AN: College, work, holidays. That's why it's taking so long. But now, after so long, college is out. About a month or so until the next semester begins. Here's another chapter after a long wait. Sorry if it's a bit… rushed or something. I got back from work and worked right away. I may edit a few parts in the future.
Pointless AN: Does anyone else think that blue suits the IMC forces better? As in the glowing sections? It's the color scheme, it's definitely the color scheme. Blue goes so well with the IMC's white and silver shades while red goes beautifully with the green and yellow orange of the Militia.
Czar Joseph: It was time for a change in gears, and besides, Titanfall doesn't get that much attention so I thought, 'why the fuck not?' As for Gate. Patience mah boi patience. You don't want me updating GitG when I'm in the grasp of the Sci-Fi genre.
GrimKid98: … hmmmmmmmm… pretty long time from the start of the war… I dunno… still, you got me thinking now. This is good. This is very good.
Guest: The IMC may be killing civilians, but the Militia tends to blow up anything with an IMC logo on it. There's no real good or bad guy in these kind of games. Besides, it's hard to negotiate when there's an alien empire literally trying to wipe your people from existence.
Sajuuk: Playthrough? No. Trailers? Yes. As for this Vanguard and Cortana and all that… let me explain. This is 2546. Cortana began service in 2549. As for the Vanguard. From what I learned on the Titanfall wikia, it was made purely of Militia design. Not from IMC designs. BY the Militia. Years later.
Golden Sheath: Maybe. *Sniff.* Maybe.
darkfinder: Now now, who said the Covenant weren't going to show up?
Wof Guard Miestwin: Exactly. Titanfall is a game where the 'good guys' are whoever you choose to be the good guys. The story just plays a bit on it. Sure the Militia had the planets longer than the IMC, but the IMC is desperate for the resources.
As for the titan, chances are he just brought it back with him. I never played T2 either, and it's safe to say that the AI's are the 'dumb' variety. But 'dumber.' Guess you could call them VI's, like in Mass Effect. At least, that's my experience.
Now that I mention it, I have a story for Mass Effect forming. But it's no crossover deal… well, not yet. But that's a different issue. Back to Titans.
Airbase Sierra.
"What I want to know is how the hell a Militia destroyer had the capability to jam our ground forces?!"
To say Reacher was upset was an understatement. He was outright furious. The IMC always had some means of keeping an eye on the Militia's serious moves, as well as being one step ahead, but this was just inexcusable. The situation was perfect. The Militia cut off comms, send in a huge force with a destroyer for backup, and get the hardpoints to get the data. Thank the lord that Spartans were there. And to hear that 117 took down the destroyer, hoo man. The Militia wasn't expecting them to show up for sure. Especially when 117 brought down the destroyer.
Now a destroyer was in ruins and prisoners were taken. But that still left a few issues unsolved. "Last I checked, Hellion Class Destroyers didn't possess jamming capabilities. In fact, no destroyers in the hands of the Militia possess it. So how the hell is this possible?!"
"We've been looking into it. The destroyer was outfitted with a 'Blinder' disruption device. Jury-rigging on a high scale. Definitely IMC tech, for it was a top notch design."
"How is this possible? Blinders are the most advanced jamming devices we have. We're the only ones capable of creating that kind of device." Reacher demanded.
"The deep cover operatives planted in the Militia forces haven't been reporting in like they used to. Whenever we inquire, it's the same thing. 'We'll check.'" Said one of the logistics officers.
"Who the hell is in charge of that?" Reacher demanded.
"That's our intelligence division."
"Well you tell them that the Militia have the capability to jam us on a whim! So as far as we know right now, they could be building an entire Titan army!" Reacher groaned and looked down at the table. "… tell them again, this time inform them that this is a priority: Alpha situation. This is not a waiting matter."
"Sir."
