Chapter 22- Initial Contact

Jack swore out loud as he saw Noble Six walking out of the building, fully armored. He didn't know what to do, but then watched as the Spartan pointed his rifle directly where Veil's invisible body was.

Jack's instincts kicked in and he quickly scoped in on the Spartan's head and pulled the trigger. He watched as the Spartan moved his head back last second, the bullet almost scratching his armor as it passed, but his shields did break.

As soon as the crackle of the rifle went off, Jack watched all the men inside the camp grab their pistols and race towards Noble Six, who was now backing away from Veil and the Spartan, firing at them as they jumped behind their crates.

Jack heard the radio on his waist crackle, then a voice said, "The fuckers are here people! Spray and pray!"

As soon as the message ended, Jack watched Innie's armed with assault rifles and DMR's run out from their hiding spots in the other metal tents, quickly moving in on Veil's position.

Jack scoped in on an Innie about to jump over Veil's crate and squeezed the trigger. He watched as a gaping hole exploded in the Innie's chest, then the corpse fell off the crate.

Jack kept swiveling between targets, pulverising any Innies dumb enough to move in. At the moment, Veil and the Spartan were both leaning out of cover to fire apon the enemies.

Jack then heard the Spartan ask over the coms, "Do you have eyes on the target?"

Jack reloaded his rifle, then looked down the scope at the camp. He spotted Noble Six, who was now crouched behind a crate, looking directly at him. Jack could feel his muscles tense up, but he relaxed as he realized he was far out of the Spartan's range.

Jack nodded to himself and said, "He's behind a crate, near one of the metal tents, but he isn't running."

As Jack let off two more rounds and watched two more Innie's get massive holes blown into them, he saw Veil and the Spartan moving forward. Jack watched as the Spartan sprinted past Veil, bashing an Innie in the process. Veil was taking cover at the building's edge, right beside the building's doorway.

Jack was about to move his scope away from her, then he saw movement inside the building. He turned back in time to see an Innie jump out behind Veil, his shotgun barrel almost kissing her backside.

"Not this time fucker." said Jack under his breath. He squeezed his trigger, then watched as the man's head got blown clean off his shoulders, only his lower jaw left connected to his neck. He watched as Veil spun around to look at the corpse, then she turned back to the combat ahead of her.

His sights swiveled back to hostiles moving towards Veil, then heard the click of an empty magazine. Jack grunted as he tossed the sniper rifle to the side, then he grabbed his assault rifle and said over the coms, "Out of ammo, I'm coming to join you two."

As he slid down the hillside, he heard the Spartan say, "We have two incoming troop transport hogs coming from the clearing. I'm getting close to Six, I want you two to attract the Insurrectionists."

Jack ran through the metal tent, trying to reach Veil, when an explosion erupted in front of him. Jack flew backwards, luckily unharmed. But as he jumped up, he could see Veil backing up towards him, her shield almost depleted. The two ducked behind crates as a barrage of bullets flew over them.

Veil turned to face Jack and said, "I believe we already have their attention."

Jack smirked and said, "Seems like it. Let's try to even the numbers a bit."

He whipped around the side of his crate and let out a small burst of bullets. He watched as his bullets tore through two Innies, though three more stood behind them, already firing away. In the small window Jack peeked to see, he was able to see the Spartan was a good distance away from them, probably pursuing Noble Six.

Jack turned to watch Veil stand up and throw a plasma grenade. It stuck to a soldier's helmet, causing him to stumble backwards into more Innies out of panic. A group of five exploded, their bodies and weapons flinging apart. Jack took advantage of the moment and jumped up, firing off more shots. He was able to rip three more hostiles apart with bullets, then quickly took count. There seemd to be nine more Innies closing in on thm, while about four had turned around to try and help Noble Six.

Veil rose and fired off three shots before crouching down again, cutting the number from nine to six. Jack was about to rise as well, but a symbol on the crate he was crouched behind caught his eye. He paused to look at it, then recognized the symbol. An idea appeared in his head, then he turned to Veil.

He yelled over the shots and said, "Veil, cover me! I have a plan!"

She didn't question him, then stood up and jumped away from him, firing at the hostiles. They turned their gunfire away from Jack, who then used the butt of his rifle to knock the lid off the crate. He checked around it to see if any were paying attention to him. They were all focused on Veil, then he stood up and rumaged through the crate.

Unfortunately, nothing in the crate was well organized, typical of Innsurrectionists. But, after some searching, he grabbed a hold of a small disc-like object. He crouched back behind the crate, then heard Veil ask, "How much longer? I can no longer see the Spartan!"

