Stage 7: Who do you think you are?
Northern Suez Canal;
Covenant Cruiser: Life and Sacrifice
08:05 October 21, 2552
Port Said, Egypt
Sergeant Eric Raynord
"Welcome aboard the Life and Sacrifice." Siren stated over the landing deck's intercom. The marines and ODSTs piled out of the belly of the pelicans, their packs slung lazily over their shoulders, and looked around the massive carrier's landing deck. In front of them stood Sergeant Eric Raynord of Red Squad, the man that led the strike into Port Said and took command of the ship. "This is your CO, Sergeant Raynord. He will be in charge of all operations from here on."
"Drop your gear and arm yourselves for close quarters combat." Eric shouted to the forty soldiers in front of him. "The brutes have been sealed off throughout the ship. I'm leading a cleanup crew to the upper decks, because this is now my ship… I stole it, and I don't like the monkeys that owned it. So look sharp and let's clean up this place. You can be tired later. Fall into your squads and form up." The landing deck quickly began to buzz with marine and ODST activity as Eric began to give squad leaders their orders and designated decks to sweep. The ship was massive, but with Siren running the show it was going to be simple eliminating the brute and jackal threat.
"Delta 431, Juggernaut, I've got supplies I need picked up and a few fly boys to be directed down in Port Said." Siren stated into the pelican pilot's com channel. "I need you to make some runs for me once Platoon 9 has completed unloading their gear."
"Roger that, Siren." Juggernaut replied. "I also received new orders from HighCom, I'm hereby assigned to the Life and Sacrifice and the rest of its, crew? What the hell is that about, Siren?"
"Can't say right now, Juggernaut." Siren simply stated. "Just pick up that cargo, everyone will be debriefed once the ship is clear of hostiles."
"Understood, Siren, Delta 431 out." Juggernaut sighed into the com. The ace pilot roared his engines and slowly eased out of the landing deck. Several more pelicans quickly dotted the horizon as more and more supplies and crew were being directed toward the massive ship.
"Rodgers." Eric stated to the nearby ODST. "Glad to see you're still alive." Eric recognized the man's face as one if his marines that survived the destruction of New Mombasa along side him, Rose, Wesley and a few other marines.
"Me too, Eric." The man stated. "What the hell is all this about?" Rodgers was eager to know what was going on just as much as the rest of his squad of ODST's that he had just pulled out of hell. They had been quickly scooped up from a firefight in the city and brought aboard, leaving other marine patrols to clean up the remaining brutes and jackals.
"No time to discuss it now." Eric quickly stated. "Get your squad together, and grab as many men as you need. Siren has forty brutes and a few dozen jackals locked up toward the upper level aft decks. Go clean them out and keep Siren posted. They maybe locked behind closed doors, but they are still heavily armed. Move out."
"Yes sir." Rodgers and a crew of ODST's gathered together to discuss their operation and Eric moved on to debrief other squad leaders on their assignments.
Eric spotted a female marine being carried off of a pelican that had just landed on the deck. She was very much dead and the medic was doing all he could to save her. The woman's lifeless body was singed from plasma burns. One side of her face was severely burned. Two more marines assisted the medic but little could be done for her. The woman reminded Eric of Rose. She was also going to be fighting the brutes scattered around the ship and there was very little he could do about it.
When Eric was young he wasn't the smartest man when he enrolled in Central University. The small school in South America was renowned for its beauty over looking the ancient Aztec ruins. It was also known as the school where the best athletes from around the world attended. Eric grew up in South America and new that this was the place for him, but he never applied himself in his studies; his focus was military prep. The war would eventually come to Earth someday, and he knew that he was going to be a soldier. Earth was his home and it was his mother and father's home. He grew up with stories of fighting on far away worlds and pushing back the aliens, and hopefully stopping them from reaching Earth. But Eric knew that the aliens would one day come. The Earth government had wanted humanity to live normally, but who couldn't think about the approaching covenant threat.
Eric ignored his studies and focused on military tactics and sharp shooting. He majored in engineering, but was a master at hand to hand combat. Instead of studying, he shot rifles at a nearby shooting range. Eric was a military man all the way, but then he met Roselyn Santos.
Chief Warrant Officer Roselyn "Rose" Santos
Will and Red squad pushed through yet another corridor of brutes and jackals. The Spartan was putting the creatures down like insects. The Spartan led Red Squad through the massive lower decks of the Life and Sacrifice without concern for sudden enemy attacks, because Siren made sure that all paths were clear.
"Red Squad." Siren stated over the hallway intercom. "It's a long way to the Brig level, but not too many enemy forces between here and there. I recommend leaving the major clean up to the Sergeant's support platoon. There is some sort of transport system inside the room two doors ahead. It runs the full length of the ship. It's actually a rather nice system."
