Chapter 2: Dusk
[July 22nd, 2552, 18:30]
I watched as the small utility ship lowered the rest of the Stealth Pylon into the middle of the field. I was sitting on the porch, bundled up with my knees almost to my chest.
After we had... cleared the house in the early morning, my team and I faced no further opposition or more humans, much to our surprise. Many of the other teams that were sent alongside us apparently came across much heavier resistance, some even reporting casualties. I was the only member to take any type of damage or fire on my team.
The whir of a Phantom caused me to look up, watching it fly overhead and hover low to the ground and not far very from me. General N'Thuza had hopped out and into the field, stretching his legs before looking around. He saw me and started to walk over.
What does he have to say this time?
"Good Job, 'Tarumee, your team was the first to complete their objective. I am genuinely impressed with your... performance," he said as he approached.
"No need to congratulate me, sir," I replied, watching the utility craft ascend and return to the Hallowed Spirit, just barely visible to those on the ground such as myself.
N'Thuza chuckled for a moment before continuing, "Out of every team that was given the same task as you, 'Tarumee's very fresh squadron was the first to be ready for the Huragoks and had a spotless casualty rate. How did it feel to kill your first heretic in such close combat?"
I froze up. I had been on a few assignments before this, mostly just backline work such as supplying ammo and new vehicles to the front. I had never truly or directly killed anyone before this morning, and I was tired of thinking about it.
"It was… exhilarating?" I lied.
"Good, because there is much more exhilaration on the road ahead! Now, if you would excuse me I have other matters to attend to," he stated, walking off to do more important things.
The Pylon began to emanate energy, creating what looked like a very transparent bubble around itself. The natural silence of the landscape was replaced by humming.
I can't escape.
My vision darkened and my head felt as though it was spinning.
I need to get out of here. I can't breathe. I am going to vomit.
I stumbled back beyond the house, feeling terribly nauseous.
I need somewhere quiet and lacking this damned methane odor
Off in the distance was a small mountain.
[July 22nd, 2552, 19:00]
It wasn't very hard to slip past whatever perimeter they had set up, especially considering my size and lack of any sort of cloaking device. Either my stealth skills were exceptional or whoever was patrolling at the time simply did not care enough.
The hike to the mountain was extremely calming, viewing the many alien critters and fauna native to the planet. Some would scurry away when I approached and others would simply not care. Overall it helped take my mind off the events that had occurred earlier in the day.
When I was much younger I would often take long walks after my daily lessons from my mother, often stopping at a neighbor's home to play with their children. Evidently, I still enjoyed doing such things.
It didn't take me very long to find a nice plateau about halfway up once I arrived. While it took me a little less than a unit to finally reach my goal, I decided to still reward myself by sitting on an outcropping and watching the sunset in the distance.
Why am I here? I know I walked up the mountain to get to this point, but what purpose did this serve? Why did I have so much emotion when I witnessed those humans die?
I kept asking myself questions I believed I would have been able to answer once I was alone and had the space to think, but it seemed to only make it worse.
Did it remind me of myself? My own family? Why did I, and by extension, the Covenant have to come to this planet in the first place? So we can destroy them? They are foul abominations, a plague upon the galaxy, but why do I regret my actions so much?
It felt like the more I tried to answer the more popped up. I started to lightly chew my fingers as I became more and more anxious.
Did anyone see me cry this morning? What would they think? Would they see me as a weak warrior who can do nothing but feel bad when they watch something die? Another weak female in their ranks?
What if every great warrior felt this at some time? Does everyone feel remorse for their enemy at some point in their life? We aren't supposed to feel pity for the Heretics. Does that make me a heretic as well?
I pondered out into the red and orange colored sky, watching the nearby star be engulfed by the endless landscape.
I should head back before anyone wonders where I have gone.
I began to stand up when my foot slipped, causing me to tumble towards the edge of the plateau. I quickly regained my grip before I fell off the ledge and to my death.
That would have been embarrassing.
At that point, I was sweating profusely, which in turn caused my hands to lose a little grip. Before that happened I was able to pull myself back up. While I felt like I was a little more in reality at that moment, my arms were still trembling.
I looked back out to the darkening sky before walking back to the farm.
