Chapter 26 – Tenebris
May 13th, 2545 (03:15 Hours – Military Calendar)
Aquilla System, Actium
High Mediolanum, Republic of Pavia
Chalcis Block, Luna Alta Colonial Bank - System Headquarters
:********:
The Luna Alta's conference hall was the largest Duncan had ever seen, at least compared to the one back at the HMPD HQ. While he still felt decently exhausted by the early wake-up call, his mind had sobered enough to make out the room's finer details.
As Epsilon walked in single-file through one of the double doors, the first thing he noted were the chairs. It appeared that the entire hall had gotten out all of the hundreds of chairs it could fit. Rather than being in organized rows from front to back, they were spread out in various hastily setup clusters and sprawling lines with no distinct shape or pattern.
Organized or not, the several hundred ODSTs already seated and conversing with each other didn't seem to care much. Having probably been the ones to pull out the chairs for themselves they had chosen not to worry about presentation, especially since the upper command echelon had so suddenly summoned them without any clear reason why. That subject was likely the topic of discussion among the crowds who were mostly too busy talking among their squad-mates and platoon members to notice the last incoming stragglers.
Duncan had to wonder what the reason was as well. His best guess, one that had stuck with him since reaching High Mediolanum's eastern limits, was that it had something to do with those pipes. And that by itself was a cause for worry, especially since the city was now secure.
For the last three days the battle for High Mediolanum's 3rd Tier had raged through its streets, skyscrapers, high-rises and compounds. Though they had lost major ground in both the southeast and northeast, the Covenant maintained a solid grip on the central eastern areas, having held out at the boundary between the Chalcis and Aigio Blocks for some time. It wouldn't be until two days into the fighting and a coordinated pincer from Columns A and C that Mentieth's Column B was able to break out into Aigio. From there it was a race to secure the interior bridge-highway system linking northeast Grevena and southeast Serres to the heart of downtown Aigio before the displaced Covenant defenders could reharden their defenses. Once those were captured, it was presumed to be only a matter of hours before the enemy began to capitulate, or at least reach the point where a normal enemy would.
The Covenant, however, defied that criteria by essentially abandoning all efforts of retreat to establish pockets of hardened resistance whenever their main lines faltered. UNSC Forces quickly turned these into isolated kill zones. By proxy of solidifying their defenses they had also concentrated themselves heavily into smaller and smaller areas, making them much easier for combat controllers to target. With little to no air support of their own, there was no real way for the Covenant to counter the Hornet and Longsword squadrons that strafed their positions in dozens of ground-to-air coordinated firing missions. Even the Tower of Babel routinely shook the city with directed Archer Missile launches, leveling a few buildings that couldn't be taken without facing major casualties.
By the morning of the 12th, the Covenant were pushed back to the edges of the blocks closest to the 3rd Premiere Wall. They made a desperate last stand by creating more defensive pockets in and around the city's starports, at the Solon Public Starport in Amaliada, at the Draco Public Starport in Mandra and the Alexander Private Starport in eastern Marousi.
Not wanting to risk damaging the vital infrastructure of the ports, Colonel Mentieth decided to limit air support to Hornets and the few Pelican Gunships in the 24th's roster. However, to limit casualties, Mentieth had chosen the tactical route of 'Defeat in detail', perhaps out of some form of Napoleonic inspiration.
Column A had posted some of its elements around the southeastern Solon Starport and Column C had done the same to the Draco Starport in the northeast. Those were only a fraction of their forces meant to remain within sight of the defenders while staying just out of range. That way the enemy would know they were there. If the defenders made a move for the stationary targets, then they themselves would have to advance from the starport to more open areas where UNSC air support could easily cut them down. Seeing this, the defenders chose simply to hold their ground, as was the desired effect.
