UNSC Return to Sender, Crew Quarters

23:41

Cassian had felt as if he was a dead man walking, it was clear that his body hadn't fully recovered, and it wasn't surprising considering his injuries. His body ached to the bone, his arms felt like sludge and his movements were sluggish, it didn't help that Admiral Montinaro had debriefed them for the last two hours, it was long and exhaustive, detailed down to the last second. It was commendable to have a leader take such an interest in the missions, but after a mission such as this it felt more like torture. As expected, their 'failure' had raised several questions, while they had completed their official objective, being an elite squad set certain expectations for what would be done. Dealing with insurrectionists this late into the war, it was expected that they'd be dealt with, anything other than apprehension or death didn't reflect well. These sorts of meetings were rare for him, Carter had done most of the talking and details with Holland, and ONI ever told him what needed to be done, nothing more.

Now here he was half-stumbling through the crew quarters, something completely foreign to him. With ONI he was usually put on ice when he wasn't needed, and if the time between missions wasn't long, he'd practice his skills. With Noble they'd rest where they could, otherwise they'd had their own squad rooming, it reminded him of bootcamp, but now he was in a limbo of sorts, alone once again but not technically under ONI jurisdiction. They'd struggled to find any accommodation, and in the end, he'd been granted an officer's room, nothing special but it was private…it was…a new experience for him. He wasn't sure how to process it, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the privacy.

Walking into his designated room it was exactly as he expected but still more than he'd ever gotten before. A bare room with a single bed on the right side, a small desk and dresser tucked into the left corner, he barely paid it any mind as he walked over to the bed and slowly sat down on the edge, but his caution was in vain as it immediately cracked and splintered as his weight was put on it. He sighed, he never expected anything different but figured it was worth the try, he moved to sitting on the floor between the bed and desk, resting the back of his head against the wall, his helmet and wall causing a resounding clanging sound as metal met metal.

"Maybe you should lose a little weight, eh?" Kara quipped, a husky chuckle following at her own joke.

Cassian gave a smirk, "I don't think ONI would allow me to lose weight even if I wanted to." He let out a drawn-out yawn, "Not like it matters much though, luxuries aren't made for us." Cassian closed his eyes and passed out almost immediately.

He found himself in an everlasting expanse, he felt as if he was supposed to do something, had to, but couldn't. His body felt like it was pulling him in every direction, his mind screaming at him to stop it from happening, but he felt powerless. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to stop, what his body wanted him to do, he felt dissociated from his body, he was mentally there but he had no control over his actions. This feeling of utter hopelessness, it was familiar, it seemed to be a constant in his dreams that permeated into his life. Soon he began to feel a growing warmth, but not a soft warmth that brings joy, but…an unnatural warmth, one that feels like its boiling you alive from the inside, that feels like it's changing your entire body. The vast sea of nothing before him began to turn to a sister red, dark not like blood, but almost as if fury, hatred, and disgust manifested into this specific hue, it was almost sickening. The heat keeps growing, his body felt like it was boiling, he looked down at himself and it was is he was melting, his body losing its cohesion and simply…falling apart. The red swathe becomes darker as his body seems to gurgle in the heat, eventually it turns to black and all at once the feelings seem to fade.

His eyes crack, the blackness that came in his dream fades as the light of his room fills his vision, another day another nightmare. Cassian sighs and takes off his helmet, rolling his neck he's rewarded with a series of pops and cracks. His stomach growls and he's reminded he hasn't had a full meal in days, reequipping his helmet he walks out the door towards the mess hall, his H.U.D tells him it's still early in the morning, a silver lining in the nightmares is he tends to be awake before everyone else, lets him eat in peace.

"I've been analyzing the data we secured from that insurrectionist base, and there's something peculiar with it." Cassian's interest was piqued, he'd never been much for details but when an A.I found something odd, well that interested even the most meat-headed fools.

"Peculiar how? Is it related to our early detection?"

"I'm unsure as of yet, there was a surprising amount of data and it'll take time, but Hasagawa had several correspondences with one address, more than any other. There's not one thing in particular, but more like…a series of small oddities. The tone, speech, grammar… even the signature of this other person is all…off. It's almost too clean and there's something peculiar about the signal itself, I'll alert you with updates as I come across them." With that Kara cut off and left Cassian once more in silence as he entered the mess hall.

It was as practically empty save for a few workers coming off a nightshift. He heard their whispers as he passed, he ignored them and got a large serving of food. He chose a bench in the far back of the mess hall and sat in the corner seat, away from the prying eyes and wild imaginations of the crew. He thought about Kara's words, if there was someone pulling strings in the insurrectionist movement it would explain a lot, but it'd be disastrous for the UNSC. Even before the Covenant, the biggest fault of the Insurrectionists was their lack of cohesion. They had a common enemy of course -the UNSC- but a rebellion is far more complicated now than it was even a century ago, supplies, logistics, tactics, travel, all takes place on a massive interplanetary scale.

