AN: I got to say, the events happening within the last few months were...surprising to say the least. I'm interested to see how the US progresses for the next four years. The reception from the last chapter was astounding. Nearly 2 times the amount I've got from the first two. That means I'll have to try harder, right? Putting all that aside, I like to thank everyone who's given even the tinniest amount of time to look at my last chapter, much less the entire story — so here's a cookie!
Disclaimer: I do not own any Halo or Gate - Jietal Kare no Chi nite, Kaku Tatakeri content. They belong to their respective owners.
The Rising Autumn
Chapter 3: Terra Firma
Location: Unknown
Date: [September 19,2552] [01:30 UNSC Standard Time]
When the Spartan began to slowly feel consciousness, he groaned lightly from the sheer dizziness that made his head ill and light.
The brief light that unexpectedly shattered his dream hit him in full force, catching him off-balance. Fortunately, his years of training allowed him to hold back the sudden nausea, and within a few seconds, the revulsion had become a mere afterthought. Steam and vapor around him vented, whirled, and began to disappear. His ears picked up an obscured voice, as if it was coming from a mile away. Hearing it again, he realized it was male, laced with a stoic and matter-of-factly tone.
"Sorry for the quick thaw, Master Chief, but things are a bit hectic right now. The disorientation should pass quickly."
A second voice welcomed him, and it took the Spartan a moment to realize where he was. Stiffly looking around, he found himself in the small space of a UNSC cryotube. Memories of the past began to pour into his head, and he slowly remembered where he had been prior to his cryogenically frozen state. A battle had taken place, a long and difficult one, in which most, if not the entirety, of his Spartan comrades had perished in the heat of combat. Men and women who he considered brothers and sisters, raised and trained with together for years — and, unlike the elusive woman from his dreams, were family to him.
With the amount of memories coming back to him, and the slight changes of the bronchial surfactants in his lungs, came a measure of strength. Not in just a physical sense, but in mental fortitude as well. He knew his purpose, and he will see it through the end.
He flexed his stiff arms, and felt a brief moment of tingling and pain from the slowly recovering nerves. The Spartan heard one of the technicians vaguely mention something about the "freezer burn" effect, but that small snippet became irrelevant to him.
The cryotube's door opened with a hiss, and he pushed himself out. The shackles of the constant cold fell off the moment he took a step out of the frosty bed. His boots met the metal floor with a loud 'clank'.
"Christ Almighty," Sam's eyes widened in awe at the sight before him.
The Spartan was easily massive, standing at an intimidating height of seven feet. Encased in sleek, olive armor of epic proportions, the man looked like a figure of legend — mythical and fearsome.
The Master Chief stepped out of his cryotube, observing the room with the motion of a machine. The reflective visor that made up the front of his helmet made the Spartan even more frightening — a faceless mask that showed no emotion, built for the purpose of death and destruction on psychological levels.
For a moment, Sam was relieved that he was in the observation theater, rather than being in Thom's place down below the bottom level.
The technician realized that Shepard was waiting for the diagnostics report. He checked the displays, showing the Spartan's neural pathways, brainwave activity, and heartbeat in perfect working order. He opened the intercom channel.
"I'll bring his health monitors online now."
The Spartan heard the technician call from the room above, eliciting a nod from the Tech Chief next to him.
"Affirmative," The Tech Chief gestured to the numerous testing stations on the other side of the room.
"Right this way, Chief." The Spartan nodded, walking to the stations where he was led through for the next ten minutes.
Patiently, the Master Chief watched as the majority of his armor's functions were brought back online: rechargeable energy shielding, heath monitors that kept pace with his vitals, and the targeting and optical systems that contributed to his efficient, deadly aim. Once the technician gave the all clear, the Spartan relaxed. He looked down, studying the smooth titanium plating of his Mjolnir armor.
The aforementioned suit, the successor to the Mark IV, was a clear marvel of engineering. Multilayered with different amounts of remarkably tough alloy and costing as much as a UNSC destroyer, the armor practically broke all known barriers of technological advancements. It had a refractive coating that could deflect a certain amount of energy from plasma weapons, a solid-based crystalline storage network that can hold an AI for a tactical advantage on the battlefield, and a thick black bodysuit that contained a gel-filled layer to adjust the user's skin and temperature.
Additionally, memory packets and reactive circuits were integrated into his body, via neural interface — external input slots that had been installed near the base of his skull. When combined with these systems, alongside the physical augmentations, his strength and reflexes have increased to already unimaginable levels. This allowed the Spartan to navigate through the complexities of any battlefield with little to no trouble.
