Act 1
Robert looked at the stars overhead as he always did before the start of a mission. These stars were strange to him yet somehow familiar. White, blue, red, and yellow stars were all he remembers now but there were so many of them. He could not possibly count them all. He wondered how the UNSC could have thought they might one day study or even inhabit them. He wondered how many of them had planets. He knew some had been discovered, even colonized. He had even been to some of them, however briefly.
He missed those days. Being able to tour the known region of space, have a few days of leave, and see some local women. What else was there to do? He was part of a recruitment division sent out to look for those interested in joining the cause. He himself wasn't even sure if there was a cause to believe in. He did not necessarily agree with either side; the rebels or the UNSC. The UNSC was trying to "keep the peace" while the rebels wanted nothing but to govern themselves. He could see the advantages to both viewpoints but really didn't want to take sides. The UNSC just paid a decent wage he could live with and it allowed him to see the known galaxy without much trouble.
At least until Harvest happened. After that, everything changed. He was there actually; assigned to look for "farm boys" to build up a local security force. He met with a Sergeant Avery Johnson many times to show what he was able to scrounge up. It didn't amount to much. Johnson was picky and a bit of a hard ass when it came to recruiting. But Robert guessed that he had to be. If there was anybody that could train boys and turn them into men, it was Avery. He sometimes came off as a jerk because of that.
Robert didn't mind much. He hated his job anyway. But, when the Covenant destroyed Harvest, Robert J. Lewis decided enough was enough. He wanted to see the action for himself. He wanted to know what he was unknowingly sending young men and women into the service for. He signed up to be a marine.
To his surprise, he was selected.
Training was a blur to him. The UNSC was in such dire need of soldiers, they were recruiting people almost without hesitation. Robert knew his skills were limited but he could fire a gun, pretty decently at that, and that was all that mattered at the time. They needed people and he was willing to provide another number to the recruitment list. He was looking for something in himself, but he wasn't quite sure what it was.
His assigned battalion was sent to a few outer colonies, either to help with evacuations or to do battle with Covenant forces, if only to slow them down. He had lost many friends and comrades that way. It seemed to be a revolving door. New recruits would come in only to be obliterated a few weeks or months, sometimes even days later. All the killing and running made him almost emotionless. He purposely did not make friends with many fellow soldiers for fear of losing that connection over and over again. It was just too much to bear in an already unwinnable war. It was a conscious decision that made him into a hard shell for new members of his squad. He was tired of losing friends and soldiers under his watch. However, there were a few, a precious, lucky few, that had been with him throughout the Covenant campaign. These fellow marines he held onto the most, although he never told them so.
Joshua was a good explosives expert and was very willing to blow something up; he always seemed to have a ball doing it, too. Born on Earth (Lucky bastard, thought Robert) in what was the southern United States, he grew up with that southern charm, mentality, humor, and common sense. But he always seemed to ask or state the obvious. Charles (or Charlie as his squad mates sometimes liked to call him) was the man with the weapons. He knew them all by heart, even the newly issued ones, almost like he had someone somewhere on the inside of the UNSC telling him what was coming out next. He was always looking forward to getting his hands on them and testing them out on the Covenant. Then, finally, there was Laura. She had actually been a fellow trainee in boot camp and had been on all but two missions with him. They knew each other well, always able to tell what the other was going to do in the field. It was almost a competition between them. She was good with a sniper rifle and could hold her own in close quarters combat (as Robert had found out in camp). She was the one who also trusted Robert the most.
Robert himself turned out to be a good tactician and could sometimes predict what an enemy was going to do in the midst of battle. That had saved the squad's asses a few times and had built a cohesive bond between everyone. But most importantly, he was able to keep his mouth shut when ordered to.
Perhaps that was why he was chosen to lead this small band of troops on the reconnaissance mission on which they were about to embark. He was technically one rank above everyone else, but he did not feel as if he had earned it. Joshua just told him to take it, that he would be willing to take orders from someone he trusted. Charlie and Laura agreed handily. Robert wanted to object but knew nobody would listen. He, reluctantly, accepted and was handed this assignment a few days later.
This was strictly an observe and report mission. Enemy engagement was to be avoided at all costs unless absolutely necessary. The Covenant was doing something strange on the surface of Lucian. This was a planet about the size of Harvest and one with a similar role. Named after the astronomer who discovered it, the planet was the main supplier of food for this sector of the Outer Colonies. This was also a planet somewhat rich in iron ore and other metals used in building ships and farm equipment. There were rumors that the metals were sometimes used to make top secret weaponry but this, of course, was never confirmed publicly (Charlie especially had his suspicions). It had a slightly cooler climate on average than its bigger sister Harvest but was still a rather warm place to be. Some days could be downright oppressive.
So why were Covenant forces acting like they were looking for something? They were clustered mostly around an abandoned iron mine on the south side of the planet. And even stranger, they hadn't glassed the entire planet...only Lucian's three major cities were destroyed along with the major supply depots. Something just didn't make sense to the higher-ups, and they wanted somebody to take a look.
Robert's team, code-named "Foxtrot", was to be dropped by pelican thirty kilometers or so from the site so as not to attract attention, then hike to the site and get close enough to observe with their supplied, high-powered scope. The scope would be directly linked to an orbiting prowler ship, Dark of Night, code-named "Alpha". They were to communicate via secured channel as minimally as possible. It was unknown whether the enemy could intercept and unscramble the secured channels yet, but they couldn't take very many chances. Anything out of the ordinary was to be reported and further instructions would then be relayed. If there was any sign of hostile enemy movement towards their observation post, they were to bug out immediately and call for evac when a safe distance had been achieved.
This last part is what bugged Robert the most. He knew the Covenant was quick. That last order meant his team was pretty much screwed if they were noticed or engaged. That's why he requested long range armament. If he was going to fight the Covie bastards, he wanted to do it from a distance. A sniper rifle and three battle rifles would be all he hoped his team would need. He also ordered a minimum amount of frags and ammunition to keep his troops light on their feet. Besides, if the enemy were close enough for grenades or pistols to be used, their chances of survival would have already dropped dramatically.
Robert assigned Laura to scope duty, Charles was to carry the communications gear (because he was the strongest of the four), and Joshua and himself would be the lookouts. They had traveled twenty kilometers for a solid nine and a half hours. Despite Lucian being a so-called "farm colony", this part of the planet was rather hilly with hardly any trees or anything tall for cover. Just the occasional farmhouse and a few bushes here and there marking property lines. Nothing spectacular...which made their hike even more nerve-racking. Robert had to stop his squad every 500 meters or so in order to scout the next ridge. It took forever. The red sun was just beginning to set which would make the last ten clicks easier as they would be harder to spot...or so they hoped.
The squad was quiet, looking for any signs of movement. They could see the Covenant cruiser looming in the distance growing ever larger as they neared their goal. There was little idle chatter as they moved closer. Robert stopped them yet again to check their surroundings. Nothing. Not even wildlife was to be seen or heard anywhere.
"Ya'hear that?" asked Joshua, a slight southern accent to his voice.
"Hear what?" said Laura, suddenly a little nervous.
"Exactly. Animals sense eminent danger and run. Which means they ain't here. But here we are going towards danger trying not to be blown to bits. Funny, isn't it?"
"All the more reason to keep quiet," Robert finally said. He was perhaps the most nervous of all of them. It took a lot for him not to show it. "Let's just keep moving. Our objective is just seven more clicks to the South."
Everyone quieted down and moved on. They all agreed earlier that the sooner they got there, the sooner they could leave.
Thirty-four minutes later they spotted the clump of trees they saw from the briefing map, which was a satellite image taken from a few years back during a mine scouting trip. It was about two kilometers from the mine. Close enough to see with the scope but hopefully far enough away to keep out of sight. The picture, Robert remembered, showed green grass and a few animals about. Now the outcrop was brown, charred, and desolate. The trees were a bit scarred from the Covenant plasma fire, but some still retained a few leaves. They quickly hiked to the location. What they saw surprised them.
Plumes of thin smoke were coming out of the center of what looked like an entire Covenant battalion. A few of the feared Covenant tanks could be clearly seen patrolling the perimeter with two groups of banshees keeping an eye to the sky.
Charles unpacked his gear and got everything ready while Laura got into a good position with a clear view of the mine.
"Why didn't we know about this before?" she asked.
"Don't you remember? The Covies learned from the battle of Reach, knocked out all our satellites days ago. Intel from above is effectively blind. Which is why we're here," Charles replied.
"Alpha, this is Foxtrot. We are in position and ready for observation. Over," Robert reported in.
"Copy that, Foxtrot. Move to secure channel 'Em-three-seven' and report."
"Roger. Reprogramming to 'Em-three-seven'. Over." He signaled Charles to change the channel with a nod.
"Scope ready for wireless up-link," Laura reported. Charles played with the computer some more and reported up-link complete.
"Alpha, confirm secure up-link."
"Up-link confirmed. Receiving video signal. Initiate radio silence protocol two-five-one."
"Ten-four. Foxtrot out." Robert settled against a tree and watched the right flank while Joshua watched the left. Charlie. Turn that monitor off. We don't want to attract attention."
"Sir." His face returned to normal color as the monitor glare disappeared.
Now for the boring part, Robert thought. Protocol two-five-one just means shut the hell up and do your job. Laura gazed through the slightly over-sized scope, which she had smartly mounted atop her sniper rifle, and began slowly scanning the site to the West. After a few minutes of silence, she stopped. She zoomed in on a portion of the camp curiously.
"Sir, you have to see this," she said quietly after a moment. Robert crawled over and motioned for Charles to watch the right. Peering through the scope he spotted a sea of aliens hastily at work...mining. Several hundred Unggoy, or 'Grunts' as the UNSC liked to call them, were hauling hundreds of pounds of ore in orderly lines away from the central site with several Sangheili, or 'Elite', captains ordering them around. A few of the bird-like creatures, "Jackals", harassed and snarled at some grunts who got out of line.
"What the hell are they mining iron for?" he asked aloud.
"That's what I'm wondering," Laura said. "But they aren't really mining. They're just digging. Scan back to the right." Robert did so. "See how they're just piling the rock out of the way? It's not even organized. They don't want it. They want whatever is underneath it." He slowly scanned back to the center and took his eye off the scope. Okay, so why are they digging? And what are they digging for? There aren't any places of interest around here. What are they after?
"Well, we don't know what it is they're after yet. But that is strange." He brought up his com-link. "Foxtrot calling Alpha. Do you see what we see?" There was a moment of static, then...
"Affirmative Foxtrot. Looks like a small mining colony." Yeah right. Robert thought. You know as well as I do, they're not mining.
"Alpha out."
Short and to the point as always. Robert knew the spooks in orbit didn't like speaking their minds all that much. They were probably hard at work coming up with a plan to somehow infiltrate this mass of beings if they already hadn't. ONI likes that sort of thing; plan an op and don't tell anybody. They wanted to know what the Covies were after so badly. Why cover it up, though? he thought. Finally, with little effort, he banished the thoughts from his mind. Shut the heck up and do your job. Don't think. That's not your assaignment. He was here to do his duty and get the hell out. He had no desire to get caught up in the affairs of ONI. That was a one-way trip in his opinion.
He handed the rifle back to Laura who had also heard the conversation, as did the rest of the squad. Robert could see it in her face.
"You know they're lying," Joshua said, speaking what was on everyone else's mind. "We all know they're not mining." Robert crawled back to his post, taking over for Charles. Laura peered back into the scope.
"We're just here to observe and report...not to come up with theories," he said with a little effort. Coming up with theories was exactly what he was just doing. So were his three other squad mates. "Leave that to the people in charge. I could personally care less about what they're looking for."
