Hey everyone I'm back again,
i dont really have much to say besides Holy Sh**, we've reached 4.6k views. It's really been a blast so far and I'm so thankful for everyone who has followed and favourited. Also a massive thank you to all those who reviewed, those are my inspiration and fuel to continue writing!
guest reviews
GiggleMeYumYums: hey where's the profile? I want to hear some of those conspiracy theories you have. If you get a profile then maybe I can drop a few hints ;)
OORAH: haha your reviews never cease to make me smile! A sex scene will be very far off I believe and I'll take into account your knowledge on Sangheili private body areas, you sicko! Na JK, I can't wait to read your next review!
Frostwolf: thank you for being one of the few to comment on the flashbacks, it's great to see you're enjoying the story! I look forward to playing Halo with you again!
Asher: Haha, I'm sorry it was a long time coming for another update. Hopefully this is good enough and I'll be sure to watch the pacing of the story!
Location: UNSC B Training Facility, Africa, Earth
Date: 24th September 2550
Time: 0500
"Wake up Trainee, rise and fucking shine!" The voice of a Lieutenant shouted through Mayne's peaceful dream. His eyes suddenly snapped open as he felt a jolt of pain go through his chest. With a cry, more of shock than pain Mayne looked down to see the Lieutenant holding a shock baton against his chest. "Are you fucking deaf, Trainee? Get Up!" He roared and Mayne launched like a rocket out of his cot and came to attention. Even though he was up the trainer hit him once more in the stomach and Mayne collapsed forward.
"AHH, I'm fucking up." Mayne grimaced and the Lieutenant dropped to one knee to face eye to eye with him.
"I didn't hear a Sir." He yelled as he shoved Mayne back to his feet and raised his baton again.
"I'm fucking up, Sir!" Mayne corrected himself and the officer finally let up.
"That's better! Four Section, you are to form up on the parade ground and prepare for PT." He looked around at the group and only now did Mayne see that the rest of the team were up and standing at attention at the end of their cots. "Am I clear Four Section?". Mayne joined in on the chorus of acknowledgments and saluted when the Lieutenant stormed out of the room.
Avery approached Mayne with a worried look,
"Are you alright Mayne?" He rolled up his shirt to a bruise that was beginning to form on his shoulder, "He had a go at everyone, you'll have a gorgeous bruise on your chest by midday."
"Yeah, I'll be good." Mayne replied, gently caressing the newly developed bruise.
"We should get going guys, the trainers aren't going to wait forever." Henry cautioned which caused a scoff from Sarah.
"They're probably already timing how late we are." She said sarcastically.
On the parade ground Mayne could feel the heat of the African sun bearing down on his face and the sweat already dripping down his arms. They hadn't even stated their PT yet. The Lieutenant stood before them also sweating excessively but showed no discomfort, at least not openly. Alongside Mayne stood Four Section and around them stood the other sections, each trainee wore a black shirt with the words ODST printed on the front and black shorts with standard issue runners. This set of clothing along with formal wear and a set of training armour were delegated to each Trainee shortly after they were acquainted with their section.
"Every morning this is what will await you." The Lieutenant began, "I am First Lieutenant Shepard and it is my job to ensure that you experience hell Every. Single. Morning." Shepard stressed the last words as he strolled up and down the line of newbies. "You will do all that I say and the first person to drop will miss breakfast, along with their entire section." In a non-disciplined environment, most people would groan in protest but all the trainees present knew better than to complain.
"Let's begin! Drop to a push up position!" Shepard ordered and Mayne immediately dropped to the scorching ground. It took him a moment to adjust his hands to the extreme temperature of the cracked concrete but once ready he was rigid and steady, waiting for the command to start. He glanced to the side and saw Claire looking back at him with a small grin.
"Don't drop on us, Mayne." She said quietly with more than a hint of humour.
"Same to you Claire." Mayne replied instantly with a grin of his own.
"Down!" The command came and Mayne lowered himself and held the position for a few seconds, "Up!" The corresponding order came and Mayne did just that, pushing his body back up to the starting position.
"Down!"
"Up!"
"Down!
"Up!" The commands kept coming and Mayne kept the motions fluent but his breath began to pick up and sweat started dripping off his nose and onto the concrete. He could have sworn the sweat seemed to boil on the heated earth.
Mayne had lost track of time by the time Lieutenant Shepard halted the exercise. During the period of physical training he had been strolling around the course, watching their every movement. Now he halted and ordered the course to come back to attention.
"Course Atten-Shun!" The order was brisk and Mayne was grateful for the conclusion of the now painful exercise. At the attention position, Mayne's arms were begging for forgiveness for the harsh treatment.