The group dispersed. Reacher took a moment to take a breath and looked to the Spartans standing at parade rest. "I'm gonna tell you right now. You did damn good work, thanks to you the data is safe and a major Militia attack was stopped. But it just doesn't fit."
"Sir?" John asked.
"We hoped that the Militia would attack the area for a chance at getting a commander, such as the Lt you found. But this? This was large. A whole fleet and enough soldiers to attack a refueling station. This was too large for something like that, even if it was a hostile planet. The Militia is really stepping it up. Usually it's attacks by small organized forces, but this was a large scale invasion… in light of this, it looks like you're going out to the designated planet after all. The higher ups have sent the order to begin the mission." Reacher said.
John felt his heart rate slightly pick up. Perfect! "When are we to ready ourselves?" He asked.
"Be ready in 45 minutes. Take anything you need. You're gonna need it. The Frontier can be both beautiful and comforting, and hostile and unforgiving." That went without saying. "I'll be your handler. Anything the brass wants goes through me. Consider me the one person in the IMC you can trust." The team saluted and left the room, going straight for the armory to grab their gear. They'd receive a briefing once they got to the pad. The discussion going back to base was of anti-Titan weapons, seeing as they were evident at the fight.
John decided to set for an Archer launcher. Kelly and Fred took a Sidewinder and a Mag Launcher respectively, and Linda settled for a Charge rifle.
"So, John. How did it feel? Using a Titan?" Kelly asked as they made way to the pad.
"It's not like driving a Warthog, or any other vehicle really. It's like an extension of you of sorts. Straps you in and links to you. I was sure that it was going to keep me from using it if I tried it."
"Wait. Don't those things have AIs? Like security and all that?" Asked Fred.
"No. It's more comparable to a very dumb AI. Like a city superintendent. That's what I can sum up anyway. Then again it was a Militia Titan. I never used an IMC Titan. So chances are that Militia security in terms of others using their Titans are minimal." John replied.
"Makes sense. Usually both sides have their own Titans to use. It's not every day you hear about someone stealing a Titan. And last I checked Titans were just starting to get these AI upgrades." Fred added.
"It's one thing having them on your side. But when they're chasing you down…" Linda said.
"Yeah, not exactly a picnic." Was Kelly's reply. Though it was certainly better than having to run from a Scarab. That was an occurrence. Having their gear all taken care of, the group made their way to the pad to get onboard a dropship. They were met by Reacher, waiting with pads in hand. Four for each Spartan.
"Time to do your homework," he began. "You're heading to Tiptree. It's a jungle colony a fair distance inside Militia territory. We've had teams operating there for short times, but with this upcoming meeting, it's going to be you alone. Your targets are 6 Militia commanders, all 6 are responsible for much of the Militia's successes. They're meeting in a large warehouse complex near the towns. The details are going to be up to you, so you're free to handle it however you wish. But be selective, no need to go fullout war on them."
"What's the latest on enemy strength?" John asked.
"That's the bad news. They keep changing their forces. Sometimes there is only a few squads, other times an entire battalion. Reports are not reliable, so you'll have to rely on your own wits." Nothing Spartans can't handle. Unknown odds were their best friends. Something about the challenge. "While I am your handler, information and logistics will be handled by another. Spyglass, you there?"
The answer came in a robotic, "I am here Reacher. Have you informed the Spartans of their task?"
"I have, and they're about to get ready to leave."
"Acknowledged. Be advised Spartans, with the recent attack having been a failure, Militia forces have gone on a temporary defensive. Including fleets. Extreme caution is required."
"Any questions before you go?" The Colonel asked.
"Not at this time, sir." John replied.
"Actually," Fred said, "I have one." "Specify."
"Just in case things go bad, what's our backup?" "The shuttle will take you to a stealth frigate. It will remain until mission success. In the chance that you are compromised, and the situation be critical, you will be granted Titan access."
"Let's not use it unless we can help it. We'll rely on each other. Save the Titans for a last resort. They'll end up drawing more attention." John ordered.