[June 22nd, 2552, 20:05]
It wasn't very hard to act as though nothing happened, and most of the Unggoy watching the perimeter didn't even notice when I slipped past them like last time. Or they simply didn't care.
I felt angry, confused, scared that I had left to have questions answered only to arrive with more. I felt like I could not accomplish anything that isn't ending the lives of others. I could only hurt myself.
I entered the storage facility which we were using as our own barracks. I made sure that I entered unseen and entered a stall I was using as a makeshift room, the sounds of my various comrades sleeping or quietly talking filled the air. An air that still reeked of methane and overall uncleanliness.
I took a deep breath before laying down on what is referred to as a 'stack of hay'. It was not very comfortable, but not the worst thing I had ever had to sleep on. I removed my helm for the second time that day and placed it on the ground beside where I would be trying to sleep. Laying in the darkness assisted my psyche into slumber.
My eyes felt magnetized, my well-needed rest just seconds away.
"Excuse me, madam!"
Why did it have to be him again?
"Yes, TatTat?" I said drearily as I sat up
"The General had kindly requested your company at the Pylon."
Damn that stupid oaf.
I glared at the little Unggoy before sighing, standing up, and walking outside.
N'Thuza was admiring the pylon up and down, making small observations at the design. He must've heard me approaching as he took a quick glance at me before returning his eyes. I stood next to him and angrily waited for him to say something.
"How was your walk earlier?" he asked, still observing the structure.
"It was relaxing, just nice to take in the scenery while getting an understanding of our surroundings," I said.
Someone must have seen me leave but not cared enough to go after me.
"Smart. But that's not the reason I called you here," he turned and observed me.
"Excuse me but you have a very beautiful face."
The sudden abruptness of the statement and it's subject hit me like a Jiralhanae that didn't get his way.
Oh Gods, I forgot my helm.
"I'm sure that isn't your actual reason?" I said, flustered and even more irritated than before.
He laughed before regaining his composure, "No, no. I had heard from a few sources that you could be caught shedding tears after completing your objective. Would you care to explain that to me?"
I stood there thinking of my options.
What do I tell him? That I felt terrible for watching us slaughtering humans? No. I need to think quickly…
"I…" an idea popped into my head, "I had never been directly shot like that before. I was lucky my shields were on and didn't collapse. It just shocked me, that's all."
He looked at me with a slight frown before relaxing and lighting up, "Ah, the prospect of death never fails to scare even the bravest of warriors at times, and the first time of encountering it surely is a sobering experience. While it is uncommon for anyone to cry afterward, I'm sure it is normal for you females."
Here we go again.
"In any matter, that was all I called you here for. Please, rest well, you've earned it. Tomorrow you return to the Hallowed Spirit"
I quickly bowed to him and returned to my stall. It was starting to feel a little cold out so I folded into a fetal position in an attempt to keep myself warm, restless from the idle noises of my surroundings. Hot this morning, freezing at night. I just want to be comfortable. But I knew I couldn't be comfortable. Not with what I have done.
[July 23, 2552, 00:23]
Most of the camp was asleep at this time, so now would be the best time to do it. I creeped out of the building and entered the house next door. Luckily nobody was inside, so getting upstairs was easy. The human's corpse was still at the door frame, untouched since I had shot and killed it. As I took a closer look at the body, I could see that it was a mature male, hair still colorful with a large portion around its mouth and jaw. I also noted the string of burns across the torso where I had hit it. I stepped into the room.
What felt like darkness flooded over me, almost as though I was still there the moment it had happened. The mother and child still rested in the position that I saw them in, her face forever twisted in terror and agony. I didn't want to get near them, but I had to.
I inched my way closer, my body quaking. As I stood over them, my heart broke as I could tell the woman had done all she could to protect her child from me. She held her child, which I could now tell was a son, as close as she could. It was not enough to stop superheated matter landing directly on its head. They were both shot multiple times, much more than I could remember.
My vision became blurry as tears began to flood down my cheeks to my mandibles.
Why do I cry at the sight of these mangled blasphemers? Why am I tortured by their deaths? Do I see a semblance of my own family, one who would protect me from an overpowering force? Why do I feel… no honor?
