ONI: Sword Base
Sword Base, Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz
July 26, 2552, 11:26 Hours
Noble Team has been called in for an emergency. Sword base is under attack, and Holland has informed Noble to help defend and retake if necessary. "Quite the change of plans huh commander?" Kat said sarcastically. Carter scoffed a bit. "Whatever we were supposed to do doesn't matter now, this is an ONI directive." Sword base came in on coms after Carter finished up his little chat.
"Be advised, Kilo-Three-Three and Kilo-Three-Four, your current LZ is too hot."
"Roger that. Dot, standby to receive and respond." Carter responded back. Auntie Dot, also known simply as Dot, is a UNSC "Dumb" AI construct. She monitors and assists Noble Team during the battle and kept the team's members connected while they embark on separate missions. She observes the team through security cameras and satellites over Reach. Dot's personal representation is a grid of glowing, constantly changing blue lights, rather than using a human figure type representation. She typically speaks in a calm and articulate voice with a British accent.
The Falcons pass a large island. A SDV-class heavy corvette holding position comes into view, and Six doesn't like the look of this. He begins to wonder what Thaya is doing through all of this. Is she in charge of the assault? Will they have to fight to the death?
Dot comes into coms to respond to the commander. "Yes, Commander... Coordinates received. Initiate immediate course correction. The Office of Naval Intelligence Sword Base is presently under siege from a corvette-class Covenant vessel. Due to the sensitive nature of this facility, use of orbital rounds has been, for the moment, prohibited. Regrettably, my efforts to obtain relevant data on enemy forces have been unsuccessful. However, current defensive forces are insufficient. ONI has requested Team Noble's direct intervention to help secure Sword Base."
"Alright, people, we're stuck with that ship for the time being. Let's focus on the hostile infantry - give those troopers a hand." Carter says to his team.
Covenant ground forces engage UNSC Army troopers as the Falcons fly overhead. Six was equipped with all he could bring. Sword, magnum, DMR, Assault rifle, frags, and a drop shield. All set and ready for the upcoming battle.
"Kat, Six - you're out here. Jorge, Emile - you're next, get prepped." Carter ordered. The falcons lowered and Six didn't hesitate to jump out and begin a steady stream of fire from his assault rifle into the grunt troops up ahead. Emile scoffed and said under his breath into coms. "Show off."
"Lock it up Emile. Battle is just getting started for them." Carter retorted.
"Let's move, Lieutenant." Kat ordered as they already began to push, with the marines following a more cautious lead.
"Kat, Six: push back the attack on Sword Base, find out what we're dealing with." Carter ordered as Kat and Six laid down heavy fire onto the covenant forces of Jackals, Elite minors, and grunts ranging from heavy armored to normal ground troop.
"Roger that. We're your strike team." She responded back. Kat, Six, and a few troopers engage and eliminate some Covenant troops on an upper walkway, with Six taking point. So far, everything seemed nice and easy.
"Spartans, hostiles north." Came a voice into coms. It was sword base control. "Roger that." Six said as he pressed forwards and indeed saw elite major squads leading a shit ton of troops.
"Let's knock some heads, Lieutenant!" She said with excitement in her voice. Six chuckled as he swapped to his DMR and let his marksmanship do the rest of the talking. Kat, Six, and the Marines they protected on landing were laying into the covenant forces. Kat hurled a grenade into a crowd of grunts and jackals. When the Boom went off, you were met with a beautiful display of blue and purple thrown about. A painter's dream. "Reloading, cover me." Six said as he reloaded his DMR as well as his Assault rifle. He had a bad tendency to switch weapons instead of reloading, which could be bad in a clutch situation. Six got back up from his high spot of the catwalk and pushed left as he cracked the skulls of the covie forces. Kat stayed on ground with the marines behind her.
Sword control came in again with a heads up. "You got three new contacts, Spartans." The ground team got aggro into clearing the courtyard. The two Spartans began to synch with their targets rather well, with Six picking off the elites that Kat drains, and Six taking out anything that even looks at Kat. The Spartans mop up, regroup, and head down a ramp, where they engage several Skirmishers.
"Heads up Kat, don't need you to lose another arm." Six said as he chucked a grenade right into the big mix of them. "You are on thin ice Six. I still don't know why you put me in bed that other night. What are we buddy buddy ir something?" Some of the Skirmishers managed to dash away, but Six and Kat already began to fire into the skirmishers. *BOOM* "Haha! You aren't faster than shrapnel you little bastards! Come in Kat let's take the rest out." She did just that, but got annoyed at him dodging the question.