Everything was in place, and the Spartans embarked on their journey. One thing about the Frontier was that the systems were very close together, so a slipspace jump that would normally take days or even months in the usual scenarios took only hours or minutes. Hell, sometimes even seconds. It was a relatively short ride. Though the Spartans used this time to map their approach on a map of the complex. There were two massive hangars, with a large area of catwalks in the middle, in the center of this area was a large vertical rectangular structure. Likely the meeting point. "Linda, I want you to provide overwatch from the southwest here, on this hill. You'll have a good view of the entire complex." John said. She nodded. "Fred, Kelly, and I will infiltrate the complex here," at a large concrete wall, "here," a drainage pipe, "and here," a gatehouse.
"We'll outfit our equipment with silencers. Grab extra ammo and some data knives. We can use them to access vital parts of the base." He added.
"That reminds me, shouldn't we look around? You know, for data and other vital information?" Kelly asked.
"Of course, but that's a secondary objective. We need to eliminate the HVTs at all costs." John replied.
"I take it attacking Titans is out of the question." Fred stated.
"Correct. We can't risk it. I want to keep this as a stealth operation."
The parameters were set, the goal was established, and the soldiers were ready. And with the frigate having only a few more minutes to reach its destination, it was time to move.
…
The shuttle hovered as the Spartans deployed a few miles from the target location.
As soon as they landed, the Spartans took off towards their location. It was a trek through jungles and marshes, taking at least one stop to recollect themselves and finally reaching the complex.
"Linda, what do you see?" John's question led to Linda using her scope to observe the area. Guards around the catwalks, with more at ground level and scattered groups here and there. A few snipers too. "Spyglass, it's 117. Can the orbiting frigate get a thermal scan of the compound?"
"Negative 117, the focus is being jammed by unknown means. It is likely the Militia have placed jammers specifically to target scanning methods to keep this location undetectable, as follows their mantra on all the worlds in their territory." Looks like they would do this the old fashioned way from now on.
"Guards and squads scattered throughout the base. Snipers posted at high points. No Titans in sight."
"That doesn't mean there aren't any." John took a look around. It was still daytime. The sun was out and it was a nice and clear day, not a lot of clouds. Like a sky straight from an anime. "We'll wait until nightfall. The information said that we have at least three days."
Better to wait for desirable weather. The sunny day would surely result in them being seen. Convoys came and went, some Titans were seen at times, and a few ships came to the pads there. There was about six of them. Five were Militia, but one was in a different color scheme. It was… kinda flamboyant. Bright colors of green and yellow, with some purple here and there. Like it wanted attention.
"What's with the flashy ship?" Fred asked, using binoculars while Linda was watching through her scope.
"Forget the ship. Look at the guy who's riding it." Linda said. The occupants consisted of six armed escorts. Four were dressed in a rather archaic fashion. Like Jamaican pirates or something. But the two that stood out. No way were they Militia. Too shiny. More like a PMC of some sort. Definitely not IMC though. These guys were toting a more grey-black schemed armor with helmets and lights sporting a yellow tint. The man they accompanied however was completely different. A dark-skinned man in… what they guessed was a futuristic pirate's outfit. Even a hat.
"Spyglass, you seeing this guy?" Fred asked.
"Affirmative. That is Monroe Devilbwoy."
"Monroe?" Reacher butted in. "I know that name. I ran into the bastard on a run a few months ago."
"Monroe is a pirate. Takes a liking to the pirates of the colonial eras, and is a very successful at it. His records show multiple raids and smuggling actions. Wanted by the IMC. Dead or alive."
"Looks like he's in cahoots with the Militia now." Fred said.
"But that's not like him. He's a loner. Only his Jolly Raiders. Something's wrong here. Spartans, investigate anything and everything. We need to figure out what is happening here. Those other guys though. They… for some reason are familiar." Reacher said.
"Analyzing their uniforms. Stand by."
