Disclaimer: I own nothing involved with the Master Chief, Covenant or
events in the Halo game. The alien race encountered is loosely based on the
creatures in James Cameron's Aliens. They are my creations, however, my
inspiration I have thanks to James Cameron and his team. Congratulations to
Bungie for a great game, and James Cameron for a great movie!
Halo: The Black Widows
Chapter 1 Diamond Squadron
"Alright, Tiger, bring the camera back for another pass. I think I saw something," Eric 'Tiger' Gall heard the voice of COM officer Daniels in his headset. The monotonous voice got irritating, but then again, that was Daniels's job.
"I didn't see anything," Eric replied.
"Lieutenant, it's Dedrik's orders."
Damn! Eric rotated the F-61 Ranger and turned the plane back to circle over the hill. Dedrik was a moron, with too much money. And he wanted military status. Those things, together, created havoc. Dedrik spent too much of his time making sure discipline was maintained everywhere, that he didn't check himself!
"Daniels, what'd you see? It's a barren hill, with some carbon scoring, possibly a missed Wraith tank shot. No movement."
There was a long pause, "I didn't see anything. Dedrik did."
Eric cursed, and brought the plane back around again, beginning the dull circle again. The plane's hydrogen engines roared in the cockpit, but not a thing could silence his ears. Those little flaps of skin on the side of his skull had saved his rear much more than any radar had.
"How many convoys is it, now?" Eric asked.
Dedrik's voice broke in. It had a sharp sound, almost as if he had been neutered. Dedrik's file had read that he had been part of a children's choir. before Dedrik had erased it anyway, "Don't ask questions! Just do your job!"
"Then, can I get my Thunderbolt, and go bomb some Covenant?" Eric responded.
"Mark that hill as a danger zone," Dedrik said to someone back at the Prometheus base.
Eric grinned as he passed over the hill. It was just like all the others. A round hill top, not any trees or cover in sight. Some carbon scoring around the place, giving it almost a pocked marked look. It suggested a battle, but there was no blood, or sign of bodies. Eric snapped some pictures, as per standard procedure. The photos looked like all the others.
How many convoys was it? Four? Yes, that was it. Four convoys and countless missing Covenant battle squads. Wild animals? What bullshit!
"I'm going around for a final pass, slow Delta circle," Eric said, the mouthpiece covering his face muffling his voice slightly.
"Confirmed," Daniels again. Good to hear him again, instead of Ferret Face.
The circle was slow, and Eric managed to get a few more snapshots, but nothing more interesting than his first pass, "Mission complete. Prometheus, I'm comin' home."
"Approach vector confirmed. I'll see you on the flight deck!"
* * *
"Get that processed ASAP!" Daniels handed Eric's flight recorder 'black box' to an engineer. He nodded, and ran off towards the debrief station to prep Eric's recorder.
"Dedrik-" Daniels began.
"Hates my guts. Anything actually hot off the press?" Eric cut in, tucking his flight helmet under one arm.
Daniels shrugged his shoulders, "No."
Grinning, Eric took the chance to leave the busy flight deck before Dedrik could intercept him for the daily WTFO report. Daniels followed him.
The deck was huge, being a ground based facility. Several triangle shaped Rangers were on the base floor, being led off to hangers and such. Lightly armed, but fast as hell, the Ranger was one of Eric's favorites. Parked in hangers, and repair docks, were numerous Thunderbolts and Catapults.
Thunders were beautiful pieces of modern technology, fielding a pair of Gauss rifles, initially invented by the famous Dr. Gauss. Imagine a heavy lead rocket getting hurled at you by magnets. The magnets accelerate the round up to ten times faster than the speed of sound. A small rock would make a huge dent. The ship itself had an interesting shape. A long craft, with wide, thick, delta wings which held the weapon systems, created an aura of danger, and strength.
The Catapult, on the other hand, wasn't an air superiority fighter. It was a bomber, and the biggest plane you've ever seen. More missile ducts than any ship in the fleet, and very few gun ports. The ship was named after its look-alike. The pilot sat back on a long shaft so he could see all around him. Weapons, engines, and the reactor were housed a distance beneath, in the main part of the ship. Probably, the ugliest thing Eric had ever seen, but it got the job done.