"Always the rational one," Charles teased.
"Shut up. That's an order," Robert shot back. Joshua and Charles both chuckled. They were always letting him know that they were all looking after him. Laura suddenly stiffened.
"Sir! New contact heading up the center of the battalion." Robert quickly headed back over and looked. Everything that seemed strange before was made even stranger now.
Act 2
Robert quickly got on the com-link.
"Alpha. This is Foxtrot. New contact heading towards the center of the dig site. Do you copy?" He saw a robed figure sitting in a floating chair looking frail and bent. It had large eyes protruding from its face with a long neck propping up its slightly elongated head. Atop that was a golden crown shining red from the sun. Flowing red and gold robes covered its long, skinny frame. Whatever the creature was, it looked like it was in charge. Every alien in front of it made a path and followed its orders. It was followed by an Elite in golden armor. Someone of importance, obviously, Robert thought instinctively. Several other Elites with large head-dresses and staffs looking like bodyguards lined the passage. He knew a very big target had just landed right in front of them. "Alpha. Come in Alpha." A few seconds passed by before he got an answer.
They're probably wondering who the alien is. Either that or they already know.
"Foxtrot. Do not move from your current position. Keep your eyes on the target. Instructions will be relayed shortly. Out."
They know.
"What's going on?" asked Joshua. "What's all the hub-ub about?"
"You heard 'em" said Charlie. "Looks like we bagged a big fish."
"Are you guys watching our flank or playing poker?" Robert asked. They got the hint and quieted down. This new target made him nervous. There had to be eyes on the lookout for them. And he was ordered to stay put. Great, he thought. I love being a sitting duck. Unfortunately, this small clump of dying trees was their only cover.
He handed the scope back to Laura and thought for a second. There was nowhere else to go. If only there were some building we could get to for a higher view. He sat and thought for a few minutes about possible strategies. But the question of why the Covenant were here in the first place kept troubling him. He thought back to the mission briefing. There's nothing but iron down there.
"Sir." It was Laura's voice breaking into his thoughts. He looked over. "Sir, everything has stopped down there."
"What?"
"They've stopped moving. They're all looking towards the center." There was no way he was going to get her off the scope now. He went over to Charlie and looked at the blank monitor in the small batch of equipment. With the diminishing light, the glow from it could easily give away their position. But what the hell was going on down there? He had to know. He took the risk and turned on the monitor. They all now saw what Laura saw. Every alien was now looking at the center. The new alien emerged from the pit holding something that it regarded with value. Robert couldn't quite tell what it was.
"Laura, zoom in on that guy." She did. The picture took a brief second to focus. Finally, they could all clearly see the target holding the object up to its face. It looked like a multi-sided die with strange writing all around and it glowed a faint blue color from within. The blue light reflected off the alien's big, bulging eyes showing some writing Robert didn't recognize. The creature took a stroke at one of the characters. Suddenly the object grew very bright and expelled small points of light in all directions. Laura instinctively zoomed out to see as much as she could. The alien's squinted and some Grunts shielded their eyes. The Elite guards didn't move but looked in awe, their split jaws going a little slack. The golden Elite showed no signs of movement.
"They look like stars," Joshua mused after they all had a chance for their eyes to adjust. Robert noticed as well. He also realized Joshua was on to something. The small points of light did look like stars. They watched as lines formed between some of them forming distinct shapes.
"Constellations," he said aloud. He didn't recognize any of them off hand, but something seemed familiar about them. He had been to so many planets that the stars constantly changed positions in the sky from one planet to the next. Then it struck him. These stars did look remarkably familiar. He had seen them before. But where?
He took his eyes off the screen and looked out towards the mine covered with enemies. They all shared the same fascination with the object. From this distance it looked like just a small but very bright flashlight. That's a damn good scope to see that thing from this far away. The banshees were still hovering around in separate groups.
"Charlie, are you recording this?" Robert asked. Something seemed different about those banshees.
"Since the beginning, sir. I didn't want to miss anything." Yet another reason why I keep you around.
"Do we have a second monitor?"
"No sir. I didn't have the space. I could link it up with your helmet eyepiece though. Quality and color would suck but you would be able to see a picture."
"Do it." Charles rummaged through his pack for an up-link cable.
"Got something on your mind, sir?" Joshua asked.
"Those banshees. There's something odd about them. I can't put my finger on it." Laura looked up briefly from her scope. She eyed the look on Robert's face. Something was wrong. His instincts were almost always on the money. She went back to the scope.
"Ready, sir," Charlie said after fiddling with Robert's helmet.
"Take it back to the beginning." A small, green, and slightly pixelated image appeared on his eyepiece. It was a wide view of the site. The picture zoomed in a bit and scanned around the perimeter. Robert saw the tanks clearly, a few ghosts and then those banshees. He quickly counted them. The first group had three banshees in a loose v-formation. The second group was about the same only with four, one was lagging behind a bit.
"Stop it," he ordered. He flipped up his eyepiece and looked out over the mine once again. He quickly spotted the banshees. Two groups as he saw before. But...
He quickly moved, unplugged the cable from his helmet, shut the monitor off and opened the channel to Dark of Night.
"Alpha, this is Foxtrot. I believe our position has been compromised. Request permission to evac."
"Negative Foxtrot. Do not move. Keep your position."
"What the hell is going on, sir?" Charlie asked.
"Before, there were seven banshees patrolling the area. Now there's only six. Alpha! We need to leave now!"
"Shit."
"Negative. Do not move!" They were very adamant. Why?
"One of them may have seen the light from the monitor," Robert said to no one while switching off the comm in frustration.
"Sir, one banshee approaching from the Southeast!" Joshua reported as if on cue. "He's coming in low."
"Everyone find cover! As low as you can get!" Robert ordered. Laura left the scope trained on the center and propped it up with a magazine. She crawled over to a tree next to Robert's that had a small bush beside it. Charles and Joshua both found a small pile of leaves to hide in. Robert was left exposed lying between two charred roots.
"Over here!" Laura yelled at him. "Quickly!" He glanced over and noticed his exposure. That was dumb. Use your head! He looked around the tree. He couldn't see the banshee. He decided it was flying too low to see over the hill and got up. He made a sprint for the bush and tripped on a leaf-covered rock just before he got there. He rolled perfectly into the bush right on top of Laura. They both grunted on impact.
"Graceful," she said with a slight wince.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine. How about you?" The banshee suddenly appeared over the ridge, its engines screaming. Robert hid his face in Laura's shoulder trying to cover her up as best he could as the enemy bird whooshed overhead. Dust whipped into their faces. He was very low. The engines died away as Robert looked up. The banshee was circling around for another pass.
"You think they spotted us?" asked Laura.
"Dunno. But it sure looks like it," he replied. They both watched in horror as the banshee came back around. All they had were a few grenades and their battle rifles. Not nearly enough firepower needed to take out a banshee. They looked at each other with dismay as they were all about to become glass and ash. A million thoughts went through Robert's head as he contemplated his last seconds of existence. He looked as Laura had the same expression on her face. They both looked into each others' eyes and dreaded what was about to happen. But Robert saw something in her. He couldn't quite place it, but something had changed about her. Her expression seemed to soften although she was covered in dirt and leaves. He wasn't sure what to do but something was there.
To their amazement, the banshee's engines slowed. They both looked and saw the enemy coming in for a landing just outside the patch of burnt trees. Robert looked at Laura as he took the battle rifle off his back. He wasn't counting on using it for close range but now it seemed like he didn't have a choice. She took a knife out from her holster ready for the worst. He rolled off her and got on one knee ready to fire. She did the same, knife at the ready. The top of the banshee popped open as it landed.
But what they saw next truly amazed them. A human figure climbed out and planted its feet firmly in the ground, crunching the dirt underneath and sending a small cloud of dust and ash up into the air. It was covered in armor head to toe and was about seven feet tall. It was hoisting an assault rifle effortlessly with one hand and gave them a quick once-over.
Robert couldn't believe his eyes. Of all the things he saw that day, this was to him the strangest of all. He thought there was only one left. After the events of Reach there was rumored to be only one.
"A Spartan?" he said aloud dropping his rifle. How the heck did one of those get here? And in a banshee?
"Correct soldier," the Spartan said. "I am your escort out of here. Alpha didn't think it was a good idea to use the radio link because of all the excitement. But the Covenant are bound to learn I borrowed one of their banshees. We need to leave ASAP."
"What's your rank soldier?" Robert asked suspiciously raising his weapon again.
"Senior Chief Petty Officer Spartan 015...sergeant," was the reply. Robert lowered his gun. "I am in command down here now. We need to move." Great. A naval-ranked Spartan, he thought. But he was of higher rank and thus in charge.
Fine.
"Okay, sir. We need to pack up our equipment first."
"Make it quick. We have little time. Our ride is already on its way."
Joshua and Charlie had risen from their positions and come up behind them. They were staring at their new ally. Robert turned, his mind racing. This day just got very strange indeed. And very complicated.
"Charlie, pack up your stuff," he said finally. "Josh and I will help you Laura, get your rifle and keep us covered." They all ran back to do so. Laura grabbed her sniper rifle and held the scope up to her eye, making a quick survey of the pit. What she saw frightened her.
"Sir! Contacts moving to our position! Two ghosts, and a squad of 3 banshees. They're on the other side of the pit but they know we're here!" Things were going from bad to much, much worse. Those ghosts would mow them down in seconds if the banshees didn't get there first.
Spartan 015 raced up to join her. She wasn't sure what to do next but was glad the Spartan was on their side. Anything that could move that fast with over a ton of armor was a sight to behold...and to be respected. The Spartan made a quick scan of the area and made his decision.
"Cover our left. They'll be here in a few minutes. We need to get away from these trees fast so our pelican can pick us up." He paused, looking at the area around them. "Over there," he pointed to a flat clearing just beyond the other side of the trees. Just over 200 meters. "How's it going sergeant?"
"Almost got it! Give us a few seconds," Robert said as he stood up. He couldn't do much else now. Charlie and Josh were just getting the last of the equipment packed up. The Spartan turned to address Laura once again. Robert suddenly saw a green flash out of the corner of his eye. He whipped right to see three Grunts coming over a rise thirty meters away. One had its pistol charged. It took aim at Laura and the Spartan.
Act 3
Time immediately slowed. Robert could see the Spartan's hand raising to address Laura, unaware of the new danger. I thought Spartans were supposed to have radar in their armor. They must be just out of range. Laura froze, her eyes wide with terror as she looked behind him and saw the charged plasma pistol staring back at her. Robert reacted off impulse. He had to protect his squad. The Spartan, brief though their meeting was, was now a part of it. Nothing could happen to any of them. He would never be able to forgive himself if something did. This was his squad. His only family. He had lost too many comrades and he was determined not to lose another.
"Behind you!" he screamed and jumped with all his strength towards his two squad mates hitting them square in the side just as the Grunt fired. His right arm went numb from impacting the Spartan's thick Mjolnir armor. But he had just enough momentum to surprise the petty officer, making him take a step to the side. The plasma bolt missed the Spartan by centimeters and hit Robert in the left shoulder. He screamed in agony. Chunks of his own standard issue armor disintegrated and melted onto the dirt below him as the bolt seared through to his skin. He fell to the ground screaming, clenching his left fist, no longer feeling the brief moment of pain in his other arm. Laura fell flat on her back, her rifle flung from her grip.
The Spartan rolled sideways and propped onto a knee, raising his assault rifle, all in one motion. He fired a hail of bullets into the lead Grunt which fell instantly, splashing face first into its own blue blood. Spartan 015 rose and quickly closed the gap on the other two continuing to firing his weapon. They fell backwards in a blue shower unable to react quickly enough and fell with a thud onto the blood-soaked ground beneath them joining their brood mate. A death impulse fired from one of the plasma pistols and flew through the air.