"Don't brush that over your shoulder soldier. Answer me!" She demanded, but Six could tell from her tone that she may very well have appreciated the gesture. "You needed the rest Kat, you were up all night working on that damn thing. We are a team, teams help each other out no matter the problem; big or small."
The enemy forces were cleared out, and the Marines followed behind Six as he walked over towards a little gate/checkpoint looking place. "I guess you'll get off free on that one. I just needed to hear it. Thank you Six. Let's do this." Six smiled and nodded. "Roger Noble Two."
"Noble Two to Sword Control: courtyard is clear, over."
"Head to the main gate to the east, I'll brief you as you go." The two Spartans followed instruction and went to enter the main gate, coming across several ordnance packs.
"Sword Control, I see a Target Locator. Any artillery support in the area?" Kat asked with a bit of glee in her voice.
"Limited, but we'll prioritize whatever you need, ma'am." Six hauled over to grab some ammo for his weapons as well as some more grenades. Kat went over to the target locator and reached out for it, but hesitated and reeled back. "Something wrong Kat?"
"You take it Six. I won't be able to control myself. I like explosions." She was a bit disappointed that she couldn't use it, but overall she would be glad to see the explosions that follow. Six wanted to be a dick and follow up with a comment on her arm, but he decided to hold back. He went over and grabbed the locator, putting it on his left thigh piece. 'These magnets in the armor are a godsend.' he thought to himself.
Grabbing all that they needed, the ground team headed out of the main gate and were met with with imminent danger. The Covenant Corvette above them opens fire on the base. Upon focusing back forward, Six and Kat were met with a damaged M831 Troop Transport. It is seen attempting to escape from two enemy Wraiths.
"Three Echo Five-Seven heading back to base, but we got enemy tangos on our six. How copy?" Came into coms, but Kat and Six couldn't react. The troops behind them began to freak over the tie between both the wraiths and the corvette above them. The Warthog, frantically trying to dodge and avoid the danger, is soon destroyed by one of the Wraiths. "Shit! We are done for man! Done for!"
Six's instincts started going haywire as he saw the wraiths get into position, and the soldiers freaking out behind him, all in a big cluster wasn't helping things. "Kat! To me!" Six yelled as he went towards the marines all grouped up. "What? Are you crazy? Those wraiths are taking aim on-"
"NOW! MOVE IT!" He shouted as he put his DMR on his back and equipped the target locator. She didn't argue anymore hearing how serious he was. She sprinted over to his location and the hailstorm of plasma shot out, hurling their way over to them. Six raised his arms, getting into a proper stance to activate his ability. The marines screamed and covered their faces as the wraith shots came in. His back piece glowed blue as he shot both his arms down and a giant blue bubble appeared over their entire group, ending with explosions hitting the shell. Six wasted no time in running out as fast as he could and aiming the locator straight at one of the wraiths. The wraiths drove in close and rained down heavy fire onto his shield, but it stayed strong for his comrades as he marked the wraiths with a laser.
"Targets marked, firing for effect." The locator said out it's little speakers. Soon enough, a maelstrom of rockets hailed down from the skies, turning the wraiths into nothing but flaming hunks of metal.
"Outstanding! That's how it's done Six!" Kat shouted as she watched his performance. The shield came down and the Marines began to calm down, with some laughing maniacally and others seeming to return to normal, happy to be alive. Six's heart was beating fast as he put the locator back on his thigh. He grasped his chest and tried to relax his panicked breathing. Kat came over and patted his back. "Everything good Six?"
"I'm fine Kat. I was just a little worried my plan wouldn't work is all." He said regaining his composure.
"Well, it worked. You saved those marines and got me out of a serious mess. I'm glad I let you have that thing. You are quick to think on your feet that's for sure. Come on. Pelican inbound with transport." She said back to him. Indeed there was a Pelican, seen coming towards them with a Warthog. It touched down and dropped the warthog, while the marines embarked it. One marine stood up while it was about to take off and shouted. "Spartans! Thank you!" he waved as the door closed and it took off. Moments later, sword control came into the coms.
"The old Farragut Station has its own comms array. That should bring us back online with Command. Airview Base has an anti-air battery that will help clear the skies."
"AA gun is to the west, comms array to the east. Let's roll." Six hopped into the driver side and Kat got on the machine gun. The then took off, with Six choosing to go west and activate the AA gun first. Kat commented on this, "I agree, go for the gun."