"If you say so, Siren." Will returned. "Fall in Red Squad." The Spartan and his team of marines from Red squad cautiously stepped into the brightly illuminated room. As their eyes adjusted, the entire center of the ship suddenly opened up before them.
"Jeez, mate." Marks stated as he peered into the inner skeleton of the ship. "If you think it's big on the outside, the inside is just monstrous!" Before them was what was considered the inner structure of the ship. Each deck was visible from top to bottom, and from front to back. The ship had nearly twenty decks and the marines could barely make out the rear as it vanished from sight.
"The floor in front of you is similar to a moveable sidewalk." Siren stated. "Step on it and it will carry you closer to the aft of the ship. The brig is just six decks below. Don't worry, I've cleared the path so you won't run into any resistance."
"Roger that, Siren." Will stated. "This is Spartan 043 to sergeant Raynord."
"Eric, here." A voice stated through the Spartan's com channel. "How's the hunt, Will?"
"Red Squad is doing fine, but we need to get some soldiers to the inner corridor of the ship. I trust Siren's word about keeping the brutes locked down, but I'd feel that the ship is somewhat more secure if we controlled this massive inner skeleton. If brute patrols gained access to this area they could run freely for hours before we found them."
"I hear you." Eric replied. "I'll get Siren to debrief me on the ship's layout and I'll position some marines in key sections. Also, we have several more platoons in route to the ship. In a few hours we'll have an entire Regiment on board. Colonel Carter will over see command on the ground, but I still have the ship."
"Sorry to interrupt, Serge, but what do we need all the support for?" Rose cut in.
Siren interrupted, saying "There's a major operation underway, and everyone will be debriefed once the ship is clear."
"You heard the lady, Rose." Eric added. "Watch your ass down there, and don't play hero. Eric out."
"Let's move marines." Will stated to the squad. They each stepped on the lighted walkway and slowly began to be carried toward the aft of the ship. The longer they stayed on the pathway the more speed they gained. Soon they were being whisked down the center corridor of the ship toward the aft decks. Rose's limited knowledge of military units failed her, but she knew that a Regiment was well over a 1000 troops. The covenant cruiser could support the massive numbers, but why? The ship would be overrun with humans and Siren's control of the ship was enough. Something more was being planned, and once again she didn't know what was happening; she hated that.
Rose pushed aside her concerns and found it an odd sensation being whisked away on the thin layer of light. She looked at the floor beneath her feet and realized that she was being carried on a layer of purple light, similar to the ships gravity lift. She could clearly see through the static filled layers and only a few small inches separated her foot from the floor. She cautiously took a step toward Wesley and the gesture made her slightly nauseous. The sensation off moving, while traveling at such a high rate of speed, was twisting her stomach, but she had not had a decent meal in several hours so she wasn't too concerned about vomiting.
"Your stop is coming up, Red Squad." Siren stated over the intercom. "Step to the edge of the light and your individual speed will slow to a stop." Rose stepped to the edge and realized that the conveyor wasn't moving the group at a certain speed, but instead it was moving each person at their own individual pace. The system was amazing, Rose thought to herself and she stepped closer to the edge. The group of marines was moving faster then she was and eventually she was left behind. She stepped back toward the center of the conveyor and began to regain her speed. She looked ahead and spotted Wesley standing on the side of the conveyor. She realized that the marines had pushed on, but Wesley waited for her.
As she gazed at Wesley, she quickly jolted into the recesses of her mind. She thought back to how she got involved with Red Squad, betraying the UNSC by giving Earth's crystal to the covenant, her first meeting with Wesley, and her first time meeting Eric Raynord; the man she thought she would never see again.
When she was young, the idea of attending a school in her hometown wasn't appealing to Rose, but with the Covenant threat lingering so close, she thought it would be safer to stay close to home. Central University was only a few minutes away by public tram system, and the dorms were adequate. The campus had a reputation of being an athletically dominated institute, which was very appealing. The school's top sport; women's Lacrosse and Rose wanted to be the star. She was an All American Lacrosse star in high school and was highly recruited from around the world, but the idea of playing for the back-to-back world champion Central University Ancients, dubbed the Aztec Gods, also suited her tastes, and made staying home for school much better.
Rose was an instant star during her freshman year of training camp, and quickly became a starter. Her starting fame earned her the respect of many Lacrosse players around the world, as it was very rare for a freshman to claim a starting attack position. Rose was fierce on the field, but even fiercer in the classroom. It was during her last day of training camp that she met Eric Raynord. The man was in her second term course and immediately made his presence known to every woman in the class. But he favored Rose by sitting next to her.