That bolt was now a flare. The entire Covenant battalion now knew their location. Josh and Charlie stared wide eyed with amazement. It all happened so fast.
Joshua snapped out of it and grabbed his battle rifle off the ground, running towards Robert. Laura was already over him with a canister of medical foam and some bandages.
"Hang on Robert. Get your hand out of the way. This is really going to hurt," she said stoically. She sprayed foam into his wound. He grimaced in pain, cursing behind his gritting teeth. The Spartan had snagged the sniper rifle from the ground where Laura dropped it and was already at the hill where the grunts came from.
"Hurry up soldier. Our ride's almost here," he said over his shoulder. They heard him fire four shots at something at the other side of the hill.
"And so is the Covenant." He reloaded and fired again.
"Charlie! Help him out! I need a little more time," Laura said quickly. Charlie hesitated, then rushed to the Spartan's side, battle rifle in hand. He raised up and fired three round bursts into the oncoming enemy. The Spartan reloaded again and fired two more rounds.
"Hold this," Laura said to Joshua, putting his hand on the wrapping around Robert's shoulder. "Keep the pressure on it." He did so as she rapidly wrapped more bandages. "Okay. That's good." He took his hand off the wound.
"You stupid son of a bitch," he said turning to look Robert in the face. "You had to go and be brave didn't ya?"
"Kiss my ass," was the painful reply. Josh smiled his big goofy grin and ran up to join Charlie and the Spartan.
"He's right you know," Laura said more calmly, more personal. She was finishing up her work. They could hear the excited chorus of gunfire just beyond them.
"Three to the left!" someone shouted.
"Got 'em!" came the reply. A barrage of fire poured from the weapon. "Plenty more where that came from! Come on you sons of bitches!" More gunfire.
"Grenade out!" yelled the Spartan. A boom followed by screaming aliens was the reward. Robert focused back on Laura.
"I know. It was pretty stupid. I just...OW!...had to do something. What was that?"
"That was pain killer. And it wasn't stupid," she said looking at him sternly for a moment. But then that look was there again. It was brief but it was there. She blinked, finally looking away. She finished and started packing her things. He heard a familiar sound. The sound of jets approaching.
"Our ride's here," he said pointing with his other arm, unable to raise it far because a bruise was already hindering its movement. The Spartan had already seen the pelican and was slowly backing towards it. Laura turned and saw it, too.
"Everyone to the landing zone!" the Spartan ordered. The pilot's voice crackled into their heads.
"Looks like you guys need a lift."
"You're a bit late!" Josh fired back as he rushed back over to help Robert to his feet. He was all for giving his sergeant a hard time but defended him when someone thought they could do the same.
They jogged the remaining distance as fast as they could towards the pelican, dirt flying up into their faces. Charlie turned and ran towards them, tossing his last few grenades over his shoulder for good measure. Two thuds and more screams came a moment later. Joshua hopped up into the cargo bay and hoisted Robert up into a seat. He helped him strap in. Laura jumped up and sat next to him with a new look of concern in her eye. She had Robert's gun in her hand and turned back to provide cover fire.
"God dammit! Come on!" she yelled at the squad and fired the battle rifle into the chasing aliens. Joshua joined the argument. A grunt's head exploded and sprayed its companion right beside him with blue brains. A second later that grunt was on the ground suffocating as his breathing mask was torn to bits by the next round of fire. A red armored Elite appeared over the rise, its plasma rifle at the ready.
"Watch it! Elite at twelve o'clock!" Josh blared. The Elite fired several rounds at the pelican. Plasma splashed against the tail, but all the other shots missed. He was aiming for the engines, but he was too far away. Laura fired but her bullets ricocheted off the Elite's armor causing them to glow blue with electricity.
"Damn shields," she muttered.
Charlie finally joined the pelican huffing and puffing from carrying all his gear. The Spartan meanwhile sprinted back to the borrowed banshee, also tossing a grenade behind him as he went. It landed a few feet from the Elite forcing him to jump for cover. Thud! That gave the Spartan a few extra seconds. But instead of getting in the banshee, the Senior Chief Petty Officer threw yet another grenade into the pilot's seat and ran towards the already moving pelican without breaking stride. The banshee split in two as the concussion tore through its insides and sent a shower of sparks and small metal pieces flying in all directions. Purple fire erupted as the plasma fuel caught fire. The banshee was now a crater of burnt parts and smoke. The enemy would not have a chance to follow. If the plasma pistol was a flare, the banshee exploding was a giant bonfire. The Spartan jumped into the pelican's cargo area from three meters away and slid to a halt once inside. He turned and fired a few rounds from the sniper rifle as a final farewell. The pelican accelerated towards the sky just as three Ghosts came over the rise.
"Delta 157 to Alpha," the pilot's voice came over their headsets. "Cargo is aboard and we're bugging out. ETA fifteen minutes. Looks like Victor is going to join us for the ride."
"Roger that Delta. See you in fifteen." The bay door closed, and the red color of the sun went with it. The bay lights immediately flooded the compartment with an artificial white.
Charlie looked at the Spartan. The excitement of the battle was beginning to ebb from their systems. Adrenaline slowly subsiding. It was time to ask questions.
"So, it's 'Victor' then?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," the Spartan replied behind his mask. No expression could be read from his helmet. Charlie could see his face in the reflection. He wondered if that's what the Covenant bastards last saw before they were sent to their gods. A new-found respect was forming.
"Name's Charles. Call me Ch-"
"Charlie. I know," Victor interrupted. "I have read all your files. I know who you are."
"Didn't bother to tell us that earlier?" Josh quizzed, not impressed.
"Didn't have the time. As soon I was given the order to get your team out of there I had to break off from my reconnaissance. Once I did that, both of our positions were potentially compromised. It was only a matter of minutes before the Covenant were aware of us. Unfortunately, those Grunts found us sooner than I expected."
"Wait a minute," Charlie said. "'Reconnaissance?' But that's what we were doing."
"We both were. You were sent to give an overall view of everything. As soon as you reported in that the Covenant battalion was digging for something, I was sent in to get a closer look."
"So, we were sent in as your eyes. To support you?"
"That's correct. Essentially."
"Then why weren't we told about you?" asked Laura.
"My existence had to remain unknown to you. As you are aware, the Covenant may still be able to intercept our secure transmissions. If you were to know of my position and communicate with me, I would have had to scrub my mission."
"...Which was?" Josh inquired. Victor paused as if debating whether to tell them.
"Long story short," he said finally, "my mission was to assassinate that Prophet."
"Prophet?"
"The alien you saw in the chair. He's one of three Prophets that basically control the Covenant High Council."
"He's obviously important to them, then."
"Obviously." Josh had a knack for stating the apparent. "His name is the Prophet of Regret."
"Catchy," Robert said weakly, finally able to join the conversation. If only for the moment. The pain killers were taking effect. Victor tilted his head to one side.
"We didn't know if he was even here to begin with. So, I...we, were sent to find out. If he was spotted, my orders were to discover what his plans were and then, if possible, take him out."
"So, what happened?" Josh asked the crystal-clear question again. Another pause. The rushing of air outside the Pelican was beginning to subside. They were exiting the atmosphere.
"The Covenant found something. An artifact."
"You mean that blue orb...thing?"
"Yes. You saw Regret turn it on, just as I did. When he did that, our entire mission was waylaid. I had to come get you out."
"We could have done that ourselves if we were given permission!"
"Dark of Night wanted you to view what was going on for as long as possible and it was too risky to leave you on your own by that time. Besides those Banshees weren't built for vacuum. I couldn't just fly it out of there. I volunteered to be your 'escort' when things got out of control. To give you a helping hand until our ride did arrive. It was a 'Plan B' on my part."
"Gee. Thanks."
"So, you called it in?" It was Laura's turn to ask the question.
"Yes. I suspected some enemy movement to your direction, but they were some distance from your location. That's when I made the call. Those Grunts were apparently on patrol. My suit somehow did not spot them. They were lucky. My guess is they saw the banshee and came over to take a look. As soon as they engaged us, our cover was blown. And that inadvertent shot by one of them definitely gave us away. Then it was only a matter of time."
"So, what is it? The orb, I mean." Charlie asked, getting back on topic. This time Victor took a little longer. The ultimate question.
"I don't know."
That was the last thing Robert remembered from the flight back to Dark of Night. He slipped into a dream, the shock of pain wearing off, medication taking its toll. The only sound filling the cargo bay now was that of the Pelican's engines. His mind filled with the sight of the blue artifact glowing on the monitor. What was that thing? His head rested on Laura's shoulder as he slept. She looked at him. He would live. It would be fifteen hours before he awoke again.
Act 4
"Is he awake yet?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am. Just woke up 15 minutes ago," the nurse said.
"I would like to see him."
"Sure thing. He may not be fully aware yet. That pain killer is still in his system."
"Thank you." Laura entered the gray medical room. Robert was lying in his bed looking at the ceiling blankly. He turned his head to see who had come to visit and managed a small smile.
"Good morning," he said.
"Actually, it's past fifteen hundred," she replied smiling back.
"Well, it feels like morning. I could use a good breakfast."
"That wouldn't be a good idea seeing as you still have drugs floating around in your head."
"Yeah, thanks for that by the way. First time in about a month I've slept that good." They both managed a small chuckle. Laura made her way to a chair beside the bed and sat down. She looked at her hands briefly which were holding onto themselves in her lap.
"I...I wanted to thank you," she managed to say.
"What for?"
"For saving my life."
"You would've done the same. For any one of us."
"Yeah, I suppose so."
"But, you're welcome." He smiled weakly. He rolled his head back to look at the ceiling again, his mind clearly somewhere else.
"How's your arm?" she asked after a moment.
"Hm? Oh, my shoulder is going to be fine they said. Apparently, the bolt took a glancing blow. Only gave me second degree burns and a broken shoulder joint, I guess. Still hurts like hell," he said trying to get up and move it a little. The effort made him grimace and draw in a sharp breath.
"Easy," Laura said putting a hand reflexively on his other shoulder. "No sense in making it worse." He lay back and put his head back on the pillow. The moment passed.
Taking her hand of his shoulder she said, "So, ONI debriefed us as soon as we came back."
"Oh yeah? I bet they were interested in what you had to say."
"Me especially since I had my eye through the scope the whole time. I told them what I saw and what happened with the Spartan. They didn't really care for the 'little scuffle' we had with the Covenant. They seemed more interested in everything that came before. Bastards. Didn't even care for the team and how we could have lost you. We put our lives on the line for a little bit of intel they don't even know what to do with. I wasn't particularly nice to them."
"I don't blame you," he said. "They could care less for foot soldiers like us. We're no more than grunts to them."
"They're hiding something."
"Isn't that their job? They're pretty good at it. We didn't even know that damn Spartan was there. I'm glad he was there but it would have been nice to know beforehand."
"Yeah, I've been thinking about that, too." She paused. "Wouldn't..." She didn't finish.
"What?"
"Doesn't the Spartan's armor have shields?"
"I guess so. I know the Elites do and the Spartans are rumored to be their equal."
"Then, wouldn't that plasma shot have been absorbed by that shield?" Robert knew full well it would have. He had actually seen the Spartan's armor shimmer a bit when he ran into him.
"Yes, it would have," the voice came from the door. Laura whipped around and saw a giant of a man standing in the door frame. He was wearing the standard issue t-shirt which hardly covered his massive shoulders. His pants could have fit two people in each leg. His skin was a rich brown. His hair was a bit long for regulation but still unmistakably short and well-kept and it curled slightly at the ends. What caught their eyes was the color. Pure white. If it hadn't been for the rest of him, they would have mistaken him for an elderly man. His eyes were bright green, and his jaw could cut paper. He slowly walked through the rest of the door towards the bed.