Six felt that something was a bit off, but it was a very tiny hunch so he paid no attention to it. Little did he know, that aboard another Corvette a few systems away, Thaya 'Vadam was watching his every move. A new Field Marshal, Iro 'Ronam, was in charge of the assault at Sword Base. When she heard that demons were inbound, she decided to get eyes on using a personal stealth drone. It was a bit new in the tech department, so there were very few available for use. Being the rank of Field Marshal however, granted her use of it. This would be a valuable tool for herself, as she could spy on Six, her troops, and even the prophets without them knowing.
Thaya observed the starting attacks of Sword base. Elites, jackals, and grunts attacking the personal there. They were, indeed, killing unarmed innocent people as they ran while the marines intercepted. Once Noble Team arrived, all that was left in the area was the marines, and the covenant. Most or the civilians were able to evacuate, but it doesn't excuse the blood that has been spilt. She proceeded to watch as Six advanced through the courtyards and easily took it over with the help or the light blue Spartan with the robotic arm.
"Why does his words hurt me so… could all that he said really be true?" She then watched something astonishing happen. When they were under attack by wraiths, the marines were afraid for their lives. It's corvette began to attack the base and in the midst of a dire situation, Six ran over and placed out a shield to protect his friends. When she heard him scream, it was almost like she was there. It echoed through her mind, bouncing off her eardrums as she watched him valiantly take out the two wraiths like it was nothing. After a few moments, he and the other female Spartan set off to take back a key point to their battle.
After heading further west, Six and Kat are engaged by Covenant forces. "I'm picking up a power source, we're close to the AA gun." Once they made it to the base, they found that it had been completely over run by covenant. "Contacts!" Kat shouts. Six drives around making gun runs with Kat on the back. Six ran over an Elite ultra and some grunts while making his run.
"That's the gun over there. Should be a reset control somewhere - get it online."
"Roger, let's clear this place out first." He said as she continued to mow down the covenant. Thaya continued to watch as the warriors continued to blow through their forces as if they were nothing. Elites with jump packs were shot from the sky by Six's pistol, all while he was driving. Anything that moved got ran over or lit up by Kat.
"Demons… they really are weapons. Created from the anger and hatred to the covenant for what we have done to the humans." She muttered to herself as she continued to watch intently. After eliminating the Covenant in the area, Noble Six heads into the two-floored building next to the AA gun. He finds the reset control on the roof of the building tucked into a little corner, and activates it. The AA gun immediately opens fire on the Banshees and Covenant dropships around the Corvette.
"That did it, Six. AA gun is online." Kat said. Sword control came in and responded. "Nice work, Spartans. Get to Farragut Station and get that comms array up and running." Six nodded as he holstered his pistol and looked down at Kat in her hog. Kat pointed up into the sky and Six followed it so see a pelican. The Pelican delivers a Gauss Warthog, facing the very direction they should head to get to the comms relay. Kat got even more excited upon seeing
"Spartans, this is Sword Control. Thought you could use some mobile firepower."
"Always. Let's take it, Six." She commented, wasting no time in hopping in the gauss turret.
The Spartans head toward the comms array, encountering various Covenant troops on the way. They were easily dispatched thanks to the gauss turret. "We need to get that comms array online." Kat said as she continued to shred the enemy forces. Six punched it as hard as he could and eventually, saw that the station was in sight.
"Hope that comms array has a working generator." Kat commented. "Shouldn't be a problem with you around Noble Two." Six retorted. Kat laughed and followed him up. "How flattering Six. Come on, let's take out these covie bastards." The station was indeed occupied by Covenant forces, including a Revenant. This wasn't a problem as Six zoomed out of range from its cannon and Kat easily placed a gauss round into the skull of the poor elite driving the revenant. As Kat mowed into the enemy forces, Six did a u-turn and made his way over to a little shack of sorts.
"Cover my six, I am gonna check for that generator you mentioned." He said as he hopped out with his magnum at the ready. He had to make things, "speedy" in order to he completely satisfied. "Don't worry, I have you covered." Kat said, with hints of glee coming from the coms as she released the gauss rounds right into the covenant.
"Let's search for a generator switch." He said to himself as he went around the building, swiftly dispatching the grunts stationed there. The elite that commanded them was nowhere to be seen, but it was highly assumed that Kat obliterated it. Six searches the buildings, eventually finding the switch tucked into a little corner, and activates the generator.