It was all to give the Covenant the impression that their positions would be put under siege for an eventual attack. They wouldn't attempt to move out and flank UNSC contingents if they saw that they were being watched. Simultaneously, they wouldn't engage the observational force over open ground if they saw no signs of an immediately impending attack. Unbeknownst to the unwelcomed occupiers, Mentieth had no intention of prolonging the battle. He very quietly maneuvered 70% of the forces in all three armored columns to the outer edges of the Alexander Private Starport.
At 1220 Hours the assault began with Marines, Troopers and armored elements pushing in from all directions, quickly overwhelming the relatively smaller and segregated alien garrisons stationed on the apron, in hanger bays and within the main buildings and terminals. Many of the Covenant soldiers simply positioned themselves to be killed rather than surrender, not that the average Marine or Helljumper wanted to take them alive to begin with.
After less than half an hour their attention turned to Serres. The convoys pushed through the outer fencing of the Solon Starport at 1310 Hours in a similar fashion, overwhelming and wiping out the garrisons there as well.
At 1400 Hours the groups stationed at the Draco started catching on to what was happening and attempted a hasty withdrawal to the 3rd Premiere Wall, perhaps in some hope of holding their ground there. Whatever their reason, it ultimately proved to be their undoing.
Hornets from the 24th caught them trying to slip through a few low-lying expressways running into a skyscraper-dense area of Mandra. They used the long, open expressways as lengthy firing lanes with no shortage of targets.
Simultaneous Longsword ASGM-strikes destroyed several underpass exits further to the wall, sealing off their escape routes.
Amidst the confusion, the bulk of the three columns arrived and encircled the trapped force. Taking up superior firing positions at elevated sections of the city, Scorpion Tanks, Rocket and Turret Hogs proceeded to fire down onto the vulnerable expressways. Riflemen from every ODST Battalion and Marine Division added to the slaughter, treating the Covenant below in a manner befitting the age-old, hyperbolic expression, 'shooting fish in a barrel'.
Though the Covenant below fired back, the exchange between plasma and lead became so intense that the former quickly diminished.
Within ten minutes the last major pocket of Covenant resistance had evaporated. The columns were then free to branch out to the 3rd Premiere Wall. By 1700 Hours the last of the 100-meter-tall, kilometers long barriers was secured. By 1930 Hours the city of High Mediolanum, for the first time in 2 weeks of bloody fighting, was declared effectively under UNSC control.
As a reward, Colonel Garrison had allowed elements of his 7th Battalion that weren't on nighttime patrols to get some early rest wherever they were posted. It was a well-deserved sleep and well-appreciated, Duncan thought. It was appreciated up until Epsilon and a number of other squads were awoken by a few runners sent by Garrison himself.
The word was that they were among a large group of Helljumpers being pulled from both battalions to participate in some new operation. In his half-awake state, Duncan personally thought that it could wait until morning, as in actual morning, not 0300. Still, he was grateful that Epsilon was relatively close to the Luna Alta where everyone had to meet. They'd been posted in the Hephaestus Material Company headquarters. It was a massive corporation that, according to Renni's spare time investigations, provided the local raw materials extracted from corporate titanium mines in Treviso to give to Sinoviet Heavy Machinery for ship construction on the planet. The three together conducted a triangular industry where the Luna Alta provided the necessary loans that the UNSC increasingly couldn't, Hephaestus provided the raw materials and Sinoviet provided the machinery and manpower needed to make more ships for FLEETCOM. That alone made this area a point of major strategic value to the wider war, that is if the companies themselves ever came back to Actium.
The building was right across a highway from the Luna Alta. The advantage was a shorter nighttime walk than those coming from anywhere other than the neighboring Mason-Harcourt Law firm.
Passing the encircling defensive ring of tanks left by Convoy-4, they entered into the ground floor foyer and headed up to the conference hall.
The dome-shaped room stretched far overhead for 5 levels then became angular again in the last few meters where the walls touched the carpeted floor. Its overhead lights were bright enough to make anyone coming in instinctively look down for the sake of their retinas.
