Chapter 20- Joining a Hunt
Jack was frozen, his legs felt like jelly as he stared at the Spartan. Noble fucking Six, he'd heard stories about that Spartan. Probably one of the best Spartan III's. Not only was he known as the best, but he was able to give a Spartan II trouble, enough that ONI wants him to help the Spartan II.
Deep in thought, he almost jumped when Veil spoke up behind him and asked,"Who's Noble Six?"
The Spartan sighed and said, "A Spartan III. He was once thought dead when Reach got glassed. You remember that, don't you?"
Jack turned to see Veil lower her head in shame and nod. Jack spun back to the Spartan and said, "Don't fucking talk to her like she did that!"
His outburst seemed to catch the Spartan off guard, who almost took a step back. The Spartan then huffed and said, "He was last sighted working with Insurrectionists for unknown reasons on Beta Gabriel. They want him alive."
Jack shook his head and asked, "Wait, why does ONI want me to help you? Why can't they get a Spartan IV? Or maybe another II? Why me?"
The Spartan sighed and said, "Well, despite you not being enhanced like Spartan, your track record is far more decorated than any of the Spartan IV's. To be frank, you're better than them. Spartan IV's have been sighted dying to Elite's in one on one fights. And they're are no Spartan II's available. Plus, ONI wants to use you, as I said, seeing as you talking about retiring soon."
What the Spartan said caught him off guard. It was hard to understand. Yeah, maybe he had a better track record than current Spartan IV's, but he was also fighting before the IV's existed. And either way, they had better armor and shielding. Was the skill gap that wide?
The Spartan tapped his foot and asked, "Are you going to accept the offer, Corporal? We don't know whether Noble Six is going to be on the move again or not."
Jack was about to turn to Veil when she stepped forward and asked, "Can I join you two in this operation? The reward for capturing this demon is to my benefit, I want to play a part."
The Spartan shrugged and said, "I wasn't told not to let you. It's your choice, Veil."
Veil turned to Jack and said, "Jack, if you want to do this, I'll be right beside you."
Jack nodded, a new confidence stirring in him, and said, "Alright. You want to live on Earth, dammit I'll get you there. Okay Spartan-pal, we're in. Consider Noble Six caught."
The Spartan nodded, then said, "Good, Corporal. ONI will keep their end, I swear. You two can go to the observation deck near the hangar once you've said your goodbyes to your Captain and friends. I'll be waiting there."
The two nodded at the Spartan, then he walked past them. They turned to watch the Spartan until he disappeared around the corner.
A loud sigh escaped Jack as a new stress slowly crept over him. He just accepted a mission to hunt a Spartan, one of the most dangerous ones at that. He felt a little better knowing Veil would be at his side, but that just meant there was a chance she might get hurt as well. And if she got killed, what was even the point?
He felt Veil's hand on his shoulder, then heard her say, "We'll be fine as long as we stay close. Demon's appeared unbeatable on the battlefield, but I've seen one fall."
Jack tilted his head and asked, "You saw a Spartan die? Huh, that must've been a crazy moment for you."
Veil nodded and said, "Indeed. At first, I thought the human's made some kind of demonic deal that gave them these immortal soldiers to fight with them. That all changed when I watched one of my allies plunge an energy blade into them from behind. That's the moment I realized they weren't unholy demons, but simple soldiers. The weirdest part, though, was that made them even scarier."
Jack, confused, asked, "How so? Fighting a literal immortal demon is quite fucking scary."
She seemed deep in her memories as she said, "Yes, but seeing the destruction left behind by this demon, then seeing that he was no more than just another human? A mere human, who's species we called inferior and weak lifeforms, was capable of killing hundreds and thousands of our soldiers on their own. I believe that's when my curiosity for humans began."
Jack thought about what she said, then realized how right she was. He remembered watching the Master Chief himself blaze through Covenant soldiers, constantly moving and swapping weapons, then picking up alien weapons when he ran dry. Taking on almost impossible odds, and coming out on top. Most of the time he didn't even look like he needed help. Seeing that as some brainwashed religious soldier, with no knowledge of the Spartans, he wasn't surprised some saw them as immortal demons.