"Who are you?" asked Robert.
"We've met before."
"I may be still a little groggy from pain meds but I'm pretty sure I would have remembered somebody like you."
"Are you sure?" He was beside Laura by this time. It was then Robert noticed how tall the man was. Easily seven and a half feet by his guessing. Personal note: don't get in a fight with this guy, he thought to himself.
"Wait," Laura chimed in. "Are you that Spartan?"
"Victor?" Robert remembered his name at least.
"You are correct," Victor replied. "Wearing armor in here would have been a little too much."
"Hm," Robert seemed to almost laugh. This guy at least has a small sense of humor.
"But you are right in saying my armor would have absorbed that shot. That was an awfully risky move by you sergeant. I didn't need to be saved."
"I wasn't trying to save you."
"Then what did you do it for?" Robert looked down.
"I was protecting my squad. What any leader should do." He was telling half the truth.
"The best leaders always do," Victor said. It seemed a moment flashed before his eyes. He continued, "But I am grateful for your speedy recovery. It took a lot of courage to do that. If you ever need my help again, I will do my best to provide it."
Wow. "Um, thank you. I will remember that." Always good to have a Spartan on your side.
"I also came here to let you know; you will be debriefed at seventeen hundred hours."
"Boy, they don't waste their time, do they?"
"What happened down on the surface is particularly important to all of us. It is vital we have full knowledge of the events."
"You're telling me. I would really like to know what the hell is going on around here."
Victor sighed, clearly contemplating what he was about to say.
"I will be as truthful as I can Sergeant Lewis. We are not winning this war. The Covenant have us outnumber, outgunned, and seem to be two steps ahead of us. The only reason we came here to watch them was because they didn't follow their regular pattern. Lucian was sure to be hit eventually along with the rest of the outer colonies, but they didn't glass the whole planet like they normally do. We found that worth looking into. To be more to the point, the Covenant have found what they believe will point them to the ultimate weapon. We don't know much beyond that."
"Is that what that object was? A clue for them?"
"In a sense, yes."
"It looked like it was showing them a map of something."
"Why do you think 'map'?"
"Because it looked like stars and constellations to me. Usually means a map."
"Very good," Victor managed a small smirk. "That's what we believe as well."
"You keep saying 'we'," Laura said. "Who's 'we'?"
"ONI," Victor stated matter-of-factly.
"You work for them?"
"I work for many different branches of the UNSC but if it suits you then yes, I work with ONI." How confusing do these people have to be? Robert thought. Can't they just come right out and say it?
"So, where was the map pointing them?" asked Robert.
"We're not entirely sure at the moment but we think it's pointing them to the Inner Colonies."
"Inner colonies?!" Robert started. "Then we have to assume they mean to go after Earth."
"That's where we're going now to be on the safe side. We'll be in the Sol System in 72 hours."
"That's just wonderful. They know where our home planet is," Robert said looking at the ceiling.
"You must know something," Victor said turning on his heel. "What I'm about to say stays in this room." He closed the entry door.
"Why tell us?" Roger asked as Victor walked back towards the bed.
"Because, I believe you will need this information by the time we get there anyway. It may prove useful to you. And remember, I never told you any of this." Victor paused seemingly gathering his thoughts.
"When Reach fell, there were almost 100 of us Spartans there fighting the Covenant. We had engaged them before in smaller battles, but nothing like on this scale. The UNSC was overwhelmed, as you know, and it only took less than 24 hours for Reach to fall. Almost all the Spartans were lost that day. Only a small few of us remain, including our platoon leader and Master Chief, Spartan 117. He was assigned a special mission by ONI to carry an experimental AI within his armor. He was put in stasis and put aboard a ship, the Pillar of Autumn, to escape Reach before the Covenant could get to him. When the ship came out of slipspace, they came upon an object far older and far more powerful than anything the Covenant could produce. They called it 'Halo'. It was large artificial ring enough to support multiple climates and even numerous forms of life. But it was mainly a gigantic weapon. One that would destroy all life within 1,000 light years. The Master Chief was somehow able to destroy the weapon in time to save us. I have yet to hear the whole story myself because I believe there are some things I have not been told. The reports left out something major that horrified not just us, but the Covenant as well. Spartan 117 was rescued by one of our sister ghost ships who managed to follow the Pillar of Autumn's coordinates. They arrived shortly after the ring was destroyed. We have only found this out within the past week. That map the Covenant Prophet discovered on Lucian points them to our home system. We have yet to figure out why. But we have warned the high command and plan to lend our support."
"So, are we expecting something on the scale of Reach?"
"We can only assume so."
"Oh my God," Laura said.
"I may need your help when we get there. I will keep you informed." There was a long pause as the two of them absorbed this new information. "Sergeant Lewis. Report to me as soon as we arrive. You work for me now as my second in command. I've already made the arrangements. In the meantime, I suggest you rest. You are going to need it." With that, Victor turned around and exited the room, closing the door behind him. They were silent for a few moments.
"Now I know why ONI remains secretive," Laura finally said.
"Why's that?"
"Because this is dangerous information to have out there. Giant weapons that could kill everything? An entire armada of Covenant headed to Earth to wipe us out? I could go on. This would cause chaos."
"Why was that Halo made in the first place? What could scare somebody so much they would build a weapon like that?"
"It's almost too much to believe," Laura stated sitting back in the chair. After a moment she sat back up. "He was right though."
"About what?"
"That was a very risky move on your part to jump in front of that shot."
"Like I said, I was-"
"Protecting your squad, I know." She paused. "That was very foolish. His armor would have blocked the shot and saved me anyway."
"I suppose so. I just reacted."
"Well," she took his hand. "Thank you, again." She placed her other hand on top. They were warm and surprisingly soft for a battle hardened Marine. It was the first time he noticed that she took care of her hands. Gotta shoot that rifle with working fingers I guess, he thought. His thoughts turned to their training days after the Covenant attacked. All the battles, all the faces, all the planets they had seen as a squad. So many lives lost, how many times they had to retreat. The Covenant had always overwhelmed them, and they had to fall back. But somehow, he and Laura always made it out alive. Scraped, bruised, shocked by what they witnessed. But always together. That was a very rare thing in this war.
"We've been through a lot together, haven't we?" he asked finally.
"More than I care to think about sometimes."
"Yeah, me too." He looked at the ceiling again. Laura wondered what he was thinking. She opened her mouth to speak then shut it almost immediately. He was very tired and needed to sleep before his debriefing. She looked at his eyes. They looked almost glazed over. But she couldn't stop looking at them. She shook her head slightly and composed herself.
"I should leave you alone. Like Victor said, you need to rest." She got up to leave.
"Yeah, you're probably right." he said patting her hands. "See you after the debrief."
"See you," she said releasing her grip and turning towards the door. Halfway across the floor she stopped. Paused. Apprehensive and unsure what to do next. Her hands and fingers fidgeted at her side for a moment. She seemed to make up her mind in an instant. She lifted her head and her back straightened. Then she turned back around and walked briskly over to the bed.
"What's-?" Robert started. He never had a chance to finish. Their lips met. He wasn't sure how to react right away. But for some reason, he knew he wanted it. Her warmth was unmistakable. She wanted it, too. They stayed like that for a moment. Then separated. Her faced was just inches away from his and he saw that look in here eye once again. This time Robert knew what it now meant. Laura chuckled and let out a short breath.
"I've wanted to do that for years," she admitted. It was Robert's turn to chuckle.
"Then why didn't you?" he asked.
"You know why. It's so hard not to get attached to anyone out here. It makes things easier if you don't make friends. I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to do it." She put a hand on his cheek. There was a determination in her look now. Robert had seen that look before when they fought together but this was one of passion.
"This is going to make things even more complicated," he said.
"I don't care," she said earnestly and kissed him again. A little more slowly this time. Robert had kissed many women before, but this was different. Quite different. He ran his good hand through her auburn hair. His heart began thumping with fire. He had thought about her many times like many guys do about women but kept it to himself. She was his squad mate after all and getting attached to anyone out here was dangerous to the psyche. He had watched other soldiers completely lose it after someone they grew close to died next to them on the battlefield. But this sudden connection was something he finally admitted to himself that he really desired. A burning ember that suddenly caught fire in a forest of emotions. They separated again this time breathing a little heavier. They both smiled and laughed a little.
"This is really stupid," she said, her cheeks flushed.
"I know," came his reply. "But I like it."
"Me too." They both smiled. There was yet another pause. "Okay. I'm seriously going now. You need to rest."
"Okay. If you must."
"I must." She planted a final third kiss on his lips. Soft and warm. He wanted more. "Let me know when you're all healed up."
"I will. Shouldn't be too much longer. I'm guessing right after ONI and I have a little chat."
"Good," she said. And with a twinkle in her eye she added, "I'll be waiting." With that, she got up, grabbed his hand, brought it up to her lips and kissed it. She smiled as she turned around towards the door. Robert looked after her. All thoughts but her gone from his mind. He wondered what made her walk like that. She turned as she walked through the door and caught his eyes. Her cheeks flushed again as she could not help but smile and she closed the door without another word.
Robert laid his head back down and smiled like he had not smiled in a very long time. He got no more sleep for the remainder of his stay in the medical bay.
Act V
Three heavy knocks came from his dorm room door. Robert awoke from a peaceful sleep slightly confused. Who the hell? He looked to his left at the woman curled up with him. Her auburn hair was unkempt but swept behind her ear. Her eyelids slowly opened as well showing off her green colored eyes. Expression calm and relaxed. She smiled as she looked at him. The bed covers had been kicked to the side exposing their naked bodies to the warm air of the dorm. Arm and legs intertwined.
Robert thought of the past couple of days. A mess of emotions, questions, danger, and pain. But it all seemed so far in the past. He looked at the clock on the nightstand. It had been 5 hours since the debrief. He told them everything he knew about what he saw. He kept his theories to himself until Victor asked what he thought. He told them he was worried about the Covenant finding Earth and wiping them out. They were after something. Whether it was the human race or something else he wasn't sure. The brief ended with Victor saying he would come for him when a plan was formed. He came back to his dorm to find Laura waiting for him in the hallway. They had hardly made it through his door before they were in each other's arms.
Three more knocks.
"Are you going to get that?" Laura asked.
"I guess I'd better, huh?" They kissed. He rolled to his side and sat up on the edge of the bed. He realized he was still in his birthday suit. He looked around. Clothes were scattered everywhere. He got up and managed to scrounge around for a pair of shorts. He put them on hastily and walked to the door, cracking it open.
"Yes?"
"Sergeant," replied Victor. "I trust you had some sleep?"
"A little," he replied truthfully. Although not nearly enough. What sleep he did get was great, however.
"Good. A plan has been formed. I need you and your squad on the bridge in 15 minutes."
"Okay. I- I mean, uh. Yes, sir." Victor glanced down to the floor. Robert did, too, and saw a pair of women's underwear next to his foot. They both looked back up at the same time.
"Better make it 30 minutes," Victor said with a barely noticeable smirk.
"Yes, sir," Robert said, dragging the panties back with his toe. With that, Victor left down the hall. Closing the door behind him Robert bent down and picked up the piece of clothing. Laura was sitting up with her hand over her mouth. She burst out laughing when the door clicked closed. Robert threw her underwear at her.
"Jesus! You almost got us in trouble!"
"Oh, but that was totally worth it," she said, still laughing.
"Come on. You heard him. We need to get cleaned up."
"After you," she said getting up and pointing to the bathroom.