Suddenly there was a quiet Thunk as something hit the ground close to Mayne. He glanced to the side and saw Henry Whetherman collapsed on the ground, completely unconscious. It seemed that his squad mate hadn't been breathing regularly and collapsed by rising too quickly from a lowered position.
"Whose Section is he from?" Shepard asked and Avery raised his arm.
"Four Section, Sir!" He called and Lieutenant Shepard tapped a few notes into his data pad.
"That concludes this morning's PT. All sections report to the mess hall, excluding Four Section. You may drink only water this morning. Dismissed!" The parade turned as one as marched off the parade ground, save for Four Section who returned to their fallen ally.
"Well, this fucking sucks." Mayne cursed and the rest of the team nodded in agreement.
Location: Corvette Shadow of Intent
Date: 22nd February 2558
Time: 1000 hours
Mayne felt the Lich shake as it entered the atmosphere of the foreign planet and held his battle rifle closer to his body. It was times like this that Mayne wished to be in a SOEIV. It was smaller, cosier and at least he had full control over where he would fly-
No, that doesn't sound right. He thought,
Drop- He had full control over where would drop. Mayne took a glimpse out the window ports and felt a feeling of familiarity as he saw the outer layer of metal began heating up to extreme temperatures. Just like in his Exoatmospheric Insertion Vehicle as he dropped behind the rear of a Covenant army.
"Feet first into hell, ladies." Mayne recalled Avery saying many times before a drop.
"Mayne, did you get that?" He thoughts were dragged back to reality as Catherine called for his attention from across the floor. He looked back at the group and saw that all their eyes were on him.
"Uh, no sorry. Please say the last bit again." He said awkwardly and Catherine sighed.
"Reesha, please repeat the issue again." The Sangheili SpecOps commander sighed as well but said everything again.
"Over the last couple of months, we have encountered Covenant attacks from beyond the mountain range that surrounds the rear of the 'Moram state. A couple of days ago the Arbiter left to discover where the Covenant are operating and destroy them. The encountered issue is that we have received word that the Arbiter was ambushed and his entire force were either killed or captured. They have released a Sangheili back to deliver a message that they plan to execute him and bring an end to the civil war."
This left Mayne in a slight state of shock. Their mission to aid in the civil war was already at a tipping point if they let the Arbiter die and more importantly, Fireteam Phoenix will have failed in their main mission before it had even really started.
"So, what's our plan?" He asked and Catherine gestured to Captain Hendricks and he spoke for the first time during the flight.
"Our plan of action is to insert Fireteam Phoenix, Reesha's Team; The Arbiter's Wrath and a squad of marines consisting of twelve members behind the enemy lines and conduct a hostage recovery. This means the team will consist of sixteen humans and five Sangheili. I've ordered a single pelican to break off from the main group and form up on us as we descend onto the target. If we can pull this off then gaining the trust of our Sangheili hosts will be much easier and we can work together more efficiently. Is your mission clear to you Phoenix?" Mayne joined in with the acknowledgements but Catharine had a question.
"Will the Marines know their orders?" She asked and the Captain nodded.
"The marines will have orders sent through to their Corporal. They're to assist in any way possible but the rescue itself is up the you and the Elites." As he finished Reesha stepped forward,
"As we shall be in the fray together, it is time The Arbiter's Wrath is introduced." She gestured to the Sangheili standing just by the side. As Mayne saw before two wore red armour while the other two wore blue, Reesha herself wore a set of black armour. All sets of armour were classed in the UNSC database as Special Operations and Mayne could confirm this by having met his fair share of SpecOps Elites in the field.
She listed off the names of each Sangheili and they acknowledged once their name was called. Mayne learnt their names to be Diro, Ido and Rtada. Diro was a larger than average Sangheili who preferred to wield two plasma rifles instead of one. Mayne decided that it was best that they stayed allies, he didn't want to fight him on the battlefield. Ido and Rtada were brothers that were unequalled through their training together. Both excelled with the Carbine and carried modified versions of the weapon Mayne found out to be named 'Rain of Oblivion'. With introductions out of the way it was time to get down to business.
"Ok Reesha, what is the terrain like? What can we expect to encounter?" Catherine asked, the female Sangheili approached and placed a holographic device on the ground. It flashed open to display a holographic map of the ground they would be operating on. Made up by a blue haze Mayne could see that they would be engaging their enemy in a dense jungle environment.
Aw hell. Mayne thought
Mayne had had his fair share of jungle campaigns. They were often long, tedious and with all the rain and moisture in the air, it tended to be pretty damn uncomfortable. Fighting in the jungle involved whole new tactics comparing to fighting in urban or desolate environments. As an ODST, he had been taught in all forms of military tactics, one of those being guerrilla warfare; a form of combat that involved lying below radar surveillance and then bursting out in a flurry of fire, dealing as much damage as possible and then disappearing back into the brush before the enemy had any idea of what was happening. It was an excellent way to instil fear into the enemy but being on the receiving end of an ambush in the jungle is not something Mayne relished.
