Chapter 6: Deployment

Within the tunneled cosmic blue rift bending space and time, one lone UNSC Pelican travelled just mere inches above the violent turbulence. The distorted space below them arose and fell like deadly ocean waves. The BGC looked out the windows and all wondered the same concern. Will we be really okay with him flying? Tucker unbuckled his seatbelt and braced his legs to push him upwards. As the ship shook from what one may fear to be a collision, but in reality it was the pressures surrounding them, Tucker held on to the top bars as he walked towards the cockpit. Accessing the control panel, Tucker opened the door to see the German pilot snoring into a deep nap. Tucker could feel a vein pop out of his forehead as he swung a hard fist at the ex-Captain. "I knew this would happen!"

"Oh my sexy Tucker," he gently kissed his fingers and pointed them towards the aqua soldier. Tucker shifted to his right narrowly dodging the hearts filled with love within his imagination. Muffins' expression stiffened momentarily as he let his hand fall down without resistance. Tucker had made his choice. He was not going to entertain Muffins' playfulness. "What is it that you want with me?"

"I was just wondering why you are the one piloting this Pelican?" Tucker held onto the headrest while spreading out his legs to counteract the turbulence. "Shouldn't you have one of your lackeys do that?"

Muffins for once seemed to completely lose the goofy expressions and silently gazed out the front windshield. "I no longer command a cruiser. Seems as though the UNSC didn't want to put up with my antics any longer and my contacts were only as effective as to keep me out of serving time on the inside where I would have no doubt had my sexy bottom stretched while picking up the soap!"

"You didn't crash and blow up another cruiser ship now did you?" asked Church using Tucker for balance. Muffins grinned sheepishly sending shivers down everyone's spine. We are not safe here. If there is a god out there, please let us survive this trip. Muffins began to laugh hysterically and quickly quietened as if he was a child recently scolded for his noise. With a mumble, he said. "I might have."

"[Hey Grif, I think I found someone with a worse track record than yours for blowing up vehicles]," Lopez mused with a very robotic laugh. Tucker looked at the nearing exit as the ship approached with a bright flash of light. They exited to the empty space leaving behind no trace of their wormhole travels. Straight ahead, Tucker could see their destination as Muffins entered the coordinates to the distant military station. "Be ready my hoomies, the moment you land, you will be debriefed on the situation and probably deployed right away."

"No rest for the wicked I suppose," Sarge mentioned as he asked for Theta to magnify the station image on his H.U.D. As the ship neared, they could hear the voice of an operator woman aboard the docking operations for the station. "Identify yourself!"

"Oh hey Karen, this is Muffins here baby!"

The operator went silent, almost as if she were considering raising an alarm. Of all the people, why did I have to get him? She wondered as she punched a nearby panel in disgust. "M- Muffins, you are clear for landing at Bay D25."

"Thank you sexy woman," Muffins spoke changing his high pitched tone with every word doing his best to sound sexy. "But baby, you still haven't gotten back to me about my invitation for a night full of partying."

The line went dead. All he heard was a loud beeping noise. "Hello, Karen dear?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if she hung up on you," grinned Tucker as he held back laughter. Church shook his head as he leaned in close to whisper. "I wouldn't be so happy about this if I were you. If I recall, you don't really talk to women much, or rather they all tend to run away from you after talking with you for a minute or two."

"Oh shut up, let me have this," Tucker gently shoved his friend away and looked back towards the pilot. "Say, weren't you into guys before?"

"I'm bisexual," Muffins winked as he squeezed his shoulder close to his cheek in a miserable attempt to look cute. "So how about it big boy, do you want to take Karen's place in my heart?"

Tucker froze up as he saw Muffins' hand approach his waist. Tucker took a hold of his alien sword and aimed it at the pilot's neck. "I think you are jumping the gun here. Also, I like women. I'm not into gay relationships to make things clear. Stop making passes at me."

Unexpectedly, the ex-Captain complied with Tucker's request causing the rest to worry. This isn't normal, they thought. Is he really Muffins? The pilot turned to reach for the landing gears as he entered through the base's shields and into the hanger bay. With a gentle bump, he opened the back doors and helped gather everyone's bags. "Well, I guess this is it for now my hoomies. It was good meeting you again. I missed you all so much!"