Jack huffed as he played with the object, then he pressed the small button on the disc and said, "Give me half a minute, then we pop up, finish these guys, and regroup with Harry."

He heard a grunt of understanding, then he raised the disc to his helmet and waited. After a few seconds, the words, "SYNCED" showed up on his hud, then he gripped the disc and popped up over the crate.

None of them were looking at him, focusing fire on Veil, and didn't notice him. Jack opened fire, immediately sending bullets flying through three of their skulls. The last three crouched low and spun around to face him, their bullets forcing him to sprint down the metal tent. It didn't take long for Veil to shoot the last three down.

Jack ran out of the metal tent, regrouping with Veil by the unfinished building. They both peeked around the corner to see the two Spartans trapped in a fist fight, the corpses of Innsurrectionist's lying near their feet. Though the Spartan II should naturally have the advantage, Noble Six seemed to easily keep up.

Jack ran out from the building, his gun focused on the Spartan, followed by Veil. They knew Six was wanted alive and mostly unharmed, so they were hesitant to simply open fire.

Before they could think of a plan, Six landed a hard knee into Harry's gut, then roundhouse kicked the Spartan II, sending him flying backwards into Veil.

Jack watched the two tumble, then opened fire, done with letting him knock them around. The Spartan bolted at him with speed Jack's never seen, swatting the gun out of his hands with ease. The Spartan through his fist forward, trying to punch Jack in the face, but Jack was barely able to duck under it.

In a swift movement, Jack ripped his knife out of his sheathe and drove it into the Spartan's open side. He knew the only reason he was able to do it was because Six expected to hit him with the first punch.

Jack pulled his knife out and jumped backwards, only to see the Spartan silently staring at him. He watched the Spartan place his hand on the knife wound, for barely any blood to come out. The undersuit was able to catch most of the blade's force, only allowing Six to get a small cut from the stab.

The Spartan broke eye contact as he turned to Jack's right. Jack turned to see Harry running at him, fist drawn back to throw a punch. Six took a step back, then Harry threw his fist forward. Jack watched as Six leaped over Harry's head, kicking him in the back of the head as he flew, then he landed on the ground. Six spun around and sent his elbow into Harry's back. Harry let out a grunt, then sweeped Six's legs and jumped over him.

Harry was about to throw a punch, but Six smashed his elbow against the side of Harry's head, then pressed both his hands against his chest and threw him aside. Harry rolled onto his feet, then tried to run at Six again. Harry drew his right arm back again and sprinted at Six, but before Six could try to dodge his right punch, Harry sent his left fist into Six's side. Harry then threw his right fist and hooked Six in the helmet, causing him to stumble backwards.

The two Spartan's stared at each other for a solid second, then Six spun around to watch as Veil grabbed him by the collar, lifted him up, then smashed his body into the ground. His fist immediately crashed against Veil's helmet, causing both eye pieces to shatter. He then put both his feet under her and kicked her off. Veil stumbled backward, letting out a growl of anger at Six. Six jumped onto his feet, then without looking, spun around. Harry missed as Six spun around his charge, causing him to spin around to face Six.

Six was taking steps back as he stared both Harry and Veil down. Suddenly, Jack jumped onto the Spartan's back, digging his knife into his shoulder. The knife was there less for damage and more to get a better grip. Six reached his arm around, grabbing Jack by his ankle.

He flung the ODST around him and smashed him into the ground. Before Six could do anything else, Veil flew into him, forcing him to let Jack go. Jack groaned as he slowly pushed himself up, watching Harry rush past him.

Six and Veil looked like they were dancing as they struggled in each other's grasp. Six was able to free one of his arms from her grip and was about to punch her again, only for Harry to grab a hold of his arm. Both Veil and Harry simultaneously gripped his arms and pulled, holding him almost completely still.

Jack was able to get himself to a knee as he watched the three struggle. While their strengths were all similar, it was obvious who the weakest of the three was. Veil was struggling to keep a hold of Six's arm, then Jack watched as Six threw his arm forward, chucking Veil over his shoulder. He quickly used his free arm to uppercut Harry repeatedly, until Harry was forced to let go.

Six rolled away as Harry attempted to grab him, then began simply running. Confused, Jack was about to give chase. Out of nowhere, a Pelican flew over their heads and past Noble Six.

Veil ran next to Jack and the two watched as Harry attempted to give chase, but they already knew Six escaped. The Pelican stopped right before Six, then the back door opened, revealing three Innsurrectionists. They let Six jump on, then they opened fire on Harry.