Since most of the space had gotten filled out before they reached, Epsilon was left standing for the first minute or so. The Staff managed to find Gunnery Sergeant Singh who pointed out a side-closet with a few more chairs. They pulled them out but were forced to form a new row at the front of the gathering, making them the closest to the semicircular front stage.
Duncan spent the next 10 minutes keeping his rifle in his lap and eyeing the stage's central podium, wondering who exactly would be the one to give them the mission briefing for whatever this new operation was. He was considering if it would be Garrison when a hand patted him on the shoulder. He turned to his right to see Zack's confused face staring back at him.
"Why are we here again?" The radioman asked, bags still under his eyes from the lack of rest.
Duncan shrugged. "I'm just as lost as you honestly."
Zack merely nodded and leaned back to see Rico who was sitting to Duncan's left, reaching around to tap him on the shoulder. "Hey, Ricky ole 'boy, what do you think's going on my man?"
Rico shook his head. "I've got no clue for certain" He leaned in closer. "What I'm thinking though is that someone up-top figured out a plumbing problem that needs fixing out east, if you catch what I'm throwing."
"Well, I caught it but... what do you think they'll be talking about specifically? What about the east is so worth popping eyes open this early?
Rico raised a brow. "Didn't you hear? Those pipes we saw in Heraklion and Mezoline also run through the 3rd Tier and out past the eastern limits. Irish, Mito and the Staff saw it with their own eyes when they got out there...without us of course." He gave Duncan a knowing look, one that was shrugged off.
"It's not my fault I was the only one of us that could get back on my feet."
"Nah, it was different for us. You had that lady-Spartan to help you out because you were too busy being knocked out." Zack said in a sly tone, nudging an elbow into his side. "You're a lucky guy Irish. You already got yourself a girl and they're still trying to get their hands on you, even the ones twice your size."
Duncan's grimace was met by an equally sly smile from Rico. "Si hermano, you've got too many chicas for your own good." His voice turned forebodingly playful. "What's Erica going to think when she finds out you've been in the arms of another woman?"
The heat rising in Duncan's face made him flush red with an embarrassment he tried his best to hide. It was too late and they cut him off with a shared laugh before he could get another word in that Spartans didn't count.
"Esta nervioso!"
"Guess he knows Mrs. Irish won't be too happy to find out about the secret missy." Zack cackled.
Duncan shot them both a sidelong glance. "Hey-hey, listen, don't go around spreading fake info like that." He gripped his BDU like a tuxedo. "Unlike you two I've got a reputation to uphold. Getting saved after being knocked out because of a geothermic detonation doesn't count as being unfaithful."
Rico whistled. "That's a lot of big words in there, hermano. All I heard was 'reputation' and 'detonation'."
"What does that mean?" Zack asked.
"It means his reputation is detonating because he got himself side-swiped by a big lady."
"That...makes sense."
A larger grimace flashed across Duncan's face. "I'm ready to swing at both of you."
Zack pretended to be shocked and got up into his seat, holding his radio equipment in front of him like a scared little boy trying to protect himself with a pillow.
Rico pulled out his M319 Grenade Launcher from his back and lay it out across his lap. "Whoever swings first dies first."
The two stared each other down, waiting for the other to call their own bluff.
Zack leaned in, still clutching his radio. "Looks like we've got ourselves a Mexican standoff here gents."
The two of them turned to him with confused looks.
"Standoff?" Duncan asked.
"Mexican?" Rico's face screwed up. "Little Z, I'm not even from Sol. How does this count as a Mexican standoff?"
"No-no, see, you don't have to be. How it works is-"
A growing commotion in the background suddenly caught the attention of everyone in the room as ODSTs started to rise and stand at attention. One by one, those who weren't eventually turned towards the stage and immediately mirrored their comrade's actions.
The Army BDU-clad Colonel Mentieth had just walked through an open door at the back of the stage. As the hundreds of ODSTs stood with weapons on their harnesses and hands respectfully at their sides, he reached the podium. He spoke through a collar mounted mic connected to the room's speaker system.