"Lieutenant Gall!" Oh, crap! Ferret Face!
Sure enough, Major Dedrik marched up. He certainly lived up to his nickname. A long, ugly nose, beady eyes, and a thin face. The man's hair was falling out so you had to pity him to an extent. But, there was something about the guy you just wanted to hate.
"Major," Eric responded, out of courtesy.
"Don't turn your back on me!"
"I'm facing you," Eric said, grinning.
Dedrik scratched at his bald spot, and Eric watched as a short strand of hair fell off the beginnings of a bald spot, "Oh, well, you should do it more often."
"If I do that, sir, it'd be healthier for me to stare at the sun!" Eric quipped.
Daniels decided to join in, "Or drink half a gallon of Covenant ale!"
"Oh, now that pushes the limit!" Eric said, turning toward Daniels with a smug look on his face.
Dedrik shook his head and stomped off. Eric clapped hands with Daniels in their traditional fashion, as the mismatched pair sauntered off to pilot country, watching a disconcerted Dedrik march off to annoy another pilot, and CC officer.
* * *
The hallways were just like ones on a cruiser, making it seem like you're in space, so if you get transferred it's not a large change. Many steel doors opened off into dorms and bars for the pilots. One of which was known only as The Tavern. This was Eric's home.
Waving goodbye to Daniels, Eric walked into the bar. The room wasn't packed, almost empty. Round tables were strewn around, with maybe a few people hunched over them, some even sleeping on them. The bartender was drying out a pilsner glass, and nodded at him.
"Hey, Tiger!" A woman's voice welcomed Eric into the room. Eric turned his head to the Ace table, a table pulled away from the others, where most of the best pilot's ate. His eat was marked and saved at all times with his callsign, Tiger. The woman who called was Falcon, one of the most daring pilots in the fleet. She was a brunette, long hair, and eyes to die for. Definitely thin; comes with throwing up lunch every barrel roll at the Academy. She was fit, and strong too. Falcon could fly circles around a Covenant Banshee in a Catapult! The best in Emerald Squadron. She was also his Squad leader. And his crush.
"Falcon! Hey!" Eric jogged over to the table, and dropped himself down into his assigned seat. He continued to stare at his squad leader, watching the others in his peripheral vision.
Three other pilots were at the table. Two of which he knew very well, and another he flew with sometimes, but kept to himself. The loner was just that, known as Lonestar. No one knew his real name, and he probably didn't know it either.
The other two were pretty much in each others arms, and almost never weren't. The man was Raptor, always acted like a Velociraptor of the early periods of Earth. If you've seen his plane, you're already dead, with a missile in the side of your plane. His air was long, tied in a ponytail near the top of his head. He had a wide jaw, and big blue eyes. He had this killer puppy face. The girl was Paladin. She had gorgeous red hair that fell across her face in little streaks of flickering light. Blue eyes lit up her face, and full, ruby lips graced her triangular jaw. Yet another of the best looking, Ace pilots in Diamond squadron.
"Dedrik giving you hell?" Raptor asked, one arm looped around Paladin's slender neck.
Eric nodded, raising one hand for a drink. The bartender had been ready and placed a Heinz right in his hand. The condensation on the bottle cooled Eric's hand, and he felt the slippery surface begin to slide through his fingers. Bracing it against the table, Eric popped it open with his hands. The bottle cap bit into his hand, but right now, Eric was showing off for Falcon. He didn't care. But, Raptor's question was beginning to hang "You bet he did. Gave me Daniels the trip to space."
The 'Trip to Space' referred to having to run from Covenant battle cruisers, knowing they'll catch you and beat the crap out of you, leaving you floating through space like an empty bottle in Old Earth's oceans.
Raptor winced, and took a swig of his own Heinz drink. Before gulping down the beverage, he kissed Paladin, and Eric watched as she gulped instead of Raptor. Eric's face contorted for a moment, thinking about what had just transgressed. Gross. I like girls too, but that's disgusting!
