Author's Notes: Well, here it is: the start to the next segment. It's well underway, though admittedly not as far as I'd like it to be (you wouldn't believe the amount of research that goes into...well, something to be mentioned in the next chapter or two). Still, I think I'll be just fine to stick within the time constraints I try to set...anyways, reviews!
First, however, it's important that I give everyone a general timeline as to when things in the Halo 3 game go on in relation to everything in this story. Also, please note that this timeline was done a while ago and I don't have a truly accurate one to go by, so if anyone has a better timeline for the following events (a reliable one) PLEASE send it to me. If I get a reliable one, I will replace the dates in this chapter and the ones leading up to it. Nothing will change, in regards to time in-between fights or the time of day...I'll simply bump dates back to coincide. Thanks all!
TIMELINE:
Jan. 22: Ark Portal Mostly Uncovered
Jan. 28: Portal Activated By Truth, Flood Arrive
Jan. 28/29: UNSC Follows through the Portal
These dates, from what I've gathered, are somewhat far in the future, with the 2nd Battle of Earth occuring as early as late November in 2552...but I can't find a truly reliable timeline to guarantee it for me. If someone can get me one, I would very much appreciate it. Thank you!
REVIEWS:
Benaia Dre: Hey! I'm glad the last segment was as big a hit as ended up. Really, I didn't know if I could make it all work...but I guess, somehow, I stumbled through until it came out right! lol. As for it all being fun to read...well, it really is a good time to think up too, most of the time. ;)
killerman83ca: Thanks for your review! I'll tell you right off: I've been on FanFiction all of two times (for about a minute each) in the last two weeks, 'cause I've been so busy with Halopedia, the books (mostly Fall of Reach), and other Halo-sources, trying to get this next segment worked out. But, now that I've gotten a little spare time, I promise to check your story out as soon as I can! Thanks and sorry for the wait!
FireWolfFred: Wow, thanks very much! Honestly, I didn't think that the whole thing was THAT good, lol, but I won't argue with a happy reader! I plan on incorporating the Flood before the story ends, but I can't guarantee Sentinels. Sorry...they were just never my thing, lol. Anyways, thanks for all your compliments and I hope you like this next segment!
Taylor114: I'm glad you enjoyed the ending to the Los Angeles segment! I enjoyed writing Zeke's part (as I often do...), and I think, maybe, you meant Landon? He was the one who took the Chopper to the legs, lol. As for the whole segment, I'm glad it was a success. I will say that I began to recognize that there was too much repetative killing in the early chapters, and I promise to fix that from now on. I hope it ended better than it started, and that everyone enjoyed it as much as you let on that you did! Thanks again, and welcome to my official "Space" segment. :)
hellhound cerberus: Hey, sorry this one's late! My dumb dialup internet decided to be completely moronic TODAY, of all days. So, it's gonna go up right at the start of the 26th. So...sorry. Happy belated Birthday though! This one's nothing birthday-worthy (lol, sorry), but I think there are a couple chapters coming up that you'll love. Thanks very much for your review!
AosUnderSol: LOL. I love that. BA. haha. Zeke is stubborn, yeah...trust me, that's a defining trait! lol. And Blaine, well...he's a handful without a Gravity Hammer...give him one, and I wouldn't wish that fight on anyone! I will tell you, I won't do the "Infinite-Hammer" for this story (or at least this segment), but I am saving the idea and very seriously considering it for the sequel (you'll see why once I actually get it out there for everyone to read). Thanks!
Samson00: Dude! You've helped so much the last two weeks with the big surprise I've got in store for everyone! Thank you-thank you-thank you! lol. But, seriously, I'm happy that you liked the ending of the last one (since it was one of the first chapters in a long time you didn't proof for me, lol). Leaving U'svere behind just seemed like the perfect finish to me. Oh yeah, hehehe...keep that A+ ready, my friend. ;)
armoured-blade: Hi! I'm impressed; your review said that you sat down to read the day before you posted, and then got all the way up to the present in 24 hours! That's really good (and says something for my writing, too), as there's almost 200,000 words to the whole thing (getting there). I've decided to take your advice and look for a situation or two where I can combine the Spartans' talents, so be on the lookout in the future! Also, Zeke's my favorite, lol. You have good taste, lol. Finally, in regards to my first chapters...lol, trust me, I know. I worked for 2,000 words for a LONG time before I changed the way I did things. I'm SO glad that I did! Hope you'll stick around to read more!
rimshooter: Thank you!