At that time, Rose was more tomboy then girl. She didn't have any interest in pursuing a relationship, but neither did Eric. Rose tried to ignore the war talk that spewed from Eric's mouth everyday in class, but she found it interesting that Eric was always on top of the war info. If there was any info she wanted to know about the war she knew to turn to Eric; he lived and breathed war.
Eric and Rose
It was a normal day on the tiny campus of Central University, and the women's Lacrosse season opener was only a few hours away. Rose sat down in her Engineering 101 course and began to thumb through her data-pad as the rest of her class stepped in.
"Hey Rose."
"Eric." Rose replied with a whim. Despite the fact that they sat together, and Eric was a rather funny man, Rose never liked to let him feel like he was gaining any ground with her.
"Did you do that project?" Eric questioned. He dropped his data-pad on the desktop, without concern of damaging it, and slumped into his seat beside Rose.
"Of course I did." Rose replied. "I have a GPA to maintain."
"Can we compare the results?" Eric questioned. "I'm not sure I did it right."
"I guess so." Rose sighed. "If you focused more on the class and less on the war, you wouldn't struggle with this course."
"I don't really struggle, Rose." Eric laughed. "I just don't care." Eric slid his data-pad closer and brushed against Rose's shoulder. He was always astonished at how toned she was.
"Can you give me some space, please?" Rose stated strongly. Eric smiled softly and stepped away slightly. Rose grinned to herself. She found it funny how she could make him feel unwanted. She hated being a flirt, but it was fun.
"Sorry to invade your personal space." Eric smiled. He liked being close to Rose just to get a reaction out of her. Rose ignored his statement and looked over his project. She nearly gasped at what she was seeing.
"You solved it in ten steps?" Rose shouted. The class all looked in curiosity to the loud outburst, but quickly returned to their own discussions. "How the hell did you do that?" Rose questioned softly, after realizing that she was loud. Eric looked over to his data-pad and Rose's and compared the two.
"Looks like you miscalculated here." Eric stated as he pointed to Rose's screen. "But you adjusted to the unknown variables, which is why you have so many steps. Use Morgan's theory, it helps." Eric stated. Rose simply looked at him awkwardly, and watched as the professor stepped into the room. She was slightly irritated that Eric knew something she didn't, but it also peeked more of an interest Eric. She discovered that he was more then just a soldier.
A few hours passed and hundreds of Lacrosse fans gathered at the University Field Club. It was a massive restaurant, dinning hall, and dance club and it was built as a replica of the Aztec ruins south of the campus. The party was in full swing after the Aztec Gods easily defeated their first opponents of the season. The team was led by their star freshman, Rose. She scored 3 goals from her attack position and instantly earned the reputation she had gained. The team walked into the Field Club and received roars of applause and cheers, but mostly all of the attention was on the young eighteen year old Rose. She handled the attention well and basked in the shouts of praise.
From the upper deck, Eric leaned on a rail that overlooked the lower decks of the Field Club, and watched as Rose smiled and gave high fives to the fans. He had never seen her smile in such a way. With him were nearly a dozen of his friends that joined him in preparing themselves for marine training. Two young girls stood at his side and looked over the crowd that cheered as the Aztec Gods entered.
"She's quite popular, Eric." A thin white woman stated. "I see why you like her so much."
"Yeah, but she's a brain-job." The other woman added. "She'd never understand you, Eric. She's not your type." The two girls were also in Eric's group, and they understood him, but he only saw them as friends despite their explicit attraction toward him.
"She's just like the rest of the world." Eric added. "Scared and trying to ignore the war around them. She wants things to be normal, but there's nothing normal left anymore." Eric was a soldier at heart, and determined to fight and die a hero. It was the cloudiness of his youth that blinded him to the real demons of war. The reality of death would awaken him many years later, but at that moment all he wanted to do was fight.
"Go talk to her!" One of the guys behind him shouted. "We're enlisting next week, so you better try to do her before we get shipped out!" The man was clearly quite drunk, but none the less he had a very valid point.
"I don't think she's worth it." One of the women stated, but Eric had already begun to make his way through the crowd and toward the stairwell. "He didn't need much persuading." She commented to the other woman beside her.
Eric cautiously but quickly pushed through the crowd of dancing college students, as the heavy thunder of music echoed throughout the lower rooms. He spotted Rose sitting at the bar and made his approach. Several men had already begun to flock over her, but staying true to form she ignored them. Eric was actually having doubts about her sexual preferences, but didn't let that falter him. He reached the bar and pushed through the men that were oozing over her, but none of the men seemed to complain; Eric towered over them and his athletic build was quite awe inspiring.
"Rose." Eric shouted into her ear. Rose spun around on the chair, holding a mug overflowing with a deep blue beverage. The group teammates at her side all eyeballed Eric aggressively.