"No," he said grabbing her by the waist and pulling her close, kissing her again. "After you." He could feel her warm skin against his. Electrifying. "I insist." They turned and went in together.
Thirty minutes later his squad was on the bridge being briefed by Victor. The captain of the Dark of Night was watching over the proceedings. Victor was expressionless as he addressed everyone around the holotable.
"As you all are aware, the Covenant have found coordinates to the Sol system and are currently headed there. We unfortunately have no idea if we are winning the race. We are a stealth ship and are quite fast, but their ships are more accurate. So, we hope to get to Earth in time to warn them. We've already sent out an urgent message to Admiral Harper about the approaching armada."
"What about the Cole Protocol?" Joshua asked. An obvious, but necessary question.
"I have decided to forego the Protocol considering the situation," interjected the captain. "Since the Covenant themselves are moving towards Sol and we have every intention of trying to beat them there, the Protocol is rendered mute. No need to cover our tracks since they already know where to go."
"So, we might even beat the warning message we sent?"
"We might," said Victor. "Slipspace messages are sometimes slower than we would like for some reason. Haven't quite figured out why yet. Either way, our goal is to get there before Regret does."
"Okay, so what happens when we get there?" asked Robert. "I mean, you said you had a plan."
"Correct. Our number one priority is to alert high command that part of the Covenant fleet is on its way. We don't know how many ships are involved but we can't underestimate. We must assume the worst. Fortunately, our good captain has agreed to be our transport," Victor nodded towards the captain. "A stealth ship isn't meant to go into direct combat, so he is putting his ship and crew at great risk.
"As you know, we got defeated at Reach fairly easily. We were completely unprepared for that kind of assault. So, the UNSC High Command authorized the construction of an orbital defense grid around Earth. There are 11 defense stations in geo-synchronous orbit around the planet."
"Holy crap! 11?" said Charlie. "I thought there were only 3."
"Those are the ones the public know about. The Malta, Athens, and Cairo are all stationed above the most heavily populated continents; Africa and Asia. The rest are stationed at strategic points to maximize defensibility. All the stations are equipped with the latest MAC tech. They are able to fire a MAC round every 30 seconds. And each hold 100 MAC rounds. The Covenant will take a beating long before they ever make it to the surface."
"Doing highly complicated math, that's only eleven hundred rounds," interjected Laura, somewhat sarcastically. "They had almost that many ships at Reach, didn't they? And the stations can't all be in one spot. Assuming the guns that are pointed in the right direction won't ever miss, that leaves a very small margin of error. We will still have to fight them face to face."
"Quite right. As much as the UNSC brass touts them to the public, I am worried the defense batteries are vulnerable. Every time we have engaged the Covenant, they seem to always be prepared for us. 2 steps ahead."
"Okay. So...plan?" Robert asked again.
"We need to be ready when the batteries ultimately fail. We need boots on the ground. If the Covenant follow established patterns, they will hit the major population centers first. I believe they will go after the space elevators to cut off our main supply route to the defense stations. New Mombassa is the only elevator in operation, however. The Mexico City elevator is not yet completed, and the Beijing elevator has been out of commission for over 4 years. Our major supply colonies of materials needed to repair and build said elevators have all been wiped out by the Covenant making it nearly impossible to get them operational. Therefore, we need to defend New Mombassa with everything we have."
"You're talking at least a couple of battalions stationed inside the city," Robert said. "We're only 5 soldiers."
"Correct. I have informed ONI of my reservations. They have informed me that most combat units are off planet but are slipstreaming their way back as we speak. But I estimate they won't be here in time. So, we have to work with what we have. Which isn't much. We have marines stationed on the ground now. About two battalion's worth. But that won't be enough. Once again, it looks like the Covenant have caught us off guard."
"Shit," said Charlie.
"So...plan?" Robert was getting annoyed. All he was hearing was something other than a plan. Victor seemed to be dancing around the actual objective. Like he was missing a key piece of information and was reluctant to form a plan without it. Very ONI-like, He thought.
"Right. Our mission is to-"
"Sir!" interrupted the radio operator on the bridge. "Incoming message from Admiral Harper."
"Patch it through to the table here," said the captain.
"Sir." Admiral Harper's bust faded into view above the holotable.
"..arper out. …...I repeat. All UNSC personnel. The Covenant have engaged Earth. Any ships within range of receiving this message are to return to Earth and engage the enemy on sight."
"Looks like they beat us there," Joshua said.
An explosion rocked the bridge the Admiral was on. His image quavered but remained stable. "What the hell was that?"
"Boarding party, sir! And lots of 'em," came the reply off camera.
Charlie stepped forward. "That's how they're going to take out the guns. From the inside."
"We have to warn them," said Laura.
"Pilot. How far are we from Earth?" the captain asked.
"Thirty minutes, sir."
"Warn them of what?" asked Victor. "We don't know how they're going to take them out once they're inside."
"Make their way to the bridge and knock out command of each gun, maybe. Then take over and turn our defenses against us," offered Robert.
"Or just disable it," Joshua said.
"But that would take up too much time and resources," Robert said. "The Covenant like quick results."
"But disabling it would be quicker."
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was talking about my own idea. You're right. Disabling them would make more sense."
"Hence the boarding parties. Their ships can't get close enough to the stations to take them out effectively. But how would they do it?"
"Just my point," said Victor. "We don't know their strategy for taking out the stations. No need to warn of something we don't know."
Admiral Harper had finished giving instructions to his bridge crew and turned to someone off camera. "Cortana. You have authorization to fire on any Covenant warship in range."
"My pleasure, sir."
Victor suddenly straightened. "Cortana!" he said to nobody. "If she's there, then the Chief is there."
"The who?" said Charlie.
"The Master Chief. John 117. Our Spartan leader," Victor said with almost an air of excitement. Or at least as much as a Spartan could show. "Which orbital station is Admiral Harper commanding from?" he asked the captain.
"Transmission is coming from the Cairo."
"We need to get there ASAP."
"Right. Pilot set course for Cairo Station as soon as we enter Earth space."
"Aye, sir. Twenty-two minutes."
Admiral Harper had turned back to the camera. "...All UNSC ships within range of receiving this message are to return to Earth and engage the enemy. This message will repeat indefinitely until new orders are given. Current time is 13:46 E.T. Harper, out." Victor turned to the rest of the team.
"Okay, new plan. We land on Cairo Station, find the Chief, and defend the station. You have fifteen minutes to get your things ready and meet at the loading bay."
"Aye, sir," came a chorus of replies and they all scuffled off the bridge. Robert stayed behind for a brief moment.
"Is the Chief that important?"
"Absolutely," Victor said.
"And how exactly are we going to find him with all the fighting?"
"Simple," Victor replied. "Follow the trail of dead aliens."
Robert nodded in understanding and hurried off to his dorm. His life just became interesting again. Meeting Spartans, the soldiers who don't exist, was becoming a regular occurrence for him. Something about this had excited him. He was going to see Earth for the first time in 15 years. Home. Not really his personal home. But it was humanity's home. Every person regarded Earth with at least some reverence whether they were born there or not. This is where they started from. It was important to keep her safe. Anything he could do to keep her safe he would do it. That's all he thought about while getting his gear ready. He was the first in the loading bay making it in ten minutes instead of fifteen. Charlie wasn't far behind him.
"Sir."
"Charlie. All packed and ready?"
"Ready as ever. Actually, I did most of my prep yesterday. Had a feeling we were going to be doing something like this soon." They both chuckled a bit. "I don't think I ever asked, sir. Anybody waiting for you on Earth?"
"Nah. I was born on Eridanus. Only child. My parents both died in a rebel attack when I was off world going to college. I don't really have any family anymore. Well...except you guys."
"Every thought about starting one?"
"Not really. Haven't really had the time or the want-to. Maybe someday."
"Maybe Laura can change your mind." Robert looked at Charlie with a bit of surprise.
"How did you-"
"Please," Charlie laughed. "She and I talked about it months ago. She came to me saying she had feelings for you but was afraid to act on them. You know how it is out here. Hard to make attachments when you know people aren't going to be around for long. I told her she should tell you how she feels. She just didn't want to get hurt, I think. Can't blame her really. Besides, we've been a squad for a few years now. You can't keep everything a secret for long."
"Apparently not," Robert jabbed his shoulder. Charlie laughed again. Joshua and Laura walked in together chatting away.
"Hey sir!" Joshua said with a big grin.
"Don't tell me. You know, too."
"Of course, I do!"
"You told him?" he asked Laura.
"He was going to find out anyway."
"I'm just happy it's finally happened," Joshua teased, throwing his hands in the air. "Been waiting far too long for you two to get together. Honestly thought it would've happened when we first became a unit years ago. I saw it right away."
"Jeez," Robert said. "Is there anything you guys don't know?"
"Well, you're not exactly the talkative one. But we figure it out pretty quick."
"How?"
"We've got our ways," Charlie said. Robert just shook his head. Laura smiled at him. Robert hadn't felt this annoyingly happy in an exceedingly long time. Training camp was the last time he tried having close ties with people. It was fun going to parties over shore leave, playing games at the local pub to unwind. He even stayed in touch with some of them during his time as a recruiter. But he had forgotten what it felt like during the Covenant War. He quickly stopped trying to make friends. He had built himself an emotional wall. One that nobody could enter and stab him in the heart over and over again. Whether it was on purpose, he couldn't tell, but he had built that wall around these three people, too. He suddenly realized he couldn't do that anymore. They were his. And he was theirs. His friends. The ones he could count on when the fighting got tough. They were shoulders to cry on, pats on the back, good soldiers. They were the closest thing to a family he had. He knew then he would do anything for them. No matter how small. He would drop everything and help them. And he knew they would do the same for him. They had already proved that many times over. The pain of losing them, whenever it happened, was worth it. He would remember this moment for the rest of his life. When he realized it was okay to break down the wall a little. He couldn't help but smile.
God, it was good to have friends.
Act VI
The airlock opened with a hiss and Victor bolted through the opening followed by Charlie, then Joshua and Laura, with Robert bringing up the rear. The metal floor groaned beneath Victor's Mjolnir armored feet as he covered ten feet in a single stride. The rest of the squad ran as hard as they could to keep up. It was almost impossible as the Spartan sprinted down the hallway. Robert could hear the distant sound of shouting and gunfire from somewhere in the station in front of them.
Cairo station was a fairly simple station. A command center, a dock, crew quarters, and a sick bay. But most of all it was a giant gun. Capable of launching a MAC round through space at remarkable speed. The station walls rumbled loudly, and the floor moved beneath Robert's feet. The station had already begun firing at the Covenant fleet. MAC rounds were the only thing the UNSC had that could penetrate Covenant shields and decimate a ship. The problem became actually hitting the ship in the first place. The UNSC quickly learned to use smart A.I.'s to run those calculations quick enough and accurate enough to hit the Covenant ships...most of the time.
The squad rounded the next corner to find a long rectangular room with a couple trees planted in small planters. Blue and purple streaks lined the floor and walls. Dead covenant lay everywhere. One jackal was trying to move its arm to grab a plasma pistol. It never had a chance as Victor slammed the butt of his battle rifle into the alien's skull. He picked up the pistol and tossed it to Joshua.
"May come in handy soon," Victor said. Joshua nodded and clipped the pistol to his belt. Plasma pistols came in real handy against Covenant troop shields. One hit from a charged pistol shot brought down their shields in an instant.
"Looks like the Chief was here," Charlie said pulling up behind them breathing heavily from running.
"Looks like it," Victor replied. "And not too long ago either." He looked around the room quickly and pointed to a doorway. "That way."