j3ssi3r0ck3r0n: Hey! First of all, to answer your question: I will be bringing his instincts back in once for certain, and maybe twice (I'm working on the technicalities of a later segment). Promise. Second, thank you very much for your several compliments on my writing! They really do make my day, coming from you and other readers who genuinely enjoy the story! Third: The part with U'svere returning, to me, was fitting, because I didn't think that it would in the behavior of the Sangheili to leave when the going gets tough. Although, I wll tell you in perfect honesty: There were two versions of this chapter that I did. One was the one I posted, the other was a different idea in which Ezekiel pushes again and again and eventually forces himself all the way up the shaft. I considered both, and decided that the first would be more fitting and closer to the truth (not that, in any version, Ezekiel would just give up, keel over and die). So, yeah...I understand. I wanted him a hero too, lol. ;)
Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you all like this next chapter. It's a little character development, a little information, a little...R&R.
Chapter 37:
– R&R –
1400 Hours - January 29, 2553
Albuquerque Military Outpost: Albuquerque, New Mexico
"How're your legs treating ya?" Jason asked. Landon sat up slowly in his bunk, waiting on his biomechanical limbs to begin beeping and pulsating red in at the knees and ankles: a familiar sign that they were not yet fully functional. He moved his legs around slowly, waiting on a warning.
None came.
"Not too bad," he answered, standing up with a sarcastic smile on his face. "And look at this shit: I just stood up, and I'm not flailing around on the ground in agonizing pain."
"Always a plus," Jason said, and Landon saw him grin. Neither of them was wearing a helmet, as the Spartans hadn't needed them in almost four weeks. The last month had been strictly rest, recovering, and recuperation from the Los Angeles mission, and no one had been doing much of anything.
There really wasn't a whole lot to do at the Albuquerque Military Outpost. As Landon had noted, the entire area was nothing but dust and rocks. And, to make matters worse, he'd been unable even to walk since the incident outside the Research Station.
That is, until today.
"It's about damned time!" Landon said, carefully jumping up and down on his legs. The UNSC had sent some of their best doctors and technicians to work on the Spartan's limbs less than a day after Zulu Company returned from L.A. But, after four failed surgeries and a dozen mechanical alterations that had gone unsuccessful, the staff had simply assigned the Spartan to bed-rest until they could come up with a better solution. Finally, after over a week of doing nothing – literally nothing – Landon was called in for another surgery and then taken back to his bunk early in the morning.
Landon was having a hard time accepting the fact that he could move again. He'd actually wondered, for a while, if he would ever be able to walk or fight again.
"Well," Jason said, standing up, "since you can actually move for a change, why don't you come and get a bite to eat?" He grinned evilly, "that is, unless you've still got a hankering for that medical-mush they've been feeding you for the past month."
Landon shook his head. "That stuff was awful," he said. "Seriously, my dog wouldn't eat that."
Jason rolled his eyes. "You don't have a dog."
"No, but if I did, and my dog had a pet, even it wouldn't even eat that shit."
Ezekiel checked the time on his HUD. It was after 3:00 already. He should be outside sparring or training or – at the very least – eating. Instead, he was inside the medical building being examined for the twenty-fourth time since January 2nd.
"And let's just take a look here," the nurse said, moving an X-ray machine over the part of his MJOLNIR suit that covered his ribcage. She stopped there, letting it hover over his stomach.
"Well?" Ezekiel asked bitterly. Two hours he'd been inside this building today, and that was more than enough.
"Don't get anxious," the nurse snapped back. "If you hadn't gone and broken nine of your bones and cracked a dozen more, I wouldn't have to do this. I have other things I could be doing too, you know."
Zeke scowled. This nurse was the epitome of aggravation for him, laughing at his pain or making snide comments about his broken bones. He'd been told that, for one reason or another, she wasn't particularly fond of Spartans as a whole. Really, though, he didn't want to hear it from the woman.
What he wanted was to ask the nurse to trade places with him next time he was falling sixty-feet down an elevator shaft with a half-ton Spartan on his back, or the next time a Hunter decided to see just how far into a titanium wall a Spartan could go without breaking into little pieces…
But he didn't.
"Just hurry up," the Spartan said. A few minutes later, the nurse stood up.
"There," she said, "you're done. Happy now?"
"Yes," he snapped back, "very." He stood up to leave.
"Be sure to check out with one of the doctors on your way out."
Ezekiel nodded with a wave of his hand over his shoulder. "Sure thing," he said dismissively, and then walked out of the building without a word to anyone.