Harry was out in the open, but before his shield could break, he threw a device onto the ground. A bubble shield popped up, blocking all the bullets.

The Pelican's door shut, then Jack saw something else far in the distant sky. It was a large dark object, and it was approaching them. The object then turned it side toward them, and Jack immediately recognized it. It was a Frigate, and the Pelican was flying directly towards it.

As he watched the Pelican fly off, Veil lowered herself to his eye level and asked, "That demon hit you against the ground very roughly, are you ok?"

Jack slowly nodded, then he placed his hand against her helmet and said, "Yeah, yeah. Just dazed. What about you? Your eye pieces are shattered? Are you…"

Veil put her hand over his and said, "I'm simply dazed as well. I expected the demon to be far less cowardly."

Jack lightly laughed and said, "The second he got an eyeful of all three of us, he turned tail and ran like an Unggoy."

Veil chuckled at his response, then they both heard heavy footsteps approaching. They both turned to see Harry approaching them. Spartan's were supposed to be emotionless, but Jack could tell he was pissed.

Harry stopped in front of them and said, "Well, we fucked up our chance. Now it will take weeks before we can relocate him."

Jack chuckled as he slowly stood up and said, "Actually, it won't take very long at all."

Both Harry and Veil turned to look at them, then Harry asked, "What did you do, Corporal?"

Jack snickered, then pointed towards one of the crates back in the camp and said, "I was taking cover behind a crate, then I recongized it's symbols. Specifically, the symbol meant the crate was full of prototype ONI tech. So I dug through it, and I found exactly what I was looking for, a miniature long range tracking device."

The two stared at him, then Jack tapped his helmet and said, "It's synced with my helmet, so all we have to do is plug this thing into a computer, then find out where Noble Six went. The second I saw him in his armor, I knew we wouldn't catch him today."

He looked back up at Harry, waiting for a response. The Spartan stayed silent for a few seconds, then he said, "We have to get moving then. I already called our ride. He'll be here…"

The Spartan was interrupted by the sound of rotar blades approaching. The three looked around, then Jack looked back towards the hill and watched three Falcons approaching.

Before Jack or Veil could say anything, Harry grabbed the battle rifle from his back and said, "They're rebels. Get behind me."

Jack and Veil both raised their weapons at the Falcons while moving behind the Spartan. The three Falcons stopped into a hover, then their turrets all turned towards them. Jack watched as Harry pulled another device from his waist, then he threw it on the ground.

A bubble shield popped up just as the turrets opened fire. The three watched helplessly as the rounds struck and bounced off the shield. After a few seconds, the turrets stopped firing, but the falcons didn't move.

Harry looked back at them and said, "They're waiting for the shield to drop. Be ready to move. My shields and armor can take the hits, we have to make it to cover."

Jack turned to look at the closest piece of cover, which was a large stack of timber, but that was over 30 yards away. The chances of all of them making it was slim, but what other option did they have?

Jack and Veil both nodded, then they readied themselves to shield began making noises, then it dropped. Jack was ready to pump his legs like never before, but right before the turrets could start shooting, missiles flew into all three of the Falcons, blowing them into chunks of scrap.

The three stared in surprise and shock at the sight, then they watched their Pelican fly into view. Jack could hear the pilot hoot over the radio and yell, "That's three more kills on Kilo 23's list! Nice to see you three are alive!"

The Pelican spun in a circle as it slowed, then it landed in front of them, the back door opened. Jack could hear Harry let out a sigh of relief, then the three jumped aboard the Pelican.

As the door shut, the Pilot said, "Hey Spartan, we detected a Frigate coming out of slip-space not too long ago, and right before I got to you three, it re-entered slip-space. Was that your target?"

The Spartan huffed in reply as they took off and said, "The mission isn't over. Take us back to the Frigate."

The pilot snickered and sarcastically asked, "Where else?"

Jack stepped next to Veil and watched as she pulled the helmet off her head. There was an obvious mark on her face from the punch. Jack reached up and said, "That fucker really got you, huh?"

The second his hand touched the mark, Veil winced and pulled away. Jack pulled his arm back from surprise and looked at her. She was in pain. Anger slowly started boiling inside of him, causing him to ball his hands into fists.