"You really mean that?" asked Donut holding back a few tears of joy alongside Doc and Muffins. Doc held out his overcharged medical scanner and sniffled with an ominous sense of happiness. "I missed you so much as well Muffins!"

"That is not what your scanner is telling me right now!" Muffins shouted as he hid behind a few boxes on deck. "Just put that thing away before you hurt someone with it crazy purple man!"


"I presume you are the group of soldiers from Blood Gulch?"

They all looked towards a new voice that entered their fray. He was a man in his sixties, easily carrying himself with the stature of a charismatic leader, but at the same time someone with a mask. He gazed down towards Muffins, almost glared and nodded his head to the pilot. "Thank you for your services, you may leave for now. I will contact you again when there is a new mission for you. Resume your normal duties for now soldier."

"Yes sir."

Muffins just said 'Yes sir' to someone?! The BGC nearly fell upside down at the event. One of the many soldiers noticed the man's presence in his neatly kept military uniform and slapped his heel against the floor with a salute. "Commander on deck!"

The elderly man studied the group from head to toe. He eyed Tucker and inched closer with some level of malice in his eyes. "So you are the one with that alien child. Hmph, I can't believe we have someone like you in the army."

"How would you know that?"

"I have access to your files," he looked around to the crew and pointed a finger at each and every one of them. "Don't think that you can get away with things like you have been able to so far. You are all failures as actual soldiers. But I will make sure to put you lot to work on the front lines. Even a defective tool can have its uses."

Tucker clenched his hands and took a silent step forward before being stopped by Church. "Don't waste your strength here, it's not worth it."

Tucker lowered his fist unbeknownst to the commander. Great, we already have an asshole superior to deal with. Grif pondered as he looked towards the some curious, and some rejectionist gazes they gathered. The commander eyed Sarge in particular with scoff. "Do you realize why you lot are here, it is because of incompetent leadership. If you had a better leader, then you wouldn't be going to fight on the front lines, oh no, you would probably be sitting in a warm chair dictating the war. You were all denied the opportunity for advancements and that works out well for me. I can put you to use for the purposes of this war. Don't disappoint us. You will be debriefed on the situation in twenty minutes in my office. Get used to the space station until then."

Tucker broke free of Church's grip and shot up a middle finger just as the commander left the area. Grif with a sigh looked around at the directions on the walls. "It hasn't been ten minutes and we are already dealing with a stuck up prick."

"Every army has one I guess," Donut surprisingly noted to the others. They looked at him for a quick follow up, but his response to such expectations was met short. "W- What?"

"Well it's not like you to say something like that," Doc mentioned as he looked at Caboose who said. "Yes, you are normally super nice! Where did your deliciousness go Cinnamon Donut?!"

"That can be taken in all the wrong ways…," said Church in a mischievous voice before hearing Tucker's trademark remark. "Bow-Chicka-Bow-Wow!"

"Well I'm off to find some grub," Grif pointed in the general direction of the cafeteria as Sister followed after him. "See you losers later."

Simmons eyed the technology division sign. They are bound to have some neat stuff there. He held out the cell phone and watched the bag of components intently. Maybe I can ask for help there to. He quickly left for his much anticipated destination. Doc followed a couple medics offering his help as he deemed it to be better than just wasting the twenty minutes doing nothing. Sarge and Lopez headed off together with Donut to explore the various confines of the station and its engine. Church looked all around as the crew split up and crossed his arms dumb founded as to what he should do. He looked to his aqua friend who was still most irritated with Church doing his best to calm him. "Come on man, no point in staying angry. I know, how about we go check out the female crew here? I bet there are some really hot ones here."

As if hearing the mating call, Tucker's ears perked up and his eyes shined with determination. Women, women, women, women, need to get laid, laid, laid, must have! He rushed on ahead of Church who followed shortly. Behind them, as they left, there remained the unwelcoming gazes of the army soldiers. Several of them shook their head still unable to believe what Tucker had done before. But some had begun to question their rejection of such a notion as the commander's words began to make more and more sense to them by the day. One of the soldiers looked at the rest with a nod as they carried on with their work before they met the wrath of their captain.


"Ain't she a thing of beauty boys?" Sarge eyed the engine with greed glimmering in his visor. "If only I could take it apart and study it. Oh how I could spend hours doing that."