Blaine stood silently, watching as one of his teammates sparred relentlessly with the SpecOps Elite, U'svere. Both the Sangheili and the indigo-clad Spartan he was waging war with had been given titanium models of the Covenant Energy Swords that they were both so fond of using. The "play-swords" weighed over a hundred pounds each, but both the soldiers wielded them like they were the real thing.
Victoria had plenty of practice under her belt in using the Covenant blades, but U'svere had one up on her: he had practice using two.
That was the difference in this sparring match: the two soldiers were sparring with a sword in each hand, changing the dynamic entirely. Instead of having an essentially-useless left arm in a sword-battle, Victoria was now armed twice as well, and it showed. At times, she swung the blades so quickly that Blaine's eyes began to hurt trying to keep up.
And yet, U'svere was holding his own. More than that, he appeared to have the advantage. While Victoria was, without a doubt, faster than the SpecOps, he had experience on his side, and seemed to foresee every strike the Spartan could make before she had even thought about doing it.
If she could just get the hang of it, Blaine thought as she swung again. The silver-armored Elite ducked low and thrust one of his blades forward, which Victoria met with the blade mounted to her left elbow. With her arm hooked to the Elite's blade, she spun a complete circle, knocking the alien off-balance.
"Got you!" she yelled, swinging horizontally with her left arm. At the last second, the Elite's left-hand-blade came up and caught the strike, denting the metal on both swords.
"You are getting better." U'svere said, backing a step away and lowering the two swords. "It is a shame your teammate refused to train in this manner."
Blaine scoffed. Of course Ezekiel refused, he thought, if he hadn't, he'd have actually been accepting help from another, and we can't have that. He paused, pondering another thought. And worse, he'd have been accepting help from an Elite. Blaine knew all-too-well that Ezekiel would rather die than accept help from a Sangheili, or any race of the Covenant, for that matter.
"So why did he accept it at the Research Station?" Blaine asked aloud, knowing that no one would hear him, as he had terminated all connections for the moment. A second later, he realized why and grinned.
Victoria. He smiled wider, rolling his eyes. The bastard kept his word.
"Hey Blaine!" the Spartan in front of him yelled, getting his attention. She motioned to the swords in her hands. "You want a turn?"
Blaine laughed loudly, unable to hold back a wide smile. "Are you crazy?" He asked. "I hate those things. Given the choice, give me rockets and a Gravity Hammer every time." He paused, trying to find an exception. Finally satisfied that he could find none, he added, "every time."
"That's funny," Ezekiel's voice echoed in his head. The white-armored Spartan sighed. Zeke continued, "because we were just thinking of petitioning the Covenant about those hammers."
Blaine rolled his eyes, turning to the smaller Spartan. When he did, he wasn't surprised to see that the black-armored soldier still had his helmet on, like always. "What are you carrying on about?"
Zeke laughed. "I was thinking of petitioning the Prophets. It'd be a message, sort of like this," Blaine heard him take a deep breath. "Dear Prophets: on behalf of Zulu Company and the human race, I would like to ask that you please stop the manufacturing of the Brute ceremonial weapon, the Gravity Hammer. The reason for this is that, after being made, they are sent to Earth in the hands of a Brute Chieftain, whom Blaine inevitably finds. He then tears the weapon from the alien's hands, beats the creature to death with it, and moves on." He paused, then added, "after which, no one on Earth, enemy or ally, is safe."
Blaine cracked his mechanical knuckles. "One of these days," he said with a smirk, "you're actually gonna piss me off. Then what do you think is gonna happen?"
Without missing a beat, the Spartan answered, "you'll probably chase after me, but without a ghost of a chance of actually catching me." Ezekiel shrugged, "after all, if you did catch me, you'd likely beat the Hell out of me."
Blaine couldn't help but smile. "Damn right." He said.
Stephanie flexed as much of her mechanical half as she could, as tightly as could, walking toward the exit of the medical building. She scanned the inside of her visor for warnings and alerts but, thankfully, found none. Samuel beat her to the exit, and held the door open for her patiently.
"Thanks Sam," she said, hastening her pace in an effort to see that her commander didn't stand there for too long.
The brown-armored Spartan nodded, walking outside behind her without a word. Originally, Stephanie had thought that he had come to see that her alterations went off without a hitch, but, after seeing the marks on the armor on his hands, she knew better. He'd gone inside for his own specialized procedures.
Although, she had no doubt that he had stayed in the super-sterile environment longer than he needed to, only to be sure she was alright.