"Okay, generator is up and running. Find that comms array, should be in the building over there." Kat said over coms. "Roger, I'm jumping over, get into a good covering position." Six responded as he ran out and took a big leap off the balcony, landing and creating a small crater as his shields flickered. He almost lost all of them from the impact.
Kat hopped off the turret and quickly got into the driver seat. Doing as he said, she drove smack into the main sightline and hopped right back onto the turret to rain down gauss rounds into the poor covenant at the end of the hogs wrath. Six ran towards the building with his pistol drawn, firing into the skulls of any grunt or skirmisher in his way. The streams of blue and purple mixed well, with the crisp air of reach flowing through six as he reloaded his magnum. To Kat, he seemed like a pitch black blur that would randomly cause surrounding enemies to drop dead.
Six wasted no time in hauling ass upstairs to find the comms. It didn't take long, as he soon finds the comms array at the very rooftop and activates it.
"Got it Kat! Comms relay is up!" he shouted as sweat rolled down his cheek. The air, the dirt, and the blood of reach all continued into a single drop as it continued to roll down until he could no longer feel it. There were so many things welling up in his mind he could barely focus. He did it though, that's all that mattered. Just another day for the reaper.
"Proper Job Six. All clear." She said back with audible exhaustion. He was about to make a comment until their commander came on the horn.
"Noble Strike, this is Noble Leader. Get back to Sword Base ASAP."
"On our way, Commander. Six, let's go." Six looked around at the carnage while he was on the rooftop. He breathed softly as he slowly looked up at the carrier. 'Thaya, I hope you aren't responsible for this.' He thought to himself as he went down the stairs of the building, double timing it to get to the warthog.
Thaya saw how he looked up at that carrier, and she felt a shred of guilt tear from her. As she continued watching, an ultra walked into her room, pressing his fist to his chest and bowing. She looked over and nodded to him. "What is it Rtaha? Something wrong?" She asked as she shifted her camera elsewhere on the battlefield. Rtaha was an experienced veteran in the covenant, and served as her own personal bodyguard. He was older than most, minus those who are locked in the council. "No elder sister, I was simply checking on you. You have been locked in here for a while. What ails you?" Thaya sighed as she responded. "I told you not to call me that, you know very well that you are far older and wiser than I. Our ranks may differ, but you had time as your ally…" she trailed off and looked away from the Ultra. He chuckled at her and shook his head. "You may be right, but who is to say it's not yours as well? And don't tell me you are still thinking that others look down on you simply because of your sex."
"It won't simply escape my mind Rtaha, I can see the looks of others and tell exactly what they think of me. It annoys me. It gets even worse when you have a male like Iro trying to impress you in order to mate. I do not wish to mate with anyone. I will remain an abstinent warrior until death." She argued slamming a fist on her desk.
"If that is your wish then make it so, Field Marshal. No one would blame you. You are a fearsome and strong warrior. The prophets were not angered by your return, so this means that they have full trust in you. They understood your reasoning for retreat, and that in itself is something to celebrate for."
'Great… as if I wanted their trust. Treacherous creatures. If Six was right, they are not to be trusted.' She thought to herself. She keeps using "If he is right" in order to assure herself that she hasn't decided on her stance completely, but from what she is seeing so far, he could be right. We could be the monsters in all of this. "I thank you Rtaha. I needed that." He did the same gesture as before.
"Question Marshal, if you'll allow me to ask." He kept his bow as he asked as a form of respect. "Of course. What is it?" He situated himself back upright and looked at her dead in the eye. "Do you feel hatred welling up? Do you wish to enact vengeance upon the demon that killed your brothers in arms? You might not get the chance if Iro is leading the attack."
"Bold of you to assume that the demon will go down so easily. I doubt even the likes of Iro will take him down." Rtaha seemed disgruntled by the response, but was not gonna feed into it any more. "Thank you for your time sister. I'll leave you to it." She waved him off as her camera focused back onto Six, who was rushing out the building and into the warthog.
"Good work, Spartans. Return to Sword Base, the rest of your team is inbound, imminent."
Said sword control as Six hopped in and drove off, making his way back to base.
"Noble, be advised: Covenant corvette moving into position. Kat, Six, get here quick. We need you inside." Ordered Carter, causing Six to punch it as he drove his way over to the main gate. When he arrived back at the gate,he was shocked to find it under attack by several Covenant forces, including more Revenants.
"Damn! Kat, take an out! I want their vehicles to be reduced to ash!" Six yelled as he ran over a few grunts. He continued to drive around in a small circle at the front while Kat focused on the revenants. "Nothing but bits!" She shouted as she reduced the revenants to nothingness. The gauss hog was the biggest help for them right now. He parked Kat so she could cover fire on the remaining forces while he rushed out to open the gate.