About a few hours later, the sun was starting to set, and clouds were settling in. Thunder sounded, and rain began falling. John smiled to himself. It was a perfect time to strike. "Now a good time sir?" Asked Kelly.
"Yes. Looks like the rain is supposed to last all night. It's gonna get worse as the night goes on. Let's move in." He said. Making sure that his carbine's silencer was on properly, he took off to his entrance point while Kelly and Fred went to theirs. John took the gateway. A dark shadowy spot let him linger. Out of range of a spotlight.
"Got eyes on you John. Two tangos at the gate. A third coming out of the hangar." Linda radioed. Two guards were indeed at post inside a little guard shack. Another began to approach from the direction of a hangar. When he got there, he initiated a conversation with them.
"What are you doing here?" Asked one of them.
"(Groan) Trying to get away from that jerk, Monroe."
The other two guards sighed. "Tell me about it. What a pain."
"We should kill that tosser and dump him in the drainage ditch. Some ungodly creature will eat that braggart sooner or later." The second guard said.
"Yeah. I'd agree with you, but those guys protecting him…"
"Yeah. You're right. They look dangerous." John passed the guards as they were speaking. "You have a clear path sir. Go for it." Linda said. He went straight to the hangar. Hoping that lighting wouldn't strike. Inside the hangar was pretty much empty. As far as guards went. Objects however, there were parts and mechanical tools everywhere, with Titans standing on pads. Held up by chains as if awaiting to be constructed. Well he knew what the hangars were for now. Storing and maintaining Titans. Might be worth placing some C4 around.
With Fred, he was making his way up the drainage ditch. The fact that it was overflowing made it easy to sneak through. As in it would be harder to see in the water. That and Spartan armor was heavy. So they just sank in the water, letting them effectively walk underwater. Fred was able to find a spot to get out without being seen, and took it, but not before seeing what was up above him first. "I see you Fred. Just one guard. No wait. Another one is walking by. One of those pirates. Seems oblivious to everything."
There was a single guard just sitting by the water, watching the water flowing to the exit. So if he wanted to, he could sneak by.
"Did Monroe pass through here?" The pirate asked the sitting guard.
"Yeah. Complaining about his quarters. Fucking scurvy-carrying Blackbeard wanna-be. I hope someone cuts his fucking head off."
"Monroe is not a man to trifle with."
"I'm not gonna trifle with him! I'm hoping someone else will."
"That someone would suffer a painful death at the hands of Monroe. Where is he now?"
"I don't know. And I don't wanna know."
Sounds like this Monroe isn't really popular with the Militia. Probably something to do with being a pirate. At least that was how the one guard was putting it. Fred took his chance and got out of the ditch. He was right next to the main structure and got inside. No locks. No problem.
Meanwhile, Kelly made her way up an unattended section of the wall, and made way to a shaded part in a tower. There, she found a guard leaning back in a chair, boots on a table. He was just carefully tilting his head side to side as if listening to music.
'Wait…' Kelly thought. 'That's not modern music.' She used her helmet's onboard computers, simply out of curiosity, to know what the song was. The result was Donna Lewis's 'I love you, always forever.' She began to stifle a little. 'Holy shit he's a 21st Centuner.' 21st Centuner was a self-given label for people who were immersed in 21st century music, mostly from the 0's to the early 10's. Sometimes even the 1990's. Big percentage of the Human population were Centuners. Led to music stores selling these old tunes of the ancient times.
Another guard came in, and the one listening noticed, scrambling to shut off the music.
"I heard it." The other guard cursed as he realized he was too late. "No put it back on. it's a good distraction from having to hear Monroe."
"Ugh, did you see him too?"
"No but I heard him. What is he complaining about now?"
"Something about his quarters."
"Damn pirate. Has some cash thanks to us Militia and suddenly he thinks he's King of the Frontier."
"He'll get his one day, you'll see." Kelly moved when the other guard took a seat, taking care not to make too much noise
"Spartans. I have finished analyzing the patterns of the unidentified guards. they are members of the Black Talons PMC."