He turned down the hall and said, "How about we say our goodbyes and head off now. Like the guy said, we don't know if Noble Six will be on the move anytime soon."
Veil nodded, then the two walked down the hall, making their way to the briefing room. Jack knew at least the Captain or Frederick would be there.
Once they entered the room, Jack saw Captain Wilson showing Frederick something on a datapad, then he looked up to see the two.
Captain nodded to Frederick before turning to Jack and saying, "Look at this, Corporal. Just got some news from abroad, guess we're getting a replacement team for you guys."
Jack, confused, was about to ask a question when Wilson shoved the datapad in front of his face. Jack looked down at it, then grabbed it as he read. All he was able to get from it was that as long as Insurrectionist activity continued on Tribute, a new Fireteam of Spartan IV's was being sent to replace their ODST team.
He turned to Wilson and asked, "Wait, does this mean we're out of a job or something?"
Wilson shook his head as he took the datapad and said, "Not at all. You three are getting a promotion! Or, you three will simply be transferred to a new station, with a new teammate. I was confident in you three being a three man team, but other station's have stricter standards, so you'll be getting a new guy once you move."
Jack was shocked at the development, then turned to Frederick, who was arm crossed. He watched Frederick turn to Wilson and say, "Well Captain, I'm not too sure Jack will be doing anything. I heard he wanted to retire."
Wilson froze for a moment, then spun around to face Jack and said, "Wow, well, I don't blame you. You've done humanity a lot of work, from the Arc to this supercarrier bullshit. I can see wanting to retire, I just wouldn't do it so young."
Jack sighed and said, "Yeah, well, I do want to get on that. But right now, I've got one last mission."
The two tilted their heads, then Wilson asked, "A mission? What did the Spartan want?"
Jack leaned on the table briefing table and said, "It's classified, but it is a mission. Probably my lasat one. I came here to inform you guys and head off. Me and Veil will be leaving with the Spartan soon."
He watched the two turn and look at each other, then Wilson turned to Jack and said, "Alright. I knew the day would come when I'd have to say goodbye to my most prized ODST's, I just didn't expect to say it to two in one month. And now, it looks I might have to say it to all of you."
He then held out his hand, which Jack firmly gripped. Wilson shook his hand and said, "Alright Corporal, I hope I see you again. You're a great man, and I hope you succeed with your mission."
Jack nodded as he let go of Wilson's hand, then he turned to Frederick. Jack watched as Captain Wilson took a few steps back to give them some room, then Frederick sighed and stepped towards Jack.
He held his hand out in the air, then said, "Alright, Owl, bring it in."
Jack nodded, then grabbed his hand. They pulled close and patted each other's, then Frederick sighed and said, "It was a pleasure to work with you, Jack. You were one of my best men. We've been through some shit, and I'm glad to say I'm leaving you in safe hands."
Jack smiled and said, "Of course, Sarge. You will always be a brother to me."
The two stared at each other, then Frederick waved him away and said, "Now go say bye to Wally. This big guy will want to hear this."
Jack nodded, then turned to Veil and said, "Alright, lets see if Wally is still in the chow hall."
She nodded and said, "I would think so. The food there is delicious."
Jack bobbed his head and said, "Eh, it could be better."
The two turned and walked off, heading for the mess hall. Jack was getting slightly emotional, but he knew he would be back, probably just to officially get out of the military. He had to succeed, for Veil.
As the two entered, Jack spotted Wally sitting at the same table, but now he was surrounded by Marines, all wide eyes, staring at him in awe as he loudly explained a story.
As Jack and Veil got closer, Jack realized the story he was telling was about the mission they did not too long ago, when their pelican crashed.
Wally finished a sentence and was laughing when he turned and noticed them walking up. He held up a finger to the Marines, then stood up and met the two.
He placed his hands on his hips and said, "So, how'd it go?"
Veil and Jack looked at each other, then Jack sighed and said, "Me and Veil will be going with him on a mission. Probably my last, since I plan on retiring after. We might not see each other again, at least not for a while."