In his opinion, the greatest feat of the UNSC other than the Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, was the ability to form a cohesive administration following the Interplanetary Wars, of course the insurrectionists would disagree, but that's beside the point. If the insurrectionists were given better direction, if this unknown influence leads to a total unification of their forces, then there's a good chance they'd win. The UNSC is already losing to the Covenant, and there were talks early in the war, when victory wasn't such an elusive target, that it'd be better to simply give the insurrectionists their freedom and focus solely on the Covenant, but if the insurrectionists made a resurgence, they'd probably get their freedom, though it's doubtful it'd last long. Covenant and all. He snorted to himself and finished his plate, donning his helmet, he got up and began to leave the mess hall. As he was leaving, he noticed that Staff Sergeant McCarthy and his squad were entering, he exchanged nods with the sergeant as McCarthy walked up to him.

"Lieutenant I-" He was abruptly cut off by Cassian as the Spartan seemed to tilt his head to the side a bit and lightly held up his hand.

"It's the insurrectionists, they're planning a terror bombing in the capital."

"Shit." Cassian muttered under his breath and dashed passed the SSGT and the other ODSTs.

"Fucking freaks amiright. Probably drinking his daily dose of motor oil." One of the ODSTs quipped as the others roared with laughter in agreement.

Cassian continued to sprint at full speed through the ship, narrowing avoiding splattering several technicians. "Do we know what they're plan is?"

"Vaguely, they're not complete fools. The messages never gave full details, only briefly talking about location and time. These insurrectionists pose a bigger threat than others right now, they're clever, the anomalies in the message I told you about? It's an old way of hiding codes in writing, practically ancient by our standards, for someone to know this, they'd have to be dedicated and knowledgeable. Hasagawa may have been the charismatic front, but it's clear that he chooses the right supporters, they're coordinated, intuitive, and adaptable." Cassian's legs pounded away, he was only a minute out from the Command Deck, "From what I could gleam from the data, they're planning to set off a series of bombs outside and possibly inside the UNSC Embassy in Viarosa at seventeen hundred. It'll be the optimal time to amass casualties as many civilians get out of work at that, and with the Embassy being in the most active district, the number could range in the hundreds."

By the time Cassian arrived on the bridge, it seemed the Admiral was already waiting for him, not too surprising considering he wasn't even trying to be subtle.

"What is it Lieutenant?"

"Sir, it's the insurrectionists and they're looking for blood."

Planetary Capital Viarosa, Viarosa Providence, Tridian Vale

16:47 - 13 Minutes Still Suspected Bombing

"Pharaoh-3 this is Pharaoh-1, possible target Southeast of the Embassy near the café. Male of average height and build in a dark overcoat with hat covering features. Confirm visual on target, over." Cassian stared down the scope, having a possible target in his sights.

"Copy Pharaoh-1, have visual of the target, waiting for further action. Out."

Cassian's helmet once again returning to silence, he readjusted his body and continued to look for possible targets. After bringing the news to the admiral, a plan was almost immediately drawn up. A series of undercover agents would be deployed into the city center scanning for targets and eyeing suspicious activity, if the worst happened, they would be able to deploy onsite support. Cassian, for obvious reasons, was assuming the role of sniper support with three other sniper groups, providing overwatch and identifying targets. Each sniper unit was deployed on four skyscrapers surrounding the plaza giving a clear view from all vantage points, they're orders were not to engage unless absolutely necessary. The Admiral has hoped to avoid wide-spread civilian knowledge of the insurrectionists as well as avoid a public scene if it seemed that several innocents were seemingly gunned down at the busiest time in the city. For that reason, his main purpose was to target and identify, if the undercover agents couldn't reach the bombers in time then they had clearance to take the shot.

"Pharaoh-1 this is Pharaoh-3, advised target is cleared. He left the area with another civvie, seemed he was just deathly pale. Over."

"Confirmed Pharaoh-3."

Cassian scanned the crowds, soon the city center would pack even more, but it was unlikely that the insurrectionists would wait till the last minute, they'd most likely already be here or nearby scoping out the area. A large fountain occupied the city center, the centerpiece was a rather detailed sculpture depicting a trio of wolves howling, the water pouring out of their opened mouths and between their vicious teeth. Children ran around the fountain and tossed coins into it, wishing for…for…it reminded him of when he'd wander the streets of Thalios when he was still an orphan. Waiting till dark to go to the local fountains and scavenge for whatever coins he could get, as a child he'd scoff at the fools who would so careless with simply tossing away money. To a boy that'd had nothing however, deep down he was thankful for he'd often get more money from the fountain than he would get from begging in the streets. That people were more willing to toss money into a fountain for an empty wish then to give to a starving child had never made sense to him, and now here he was, protecting those very same fools. Cassian focused himself once again on his task, scanning around the fountain before he noticed someone sitting on the rim, constantly checking their watch and looking around, a backpack that seemed far too large for one person.

"Pharaoh-2 this is Pharaoh-1, possible target sitting on the Northern edge of the fountain, young female, wearing a light blue shirt and dark shorts. Target is displaying suspicious behavior. Do you acknowledge?"