Life Support was a vital part of the armor, and such, many systems were built in to accommodate his health during battle. One of them was the biofoam injectors, which apply medical gel to treat and seal any wounds. This was only a temporary solution, however, and the painful application of the gel only kept him functioning until there was proper medical attention.
Now, the same systems began the process of healing his blistered skin, which was the normal result of entering cryo-stasis fully clothed — or armored in his unique case. He thought it unnecessary. Even without the assistance of pain-killers, SPARTAN-IIs were specially trained to deal with flash-thawing. As such, they suffer little to no effects when awakened, in case of an immediate attack.
It still hurt like hell, but he had suffered much worse.
The Master Chief stood silent, merely nodding when asked questions or complying with requests from the technician. He moved from one test to another, with a mechanical gait that unnerved both technicians in the room. The Spartan ignored them, taking his time with the tests to make sure his suit was in optical condition. He wouldn't want a mechanical failure in battle, after all.
"Alright Chief," His tester said, "You're good to go."
The Spartan nodded again. He noted, with satisfaction, that his HUD was working in perfect order, with data from his neural implant pouring into the glassy interior of his visor. He flexed his hands, banishing away the pain he had come to dissociate and trained against.
It was good to move around again.
"Bridge to Cryo Two — this is Captain Keyes. Send in the Master Chief immediately."
The Spartan heard the announcement clearly. It was finally time to go. Scanning the room, the Master Chief realized there weren't any weapons within the vicinity. He wasn't worried truthfully. There wasn't any immediate danger, but he always felt more comfortable with a weapon in hand.
He kept in mind to find some later.
The Spartan headed out for the door, ignoring the staring eyes of the technicians as he walked out of view.
The Master Chief walked down the corridors, his armored boots leaving a trail of awe wherever he went. Each step he took made a slight noise that seemed to contrast to the heavy appearance of his armor. The schematics of the Halcyon-class cruiser were deep in his memory, guiding him to the lift that will take him to the bridge. One by one, crewman, technicians, Army, and Marine personnel stopped and stared at the passing Spartan, eyes wide and mouths agape. They parted for him like a human Red Sea, and it seemed that way for the next couple minutes of his silent journey. It wasn't really all that unfamiliar to him. His enormous stature didn't make it easier for him to remain unnoticed most of the time.
He noted the heated stares from a nearby group of ODSTs, one of them he presumed was the leader giving him a look of complete venom. Behind the helmet, his trained eyes glanced at the tag on the soldier's BDU.
MAJOR ANTONIO SILVA
He took a mental note to watch out for this particular trooper in the near future.
Between the frequent amount of staring, and nearly knocking over a crewman who kept calling out for her cat, the journey was rather uneventful. The Spartan passed by a group of Marines, too engrossed in their conversation to notice his presence. His helmet and augmented hearing picked up the chatter of a strange new planet. He curiously listened to their tales of a green, lush world before continuing his walk down the hallway.
The Captain will fill him in with answers later.
It didn't take him long to reach the lift that lead to the bridge, and he patiently waited for the car to reach his level. The doors eventually opened up, and he was met with the startled faces of two Navy crewman. They scrambled out of the lift like bats out of hell, muttering pieces of apologies as the two personnel politely passed by the Spartan. He paid them no heed, stepping inside the lift as the doors closed behind him.
The trip went without incident, and the lift's doors opened into another hallway guarded by a fire-team of Marines. He walked out, nodding to the squad leader as he made his way through the passageway. At the end, he entered through a doorway, revealing the controlled chaos of the Autumn's bridge. A variety of crewman sat hunched over their respective consoles, supervising the many subsystems of the ship, while others hurriedly ran back and forth to relay data in-between stations. A Lieutenant of Japanese lineage approached him, her grim face showing telltale signs of fatigue. The Spartan had no doubt that she had been working for days without proper rest.
"Sir, the Captain is waiting for you." She pointed to one of two figures by the main tactical display.
The Chief nodded in thanks, passing by the exhausted Lieutenant. He walked up to the Captain's station at the center of the bridge, spotting Keyes in a deep conversation with another officer unfamiliar to him. The Captain studied the screens closely, specifically at a large display of a planet the Spartan assumed was the same one rumored earlier. News definitely traveled fast around the ship at a rate that made the Master Chief shake his head. The mere concept of gossip didn't exactly appeal to him at all.
The Spartan came to attention, training and discipline tensing his body. "Captain Keyes."
Captain Keyes, and the second officer, turned to face him. The former gave a warm smile. "Good to see you Master Chief."