Wally seemed stunned by what he said, then he softly laughed and said, "Kid, you are something. One big last mission for ONI, your final chapter, then you get that happy ending, huh? I envy you, I wish ONI would tell me to go on some special mission or assignment. Or make me a Spartan, who fucking knows with those guys!"
Wally then opened his arms and said, "Bring it in, kid. I wanna squeeze you till your eyes pop."
Jack chuckled as he opened his arms, too, then watched as Wally threw himself into Jack and squeezed him, almost lifting him off his feet.
The two let go of each other, then Wally turned to Veil and said, "Take care of this guy. He can be a handful sometimes."
Veil nodded and said, "I believe I can handle it."
Wally nodded, then he turned back to the Marines and slid himself back into his seats, continuing his story from where he left off.
Jack and Veil both turned from the crowded table, then walked out of the mess hall.
As they walked down the halls, heading for the observation room near the hangar, Jack found himself staring at the walls of the ship. This ship ahd been his home for the last 5 months, and now he might not step foot in it again. It was only getting him now that he was on the way to leave.
He was staying silent when he heard Veil say, "I can tell what you are feeling. The way you are looking at the walls as we walk."
Jack turned to Veil, then chuckled and said, "You've gotten good at reading me through the helmet, huh?"
Veil shrugged and said, "It comes naturally. Let me guess, was this your home?"
Jack nodded and said, "It was, and it was beautiful. But now, I'm not gonna see it again. I'm only realizing now that this was really the only place I've been stationed that I've enjoyed my time in."
He sighed as they walked, then felt her grab his hand and say, "Jack, I'll be sure that once this is over, you'll find the rest of your life enjoyable."
Jack was slightly taken aback by her grasping his hand, but he quickly shook it off, then gently held her hand and said, "Right back at you."
The two had stopped walking by now and we're simply standing in the hall. Jack loved the feeling of holding a hand this way. The only other way he'd done it was pulling his team up walls or yanking them away from plasma fire.
Before the two could continue walking, they both heard a scoff behind them, then saw two Marines watching them. Jack immediately knew who they were, Katherine still had a sling around her arm.
Johnson snickered as he pointed at them from his hip and said, "He really is an alien fucker Kathy. Fucking weird cunt."
Kathy brushed her slung arm and yelled, "I hope you die from an alien STD, asshole!"
The two snickered together, but Jack couldn't help but chuckle as he watched a form approaching the two.
Johnson stopped snickering, then huffed and asked, "What's so funny, mandible lover?"
Before Jack could even think of a reply, he watched the Spartan grab both Marines by the shoulder. They both spun around with the force of a tornado and stared into the Spartan's blank visor.
The Spartan brushed between them towards Jack and said, "Scram, me and Corporal Sterling have important things to discuss."
The two Marines stayed still for a second, frozen from shock, then they both scurried away, beads of nervous sweat flying off their heads. The Spartan turned back to Jack and Veil, hands on his hips.
Jack nodded and said, "Thanks for the backup, Spartan."
The Spartan nodded back, then said, "I had to walk away to take a transmission from ONI. There was company at the deck."
Veil turned and said, "Let us go to the deck now. I wish to gaze a little."
Jack and the Spartan both nodded, then the three walked down the hall. Soon, they reached a door, which quickly swung open, revealing an empty room with a massive glass wall on one end.
Veil approached the glass and gazed off at Tribute. Jack stood next to her, then turned to watch the Spartan walk up to the glass and look off into the empty space.
Jack approached the Spartan and asked, "Waiting for something?"
The Spartan nodded, then nodded into the empty space and said, "A frigate will be here to pick us up soon. We'll be using it as our ride while we chase this Spartan down."
Jack nodded and asked,"So you don't think we'll get him on our first go?"
The Spartan shook his head and said, "That's not what I said. Anything can happen, I'm just letting you know, no matter how long it will take, we'll be on that ship until we have Noble Six in cuffs."