"Say again Parhaoh-1, I'm having trouble finding the target, only civilian that matches that description is a child."

"Affirmative Pharaoh-2, the child is the identified target. We have no information regarding the possible subjects, and we have previous records of insurrectionists using less than ethical means to achieve their goal. Advised to send in small detachment of the ground team to watch target. Over."

"Fucking…Jesus Christ. We should be out there fighting the Covenant, not fucking picking children as targets, fucking innie scum. Acknowledged Pharaoh-1 I'll alerting Inferno squad to possible subject. Over." He signed off with a heavy sigh.

"Using children as tools is quite the low for the insurrectionists. Have you ever taken the life of a child?" Kara asked bluntly, it was a trait of hers he'd respected from the start, but his mind turned to think of her question. He thought of bootcamp when he was fifteen, during a survival exercise. He'd been jumped by a kid of the opposing team, it happened on instinct and his mind wasn't thinking of how the rocky forest floor, only trying to survive. The instructors didn't even bat an eye, if anything they'd seemed impressed at my skill, it was the first time an adult had given me a look of approval.

"If the mission required it." He briskly replied, he was waiting for Kara to say to correct him, say that wasn't what she asked, but she never pressed.

It was only a few minutes out from seventeen hundred and they'd seemed no closer in preventing the bombing then they had at the start. With the mass of people is was hard enough to scan the crowd and watch for unusual movement and suspicious action, but when the working hour for these people would end, it would only swell and grow and deteriorate the situation even more.

Cassian put his fingers to the side of his helmet, "Pharaoh Actual this is Pharaoh-1, various targets have been identified, but possibilities are too high, will most likely have to resort to sniper team engagement, do you copy?"

A quick burst of static but nothing followed, he tried again.

"Pharaoh Actual this is Pharaoh-1, do you read me? Over."

Another burst of static, something wasn't right, maybe they used jammers? But Kara would've picked that up almost immediately, there was something else at play here.

"This is Pharaoh-1, all units be advised contact to Pharaoh Actual has been lost. Be on edge, something isn't right."

"There's a signal, it's fuzzy but I can isolate it. Patching it through now."

"-is—UNSC- Rider Known as Death, the Covenant are here, I repeat the Covenant are in orbit of Tridian Vale. All forces prepare for combat. I repeat, this is the UNSC Rider Kno-"

Cassian tuned it out and swore to himself, the Covenant would always manage to find their way here, it wasn't a matter of if but when, and the timing couldn't be worse. He alerted the rest Inferno and Pharaoh squad; they shared a similar sentiment. If once listened closely, they could pick up a faint sound, akin to a blade cutting through air, as it began to grow it became immediately clear. For the people in the plaza, they'd never know what it was until it was too late.

It didn't take long for the others to pick up on it, one of the sniper units exclaimed, "Phantoms incoming! It's the scouting party before the corvettes arrive."

"Tale aim at the phantom turrets; a few well-placed shots should disable them."

There was a small period before the shots when everything would continue as normal for the last, for most of these people it would likely be the last time they had any normalcy. Then the distinct crack of anti-material rifles as the sniper teams let loose on the approaching phantoms as they came into view, weaving and fly between the skyscrapers and high-rises. At this time the crowd of people in the city plaza began to swell and grow, for most the working hour for the day had come to an end, and it meant that the insurrectionists were about to make their move. It didn't matter, the Covenant were here and whatever damage they would inflict would far outweigh what the insurrectionists did. A few of the phantom turrets were disabled, but not enough by the time they got to the city center. In a split second the entire area had devolved into panic, the roaring cries of the people grew like a thunderous avalanche, fear and terror spread like a plague throughout the people. Their cries for help, the screams of pure terror as the phantoms began to fire into the innocent crowd, Cassian and the others kept firing at the turrets, trying to disable as many as possible, it all seemed to be in vein when the phantoms lowered themselves and opened up their troop bays. Squads of covenant poured out of the ships like a horde of rats, they slaughtered and maimed without mercy, brutally cutting a swathe through the mass of people.

"Pharaoh-3 keep working on the phantom turrets to try and buy time for the civilians,

Pharaoh-2 and -4, change your targets to the Covenant, focus on the Majors and Ultras, if we get them the grunts and jackals will fall into disarray."

Cassian sighed, it was Reach all over again, except this time the Covenant hadn't wasted anytime in attacking the cities. He aimed down the sights and capped an elite Major in the head, the body falling limp, he turned to see another elite skewer a civilian through the gut, lifting her up as it let out a beastly roar. Another shot from his SRS and another elite down, hopefully this time they'd be able to save more than they did in New Alexandria.

A/N: I tend not to do these, but I apologize for the long delay, university was unsurprisingly hitting a rough patch with everything that's happened and it taken some time to settle back own. Anyway, not sure how I feel about this chapter, went through a few different version and variations, even wrote out an entirely different path that this chapter would take focusing more on the insurrectionists and took a bit of a darker tone, but I didn't feel it meshed that well with Halo and the story in general. But I still have the entire chapter in case I decided to rework into something later. Stay safe everybody!