The longer I gazed at their lifeless bodies the more my heart broke. I closed my eyes and took a shallow breath before moving to pick up the bodies. They were fairly lightweight, eternally relaxed over my shoulder. As I made my way back out the door, I leaned over and picked up the father, slightly heavier, and draped him over my other shoulder.
I took a back door out of the home and carried them away from our encampment. I walked back up to the plateau on the mountain and laid them there.
I spent many units finding rocks to bury them with. By the time I was done, 3 mounds of varying sizes rested on the plateau. I lost track of time as I kneeled there, my legs not built for being my current position ached. Begging for forgiveness, waiting to hear something back.
I laid on the ground in their presence and slept. The sun rose.
[July 24th, 2552, 08:00]
I laid in a state I liked to call 'half-sleep': when you are in bed knowing it is the morning and fading in and out of consciousness. I was fortunate enough to be able to head to bed early the previous night, so technically it was like sleeping in compared to a normal day. I decided that I would let my alarm wake me just so I could max out my slumber.
'Any moment now…' I thought, anxiously and sleepily awaiting the loud beeping that decided how awake I was. It felt like an eternity in my twin-sized cot, drearily staring in the dark at the alarm clock.
EEE, EEE, EEE
I began to sit up before stopping myself. That wasn't right.
"Wait, doesn't that make more of a 'Beep Beep' than a Klaxon?" I said out loud.
I watched my clock for another moment before realizing the noise wasn't coming from it.
The noise was the base's alarm.
If I wasn't somewhat awake before, I was definitely at that moment. I jumped out of bed and onto the floor in one swift motion, throwing my BDUs on and bending down to tie my boots before something hit hard me in the side
"Ow!" I yelped, turning to see what the hell just hit me
"You just had to say it, didn't you? You just had to be all fucking cocky about something interesting happening. You just had to jinx it," he yelled at me.
Even when barely visible I could tell Will was pissed, an almost completely alien emotion from him to me.
"What? What's even going on?" I asked, rubbing where he had kicked me.
"They're here on Reach."
"Who?"
"The Covenant."
My eyes widened as I looked at him. I was bewildered. The Covenant on Reach is like third base for them! I quickly finished tying my boots before standing up.
"You're not joking, right? This isn't some elaborate prank that you pulled to be funny, right?"
He kicked me again, this time hitting my inner thigh and nearly striking my crotch.
Before Will could finish brutalizing me, Nickelson peeked his head into the room, "Start moving supplies, get ready for a fight at any time. C'mon, let's go."
Will pulled me up before I quickly followed him out the door and into the hallway. The alarm persisted, although the difference being the red flashing lights lining the corridors. The voices that echoed past added to the ever-growing chaos.
"Come on, we got to start hauling shit around," Will said to me, slightly ahead.
"Shouldn't we arm ourselves first, seeing as we are, you know, security?" I replied.
The storage area and armory were in two completely different directions, so by going to help move ammo and such we wouldn't be anywhere near our kits. Seeing as all we knew was that the alien bastards were on-surface, being ready for a fight would be a safe option.
He stopped before shifting his momentum back around. We both ran towards the armory. When we arrived Johan and Sheila were already there putting their body armor on.
"Glad to see we had the same idea," Johan said as he put a helmet on over his strawberry blonde head.
"We?" Sheila snorted as she adjusted her knee guards, "This was my idea, you dolt."
I hopped over to my locker on the side of the room, opening it and grabbing the decently heavy chest plate with my name on the inside. Putting it on and tightening it added some strain to my legs, although it wouldn't be noticeable unless we walked a few miles. Slapping some uncomfortable pair of shoulder armor on and plopping my CH252 on. The last part was some ERA thigh armor, which in all honesty seemed counterintuitive. I moved towards the center and grabbed an MA37 and a dozen or so clips, shoving them into the various magazine pockets around my kit. I turned the gun's display on and waited a few seconds for it to finish booting up. When it was done it read '00' in bright blue, occasionally switching to red to alert the user. It switched to '30' when I loaded and chambered a mag. As I finished Will moved next to me and did the same thing.
"This was the last thing I expected to do when I woke up this morning," he said as he finished inserting the clip.
Johan stretches before speaking "Well, as my cousin would always say, Shit happens, and you got to flush it."
"That is some of the worst life advice I have ever heard," Sheila mumbles by the doorway.