"OW, yeah baby!" One of the girls shouted. "He is cute!"
"Shut-up!" Rose laughed. She tossed back the blue drink and downed the pint in three swallows. Eric couldn't believe she had just chugged the alcohol in one sitting. Rose stood to her feet and pushed the horde of men away. She then tossed her arms up and wrapped her arms around Eric's neck; marking Eric as hers. "Did you see the game?" Rose sluggishly questioned.
"Yeah, you were pretty impressive… for a freshman." Eric laughed.
"So what, you're a freshman too." Rose laughed with a soft slur. This was a side that Rose had never showed in class, but it was something that her teammates knew quite well. Rose was a social typhoon, especially when alcohol was involved. But the way she flocked to Eric shocked the other girls on the team. She spoke of Eric often, but they never imagined that she was close to him. Eric was clearly the most outspoken advocate for the military at Central University. Everyone knew his name, but only a few people knew his face.
"We need to talk." Eric stated. Rose looked up at him and sluggishly smiled.
"Kay." She moaned. "Let's go talk." Rose led Eric through the crowd, staggering wildly as the pint she had just consumed began to quickly work through her. After a minute of blindly pushing through the crowd, the two found the exit and walked outside. Rose was no longer able to hold her balance and stumbled everywhere. Eric quickly wrapped his arm around her and they navigated to a nearby bench. "So what. . . what did you want to talk about?"
"You can't hold a drink to well, can you?" Eric laughed.
"I'm better then Kim." Rose loosely mumbled. "She can't take a shot without passing out." Rose suddenly burst into laughter, finding humor in her own words.
"I'm enlisting next week." Eric stated bluntly. Rose cut her laugh short and repeatedly blinked her eyes, in a failing attempt to focus. Despite her drunken demeanor, Eric's words registered quickly. Her body wasn't responding to what she heard, but her mind did.
"You're serious… you can't." Rose stuttered. "You have to finish school."
"The UNSC will wipe out my debt if I qualify, but school isn't my thing anyway." Eric stated.
"But you're smart." Rose stated, the shocking news clearly beginning to bring down her alcohol induced high. Her words were becoming clearer and her focus becoming sharp again; clearly the type of talk that would sober someone up quickly. "I know you're all gung-ho about the war, but you don't have to enlist now."
"No, I really do." Eric stated. "Don't let the UNSC Announcements fool you, we are loosing this war." Eric lowered his head and looked at Rose out of the corner of his eyes. She was no longer the happy-carefree girl from before, she was shocked.
"Then do what I plan to do; stay in school, graduate, and look forward to building better weapons to fight the covenant. Going into battle will only lead you to death if we really are loosing."
"Maybe I can help at least slow them down." Eric stated. "You're the one with big plans for your life, Rose. I'm just a soldier at heart. If I fight, maybe I can give you and the others time to build better weapons and defenses."
"The war is so far away, Eric. They aren't anywhere near Earth. We have time…"
"No, Rose. We don't have time. It seems like every week another colony falls, and they learn something new about us. UNSC my not admit it, but the Covenant is starting to find each colony faster and faster… they're on to something and gaining ground. We've been at war for nearly fifteen years or so, and we can't stop them."
"Why do you want to go war? And better yet, why are you telling me? We only know each other through class and we don't really know each other that well."
"I don't know. I guess I just wanted you to know." Eric sighed. "I saw you smile earlier. You have a nice smile. If we were at peace, I'd be able to see that smile all the time, but the covenant is coming. I want to help protect people like you. I wouldn't mind dieing knowing that I'm protecting you."
"I don't need you to protect me, Eric. If you want to do something for me, then stay. Finish school and fight the future war when it comes."
"I'd love to stay with you, but I'd be lying to myself. But I was hoping that maybe we could spend this week together. We can focus only on Lacrosse and the future. But even still, I will be leaving next week."
"In some way, that sounded like you were hitting on me." Rose stated clearly. Obviously her stupor had passed. Eric had to laugh at her response; because he was.
"Can't slip anything past you, can I?" Eric laughed.
"You know what, for a moment I had some respect for you. That's gone now." Rose laughed; jokingly picking on Eric's approach.
"You're not my type anyway." Eric chuckled. The two of them laughed, and Rose laid her head on Eric's shoulder.
"Please stay." Rose sighed.
"Will you sleep with me?" Eric questioned.
"Doubt it."
"You were supposed to say yes, if you really wanted me to stay."
"I'd rather not use my body to trick you into staying, besides, if I said yes I'd probably be lying." Rose laughed. "But were you serious… serious about wanting to protect me?"
"Yeah." Eric softly replied.
