Disclaimer: I don't own halo, all OCs are mine though
Chapter 25: 3:10 to onyx
/date error/ estimated range: September 15- December 15, 2552
location: chiroptera class vessel in slipspace en route to Zeta Doradus system
"I'm detecting a energy surge of unknown origin" said Kalmiya.
"relax" said Kyle, "its the residual blast from the crystal being destroyed, its pushing us through time".
"What!?" said Halsey as she finished hooking up Kelly's IV. "Locklear destroyed it?"
"unfortunately, he killed himself in the process" said Kyle as he drifted to the captain's chair and settled in it.
Halsey floated over to the pilot's station and checked the data. "What happened to you on Reach?" she asked.
"The crystal sent me back to my universe" said Kyle who then proceeded to outline the events in Alexandria, how he ended up sending himself into the Halo universe, his family reunion and the ensuing battle in downtown Alexandria.
"My god" Halsey muttered, "why did you do it?"
"I always did it, I saw myself do it the first time."
"but you didn't have to" said Halsey. "You could have broken the causality loop right there. You had the chance to make sure you had a normal life, why didn't you take it?"
"I have my reasons" he replied with a quick glance at Kelly.
"it was her, wasn't it?" said Halsey, "and that's why you're here now"
"partly" Kyle replied.
"then you know why I'm going to... Onyx, did you call it?" said Halsey
"yes" Kyle replied, "I'm going to make sure you don't succeed in your plan, your way isn't the answer".
--
After a few hours of sleep Kyle awoke to see Halsey removing an IV from his arm.
"that should be the last treatment of dermacordic steroids you'll need" she said as she removed Kelly's IV then injected her with a stimulant.
"powering down the slipspace engines" said Kalmiya, "exit vector calculated."
"very good" said Halsey who surveyed the mathematics scrolling across the screen, "but the saddle point in the imagery plane should convolute here" she touched a point on the screen. "That way, we recapture the particle accelerator energy in the plasma coils".
"There a risk of coil overload" said Kalmiya.
"trust me, it'll work" said Kyle.
"if you say so" said Kalmiya. "Transitioning... now"
The craft started to shudder a bit as it reentered normal space. A sun appeared in the windscreen followed by various stars and a nebula just outside the system.
"There should be a habitable planet ahead" said Kyle. "Take us in"
"aye aye" Kalmiya replied. "Engaging engines at one half."
Kelly began to stir and when she was fully alert, she broke her restraints and prepared to fight hand to hand, then she noticed Kyle and Halsey.
"At ease, Spartan" said Halsey. "You're with me, safe"
"I was drugged!" said Kelly who still kept her fists raised.
"correct, the last stage of dermacordic steroid treatment is a bit unpleasant. Even for you".
"Where are we" she asked
"on governor Jiles's ship, I appropriated it for a mission"
"john and admiral Whitcomb" she asked
"they know" Halsey replied
"oh cut the bullshit" kyle snapped. "you were kidnapped" he said to Kelly
what about you" she asked
"I came willingly" he replied "to make sure this mission goes the way it should be"
"I'm detecting a planet ahead" said Kalmiya. "Wait, I have multiple smaller objects on an intercept course". A radar cross section of the objects appeared, three booms attached to a central sphere. "I'm counting 312 of them accelerating on an attack vector".
"What are they?" Kelly asked
"sentinels" Kyle replied. "You two better strap in, its going to be a bumpy ride"
They complied. Halsey strapped herself into the captain's chair and Kelly took the first officer's while Kyle settled into the helm.
"Kalmiya, listen closely, I want you to use the extra energy we retained from the transition to get us into a slingshot trajectory around the planet's moon and to the surface. Halsey will give you the specifics for the orbital insertion" said Kyle.
Halsey nodded and removed her laptop and began entering the equations into the NAV computer. The ship rumbled forward and began to accelerate at an alarming pace.
"The unknowns are turning... and firing!" said Kalmiya. "I don't believe it, they missed"
The ship dashed forward approaching the moon, the twilight region filled the viewscreens as they began their slingshot.
"I may not survive the acceleration" said Halsey. "You must land the craft. Find the others"
"what 'others'?" Kelly asked.
"they're firing again!" said Kalmiya.
"give us an evasive roll" said Kyle.
The ship began to bank and narrowly avoided blast from the sentinels.
"Missed again" said Kalmiya.
Doctor Halsey finished her calculations and pressed the enter key sending them into the NAV computer.
"that's insane" said Kalmiya as she reviewed them.
"hold your course!" Kyle barked, "don't deviate from it."
"understood" she replied.
"Kelly, Kyle" Halsey mumbled, "you must find them, save them". She slumped over in her seat, unconscious.