"We're stalled in the tower atrium. Kat, where are you?" Jun asked over the coms. His seemed to rush out his words, which meant he was probably swarmed.
"Opening the gate now." Kat said as Six pressed the control to open it up. Kat hopped off the turret and ran to the gate with Six watching her back. Once inside, Kat and Six head back up the courtyard, which is once again occupied by the Covenant forces accompanied by the Corvette above. "Let's get this done quickly Kat." Six said as he holstered his pistol and pulled out his DMR. Kat loaded up her assault rifle and charged forward with Six, firing at the ground forces. It wasn't anything to unusual; simple grunts, jackals, some elite minors, and some skirmishers. The ballistics began to pop off from the Spartans as they laid into the enemy forces. "Reloading." Six said as he ducked into cover with Kat giving support. He reached into his pouch and realized that this was his last DMR mag, and he would have to use his assault rifle. "Damn, swap up." He said to Kat, switching his DMR on his back for his assault rifle. She then ducked behind her barricade and reloaded her weapon as Six tore into the shields of an Elite. "I'm set." She said popping up and firing. "Let's push into the building." Six said, rushing forward with guns blazing. He neared the Elite as it roared out in anger from Kat dispatching his brother. Six swiftly took his assault rifle and bashed his head with it, doing a drive by swing of sorts. Kat, right behind him, laid some fire into the face of the dazed split lip.
"Damn freaks, why do we have so many in our way?" She asked all snarky as they made it into the building. They went in and found a few troopers under attack from more Covenant troops, including a Mgalekgolo pair. "Oh shit, Hunters Six! Let's take em out before they kill those marines!" The marines ran and screamed as they fired at the hunters, for them to simply block their bullets and fire their bright green tractor cannons at them. "Cover fire! I got them!" Six put his rifle on his back and pulled out his sword, activating it and rushing towards them. They shielded themselves from the gun fire, grunting at each other from the incoming spartan.
Time seemed to slow as Six neered a Hunter. The hunter no longer shielded it's body, and swung his shield like a weapon at Six. With time seemingly slowed for him, he spun to his left and dragged his blade across the chest area of the hunter. It's orange blood spilled out as he jumped up and sliced right across the head area of it, taking it's "head" clean off. With one down, the hunter rushed towards Six, but the marines and Kat pushed forwards and fried at it with all they had. They now alone Hunter didn't know what to do being completely outnumbered. He took to backing up and shielding himself from the incoming bullets as he charged up his weapon.
"I'm gonna rush him! Keep firing and don't worry about hitting me!" Six yelled out. His allies were confused by what he meant until he ran right into their sightline, causing some of the bullets to hit his shield. The marines wanted to stop, but couldn't after hearing his order. "Keep firing!" His shields tanked it for as long as they could before eventually, his shields broke as he got right in front of the shield. "Oh shit, it's gonna fire! Take cover!" Kat screamed. The marines and Kat dispersed from the upcoming shot about to come from the hunter, but Six ran up, jumped up and behind the hunter using his shield like a trampoline, and brought his sword down in a straight line right into its exposed back.
The hunter went down while firing his cannon at the ceiling, causing Six to get launched back and hitting the wall. "Shit! Six you alright!?" Kat came running over to Six after he fell from the wall with a loud thud, the dust from the concrete filling his helmet and lungs. There was a big imprint of the Spartans armor on the wall from the impact of such inertial force. That hunter arm cannon was not to be trifled with. While Kat checked up on Six, the marines cheered as they fired some of their rounds into the head of the hunter he had just hacked. It's orange blood painting the ground with such a remarkable color.
As Six's eyes opened back up, all he could see was the bright light attached to the ceiling, and a shadow figure kneeling over top of him. His HUD had red bars showing across the top, which was most likely a bad sign. "Six, speak to me. Are you okay?" Six groaned, eventually answering the voice. "Yeah, just help me up."
Six sat back up after hearing Noble Two's voice and she acted as a stabilizer while he got back on his feet. "Easy Six, that probably knocked something around that shouldn't have been moved. Just take a sec, then we gotta get moving." She said as she then proceeded to point at the marines and order them to load up on the elevator. He stretched out and got his bearings as he walked over to where the dead hunter was. He the began to look around confused as to where his sword went. "Sir? You dropped this." a marine said from behind him. He was a younger man, seeming to have just turned into an adult. 'How could they allow people so young to serve? Are we that desperate for help?' He thought to himself. He reached out and grabbed the sword from the marine, which had been deactivated upon him getting sent flying. "Thank you soldier. You did a good job. Thanks for listening. My plans may be reckless, but they have a good point." He said with the marine nervously chuckling. "Nah, thanks for the assist Spartan. We probably wouldn't have made it without you two."