"I believe he is still alive…? He lives on Earth not far from where I went to High School. He hasn't died yet so I'd say his advice holds up."
As much as I love Johan and his attempts to appeal to others, by God is he hollow in the head.
"If you want him to keep being alive how about the four of you stop blabbering and listen to me for a few seconds."
Sgt. Nickelson was standing outside in the hall, shotgun at his side. His face in a scowl as he awaits for whatever he has to deal with next.
"Sir yes sir!" We all simultaneously responded
"Good. Meet me outside by the gate in five," he waved us off and tended to the much more pressing matters at hand.
"Shit."
[Ten Minutes Later]
"You would think meeting in five means he would show up in five minutes, not show up five minutes late," Will was leaning on the fence, sticking his fingers through the gaps, "on second thought that sounded much better in my head."
"I'm pretty sure he is off doing something that requires a bit more time than he needed, I mean, he has to make sure supplies start to get shipped where it's needed," I replied, trying to come up with a worthy excuse for standing idle while everyone else was doing more important things.
Sheila groaned as she was forced to stand and wait even longer. Out of boredom, she began to flick Johan's head, much to his dismay. Will looked to the skies, watching and observing the clouds, studying their shapes.
I just thought about what this all meant, to me at least. Here they were. The enemy. The reason I will never be able to talk to my mother, my father, my sisters, my childhood friends, my relatives. But, why do I feel so… indifferent about it? This was the day I had been waiting for, my petty revenge. But the chances of catching whoever was involved in the glassing was slim to none. Was I scared? Scared of what to come? I felt no anxiousness, no excitement. Was I supposed to feel excited, excited at the chance for some sort of redemption? This is my opportunity, and my mind doesn't want to take it. Why?
Before I was able to self-reflect any longer, I noticed Nickelson jogging towards us. I quickly nudged Will.
"I apologize for showing up so late guys, the forklift wasn't operating correctly so I had to sort that out," Nickelson gave me a look, having sounded extremely winded.
"Anyway, it is important that you realize what your job is here now. No longer are you just going to sit in the mess hall all day because there is legitimately nothing happening. You need to be the first line of defense for this base, helping around and making your rounds with gate duty. It also means you will be the ones killing whatever ugly sonofabitch shows his grubby little face. Manson and Tench, you will be out here first. Avery and Strauss, you are on standby. Both pairs of you will switch out every three or so hours."
So Will and I are out here first, and Sheila and Johan next. Great.
"We have been at war for almost three decades now. Not due to any of our faults, they have landed an inner world, our red zone, which means we are unfortunately in the endgame now. I don't want to sound dramatic, but your friends, your family, the entire future of our race rests on how well you can kick their asses back home. I know you all might feel scared, but just I like to remember one thing: Death," he paused for a moment, "comes to all of us eventually. If we trust each other we can prolong that truth for a little while longer. Sound good?"
Yet it didn't sound good to me, feeling quite indifferent to any prospect of death, like I had almost accepted it years ago.
Sheila and Johan laughed and pointed at us as they went inside. Will, Nickleson, and I watched as they reentered the base, acting giddy as they don't get to stand around during the heat of the day. Nickelson turned to us and smirked, "I hope they know they are going to have to haul a lot of boxes for their job."
The three of us chuckled before recollecting our thoughts.
"If you see anything, even if you feel like something is wrong, Tench do NOT hesitate to radio in. Feel like something is watching you? Radio it in. Hear some noises that have no source? Radio it in. Feel like something touched you? Radio. It. In," Nickelson said to us, a very blank expression on his face.
He wasn't joking, and that was the first thing that worried me.
"Yes Sir!" Will and I yelled.
He waved us off and jogged to where he was needed next.
I looked out the fence and studied the opposing side of the valley, about half a mile away with the roadway following nearly parallel to it. This was a really terrible position to defend or even set up a base in, but a great one to hide. The enemy wouldn't be able to see us unless they were above us and/or anywhere down the West-East stretch, but that would also apply to us.
Honestly, whoever thought of this position or even allowed it deserved to lose their jobs.
A few minutes passed as Will and I stood in silence, watching the cliff sides, sky, and each way.
"Ever wonder why we're here?"