They followed him into the doorway and up two flights of stairs. A plasma turret sat at the top with a dead Grunt in its seat staring at the ceiling, a pool of blue blood on the floor beneath it. They continued to sprint down the hallway above and into another large room. This turned out to be one of the two station docks. Two Covenant troop pods were still hanging on to the opening. They had anchored themselves to the ship and had punched a perfect hole into the bay windows to get in. More bodies lay everywhere. Robert spotted some marines as well scattered among them.
"This was a hell of a fight," Robert said scanning the room. His headset suddenly crackled to life and a familiar voice he hadn't heard in years came across his radio.
"How's it going Malta?" It was Sergeant Avery Johnson. He was still alive and kicking. Robert couldn't believe his ears. Victor's head spun to look out the bay window. The others did the same.
"Which one's the Malta?" Laura asked.
"That one," Victor replied, pointing to the left-most station in their view. The radio crackled again.
"I can't believe it! They're retreating! We've won!" came an ecstatic voice over the com.
"Oh no..." Victor said quietly.
"What do you mean 'oh no'?" asked Charlie. A second later, he got his answer. A bright light suddenly shone through the window momentarily blinding them.
"What the hell?" Joshua shouted.
"Oh, my God," Laura said quietly. Robert looked and the realization hit him. The Malta was no longer a station. It was a million tiny pieces floating through space. It had been destroyed. The Covenant had blown one of their defensive stations into all directions. The floor of the dock suddenly rocked beneath them. Victor staggered and the rest of them were hurled to the floor as the shockwave from the explosion finally swept over them. A loud rumbling echoed throughout the halls and lasted for several seconds.
"Holy shit!" Joshua said getting to his feet. He grabbed his rifle which he dropped several feet away.
"If they did that to the Malta..." Robert started.
"...Then they're trying to do it here," Victor finished. Their radio came to life again.
"That explosion came from the inside!" It was Cortana. Victor looked off into space.
"What was it?" asked Admiral Harper.
"The Covenant must have brought something with them. A bomb."
"Then they sure as hell brought one here. Chief? Find it."
"Yes sir." The Chief was still here. They had to catch up with him. Victor spotted an exit.
"Let's go!" he said as he moved for the door. They all rushed to keep up with him. More dead alien bodies lay before them. A couple station personnel lay among them. It had been a tough fight. As they rounded a corner Victor came to a halt before a large door.
"Airlock," he said.
"Great," Charlie said. "The one place we can't fight. Space."
"I can," Victor replied.
"Of course, you can," Robert said. His sarcasm wasn't hidden.
"I'm afraid the rest of you will have to go the long way around. Give me a second to relay the station map to your HUDS." Victor stood still for little more than a second. Robert saw a map pop up across his HUD display. They had been outfitted with ODST helmets for this mission. A first for the squad. A line glowed yellow showing their path to the other dock. It was clear that going through space was the quicker way, but they didn't have a choice. There was a sudden thumping above their heads. Victor looks up with a start. Two more thumps sounded a second later.
"That doesn't sound good," Charlie said.
"Elites," Victor said. "Two of them. Sounds like they have jet packs."
"You can hear that?" Joshua asked.
"Yes." Victor stepped over to the door panel and opened the door. "You all better get moving. I'll take care of these two and meet you in the other hangar." With that he walked through the door and shut it behind him. They could hear the other door open, and the muffled sounds of gunfire erupted. Victor was going to be busy.
"Alright," Robert said. "Let's go." They all did an about-face and ran back down the hallway. There was another sealed bay door at the end of the hallway. Robert hit the button to open the door. It groaned and screeched. Sparks fell from the top of the door frame. The door opened about three feet before grinding to a halt.
"Go figure," Charlie said. "Just our luck."
"Squeeze through," Robert said. He poked his head through the door and checked their corners. Looked clear. He turned sideways and went through the door. He covered their nine o'clock and motioned for Joshua to step through. He did so and covered Robert's back. Laura was next through. She walked ahead of Robert a few paces and covered the other side of the hallway. Charlie was last. His shoulder and leg made it through before he let out a grunt.
"Dammit," he said.
"That's what you get for being such a little guy," Joshua said.
"Shut up and help me. My pack is stuck." Joshua got up and started to unbuckle Charlie's pack.
"Contact!" Laura suddenly shouted and began firing down the hallway with her assault rifle. Alien screams echoed back to them, and a thump sounded on the floor. One alien down. More aliens chattered in response and began firing back at them. Plasma lit up the hallway as the gunfight ensued. Robert found a bulkhead running up his wall to hide behind. Laura did so as well. Charlie raised his right arm with his assault rifle in one hand and began adding his own fire to the assault. From what Robert could tell there were five or six Grunts, a couple of Jackals, and an Elite commanding them. He aimed at the nearest Grunt and fired. That one fell a few moments later.
"Hurry up Josh!" Charlie shouted between reports from his rifle.
"I've almost got it!" Joshua shouted back. He worked for a few more seconds. The light from Charlie's rifle fire lit up the front of their helmets with white-yellow color. A clip finally snapped, and Charlie fell sideways through the door, and he landed in the middle of the hallway floor with a thud. He didn't hesitate and rolled with his momentum, hitting the far wall with his side. Joshua fell to one knee and started firing his own rifle. Another Grunt fell backwards, its large eyes staring at the ceiling. Dead. White-yellow light from the squad's rifles, blue and green lights from the Covenant weapons, all lit up the hallway.
"Grenade!" Laura shouted as she tossed a frag down the hall. It tinked across the floor. Screams came from a few of the Grunts as they realized what landed at their feet. One of them leaped away. It wasn't quick enough. The concussion from the explosion thudded down the hall. Blue guts and blood flew past Robert as all three Grunts met their respective makers. Both Robert and Laura leaned out to quickly survey the damage. One of the Jackals squawked and raised its shield. The Elite growled something unintelligible and pointed at Laura. Robert saw it.
"Get back!" he shouted. Just in time, too. Laura ducked behind her bulkhead as green plasma splashed across it. Joshua fired back with his rifle to draw attention away. The Jackal's shield turned from blue to pink as it took the brunt of the assault. Joshua kept firing. Charlie joined in. The shield turned red. Then it popped. The Jackal leapt in surprise, covered its head, and began to retreat. It didn't work. A bullet from Joshua's weapon caught its leg. The Jackal stumbled to its knees. Then the back of its skull disintegrated as Charlie emptied his clip. The alien fell forward into its own brains. The remaining Jackal screamed something horrible and charged forward.
The squad didn't know, nor care, about how Jackals picked their mates. They usually entered into a squad as a pair. Their strong mating bond made them difficult to defeat. This particular female went into a rage as she witnessed her mate fall dead at her feet, his jaw bent at a strange angle when he landed. She held her shield before her and charged her plasma pistol until it became bright green. She released the pistol's energy at Charlie. Thankfully, Charlie saw it coming and rolled away from his spot along the wall. The pistol shot sailed just centimeters over his shoulder and struck the wall behind him. The Jackal didn't slow down and raised her pistol to fire at Charlie again. She didn't charge it this time as the distance between them was closing fast. The left side of Charlie's face began to glow green. Robert looked right and saw Joshua had his recently acquired plasma pistol overcharged and aimed at the Jackal.
He fired.
The Jackal's shield turned red and popped. The lonely female screamed and kicked off the floor to launch herself forward. Her pistol got off two shots. Charlie raised his rifle and fired. His report found the Jackal right in the chest. Her purple blood splashed onto the ceiling above her. Charlie's rifle sent bullet after bullet ripping through the Jackal, killing her in mid-flight. A light on the ceiling above her flashed and went out. She landed with a squishy thud and slid ten feet down the hallway floor. The tip of her beak touched Charlie's boot as she came to a stop. He blinked.
"Holy shit," was all he could say. He pushed the alien away with the tip of his rifle. He heard a low growl and looked up. The Elite had been right behind the dead Jackal waiting for an opening as he saw they were all focused on her. He skidded to a halt, raised his plasma rifle, and fired. Too quickly for Charlie to raise his own weapon. Two bolts hit him square in the stomach. He grimaced in surprise and fell over on his side, smoke rising from his abdomen. Joshua stared at Charlie, the shock of what he'd just seen still processing in his mind. Laura gasped as she watched her friend tumble to the floor.
Robert's eyes were wide. His friend had just been gunned down in front of him. A friend he'd known for years. All the missions they had been through together. All the times they had watched each other's backs. All the times they had joked with each other and had drinks together. Rage swelled within him. That Elite was going to pay for what he just did.
"NO!" he screamed. He raised up and fired his assault rifle at the Elite's head. The Elite's shield shimmered as a rain of bullets slammed against it. The alien monster stepped backwards, unable to see beyond the flashing across his vision. Robert screamed until it felt like his vocal cords would rip apart, adding to the cacophony of rifle fire. Laura came to her senses. She began firing at the Elite as well. It took another step backwards and growled in surprise. Joshua stood up, too, with murder in his eyes. He raised his gun, slammed a new clip into its slot, and pulled the trigger.
The Elite's body shields flashed and shimmered as all three assault rifles wore it down quickly. The alien raised his three fingered hand to fire his plasma rifle back at his assailants. Just then his shields popped.
The rifles didn't stop.
They tore apart the alien's red armor plating like it was tin. Purple blood sprouted from his chest and face as he took the full brunt of fury from the squad's rifles. The Elite impulsively raised his arm to protect his head. It did no good as his forearm got shredded. He dropped the plasma rifle to the floor. He let out one last growl in defiance, but nobody heard it above the chorus of rifle fire. His head finally snapped backwards as a hose of bullets shot through his mandibles and up through the bottom of his head. Robert's rifle clicked as it ran out of ammo. Laura and Joshua stopped firing, too. The Elite, brains and internal organs thoroughly scrambled, stood still for a brief moment before falling backwards. He landed with a heavy crash into a pool of his own purple blood, splashing it across the floor and onto the walls.
Silence filled the hall.
The last echoes of the battle dissipated. Robert was breathing hard. Harder than he realized for a few seconds. He walked forward to the fallen Elite to look at its face. Hate and contempt filled his expression as he lifted his assault rifle above his head vertically. He thrust it downwards will every ounce of force he could muster. The butt of the rifle smashed into the alien's skull with a crunch.
Robert sighed as the emotions washed through him. He didn't know which one to process first. Hate? Revenge? Relief? Grief? Pain? Sorrow? Sadness?
They all bombarded his senses. This was why he didn't get attached. Emotions wore you down and distracted you in battle. The Covenant didn't care if you just lost your friend. They would try to exterminate you, too, without a second thought. That Elite didn't even think twice about pulling the trigger. In fact, he used the enraged Jackal as a distraction, let it get killed, just so he could get off a shot of his own.
Robert turned and looked back at Charlie. He hadn't moved since he fell. Joshua was already at his side checking vitals. Robert knew it was a futile effort. Nobody survived shot to the stomach by a plasma weapon. Joshua leaned down to where Charlie's head was laying.
"Sir. Come here," Joshua said after a moment. "He doesn't have long and wants to say something to you."
Robert perked up a little and hurried over. He practically threw his purple stained rifle to the side.
"Charlie? Talk to me buddy," he said. Charlie coughed. It was raspy and gargly. Robert did his level best not to look at the stomach wound and instead focused on his friend's eyes. They were filled with tears and shock. Unfocused.
"I'm right here Charlie. Charlie? Come on soldier, talk to me." Charlie suddenly saw Robert's face in front of him.
"It's bad, isn't it?" he asked. Robert wasn't sure if he should console him or just...
"Yeah. It's bad," he replied. Might as well tell him the truth.
"Feels like it," Charlie said shakily. "But we got 'em, right?"
"Yeah," Robert said fighting back the lump building in his throat. "Yeah, we got 'em."
"Good." He coughed again. "Sarge?"