Six shook his head. He hated hearing people say that. "No, you would have been fine. It was simply an assist. Don't doubt your skills nor your teammates. Come on, regroup with your men." The marine nodded and headed off, with Six following behind.
"Let's get to the atrium, we have to go through the elevator, Lieutenant. Take it." Kat said as all of the soldiers stacked into the elevator. Six walked in and pressed the button, closing the door and sending them up. Six put his sword on his belt and pulled his assault rifle back out. "I'm surprised that these weapons didn't break from such an impact."
"They make em ready for just about anything. Minus plasma damage. Can't do much about that." Kat retorted, with Six following her up with, "Unfortunately." As they went up, the elevator began to shake after hearing a loud explosion go off. Emile came through the radio after the rumbling settled. "Corvette's hittin' this base hard."
"Where's our orbital support? Got to be four platforms that could take it out with a single MAC round." Kat asked, shifting her stance to single leg as she began to analyze the situation. When she turned around, she caught a marine staring at her, and began to wonder why he kept staring. It was the same young soldier that handed the sword to Six. She followed his gaze and eventually put the pieces together. "It's the arm isn't it? Don't worry, won't be a liability." She said as she reloaded her assault rifle. The marine was afraid to say anything, feeling as if he had insulted her.
The elevator soon reaches the security office, Kat and Noble Six are immediately engaged by Covenant forces. "Damn, will we ever catch a break?!" Kat yelled as the marines, Six, and herself stepped out and engaged the enemies. "Suppose not. Heads up, frag out." Six said as he chucked a frag nade into a group of covenant forces. With the boom sounding off, it didn't take long to dispatch of the remaining squads due to having back up. The gunfire from within their level began to quiet down as the enemies cleared out. The P.A. then chimed in.
"WELCOME TO THE OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. AN ONI REPRESENTATIVE WILL MEET YOU SHORTLY."
"I doubt that very much." Kat said with her snarky and sarcastic attitude. Six went over to a door where lots of gunfire was heard coming from behind it, and the door scanned him.
"THANK YOU, LIEUTENANT. YOU HAVE BEEN CLEARED FOR ACCESS."
Kat, Six, and the marines soon move into a multi-level room with guns drawn, where Noble One, Three, and Five are engaging Covenant troops. "Enemy focusing fire! Take them out!" Shouted Carter. Kat and the Marines formed up on Carter and laid fire into the covenant forces.
"Hold it! Everybody, move up!" Jorge shouted, taking the front position and acting like the tank that he is. The sounds of the metal cases clinked against the ground as the Jorge rained lead into the enemies. The smell of gunpowder began to overtake the room.
"Six, head upstairs and assist Emile. Jorge, make sure he gets there." Order Carter as he, Jun, and Kat fired onto the vast amount of covenant in the atrium. The marines took cover and supported the Spartans. "Depend on it." Replied Jorge as he lead the charge up the steps with Six following behind. Six and Jorge make their way upstairs, engaging various Covenant forces as they go, saving and recruiting marines on their trek. Grunts would yell and shriek upon seeing them and some minor's lost their composure as they chucked their plasma nades at them. "Grenade! Watch out!" A marine shouted as they rolled away from the blast radius.
"Ultra, up ahead. Heads up Jorge." Six said as he chucked another frag into the doorway. The frag exploded and caused the ultra to roll out and into the sightlines of Jorge and the Marines. They the proceeded to shred into the Elite and let his purple blood spray into the walls of Sword base. The base began to shake yet again.
"Corvette's gonna eat this base apart. What's the situation, Noble?" Said sword control through the radio. Emile responded, with grit teeth and audible distress in his voice. "Can't do this on my own! Need another Spartan up here!"