"At ease, troopers."
The Helljumpers relaxed their stance at his orders but refused to return to their seats down to the last man.
"You may be seated."
They finally sat down in a roiling wave of descending, battle-scared armor that rippled to the back. Silence quickly descended over the room under the attentive gazes of several hundred shock troopers all collectively focused on Mentieth.
"It's good to see all of you are relatively in one piece. I would say I've brought you here to thank you for all your service and sacrifice to the UNSC," The Colonel's gaze sharpened to quiet empathy as it swept across the room. "But I'm sorry to say that neither of those are finished just yet. There's still a significant part for you to play in retaking this planet."
The lights gradually dimmed before a new source of light revealed itself in a series of projection seams built into the walls of the room. They emitted an image just a few meters above Mentieth that spanned easily twice the size of the stage below, making it large enough for everyone to see.
The projection slowly coalesced into a luminescent globe whose details were refined, pixel by pixel, into the recognizable five continents and nine oceans of Actium. The image zoomed in on Preveza and Pavia to highlight five green locations, two on Preveza's eastern seaboard and three on Pavia's western coast. Names appeared next to them such as 'Patras' and 'High Estonia'.
"First, I'll need to give you a quick overview of the wider tactical situation. That way you can better appreciate the gravity of what I am about to tell you."
Five of the six dots were highlighted in green. "So far, UNSC forces have managed to secure the cities of New Eretria and High Estonia in the east as well as New Athens and Patras to the west. Yesterday, we took full control of High Mediolanum. We're soon to begin using these cities as staging points from which to push further into the continental interiors. However, before we can do that there are two looming problems that we must address."
A sixth dot appeared on Preveza's eastern seaboard midway between Patras and New Athens, showing the name 'Caerleon'. It was red.
"The planetary capital of Caerleon has yet to be recaptured. Repeated efforts by Task Force 6 to retake it have been...rebuffed." Mentieth seemed to briefly consider something troubling. His countenance quickly raised back to the crowd. "The remains of Battlegroup Crimson linked up with Gold and Cyan from Task Force 4 and 5. However, their third invasion attempt was met with serious resistance on the 10th. They've had to mount repeated counterattacks and withdrawals during their retreat over the last several days. Today, Covenant ships from their second fleet are dangerously close to New Athens and Patras. There's no certainty as to how long forces there will be able to hold. We're soon to send greater reinforcements. Before we can do that, we have to face the second issue, the reason you're all here."
The image zoomed out from the Koronea Sea as the globe rotated eastward, stopping near the heart of Pavia's interior. A section of the area the size of a coin was highlighted. The image zoomed in, expanding the location out from the comparative size of a hand to relatively the same magnitude of a Warthog. It resolved into a view completely framed by a grid format normally used for operational distance analysis.
There was a sprawling carpet of green forests and multiple, towering, snow-capped mountain ranges that divided up the area at differing angles, joining together then separating to form scores of valleys and passes. Yet there was a single outlier; a section that was highlighted by a bright-blue hue. There, the details were noticeably less focused, blurry even, so much so that a few ODSTs tried using their visor magnification or squinting their eyes. Nothing worked.
Duncan wondered why it looked like an out of focus camera pic and whether it was due to the technology used to take the photo or something else.
"This," Mentieth pointed to the region of interest, "is the Sabat Mountain Region. The entire area and everything you've seen up to this point were photographed using our Stealth Tactical Aerial Reconnaissance Satellite network or STARS. Battlegroup Indigo had initially deployed them over the whole of Pavia shortly after our invasion of High Mediolanum to provide intel on enemy locations and movements. However, ever since their deployment we've encountered an unusual dilemma." He paused to consider something else, maybe the consequences of his next words.
"The STARS system is flawed in some respects. Because of that fact, when we first encountered this location, we believed it to be a simple glitch in the system. It was only after multiple checks and cross-references with previous local satellite observational data that we discovered this was no failure of overwatch."
