"Well, there goes the ship."An Orbital Drop Shock Trooper commented as he watched from the window in the bumblebee- class lifeboat.
"And is that a bad thing, Dutch?" His partner in crime replied, witnessing the Winter-class Prowler blow up in a massive ball of flames.
"Have a little more respect, Romeo. I have no more respect for the spooks either, but they're just doing their job."
Alpha-Nine was heading to Draco III to recapture the capitol building from Insurrectionists. While en route, Rookie and Buck found a mole that placed a bomb onboard the vessel. Unfortunately, most of the crew did not evacuate on time once it started to count down.
"LOCK IT UP!" Buck snapped. "We need to focus on surviving, not listening to bickering about shady O.N.I. business." He declared before his eyes landed on the only spook survivor. "Sorry, Veronica."
"Not. One. Word."
"Well to be fair." Dutch started. "She is a spook."
The Gunny's head instantly focused on the Heavy Weapon's specialist. "And what is that supposed to mean?"Edward demanded, clenching his fist.
"What Boo is trying to say." Another voice piped in, belonging to Private First Class Gretchen Ketola-Miles. "Is why should we have a spook onboard... Isn't that right hon?"
Corporal Taylor 'Dutch' Miles had to grin at his spouse for backing him up and it infuriated the Gunnery Sergeant and the O.N.I. agent that the Helljumper pair are being insubordinate.
"Supplies will last longer if we kick her out into space Gunny." Lance Corporal Agu suggested.
"We will not be throwing anyone out!"
Meanwhile, James Durant aka Rookie decided to take a peek at what's going on and upon seeing that it was Buck in his usual state of grumpiness at the other's shenanigans, the Trooper decided to head back to sleep, but not before making sure his noise canceling feature inside his helmet was on.
Dare in the meantime decided to get the situation under control. "Major? Please control your men."
Now, this wasn't just any Helljumper, the woman Dare was talking to was a former Captain in the United Nations Space Command Army and was both feared and respected by even the lowliest Marine, Sailor, and Airman thanks to her reputation.
"And why should I?" The Brit snorted. " I do not trust any bloody spook and I rather trust a Chav from Liverpool over a field operative that modified the trajectory of drop pods over New Mombasa."
"Do not make me charge you with insubordination Major." Captain Dare warned the second highest ranking and only other officer onboard.
"Who are you going to contact? Command?Last time we check the damn traitor sabotaged our communications and we're lucky that the wanker did not hotwire this pod...So, now could you please do shut up?"
"Why you!.."
Meanwhile, in the background, a third war hero, a man who survived constant sieges and a survivor of Installation 04 aka Halo, and the Ark in addition to being the only Hyper Lethal Vector who was not a Spartan waited as his fiancée argued with a spook. 'Three...Two...One...' He sighed as the only non-UNSC personnel aboard counted down before a massive tirage ensued.
"And do I give a bloody fuck over what the goddamn Office of Naval Intelligence thinks?! Where were you when Reach was being invaded by the Covenant?! Where were you when the Flood landed on Earth?! And where were you while the Insurrectionists started to reappear?!..."
Nate, the United States Marine Corps MARSOC Raider assigned as a Military attache to the bunch of misfits designated Alpha-Nine of the UNSC sighed as Lizzie unleashed her wrath at the other blonde and the former Private First Class, now Sergeant Meyer decided to put on 'Country Boy Can Survive' by Hank Williams Junior and placed the earpiece in his ears as the song played.
The preacher man says it's the end of time
And the Mississippi River she's a-goin' dry
The interest is up and the Stock Market's down
And you only get mugged if you go downtown
I live back in the woods, you see
My woman and the kids, and the dogs, and me
I got a shotgun, a rifle, and a 4-wheel drive
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive
I can plow a field all day long
I can catch catfish from dusk 'til dawn
We make our own whiskey and our own smoke, too
Ain't too many things these old boys can't do
We grow good old tomatoes and homemade wine
And a country boy can survive
Country folks can survive
Nearby, Private First Class Michael 'Mickey' Crespo spotted something off to the port side as he flew the bumblebee.