Veil watched him, then waved her hands and said, "No, Jack, I didn't mean it like it, I only…"

Jack didn't let her finish as he huffed and said, "That Spartan fucked up. Oh he fucked up badly. I swear Veil, when we get him, I'll give him a mark ten times worse than that! That motherfucker…"

Jack felt as Veil wrapped her arms around him, which caught him offguard. It took him a second to process her movement, but once he did, was quick to embrace her as well.

He heard her shudder, then she said, "I'm not used to being cared about like this. At first I thought you were mad that I pulled away."

Jack looked up at her with surprise and said, "Fuck, I would never be mad at that! If I do get mad at that, feel free to knock me out clean. I just don't like seeing you hurt. That fucker…"

The two fell silent, still enjoying each other's embrace. Jack turned his head to see Harry had his back turned to the two, keeping his head staring directly at the wall.

Jack chuckled at the sight, then he asked, "Hey Spartan, how long until they might be out of slip-space?"

Without looking at the two, Harry sighed and said, "No idea. Depends on their destination. Which…"

Harry trailed off, getting lost in a thought, then Jack tilted his heade and asked, "Which?"

Harry turned to the two and said, "Which might be Circumstance. The Innsurrectionists on Tribute have zero connection with these guys, but I remember reading about UNSC Frigates going missing over Circumstance. Three went missing in total, two of which were found on Beta Gabriel, almost completely scrapped for resources. And, last time I checked, Circumstance was dealing with Innsurrectionist activity."

Jack and Veil both slowly let go of each other, feeling the mood change back towards the mission at hand.

Jack, a little confused, sat on one of the seats and asked, "Why are so many Innsurrectionists operating in the Inner colonies anyway? It's ridiculous how equipped they are for being in one of the most controlled systems."

The Spartan nodded and said, "As strange as it is, they are able to avoid detection quite well. Especially here on Beta Gabriel. Barely any infrastructure exists here. And as you can see, any infrastructure that was going to be here was promptly taken over."

As the two fell silent, Veil turned to Jack and asked, "So these Innsurrectionists we are fighting, they aren't not all a connected force?"

Jack chuckled and said, "No, not at all. Before the Human-Covenant War, maybe. But now, definitely not. They're all separate groups right now. Maybe in the future they might join forces, but now that the UNSC doesn't have the Covenant to worry about, I doubt it."

Veil sighed and said, "Perhaps you humans will have a Covenant force to deal with soon. Jul 'Mdama's Covenant was slowly becoming a threat to the Swords of Sanghelios. Or at least that is what I saw during my missions to end their Covenant before they could get too powerful, though it appeared those missions had little affect."

Jack laid his head back and said, "I wouldn't worry about it too much. With humanity and the Swords of Sanghelios as allies, and the UNSC's recovery going smoothly, I doubt this Jul guy will get far."

Veil nodded in agreement, then Jack took his helmet off his head and put it between his legs. He looked at Veil and stared at the mark on her face. The fact that she pulled so quickly from a mere touch means she'd need to go to a med-bay.

Harry was looking at a datapad, then looked up to Jack and said, "If they are heading for Circumstance, that tracking device will ping Six's exact location once they're out of slip-space, which should be soon. We'll be able to drop directly on him."

Harry's words perked Jack's interest. He looked up and asked, "Drop?"

The Spartan nodded and said, "Yup, drop. Your favorite activity, Corporal."

The thought of dropping out of a drop pod felt refreshing, but there was an issue. He gestured to Veil and asked, "How is she supposed to follow us?"

Harry nodded and said, "As I said before, the Frigate is well equipped with plenty of Covenant tech. I'll show you once we're on the Frigate."

It didn't take long for the pelican to land inside their Frigates hangar. The back door opened, then Harry stepped out and said, "This way."

Jack and Veil both followed closely behind the Spartan as he led them out of the hangar. It didn't take them very long until they reached a very familiar room.

They walked into a large room, it's walls lined with drop-pods and ammo racks. Jack gazed at them, then Harry gestured to the opposite wall and said, "And that's how Veil will be following us."

Veil and Jack both turned to see Covenant drop-pods lining a part of the wall. Jack walked up to one to look closer at one. They were very strange, there wasn't even a seat.

Jack turned his head to Veil and asked, "Do you guys just stand in these things? That would break my legs."

Veil stopped next to him and said, "I've never used one of these before, but I was taught about them shortly. These pods are more advanced than yours, so they take the force hitting the ground far easier. Plus, Sangheili legs are far more powerful than human legs."

Jack turned his head and eyed her legs for a moment, then coughed as he looked back up at the pod and said, "Yeah, I can tell."

He heard her lightly chuckle, then he asked, "So you know how to use one?"