He pointed again. "What you're looking at, ladies and gentlemen, is a Dark Zone 2,475 square kilometers in size." He stopped to let his words settle over the room, prompting a few confused looks and discomforted fidgeting that only grew more uneased. "The current consensus is that the Covenant are using specialized, long-range EMP technology to manipulate and distort the view of any satellite in the area. We believe they're hiding something major in this region. Reconnaissance provided by Battlegroup Indigo has found evidence of a significant naval presence there with multiple CCS battlecruiser patrols and maneuvers stemming from Sabat."
A series of thousands of small lines were highlighted in blue. They all streamed in from every direction to converge on the Dark Zone.
"These are the pipelines that we've been encountering for the past week running all throughout this city. It should be noted that these pipes have not just been found in just High Mediolanum but also in New Eretria and High Estonia as well as along Pavia's northern, southern and eastern coastlines. They are some form of resource extraction network that all connect to unknown endpoints in the region of interest. That implies whatever we're dealing with is most likely a facility or facilities of some kind being used by the Covenant in secret."
Mentieth stepped out from behind the podium to face the entire crowd, hands folded behind his back. "What is required in this situation is eyes and ears. That's where you all come in."
Another holograph appeared, showing a shimmering, cylindrical device with various buttons running along its length and a recognizable primary interface at the center. "This is a telemetry probe. Recently a Spartan team used this technology to detect a Covenant underwater Command and Control Center at the bottom of the Koronea Sea. The reliability of this tech proved invaluable even at a depth of half-a-kilometer below sea-level and aided in the successful identification of the C&C. I say this to you now because you will need to have faith in this equipment for what you are about to use it for."
A growing flurry of whispers began shortly after his first mention of the C&C. They quieted as he continued.
"Your mission, Helljumpers, is to work in your individual squads as forward reconnaissance."
On the holographic map, a series of yellow dots were displayed going into the distorted Sabat Mountain Region along pointing arrows, stopping just inside the area. Some notably went a bit deeper in than others.
"You will be heading into the Dark Zone to plant these telemetry probes across the outer parts of the zone. The reason for sending you en masse is two-pronged. We have to get these probes as close in as possible to get a good idea of what we're looking at. Further, individual probes don't have a sufficient range to cover the whole area, necessitating us to deploy several dozen at an equal number of insertion points. Hence why we've had to bring in so many of you."
The image changed again, showing the same yellow dots retreating out of the Sabat Mountain Region via movement arrows. In their wake they left behind an equal amount of pulsing green dots.
"Once the probes are in place, we will be able to make a ground-level tactical scan free of the EMP interference. This grants us a clear view of what they've worked so hard to hide. Chances are this leads to us changing the bulk of our attention to this region simply because there are no other areas in Pavia's interior, or anywhere else on Actium, with such a heavy concentration of Covenant ship movements."
The holographic images winked out as the projection seams deactivated and the overhead lights slowly warmed.
"You won't be using your HEVs on this op. Pelican insertion will be optimized to attract the least attention. You'll land a short distance outside the Dark Zone and make your way in. After you've planted the probes, you will have to return to your previously assigned landing zones for extraction. Your modus operandi here will be stealth. Where we're sending you, you won't be able to chance going loud, primarily because we don't know what numbers you can expect to face."
He looked around to test the hardened individual faces that he could make out among the depolarized visors. "Go in, plant the probes, get out. In and out. Nothing more. You should engage only after all evasion options have been thoroughly exhausted. Once we get an idea of what's waiting for us in there, we will be able to plan our strategy accordingly. After dealing with the threat waiting inside the Dark Zone, we can then turn our collective attention to Caerleon and finish off the last of our enemy there. Once again, our ability to do this will depend on your ability to breach this zone and bypass any subsequent obstacles you encounter en route to your probe-deployment point. You'll receive greater details on your individual assignments using the tactical planners we've provided at the operation's center two floors down. Your squad objectives will be given out by your superiors and loaded to your HUDs. You will depart by 0410 Hours. The mission begins at exactly 0640 Hours."