The room fell into silence as Jack shifted his gaze from the Spartan to the empty space he was staring at. Jack would never get tired of staring at space. Despite the fact that his job was to sit in a spaceship floating in space, then get shot out of that ship onto a planet, he never looked out into space much. The pure darkness filled with sparkles of life always reminded Jack of how massive the universe was.
He was deep in thought when he felt Veil tap his shoulder. He turned to questioningly, only for her to point off where the Spartan was looking. He turned to see a ship now floating in the once empty space he was staring at.
The Spartan turned and said, "Follow me. We're about to get ferried over."
Jack nodded, then turned back to see a Pelican fly from one of the frigate's hangars. He and Veil both turned and followed the Spartan through a short corridor and directly into the hangar. He watched as a pelican slowly flew into an empty spot and began lowering itself onto a pad.
As the three approached, the pilot walked out of the back entrance and waited for them.
Once they got near, the Pilot saluted and said, "Kilo 023 has arrived on schedule, sir! Pleasure to have you!"
The Spartan nodded as he passed the man, followed by Veil, but Jack stopped to look him up and down. The pilot looked back, with an obviously confused face under his helmet.
Jack chuckled and said, "Sorry, I'm just thinking back, is all. All I know is that you're a nice flyer."
The pilot nodded and said, "Thanks for the compliment, sir! Always appreciated!"
Jack walked past him and took a seat, then watched the entrance shut. The pilot ran past them into the cockpit, then after a few seconds, Jack felt the pelican lift up and exit the hangar.
The Spartan was standing near the cockpit, then turned to Jack and said, "I'm sure it's a coincidence. Anyway, this frigate we're about to embark in is a little special."
Both Veil and Jack turned to the Spartan and asked, "How so?"
The Spartan gestured to Veil and said, "It was built for joint operations between UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios. Using the ship was my suggestion, since I expected you to come join us, Veil. It has Elite weapons and hardware, some we may not need to use."
Veil chuckled and said, "That is good, seeing as all I have is my energy sword. It is not very useful in an open battle."
Jack laughed and said, "Don't worry. If we didn't have Covie weapons, I'd take the time to teach you how to use human guns. They're not very hard to get used to, really."
The Spartan huffed and said, "How romantic."
Jack whipped his head at the Spartan and said, "That's not a very Spartan-like thing to say, Harry the Spartan! Didn't they teach you II's not to talk much?"
The Spartan scoffed as he shifted his feet and said, "Some Spartan's are just easier to break, then. I'm still human."
Veil and Jack both looked at each other, then Veil asked, "Would you dare to remove your helmet and prove it?"
The Spartan quickly shut her down and said, "CLASSIFIED! My face isn't important anyway. Just trust me."
Jack chuckled at the loud reply, but he could tell Veil was slightly taken aback by the Spartan. She turned to Jack, who simply shrugged his shoulders and leaned back.
The Pelican shook as it landed inside the frigate, then the pilot exited the cockpit and said, "We've arrived! Welcome aboard to The Huntress, people!"
The back entrance of the Pelican opened, revealing a tight hangar with more Pelican to their left and right. Jack was used to being in larger ships, but he didn't care much.
As the three walked out, the pilot stayed in the pelican and said to the Spartan, "I'll be your pilot for all your coming missions, sir!"
The pilot then turned to the crews doing maintenance on the other Pelicans and loudly yelled, "Got the most experience here compared to all these rookies!"
The crews all turned their gaze to the pilot, who simply laughed to himself. The other crews seemed humorously annoyed, then simply turned back to their work.
The Spartan turned to Veil and Jack and said, "We will be over Beta Gabriel in half a day. You two should get some real rest before the mission. Follow me to the private quarters."
The two followed the Spartan out of a Hangar and down a hall, then Veil asked, "I assume the bedding is large enough for a Sangheili, seeing as this joint-op ship."
The Spartan nodded and said, "The ship is well equipped with Sangheili and human friendly pleasantries. You'll find the beds more than big enough."
Soon they reached a short hall with about six doors. The Spartan gestured to the doors without saying a word.
