Chapter 1: Uninhabited
July 9th 2553, Surface of Victoria
The forest teems with activity. Creatures resembling monkeys from Earth scale the high tree line, leaping across the air from tree to tree. Flocks of birds fly above the forest, they're ample in numbers. The trees are large, dwarfing even the largest of Oak trees on Earth with vines hanging down from broad branches hundreds of meters in the air.
The forest goes quiet as men in dark suits tread across the forest, each one having their guns pointed at different directions. The men wear black armoured suits, each of the wearers being Orbital Drop Shock Troopers, the most elite of the UNSC Marine Corps.
The ODSTs remain silent moving towards the objective highlighted by the Heads Up Display inside their helmets. Their displays also shows a targeting reticule, weapon information, ammo capacity, and a basic health readout. The ODSTs are given the most sophisticated equipment in the whole Marine Corps with only the SPARTAN Program overshadowing them.
Jaeger squad was the first squad to reach their first objective, followed by Tiger and Crimson.
"This is Jaeger One to all teams, Jaeger Squad has reached the first objective, awaiting other teams, over."
"Roger, Tiger complies."
"Crimson copies."
The men of Jaeger Squad take cover behind a large boulder which was sitting next to a stream flowing downhill.
"This place is amazing, I'd definitely take my wife here had she survived the glassing of Reach."
"How the hell did she fall for someone like you?" Replied Colton (Jaeger Three) reminding Hartley (Jaeger Five) of his some-what sociopathic personality.
Hartley grins.
"Watch your sectors, we don't know if rogue Covenant are on this planet." said Walker (Jaeger Lead) in a direct tone.
"Lead, Tiger squad approaching from the West."
"Copy Two, give them the signal."
Jaeger Two signals the other squad, giving them the all clear to advance. They see the signal and make their way towards Jaeger's position, scanning the forest as they tread slowly. They reach the stream and set up a perimeter around the boulders.
"Where's Crimson?" asked Walker to Tiger Lead.
"Not far behind, one of their pods had trouble opening, should be fine."
Walker nods at the fellow ODST and turns to Walsh (Tiger Two) who was crouching behind a rock.
"Have Colton and Hartley scout a two hundred meters ahead."
"You really think Colton and Hartley can work together?" replied Walsh in a slightly sarcastic but professional tone.
Walsh was Walker's second in command, his most trusted out of the five men.
"Just do it." Walker shoots back.
Walker turns back to the other squad leader who aiming his weapon downstream.
"We're sitting ducks, Crimson better move fast or I'm moving without them." Said Walker in an impatient tone.
"Do so, we'll wait back here for Crimson, and resistance should be very unlikely at the outpost."
Taking the other squad leader's advice, he gets up and rallies the rest of the squad, signaling them to move forward. All three men sit up from their cover positions and advance towards Colton and Hartley's position, leaving only the five men from Tiger back at the boulders.
In front of the Squad, Colton and Hartley are crouched behind another boulder, both men are pointing their guns in the opposite direction of each other.
"So what exactly happened to you in New Mombasa?" asked Hartley.
"What?"
"Just a rumor I heard from the other lads, they said you hit on an ONI chick."
Colton sighs.
"I had no idea at the time, she was in civilian clothing."
"Is that so?"
"How was I supposed to know ONI hired models to do their dirty work?"
"And I swear, she checked me out first."
Hartley starts laughing in pity, however gets interrupted by the radio.
"Jaeger Three and Jaeger Five, hold your positions, we're coming your way." Said Walker over the radio.
"Roger that Jaeger Lead, all's clear from here." Replied Colton.
"Just don't bring it up around the others."
The rest of the team arrive and continue towards the Military outpost, diverging from the path of the stream. The team heads to an area resembling the landscape on a Halo ring, an area plotted with hills and pine trees. They move quickly but carefully, the planet may be deemed "uninhabited" but that doesn't mean that danger isn't present. The team stop at the edge of a high cliff, each of the men take cover behind rocks and pine trees. Hartley, the team's designated marksman, lies flat on the ground. He brings up his SRS99-S5 AM (or, Sniper Rifle System 99-S5 Anti-Matériel) and looks into the scope.
"Outpost is up ahead, engineers obviously had a taste for crude metalwork."
"Any sign of the occupants?" Asked Walker.
"Beckett (Jaeger Four) has more life." Answered Hartley in his usual humorous tone.
Beckett doesn't reply, he was the squad's mute, the silent but deadly type of soldier. He has a habit of making his kills quick and clean, usually slitting throats open, or in more heated situations, shooting heads off with his custom made black BR85HB SR (or Battle Rifle).
"Jaeger One to all teams, Outpost has been spotted 500 meters from our position." Said Walker over the radio.
There's nothing but static over the radio.
"I say again, Outpost has been spo-"
"THIS IS TIGER LEAD, WE'RE BEING AMMBUSHED, REQUEST IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE, WE'RE STILL AT THE RENDEZVOUS POINT, UNKNOWN NUMBER OF-" the audio stops.
"TIGER ONE WE'RE EN-ROUTE TO YOUR POSITION." Shouts Walker over the radio.
A loud explosion is heard off in the distance, followed by the sound of small-arms fire.
"We need to move, NOW!"
The whole squad looks stunned, none of them expected life on the planet, let alone a surprise attack by unknown assailants. Each of them thought this would be a routine scouting mission on some uninhabited planet. Just as the squad beings to move, streaks of purple spikes rain down upon them.
Plasma rounds.