Veil shrugged her shoulders as she stepped forward, leaned her head into the pod, and said, "Mostly, though I haven't been taught since training camp. I believe the pod does most of the work, though."

Jack nodded and said, "Makes sense, but the thing looks like a purple cocoon. But, most Covie designs look weird, don't they?"

Veil chuckled and said, "I can't say I agree. The very Frigate we stand on looks like a gun, I find that quite weird."

Jack sarcastically scoffed and said, "Hey, that's the point! It's literally just a big gun! With engines!"

Harry seemed to take their banter seriously and said, "If you're referring to the MAC Cannon, that isn't the sole purpose of these Frigates."

The two looked at the Spartan, then chuckled as they turned back to the drop-pod. Jack turned to see Harry walk to the holo-table and pressed a few buttons.

After a minute, Harry looked at Jack and said, "Bring me your helmet, Corporal."

Jack nodded, then removed his helmet and tossed it to the Spartan, who caught it with one hand and set it down on the table.

Jack turned back to Veil, who was watching Harry work. She then tilted her head towards Jack and asked, "How were you able to so quickly identify that tracking device? It happened in the midst of combat, and gunfire sounds far more aggressive than most of the weapons used by us or the Covenant."

Jack sighed and said, "It was that two months of extra training. ONI forced a lot of knowledge into my head, including a few devices I might use in the future, and how to identify certain cargo. I guess I have to thank them for that."

Veil turned to him and asked, 'Why does no one seem to hold ONI in high regard? They seem to hold much power."

Jack nodded and said, "That's the problem. They're dishonest, secretive as fuck, and they have a lot of power. I'm surprised they want to help me over just kidnapping me or some shit. You never know with those creeps."

Harry spoke up from the table and said, "I'm glad to hear how you feel about the organization I work for."

Jack chuckled and said, "Ask anyone outside ONI how they feel and they'll probably say the same thing."

Veil seemed confused, then asked, "Why would you have such a secretive and dishonest part of your government. It seems very unsafe."

Jack shrugged his shoulders and said, "Who knows why they haven't been looked into yet. I mean, the Covenant was led by dishonest liars for it's entire existence, so obviously these liars know how to stay in power."

Veil nodded in agreement, seeming to understand better. The situation with ONI confused Jack as well. Somehow, they were able to kidnap children and turn them into emotionless killing machines without repercussions. Though the mad doctor herself was incarcerated, the rest of ONI got off free. Now they were helping Jack get Veil her free pass to Earth, and here Jack was, doing their dirty work.

As Jack thought about the subject, he wondered why ONI really needed him. They had a Spartan II on the job, why did he need an ODST to help?

Jack shifted his gaze to the Spartan, then he walked towards him and asked, "Hey, Harry, I got a question. You are a Spartan II, right?"

Harry looked up at Jack quizzicly and said, "Yes, I am. Why? I told you this when we met."

Jack shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's just weird how a Spartan II isn't able to beat a Spartan III in a fight. You were kinda getting your ass handed to you. Does this mean Six is better than Master Chief too?"

Harry seemed to get annoyed at his statement, and slapped his hand down on the table and said, "You can't judge the other Spartan II's based on me, ok? I was… different. There's a reason I work with ONI directly instead of the UNSC like the other Spartans do."

Jack was now curious. He assumed all Spartan II's answered to ONI in the end.

Jack tilted his head and asked, "What's so different about you?"

He heard a soft sight come from Harry, then he watched the Spartan shake his head and say, "It's not important. Six is one of the best Spartan III's, and I'm not the best Spartan II. That's all you need to know."

Jack huffed at the statement, then leaned onto the table and asked, "So, anything on the tracking device?"

Harry shook his head and said, "Can't detect it's signal while the ship is in slip-space."

Veil showed up next to Jack and asked, "Can you not track ships through slip-space?"

Harry sighed and said, "If we had that kind of tech, there would've been no need to for the tracking device, and we probably would've had him in for a while now."

Jack then asked, "How long has he been on the run?"

Harry didn't answer at first, staring at the table, waiting for the signal to pop up. After a minute of silence, Jack leaned forward and asked again, "How long has he been wanted?"

Harry sighed, then stood up straight and said, "He reappeared a month after the war's end. He was originally friendly, but after he was told how the war ended, and what kind of galaxy was left, he went rogue. He's been running ever since, and ONI has had me on his tail for the past year, once they realized they needed more than Marines and ONI special operatives."

