS99 AM sniper rifle, aiming to take out the elite first. As a bullet flew through the unsuspecting elite's eye, Echo Five had already taken aim on one of the jackals. He scoped into the purple spray coming from the elites face, and shot where he saw the jackals form shifting around. As the form of the jackal hit the ground with a thud, his head bleeding all over the ground, Echo Five grinned, and shot the other jackal in the chest. As the second jackal fell, the grunts realized what was happening, and started to run around screaming at the top of their lungs. Echo Five took one more shot, both grunts running into the bullet. The first grunt fell to the ground bleeding from his abdomen, while the second grunt ran for awhile longer after having his methane supply tank shot off. The other two grunts were both shot in the head, adding their bright blue blood to the increasingly colorful puddle around them.
Echo Five walked back to his team nonchalantly, grinning at how successful his sniping had been. In less than fifteen seconds, he'd killed eight people, without a single missed shot. Sometimes, he loved his job.
"It's over. Those poor soldiers are down for the count," Echo Five said over his radio.
"Good job, Echo Five. I'm glad I have such a good sniper on my team," Echo One replied.
The team kept on toward the base, staying silent. Although they did not, or maybe because they did not, find any more patrols, the team was anxious. Usually a base of this size would have a larger cover force. Either this base wasn't very important, which was unlikely as it was so close to UNSC space, or it's soldiers were otherwise occupied. Afterabout another thirty minutes of walking, the covenant base was in view. Echo One decided that it would be best to stay undercover in a nearby crater and observe the base for some time before rushing into it and getting killed.
As the team settled down into comfortable positions inside their crater, they zoomed in on the base with their visors, looking for something interesting. They all knew they'd be there awhile, a few hours at least, so they started searching intently for anyway to blow up the facilities inside the base, or at least for some soldiers.
"I find it unnerving at how few soldiers are at a base this size," Echo One said.
"Well, sir, I guess that's why were watching it. We need some explanations on this op. We've just got such little Intel from HQ, " Echo Two said.
"I guess we'll just have to wait and see, Echo Two. Now lets get back to our scouting," Echo One said, ending the conversation.