ODST 17-17

Chapter 1

My eyes opened slowly as I woke from cryosleep along with my fellow ODST squad members. My squad was composed of 6 people and me that worked as a team for hell drops. Opening the cryotube I stepped out and staggered over to my locker that was ten feet away on the metal grated floor. My bare feet felt the cold steel under my feet as I walk across the floor to my locker and opened it as my mind started to put things together in order. We were on the UNSC Iroquois after a battle not too long ago with a group of twenty covenant ships with about forty-eight of our ships. When the battle had finished, It had been The Iroquois and six other UNSC vessels left where seven covenant ships fled. The Iroquois, which was us, had come to Reach for a debriefing and to give a message to superior officers.

Opening my locker I began to get into uniform as I look about and see my comrades starting to wake or starting to move about as I already was. First was the captain in charge of our squad who was Danial, a hardworking man who was too serious for my liking. Next was the second in command Anna who was more man than woman by how she acted all the time. After that was the twin demolition experts Tim and Tom who always got into trouble. Freddy was our local asshat heavy who liked guns more than people. Penny was the medical officer and local germ-a-phobic with a lotta issues. Finally was Billy the computer nerd with a hatred for military girls. I was the sniper of the group and probably the sanest of our group even if I spoke little to anyone.

We were Squad 777 of the Helldropers or ODSTs as some call us or as our nickname many called us Hell's angels. I was the fresh recruit for the group with no experience for this but a steady eye and hand for quick results. I finish putting on my clothes and walk silently along with Tim and Tom to the mess hall as they spoke.

"Hey Tom, you think the recruit here will speak for once unless ordered to?" ask Tim over my head at Tom

Tom shrugs and smiles at Tim as he replies, "I don't know. Never heard her do it. Could find out if we pushed her to the breaking point but she might kill us."

They chuckle as I glare at them both even as they towered over me. I was short at the height of 5'7 while most of the squad was the normal height of 6' something causing me to be the smallest of the group. Teased and sometimes even pranked as the new person I got irritated but stayed away from trouble so as to be the way I wished. No one except the Captain of the squad even knew I had a sword in my locker. I looked at a terminal to find out the date and saw that it was currently July 20, 2552 which meant we had arrived at the planet of Reach where we might be able to get some R and R. This sounded good as I needed a drink of some Vodka even if it tasted like shit.

The mess hall was partially open at this time but I hope that it will soon be crouded since the twins get bored to easily and cause trouble and with a bigger crowd that meant I could slip away and go to the training room to exercise properly to stretch my unused muscles. I walk alongside the twins to the food line where I notice squad 294 already formed and getting their food. Squad 284 has been a squad that seems to always be near mine whenever we did anything and that caused problems as they seemed to pick fights with us. I didn't like them to much but I was new so my opinion was not to solid on them yet except their captain was almost of a hardass as ours.

Finding myself behind the twins in line and noticing them smiling I knew trouble would hit very soon as I slowly got some distance between me and the twins as one of them got a ladle full of mashed potatoes and threw it at the Lieutenant of squad 294 which really pissed him off. Within seconds fists flew as I dodged out of the way and behind the counter where the cooks had ducked so as to hide from the fighting as I knew the odds were not in my favor even if it was expected of me to help the twins even if they caused it.

After about five minutes of a full on fist fight of about thirty people including my squad mates who had arrived on scene to join in the MPs soon arrive to stop the fighting all together. With the MPs holding everyone from continuing some one walked closer letting me hear their boots clicking on the metal floor as they approached and stood on the other side of where I was hiding.

The voice spoke up letting me know it was Gunnery Sargent Fin who was speaking, "I would like to know why the hell you ODSTs are fighting each other upon waking up at the arrival or our latest mission. I don't want any of your bullshit either about how someone deserved it or how someone slipped. I want the truth and damn it I want it now."

I rose from behind the counter knowing that I was gonna need to cool things down before all my squad got put in the brig again. Last time it was cause of a training accident that involved explosives and 294 in the middle of them.

"I am at fault sir. I threw a spoon of mashed potatoes at Squad 294's LT because of a comment he made about one of my squad sir." I said causing everyone to notice the small woman behind the food counter.

I watch as Fin turns around slowly with the deadliest glare I had seen from him since we met a year ago. He looks at me dead in the eye and asks, "And what might I ask was the comment they said recruit?"

Knowing that if I did a single thing wrong than he would know I was lying I looked him in the eyes and said, "They commented on how we always stole kills from them and how the twins caused more deaths for our people then the enemy."

One of the younger guys in squad 294 blurted out with anger before any of his team could stop him, "You little lying bitch. You are spouting bullshit."