Keyes reached out his hand, and the Spartan politely shook it. The Captain made a sideways nod to his grizzled compatriot. "This is Colonel Holland, the commanding officer of all ground forces onboard the Autumn."
The aforementioned officer held out his hand, and the Chief respectfully took it, "Colonel, Sir."
The older man grunted in acknowledgment, "You have quite the reputation, Master Chief. It'll be an honor to see you in action sometime."
The Spartan nodded humbly at the compliment. "Thank you, Sir."
Captain Keyes coughed beside them, turning the heads of both the Colonel and the Spartan.
"Let's get this underway, shall we?" Keyes turned towards a nearby console, "Cortana?"
The AI's lithe form appeared, her holographic eyebrows raised in a thoughtful manner. "A sizable mass and gravity similar to Earth, a diverse array of land masses, massive bodies of oceans—"
Cortana paused, as if she was second guessing herself, "—with an atmosphere rich with oxygen, nitrogen, and other quaint amounts of gases."
She turned to the Chief with a pleased expression on her face, "Sleep well?"
"Yes," The Spartan decided to play along, "no thanks to your driving."
Cortana smiled and took the subtle jab in stride, "So you did miss me."
Keyes and Holland stared, looking both confused and fascinated by the conversation between the two polar opposites.
"I guess we'll start the briefing now," The Captain gestured at the tactical display, showing streams of data collected from the Clarion spy drones pouring onto the screens, supplemented by Cortana's own independent observations.
"Thirty minutes ago, the Pillar of Autumn had exited from a randomized Slip-space jump in accordance with the Cole Protocol," Keyes stopped, sighing with a weariness that was more befitting of his age.
"Then, the moment our ship transitioned into real space, we encounter this." The image of the planet grew steadily larger, until it became clear enough to see the finer details of its spherical surface.
"A chance encounter with a planet that is so similar to Earth, all the way out in the middle of uncharted space," The Captain frowned, his fingers tapping on the wooden pipe. "It seems so awfully coincidental if you ask me."
Colonel Holland, who was less vocal than his naval counterpart, seemed to share Keyes's sentiments. "Agreed."
The Chief remained silent. It didn't really make much sense to the Spartan. Sure, it was rather strange to see a perfectly habitable planet to have pop up out of the nowhere. However, there had been similar situations reported from other UNSC ships after they had transitioned from a randomized jump. Surely, this one couldn't be any different. Captain Keyes seemed to have sensed the Spartan's thoughts.
"It's not the planet itself, Master Chief, it's what on it that worries me."
That caught the Master Chief's attention. The Spartan turned to Keyes, slightly tilting his head in confusion. "On it, Sir?"
The Captain nodded. "Show him, Cortana."
The AI shimmered out of view, her body replaced by an image of a zigzagging radio signal. The signal continued to twist and turn like a serpentine's body, and clips of audio that was imperceptible even to the Chief began to play from the terminal's speakers. They sounded like voices, but the amount of static laced with them made it impossible for any human to understand correctly. Despite that, the Master Chief quickly put two together and understood the situation.
The Pillar of Autumn wasn't the first to arrive here.
There were already people on the planet. It could be humans, evident even from the garbled mess that was the radio signal, but ultimately something obscure. Suddenly, the Spartan could see why the Captain felt so disturbed. They weren't just dealing with a group of Innies; This was something completely unknown and potentially threatening. People with undeniably primitive technology, but advanced enough to send radio signals — and equally advanced weapons in the likelihood.
"This is where you come in, Master Chief," Keyes locked his eyes with the Chief's golden visor. "Colonel Holland is already preparing a ground force for deployment, while you scout ahead with a small recon team of Marines. I want to know what we're up against before we set boots on the ground."
The Captain's eyes remained firmly locked, "Is that understood?"
The Spartan nodded, "I understand."
Keyes glanced at Cortana, "Are you ready?"
The AI looked slightly reluctant. The ship had been her home for many days, and, in many ways, could be seen as a physical extension of herself. However, that uncertainty was overcome by her characteristic excitement, and she let out an eager smile in anticipation, "Yank me."
The Captain turned to a console, touching a series of controls. With one final tap, Cortana's image swirled and disappeared into the pedestal from view. Keyes removed a data chip from the terminal, its core glowing with a bright blue hue, and offered it to the Spartan. The Captain also offered his M6D Magnum pistol, in a sign of trust and respect.
"Cortana will join you on your mission to the surface. Her expertise may help with whatever's going on down there."