"Six, get to the top floor and assist Emile." Carter ordered. His voice was so stern it almost scared him. "I'm on my way!" Six shouted as he and Jorge double times it up the various ramps. The marines were struggling to keep up with them as they ran through guns blazing. Jorge and Six eventually make it up to the upper floor, but he could tell that the top floor would be almost non-existent. Their current floor was in ruins from the explosion, so above them where Emile is must be a whole lot worse. Making it across the final walkway, the Spartans were met with a Sangheili General with a concussion rifle. "I got him!" Shouted Jorge as he bolstered up and began to unleash hell on the elite. The elite fired his concussion rifle back, yet it didn't seem to face Jorge as his shields lit up. He kept his ground like an immovable object while Six lobbed a sticky grenade he got from a grunt into the area. The grenade landed close, and it exploded the general's shields off. He then pulled out his rifle and shot right into the skull of the elite with Emile. The sound this elite made was almost haunting as blood gurgled in his throat. "Nice job Spartan. Let's get a move on." said Jorge as his shields regenerated. Now out of ammo, Six put his assault rifle back on his back and pulled out his magnum. He had one mag for the DMR and two for the pistol, then he would be spent. "Use it wisely." He said to himself.
"Commander, this base won't survive another salvo from that corvette. Kill those Banshees!" Sword control said, shouting out into the coms.
"Upstairs, Lieutenant. We need those Longswords in the air." Carter followed. Six didn't argue as he goes through a doorway to the top floor, where there is a massive hole in the building. The Covenant corvette is holding position just outside. Six looked up and saw Emile on a ledge, shooting a rocket launcher at a banshee as it passes.
"About time." He said relieved, yet sarcastically enough. "Open fire boys!" Jorge shouted. Noble Four, Five, Six, and other marine troopers engage several Banshees, including an incoming Phantom, which drops off a pair of Sangheili who were cloaked.
"Noble Six, watch down low." Emile told to Six. Six reacted by quickly reaching for his sword, activating it, and slicing at what seemed to be thin air. Not a second later, a spec ops elite uncloaked, holding his throat and falling to the ground choking. Six began to fire at the second elites location using the magnum in his left hand. It's shields gave away it's position long enough for Jorge to lay into it. Eventually during his charge, his shields stopped protecting him and he started to fill up his chest with holes. "Down you go" Jorge said as he ran over and kicked it down.
"Are you havin' fun yet?" Emile said playfully as the marines and the Spartans dispatched the rest of the ground forces. "More tangos coming in!" Emile shouted, following it up with "Burn that banshee!" Six put his weapons away and rushed over to an armory box that contained a rocket launcher and it's assorted ammo. While Jorge and the Marines focused fire on the banshees, Six and Emile loaded up on rockets, locked on, and fired their rockets at them. "Dispatched with ease." Six snorted. They then locked on and fired their remaining rockets at the phantom hovering in front of them. The oncoming explosion was one filled with beautiful colors of red flames and blue plasma explosions. "Boom! Hahahaha! I live that part!" The Covenant air and ground troops are soon eliminated by Noble and the Marines.
"Yeah, clear. That's the way we get it done, Spartan!" Emile shouted into the Coms, throwing his rocket launcher down to the ground. Six did the same, albeit a lot more gently then him.
"Noble Team, Longswords are inbound and ready to push. Orbital defense is standing by to take the shot."
Six walked over towards the ledge to get a good view of this. Two Longswords fly towards the corvette, which is attempting to flee. Noble Six watches as the Longswords follow the corvette for a distance, but soon break off. A MAC round suddenly penetrates the corvette from above. Its engines flicker, and it loses altitude. "Down you go… I'll see you in hell." Six remarked. Emile hopped down and left the top floor while Jorge emerges from the shadows, approaching Six.
"Beautiful, ain't it? Someone should take a picture." The corvette crashes into the lake as they look onto the scene. "It will be forever painted into my mind." Six added. He looked at the top of his visor and saw that his conditions were at a reddish orange. His vitals were not good whatsoever, but he pressed on anyway, not telling anyone a thing.
"Nice work, by the way." He nudged Six, and a big old smile came across Six's face. It was hidden under his visor, but Jorge could sense it. "I aim to please." Six said, soon being interrupted by their commander.
"Five, Six... Get down to the science wing. Doctor Halsey wants a debrief, and Command's saying we're all hers."
"Repeat? Sounded like you said 'Halsey'." The way Jorge said this, it reminded Six of someone who was about to meet a family member they haven't seen in a long time. Too bad he couldn't relate to such a feeling.
"I did." Carter said back to him, a bit annoyed.
"Copy that, on our way." He and Six began their trek, and Jorge looked over to Six. "Don't need Command to tell me... Been all hers half me life." As Jorge and Six walk away, the corvette is shown in the background sinking into the lake.