"Don't fight for me." Rose simply stated. She lifted her head from Eric's shoulder and stood from the bench. "I'm not worth it." She stated as she began to walk away. Eric stood up and watched as she walked back toward the Field Club.
"What'd she mean by that?" Eric questioned to himself. Eric didn't have the chance to ask her face to face, he skipped the final week of classes in order to train. But he was able to keep his eyes on Rose because of her popularity; she was always in the spot light on campus.
The day came for Eric and his small group of friends to entrust their lives into the capable hands of the military. Eric and the group boarded the campus tram and looked back into the heart of the campus. He saw a large group of people migrating toward over a central figure, but he couldn't tell who it was. He hoped it was Rose, but he dared not think about it. She was gone, and chances were he'd never see her again.
"Four weeks of recruit training, here we come!" One of Eric's friends roared from the front of the Tram. Eric smiled and cheered along with his small crew of classmates and never looked back.
Rose wanted to see him off. She hated that Eric was going off to war with dreams of protecting her, he hardly new her. But it was oddly comforting and sweet of him. She ran across campus from her dorm room once she found out when the group was leaving, but she was thankful that she didn't make it in time. She stopped nearly one hundred yards away from the tram and watched as the group piled in. She was soon crowded by fans and press as they questioned her about the Lacrosse match later that evening.
Rose began to address the press and as she spoke she realized that it was best that she didn't see Eric, that way she wouldn't think of him. It was better for her.
Private Wesley Williams and Rose
Wesley watched as Rose quickly sped toward him along the conveyor system, and reached out to grab her hand. She slowly and cautiously stepped toward the edge of the light and took Wesley's hand into her own. He pulled her close and looked her over quickly. His eyes looked around her figure quickly, but not to see if she was wounded. He studied her every curve and loved they way her marine fatigues hugged her frame in all the right areas. He thought to himself that he still desired to be with her, but he had to focus. They were falling behind the rest of the squad and they were in hostile territory.
"What was the hold up?" Wesley asked as he and Rose began to jog toward the rest of the squad.
"I was daydreaming and playing with the system." Rose responded.
"You still get attracted to pretty lights, huh?" Wesley laughed. But Rose didn't reply. They reached the rear of the squad and doubled checked their weapons. Rose flipped off the safety and pressed the butt of her rifle loosely against her shoulder. Wesley simply slid back the barrel on his magnum and made sure a bullet was in the chamber, but his sniper rifle was securely strapped to his shoulder; it was useless in tight quarters such as the small rooms in the brig level.
Will and Red Squad cautiously stepped toward a closed door and took positions all around it; taking aim at every possible angle into the room.
"Siren, whenever you're ready." Will stated into his com.
"Standby." Siren replied. "Ten brutes and eighteen jackals in this section. All interior doors are now closed. There are two brutes on the other side of this door. Opening the door in 5." The squad peered down their respected barrels and watched as the door opened. Two brutes stood in shock as the door quickly hissed opened and revealed the squad of humans. Red squad didn't hesitate. Once the two brutes were nullified Will waved the group forward to the next available door.
"Rose, you and the Private can go down the center pathway." Siren stated on their com channels. "It's clear all the way to the holding cells. There is one guard jackal sleeping at the alarm, but I deactivated the alarm system when we first took the ship."
"Roger that, Siren." Wesley replied.
"You're looking for an armored Elite in gold." Siren added. "He is the ship master, or Captain of this vessel. He's the one I want you to speak with."
"Siren, are you sure this is a good idea?" Will chimed in. "If those elites decide to make a move, they aren't going to stand a chance."
"Don't worry, Spartan 043." Siren sighed. "I have no plans on letting the elites out of their cells."
"Be careful you two." Marks stated.
"Next door, Red Squad." Will quickly stated. "Watch yourselves, those elites can be cunning." The Spartan and Red Squad pushed through another set of doors and vanished into the maze like corridor of the brig. Wesley and Rose turned down the long center corridor and quickly pushed their way toward the holding cells, leaving Will and Red Squad to handle the remaining brutes and jackals that were scattered around the deck.
Rose and Wesley had met nearly two months ago at an ONI debriefing discussing the Spartan Project on Reach. Wesley was a simple marine stationed to guard the discussion and Rose was a hired engineer determined to land the project for her company. If successful, Rose and her company would win the rights to adapt and improve the Mark V battle armors Central Processor. The new processor would be implemented into the MJOLNIR Mark VI. Due to the security of the discussions and the secrecy behind the Mark V and VI, Rose was constantly watched by UNSC security, and it was not by chance that Rose and Wesley met.
