Chapter 21: Arrival
Mission Clock 00:12:53 (D:H:M)
Unknown star system, onboard cruiser Physalis
Pelican hangar
"A Pelican?... Come on, this is what I have to use, can't you give me a Longsword or something?" The Pelican's pilot, Warrant Officer Patterson was starting to get angry at Michelle. "Sergeant, have you ever piloted a Longsword? Simulations are one thing, but flying into a potentially hostile environment is another. Besides, It's not like you're piloting this bird anyway, that's what I get played to do." Mark walked toward the Pelican. "Sorry about this Warrant Officer, we are used to entering hostile environments, but we are used to doing it very fast. We only use Pelicans when we retreat." Patterson frowned "you Helljumpers are all the same, a bunch of insane idiots. Anyway, you would be surprised at just how fast these birds can go." Matthews began to approach them. "I just want you all to know, we do have limited time to carry out this operation. Sergeant, get all the gear Corporal Tyler can possibly carry ready. Officer Patterson, get this rig ready to fly. Corporal, put this on your helmet." Matthews handed him Mark a memory crystal. Mark held the crystal in his hands, "what's this for?" Matthews looked at Mark with dissatisfaction. "Why that's Lina's complete code. Now put it on your helmet, we are almost out of time." Mark sighed, he placed the memory crystal in the slot on his helmet. Suddenly Mark felt as if someone spilled icy cold water on top of this brain. Out of reflex, Mark took the crystal out. "What the hell was that! It felt like someone dropped melting ice on my brain!" Matthews looked intrigued, "Oh, don't worry about that, it just means that Lina is spreading herself across your brain to free up processing memory. The feeling won't completely go away, but it will subside." Mark looked at the crystal again, "I guess it's too late to go back now." With that, Mark placed the crystal in his helmet and braced for the feeling again. Matthews stepped toward Mark, "Lina report!" "This is interesting sir, I didn't know that the human brain had this much free space for me to use, I feel just like if I was still on the ship." Matthews frowned, "Lina, I gave you an order, now report!" "She just did Matthews! Are you getting old or something?" Matthews looked dumbstruck, "Lina, use the MJOLNIR's speakers to talk to anyone other than Corporal Tyler here, we can't hear you unless you do." "Sorry sir," Lina's distinctive voice came loud a clear through the armor's speakers. "What, are you saying she can read my mind?" "Good question," Matthews responded. She can't read your mind, per se, but you can communicate with her in a telepathic level so to speak. This effect might have the advantage to help you two plan things out without any eavesdropping, so take advantage. "Glad to be working with you Corporal Tyler." Lina told him in a cheerful voice. "Yeah, thanks" Matthews looked confused, "thanks for what?" Lina sighed, "If you want to talk to me, think, don't talk Corporal." "Never mind Matthews, I was talking to Lina. And by the way Lina, just call me Mark, I never liked being called by my rank anyway." "Yes sir, I mean Mark." Matthews began to walk away, "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the officer's lounge." Michelle waked out of the Pelican and toward Mark. "He Mark, I got you an MA5B and a M90, you got about 540 extra rounds, two boxes with about twenty four shells each and four grenades, is this enough?" Mark ran toward the Pelican and checked his new toys. "Damn, you never give me this much ammo." "That's because we usually have ten… eight other people to give ammo too." "Hey, if you two are done back there, we have green light to take off." Patterson sounded angry. "Sorry Patterson, I'll be right there." "Well Lina, looks like it's just you and me back here, you got anything to talk about?" Mark waited for a response from Lina. "Mark, what do you think is out there?" Mark though for a second. "Whatever it is, I hope it's on our side."
The Pelican took off from the Physalis without much trouble. Patterson was flying the Pelican and Michelle was beginning to learn how to fly the plane. "Hey sarge, can I ask you something?" Michelle looked at Patterson "shoot." "I need a woman's opinion, you think this is a good present?" Patterson handed Michelle a velvet box. Michelle opened it and looked deep into the wedding ring's diamond's core. "I have a girl back on Reach. I figure I better get married and start to spend all the money I've been saving before I have to ship out again." Michelle closed the box, "I'm no jewel connoisseur. I was kind of a tomboy growing up. Guess that's why I'm a ground pounder. But yeah, she'll love it." Patterson took back the box and put it in his left breast pocket. "I can't wait to get back." Michelle got up and waked toward the back of the Pelican, "I'll go check on the Corporal."
"But that's not what I'm asking you Lina, I what to know what you would do if you had a human body, would you still work for the Navy?" Lina took two seconds to respond to Mark. "I've never given it a though. It's not like the Navy could give me a body anyway, so I never give it a thought." Mark sighed, "You didn't answer my question. For a smart AI you sure are vague." Michelle came into the back of the Pelican. "Hey Mark, when we get back to Reach, why don't we go…" Before Michelle could finish a shock rocked the ship. "What the hell was that Patterson?" Mark shouted. Patterson answered in a nervous voice, "We hit something." Both Mark and Michelle rushed to the cockpit. They both looked out to space and saw nothing but vacuum. "What did we hit Patterson?" Patterson turned to them, his face white as a ghost. "I have no idea."
"Why are you going to check it out!" Mark cambered a round into his MA5B. "First, my armor is black, it's really hard to see in space. Second, I can walk around in space for at least a few days, you can't. I know you are my superior, but this is an entirely different parameter. I'll check this out, you stay here." "Don't worry Sergeant, I'll take care of him for you." Lina tried to assure Michelle, it didn't work. "Fine, go and get yourself killed! I'll be in the cockpit!" She walked into the cockpit. Mark thought about apologizing, but decided that walking into space would be safer. "Does she always act like that Mark?" Mark didn't really want to answer Lina's question, but he had asked her so much, he figured it was only fair. I've known Michelle since I was fourteen. She hates it when I go off and do things on my own because she things she is my mother, though sometimes I worry about her, more so than she cares about herself. Its scares me to think about what would happen if she died. I really scares me." The door opened and Mark was pushed off the ship by the rush of the remaining air. "Shit!" Mark grabbed on to the hydraulic arm of the door before he drifted away "that was too close." Mark began to work his way to the front of the ship. He took a look at the nose of the Pelican. It wasn't flying very fast, but the nose was now completely flat, like it hit a solid wall. "Hey guys, I'm going to take a closer look" Mark made his way toward the nose. It was rather easy with the MJOLNIR armor's gauntlets. Mark tried to touch the flat side of the nose but ran into some kind of resistance. "What the hell?" "What's wrong?" Michelle demanded. "There's a wall here, I'm going to see if I can climb it." Mark put both hands against the invisible wall. The wall seemed to hold onto his arms as if it was magnetized. Mark put both feet on it and began to walk. He was now on an invisible flat plane. The pelican hung perpendicular to whatever was allowing him to walk. The feeling of nausea began to seep into him. "Now I remember why I hate space." Suddenly, a white light appeared in front of Mark. "You're not going in there, are you?" Mark began to chuckle. "Isn't that what we are here for Lina?" Mark walked toward the light, it was coming from a whole. Mark was standing over the entrance to whatever the Pelican crashed again. "Here we go!" Mark jumped into the hatch. Over the radio, Michelle heard a faint laughter.