"Never heard of them." John said.
"Bloody… Talons. I knew there was something about them." Reacher said.
"Who are they?" Fred asked.
"PMC active mostly here in the Frontier. But they have some serious connections." Reacher began. Explains their top notch gear. "They take various jobs from bounty hunting to fighting whoever they're paid to fight. Even by mercenary standards these guys are vicious. Anyone who crosses them is just about done for."
"I take it the IMC is not very happy with them?" Linda asked.
"They've been causing trouble for us left and right. On the other hand, they're pretty hostile to Militia forces too. That's why I'm concerned. The only way for something like this to happen is a big fat paycheck." Reacher said.
The Spartans continued their respective paths, while Linda updated them on the situation. Just more guards coming and going form makeshift barracks and some snipers moving.
"Guys. I have eyes on a Titan." Everyone stopped at Linda's words.
"Location Linda?"
"At the southeast end of the base. It's an Atlas. Has a plasma railgun. And I think rocket salvos. It's heading towards you." The Spartans rushed their progress, they were nearly all inside anyway. John managed to slip in before the Titan came around the corner. He stayed crouched in the corner by the door for good measure. He saw a light shine in the window. This section didn't have decent lighting. Eventually the light left and he heard the giant's footsteps recede. He continued down a hall, looking for a set of stairs.
Fred was in a server room, downloading information and data. Kelly was searching for the targets. Only sleeping grunts. Another floor up, she ran into John. They continued to find rooms with more decorated walls. This had to be the floor with the HVTs. "-been so insulted in my life!" The voice was coming from up ahead. It had a Jamaican accent to it, and it was angry.
"That Monroe?" John whispered.
"I don't know what you're so upset about. You got through the Frontier checkpoints. You think it's easy to get through with all the crackdowns these days?" One of the guards asked.
"I don't care if it's hard. But this incident, this insult. Bribing an investigator from my own pocket. I'll make them pay. I'll show those lousy Banco de la Galaxia assholes! Or my name is not Monroe the Pirate!"
"Yeah, that's nice."
The Spartans heard footsteps heading their way, and ran into adjacent rooms. Six men passed. The HVTs.
"Reacher. Targets in sight." John said.
"Excellent. Let's see what they have to say before you put the screws in." Reacher said.
"Fred, Linda. What's your status?"
"I'm leaving the server room. I think I got some interesting data." Fred said.
"Still out here John. I'm seeing more Titans walking the area. Outside the base." Linda reported.
With the locations of the other Spartans established, the listening of the 6 Militia higher ups began. "Alright. Now that we're all here, let's get started." Began the first one. A map of a planet was pulled on a holographic wall. "I'm sure you recognize this planet. Yearling. Where the IMC hold their last manufacturing centers in the Frontier."
"Richard and myself came up with the plan," said the second HVT, "Monroe is our transport. His ships will be disguised as civilian liners. When we get close enough, we'll make our move. That's where the Talons will come in. You'll cause a ruckus and divert attention from us. You don't have to actually engage the enemy. Just get their attention."
Richard spoke next. "Our target is the fueling depot next to the resort. We hit this, the last viable refueling location for the IMC is the main one, Demeter."
"Hold on. Next to a resort?" A third asked.
"What about the civilians? Won't they get caught in the explosion?" The fourth asked.
"By the time we're done there won't be any civilians. They'll have run off by then." Richard said.
"I hope so. Two of my pilots, Tyler and Garneau, left last night. They went to UNSC space. Our support is waning." Said the third man
"UNSC? So they'd rather go there huh?" The second man said.
"I don't blame them, the Covenant are really pushing it." the fourth man said.
"Ugh. They're never gonna find us if we just stay in the Frontier. We ain't no Earth-lovers." The second said.