"Guys?" He started, but the arguing continued. "GUYS?!"
At once, the bickering ended and Buck's ears perked up. "What is it, Mickey?"
"We got half of a ship off of our port side."
"What's the designation?" Dare's asked.
"Uhhh.." For a sec, the ODST explosives expert and 'unofficial' pilot thought he dreaming, but upon rubbing his eyes, it appeared not to be the case. "You're not going to believe this. I think we found the Chief."
.
.
.
Outside, deep in space, the words 'UNSC Forward Unto Dawn' can be seen clearly on the hull.
It took a while for the survivors of the UNSC Blackhorse to land inside the derelict. Mostly due to a pointless and endless argument over who is in command.
But eventually, it was decided that there will be a compromise: Major Farrington will be in command until Sierra-117 and other possible surviving crewmembers of the Dawn are found and since the Spartans are under ONI command, Captain Dare will takeover.
Besides, there was a possibility that an 'old friend' from Installation 04 and the Ark would be waiting aboard for the Brit and Hoosier.
"Buck? I would like you to take Nate, Romeo, and Miss O.N.I. to search the starboard side. Dutch, Gretchen, Rookie, and I will search the port side and we'll regroup on the bridge."
"Miss O.N.I., huh?" The Gunnery Sergeant questioned as the Major left with her group.
"Don't start it, Edward." She growled."Let's just get this over with."
Nate glanced over to his fellow sharpshooter and glared angrily at him. A few weeks earlier onboard the UNSC Annihilator, the Raider caught the perverted prick taking photos of Liz while she was showering in her private quarters.
Needless to say, the former USMC Military Policeman gave the Fireball a beating he will never forget and Agu was very lucky that the Major did not pursue a court-martial. Instead, the Englishwoman decided to allow the United States Marine to dish out a special session of 'exercises'.
The Hoosier was pretty damn sure that after the 'workout session', Romeo suffered an extreme case of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder whenever the Raider is around and add to the fact that the copycat's squad leader and the resident spook are around, the sniper will most certainly be on his best behavior.
"Sergeant?" The voice of the field agent instantly brought the Raider's attention back from his memories.
"Yes, ma'am?"
"You were at the Ark, correct?"
Nodding his head in affirmative, the American remembered how he and his squad were deployed to prevent Truth from firing the Halo arrays and to assist UNSC forces when possible. "Yes and I believe we better be on the lookout for the Flood. I do not want to take the chance of having any stragglers onboard this vessel, ma'am." Meyer declared as he cocked the charging handle of his M7S Submachine Gun. "Be aware that they may be in ventilation shafts and any other nook and crannies the size of a squirrel because the little facehuggers are intelligent bastards." He warned before adding. "And it is just like Aliens and Half-Life, except that this is the real deal."
"Are you sure it was wise to split-up?" Romeo asked, now having doubts because of learning that the Flood may be onboard. Alpha-Nine was extremely lucky that they hadn't been deployed to either Voi or the Ark during the African campaign, but now if they were indeed aboard this 'fine' vessel, it will be the trooper's first encounter with the real life horror.
"Lizzie knows what she's doing." Nathan grinned. "Besides, you have me covering your ass."
"Well, that's reassuring." He said sarcastically.
"Enough you two!" Buck snapped for the hundredth or so time today. "We better get moving because we got a lot of ground to cover and I. Do. Not. Want to stand here only to get surrounded by an extraterrestrial parasite if they are onboard the Dawn."
Seeing the wisdom in the Gunnery Sergeant's words, the group began their search for the Chief.
Please let me know what you think so far.
Also, I want to let you know that this will be updated sporadically for now since I still have to finish Halo: Always Faithful Always Forward, but this story will be updated more regularly after I complete the 'prequel'.