Falcon laughed, her voice singing across the air to Eric, soothing his sordid thoughts. Yep, everything was right. except the war. Eric gulped down drink after drink with the four. But something was itching at Eric's mind as alcohol began to impair his mind, and memory. What trashed that hill?
Chapter 1 Diamond Squadron
"Alright, Tiger, bring the camera back for another pass. I think I saw something," Eric 'Tiger' Gall heard the voice of COM officer Daniels in his headset. The monotonous voice got irritating, but then again, that was Daniels's job.
"I didn't see anything," Eric replied.
"Lieutenant, it's Dedrik's orders."
Damn! Eric rotated the F-61 Ranger and turned the plane back to circle over the hill. Dedrik was a moron, with too much money. And he wanted military status. Those things, together, created havoc. Dedrik spent too much of his time making sure discipline was maintained everywhere, that he didn't check himself!
"Daniels, what'd you see? It's a barren hill, with some carbon scoring, possibly a missed Wraith tank shot. No movement."
There was a long pause, "I didn't see anything. Dedrik did."
Eric cursed, and brought the plane back around again, beginning the dull circle again. The plane's hydrogen engines roared in the cockpit, but not a thing could silence his ears. Those little flaps of skin on the side of his skull had saved his rear much more than any radar had.
"How many convoys is it, now?" Eric asked.
Dedrik's voice broke in. It had a sharp sound, almost as if he had been neutered. Dedrik's file had read that he had been part of a children's choir. before Dedrik had erased it anyway, "Don't ask questions! Just do your job!"
"Then, can I get my Thunderbolt, and go bomb some Covenant?" Eric responded.
"Mark that hill as a danger zone," Dedrik said to someone back at the Prometheus base.
Eric grinned as he passed over the hill. It was just like all the others. A round hill top, not any trees or cover in sight. Some carbon scoring around the place, giving it almost a pocked marked look. It suggested a battle, but there was no blood, or sign of bodies. Eric snapped some pictures, as per standard procedure. The photos looked like all the others.
How many convoys was it? Four? Yes, that was it. Four convoys and countless missing Covenant battle squads. Wild animals? What bullshit!
"I'm going around for a final pass, slow Delta circle," Eric said, the mouthpiece covering his face muffling his voice slightly.
"Confirmed," Daniels again. Good to hear him again, instead of Ferret Face.
The circle was slow, and Eric managed to get a few more snapshots, but nothing more interesting than his first pass, "Mission complete. Prometheus, I'm comin' home."
"Approach vector confirmed. I'll see you on the flight deck!"
* * *
"Get that processed ASAP!" Daniels handed Eric's flight recorder 'black box' to an engineer. He nodded, and ran off towards the debrief station to prep Eric's recorder.
"Dedrik-" Daniels began.
"Hates my guts. Anything actually hot off the press?" Eric cut in, tucking his flight helmet under one arm.
Daniels shrugged his shoulders, "No."
Grinning, Eric took the chance to leave the busy flight deck before Dedrik could intercept him for the daily WTFO report. Daniels followed him.
The deck was huge, being a ground based facility. Several triangle shaped Rangers were on the base floor, being led off to hangers and such. Lightly armed, but fast as hell, the Ranger was one of Eric's favorites. Parked in hangers, and repair docks, were numerous Thunderbolts and Catapults.
Thunders were beautiful pieces of modern technology, fielding a pair of Gauss rifles, initially invented by the famous Dr. Gauss. Imagine a heavy lead rocket getting hurled at you by magnets. The magnets accelerate the round up to ten times faster than the speed of sound. A small rock would make a huge dent. The ship itself had an interesting shape. A long craft, with wide, thick, delta wings which held the weapon systems, created an aura of danger, and strength.
The Catapult, on the other hand, wasn't an air superiority fighter. It was a bomber, and the biggest plane you've ever seen. More missile ducts than any ship in the fleet, and very few gun ports. The ship was named after its look-alike. The pilot sat back on a long shaft so he could see all around him. Weapons, engines, and the reactor were housed a distance beneath, in the main part of the ship. Probably, the ugliest thing Eric had ever seen, but it got the job done.
"Lieutenant Gall!" Oh, crap! Ferret Face!