"How long have you been sniffing at my heels, Private?" Rose stated from her seat at the bar. Thick clouds of grey smoke gingerly floated about the room, with dark mysterious shadows made even darker by the flood lamps that hung above the counter top. It was quiet in the small bar, and only a few patrons dotted the room, mostly hidden by the dark corners and minding their business. Wesley walked from one of the dark corners and approached Rose; waving to the bartender for a drink.
"One Sentry." Wesley stated to the bartender.
"A Sentry this early in the day?" Rose questioned. "You must be a serious drinker."
"Yeah, I guess so." Wesley responded. "And I'm not just a private I happen to be a First Class officer."
"Lucky you." Rose sighed; clearly not impressed. "Listen, if the UNSC wants me to keep quiet about the project, I can do it, but you don't need to follow me everywhere I go."
"Well, I was assigned to shadow you. But I couldn't stand seeing you sitting here alone."
"Aren't you the gentlemen?" Rose chuckled. "I do appreciate the company. This hasn't been the greatest week."
"I bet." Wesley stated. He sipped his drink and motioned for Rose to explain.
"I've never been a big fan of Sydney. My dad died here a few years ago, so I chose to never come back. Funny that my job decided I needed to be the one to come and represent the company. Sorry, I know this doesn't concern you."
"No, I don't mind at all." Wesley returned. "By the way, my name is Wesley."
"Roselyn, but you can call me Rose."
"It's nice to finally know your name." Wesley laughed. "Please continue."
"Well, the idea of coming to Sydney was already haunting me." Rose continued. "And then the military decided that I had to have this damn neural implant stuck in my head. That way they can track me wherever I go. Then they told me that if I removed it, it would kill me." Rose sighed and sipped her drink. "Now I have to sit through these boring Project Bids, waiting for each company to undercut the next offer. Luckily the military doesn't care about the money, only the results. It would be different if I could go to all the project meetings, but each company gets to do their presentation in private, and all I can do is sit and wait." Rose looked at Wesley and sighed. "I've had a headache for three days."
"You really have had a bad week." Wesley commented.
"Yeah, I know. So tell me about yourself kid."
"I'm a soldier, not much more to say then that." Wesley stated as he took another sip from his glass.
"Yeah, I knew a soldier once… a long time ago." Rose added. She thought of Eric, but washed his memory away by looking at the twenty-something marine beside her. "So what are the limits of your duty, Private First Class Wesley?"
"I'm a security guard for ONI, I have no limits." Wesley smiled. "You know, if we really want to talk then perhaps we should leave. Talking and alcohol may make us say something that ONI may not be to proud of."
"You are correct." Rose replied. "My room is upstairs."
"After you." Wesley stated. He slipped a small piece of plastic across the counter and the drinks he and Rose had were paid for. The two approached the elevator and quietly waited for the door to open. After a moment the door slid open and they entered. Wesley quickly took Rose into his arms and began to kiss her as the doors closed.
For several weeks after that day, Rose and Wesley secretly met together under the pretense that Wesley was Rose's shadow; ensuring that Rose didn't give out any ONI secrets. But the announcement came that Rose's company had won the contract to continue advancements of the MJOLNIR armor, giving Rose a significant advancement in her duty.
"Wake up Wesley." Rose stated. Wesley rolled over on the bed and placed his head on Rose's bare breast.
"What's wrong?" Wesley mumbled.
"The company has made me project leader, and one of ONI's underground facilities in New Mombasa is where I'll be stationed. I found out this morning."
"No problem, I'll get a transfer and come with you." Wesley added. "We can still be together, and not in secret."
"Reach was just glassed." Rose added. "All the Spartans are MIA, and we haven't made any weapons advancements since this war started."
"My god, the Spartans and I didn't know that Reach fell." Wesley gasped as he sat up in bed. "But don't worry, we've made plenty of advancements. The orbital MAC guns are far superior to the ones on our ships. If the covenant does find its way here, we'll murder them."
"Eric was right." Rose mumbled. "We didn't have time."
"I'll contact HighCom in the morning and put in a transfer request." Wesley stated. "I'm sure they'll make me head of security operations."
"No." Rose added. "They're bringing in a soldier from the front, someone that's been fighting for a long time and just recently got promoted. They didn't give me his name, but they wanted him because the facility will be used for two purposes. They said something about an artifact that will be researched at our site."
"Damn it." Wesley sighed. "Oh well, I'm still coming with you."
"If you want to, but I think this is as far as our relationship should go." Rose stated as she slid out of bed. She began to dress and looked back at Wesley. "Things are getting too deep for me, and I'd rather not get into a serious relationship." Wesley simply sat on the bed, in silence and starring off into space. "We need better weapons, we need advancements, or the covenant will wipe us out. That's always been my dream, and I can't get distracted."
"Is this about that guy you're always talking about?" Wesley finally stated. "You said he was a major influence in your life, even though you never dated."