There was another pause where he looked out over the crowd to gauge their expressions one last time. Then he stood straighter. "ODSTs, you're dismissed, and Godspeed."
The hundreds of Helljumpers sitting before him refused to budge until he started for the backstage door. Then they arose and began fanning out to different exits around the room.
Duncan made sure to stick close to Epsilon as they headed out. He could feel the uneasiness in the atmosphere. It had settled in shortly after the announcement of the exact size of this Dark Zone. Everyone had gotten a lot quieter since then.
He was a bit concerned as to what they might be about to walk into. Even the rest of the squad wasn't saying anything as they moved along the sides of the disheveled assemblies of chairs towards the nearest exit. More importantly, Zack was quiet. That last one was never a good sign.
He thought back to what the colonel had mentioned about the telemetry probes and how they related to that formerly classified op on the bottom of the Koronea. What worried him was that Mentieth hadn't mentioned how that 'successful' discovery ended up being a trap that nearly cost the lives of those same Spartans and everyone in Bravo. Moreover, he seemed more reserved near the end of the mass-briefing, as if he knew even more that he just wasn't telling them, like the additional fact that he and whoever also knew about the Dark Zone had kept this info quiet until now. Perhaps it was for the best since they needed to keep everyone's attention on taking High Mediolanum. Still, the question remained as to what else they weren't saying.
Above all, something about this mission felt final, and in a way that didn't make sense since they needed to wheel back around to retake Caerleon. No matter how he thought of it, he kept sensing some grander picture coming together that had eluded him for so long already.
They now knew that the pipes seen throughout the city were not a phenomenon unique to High Mediolanum, but were actually all over Pavia, like some giant metal spiderweb. The last mystery that remained to be solved was what they would find waiting for them at the center of everything.
:********:
Garrison wondered for himself what was so important for the Covenant to hide that it required a resource reallocation network spanning the girth of one of Actium's two largest continents. The implications alone were enough to make him worry for his troopers as he watched the mixture of 7th and 22nd Battalion ODSTs move through the hall's exits.
He'd maintained his vigil over the meeting from start to finish using the one-way windows of the observation room above and to the far back of the hall. It was a small meeting chamber with a few comfortable rolling chairs for handling business affairs and an ovular desk made of cedar wood that took up most of the space. Krauss, Serakovich, Taylors and himself had chosen to use the room to look out over the proceedings below but not to use the chairs. They preferred standing at the several windows off to the front that granted them the best view.
With the meeting wrapped up, Garrison tried to get a good look at the expressions of his troopers, or at least any that he could tell were his. What he knew Mentieth hadn't told them all was that there was a good chance this operation could be their last. What he knew that they knew was that they likely wouldn't care even if it was. Helljumpers were trained to see every mission as their last. That conditioning would probably hold true despite the magnitude of whatever was presented. However, it couldn't explain the grim nature of the silence that permeated the hall.
Any human being could take only so much combat for so long so he wondered if it had something to do with fatigue or subtle signs of stress, anything other than intimidation. Whatever it was it went beyond his ability to sense its root cause other than the nature of their mission and its importance relative to the retaking of Actium. Maybe that was it: the pressure.
He had specifically selected a good number of the best squads from all four of his companies. These Helljumpers were ready for any job whether they got enough rest or not. So why the quiet? Perhaps it was that that worried him more than the mission itself. That silence that was so deafening.
In all honesty he hadn't known about the zone himself until 2300 Hours yesterday when Mentieth saw fit to reveal its existence to the command echelon in High Mediolanum. He stated he had to hide it even from them to keep their efforts focused on the city rather than worrying about an arguably greater, more distant threat. Though taken as a shock, it confirmed Garrison's growing suspicions about something being wrong with the STARS array ever since their second strategic meeting at the Eden Mall, the same meeting where the 53rd's colonel had personally apologized to Taylors for the costly oversight. He still wasn't sure how he felt about the situation even now. So maybe it stood to reason that he didn't know what his troopers were thinking either.