The Chief accepted both items, reaching back to insert the data chip into the neural interface at the back of his head. A subtle click was heard, accompanied by a flooding sensation as Cortana began to synchronize within the boundaries of his armor's neural system. It felt like a bucket of cold mercury had been poured into his mind, followed by a brief jab of pain. Then, he subconsciously recognized Cortana's familiar presence. He had worked with her many times before, just prior to the disaster that happened at Reach.
The mental interface between him and the AI would seem intrusive, but it proved to comforting too, since he knew Cortana and her efficient capabilities. He depended on her and she depended on him. If there was one other person he trusted more other than his Spartan comrades, it would be her.
Keyes nodded, "Good luck, Master Chief."
The Chief saluted both officers and left them to their own device, turning to leave the bridge in silence.
It didn't take long for the lift to carry the Spartan down to one of the Autumn's eight docking bays.
Stepping outside the lift, the Chief could see numerous UNSC vehicles stored adjacent to each other, with crewman and soldiers hastily moving back and forth carrying weapons or equipment. Hornets, Falcons, and an aircraft the Chief recognized as a Nightingale flew overhead, landed down to different landing pads to get maintained by technicians. To Cortana, everyone and everything within Launch Bay Seven moved like an efficient beehive, their controlled movements nearly taking up the gargantuan hangar bay. To the Spartan, it was refreshing to see UNSC discipline at its finest work.
However, the pair weren't there to sightsee the activity.
He looked around, roaming through the massive hangar bay. Events began to repeat themselves, with personnel that were working on maintenance and Army troopers on Warthogs stopping to stare at him as he walked by. He ignored them, looking around for the transport that will take him on his mission. Cortana lent the Spartan some help, placing a waypoint on a nearby Pelican that was parked next to a single Longsword interceptor.
Thanking the AI, he walked up to the dropship. He noticed a group of Marines standing in two parallel lines outside the Pelican's main troop compartment, their gear at ready and listening to a grizzled Marine that was animatedly shouting unusual obscenities. Things like 'Belly full of lead,' and 'a pool of their own blood to drown in!' spewed out of his mouth, and his younger subordinates responded with an equally ferocious 'Ooh-Rah!' in sync.
The Master Chief stopped in front of the Marines, his armored footsteps alerting them to his presence. They all stared at his enormous figure, some gaping while others began to exchange hushed whispers. The only one who wasn't fazed in the slightest was their leader, who stepped in front of the Spartan with his eyes locked in an undaunted manner.
"Staff Sergeant Avery Junior Johnson, commanding officer of Fire Team Charlie. It's good to see you again, Sir."
The Chief nodded. He recognized the Staff Sergeant from the search-and-destroy mission on the UNSC Circumference. Johnson and his unit had proven to been crucial during the fight, assisting him with destroying the NAV data in the ONI prowler that was docked on Gamma Station. Now, it would seem that the Spartan would serve with the Staff Sergeant and his Fire Team once again, but this time on a recon mission.
"Likewise, Staff Sergeant."
Johnson gave a broad grin, "Let's get this show on the road."
He turned to his younger subordinates, "Get a move on, Marines! On the double!"
The rest of Fire Team Charlie complied immediately, piling into the Pelican's main compartment and taking their respective seats. The Master Chief and Johnson made their way inside, sitting in their own seats placed next to the loading ramp. The last people to enter the compartment were the Pelican's pilots: a slim woman with a dirty Navy uniform and a lively smile that seemed to complement her attractive features, and a man with a darker appearance and a more cynical expression.
They approached the Chief and Johnson, the woman smiling brightly while the man mostly remained neutral.
"Welcome aboard, Master Chief, Staff Sergeant. I'm Flight Captain Carol Rawley, pilot of Pelican Echo 419," The Flight Captain grinned, "but you may call me Foe Hammer."
She gestured to her companion, "This is Lieutenant Frye, my co-pilot." The co-pilot in question opted to remain silent, instead giving the two a respectful nod.
"We'll be the ones taking you down to the surface. If you need anything—" Foe Hammer gave a playful wink, "—let me know."
She strode past the two and into the cockpit, followed by her silent co-pilot. Cortana, witnessing the exchange from the Chief's neural network, began to smirk.
"I like her." She said through his helmet's internal speakers.
In response, the Spartan lightly smacked the side of his helmet with his hand, "Don't get any funny ideas."
He heard an annoyed pout, "You're no fun."
The Spartan didn't respond for the next few minutes, silently watching the members of Fire Team Charlie converse with each other.