Hopefully though this time, they will be the ones doing the ambushing.
He didn't get to think anymore as Reesha began her briefing of the topography.
"Here before you is a section of Qivro, one of the five continents of Sangheilos. In this continent lies five states. The largest of which is the 'Moram State, my birthplace. With varying weather conditions Qivro is known as 'The Cleaved Lands' due to the large mountain range that separates the jungles from the deserts. The ensuing mission will be conducted in a section of the Jalam state, deep within the jungles of Qivro."
Captain Hendricks stepped in for a moment.
"Who are the residents of the Jalam state? Are they friendly?" He asked and Reesha shook her head sadly.
"The Jalam state was the first state to fall to the Covenant Remnants. The Covenant invaded the land and executed the Kaidon and all his followers. All who survived made their way into 'Moram lands in a hope for survival."
"Have any other states managed to stand up to the Covenant?" Henricks continued.
"Unfortunately, no. No other state has managed to stand to the might of the Covenant resistance. The state of 'Moram is the only state to hold against invasion." Reesha said and this time Mayne joined in.
"Do we know where the attacks are coming from?" He asked and Reesha looked towards him with her bright blue eyes.
"We believe from the city of Sunaion, out on the Csurdon Sea but there may be other locations that are unknown to us." Mayne nodded, satisfied for now with his answer. Reesha then went back to her original task, knowing that the time to brief was quickly drawing to a close.
"The state of Jalam is now in ruin and we believe that it is the forefront of the Covenants attacks on the rear of the State of 'Moram, we have just been unable to locate any of their operating bases. Until now." She made a gesture on the holographic map and it zoomed in on a single location. It looked to be a large temple situated in the middle of a large clearing. It almost reminded Mayne of the ancient Aztec temples on earth that he studied during his history lessons in school.
"We managed to lock the tracer in the Arbiters armour to this location; a temple constructed to worship the Forerunners. His tracer was destroyed shortly after."
"Do we know when they plan to execute him." Ajax asked from his position to the side.
"It has almost been three cycles since his capture, The Covenant declared that his execution will be at sundown, when the sky is most blood-red, on the third cycle." She replied, casting an eye at the ODSTs, "Which gives us, in your time-" She seemed to convert time in her head, "Ten hours."
Mayne placed his helmet on for a brief moment to check the time.
-1036-
Ten thirty-six. Shit, that only gives us until about eight pm. Mayne thought.
"I think we should deploy...Here." Hendricks pointed to a location roughly five klicks from the temple.
"A wise choice, Captain." Reesha commented. "If we come in low and quickly, the Covenant will not catch wind of us."
"Alright, its decided. Phoenix, start gearing up." Hendricks ordered.
"Sir!" Mayne and the other ODSTs replied. As Mayne now removed the field equipment necessary for the mission he overheard the Captain on the COMMS.
"Pelican three-niner, fall out of formation and join the Lich." He cut the connection shortly afterwards and busied himself by looking at the holographic map, still activated on the ground.
Mayne now pulled seven magazines for his Battle Rifle and placed them in small pouches on his waist. Usually in an operation such as this, things weren't meant to turn into an all-out firefight but through experience Mayne knew it was always better to be prepared for the worst. Next, although not the most required item was a few MRE energy bars. Mayne always had trouble eating right before an engagement but stashed a few MREs in his chest pouch in the case that he was out in the field for longer than expected and needed an energy boost.
Still knelt down at his bag, Mayne removed the combat knife from his its sheath upon his chest and inspected the blade for rust or chips in the stainless steel. This was completely unnecessary but to Mayne it was habit. Next it was the magnum at his side. He held it closely to his face as he inspected for any possible malfunctions before cocking the weapon, applying the safe and placing it back into its holster. In combat you never knew then your primary weapon would run dry and you had only the magnum to rely on. Although the small firearm won't do much harm to a shielded elite, it was better than nothing. Now satisfied with his equipment for the mission he began zipping his bag up but stopped as he saw the corner of the photo of Fireteam Chaos. He contemplated taking it with him but what if something happened and he damaged it or lost it. The thought was quickly shoved out of his mind.
To hell with it, you guys can come with me. He thought and placed the photo in his chest pouch along with the MREs.