Jack and Veil both glanced at each other, then Jack gestured to the closest door and said, "Ladies first."
Veil nodded her head, then walked to the door and watched it slide open. It revealed a spacious room with a massive bed against the back wall. There was a small couch and a large screen on the wall in front of the couch. There were two other doors on both ends of the bed, leading to the bathroom and closet.
Jack leaned past Veil to look, and stared in awe at the room. It was probably the biggest private quarters he's ever seen in a military ship.
He turned to the Spartan and asked, "What the fuck is this? I mean, I get the big bed, but why so much?"
The Spartan shrugged his shoulders and said, "All six rooms here are like this. The normal quarters are farther away. You and Veil are the guests of honor."
Jack huffed as he turned back to the room. He already couldn't wait to sink into that bed and have the most comfortable night of sleep in years. He still had a few questions though.
Jack turned to the Spartan and asked, "Will we be accompanied by any Marines or will it be just the three of us?"
The Spartan shook his head and said, "Just us. ONI doesn't want to chance more people than necessary learning about Noble Six's survival."
Jack nodded, then turned back to the room to see Veil taking her arm armor off. He quickly diverted his gaze, then watched the Spartan disappear around the corner. Jack sighed and was about to turn around when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
He turned to see Veil looking at him, then she asked, "We're you about to leave me? How rude of you."
Jack waved his hands and said, "You were getting undressed, I don't want to be in here when you do that."
Veil stared at him silently for a second, then with a single motion, unclipped her chestplate and let it fall to the ground. Jack almost let out a sheepish yelp at the sight, then looked up at Veil.
She chuckled and said, "I don't mind you being here. If anything, it is preferable. Your presence is the only comfortable thing about this entire situation."
Jack nodded, then watched as she continued removing her armor. He was thanking God that she wore a black undersuit under all that armor, or else he might've actually squealed when she removed her chestplate. He slipped his helmet off his head and sat it next to the doorway.
As he continued gazing at the room, he asked, "Are you gonna sleep with that skin tight suit on? That sounds uncomfortable."
Veil shrugged her shoulder as she removed her second shoulder and said, "I've done it my entire military career. It doesn't bother me anymore."
Jack nodded and watched as she tried to remove her back armor. Jack slowly approached her and said, "Yeah, but you have plenty of time now. Why not get real comfy this time?"
Veil grunted as she tugged at the armor and said, "I would, but I don't want you to be squeamish tonight."
Jack froze for a second as he placed his hand on her back armor, then realized what she meant. He pushed his fingers behind the chestplate and tugged, which finally pulled the armor off her back. He could hear her sigh with relief as he placed it back down.
Jack stared at the armor, then turned to Veil and asked, "How did you remove this stuff on your own every day? Seems like a pain."
Veil nodded as her thigh armor fell off her legs, then she said, "Unfortunately, this is something I never got used to. On my worst days, I required the assistance of an Unggoy. It was embarrassing."
Jack chuckled at the thought of a tiny Grunt making fun of an Elite. It seemed unnatural.
Jack looked back at her to see she had finally removed it all. She carefully picked up each piece and laid them out in order against the wall. She stood and looked at her organization, then turned to see Jack trying to avoid glaring at her, beet red. She chuckled at the sight and decided to play with him a bit.
Jack was about to start unstrapping his armor when he saw Veil begin stretching where she stood. He immediately spun around and said, "Ight, I gotta take a shit. Give me a minute."
He could hear her chortling behind him as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door. Jack let out a sigh as he tried to clear his mind. He hoped he wasn't being rude, he knew she found it humorous. He wasn't used to this, and it was going to take some time getting used to. If he didn't, he had a long line of nervous, sleepless nights ahead of him.
Hello people. It is I. I have written another chapter, as you have seen. I hope it was enjoyable. School is starting up, but it's online school. And I suck at online school, like really bad at online school. So there's that stress, along with still having work, these coming chapter might take even longer to come out. Or not, who knows. Maybe having school again will force order into my life and actually give me time to write. Either way, I do promise to keep writing.
I hope you all have a good day or night, and see you in the next chapter!