Sure enough, Major Dedrik marched up. He certainly lived up to his nickname. A long, ugly nose, beady eyes, and a thin face. The man's hair was falling out so you had to pity him to an extent. But, there was something about the guy you just wanted to hate.
"Major," Eric responded, out of courtesy.
"Don't turn your back on me!"
"I'm facing you," Eric said, grinning.
Dedrik scratched at his bald spot, and Eric watched as a short strand of hair fell off the beginnings of a bald spot, "Oh, well, you should do it more often."
"If I do that, sir, it'd be healthier for me to stare at the sun!" Eric quipped.
Daniels decided to join in, "Or drink half a gallon of Covenant ale!"
"Oh, now that pushes the limit!" Eric said, turning toward Daniels with a smug look on his face.
Dedrik shook his head and stomped off. Eric clapped hands with Daniels in their traditional fashion, as the mismatched pair sauntered off to pilot country, watching a disconcerted Dedrik march off to annoy another pilot, and CC officer.
* * *
The hallways were just like ones on a cruiser, making it seem like you're in space, so if you get transferred it's not a large change. Many steel doors opened off into dorms and bars for the pilots. One of which was known only as The Tavern. This was Eric's home.
Waving goodbye to Daniels, Eric walked into the bar. The room wasn't packed, almost empty. Round tables were strewn around, with maybe a few people hunched over them, some even sleeping on them. The bartender was drying out a pilsner glass, and nodded at him.
"Hey, Tiger!" A woman's voice welcomed Eric into the room. Eric turned his head to the Ace table, a table pulled away from the others, where most of the best pilot's ate. His eat was marked and saved at all times with his callsign, Tiger. The woman who called was Falcon, one of the most daring pilots in the fleet. She was a brunette, long hair, and eyes to die for. Definitely thin; comes with throwing up lunch every barrel roll at the Academy. She was fit, and strong too. Falcon could fly circles around a Covenant Banshee in a Catapult! The best in Emerald Squadron. She was also his Squad leader. And his crush.
"Falcon! Hey!" Eric jogged over to the table, and dropped himself down into his assigned seat. He continued to stare at his squad leader, watching the others in his peripheral vision.
Three other pilots were at the table. Two of which he knew very well, and another he flew with sometimes, but kept to himself. The loner was just that, known as Lonestar. No one knew his real name, and he probably didn't know it either.
The other two were pretty much in each others arms, and almost never weren't. The man was Raptor, always acted like a Velociraptor of the early periods of Earth. If you've seen his plane, you're already dead, with a missile in the side of your plane. His air was long, tied in a ponytail near the top of his head. He had a wide jaw, and big blue eyes. He had this killer puppy face. The girl was Paladin. She had gorgeous red hair that fell across her face in little streaks of flickering light. Blue eyes lit up her face, and full, ruby lips graced her triangular jaw. Yet another of the best looking, Ace pilots in Diamond squadron.
"Dedrik giving you hell?" Raptor asked, one arm looped around Paladin's slender neck.
Eric nodded, raising one hand for a drink. The bartender had been ready and placed a Heinz right in his hand. The condensation on the bottle cooled Eric's hand, and he felt the slippery surface begin to slide through his fingers. Bracing it against the table, Eric popped it open with his hands. The bottle cap bit into his hand, but right now, Eric was showing off for Falcon. He didn't care. But, Raptor's question was beginning to hang "You bet he did. Gave me Daniels the trip to space."
The 'Trip to Space' referred to having to run from Covenant battle cruisers, knowing they'll catch you and beat the crap out of you, leaving you floating through space like an empty bottle in Old Earth's oceans.
Raptor winced, and took a swig of his own Heinz drink. Before gulping down the beverage, he kissed Paladin, and Eric watched as she gulped instead of Raptor. Eric's face contorted for a moment, thinking about what had just transgressed. Gross. I like girls too, but that's disgusting!
Falcon laughed, her voice singing across the air to Eric, soothing his sordid thoughts. Yep, everything was right. except the war. Eric gulped down drink after drink with the four. But something was itching at Eric's mind as alcohol began to impair his mind, and memory. What trashed that hill?