His statement came as a surprise to Jack. This Spartan has been trying to catch Six for a year now, and Six has been without his armor that whole time. Either Noble Six was more skilled than he originally thought, or Harry was the runt of the Spartan II litter, though his height didn't suggest such.

After a second of silence, they all heard a sharp beep come from the holo-table. They all looked down to see a yellow dot beeping, then coordinates appeared next to the dot. Suddenly, a hologram of a planet appeared on the table, and the dot moved outside the planet.

Harry slapped the table and said, "That's Circumstance!"

He spun around, turned on his coms, and said, "Head to Circumstance! I'm sending the live coordinate feed now!"

It didn't take long for the ship to start rumbling as it entered slip-space, getting a wort of discomfort from Veil. Jack chuckled and asked, "This is what slip-space on a budget feels like, Veil."

Veil chuckled at his comment, then she said, " I need to go get a new helmet before we arrive."

Jack raised his hand and said, "I'll go get it. I need to get extra ammo anyways. I'll be back!"

He then raced out of the room, heading for the armory. Just like last time, barely anyone was roaming the halls as he made his way through the halls. It didn't take long until he reached the two doors. He walked into one to see multiple sets of Sangheili armor lining the walls.

Jack walked over to them and grabbed one of the assault helmets, but he didn't leave immediately. He turned and stared at the other sets of armor. They looked very bulky and strange. Jack honestly couldn't think of a Sangheili fitting in this armor.

Suddenly, the door opened and closed behind him. Jack spun around to see Harry standing in front of the door, staring at him. Jack couldn't help but feel nervous at the ominous figure, and started fidgeting with the helmet.

After a second of silence, Jack heard Harry sigh, then he said, "I… was trained to push my emotions deep down. But, as of recently, I can't really do that as well."

Jack felt his nervousness disappear as he realized that the Spartan was nervous. Jack tilted his head and asked, "You're telling me Spartan's have emotions?"

Harry looked away from him for a second, then turned back and said, "I'm saying this because I think I can only talk to you about it. Everyone else in my life is an ONI agent, and if they hear me saying something like this, who knows what they'll do to me. You fell in love with what was humanity's enemy not too long ago. If anyone can understand…"

Jack leaned against the wall and said, "If anyone can understand it would be another Spartan II. I'm not the guy to talk with about emotions. I was barely able to understand my feelings for Veil, how am I supposed to understand the shit a kidnapped child has gone through?"

He heard a grunt come from the Spartan, then Harry said, "I made friends with some of those kids, before we were augmented. I was ripped from my family, and they were the only comfort I had in the military life I was forced to live."

Jack sighed, then asked, "Why don't you work with them, then? Why are you working alone for ONI?"

Harry stayed silent for a solid minute, staring at the ground. He seemed deep in his memories, then he looked up and said, "ONI not only ripped me from my real family, then they ripped me from my new family. After the augmentations were done, they hid me from the other Spartans. They claimed I had died, along with the other kids who died due to the operation. I only learned months later that my closest friends had died in the operations."

Jack stared at the Spartan, not knowing what to say. He wasn't used to someone who was usually short worded and curt to start piling so much on him.

Harry continued and said, "They didn't do a good job beating my mouth shut, and they wanted to keep a Spartan in the dark, for themselves. I was that Spartan. The other II's still don't know I survived, and I doubt they'd care."

Jack perked up and asked, "Were you friends with the Chief?"

Harry shook his head and said, "He wasn't my friend, not like the other two. But he had my respect. I would trust him with my life. He knew me, but like I said, I wasn't exactly top tier."

Jack was getting more confused, then asked, "Why would ONI keep the bad egg as their personal operative? Wouldn't they want someone like Chief?"

Harry shrugged his shoulders and said, "It had to do with me not going completely emotionless. That's all I've ever gotten from them."

Jack nodded his head as he pushed himself off the wall, then he asked, "Why are you telling me this? I know what you said, but I mean…"

Harry sighed and said, "I… what you were saying, about Six kicking my ass. About me even being a Spartan II. Six said the same things before he escaped me on Tribute, and then ONI tells me I need help from an ODST."

Jack snickered and said, "Must be degrading."

The Spartan seemed frozen, then Jack patted him on his shoulder pad and said, "We can talk about this after we have Six in the brig, okay big guy?"

As Jack passed, he noticed a disc like device strapped on to Harry's waist. Jack tapped it as he walked and asked, "Another bubble shield?"

Harry shook his head as he turned to face Jack, then said, "Prototype armor lock. All I got to do is slap this onto Six's chest, and his armor lock with automatically activate, locking him in place as long as the disc is on him."

