Chapter 8: First contact
UNSC Jeopardy, November 9, 2534
Nice sleep that is it was until the alarms started blaring throughout the ship. I roll out of bed and quickly get on my bodysuit (Which I was told to wear at all times.) and fatigues. I look at the watch and see that it is 0450. Perfect. I finish lacing up my boots and head to the door. I sigh. Time to go to work.
Once I'm in the hall I hear the familiar sound of crewmen running to their stations. I begin to head in the direction of the bridge when a voice comes over the intercoms "All special operators report to the research lab." It said. I couldn't help but smile. On a ship with thousands of people and they refer to us as 'special operators' because they think people don't know Spartans are on board. Come on, it's not like they have 14 year old kids in combat gear on every frigate. Either way I do a full 180 heading in the direction of the research lab.
While making my way to the bay, I ran into Dar and Kobe. We all marched steadily towards the research lab. "This is it." Kobe said. "What is it?" Dar asks. "The op it's starting ahead of schedule." He answers. I just nod my head knowingly, but in reality I'm pumped. Plus the voice in my head was unusually quiet. Quiet was never good.
We showed up at the research lab in a fair amount of time. Alec was already there with a data pad. "Suit up." Was all he said. We didn't have to be told twice. All of us headed to our stations were our armor was located. Alec was already talking. I couldn't hear most of it over the machines locking my armor into place. It wasn't till the helmet was snapped on over my head, that I heard him. "We jumped out of slipspace to find half the damn covenant armada waiting for us. We will drop you off and return in exactly one day to pick you up. You will have this amount of time to complete your objective. So you will be dropped by SOEIV's into a clearing far off from your main objective and hostiles." He said. "Sir what is the objective?" Dar asked while he put his scythe on the magnetic strip on his back. I was doing the same with my gladiuses and harness. "No time. Everything you need to know is in you HUDs." He replied. "Now move it." He finished. We grabbed our weapons from the racks next to our stations and took off towards the drop pods.
We ran through those halls like bats out of hell. And I guarantee you there are more than a few new dents in the walls and possibly some new doors thanks to Kobe. At least we know the armor can withstand serious impacts at high velocities. This aside we all reached the launch bay in about a minute and a half. We are ready and locked into our pods in a matter of 30 seconds. Launched in 30 as well. The whole ordeal took 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Free fall is an odd feeling especially in zero gee or the first few moments. It first feels like your floating towards the planet and suddenly it's like the world just grabs you and starts pulling you down. Before this happened I managed to see the UNSC Jeopardy jump into slipspace. Not to mention the hundred covenant cruisers just hanging out. It doesn't matter so as I am falling I look at the landscape. I realize it looked shiny, and then it hit me. This planet has been glassed.
Wait why are we on a planet that has already been glassed? Before I can think on this more the parachute and thrusters are deployed. The glass polarized and hardened just before Impact. I hit with a jarring crash. Just as I was about to press the release and send the hatch flying, plasma hit the glass and it began to crack. I then press the hatch release. Nothing happened. "Fuckin really." I say to no one in particular. I then brace myself with my back in my seat and by feet on the hatch. I then extend my body, kicking the hatch off at about 45mph. The hatch crashed into the elite that was apparently spraying my pod. I check to make sure he/it is dead. It wasn't. I finish the job by curb stopping the elite. Brutal and barbaric? Yes. Effective? Yes. Wrong? Hell no. It was at this point I realized I had just made my first kill in this god forsaken war.
I was mulling over how it felt when I head a branch snap. Not glass crunching but a branch snapping. Either way I immediately turn to find Dar and Kobe coming out of the brush. I relax and take in my surroundings. I was in a forest. I was in a forest on a glassed planet. Weird. Even weirder was the silence from the voice. All this went through my head in the time it took Dar and Kobe to get to be. "You see the scenery on the way down?" He asked. "Yep." Was my answer. "Whoa, you got one already." Kobe said. I just shrug and say "First contact, first kill.". Dar walks over and inspects the elite. Mainly the huge crater in its head. "Forget your weapon?" Dar asked. "Waste of ammo." I say.
"So what's the plan?" Kobe asked me. I pull up the data in by HUD and read. "Apparently it's a simple snatch and grab." I say. "The covenant put a resupply depot and prison on this part of the planet. We have to find a scientist and get him out of here." I finish "Who and why?" Asked Dar. "Doesn't say, which means we don't need to know." I say. "Bullshit." Was Dar's retort. I just shrug and bring up the map on my HUD. "Okay, let's get a move. Our clock has started." I say. I take point and we move through the forest with the time limit hanging over our heads.