[July 24th, 2552, 16:07]
We had switched shifts a few times during the day and I haven't sat down since I first woke up this morning. The closest thing to that was when I would lean against the fence. I never thought an invasion could be so busy yet so uneventful.
Was there more than just standing around like this, more to what I should be doing? Am I just content with the world around me? Has the perpetual state of war become normalized to me? There are many people one this world dead or dying right now, and I feel nothing? I've hyped myself for naught? Would I even be able to take the life of my enemy?
I felt I couldn't really tell anyone because they might not understand, they might think I am some kind of sadist.
"You doing alright Dan?" Will was looking at me with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just- thinking."
"You just seem out of it. I would have expected you to be excited that there's finally something to do or worry about, but you just seem to be… depressed?"
"I don't know man, I… I don't understand either, maybe I'll understand in the future when this is all over. Maybe then I can just take it all in."
Will nodded at me and passed me a stick of gum from his pocket. I obliged and took it. Spearmint.
Wait.
I shivered for a moment. Something felt wrong. I quickly darted my eyes around my surroundings, looking for the source of the uneasiness.
"Dan? What's wron-"
"Radio Nickelson. Now."
Will looked at me in confusion before bringing his hand up to his ear.
Something was moving, and I couldn't see it. The only real movement I could see was some heat waves above the valley. I could feel it.
"Yes, sir he..."
A low yet audible rumbling came into earshot from outside the valley, similar to that of when a frigate is in low orbit. It took but a few short moments before the source came into view.
A Covenant Corvette.
"Sarge, we got a ship!" Will yelled over the microphone.
For the second time today, the Klaxon alarms went off.
I heard a voice crackle in my ear, "Get your asses back inside and start setting up some basic fortifications. Now!"
Will and I ran like hell towards the front door, nearly tripping over each other. We saw the garage doors closing as the rest of the staff rushed inside as well.
Johan and Sheila met us as we entered the hall, planning how we should be setting up the mobile shields. Rolling them in and setting them down with dollys was a simple task, although we had to do it not knowing when or if the Covvies would come in to bash our skulls.
Once it was all said and done, we waited anxiously in the tight hallway in dead silence. Nickelson was watching the exterior cameras from his office, relaying any important information to us over comms. Bradley sat next to us, magnum in hand.
He probably pissed himself already from all the work he had to do.
"Fzzz Hey heads up! looks like we got one of the fork-shaped ships landing out front, expect contact."
I made some last checks on my weapon, making sure I wasn't just holding some useless structure of metal in my hand in case shit hit the fan.
Silence.
The door opened, the light blinding us from the outside. A small triangle-like figure appeared in the doorway.
Here we go.
Everyone in the hall opened fire out the door, mowing the Grunt down almost instantaneously.
As soon as the body hit the floor, a variety of colorful projectiles sped towards us. Some poor bloke in the back was struck by a handful of pink crystals. More and more Grunts started making their way into the building. Every time we killed one they crept closer and closer.
When they were nearly on top of us was when we started to see the shielded Jackals advance, our bullets doing nothing but bouncing off of them. I told the people around me to start aiming for the little holes they would fire their weapons through, hitting their hands and stunning them.
As well as we were doing, we all knew we couldn't hold much longer, at least until…
A large figure entered the door frame. I hadn't fired a single round during the engagement, but I felt a strong urge to now...
"Elite! Fall Back!" someone yelled
We all started to run, some getting caught in plasma fire. I fired my AR with one hand, just simply for suppressive purposes.
Will, Sheila, Johan, and I ran through the tiny maze of corridors to the mess hall. When we arrived we kicked over the folding table and hid behind it as cover.
Something is better than nothing.
I slotted another mag in as we waited whatever was dumb enough to follow them.
Unfortunately for us, it was the Elite that wanted our blood.
It entered the room a moment later and tried to shoot at us through the table, only managing to put melted holes in it. The black burned plastic sludge so close to my head did not bode well.
POW click-click POW
Energy shields collapsed, it's back arched as it fell forward. Nickelson stood at the doorway, his shotgun's barrel still smoking.
"You want me to have to clean up your problems? Eh?" he stepped over the bastard's corpse, kicking it in the side as he continued to move forward.
"What? Have you never seen me put some 8-gauge into an 8 foot something split-lip?"