"Can we get back on track? The prime target will be here, the main pipeline. Take that out, and the base will follow. After that, we'll be able to hit Demeter in our next series of attacks." Richard said.
"Ok, but that doesn't explain how we deal with their airbase. The attack on the computer mainframes on Leviathan failed. And I can confirm that there are Spartans here on the Frontier." Said the third man. Silence fell upon the group.
"You mean… those super soldiers?" Richard asked.
"Yeah. They managed to take down the Titans we sent. A lot of our soldiers got killed."
"… ok. That's something I'll need to factor in. The good news is our contacts within our bank benefactors will be able to back our money needs. In the meantime. Francis, I want you to get your group rounded up. Ready for a hit on the local IMC research center. Petrich, you'll work with Romanov and Alex to ready the forces of our strike. Any questions?"
"Yeah. Do I have to sleep in this hellhole you call a base?" Monroe asked.
"Monroe, if you'd like to sleep outside in the rain instead of in here, you're more than welcome." Richard said. A flash of lightning and thunder sounded as he finished that sentence. The pirate grumbled and left the room, unaware of the two soldiers there. The halls were dark by then. Then again, he didn't seem like the attentive type.
"You get all that, Reacher?" Asked John.
"I did, this is absolutely crazy. The fact that they were talking about a bank just worsens this situation." Reacher said.
"Bank of the Galaxy. They're one of the largest financial forces in Human space. What the hell are they doing with the Militia?" Linda asked.
"We'll figure that out. Go ahead and take those Militia HVTs out." No argument there. The Spartans busted the door in and opened fire. Silenced gunshots tore through the targets, the commanders were killed. The mercs were gone though. Kelly went to the holo map and took pictures, while John went to the bodies. Putting a shot in each head for good measure. One two three four five… five… "Linda. We have a problem. There are only five bodies here."
"What? Where's the sixth one?" At that moment, the door opened to reveal a commander with a cup of coffee and the two mercenaries. They were oblivious until they realized the situation. There was no movement or anything. Just silence, save for the sound of a dropped cup.
Followed by a bolting commander, and the gunfire of the two mercenaries. "Linda, Fred, we've been compromised!" John shouted as he returned fire and killed the mercs, Kelly gave chase to the commander.
"Yeah, I heard the gunfire." Fred said.
Alarms began going off immediately after he said that.
"And so did they." He added.
John ran out of the room and turned down a hallway. "Reacher, this is 117. We've been compromised. Repeat, we have been compromised." John said.
"Dammit! What's your progress?" the Colonel asked.
"5 HVTs eliminated. Last one is on the run. I'm going after Monroe, Kelly, how's your progress on the commander?"
"This guy is fast. I think he's a pilot! He's wearing a jump pack!"
Meanwhile with Fred, grunts were everywhere. He was back in one of the warehouses. Hiding between two shelfs full of parts while grunts ran left and right, shouting orders and searching frantically. He heard some of them mention 'Spartan.' They were probably there on Leviathan in the attack. Choosing a moment, he sprung from his hiding place and bowled over a group, sprinting ahead and running to the stairwells to the inside of the base. He was definitely noticed and shot at as he ran. "Chief, I'm making my way to you! The entire base is on us now!"
"Linda, any estimates?" Chief asked.
"I'm seeing well over 100 contacts sir. I think they have underground quarters here. I'm hitting the snipers" Linda said.
"Chief. There's a load of vehicles back in one of the warehouses. I recommend taking one to get out of here!"
"Does it have a number of Titans in it?"
"No sir."
"Good. I rigged that one to blow. Kelly, how's your chase?"
…
This guy was really fast.
Every time she opened fire, it was like he moved right there and then. He would turn around every now and then to fire pot shots at her, try to slow her down. Then run again. The grunts were becoming active too, though it was like sending puppies to guard you against a cheetah. In short. It didn't work. Kelly would look outside through the window as she gave chase and see Titans here and there. This was getting dangerous. Suddenly an explosion rocked the base, it was one of the warehouses. From it came a Titan that was literally burning. Well at least more Titans wouldn't be coming out.