His thoughts were disrupted when a fist bumped him on his shoulder. Taylors was looking out another nearby window, most likely trying to do the same with his own troopers. "Give it up, they're deadpanning. I can't even figure out their body language to see how they're taking it."
"That's just how we train them these days, isn't it?"
"But we're supposed to be able to figure them out since we got the same treatment back at the SWC."
Garrison sighed. "The folks at Seongnam beat that into us though."
"They did the same to them." Taylors nodded at the dispersing troopers. "The difference is I think they're having trouble figuring out what they think themselves. No wonder we can't read them."
"I was wondering the exact same thing." Garrison scratched his white-haired head at the quandary. "Let's hope they figure it out before 0410 Hours. They've got until then to catch their breath. We don't need them still feeling uncertain once they're in the air."
"There's no turning back at that point." Krauss noted from another window, taking in the same sight. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"See being the term of interest there." Serakovich added. "They'll need to be fast and quiet to give us the eyes we need in that dark zone. God only knows what they'll find once they get in there." He looked from the windows to Garrison. "You included a few of your people from Alpha, right?"
"Yeah, squads like Razor and a few others are in the mix."
"Good to hear." Serakovich folded his arms over his chest. "That crew was able to meet any and every challenge that was thrown at us, from Eleusis all the way to Amaliada. If they're involved then I have no complaints on my end."
"We sure could've used those Spartans though."
That last sentence hadn't come from either Serakovich or Krauss but from someone Garrison personally wasn't expecting. He saw Taylors wearing a wide grin on his face while watching the last ODSTs leaving the hall, almost daring him to say something. He took the bait.
"And why do you say that? I thought our Helljumpers would be enough. You doubting your own troopers, Colonel Taylors?"
"No." Taylors' grin widened. "I was just curious what your response would be. And I'm also wondering how things might turn out if we brought them along for the ride."
"Too bad we couldn't keep'em." Serakovich said. "You know the situation in New Athens is delicate right now. They'll need every hand they can get to hold onto that place once that second fleet really starts pushing in in-force."
Taylors let out a deep exhale. "I know. I wish we didn't give them away so soon though. I know we can't hog Spartans to ourselves but..." He rubbed the back of his silver-streaked head. "They sure made life easier. You know Gary, I was expecting a bit more animas from you."
Garrison looked at him curiously. "What, you thought I'd be happy they left? Did you forget already that it was one of them that saved my life back at the HMPD." He rotated his left shoulder which was much more maneuverable now, although it still gave him faint pangs of pain from the old wound every now and again. "They made what should've been a headshot for me into a non-fatal."
"I remember. It's just that sometimes that doesn't matter, mostly when it comes to ODSTs. A lot of them hate the men and women in big green armor for their own reasons. Me personally, I'm still not sure if I believe that whole 'ship gymnasium' story."
"How much does that hate really matter if they're still willing to fight alongside them at the end of the day?"
"It's really that they hate the Covies more, I'd say."
It made sense. Still, Garrison was wondering if his ODSTs could cope with this newfound uncertainty fast enough to not have it be a distraction during the actual mission. He almost wished that those Spartans of Blue Team were here. That way, even though he didn't like to admit it, there would be a greater reassurance amongst his Helljumpers that the mission would go according to plan. Hatred or not, rivalry or not, any UNSC enlisted worth their salt could give credit where credit was due and respect where respect was due.
The door behind them opened. They turned around to see Colonel Mentieth step inside. After they saluted, he nodded them over to the wooden table.
The five highest ranking officers in High Mediolanum wordlessly took their seats and commenced the beginning of an advisory discussion that would, in all likelihood, decide the ultimate fate of Actium: using already available information to both contemplate and organize their potential options for an invasion of the Dark Zone.
Tenebris - Dark