"What is it, Charlie?"
"Do me a favor?"
"Anything buddy."
"Treat her right," Charlie glanced at Laura. His breathing was labored. Every sentence was an exhaustive effort. "You don't, and I swear to God, I will come back to fucking haunt you."
Robert let out the breath he had been holding and stifled a small laugh.
"You bet your ass I will," he finally said.
"You better," Charlie grabbed Robert by the arm. Even with his life fading away, he still had a strong grip. "I mean it. Promise me."
"Promise," Robert said grabbing his friend's hand. Charlie closed his eyes in what looked like relief. He forced them open and looked Robert square. His expression purposeful and earnest.
"It was an honor, sir."
Robert couldn't say anything. He had hoped never to hear those words. Especially from someone close to him. Tears fell down his cheek and dripped to the floor. His friend was dying in his arms and there was nothing he could do about it. He worked up the courage to reply.
"The honor was definitely mine, my friend."
Charlie smiled the best he could. He nodded and his smile quivered. His eyes became unfocused again. His grip on Robert's arm loosened. His head drooped back down to the floor. He took one final breath with clenched teeth.
Then he was gone.
All Robert could do was stare in disbelief. They had been through so much of the war together. Watched other marines come and go. Became veterans together. Shared beers. Stories. Conspiracy theories. Traveled the known galaxy fighting the Covenant time and again.
None of that would happen anymore.
Robert shut his eyes trying to push away the memories and emotions that washed over him, out of his control. A hand landed on lightly on his shoulder. He knew it belonged to Laura without looking. That brought him back to reality for a moment. He looked down and Charlie's face. His eyes were still open. So, Robert reached down and shut them with his hand. Joshua stood up.
"Rest well brother Charlie. Until we meet again," he said.
Their radios crackled and came to life without warning.
"Oh no! They're leaving the Athens!" said the voice on the radio.
"You've got to be kidding me," Laura started. The station suddenly shook violently along with a loud explosion. That felt entirely too familiar. Robert couldn't sit around and grieve for his friend when more people were losing their lives. He made a decision to save as many as he could. He used his rifle as a brace to stand up. He went through the motions of checking his gear and getting himself mentally prepared to fight back. He would not lose another member of his squad. Not today. Not ever.
"We need to get moving," he said wiping dry his wet cheeks. "Joshua, you take point. Laura, watch our backs. We need to get to the other hangar and meet Victor."
"Yes, sir."
"Yes, sir."
They all stood there for a moment. Robert took a minute to compose himself and finally spoke.
"Goodbye Charlie. Save me a seat near the front. And next beer's on me." There was no more to say. They needed to get moving. "All right. Let's go. Joshua?"
"Sir." They turned and moved down the hallway stepping over dead alien bodies. They didn't meet any more enemies along their way. They entered the other hangar without incident. There were lots of intermingled alien and human bodies around. The battle here was ugly and hard fought. They heard a couple of muffled thuds.
"What was that?" Joshua asked.
"Sounded like grenades," Laura said. "Came from below us."
"You think Chief found the bomb?" Their radios came to life yet again.
"Admiral, we've disarmed the bomb," said Cortana.
"There's your answer," Robert said.
"Good work Master Chief," came the Admiral's reply.
"Sir, permission to leave this station," the chief said.
"For what purpose Master Chief?"
"To give the Covenant back their bomb."
"Heh! I like this guy," Joshua said.
"Permission granted," Harper replied.
"Apparently the Chief's got a plan."
"Sounds like it," Victor said behind them.
"Jesus!" Robert said as he spun around. "You know, for being so large, you sure do sneak up on people pretty well."
"Old habit." Victor clicked over to the bridge comm. "Bridge?"
"Go ahead, zero one five"
"I know what the Chief is going to do. I suggest you divert two Longsword fighters to assist the Chief in punching a hole in the nearest Covenant ship so he can deliver the package."
"Copy that. Admiral? Sir, we have a suggestion..." Victor clicked off the bridge comm.
"We need to get back to Dark of Night. Change of directive." Victor paused. "Where's your other man?" Robert looked away.
"We lost him, sir," Laura said after a moment, taking the cue. "Got ambushed by a squad of Covies. Elite took him by surprise."
"I see." He looked at Robert briefly but didn't say anything further on the subject. "Come on. Looks like Regret's ship got through the hole in our defenses. He's heading for the surface."
"Well then," Robert said looking back. Cold determination took over his expression. "What are we waiting for? Let's go and get him."
Off in the distance, a Covenant Cruiser split in two as a white-hot explosion tore at it from the inside.
Chief had returned the package.
Final Act VII
The Pelican shook violently as it entered Earth's atmosphere over New Mombassa. Robert's teeth rattled as he held on to the safety bar above him. He stared at the wall in front of him thinking about everything that had happened in the past week. He had almost died protecting his squad, met a Spartan for the first time, grew close to Laura, traveled to Earth, and lost one of his best friends. Now he was plunging down toward a city he'd never been to, attempting to take out one of the Covenant's top leaders. How were they ever going to get into the giant cruiser hanging out above the city? Even if they managed to get inside, where was the bridge? There were bound to be guards surrounding the Prophet. No doubt the ones in red armor he saw on Lucian. How many were there? Was the Prophet even on the bridge?
Robert blinked and shook his head. Too many questions, he thought. He was not in charge of thinking about those questions this time. He had to focus on keeping his squad mates alive. This was, in his mind, a suicide mission.
A fool's mission.
A mission only a Spartan could think of ever doing. Spartans were invincible, bull headed, and fearless. They did these types of missions in their sleep. They were usually with other Spartans though. Robert, Laura, and Joshua didn't have the armor Victor was used to. Weren't nearly as large. Weren't bred for war. They were volunteers. But they did have one thing in common. A determination to get the job done. Even if the job description changed mid-mission, which had happened all too often recently.
The Pelican shook again as is passed through the jet stream winding its way fifty thousand feet above the city. Victor came over the radio.
"Regret's ship has parked itself over the city proper. Patrolling banshees will prevent an aerial insertion. We will have to land as close to the gravity lift as we can and push our way in. Double check your magazines and gear. We need to be on our game."
Robert had already checked his gear three times. He was carrying as much ammunition as his belt could handle. All his straps were tight and secure. And he carried four standard issue fragmentation grenades. He was ready. He looked over to his other squad mates.
No.
His friends.
His only friends.
They had already checked their gear numerous times as well. Joshua checked his again anyway. Best to keep the mind busy and focused. Can't dwell on the loss of Charlie. That wouldn't do them any good. A distracted mind is a dead one. But, dammit, he missed his friend. And all the friends that came before him. Lost to a seemingly endless war with and alien Covenant who wanted nothing more than to wipe out humanity. Robert hated them for it.
Laura checked the sight on her sniper rifle for the sixth time and adjusted it slightly. Victor spoke up again.
"We're going to land in Victoria Square. My estimation puts that about two clicks from the grav-lift. We'll have to hoof it from there."
"Copy that," Robert said.
"We're making our final approach," the Pelican pilot announced over their comm. "Touchdown in sixty seconds."
Those sixty seconds felt like twenty for Robert. He was jolted into focus by the sudden twist and drop in his stomach as the Pelican threw itself sideways to make the landing.
"Alright! Everybody out!" came Victor's voice over the comm. Victor was first with Laura, Joshua, and finally Robert. As soon as his feet hit the ground he spun on his heel and checked his squad's blind spots. All clear.
"Clear!"
"Clear!"
"Clear!" They all said it within a second of each other. They were super-focused. It made Robert proud. They were ready for anything.
"Copy. Our target is now up on your HUD. We have one-point-eight clicks to go. I'm on point. Robert, you take the blind. Let's move." Victor moved off ahead without missing a beat. The rest of them fell into quick step behind him. Regret's Cruiser was looming a kilometer above their heads, but it was so large that it felt much lower. The grav-lift was barely visible behind one of the taller skyscrapers. It gave off a purple glow that illuminated the buildings around it. They began moving towards the lift at a quick pace that Robert hadn't experienced since basic training. He almost regretted carrying so much ammunition but immediately squelched that thought. He needed everything he could possibly carry.
Fifteen minutes of steady moving through city streets went by in a blink. The streets looked like everyone had vanished suddenly. Cars were left with doors open, some were still running, hazard lights still blinking. Bags dropped on the sidewalks with their contents spilled out before them. But no people. Anywhere. The city had evacuated as many people as possible out of the center of town and did a remarkably successful job. Not a soul in sight.
Victor stopped at a corner and held up a fist. Everyone halted.
"Five contacts. Coming up the street. Take cover." Victor pointed to an open door in the building next to them. They hustled inside. It looked like an abandoned office building with a large lobby, furniture toppled over in the rush to evacuate, loose paper flung everywhere. Large windows looked out over the street they came from. Luckily, this building's architect decided to have a decorative concrete wall across the bottom, so the windows didn't reach all the way to the ground. Victor covered the door, and the rest covered their angles. Robert smelled the contact before ever he saw it. A heavy, musky scent that was almost overpowering. He had never smelled it before. Then he heard heavy footsteps and a low growl. A shadow then filled the lobby. Robert looked up and saw the largest alien he had ever seen.
Okay...second largest. He had seen Hunters before but from a distance and had been told they were actually a bunch of worms that were formed into a cohesive body that were virtually indestructible. He had seen them split a Warthog in two and would even give a Scorpion tank a run for its money if it got close enough.
But this creature was almost just as big. Its hairy body was covered in metal plates colored red with a larger headpiece that was quite simple and had etchings of writing he didn't recognize on two long, flat plates. It held a red colored plasma pistol in his giant right paw. It was scanning the street and Robert could clearly hear it sniffing the air as if picking up a scent. It was followed by four other creatures just as large. These were wearing blue-green armor plates that were also very simple but with no writing. Clearly underlings to the one in red.
Red stopped and sniffed some more. Without looking, it "said" something through its large jowls and the other aliens fanned out across the street.
They know we're here, Robert thought. Given enough time they would get found and cornered. Robert didn't like the idea of taking on one of those beasts let alone five of them. But if they could surprise them, they may just have a chance.
Robert turned to count heads and attempt to lay out a plan. Victor was already ahead of him, his voice coming over the radio softly.
"Laura, make your way to the third floor and provide cover from above. Joshua, you, and your shotgun are with me. Robert, when you see me make my move take up their flank and let them have it. Watch your sightlines. These Brutes are tough but beatable with strategy. Taking out their leader will cause confusion but also enrage them. Aiming for their bodies won't do much but piss them off either. Their shields are similar to an Elite's. The neck is the weakest area. But a grenade will overwhelm and pop them. Do what you have to do but don't let them get close. They pack a mean punch. Everyone clear?" They all clicked their comms in response. "All right, move out, quietly."
Laura didn't hesitate. She zipped off towards the stairs at the end of the lobby hardly making a sound. Victor and Joshua crouched below the view of the windows and headed the opposite direction. Robert saw a set of double doors going to the other street. He crouched and made his way to the other side of the lobby, pausing to make sure he wasn't seen. Making it to the doors, he pushed one open as quietly as he could and squeezed through the opening. Keeping low, he doubled back down the side of the building to its corner. The concrete wall sloped at an angle not allowing him to get close to the building.
He peeked his head up through the window. Red was in the middle of the street with two others taking up each side of the street. The other two had gone to either sidewalk and were a little farther ahead. They formed a rough line slowly making their way up the street…straight towards Robert's position. Somehow, during Robert's little excursion, the Brutes had turned around and gone back the way they came.
Great. Now, I'm at point. He could have made his way back to the doors but opening them would expose his position now that the Brutes were facing his direction. He didn't stand a chance by himself if he went in headfirst. Best to wait and see what Victor pulls out of his hat.
