He was the last of NOBLE.
Jorge and Carter had sacrificed themselves for the mission. Kat and Emile were victims of Six's incompetence. He should have checked for snipers or called out to Emile.
It was too late to beat himself up over it. He just hoped Jun was still alive to share their story.
He wasn't making it off this planet.
Noble Six was stranded on a newly glassed Reach, standing alone on a raised platform, staring at Covenant Banshees flying overhead. Phantoms and Spirits starting to drop troops at Aszod.
This would be his final stand. He had amassed a plethora of weapons. A DMR, grenade launcher, shotgun, a couple of magnums and an assault rifle
The Covenant could have Reach. Reach was lost the second the Covenant showed up with a damn army.
But Noble Six had a mission.
When those who killed him were asked how their invasion went, he wanted them to pause. To shiver in fear at the one they called a demon, to remember the pain of their brother's cries as they died at the hands of Six. To wake up in the middle of the night to the sight of one man single-handedly taking on an entire invasion force. Then, only then, would he fall to the Covenant.
Spartan B-312, a Hyper Lethal Vector Spartan, the personal grim reaper of ONI. All titles that were bestowed upon him by his superiors.
But to him, only one mattered.
Noble Six, the Lone Wolf of Noble.
He grimly thought of his first meeting with Noble Team as he started to engage the grunts, putting a bullet in their heads with his DMR.
The Warthog screeched to a stop. Noble Six got out of the Warthog and moved towards the building.
On the way, he saw a Spartan Ⅲ with a fistful of arrows tattooed on his face loading up a sniper rifle on the Falcon. He nodded to Six, who nodded back.
Noble Six reached the door and saw an intimidating Spartan Ⅲ with black armor and a skull carved onto his visor sharpening a kukri knife.
He took a step into the doorway only to be blocked by the light blue arm of a female Spartan Ⅲ.
"Commander." She stated, sizing him up.
Noble Six simply stared back, not betraying any emotion.
A dark blue Spartan Ⅲ and a massive yellow Spartan Ⅱ turned around taking in Noble Six.
"So that's our new Six." The Spartan Ⅱ said in a rumbling voice.
Noble Six nodded and took a step forward.
"Kat you read his file?" The black-armored Spartan said, pointing his knife at the gray spartan.
"Only the parts that weren't covered in black ink." The female Spartan, Kat replied.
The dark blue Spartan turned back to the screen, to a man Six recognized as Lieutenant Colonel Holland.
"Anyone claim responsibility, sir?" He asked.
"ONI thinks it might be the local Insurrection. Five months ago, they pulled a similar job on Harmony. Hit a relay to take out our eyes and ears, then stole two freighters from dry-dock. That cannot happen here. Reach is too damn important. I want that relay back online, Noble One." Holland replied.
"Sir. Consider it done." The Spartan replied confidently.
"Then I'll see you on the other side. Holland out." Holland said as he cut off the feed.
The black and yellow armored Spartans stood up, the blue one grabbed his helmet and turned around to address Six.
"Lieutenant" He simply said.
"Commander." Six said with a brief salute.
The other Spartans started moving about, readying themselves.
"I'm Carter, Noble Team's leader. That's Kat, Noble Two, Emile and Jorge, Four and Five. You're riding with me, Noble Six." Carter said, pointing the black one as Emile and the Spartan Ⅱ as Jorge.
Carter and Six exited the building, Carter putting on his helmet.
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Lieutenant. You're stepping into some shoes the rest of the squad would rather leave unfilled." The Noble leader said as the other three went into a Falcon.
"Me, I'm just happy to have Noble back up to full strength. Just one thing. I've seen your file. Even the parts the ONI censors didn't want me to. I'm glad to have your skillset, but we're a team. That lone wolf stuff stays behind. Clear?" Carter says, stopping in front of their Falcon with the Spartan from before on it.
"Sir." Six nods as Carter signals to the other Falcon to get airborne before hopping into the Falcon with reach.
The other Spartan nods at Six. "Name's Jun. Noble Three, I'm the sniper here. Welcome to Reach." He said in an accent Six recognized as one of South Asian descent.
Noble Six looks out the Falcon, looking at the mountain range, briefly wondering how he'd work on a team.
Turns out he would work pretty damn well.
But the Lone Wolf status would never escape him, he thought as he used the last round of his DMR on an Elite. He brought out his Magnum and shot a Jackal, bitterly thinking of Jorge.
"Damn it... So, it's gonna be like that." Jorge muttered, hitting the timer in frustration.
Six reloaded his magnum and DMR, looking at the older Spartan.
Well, I got good news and bad news. This bird took some fire and her thruster gimbal is toast. So the only way off this slag heap is gravity." Jorge says.
"And the good news?" Six asks.