Samuel must've noticed that she was looking at his hands as they walked quickly toward the barracks. "They weren't big modifications," he said without slowing down. "All they did was put some gravity-alteration technology on the top of each hand and additional support braces on my wrists."
Stephanie was puzzled. "Gravity-alteration?" she asked, "what for?"
The larger Spartan slowed a bit, bringing his fists up in front of his chest which, to Stephanie, meant above her head. "It's just for a little extra kick for close-combat." He said. "The researchers took the technology from the Brutes' Gravity Hammers, micro-sized it, and basically planted it on my knuckles."
"So no side-effects?" she asked. Stephanie had had more than her fair share of alterations, both mechanical and biological, and there were almost always side-effects.
"Not this time." Samuel answered cheerfully. "There was no invasive surgery or gene-altering procedure. They just put a small boost on the end of each hand and added braces to my wrists to compensate for the force of impact." He stopped walking suddenly and looked down at her. "What about yours?"
Stephanie flexed her arms again, almost subconsciously. "No problems here." She said. "All they did was add energy reserves to what was already there."
"So you and Blaine should be able to toss multiple Hunters now, eh?" Samuel said with a laugh. Stephanie nodded, grinning in her helmet.
"Yeah," she said. "If I have my way, we'll be tossing quite a few."
As they began walking again, a burst of static cut into her communication-link, and then was replaced by the Corporal's voice. "Spartans," he said, "I need all of you outside the Armory in fifteen minutes." A second later, the signal died.
"I guess we've got a chance of plans." Samuel said, changing course and walking south. "Let's go see what he wants."
"You should go." U'svere said and watched the Spartan in front of him freeze, lowering his two swords.
"Look," he snapped, "while I will follow the Corporal's orders, I do not intend to follow them right now. As you heard, he said to be there in fifteen minutes. That means I've got fourteen-and-a-half minutes to do whatever the Hell I please." He paused, raising his arms and stretching his shoulders. "Now come on!"
The SpecOps Elite sighed, lifting the titanium blades and getting back into his fighting stance. The first Spartan, Victoria, had been rather enjoyable to spar with. This one, Ezekiel, was just, as the humans said, "a pain."
"Are you ready now?" The pitch-dark soldier asked.
The Sangheili nodded. "Yes."
Before he had even finished closing his mandibles, the Spartan's swords were cutting and piercing the air mere centimeters from the Elite's head. U'svere ducked low, bringing one of his blades up to parry the one in the Spartan's left hand as he swung the other one at the human's legs.
There was a whistling noise as the Sangheili's blade cut through empty air and the Spartan leapt clean over his head, flipping once and landing solidly on the ground behind him. U'svere turned around quickly, reading for the strike.
But the Spartan was just looking at him, waiting.
"Why did you not strike me, Demon?" U'svere asked, puzzled and more than a little irritated with the Spartan's games.
"How were you to know that I could do that?" He answered quickly. Then he shook his head. "Don't expect the same courtesy twice."
At this, the Elite growled bitterly. Not only was the Spartan arrogant, but he was attempting to make a mockery of the Sangheili's sword-fighting abilities. He was holding back, as if the Special Operations Commander wasn't worthy of his full attention.
U'svere would make him regret that.
"I do not need your 'courtesy,' Demon," he said, his tone lined with bitterness.
The Spartan shrugged. "Fair enough," he answered.
A split-second later, the air was crying again with the sounds of the four blades slicing around them. U'svere realized quickly that, while this Spartan's speed far from rivaled that of the female's, he had a great deal more experience with the Covenant Energy Swords.
But it was a far cry from the experience U'svere had.
The Spartan swung the sword in his left hand straight for the Elite's head, but caught only empty air. One second later, with his right-handed weapon, he stabbed at the Sangheili's stomach…only to miss once again.
"Not bad, split-lip." Ezekiel snapped as he drew back into another stance. U'svere clicked his mandibles loudly.
"You know, I have noticed several things about your team during my time here." The SpecOps said, ignoring the joke.
"Oh yeah?" the Spartan asked, lunging forward with a series of quick – but halfhearted – strikes. "Like what?"
The Elite dodged effortlessly to the side, bringing both blades up in an "X" arrangement and blocking both of the human's swords, which were coming straight down toward his head. "Your friend," he said, "Blaine. He's very quick to anger, but never seems to have a problem controlling it."