Back to the chase, she managed to catch him right as he jumped from a window, and into the hand of a Stryder. This time however she was ready. The Sidewinder was loaded and ready to fire, so she instantly took to it. Opening fire as she landed on the wrist and pushed off with her feet, landing and running instantly. She'd have to really move it, since a Stryder was the quick kind of Titan. She sidestepped just in time to avoid a single explosion. It had a 40mm cannon. Another sidestep, a leap on a wall, and a push to twist and turn let her attack again. Who needs a jump kit when you're the fastest Spartan alive?
"You little- I need back up!" This time she was in a real mess. At least she had some help from Linda. Though a sniper rifle wasn't much against a mass of grunts. That was until a bright orange beam came from nowhere and hit the Titan. Linda's charge rifle hit dead on. Seeing the shooter was far off, the Stryder ran for cover, letting the still running Kelly shoot more.
…
"Fuck you! Die you bumbaclot!"
John was facing a pirate firing a Spitfire LMG with no let up. Guy was absolutely out of control, he had to be put down.
The problem was he was running off whenever he had to reload. So it would go like this; John would chase. Monroe would reload. Monroe would turn and unload. John would have to take cover. The mag size and power of the weapon would do a number on him. The good news was that Monroe was running out of mags. The bad news? He was getting closer to the dropship at the pad.
The continual attacks from Militia grunts was also adding to the difficulty. John began to ponder just how strange this situation was. Here he was in a Militia facility, and a plot involving them, a PMC and a literal space pirate had him chasing the last mentioned party. Well he figured if Monroe died, that'd be one thing out of the way. So he continued the chase when Monroe ran off. He was getting closer. Suddenly a door busted down, and from it came Fred. Knocking into Monroe and sending him out a window.
"Chief. I'm here to help you get Monroe… where is he?"
"You just sent him out the window." John replied.
Fred looked out and found the pirate on the ground. From 15 floors up. "Oh."
…
"Is that Monroe?"
A group of Militia grunts were gathered around the now dead pirate. "What a way to go… quite the anti-dramatic death for him." A second soldier said.
"Seriously? Everything that could've come out of your mouth and you're commenting on his death?" The first asked.
"He's done this before, he'll be okay." Said a pirate.
"He fell from 15 damn stories you moron!"
A third grunt gave a little kick. "Yep… he's dead."
"What am I supposed to do about it? It's not like he was our favorite guy." The second grunt said.
"Try not to dwell on it." A second pirate said.
"Heh. To think, all I used to wanna do was try and sell insurance." The first pirate said.
"Hey Monroe! Do not go into the light!" The second pirate shouted.
Two grunts facepalmed. "Dibs on the hat?" The second grunt asked.
"I'm not even gonna tell you to shut up." Said the first.
"Should we bury him here?" Asked pirate number 1.
…
Another explosion caught Kelly's attention, and a four wheel vehicle came barreling from the other warehouse, a Vulcan gun on the rear going loud. Now the Militia were dispersing as the vehicle came to her in the driver's seat was John, and Fred was at the gun. "Come on! We're going to catch that commander!" John shouted.
"They're stealing a prototype!" A grunt shouted. Kelly jumped in and reloaded her sidewinder. The vehicle went straight towards the Stryder heading to the gates with two Atlases. Both of which were firing back. A beam got their attention as one was hit. Kelly opened fire with another salvo that slammed into the first Atlas. The Stryder got further ahead as John drove to keep pace. Fred unleashed the Vulcan on the second Atlas in an attempt to keep them away.
"Linda, what's your position?" John was trying to get a read on his final teammate.
"Following as best I can. Taking shots when I can." Was the reply, followed by another shot by her rifle. This time the shields were down and Kelly unleashed her salvo again. The Atlas fell down and exploded.