Jack chuckled and said, "That would've been useful on our first go at the guy."

Harry huffed and said, "I didn't know he had power armor. I would've brought it if I did."

Jack bobbed his head as he walked towards the regular armory and sarcastically said, "Great to know me seeing that helmet in the picture meant something."

The Spartan was about to say something back, but Jack walked through the armory doors before he could say anything. Jack tucked the helmet under his arm as he grabbed more ammo for his rifle and pistol from the walls.

Jack sighed as he turned and looked at the sniper rifles. They were the newer kind, with the updated scopes. Jack remembered when Katherine saw them for the first time. She literally tossed the rifle away after her first few shots, which pissed off the officer at the shooting range. Jack would have to agree that the new scopes were shit, along with the rifle's consistency.

He let out a small, less than happy chuckle at his last thought. In the end, he couldn't blame the rifle. It would've worked fine if he properly checked it, but he was stupid.

He heard the door behind him open, and expected to hear the Spartan start speaking to him. Nothing happened for a few seconds as Jack kept his face trained on the rifles, slightly confusing him. He was about to turn when he felt Veil's arm wrap around him from over his shoulders.

Jack let out a sigh as he let his body press up against her's, then she placed her head next to his and said, "Stop blaming yourself."

Jack let out a small groan and said, "Who esle can I blame? It was my fault, I fucked up."

He could hear her let out a sigh, then she tightened her squeeze and said, "You have to learn to forgive yourself. She was your friend, she would've forgiven you."

He shook his head and said, "We were squadmates. We trusted each other with our lives, and I let her down. She literally told me not to fuck up that day, and you know what, I fucked up. Dammit, that mouthy Spartan got me thinking about my past too."

He watched as his helmet was pulled off his head, then he felt something wet and warm quickly slide up his cheek, then Veil said, "We all make mistakes. You can't keep beating yourself up about her death."

Jack lifted his hand up and touched his cheek, then he softly chuckled and said, "Don't get me going like that before a mission."

He heard her chuckle, then she sat the helmet back on his head. She walked in front of him and said, "You were taking a little longer than I expected, so I came looking for you."

Jack smiled as he lifted her new helmet up and said, "Nice to be cared about. I didn't mean to keep you waiting. The demon was keeping me up with some stuff."

Veil took the helmet and said, "Yes, demon's are good at that."

He watched as she put the helmet over her head, then Jack questioned her and asked, "Hey, Veil, I've been meaning to ask. Was there something you wanted to do after your time in the military?"

Veil tilted her head and asked, "What do you mean?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's just I never asked. I had a plan to retire from the military for a bit, then I met you. After that, you want to follow me home, and I just never asked what you planned on doing. I mean, living a quiet peaceful life back on Earth doesn't sound like the kind of life a Sangheili warrior who pushed away the idea of a simpler home life would want to live."

He watched her look down for a second, thinking, then she looked up and said, "Just because I chose the path of a warrior over the norm, doesn't mean I have any problem with that life. As a child, it just didn't seem appealing or fulfilling. I wanted to be more, mostly to live up to the image of my father that my mother painted, seeing as all of my brothers weren't the most successful warriors."

Jack smiled and said, "Oh you have brothers?"

Veil nodded and said, "Of course. I had many, though most of them distanced themselves from me when I began my training. I personally find it amusing, seeing myself quickly outmatch them all, despite their belief that they were superior fighters."

Jack sighed and said, "Oh that's too bad. Guess I'm not gonna get along with the inlaws anytime soon."

Veil chuckled as she walked to the exit and said, "Oh, I doubt any of them are alive. They all became soldiers for the Covenant soon after me, I know that much. But I haven't seen any of them since I joined the Covenant."

Jack huffed as he followed and said, "Well you're taking that in stride, now aren't you?"

Veil shrugged her shoulders and said, "They put me down as much as everyone else. They may have been family, but they all basically disowned me. They even insulted our mother for allowing me to pursue the warrior path. Like you said about my village, why should I care for them if they never cared for me?"

As they both left, Jack gave her arm a light tap and said, "Well, you don't know if they're dead for sure. Hey, maybe you'll come across one at some point, and learn he'd become a changed Sangheili!"

He watched as Veil thought about his statement, then she nodded and said, "Yes, to find one of brothers had changed and finally accepted me would be nice, but I doubt that would happen."

Jack chuckled and said, "This is a big and crazy universe. If I can fall in love with an Elite, at least one of your brothers can learn to accept you."