The Spartan laughed as he pressed down on the two swords U'svere was holding, flipping into the air and landing behind him. The Elite ducked and felt the wind from a side-strike against the top of his neck. "That all?" the human asked. "You realized that Blaine's got a temper? Wow. You're awfully observant." His tone was laced with sarcasm.
"The female, Victoria," the Sangheili said, drawing back. "She is faster than you are." At this, Ezekiel lashed out with both swords, narrowly missing the Elite's chest. "But she doesn't suppress her emotional responses quite as much as you do."
The Spartan stopped for a split-second.
"Perhaps it is for that reason that she is a stronger warrior than you?" U'svere asked, his voice full of sympathy.
"She's no better than I am!" Ezekiel growled, leaping into the air and coming down hard on the Elite. He swung the swords and even tried the occasional assault with the two blades mounted to his elbows, albeit while their plasma-coating-technology was deactivated. "Come on, lizard-lips!" He said after U'svere nimbly dodged a series of strikes. "You gonna dance, or fight?"
At this, the Commander jumped back, raising his swords. He had one final comment. "And you," he said coldly, "I've noticed that, when you realize that your skills are not great enough to win a battle, you resort to your sharp tongue." He paused as the Spartan tensed. "When you know that you are not strong enough – not good enough – to defeat your opponent, your new tactic is to irritate them and destroy their focus on the fight." U'svere clicked his mandibles, laughing. "But I've seen more battles than you can imagine, fought and slaughtered more enemies than you'll ever know. Your 'wit' means nothing to me."
To his surprise, Ezekiel only laughed. It wasn't a real laugh, of course, but a cold, forced snicker accompanied by, he could only imagine, an equally-cold sneer. "Not bad, Sangheili," he said, carefully pronouncing the name of the race. "But even you, in your vast experience, have overlooked something."
"And what is that?" U'svere asked, genuinely curious. The Spartan, for once, was being neither condescending nor insulting. He was speaking clearly and calmly.
"I never believe defeat is inevitable." He shrugged. "I've forgotten how to lose." Ezekiel brought the swords to his chest as he lowered into a fighting stance. "It's been too long."
U'svere smiled. "Allow me to refresh your memory, then."
Charles checked his watch as the seven soldiers standing in the sand in front of him waiting in perfect silence. They were some of the greatest soldiers ever to take up arms against the Covenant. They had worked together to nearly clear the city of Los Angeles of aliens. Somehow, they had even managed to work together flawlessly, despite their differences.
In front of him, stood six Spartans and a single Sangheili – the Field Master – Ahrmonro.
Where the Hell is Ezekiel? He wondered. Honestly, though, the Spartan still had nearly forty-seconds, so Charles really didn't expect him to show up for another thirty, at least.
Still, he couldn't wait to share the news with the Spartans. It was fresh from HIGHCOM, and just what the doctor ordered to stir up some real morale among the troops.
Well, most of it.
There had been the incident in Africa, but the Elites had come and helped them with that. Glassing an eighth of the continent might have been overkill, but at least they were rid of the Flood, and that was what mattered.
"Sir," Ezekiel said quickly, acknowledging the Corporal as he dashed by him, running fast enough to churn up the dust like a small sandstorm. Charles heard footsteps behind him and watched as the other Elite at the outpost, U'svere, ran by as well, nodding his acknowledgement to the Corporal respectfully before taking his place in the line of soldiers.
Charles checked his watch. Sure enough, he thought, eight seconds left. He sighed. That's Ezekiel. In all fairness, however, Landon had arrived less than a full minute before. Zeke wasn't the only Spartan with an affinity for pushing the clock.
The Corporal sighed. Zulu Company had proven stronger, faster, and better than HIGHCOM had ever dreamed they would be. Every threat the Covenant could toss on Earth was made a mockery of in face of the seven Spartans.
And yet, through it all, they'd managed to keep what was – to him – the most important trait of all: their humanity. He'd seen so many Spartans before that, while insanely efficient, were all but machines. Their personalities showed through on rare, once-in-a-blue-moon-type occasions.
Not Zulu Company. These were the Spartans that people could trust, even relate to on occasion. Granted, they had their eccentricities, but it was impossible to hold that against them knowing the lives they'd been forced into.
Charles smiled. These were his Spartans, his team.
"I've got good news for you all." He said loudly, getting immediate, undivided attention.
"The Covies are back in L.A.?" Landon asked hopefully. Coming from another team or perhaps being directed at another officer, the question would've been deemed "out-of-line," but the Corporal only laughed.