He didn't have to wait long. A crash down at the other end of the building made the Brutes stop in their tracks. The Blue Brute on Robert's side was no more the five meters away. He whipped around only to see a broken chunk of concrete the size of a basketball flying at his head. He raised his arm just in time to deflect it, his shields shimmering from the impact, the Brute taking only a step back to brace himself. He let out a roar and pointed to a car behind his companions and across the street. Another Blue raised his red pistol and fired at the car, burning holes into the car on impact.
Rookie move. Robert thought. He's just wasting ammo. Big Red thought so, too. He growled at the Blue, telling him to quit being an idiot. In the Blue's moment of hesitation, a small round ball came flying from behind another car in his direction. Red pointed and yelled, causing Blue to turn back around only to see a frag grenade half a meter from his face. The throw was timed perfectly. A flash and a loud bang lit up the street. Victor wasn't far behind. He had jumped out from behind the first vehicle and ran straight at the blue who was stumbling backwards from the force of the explosion, temporarily blinded and his shields popped from the concussion of shrapnel.
Joshua threw that grenade! Robert quickly realized.
A loud crack was heard. The Blue's head jerked sideways, red blood spraying from brand new hole in the side of his skull courtesy of Laura. The street two meters to his right exploded with the impact from the sniper round causing small bits of concrete to fly everywhere and leaving a small crater. He fell over with a thud, his red blood spilling into the crater. Red looked shocked. They had been ambushed and he wasn't ready for it. He looked up to see Victor fifteen meters away racing right for him.
Red reared back to let out a roar. The Spartan was a blur. He had already made his motion to steal the now dead Blue's pistol. He lifted and fired a barrage of plasma. Red's shields popped quickly as he let out his roar. Victor, all ready with a grenade of his own, threw a perfect fastball. Robert just saw a small streak as the frag went straight into Red's throat. His roar instantly choked off, Red dropped his weapon and grabbed at his neck with both hands. He took one staggered step backwards, his eyes wide with a sudden realization. The frag took the cue and exploded.
Red lived up to his name as chunks of his head flew everywhere in a cloud of red spray. The remaining Blue in the street fell backwards as bits of his former leader splattered all over his armor. The numerous, high-velocity impacts made his shields flicker.
The Blue in front of Robert went into a fury. He chucked his plasma pistol towards Victor, missing him by centimeters. Robert could literally smell the Brutes' anger. Blue lowered his head and charged on all fours, closing the distance rapidly. Victor spun on his heel and ran towards the building across the street. The enraged Brute close behind, sailing over his fallen comrades.
Robert looked up to see Joshua high tailing it towards the other fallen Blue in the street getting to his knees, his shields still flickering. Josh leveled his shotgun and proceeded to unload into the Blue.
BOOM!
The first salvo finished off the shields.
Click, click.
BOOM!
The second salvo tore a chunk of his shoulder.
Click, click.
BOOM!
Salvo number three hit him in the abdomen, causing him to double over.
Click, click.
BOOM!
Number four caught him right in the face, sending him backwards into the street, his pistol shooting off plasma into the air harmlessly. Iron-rich red blood sprayed into the street and onto the sidewalk. Robert, gathering his senses during the assault, stood and ran towards the final Blue across the street, who had hesitated until this point in the skirmish, raised his pistol towards Joshua ready to retaliate. Robert leveled his assault rifle and fired.
Victor made it to the building with the enraged Brute charging at him just a meter behind. He planted his foot, jumped, sunk his other foot into the building's pillar of concrete, cracking it. He pushed off performing a classic backflip maneuver, only he reached out a grabbed the Brute by the bottom of his jaw. The Brute swung with his giant hand attempting to swat the Spartan in the side but struck only air. His rage made him blind to tactics. Using the Brute's forward momentum and his own opposite inertia, Victor jerked his hands back towards himself and twisted. The Brute's neck made a loud snap and he collapsed in a cloud of discarded and dusty papers on the ground.
Robert's clip was half gone. He didn't bother with short bursts. He held down his trigger praying and hoping it would be enough. Blue's shields were getting brighter by the millisecond trying to keep up with the steady stream of assault rounds hammering into it. Blue staggered at the sudden assault but had turned towards Robert with his rifle leading the way.
CRACK!
Blue's shields flashed and died from Laura's sniper round. He stumbled back, surprised. Thank you, Laura.
Robert didn't let up. His finger held down the trigger, letting the lead fly. A trail of bullet wounds started at Blue's chest and was making its way upwards. Empty shell casings pinged along the street.
Click, click, click.
Out. No time to reload. Robert wasn't even thinking at this point. His hand found the MD6 magnum strapped to his belt, twelve rounds at the ready. Blue had just enough time to fall to one knee. Robert raised and fired.
And fired.
And fired.
He wasn't counting his rounds. He wasn't hearing his gun firing. All he heard was his own scream. Vile. Enraged. Vengeful. Hurt.
The magnum clicked mute, smoke wisping out of its barrel. Robert found himself standing over the Brute, staring into what used to be its face. His eyes aflame with hatred. It took him a moment to compose himself and finally turn away. Victor stood to his left, looking at him silently. He finally clicked on the comm link.
"Killing them won't bring your friend back."
He didn't care. He clicked him comm link but hesitated to answer. He didn't know what to say. His mind was cold. Focused, yet hazy. In that moment he didn't know what he was supposed to do. His squad just watched him take out his revenge on a beast he didn't even know existed until five minutes ago. He felt embarrassed and satisfied with himself. The assholes deserved what they got. They deserve whatever is coming to them. Victor was still looking at him. Laura had made her way down from her perch above and was hesitantly making her way towards him. Robert cleared his head, determined.
"I'm fine. Let's go before we lose your Master Chief." Laura came to a slow stop in the middle of the street.
A bright beam of light flashed over their heads followed moments later by several loud explosions. The light illuminated the buildings behind them and the undercarriage of the large Covenant cruiser above their heads followed by the unmistakable rumble and boom of something large exploding into a billion pieces. Joshua was the first to speak.
"What the shit? Was that a Scarab?"
"That's exactly what it was," Victor said. The Scarab Heavy Assault Vehicle was seen only twice in battle before today. It was a monstrous Covenant machine the size of a building designed to take out cities, aerial assaults or large landing craft and were heavily defended. There was a known weakness to the machine. It involved physically boarding the vehicle and fighting your way to the power plant. Since the machine swarmed with Elites and Grunts, taking it down was considered to be extremely difficult. It had never been accomplished except in simulations but those were only guesses based off video recordings and first-hand accounts. At least, that was, until today.
"Chief…." came Victor's voice over the radio. Of course. If there was anyone who could take out a Scarab, it would be him. Either by brute force or some incredible luck, he had single handedly brought down the massive machine.
Follow the trail of dead aliens.
The purple glow from Regret's Cruiser suddenly dissipated.
"The grav-lift," Laura said. "They shut it down."
"Apparently, Master Chief got their attention," Joshua said.
Something is wrong here, thought Robert. This wasn't like the Covenant. They made rash decisions, but you could always count on them to make them. They were not known for their sudden changes of plan. And they definitely never retreated. The ground started shaking with a low rumble.
"What…" Joshua started.
"That's not good," said Laura.
"Regret's bugging out," Robert said. Everyone looked at him. "He's scared." It was the only explanation in his mind as to why the sudden turn of events.
"You are correct, Sergeant," came Victor's voice. "I just checked the fleet's chatter. Regret's forces are withdrawing. His cruiser is taking off." Robert looked up towards the giant cruiser. Something at the front of the ship caught his attention. A tiny point of light that became large by the second.
"Spartan!" he yelled, pointing. "Are they doing what I think they're doing?"
Victor spun around. "A Slipspace jump? Here?"
"A what?" Joshua said.
"They're going to jump into Slipspace right above the city!" Laura said with sudden realization.
"Oh my God," said Robert. His stomach sank. "Victor, we gotta…"
"Spartan zero-one-five to King. We need extraction ASAP."
"Copy that, Spartan zero-one-five. Pelican inbound."
"Have them land at these coordinates."
"Roger that."
"Follow me! We need to move!" Victor turned heel and took off down the street, the rest of the squad not far behind. The point of light in front of the cruiser had grown and had begun to envelope the nose of the ship.
Robert's lungs burned as they ran away from the cruiser. An open city square was just ahead of them. That must be their extraction point.
This can't be happening.
"Spartan zero-one-five to Pelican dropship. ETA to extraction point?" Victor panted over the radio.
"ETA, thirty seconds."
"Double-time it!" Victor said over his shoulder. The white light had fully encompassed Regret's Cruiser. It would jump through slipspace at any second now. Jumping through slipspace was more-or-less clunky for UNSC ships as their technology wasn't nearly as advanced. The Covenant ships had always managed to be way more accurate. But the results were still the same in a planet's atmosphere. A massive ball of energy was about to explode over the city and Robert didn't want to be around when it went off. Regret was doing this on purpose. Either because he was afraid or because he knew what such an explosion would do to the city below.
Or both. Maybe he was making a final statement as he left.
Victor had made it to the extraction point moments before the rest of the squad. Robert looked up to see the Pelican dropship screaming over a skyscraper. Even though he was running for his life, he had made sure to be the last person in formation. He wasn't leaving anybody behind today. Dust, gravel, and hot wind pelted his face as the Pelican came into land 10 meters in front of them.
"Everybody on!" yelled Victor waiving each one toward the bird. Joshua was first. He turned and offered a hand to Laura who leaped aboard. He reached out and snagged Robert by the wrist and yanked. He turned in time to see Victor plant his foot on the deck.
"Pilot! Go!" The pilot needed to further encouragement as he was already punching the thrusters to full capacity. Robert looked over the Spartan's shoulder as he hefted into the cargo bay…only to see the Covenant Cruiser disappear into the light of slipspace. He thought he saw another ship chasing after it. A UNSC ship which, by this distance, looked tiny by comparison. It also disappeared into the light. No sooner had both ships entered the slipspace bubble, the light collapsed almost instantaneously.
What followed was a quiet rush of expanding energy. Robert could see it quickly overtaking the city of New Mombassa. A rush of hot wind was pushing ahead of it, tossing trucks, uprooting trees, and toppling small buildings. It would be on them in seconds.
"Pilot! Crest that building ahead and dive behind it!" Victor yelled. Robert knew instantly what he was thinking: Let the building absorb as much of the wave's energy as possible before it hits us. Robert stomach sank as the pilot gained altitude, then it immediately rose into his throat as the Pelican dove over the top. Ahead of them was a wide avenue that went straight ahead with tall buildings on either side leading to another city square. The pilot gunned the engines and got low to the street.
The wave of energy plowed into the building behind them, blowing out windows and whatever furniture was inside. In another matter of seemingly endless seconds, the wave finally caught them halfway down the avenue.
The Pelican's tail lurched up with the force of a mighty hand. The gun on the front of the Pelican struck the street below and sheared off, forcing the nose of the dropship into the concrete. The pilot, ever trying to save his cargo, saw the inevitable, and steered his ship to the right so as not to flip it end over end and killing everyone inside. This maneuver cost him his life, however, as the nose drug to the side of the street and immediately contacted an abandoned box truck. A ball of flame engulfed the front of the craft as the truck's fuel tank ignited.
The wave behind them was miraculously dissipating, but the inertia of the Pelican drove it forward into the city square. The box truck struck a traffic light pole and disintegrated. In the center of the square was a multi-tiered concrete fountain. Even with some of the Pelican's momentum slowed by dragging down the street and hauling a truck with it, it still struck the fountain with tremendous force, driving it up the side until the nose came to rest a level below the top of the fountain.
Then all went quiet and dark.