The two made their way back to the drop pods, then noticed the Spartan loading his shotgun. Jack tilted his head and asked, "Hey, big guy, not that I have a problem with shotguns, you didn't really use that thing last time. How will that help in open combat?"

Harry stopped loading his shotgun, then turned and looked directly at Jack. He could almost sense a smirk on the Spartan's face, which immediately made him nervous. Maybe having that small talk was giving this guy some kind of boost of confidence in his abilities.

Harry then put the shotgun on his back, then pointed at the tracker and said, "Six's coordinates tell us he's still in that Frigate, which is now in the planet's atmosphere. It's descent is slow, which probably means they're probably trying to use some kind of weather pattern to sneak onto the planet."

Jack nodded and said, "Ok, cool, what does that have to do with the shotgun?"

The Spartan tapped the table and said, "If he reaches the surface, his escape options increase. And we're not gonna sit here and wait for him to get to the surface, just so we can have a clearer visual."

Jack slowly started to realize what the Spartan meant, then grunted and asked, "And you know for sure that the Frigate's hull is weak enough to get penetrated by the drop pods?"

Harry nodded, then said, "Of course, but if it's not, our Frigate will soften it up for us anyway."

Veil walked between the two and asked, "Wait, we're flying into the ship with the drop pods?"

They both nodded, then Jack said, "I almost did that to that Covenant ship above New Mombasa, but I got called for a different assignment. Lucky me, all those ODST's died, except for one squad. And they didn't even touch the carrier."

Harry turned to them and said, "This will be different. The target is smaller than a carrier, but I trust we'll be able to hit our mark. At least, I know Veil's pod definitely will."

Jack swatted at the air and said, "Ah, I'll be fine. I've dropped in enough pods to be an engineer of them at this point. I'll hit it."

Harry nodded, then pointed to the pods and said, "Alright, load up people. We're heading in."

Jack cocked his head and asked, "This soon? You're telling us the plan minutes before we actually drop?"

Harry walked in front of his pod and said, "Our ship was able to run a scan on their's while they were on Beta Gabriel. They only have one pelican, and it's in their left hangar. Aim for there, then we destroy the pelican and head for the drop pods on the ship. It's Six's only chance for an escape with the Pelican destroyed."

Jack and Veil entered their pods, then Jack asked, "What if he's not at the pods?"

Harry placed his battle rifle in the pod and said, "Then we manually launch all the pods, search the ship, and take him down."

Veil peeked out her pod at Jack and asked, "So we are basically commandeering an enemy vessel?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders as he attached his assault rifle and said, "Basically, if Six doesn't escape in a pod. So how long until we reach…"

His sentence was interrupted as the ship lurched and shook, exiting slip-space. Harry sat down in his pod and said, "Now. Get seated, they'll launch us once we're in position."

Jack threw himself into his pod and watched as the door shut, then the pod slowly lifted up and moved into dropping position. Jack entered the coms and asked, "You doing okay, Veil?"

He heard a grunt, then she said, "This is strange, but I will be fine. I don't know how you did this your entire career. The thought of being shot out of a ship onto a planet…"

Jack laughed and said, "You get used to it. People will find it weird how casually I think about getting shot out of a ship."

Suddenly, the sound of a metal mechansim quickly pulled his attention from his conversation to the window in front of him. He heard the booming sound of gunfire and missiles, then his pod launched out of the ship. Jack felt the rush of gravity taking over, adrenaline rushed through his body, and looked downward at the ship below them. There were massive storm clouds and violent lightning strikes, but he was able to get a clear view of the Frigate below, and angled himself for the hangar.

His aim was true as his pod headed right for the hangar, then Jack let out a deep breath as he prepared to bust into a busy hangar, guns blazing.

Wow look at me, getting this chapter out early. Honestly I've just really been into writing lately. Having fun doing it. Plus, I really like this chapter. But maybe it's the worst one yet and I just have bad taste, we'll see. Well, you've already seen, I'll just have to see later.

Anyway, I personally feel like I could've made the beginning fight scene longer, but I couldn't find a good way to extend it, and I decided to save the longer fight scenes for later. I hope you enjoyed it none-the-less. And for those interested, because I know you're there, the chances of a lemon happening have become very, very low. I typed out a test scene and sent it to a, well, "experienced" friend, and he said it was shit. Being a virgin has it's weaknesses.

Ok, well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I can't wait to continue with this story. Even though school is being a bitch, I'm slowly getting through it and getting this writing done. I hope you all have a good day or night!