I don't own Halo, Bungie does. I only own the characters, excluding those mentioned in any game, book or comic copyrighted by Bungie or 343 Industries or Microsoft.
Also, if you feel compelled, I have opened up a twitter account for my FanFiction stuff. E_J_C_Graves
October 17, 2551
14:38 Hours, Reach Time
Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Training
Trainee group 35408
Drop Training 3
Live Jump 1 – Completed
Location: Reach UNSC Base
New Arrivals
The Trainee sat in the Hall, eating some of the best food he had had in a long time from the Hall. When he wasn't chewing on the Cuban bread given to him, he was smiling. He had just basically gotten offered a job from a newly formed ODST squad. To put it simply, he was ecstatic. He sat there and ate his beef pot roast with glee and watched the other recruits eat. Every once in a while, he would look out the doorway to see if his instructor, the Major, and the Colonel were still outside. He saw them get back into the warthog and drive back the way they came about thirty minutes before the next group of recruits came through the glass doors of the mess hall. About the time, the next wave of men and women came in, the Trainee had gotten a refill on his drink.
The Trainee sat alone at his table, until another recruit sat a few feet to his left. The other man leaned and started talking to him, "Hey bro, how was you drop?" the Trainee looked over at him, "Eh, it wasn't that bad. I only got a compliment and a job offer from the leaders of an ODST squad." The other recruit leaned back, pretending to be impressed, "Well… that's quite the story, but I can say that the same happened to me." The Trainee nodded his head and gave one of his best friends a high five.
Right as they were about to pound fists, they were shoved aside as a female marine sat between them. "I figured you ladies looked pretty lonely." She said to the two recruits. The trainee looked over to her and said, "Hey, look who decided to show up! How did the Battling Blonde fair today on her first drop?" The woman laughed as she set her plastic tray, on which her food and drink were resting. She brushed back a strand of her "dirty" blonde hair and smiled. She took a bite of her food, pointed at the other recruit beside her and replied, "Uh, well, it was the same as his. We got a positional offer from the lieutenant and colonel of the squad 849, but other than that nothing too adventurous. That is unless you consider a drop through the atmosphere in a five foot by four foot by three foot pod an adventure." They all laughed at the last statement made. They clinked glasses, tilted their heads and drank to a successful drop. The Trainee waited for the others to finish their lunches and talked a little bit more.
As they all started to head out, the Trainee asked the other two, "Hey, do you guys know where the barracks are?" The other two recruits answered in unison, "Nope." The group of friends laughed as they had two years ago when they had first met in the Corps. They just continued to hang out for the rest of the day. The group finally separated when they reached the male and female barracks after dinner. The Trainee shook his friends' hands and when to his bunk.
The Trainee walked lazily over to his bunk. He climbed on to the top bed, grabbed some clothes and a towel, and headed off to the showers. Ten minutes later, he returned to his bunk. He hopped onto the bunk and rested his head on pillow. He thought back to the events of the day. He imagined what the future could hold. He saw him with his two best friends, fighting the Covenant with the others in Squad 849. He smiled to himself. That dream would just have to wait, there were nine other drops left, three more months of training, and numerous challenges ahead of him. But maybe, just maybe, that dream could come true.
January 22, 2552
16:00 Hours, Earth Time
Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Induction
Graduating Trainee Group 35408
Induction Ceremony
All Live Jumps Completed
Location: UNSC Orbital Defense Platform Cairo
Orbiting Earth
Graduation
The Trainee stood at attention as he looked up at Lord Hood, the current UNSC Fleet Commander, as he gave a speech to his trainee group at their induction into the band of brothers, otherwise known as the ODSTs. He knew that he was saying a generic speech that did not single out any specific trainee group, because the speech was being broadcasted to multiple other orbital defense platforms. He was standing next to his friends, the blonde and the other male recruit. This was a day he had dreamed of ever since he joined the corps.
The group had been shipped off to earth for the graduation ceremony a week before and had reached the planet just twelve hours ago. The ride on the Winter Hawk, he guessed, had gone without a glitch. He would not have known, because he had been asleep in a cryo tube the entire time.
There he stood on the command deck of the Cairo. He was in his new, black, ODST dress uniform, proud of himself. He listened intently to Lord Hood's voice as he pointed out that they ODSTs were to be held by a stricter code of honor than the average marine. He said that the new uniform symbolized that they were the elite, the best a marine could be. He said they were truly the few and the proud of the marines. He went on for about five to ten more minute, the Trainee couldn't tell, until he finally raised his right hand into a salute. Every graduating recruit lifted their hand in to a formal salute and held it there until Lord Hood lowered his hand.
A brigadier general in the ODSTs came up to the podium and told them to sit down. He said, he would call up the name of each graduate and award them with the insignia of the ODST. The general stood up there for twenty minute, naming off soldiers, shaking their hands, awarding them the insignia, and congratulating them. The Trainee grew impatient and anxious as he waited for his name to be called. His friends beside him were called up fairly early on, because of the general was going in alphabetical order. Finally, he heard, "Eric Segraves." The Trainee almost jumped out of his skin, but he forced himself to remain under control. He walked up the side aisle and up to the podium, where he was greeted by the brigadier general. He saluted him and shook his hand. The general placed the metal insignia of the Orbital Drop Shock Trooper into the Trainee's open hand. The general looked him in the eye and said, "Welcome Corporal Segraves to the ODSTs." The man dismissed him by shaking his hand a second time.
Corporal Segraves walked back to his seat, between his two friends in complete silence. He didn't know if he was in shock or if he had just become mute (which he hoped wasn't the case), but he could not talk at all. When he sat down, he looked in his cupped hands at the metal emblem. It had a skull and banner over the shape of a drop pod. The banner read: ODST. He sat in his chair, politely watching the last twenty minutes of the ceremony.
When it was all over, him and his friends got out and walked to get some refreshments. Outside of the doors, Colonel Roberts and Lieutenant Peterson were standing, waiting for them. The Colonel walked up to them. "Corporals," he started as he was handed papers from the lieutenant, "here are your next troop assignments. You are officially part of Squad 849. You will pack up your bags and move onto the UNSC Swift Justice as of tonight. I now own your sorry butts." He smiled at them, "Congratulations to all of you. You are all now officially ODSTs. As of tomorrow, you will meet up with the rest of the squad and train with us for the next ten months." On that note, the two officers were saluted by the three corporals and left. That night, the three of them packed all their gear, got onto a shuttle bound for the Swift Justice, and set up in their new bunks. They prepared for the next few months in less than four hours. When they hit their beds, they went out for the night.