"Not quite, Landon. Sorry." He said, and then cleared his throat. "My news comes straight from HIGHCOM, and it concerns Africa, specifically near New Mombassa and Voi."
"The Covies are back in New Mombassa?" Landon asked again, this time with only a glimmer of hope. Charles laughed again. He was in too good a mood to be put off by the Spartan's hopeful comments.
"They were." The officer answered, "but not anymore. Actually, the first news I have to bring you is that the Covenant, unfortunately, were successful in their search for whatever it was they wanted from the Earth. Less than twenty-four hours ago, a portal opened above the African continent, and all the Covenant ships – including the Dreadnaught – disappeared into it."
He paused, taking a breath as the Spartans waited eagerly for the rest of the news to be told to them. "Soon after," he said, "the UNSC, together with the Sangheili, followed the Covenant Loyalists through the portal. Among these brave soldiers was none other than Spartan-117, the Master Chief."
"Yeah!" Landon yelled, apparently unconcerned with restraining himself. "I'd say that means we might just have a chance at winning this war after all!"
Charles' smile faded slightly. "I'm afraid that's not all the news." He said. "Before the UNSC and Sangheili followed suit, a ruined CCS-Battlecruiser slipped into the atmosphere and crashed in the ruins of the city."
At this, a few of the Spartans' bodies snapped even more rigid than they had been before, listening at complete attention.
"At first, we believed the ship to have Covenant reinforcements, but it was quickly revealed that the Battlecruiser was infested with the parasite we've come to know as the Flood. It quickly began to spread and infect the surrounding area, until the Elites and their Carrier, the Shadow of Intent, were forced to glass the entire region."
They were quiet for several moments, until Samuel slowly, carefully broke the silence. "Have the Flood been completely eradicated?" He asked. "I mean, are we one-hundred-percent certain that there were no surviving spores?"
Charles nodded. "We're certain, Sam." He said. "The Sangheili glassed, as Admiral Hood so eloquently put it, 'half a continent.' And, while they were nowhere near that destructive, they did very efficiently rest our worries about the parasite."
The Spartan nodded slowly. "Good."
"However," the Corporal said, preparing his final bit of news, "we've also been given word that the Covenant's former home-planet, High Charity, is on its way to Earth. It too is dominated by the Flood."
Blaine was the first of the Spartans to react. "Sir," he said, "we can't fight off an infection that spans all of High Charity, especially if the majority of our ships are in combat on the other side of the portal."
Charles drew a deep breath before answering. He had to word his next sentence carefully. On one side, he could give the team a false sense of security. On the other, he could very easily instill a lot of unnecessary anxiety. "Intelligence has gathered that, while they're not certain, it is likely that the Flood will proceed past our planet, straight through the portal Truth was kind enough to open. They're not sure, but the spooks at ONI think that the CCS-Battlecruiser was actually shooting for that same portal, and was just less-than-accurate."
"So, we may not have to deal with the Flood after all?"
"Well," he answered, "I for one am certain that the Flood won't pass up a perfectly good planet to invade." He paused, the calm, easy-going features on his face melting into the cold, austere image of an officer. "If I hear one peep from ONI that the Flood so much as flinch in our direction, you all had better be ready to ship out immediately."
"Yes sir!"
Charles relaxed, letting the smile crawl back across his face. There was no reason yet to be solemn. Earth, for now, was being given a reprieve from the constant threat of attack…even if it was a short one.
"That being said," he continued, "I agree with Landon. We might actually have a shot at winning this war after all. Up 'til now, I never really considered it," he admitted sadly. "The war on land we could always win, especially once the Spartan programs took off. But the war in space showed us only countless defeats." He looked to the Field Master, Ahrmonro, and the SpecOps Commander, U'svere. "But now, with the tactical and technological abilities of the Sangheili covering our backs, I think it's high-time those Prophets got a little payback!"
"Amen to that!" Jason yelled. As expected, a few of the Spartans began to exchange words and Charles even caught a glimpse of a lightning-fast high-five. He smiled to himself.
They're more than Spartans, he thought as he watched them laugh and fool around, not like machines, but like the people he'd come to know so well. They're Zulu Company.
Author's Notes: So, that's it! Nothing spectacular, but (I hope) the start to a SPECTACULAR segment. I've worked a lot of extra hours on this upcoming set of chapters, and Samson00 has been there for me the whole way, putting his college-level Physics to good use! ;) Give me a few chapters, and I'll show you the very beginning what will hopefully be one of the greatest (and rarest) victories in UNSC history!