"Slow down Sarge, first we gotta set the mood right!" Donut exclaimed as he pulled out a stereo system and engaged in a relaxing tune. The music slowly built up from an atmospheric relaxation to heart pounding, thunderous and epic notes. Donut rubbed his hands together and approached the engine. "Alright, now we are ready to take this bad boy apart!"

The pink soldier stared at the large machination before helplessly turning his head and with a tilt he questioned. "So how do I take out the screws?"

Sarge nearly fell to the ground on his head at the stupidity. "I thought I had taught my men better than that, but clearly not. Lopez, get me my toolkit, we are going to have a six hour grueling session on the art of screws and screwdrivers!"

"[You left your toolkit back in Blood Gulch]."

"That's nice of you to offer Lopez. Get me a Monte Cristo for lunch."

"[Stupid old man]."

"That wasn't a very nice thing to say Lopez," Donut rebutted and received a blank look of what one could perceive as shock. "[Out of all the important things I have to say, you only understand the dumbest of things? Why was I transferred into this unit? Someone please take my CPU and destroy it before I have to spend another moment with these morons]."


Looking fine, Tucker pondered as he leaned against the metal pillar while observing the female crew in the recreational area. Church followed the aqua one's gaze and tilted his head. "I will admit, she has some nice curves."

"But?"

"But?"

"Dude, I know you well enough to know when you also want to say something else," Tucker spoke with authority and confidence in his knowledge. Church crossed his metallic arms as the metal clanged together gathering the attention of those around him. "If I had a mouth, I would be smiling right about now. I didn't think you would actually care enough to observe that much about me Tucker."

"We have known for how many years now?"

"Well you have known multiple copies of me, but I'm not that same Church."

"I know," Tucker noted as he looked towards a blonde bombshell. "But for whatever reason, your guys' personality always ends up being the same as the one before. I guess that is what happens when you listen to Caboose right down to the minor details, even if some of them are exaggerated."

"I guess," Church moved closer as he too eyed the blonde worker. "By the way, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it Church, I won't let that asshole commander bring me down."

"But you know, there are bound to be more like him probably."

"Well, that's just how the universe is," Tucker looked at the time and quickly prompted for Church to follow. "There are both good and bad people, and then you have the type who think they are special, or as I like to say, assholes. We just have to somehow make do with them. Plus, he too is fighting on the same side as us. We can't go around dividing and creating internal strife now."

"Wow," Church nearly stumbled over his own foot as he landed with a hard impact. "That is probably one of the wisest things I have ever heard you say."

"What can I say? I'm a natural badass like that."

"And there goes that moment."


As the commander watched the reflection in the window overlooking space, he saw the various colored blobs enter the room in order. He turned his gaze to the new occupants and gently sat down in his leather chair that squished under his weight. He leaned forward with his elbows resting onto the table and stared from the left most soldiers to the right most. "I will make this briefing quick and short."

Sarge stood still against the iron stare of the commander, unfazed by the heavy presence that seemed to weigh on the arms of others. The man pressed a few buttons on his desk and activated a nearby hologram projector. A distorted picture slowly formed and with time as more pixels were added to the resolution, it became clearer. "That is planet UMC-5678A, or better known as Vultak. It was once home to the Sangheili who settled in after the Great War ended. But it seems that some have still yet to let go of their extremist beliefs and hatred. A war to this day plays down on the surface and its skies. Frankly speaking, this is a war that has become a battle of attrition. We are losing men fast, but so are they. We need resources you reds and blues can provide to help bolster our numbers. Your mission is simple, go down to the surface and cause damage to the enemy. You will be given specific missions when down on the surface by those ranking higher than you. Do the job you are here for and when you are all dismissed from this assignment, you will be free to go back to Blood Gulch."

The commander glared towards Tucker and with a stern, almost hateful expression he turned around. "Even you who has nursed an enemy for a child can be given a chance to once again lead a peaceful life. You don't have a choice here, all of you are required now to participate in our military operations and follow my instructions down to the letter. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir!" Sarge shouted with the UNSC salute as the rest followed. The commander dismissed them with a wave and continued staring out the window. Just as Sarge, the last one, was about to leave, he heard the commander speak up ever so slightly. "Oh, and Muffins will be your air envoy for the duration of your stay in this space region. Contact him for supply drops, pickups, mission drops and anything of that nature."