"That was the good news." Jorge grimaces behind his mask.
"At current velocity, fifty-three seconds to endpoint." Dot states over the com.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." Jorge says as he removes his helmet and drops it to the floor.
"Bad news is, timer's fried. I'm gonna have to fire it manually." Jorge says.
"That's a one-way trip, Jorge." Six shot back.
"We all make it sooner or later. Better get going, Six, they're gonna need you down there. Listen, Reach has been good to me." Jorge says as he takes off his dog tags and places them in his hand.
"Time has come to return the favor. Don't deny me this." Jorge tells him as he lifts Six with the hand and carries him over to the shield.
"Tell 'em to make it count," Jorge says as he tosses Six off the ship, passing his dog tags to Six.
'Beautiful, ain't it. Someone should take a picture.' Six remembers the love Jorge had in his voice when they were in the SABER. Jorge died, thinking he had saved Reach.
Make it count, he thinks as he assassinates an Ultra.
Make it count he thinks, as he shrugs off a shot from a Needle Rifle, feeling the weight of Jorge's dog tags. His last words ringing like a mantra in Six's head.
Make it count he thinks as he thinks about Kat's demise to one such round.
"We've got movement. Multiple Covenant vehicles vacating the area...and they're in a hurry." Jun reports as Six was watching the back door.
"How often do you see the Covenant retreat for no reason?" Emile says, standing up.
He was right, Six thought, the Covenant don't retreat.
"Radiation flare! Big! Forty million roentgen!" Kat yells as Six widens his eyes imperceptibly.
Glassing beam.
"Just lost Holland. What's going on?" Carter says as he looks at Kat, while Six loads up.
"Get ready to run, sir." Six says to Carter's confusion.
"Atomic excitement scrambled the signal. Ninety million now!"
"Source?" Carter questions.
"Glassing beam sir, close if Kat's readings are right." Six says, glancing up.
"How close," Carter says, putting on his helmet.
The Spartans dropped to the ground as the explosion shattered the windows and pressure waves forced air into the building.
"That close!" Kat yells.
The Spartans scrambled to their feet, and Six paused for Kat as she picked up her helmet. The two got into the left elevator, Carter, Emile, and Jun on the right. Kat shut the elevator door and started it. The elevators raced down the building as Kat adorns her helmet.
"Our best option is a fallout bunker in Sublevel 2. Ninety-six meters northeast. We get orders from Holland, sir?" Kat says as she looks outside.
"We're being redeployed to Sword Base," Carter replies.
"Sword?! Covenant owns it now!" Jun yelled.
"Which is why they want us for a torch and burn op. Keep Dr. Halsey's excavation data from falling into enemy hands." Carter said, rushing out of their elevator, which had descended to the bunker floor first.
"If it hasn't already," Kat replies pessimistically as their elevator came to a halt.
Six and Kat raced out from their elevator as the other three entered the bunker's entrance.
"Maybe, but according to Holland, the Covenant are still hunting for something," Carter says as his group opened the bunker.
"When does he get off calling a demolition op Priority One-" Kat's sentence is cut off as a Needle Rifle round penetrated through her helmet, leaving a small hole on it. Kat dropped onto the floor, dead; Six tenderly holds her body, taking her holstered Magnum, and started to fire at the Phantom above them. The others provided cover fire, but the Phantom retreated. Six threw away the emptied pistol and hauled Kat's body into the bunker.
"Come on! Come on! Get in!" Carter said frantically.
"Let's go, come on!" Jun waved as he aimed his sniper at the opening, looking for Covenant.
Six gave one final tug, dragging Kat's body into the bunker. He laid Kat's body on the floor, sitting down beside her in frustration. As Emile closed the door, Jun in melancholy while what Six suspected was a sniffle escaped Carter.
August 26, 2552, 03:00 Hours
Climbing out of the bunker, Noble Team, led by Jun, took in the sight of the destroyed city. Kat's body was gently held in Six's hands, her head lolled back. Jun threw a signal flare to the ground, and waves as a Pelican slowly came into view for extraction. If Six took off Carter's helmet he knew he would find his face streaked with dried tears, silently shed for his oldest friend.
Six grimaced, he should have checked for a sniper, Covenant always performed clean up duty when they glass. Destroying cities wasn't enough for the bastards, they needed to kill each single 'vermin', be it man, woman, or child.
He handed Carter Kat's body, which he grimly accepted. Carter and Emile boarded the Pelican, while Jun and Six checked for civilians or Covenant forces before lifting off. Jun and Emile took a seat, Emile sharpening his kukri and Jun fiddling with his sniper.
Carter and Six remained standing, Kat's helmet on the floor.
Six grabbed at her collar, finding the dog tag before gently taking it off.