"She's fine" he told Kelly who was undoing her harness. "Kalmiya, initiate counter thrust"
The ship rotated 180 and its main engine fired slowing them down from their nightmare velocity. Out the window they could see orange-yellow beams criss-cross across space, trying to hit their tiny ship as it began its fiery decent.
"I'm picking up a transmission on the E-band" said Kalmiya who piped it in.
"...is automated general distress code bloody arrow. All UNSC personnel head and stand to. We are under attack and req..."
"that was Mendez" said Kelly. "Kyle, what exactly is down there?"
"I'll explain when we arrive" said Kyle.
"initiating counter thrust... now" said Kalmiya.
Both Spartans were pushed back into their seats which snapped of the floor sending them into the bulkhead behind them. The deceleration ceased and gravity gradually came on, the Spartans got out of their crushed seats and Kelly tended to Halsey.
"We're seven kilometers above the planet's surface" said Kalmiya, "we only have our auxiliary engine and it doesn't have enough power for an escape trajectory".
"So we're stuck here" said Kyle. "Ok, set course for the location of the transmission and find us a landing site".
The ship glided over the jungles and hills until they spotted a horseshoe shaped UNSC camp in the foliage. The ship glided over and touched down in a swamp a few kilometers to the east. Kyle removed the duffel from under Halsey's seat and handed one of the MA5Bs to Kelly along with a clip of ammunition. She took the bag with the guns and medical supplies while Kyle took the one he packed on the Gettysburg. He moved over to the helm, removed Kalmiya from the main systems and put her in his skull, then he picked up Dr Halsey and they left the ship together. The Spartans moved away from the ship and found a small area to rest. Kyle set Halsey down against a tree and Kelly patched the E-band in.
"...expect an immediate threat response. This is automated general distress code bloody arrow. All UNSC personnel head and stand to. We are under attack and require assistance. Camp Currahee and the northern peninsula have been invaded, possibly Covenant hostiles. Suggest orbital bombardment of the norther region as these entities are equipped with high heat output weapons. Our forces will remain under cover. Land in force and expect an immediate threat response."
"Ok, Kyle" said Kelly, "you need to explain."
"this place is a training ground... for Spartans" said Kyle.
"what!?" said Kelly, "but we're the only ones... right?"
"I don't have time to explain" said Kyle, "because here they come."
Across the jungle, two figures appeared scanning the trees for any sign of them, both were shrouded in active camouflage. Kyle immediately stood up and got their attention. He swiped the two finger 'Spartan smile' gesture across his faceplate. The shorter of two looked over at the other before returning the gesture.
"Tell the others not to move in" he said over the COM. "We have a wounded person with us."
"Kyle, what are you doing?" Kelly asked.
"Its ok" Kyle replied. "I know these two". Suddenly, another figure appeared and tried to get the jump on Kelly, but she slapped him in the chest sending the assailant into a nearby tree.
"Stand down, Spartans!" a familiar voice barked over the COM.
Kelly and Kyle turned to see a figure dressed in SPI armor towering over them. Kyle suddenly remembered what would happen next and he screamed "get down!" over the COM, then pushed Kelly to the ground just as an explosion tore through the jungle. Kelly got up and fired her MA5B rifle at the sentinel that appeared, but Kyle pushed the barrel down.
"its no good" he said, "the rounds just hit the shields, and continued fire wont even weaken it".
He grabbed Kelly and they ran away from Dr Halsey's position trying to draw fire, it worked as the sentinel let off another beam that landed in front of Kelly and Kyle, sending them flying. When they got up an amber acknowledgment light clicked on twice, the wait signal. They both took cover behind a tree and listened to the other Spartans over the TEAMCOM as they fought the sentinel.
"Do those things have shields constantly?" Kelly asked.
"They don't" Kyle replied. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked with a hint of excitement in his voice.
"Follow my lead" said Kelly as she ran off and with four strides she accelerated to her top speed of 62 KPH. It took Kyle a little longer to match her speed, he was the only other Spartan who could keep up with her. Kelly jumped up and pushed off a tree, flipped over in midair and grabbed onto the sentinel. Kyle puled off the same maneuver and grabbed onto the remaining boom with one hand while he removed a grenade from his belt with the other.
"Stick this up your pipe and smoke it!" Kyle said and he removed the pin and shoved it in between the boom and the central sphere. They both let go and landed on the ground. Kyle quickly covered Kelly as the grenade detonated, destroying the sentinel. They both got to their feet as three figures wearing SPI armor arrived followed by a taller one.
"Welcome to my neck of the woods, Kelly" he said, "and I assume that's you, Kyle?"
"Kurt?" Kelly whispered.
"I'm glad you remembered" Kurt replied.
"let me see your face" Kelly demanded. Kurt complied and his faceplate depolarized, it was him.
"How is this possible?" said Kalmiya, "according to your team records SPARTAN-051 was listed as MIA twenty years ago".
"I'll explain later" Kyle whispered.