Seeing me giving no signs of lying and also hearing someone near the same as me in rank saying bad remarks about me, Fin turns to 294 and says, "This is your last warning for causing trouble. I have had it with the shit you and squad 777 are doing but I have no need of your petty remarks about each other. For causing this shit squad 294 will be in the brig without leave for a week. Squad 777 will be watched and any sign of trouble from squad 777 will cause the same treatment as squad 294. Dismissed."

The MPs slowly break away from my squad and help squad 294 to be taken to the brig even as the recruit they had seemed pissed as hell. My squad slowly surrounded me where they patted my shoulders lightly to show their thanks for the close save as some glare at the twins for causing trouble once again.

The Mess hall slowly calms down and order comes back into place as more people start to arrive and everyone gets food to sit down and eat while talking to their squads. Mine sat alone at a table far to side as others grouped together to talk. I myself sat isolated from my squad a few chairs distance where I comfortably ate in silence while watching them talk and smile. I was younger than my transcripts said I was, I was 18 right now while my transcripts said I was 3 years older. Being a hacker and knowing things I shouldn't know constantly kept me weary of people I didn't know that would try to talk to me. My team didn't even know my name since I never gave it and all they could call me was by my number which was 17-17. Later they started calling me Lili because of it if you turned the numbers upside down in a calculator from the old days.

The food was hard to eat since it didn't taste all that good but it went down and stayed in my stomach so I wasn't complaining.

After a bit and with me about to get up to leave while everyone else in my squad was halfway done I see Anna look at me before she says, "Lili, thank you."

I nod knowing that Anna rarely said anything nice to people but didn't care much. As long as I did my job I really didn't care about much. Putting my food tray in the been for dishes I walk out of the mess hall and down the hallway in a series of left turns and right turns to arrive five minutes later at the training area where I went to a padded mat and I started my exercises that helped stretch my muscles and get me ready for my real fighting practice for today. I did hope someone challenged me as I needed a way to take my stress out on someone. As I do my exercises I see something quite odd to see in the training room. I saw someone in full power armor across the room which made me wonder who it was. I didn't remember their being anyone who had applied on the ship for power armor training as the only people allowed wearing that was Spartans and I hadn't seen any Spartans on the rooster for the ship. His armor seems to be a green neutral tone with a gold visor for the standard Spartan and he was massive in size standing above others my height even as those few here seemed to give him distance.

My curiosity starts to get the better of me as I stop stretching and head towards the Spartan as I grab two of the training sticks made of bamboo that I had gotten special for this stuff. As I walk over I notice all eyes on me until I stand twenty feet behind the giant of a Spartan and I toss one of the training swords as I step hard on the ground to alert him to my presence. Looking towards me he sees the stick flying towards him and grabs it while looking at me, which I assume he is since all I see is the visor. I gesture towards the padded mats and swing my bamboo stick about as I stare at him not saying a work but I think he gets the clue since he nods. Heading to the padded mats I stand waiting with my bamboo stick in hand as she walks over and a crowd starts to form around us as I see one person run out the door probably to tell everyone about the match.

Walking slowly in a circle we watch each other for the slightest mistake in foot work or gesture to strike only to notice we both seem too good for that before stopping. My stick is held like a staff in my arms as I had been taught by Master Quin-Pi and wait patiently for him to strike knowing neither of us would leave an opening unless to trap the other. Suddenly he strikes forward with his wooden stick almost catching my face with his sudden speed but I duck under in time and jump up as I bring my stick down toward his right shoulder at the joint with a good amount of force only for him to dodge and swing again towards my legs as I land. Landing I instantly do a back flip and use my stick to reach higher into the air to push off and land behind him as I swing around to catch him in the back. I hear the crowd cheering and making bets as I miss him when he rolls away and comes up to stand ready for my next strike.

"I bet 180 credits she losses." Yells one in the crowd

"200 that she wins." Says another

"She's gonna be killed. That's a Spartan." Says another.

There words and action mostly say that I will lose this but I knew that from the start. He was to good and I was not going to be able to keep this up for to long since each time he swung I had to concentrate fully in order to dodge each of his strikes and yet he needed almost nothing to dodge mine. We continue for another 10 minutes of this sweaty and active battle as the crowd grows. It had originally been about 30 people but it probably had grown to about a hundred in no time flat as more kept coming in. ODSTs cheered for me while marines and the sailors cheered for the Spartan. I already knew the outcome but I decided that if I was going to go down I might as well go out with a bang.