"This has nothing to do with Eric." Rose stated. She reached for her tram pass and purse and walked toward the door. "I'm just not good in relationships, they slow me down. I'd like to be friends, Wesley, but I don't think we should tell anyone about our involvement. It wouldn't go well if ONI found out." Rose closed the door and left Wesley to debate his future alone.
The next morning, Wesley struggled to motivate himself to contact HighCom. Torn between his heartache and duty, Wesley debated on what he should do. But his duty and working at the ONI facility came first. He sent in his request for transfer. He dropped his chatter after he completed the request and gazed at the ceiling. He was scheduled to meet his new Commanding Officer the next morning in New Mombasa.
The chatter suddenly began to ring and he picked it up, the number on it instantly read Rose's number. He wasn't in the mood to talk to her, but he wanted to anyway.
"Hello." Wesley stated into the chatter.
"I just received an update to the security crew at the facility." Rose stated on the opposite end. "I see you transferred in. Why?"
"It's a career move." Wesley sternly stated. "The position keeps me within ONI's better programs."
"So long as that's the only reason… " Rose suddenly paused on the other end. "Eric."
"What?" Wesley questioned on the other end.
"Lieutenant Eric Raynord, Head of Security Operations and Battle Tactics." Rose stated. "He's still alive and will be working with us at the facility."
"Head of security?" Wesley questioned. "That's you're friend from college. You okay with this?
"Nothing's changed Wesley." Rose stated firmly. "We keep our private affairs to ourselves." The chatter went silent and all Wesley could do was sulk on the bed. Rose was older then he was, and while their involvement was brief, it was fun. He enjoyed being with her immensely, and she was an extremely attractive woman. Wesley's chatter suddenly began to ring again and he quickly opened it, hoping to hear Rose's voice, but it was quite the opposite.
"William's, this is Colonel Ackerson." The burly voice of a middle aged man stated.
"Sir." Wesley sharply stated. He was shocked to hear the Colonel's voice, the man rarely called him because it was usually the other way around.
"I will need you to continue your services." Ackerson stated. "I approved your transfer, and I think this will work in both of our favors."
The long corridor to the brig seemed to overshadow the dank atmosphere. Unlike the rest of the purple and grey corridors of the ship, the brig deck seemed to pale in comparison. Each hallway seemed to mock the other. The floor plating was confusingly dull and the lighting was dim. Wesley took note that perhaps the covenant wanted to create a confusing maze for any of their prisoners, and make it more difficult to escape. Wesley's ear buzzed with static as Siren softly whispered into his com.
"The jackal is ahead, around the corner, and sleeping against the wall." Siren softly stated. "Be cautious, jackals have very sharp hearing, and oddly enough, he's armed with a brute plasma rifle."
"A brute rifle?" Wesley questioned.
"Higher rate of fire, more dense plasma bursts, takes longer to overheat, but not as accurate as the Elite models." Siren added.
"It's just one jackal." Rose added as she peeped around the corner. "We can take it."
"I leave the decision to you, Private." Siren commented. "Don't get yourself killed listening to the rookie."
"Siren, I'm starting to think you don't like me!" Rose gritted strongly. Rose struggled to contain her frustration and her words oozed from between her teeth.
"Only someone with zero combat training rushes into a room, when they aren't sure of their opponent's condition." Siren countered.
"Quiet!" Wesley stated strongly.
"Sorry." Rose and Siren stated jointly. Wesley turned the corner and stood in the center of the hall. The heard the ruffle of footsteps in the deathly silent hallway and jumped up to see what the commotion was. It spotted Wesley and slammed its hand on the alarm, but no sound was made. Filled with confusion, the jackal leveled its left forearm and raised its gun. The shield unit sparked to life but instantly faded as the jackal's lifeless body crumbled to the floor.
"Too slow." Wesley stated as he lowered his sniper rifle. The contrail from the bullet faded and Wesley tripped the safety.
"Or you can kill it from a distance." Siren added. "You'll need to check each holding cell because the brutes didn't take names when they locked them up."
"Let's split up." Rose stated. "I'll take the left side of the room." Rose opened a door and the static charged air quickly rushed over her body. Wesley crossed the hall to the other room and entered.
"The ship master's name is Domadree." Siren stated to Wesley and Rose.
Rose walked into the dark room. Four cells lined each side of the room, and a center platform toward the center rear. The cells glowed with a deep blue light as the energy shields held its prisoners at bay. Activity within each cell was minimal as blood soaked several walls of each cell. Most of the grunts and elites were dead, but the Hunters seemed unaffected. Rose walked to the closest cell on the left and peered inside. Two grunts and an elite stood inside, blood stains lining their armor. What ever had happened on this ship, the elites fought back tooth and nail. The alien creatures glared at her, puzzled to see a human aboard their ship.