"Six?" Carter asked as he witnessed Six putting it in a pouch with another dog tag.
"A reminder, sir." Six says briefly before going to the cockpit, making sure the pilot knew where to go.
'I know we're losing! I just want to know if we've lost.' Six thinks of what Kat told Carter as he blew a Wraith to smithereens with his grenade launcher.
"We lost when the Covenant set their sites on Reach, Kat." He mumbles. He fell back into a crashed Pelican, reloading his grenade launcher before blowing up another Wraith.
He briefly turned back to Pelican, thinking of the one that had saved him and Emile barely an hour ago.
"Noble Leader, seek immediate medical attention." Dot said over the com.
"Noble Leader, please respond." Dot repeats as Six made his way to the cockpit, ducking to avoid being blasted by a Banshee.
In the troop bay of the Pelican, Six watched as Emile fired his Grenade Launcher at the two Banshees. Emile decided to concentrate his fire on a single Banshee. The grenade detonated close by, and the EMP disabled the Banshee, which swooped up and crashed into its wingmate. Both were taken out, but the Phantom remained, firing at the Pelican. Six reached the cockpit where Carter, in the pilot seat, tore off his helmet and threw it on to the Pelican's floor. Blood splatters cover the cockpit window as Six looked at his commander.
"Please respond, Sierra Two-Five-Nine. You are alarming me." Dot repeated as Carter sighs, turning to Six.
Six took in his appearance. His face is bloodied, and his armor is charred from plasma fire. "Not sure how long she's gonna stay together. Skies are jammed up anyways. Gotta get you off her, Lieutenant."
"Sir-" Six begins in protest.
"You don't wanna hear it. Get the Package to the Autumn." Carter orders as he reaches into his collar.
"...Done, sir." Six nods reluctantly.
"Not yet, it's not... Emile, go with him. It's a ground game now." Carter says as he thrusts his tags into Six's hands.
Six turned to Emile, pumping his left shoulder with his fist. Behind him, two more Banshees appear. " It's been an honor, sir."
"Likewise... I'll do what I can to draw their fire." Carter nods as Six made his way to the troop bay.
"Six." Six turns around to see Carter looking back at him. "That AI chose you... She made the right choice."
Six and Emile positioned at the Pelican's tail, ready to jump off. Holding the AI core, Six crouched down as Emile gripped the side of the Pelican. Carter counts down with his fingers.
"On my mark!" Carter yelled, holding up three fingers.
Two fingers.
One finger.
A closed fist.
"Mark!" Carter yells as the two jumped down from the Pelican landing in a canyon.
Six and Emile made quick work of the Covenant on the roads, taking the Mongoose to avoid the Scarabs they saw, and taking cover in the cave.
"Noble! You got a..." Carter trails off as a Scarab lumbers into view, "situation."
"Motherfucker... We can get past it, sir!" Emile says, taking his grenade launcher off his back.
A pregnant pause looms over the com, Banshee fire heard from Carter's channel.
"No, you can't. Not without help." Carter says.
"Sir, with what firepower." Six asks as the Scarab to start charging up.
"I've got the mass," Carter says as he draws the Scarab's attention with a couple of shots. The Scarab turns around and fires, missing Carter.
Six and Emile nod. "Solid copy. Hit 'em hard, boss." Emile says.
"You're on your own, Noble..." Carter says as he positions himself on a crash course to the Scarab. "Carter out."
The Pelican rams into the Scarab's side as it charges its main cannon again. The Scarab's side bursts into flames, explosions rocking within it. The Scarab stumbled down the cliff, and a loud explosion is heard by Six and Emile.
"Crevice to the east," Emile says as he taps Six's shoulder. "Let's go." Six nods as he readies his weapon, leaving behind the leader of Noble Team.
Six's visor takes another hit, shattering the view. Six grimaces taking off his helmet, his brown hair was disheveled and his light blue eyes alight with a cold fury.
"I completed the mission, sir. The AI is on the Autumn. All that's left is to slow them down." He grumbles, stabbing a Field Marshall with his tactical knife through the neck.
"Come and get some, bastards! I'll kill every last one of you, I'll make you regret the day you chose to invade this damn planet!" Six said in an emotionless yell as a group of seven Sangheili surrounded him.
"Emile gave his life so I could complete my mission. I can at least repay him by doing what he loved most." Six said, vengeance lacing his tone.
"Good to see you, Spartan. Catherine assured me I could count on you." Keyes said as the Pelican reached the landing pad.
"Not just me, sir." Six says as he hands Keyes the AI.
"They'll be remembered." Keyes nods.
Keyes turns back towards the Pelican but stops short as a massive shadow loomed in the sky. A CCS-class Battlecruiser split through the clouds, advancing towards the Pillar of Autumn.