"He just had to bring up Tucker's kid again, didn't he?" Grif punched his palm in irritation. Sister promptly agreed with wide up and down motions. "That jerk!"

Simmons felt his military issued communicator vibrate. He unlocked the device as it brightly lit and reflected off his visor. "Guys, we have orders."

"Already?" Donut leaned in close and with a sigh he walked off in defeat. Doc looked at his own and felt his shoulders drop down to the ground. "Who thought it would be a good idea to send a pacifist down to the battlefield?"

"The same person who made you our squad medic," replied Church as he felt slightly uncomfortable at the notion. "However I don't think I want you tinkering with my parts anytime soon Doc."

"Oh let me do that," Caboose raised a hand in an innocent motion. "I love tinkering!"


Iowa followed the rest to the hanger area where Muffins stood ready alongside a couple other soldiers. All were dressed in basic ODST armor that left the likes of Tucker to wonder what the point was of sending them down alongside those with superior combat suits. One of the ODST soldiers looked at the aqua soldier as he approached the Pelican. As if accidently, he bumped into him. "My bad."

Tucker could feel the malice behind the force. Church offered a hand to help his friend up. "I guess news spreads fast."

"Yeah, especially if their commander is a blabber mouth," Tucker joked as he boarded the plane. Muffins began the start up procedure. The rest stored their guns and strapped themselves in. Tucker could immediately feel the intense stares of the many ODSTs. "So you are the much talked about alien child rearing freak."

Church almost felt himself go off the rails just before he was stopped by Tucker through their mental connection via his AI unit slot. Tucker smiled underneath his helmet and nodded his head. "So what if I'm bro?"

"Don't call me 'bro' you disgusting animal. Hmph, I can't believe I have to share the same space as you," the soldier looked away as he punched the hull. "How could you even do it?"

Not like I had a choice in the matter dipshit, Tucker balled his hands into fists on his thighs. The soldier continued leaning forward, only to be stopped in his tracks before his fists could find the aqua one. "Those monsters have taken my friends from me! To think that a human could even parent one of those things is nothing but what an animal would do!"

"Hey, back off!" Church felt his last restraint leave his body. "He hasn't done anything to you!"

"That's right," Tucker leaned backwards into a slouch. "I don't even know you dude. And another thing, don't go around talking about my kid like that. We are all in the same boat now, but if you want to keep on fighting me like this, then do so once we both make it back alive. I will gladly take you on anytime, anywhere and hand you your ass over and over again to you on a silver platter."

"Tch, you little…," the ODST soldier was promptly restrained by his fellow ODSTs who gave a disapproving nod. Muffins entered the heavy and tense atmosphere as he saw the gloomy looks on the faces of the ODST soldiers. "Well now, I will be taking off soon for us to all merrily go together towards our certain death. Anyone that needs to use the washroom, go do it now!"

"Oh, that's me!" Caboose jumped up from his seat and rushed out the Pelican. "Church has always said to go before I go for a long road trip!"

"I need to go to!" Iowa shouted. "Caboose always told me to go before a long road trip!"

"Well at least that dispels the rigid atmosphere from before," Simmons whispered as he looked towards the pilot seat. Muffins took a seat and watched the clamps from the ceiling extend down to the Pelican. The two soldiers came back and fastened themselves in just as the bay doors closed. Muffins lit the warning lights around the ship alerting the surrounding workers to evacuate the area. The hull of the station opened as the last of the workers evacuated. The ship was slowly moved out and eventually tossed outside. Muffins gently veered to the left where the ship reached stability and pushed down on the pedals to the thrusters. "There she is ja!"

The others looked out at the war torn planet with orange cracks all over. It was the sight of hell on Earth. As the ship flew past the allied battleships, they entered the atmosphere and broke beyond what they never realized would be some of the only white clouds they may see for a long while.


A/N: Sorry for the huge delay in the postings, but I did say that there would be big breaks now in between my posts. So expect more time gaps like these. Anyways, what did you think of the chapter?

Respectful criticism/feedback is welcomed.

Thank you for reading!

~ Monty