"Can they understand me?" Rose questioned into her com.
"Oddly enough, yes they can." Siren returned.
"Vile human!" An elite roared from within its cell. It than began to speak in a tone that Rose couldn't understand.
"What did it say?" Rose questioned.
"It said that; you are filth, kill us or leave." Siren repeated. "He said something else about the seed of your ancestors, but I don't think that was relative. Just a second, I'll update your Neural Interface… done. You should be able to understand him clearly now." Rose hated the Neural Ace. She was forced to have one implanted the day she signed in at HighCom to discuss the MJOLNIR armor upgrades. It was mandatory for any one, soldier or civilian to have a Neural Ace so that they could be monitored throughout HighCom.
"I'm looking for ship master Damadoree!" Rose slowly spoke.
"Be gone human." The elite returned. "The brutes and prophets have already disgraced us. And now you come to add further humiliation? End our lives or leave, we will wait for a suitable warrior to come and claim our heads."
"Ask them what they mean by that, why the brutes and prophets disgrace them?" Siren stated to Rose.
"Why did the brutes and prophets disgrace you?" Rose repeated. Rose was a little annoyed that Siren wasn't talking to the elite herself, but an AI may come off as rude or snobby; not the tone you wanted when trying to get info.
"Why concern yourself, human?" The elite questioned. Rose had not noticed before, but once she began to spoke, every imprisoned alien had stood to their feet and was watching her. "Where are you comrades? Are you alone?"
"Don't answer." Siren stated. "Wesley isn't getting any answer from the prisoners in the other room either. These elites are quite cunning."
"Why did your comrades imprison you?" Rose questioned.
"I told you not to say anything else…" Siren began to say.
"Comrades?" The elite roared. He slammed his fist against the shield that held him and other elites at bay. He then turned to the bodies of several of his elite brothers that were either wounded or dead on the floor next to him. "Comrades would not do this! We have been blinded and lied to. Made of fools! The cowards! Damnable prophets! They will not get away with this treachery!"
"Treason?" Siren questioned. "This confirms my information about bad blood in the covenant ranks. Rose, see what else you can get out of him." Rose was already a mile of ahead of Siren's thoughts.
"Have the brutes betrayed the covenant?" Rose questioned. "Or the prophets?"
"There is no longer a covenant, human." Stated another elite. The voice was coming from another cell, directly behind Rose. The elite stepped passed several elites and grunts that stood in front of him. The golden clad elite held his head high, but his armor bore the same blue stains as the others; he too had been severely wounded. "The prophets have lied and betrayed us. For what reason, we do not know." Rose approached the cell and looked up into the broken eyes of the elite. "Tell me human, if you are here then what of the brutes that took command?"
"Don't answer…" Siren began to say, but Rose had already opened her mouth to speak.
"Dead or dieing." Rose stated. "We took control of this ship. We want to know why you're here, why you're attacking earth and why you hate us so much?" The elite tilted his head curiously, but in all other regards he ignored her.
Rose gasped as the shield unite holding the cell closed, suddenly faded and vanished. The elite stepped forward and lowered his head to Rose's level; starring deeply into her eyes.
"Because those very prophets willed it." The elite answered. "And that is also what my new purpose has become; to find out why." The gold armored elite walked away from Rose and stood upon the platform. He then walked toward the control panel.
"How the hell?" Siren stated. "The only way to override the cell containment is if someone was standing at the control panel. Rose, trembling madly as elites, hunters and grunts circled around her, looked toward the center platform. There, upon the platform and in front of the control panel, she watched as an elite appeared out of thin air. The elite wore the black armor of the Special Operations, and branded upon its shoulder was a purple bar.
Siren cut into Rose's com saying, "Active camouflage! He must have been standing there for hours, or that's an advanced model not listed in the ships database. Rose, Red Squad is on the way! Don't make any sudden moves."
Rose panicked as a grunt came too close. The creature sniffed at her and she jerked away from it. She bumped into an elite and the massive creature clicked its mandibles irritatingly. She slowly raised her gun to her hip, her hand trembling so wildly that she was barely able to grip the handle. Her breath became short, and she was finding it hard to breath. Everything around her was a blurry and mixing together in her vision. She was terrified beyond all reason, and only one thought was in her mind; she didn't want to die.
"If you wish to die, human, point that weapon my way." An elite suddenly roared. The deep base in the alien's voice cracked what little sanity Rose had left. Rose lost control of her senses and felt trapped by the gazing eyes of the alien warriors. She closed her eyes and raised her battle rifle, taking aim at anything standing in front of her.
"Rose!" Siren shouted into the com. "LOWER YOUR WEAPON!"
To be continued…