"Cruiser, adjusting heading for the Autumn!| Noble Four, I need fire on that cruiser or we're not getting out of here! Do you copy?" Keyes says in his com.
" You'll have your window, sir," Emile replies.
"Bridge, this is the Captain. We have the Package. Returning to the Autumn, over." Keyes says to the Autumn crew.
"Copy that, over." A marine says.
A Phantom descended nearby and shot a barrage of plasma bolts from its forward turret at the two Pelicans. The Pelican escorting Keyes' Pelican is shot down and collapsed onto the platform Noble Six is standing on. Six leaped away from the burning wreck as Keyes' Pelican takes off, becoming airborne. Six readies his weapon and turns as the Phantom flies overhead towards the mass driver, but is forced to duck as the starboard door gunner fires a barrage of plasma at him. The Phantom dropped off a Zealot by the mass driver.
Six went to warn Emile but the turret hits him, dropping his shield, forcing him to find cover.
Six hears Emile yell in surprise over the com. The Zealot raises its Energy Sword but was knocked off its feet by a shotgun blast and dropped it, falling onto its back to the deck. Emile stands, raises his shotgun, and fires again point-blank into the fallen Zealot's chest, killing it.
" Who's next?!" Emile says as Six can see a second Zealot approaching behind him.
Before he can do anything, the second Zealot impales Emile from behind with an Energy Sword, then pulls the Spartan off the blade, holding Emile by the throat.
"I'm ready! How 'bout you?!" Somehow still alive, Emile pulls out his kukri from his shoulder pauldron sheath and stabs the Zealot in the throat. The dying Zealot falls, dragging Emile with it. Keyes' Pelican returns to Platform Delta.
"Lieutenant, get on board! We gotta get the hell out of here!" A marine says.
"Negative. I have the gun." Six says, turning back to the mass driver.
"Good luck, sir." Six says as he kills a couple of grunts he sees with his Magnum.
Keyes nods, albeit reluctantly. The Pelican starts to take off to the Autumn. "...Good luck to you, Spartan."
A Sangheili Ultra charged at the Spartan, firing a plasma rifle. Noble Six killed it with an assault rifle, riddling the Ultra's face with holes as it fell lifeless to the ground. A Sangheili General struck him from behind with an Energy Sword, slashing through Six's shields. Six knocks it to the ground and kills it with a pistol to the cranium. Six gets hit by a barrage of plasma from the other Sangheli. Six winces, bleeding, and in pain but still resists. Holding the Assault Rifle at the hip in the right hand and the pistol in the left, he continued to fire, killing a Sangheili Minor and Major before another Ultra knocks Six to the ground.
A Sangheili Zealot appears with an Energy Sword and prepares to kill the downed Noble Six. The Spartan kicks the Ultra away and knocks the Energy Sword out of the Zealot's hand. The Ultra pounces on him again. Noble Six manages to elbow the Ultra in the jaw taking his energy dagger and slicing the Ultra before throwing it at the Zealot.
Six looked up, wiping his mouth of blood before looking at the last member. A Spec Ops. Six was fucked
The Spec Ops hits Six, who's armor beeps in protest as the biometer displayed his injuries. The Spec Ops's sword is lit, aimed at Six's chest.
"Demon... you have fought with great honor and skill. By yourself you held this invading force, you are well deserving of your title Demon." The Sangheili rumbles.
"Go... to... hell... bastard." Six wheezes out.
"Any last words?" The Sangheili asks as he raises his sword.
Six wheezes, taking his dog tags out, before taking the rest of Nobles tags out. He held them by the tag themselves, nodding at the honor driven warrior.
"Jorge-052." The big, lumbering Spartan with an even bigger heart.
"Catherine-B320." The sassy, intelligent brain of Noble team.
"Carter-A259." The steadfast rock that held everyone together, no matter what they were going through.
"Emile-A239." The force of nature, who's very face inspired fear in enemies and allies alike, but hope in his friends.
"And Six-B312." Six smiled, as he remembered upon his ONI days. He never got to know his name given to his parents, all he knew is that he was born in Damask, Jericho VⅡ. Not his name, or even his birthday, although medical reports listed him as Twenty-One.
But here on Reach, he became Six. He found a family here with Noble. The Hyper Lethal Vector took no issues with his death here. He left it all here on Reach, he just hoped Keyes could turn the tide of the war with that AI.
"One… last thing… spare this area… from being glassed again…someone… needs to… find my corpse…" Six pleaded.
"To honor you?" The Spec ops asked.
"No… to…remember us...to remember… Reach."
As the Sangheili nodded, he closed his eyes in acceptance.
The worst part about being a Lone Wolf was that when the wolf finally died, it wouldn't be around its family and friends; the people the wolf cares about.
It would be surrounded by its enemies.