Meanwhile, Reesha busied herself by preparing for the upcoming engagement. The female Sangheili Punched a few holographic keys on the Lich's armament compartment and a set of doors slid open to reveal a variety of carbines, plasma rifles, plasma pistols, plasma grenades and even the formidible Type-33 Fuel rod cannon. Reesha decided carefully for the next few moments on her choice of firearm. Jungle warfare was something Reesha found daunting, it was perfect for the enemy to ambush and take you completely by surprise. During the Human-Covenant war, she had been victim of such tactics. She was a major in charge of a team that was made up of three Sangheili, two Kig-Yar and four Unggoy. They were patrolling a section of jungle on the human world of Heian when they were ambushed by human soldiers. The firefight was brief and she was the only survivor of the slaughter, the rest of her team didn't know what hit them.
Coming to a decision, she picked up both a carbine and a plasma rifle. Usually she would choose only one primary weapon and a plasma pistol but in this situation, she would need the plasma rifle to cut through the dense brush and the carbine to use at range. She attached the blue, classic Sangheili rifle to her thigh and slung the carbine over her shoulder and clipped in to a hook on the back of her armour. It was then that a figure appeared beside her, well, two figures. The twins Rtada and Ido rummaged through the armoury looking for their prized possessions. Once they found the brightly patterned carbines they picked out a couple of plasma grenades as well. Ido attached two to his belt and then handed a pair to Reesha.
"You may want a couple of these Commander, just the sight of them will pull fear straight into the Covenents heart." He said. Reesha took the blue orbs and clipped them on as well.
"If we save the arbiter today, the Covenant will have more than our weapons to fear. Regaining the Arbiter will surely raise the hearts of the warriors." Reesha encouraged and both brothers growled in agreement. She then collected two plasma rifles from the stash and turned to face Diro who was lumbering towards them. She threw the rifles towards the hulking Sangheili and he caught them and clipped them to his thighs. He then picked out the largest of the weapons; the fuel rod cannon. Diro hefted the mighty weapon onto his shoulder and collected himself more than enough explosive projectiles to supply it.
After Reesha had armed herself she turned to observe the rest of the team. The Humans were quickly preparing themselves tightening armour or inspecting their weapons. While observing she found her gaze fall upon Mayne; the newest member of the Human squad. He was crouched by his bag containing his personal belongings and equipment looking at an item in his hand, like he was considering something. It was only a moment because he then placed the item into a pouch on his chest piece and stood up.
When Mayne turned about, she found herself drawn to the Human's green eyes. Not often did she find eyes appealing in Sangheili but the pair of eyes on this ODST made her want to draw closer to them. Maybe it was the colour, or maybe what she could see within them. Although the eyes were clouded with neutrality she could still see a sense of sadness behind them. A submerged pain that he obviously didn't want anyone to see.
"Can I help you Commander?" Mayne suddenly asked, seeming to catch her staring. The emotionless voice was so different to their conversation back on the Shadow of Intent and it made Reesha feel unnerved.
"Ah, no sorry. I was just caught up thinking about something, that is all." She said clumsily and Mayne lifted an eyebrow in what she interpreted as confusion. She almost breathed a sigh of relief when the Lich's COMMs crackled to life.
"Deployment is imminent!" The pilot declared and suddenly the room around her became a bustling mess. Mayne slammed the black helmet onto his head as did the other Humans. Ido and Rtada slipped their carbines over their shoulder and into their clawed hands. Diro loaded his fuel rod cannon and held it to his shoulder in a ready position and Reesha unclipped the plasma rifle from her thigh.
She clicked her mandibles in anticipation.
"I am sure that we can achieve this goal, Commander." Zek said reassuringly as he appeared beside her.
"We have not choice but to succeed, Major. Failure is not an option this far into the war." Reesha replied sharply.
They had to succeed in this mission, their fight against the Covenant was dependent upon the Arbiter's survival. The Humans seemed to know it too as the Captain spoke up.
"Ok Helljumpers, this mission is to be completed flawlessly, we cannot allow for the Arbiter to be executed. If he is, this whole war could be over and the Covenant will be free to strike Humanity again. That is not something we want anytime soon. Good luck out there troopers." The ODSTs all rounded off with "Sir!" And prepared to disembark.
"Drop site reached. May the Gods be with you!" The pilot called and the Lich's hatch lowered. Looking outside Reesha could see that they had found a small clearing that allowed the Lich to hover a few metres off the jungle floor. With a leap, Reesha landed with a roll and came to a combat stance, waiting to hear or see any sign of an enemy presence. Next came the Humans and then finally the other members of the Arbiter's Wrath. Alongside them landed the human dropship, the hatch lowered and human soldiers poured out, forming a defensive position in case of attack. Seeing no Covenant soldiers or bursts of plasma the group relaxed their stance but stayed weary.
Their first groundside mission of the operation had just begun.