Two Spartans went over to doctor Halsey, wrapped her in a thermal reflective blanket and carried her off. Kyle retrieved their supplies and they headed off deeper into the jungles of Onyx.
--
Kelly sat next to doctor Halsey while kyle ran a check of her vitals. The other Spartans sat across from them in the concrete bunker, without their helmets on. She opened up an encrypted COM channel to kyle. "You said you would explain"
"what do want to know?" he asked.
"are these kids Spartans?"
"yes" Kyle replied, "SPARTAN III to be more precise".
"Their armor is like nothing I've ever see before. Its like MJOLNIR with active camouflage" said Kelly.
"actually, the active camouflage is the armor's only true feature" Kyle corrected. "No shields, no metal liquid crystal layers".
"They probably couldn't stand up to even one plasma hit" said Kelly.
"that's the point" said Kyle, "expendable supersolders, easy and cheap to make. And because they're Spartans, they'll get the job done no matter the cost".
Kelly sat there taking in what Kyle had told her. She didn't know what to make of these Spartans. "What about Kurt?" she asked, "what's his role in all this."
"he's their trainer along with Mendez. Remember the mission to Delphi station? It was a ploy for ONI to abduct Kurt and make him train these Spartans".
"And he went along with this for twenty years?" said Kelly, "what happened to the other Spartans, these ones are too young?"
"The first company was entirely KIA on a mission to Covenant shipyard. The second company was also wiped out except for those two" he said pointing to Tom and Lucy. "I don't know what happened to the third one, most of them shipped out except for three teams that were doing training exercises, that's one of them" he said pointing to team saber.
"And Kurt just let this happen?" said Kelly, obviously pissed at this point. Suddenly Halsey began to stir.
"How are you feeling?" Kelly asked.
"fine" she muttered.
Kyle brought her up to speed on their situation and their encounter with the onyx sentinels. Which unfortunately drew the attention of wandering ears.
"How do you know what the drones are called?" a Spartan with a bear claw mark hairstyle asked.
"Its a long story" said Kyle.
"I'd like to hear it" said Kurt as he stepped closer.
"and maybe you'll explain how you were a Spartan" said Tom.
Kyle was being bombarded with questions that would force him to reveal his past, he still wanted to keep it a secret as long as possible. Halsey thankfully changed the subject.
"I recognize my work. You're a SPARTAN II" she said to Kurt.
Kurt nodded.
"I have kept track of all the Spartans listed as missing in action" Halsey continued. "There was Randall in 2532, Kurt in 2531 and Shelia in 2544" she walked around Kurt scrutinized him to find his identity. "Shelia is dead" said Halsey "I personally witnessed her die at the battle of Miridem". Kyle looked away for a moment, he still remembered when she seemed to melt as the plasma hit her, how he, Halsey and Cassandra were forced helplessly to watch.
"Which means you are either Kurt or Randall and I would have to guess you're Kurt..."
"just show her already" Kyle butted in. Kurt complied and he depolarized his faceplate showing his face to Halsey.
"Is there anything you don't know, Dr Halsey?" said Kurt.
"its good to see you alive again" she replied. "We need to sent a message to FLEETCOM, get help". While the others were discussing the COM options Kyle and Kelly resumed their conversation
"what happened to John and the others, did they buy Earth some time?"
"They wiped out the Covenant fleet and their battle station, but lost Grace doing it."
Kelly looked away for a moment, there were just seven SPARTAN IIs left including themselves, was it enough to turn the tide of this war, and what about the SPARTAN IIIs? They were basically kids playing soldier.
Halsey had finished her negotiations with endless summer and had just launched the slipspace COM probe when they picked up a UNSC transmission.
"this is an automated message from UNSC MIL AI SERIAL NUMBER: CTN 0452-9. all UNSC personnel heed and stand to I'm declaring general emergency codes bandersnatch and hydra." They listened on to the rest of the transmission where she outlined the events at Delta Halo, then Halsey adjusted their distress call to the frequency of Cortana's transmission. All they could do now was wait.
--
For the next couple of hours Kurt had the Spartans in two man teams patrolling the area around the bunker. Kyle and Kelly were both excited when Kurt selected them for the next shift. When they were a good distance away from the bunker and after Kalmiya did a scan with the motion tracker to confirm no one was around they removed their helmets and kissed.
"It feels like we haven't done this in ages" said Kelly when their lips parted.
"I know what you mean" Kyle replied.
"do you think... we can make this work?" Kelly asked. "I mean two Spartans in a war zone trying to have a relationship?"
"Love always finds a way" said Kyle, "its one of those things that can't be broken by war".
"Very poetic of you" said Kelly.
"I always sucked in English class" said Kyle.
They moved closer and prepared to kiss again, but suddenly a sonic boom drew their attention followed by a fireball piercing the sky.
"they're here" said Kyle.