I lung forward with as much speed as I can getting in close to the Spartan as I hold my stick with both hands like a staff and I swing at him in a series of attacks towards his chest and arms knowing he would block each one before I crouch and jump using my training to go over him where I grab onto his helmet and use the leverage to land to the side where I jab forward with my stick to try and hit him. His speed seems almost unhuman as he dodges each strike I try to land and finally he gets a hit through onto my arm making it numb from the hit as I go flying back about twenty feet and land on the edge of the mat.

I had lost to the Spartan with a single hit. My arm should have been broken but he had held back. I was mad because he had been holding back the entire match and that was making me lose my composure which I had kept in place the whole time I had been in the UNSC and this bastard had been holding back. Getting up with surprising ease I walk over to the Spartan and look him right in the visor before I say my first words that surprised everyone there.

"You fucking bastard, you held back even though I wanted you to go full strength. You have made a fool of me knowing that. I am dishonored because of you." I walk off angry as everyone starts to mutter among themselves which I hear until the door shuts.

"The Spartan dishonored her?"

"She was mad she lost, that's all."

"Did he really hold back?"

"She's a sore loser."

"Hey pay up man."

That damn Spartan had made a fool out of me knowing full well I would notice with that last hit. He knew and yet he fucking showed me how weak I was compared to him. I hated him for it and yet a small part of me liked that he had held back. Shaking my head I head to the barracks where I lay on bed and waited for everyone to arrive which was very soon as they got news of what had happened with the damn Spartan.

Anna probably knew I would be here since he came running right up to my bunk and grabs me by my collar and shakes me as she yells, "What the hell were you thinking?"

I stay silent as I look her in the eyes to show her I had my reasons even as she shakes me still while she still seems angry at me.

"You could have gotten killed. Spartans are killers and you wanted to spar with him? Are you fucking insane? Speak damn it." She yells at me while still shaking me.

I am tired of this and using a few martial arts moves I flip her onto her back while sitting on her chest and speak, "I have my reasons. I have done it. I know what I needed to know. Now stop."

I get up and lay back on my bed as she blinks up at the ceiling wondering why she is on the ground before her full rage comes on and she attack me which I quickly dodge out of the way and behind the twins who had just come through the door that was next to my bunk. The twins wonder what is going on until they see the anger filled face of Anna as I quickly depart to let her cool off while probably getting in a fight with the twins.

Walking the corridors I find myself constantly stared at and talked about in whispers since rumor of the fight had spread around. I finally find myself as a port window where I stare at the planet called Reach which was where we were reporting to. The place was supposed to look like Earth but I had never been to Earth so I wouldn't know. The place looks so green and blue like a piece of art that would soon look like this ship if we humans live on it to much.

The speakers overhead go on and the Captain of the ship says, "This is your captain speaking. All non-ship personnel please take your nearest shuttle to the surface. Your commanding officer will give you your debriefing shortly."

I sigh and head for my squads room which causes me to pass by the Spartan who is heading for the shuttle bay behind me. As he passes he says, "Sorry."

I small smile appear on my lips as I keep running and I soon find myself with my squad who is all getting in gear. I start doing the same as Danial says, "Okay troopers, seems some inserectionists have started a campaign on the ground and we got to drop behind enemy lines so as to stop them. We are going in hot and will be landing in a supposed hot LZ so make sure to stay in the cluster and do not I repeat do not ingage the enemy by yourself unless need be. Get suited up and meet at the pods because boys and girls we just lost our R and R."

Getting in gear I look at my helmet where it says Lili and rub it a little before putting my helmet on. I head a few feet down to where my weapons were. I had a couple of fragmentation grenades, a few magazines of .50 sniper ammo for my S2 AM Sniper Rifle, and about 4 magazines for my BR55 Battle Rifle. With these I put them in their rightful places on my belt and my leg compartments as I slip a knife into each arm sheath I have. After that I grab my sniper rifle and Battle rifle which I take with me to my pod as I follow my squad to the drop pod bay. Finding my pod I put both of my weapons into their racks inside my drop pod where I make sure they are secured before getting in myself and strapping myself in as I wait. Everyone had to be in there drop pods and the signal for the go ahead had to be sent before the drop pods would start.

The signal goes through and I feel my pod being lowered as I grab the controls for emergency movement incase we had incoming anti air defenses that would start shooting at us. The jerk of of the pod being detatched from the ship is small but the boosters on the top begin as I am pushed back into my seat while I plummet to the planet at increasing speeds behind my squad that were all in front of me. Seems we were heading in fast as the planet soon becomes beigger then my view of it and I start to see clouds pass were the braking system starts.

Our decent was good until Tim seems to lose his braking gear and he plummets past everyone but not before my front glass plate for my pod is hit by one of his braking pads almost shattering it and making it impossible to see anything until the landing which comes all too soon and my head hits one of the hand rails as my seat jerks causing me to pass out.