He chuckled before stopping suddenly. He looked down as we looked down.
Two bright blades stuck out of his chest. He briefly tried to reach behind him before he was lifted up towards the ceiling and thrown on the ground.
"NOOO!" I yelled as the red elite stepped over his body and kicked away the table.
It reached over and grabbed Johan by the neck, choking him. Sheila jumped onto the things back, trying its best to strangle it. This only made it angrier as it threw Johan into the wall and tried to get her off it.
I stood against the counter, thinking of a way I could aid without accidentally hitting Sheila. I slid my hand back and felt an object, more specifically, a plastic spoon. It's worth the shot.
I lunged forward, jamming the spoon into its squid-like mouth. It dropped its sword and started to grab at its neck, choking on the utensil. Sheila yanked it onto the ground, although that nearly crushed her. I grabbed Johan's gun before jumping on its body and firing the rest of the mag into its head.
I threw the AR to the side as I lifted the dead Elite enough so Sheila could get up, which she promptly ran to Johan checking him. I watched the Elite's carcass fall back down, it's head reduced to gore from the sheer amount of brass fired into it. A brief period of tunnel vision had stolen me from reality.
I had killed another living being.
When the darkness that shrouded my outer vision finally passed, I could see Will at the doorway kneeling over Nickelson.
Nickelson!
I rushed over to him on the ground, blood staining my pants as I got down on both knees. There was a decently large blood pool around him, sourced from where he was impaled a short moment ago. He was still alive, but I knew it wouldn't be much longer.
My world went quiet.
Tears ran down his brown eyes and he coughed blood as he spoke to me, but it was inaudible to me. I could see him mouth my name, looking proud.
He grabbed my hand tightly and squeezed as my hearing came back to me. "... head North, towards Adam's. This place is worthless, but that, that's where you can make a difference."
His grip faltered as his body relaxed.
"I'm coming, Lilah…"
I watched the color leave his eyes.
I felt an arm tug on me, and I turned to see Will looking down at me.
"We got to go. Come on," he said calmly.
I stood up and walked to the center of the room to grab my gun, my throat felt like it was collapsing. Sheila helped Johan walk out of the room with Will. I followed suit.
We dashed our way down the hall, seeing strewn corpses of various species, many human. I saw a lot of familiar faces on the ground, causing me to just keep looking forward.
We entered the garage and looked around for something to transport us all in when Bradley rushed in, covered in sweat, and firing a few rounds back towards where he came from, "Hey guys, we should probably take the transport 'Hog..."
He noticed the lack of Nickelson as he looked at the four of us.
"Where is he? Is he cornered somewhere or-" he noticed the blood on my legs, the color of my face, and he stopped talking.
"Yes, it would probably be best considering I got to check on this oaf," Sheila said as she motioned her head towards Johan.
"Oh perfect. I was trained as a corpsman before I switched branches," he replied as he hopped in the back, hands outstretched so he could help our injured comrade up.
I got in the driver's seat and started the engine, all that was left was…
The Door. Nobody was close to the controls and
opening it would essentially be a one-way trip.
"Will, do you know how thick the garage doors are?"
He hopped in the seat next to me and frowned, "Probably as thick as sheet metal. Why?"
"It's too dangerous to open the door, its too much of a risk."
"So you are going to drive through it?!" his eyes widened, "you seriously cannot say that this is the best pla-"
"That's the plan. Everyone hold on to something!"
Will braced himself as I shoved my foot on the accelerator, causing us to be pushed back into our seats. The engine howled as I grew exponentially closer to the door. I braced for the worst as the Warthog collided with the door, causing us to lose some momentum as the object was twisted and broken. The evening sunlight nearly blinded me, causing us to run over a few aliens as we exited the garage.
We sped away from the base and headed west down the road. I drove full speed for a good five minutes before asking Sheila if anything was following us, which she responded with a faint, "No"
"H-hey Will, you know where Adam's is besides 'North'?"
"Yeah, it's about a week or so away."
"Well shit. I guess it's a road trip then."
Bam. Chapter 2. It certainly isn't my favorite bit but it was fun nonetheless. I'm already hard at work on the next few, so you can probably expect another to release next week. Give me your honest opinions so I can become a better writer, and I'll see you next chapter.