Suddenly, he felt a brief shudder from within the Pelican, and the dropship's single cargo door closed off the main compartment from the outside world. The Marines stopped their conversations, shifting in their seats as they felt the Pelican's thrusters slowly lift the craft off the ground. Outside, an Army trooper helped guide the dropship with practiced waves of hand signals, while technicians that have been working on the final touches of their maintenance on the Pelican began to swiftly evacuate from the area. With a slight jerk of the passenger's bodies, Echo 419 flew out of the hangar with a powerful push of her engines, diving into the planet's atmosphere below.
Ignoring the rumbling that constantly shook the entire dropship, the Master Chief got out of his seat, walking to the compartment's only weapons locker. He opened up the locker, grabbing one of the MA5B Assault Rifles from the racket and checking the weapon for any defections. Satisfied, he placed the assault rifle on one of his armor's magnetic plates, grabbing extra magazines of 7.62 mm rounds for his newly acquired weapon, as well as spare ammo for the M6 pistol that Keyes gave him.
Snatching a pair of M9 fragmentation grenades, the Spartan noticed a much heavier weapon, a M41 SPNKR Rocket Launcher, firmly placed on the far right of the locker. He inspected it and cycled the barrels, noting the tracking system that made its well worth effectiveness known against the Covenant. He may be on a recon mission, but a weapon like the M41 could prove useful in the long run. Grabbing extra cases of rockets, the Chief placed the rocket launcher on his back before Foe Hammer's voice spoke through the intercoms.
"Approaching the drop-zone, now!"
The Master Chief took out his assault rifle, cocking the weapon, and lowering it in a tense but ready position. Following his example, Fire Team Charlie cocked their rifles and readied their gear, bracing themselves for the eventual landing. A few moments later, they all felt a sudden jerk, and the Pelican's cargo door began to slowly open. A bright light illuminated the compartment, and the passengers immediately disembarked from their seats.
"Go! Go! Go!" Johnson yelled out.
Their boots hit grassy ground, and the Marines formed a defensive perimeter around the Pelican, scanning for any potential threats. The Spartan did likewise, and scrutinized the lush environment around them. So far, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Checking on his motion tracker, he couldn't find anything that would be considered hostile within his perceptual radar. However, he didn't let his guard down, his eyes double checking the area for the slightest bit of movement. The Staff Sergeant barked an all-clear, and the Marines began to relax and lower their weapons. Turning around, the Chief saw Echo 419 lift off the ground, kicking up grass and dirt with her numerous thrusters.
"I'll be back with more supplies. Call me if you need anything."
"Roger, Foe Hammer." Cortana responded over the comms.
The Spartan merely nodded to Foe Hammer, and the Pelican climbed higher until it shot off into the sky with an intense shockwave that ruffled nearby trees. The disturbance scared some of the wildlife as well, causing some of the Marines to hastily aim their rifles at a pack of small deer that ran from the bushes and past the Fire Team in an alarmed panic.
"It's just a bunch of dumb animals. Lower your damn weapons, Marines!" Johnson reprimanded.
The soldiers did so, but continuedly held their weapon at ready. The rest of the recon team watched the dropship disappear into the blackness of space, presumingly back on the Autumn to get more supplies for them. It would be a while before more support arrived, so the group will have to make due with what they have for now.
"Let's not stand around any longer, Chief. I'll place the waypoint for our first objective." True to Cortana's word, the diamond-shaped waypoint appeared on his visor, pointing him in the direction of a large forest.
The Spartan gazed onward, his mouth curling into a frown. "A forest?"
"Small energy readings that originated within the center of this forest," Cortana explained, "investigating them first can help us reach the first steps of understanding this world, and hopefully allow us to figure out what we're up against here."
The AI let out a joking smirk, "You don't mind doing a girl a quick favor, hmm?"
The Master Chief merely shook his head. How could he ever refuse a request from an old friend? He turned to Johnson, who stood with his Fire Team at disciplined attention.
"We're heading into the forest. Ready your men." The Staff Sergeant nodded.
"Yes, Sir," He turned to face the Marines, "get your asses moving! We're heading out!"
Immediately, the Marines grabbed their gear, checking their weapons and equipment. With each individual inspections complete, they started to trek into the lush denseness beyond, with Johnson leading up at the front of the unit. The Chief followed closely behind, his Mjolnir helmet surveying the trees cautiously as the recon team walked through the broad entrance of the massive forest.
Unknown to the Spartan or Fire Team Charlie, they were being closely watched. Pairs of sharp, cold eyes watched the movements of the UNSC soldiers, their bows held but not drawn. They had no reason to instigate a conflict, so it was of better reason to stay back and watch the outsiders from afar.
A breeze of wind blew leaves over the hiding places camouflaged in the trees — and within the same moment, the eyes simply vanished from view.