The second however was on their heels, shields fully charged and ready to take a pounding. "You two need to get that Stryder! I got this guy!" Fred shouted. Kelly was about to inquire when Fred jumped off the mount and onto the Atlas, right on its eye.
"GET OFF ME YOU FREAK!" The Atlas swatted at the Spartan and spazzed as it tried to hit the soldier. John kept driving after the Stryder, which has already gone ahead.
"Linda, help Fred. We got the commander." John ordered.
A light gave him confirmation. About a mile up ahead, John slowed. He lost the Stryder. So he took a moment to think. "Spyglass. Is the thermal scan available now? We're a distance from the base."
"Affirmative. Detecting two signatures. But that is y- wait. Large signature closing on you at high speeds from the north."
"CHIEF!" Kelly yelled jumping out. As soon as John looked, he saw the familiar red Militia glow as a Stryder barreled from the tree line and towards the vehicle. Spartan time kicked in and he disembarked and rolled as the giant smashed into the vehicle, sending it flying.
"Gonna kill you, freak!" A fist landed in front of him, to only be hit by a sidewinder barrage. "Damn-" His comment was broken when Kelly ran into the woods, followed by John copying her move and readying his Archer.
"Fucking freaks! Come out and fight!" John readied his launcher and locked on. But the second it began to lock, the Stryder burst into action with an amplified "AHA!" Looks like Titans have a lock-on warning system. He missed the leg just in time and ran, getting tripped by a hand reaching for him. Kelly fell from the tree branches and onto the Titan, saving him. "Jesus you're like a squirrel drinking Mtn Dew!" John took the moment to lock on again. But the Titan kept dashing out of the way.
Another dash slammed into a tree, causing Kelly to fall off. John took the chance to try to fire again. This time he got lucky and fired, but the missile hit the tree behind the now moving Stryder. Kelly readied her Sidewinder, but it was busted. "Damn! John, I'll try to board it again!"
"Be careful, he knows what he's doing!" John yelled back, dodging a swipe. "STAY STILL YOU ACCIDENT!" Kelly jumped on again, and managed to get the hatch off. This time the Stryder was simply trying to swat away the fleet footed Spartan. John locked and fired again. This time it was a direct hit. A critical at that. 50% integrity. Kelly was smashing the internal electronics with her fists.
John reloaded, one more round. And began another lock on. Kelly was grabbed this time. "FINALLY! NOW TO-" The missile struck the Titan, causing it to go critical. "EJECT DAMMIT! EJECT!" Kelly was dropped as the Titan momentarily after, detonated.
John felt satisfaction rise in his gut. "Reacher, this is 117… all targets eliminated. Monroe is dead too."
"Excellent work, 117! Excellent work! Dammit if you were IMC I'd promote you! Come on home now, your job is done! You can get back to UNSC space and-"
"Alert! Colonel Reacher, Major Franklin from the planet Yearling is on the line."
"What? That's the colony that- what's going on?"
"A Militia fleet has been spotted in orbit of the colony, they are assaulting the refueling station."
"But…" John began, unable to comprehend this sudden news. "The commanders… Monroe… they're all dead…"
"Mother of all that is holy… 117. You're not too far from the colony. Think you can give them a hand as part of the reinforcements?" Reacher asked.
"… yes sir. Get us there ASAP."
"Good man. A shuttle is coming in. better gear up for a total assault."
John let out a sigh. "This doesn't make sense… we killed the commanders before their plan was carried out… how could they just go to it right after we killed their components?"
"Maybe they had a plan B and just realized." Kelly said.
"No. It was too sudden, even with the amount of time it took to kill the last commander. Something's going on here… when we get back to the airbase. I'm going to talk with Reacher. If my instincts are right. I think we might have a double agent in our midst."
Codex:
Titan Wars: A series of battles erupting from the increased IMC presence in the aftermath of the start of the war. The war ended in a stalemate with the IMC having an at the least, a desirable position.