Thaya turned her camera off with a sigh, taking her helmet off and rubbing her face. "Once it went down, I saw plenty of escape pods and seraphs leave the ship. Iro most definitely escaped that. Why do I feel as if this will only make things worse for everyone. The prophets will surely be angered by the loss here." She didn't question things any longer, as she put her helmet back on, grabbed her things and exited her quarters. Rtaha was posted outside her door as per usual.
"Where are you headed elder sister? Has there been anything trifling?" He asked, following behind her. "Our corvette stationed to attack their so called 'Sword base' has been destroyed. Iro and many others entered escape pods as well as bored seraphs. They will be regrouping and making their next plan of attack. I will be taking no part in it, and will do as I please." She said rather snarky.
"Are you troubled? You don't seem like yourself. Maybe you should check in with the prophets. They might have an assignment to do." He tried to help her, but her mind was already set. "I do not wish to see them brother, and I already know what I must do. I must gain intelligence using any means necessary, on both the enemy and the artifacts. Do not question me any further, and you are free for a while. I'm am going alone."
"As per usual Thaya 'Vadam." He added, stopping and letting her go. She set off, passing by covenant and not paying them any attention with the looks nor the salutes. She just went off to her ship and took off as fast as she could. She had to get to reach and speak with him. There was still so many things she wished to discuss.
Jorge and Six soon arrive at the science wing, where Carter is talking to Dr. Halsey, who is behind a shield door.
"I requested your assistance, Commander, and do not need a report on events that occur on my own doorstep. What I do require is a detailed account of your previous engagement—" Halsey pauses mid-sentence as she notices Jorge entering the room. Her whole tone changed when she saw Jorge with his helmet off. "Jorge. It's been too long."
"Ma'am." Jorge responded.
"What have you done with my armor?" She asked, like a mother would to her trouble making child. Jorge and Noble Six look at his armor, and they both seemed to grin.
"Just some... additions I've made." He responded rather bluntly.
"Indeed." she said back before returning back to her snappy attitude. "Visegrád Relay. Its data center was home to one of my xeno-archaeologists, Professor Laszlo Sorvad. Perhaps you could shed some light on his death."
"If he was a civilian male in his mid-sixties, he died with a Covenant Energy Sword through his abdomen." Carter explained.
"Elites, then." Halsey said rather quickly.
"They engaged us as well. It was just, uh... just after we found your scientist's daughter, ma'am. She was hiding in the, uh-"
Halsey wasted no time in interrupting Jorge, her whole demeanor was just cold. "Irrelevant. The Elites. Tell me more about them."
"Three. Zealot class. One got by us. The leader, from the looks of him." Jorge explained, with Halsey following up shortly after.
"Zealots? You're certain?"
"Their armor configuration matched." Jorge said back.
Six decided it was his turn to add in. "Shield strength, too. Jorge had it right, three zealot class. One however, their leader that got away, was a Field Marshal. Most likely there to recover some artifact or something forerunner related. The covenants wouldn't send such high value targets unless there was something important there."
"I gave the order not to pursue. Our primary objective was to get the station's relay back online." Carter interjected as Six finished up.
"Your primary objective? Commander, are you a puppet or a Spartan?" Emile and Jun look up at Dr. Halsey with vast distaste searing through their eyes.
"Ma'am?" Carter asked in a rather dumb founded tone.
"There are those at ONI, myself, and Samael behind you, who all believe the Covenant dispatch Elite advance teams to hunt down artifacts of value to their religion. Survivor accounts suggest such teams are small, nimble, and almost always Zealot-class. No doubt they came to the station for the abundance of ONI excavation data stored there... And you let them get away." Halsey said in a snarky attitude.
"Data retrieval was not a command directive. Even had we known beforehand, we had other, more urgent matters to attend to." Carter retorted, with Kat backing him. "Like warning the planet."
"Professor Sorvad's final entry in his field notes made reference to 'a latchkey discovery'. Latchkey... Not a word he would use lightly. So let's hope that the data module your Lieutenant Commander stole... contains it."
"Kat?" Carter and the rest of Noble had eyes on her as she looked ashamed.
"Before you ask, I was alerted the moment you attempted to access its contents, as I am with any unauthorized tap." Kat walks over and places the module in a container in the shield door. Halsey them decided to add salt to the wound. "That data is classified Tier One... I could send you to the brig for interfering with my work." Halsey pulls the container towards her side of the shield door and retrieves the module.
"Maybe you'd like to join her." Carter said as a come back. Halsey was astonished he would talk to her that way. "...I'm sorry?"
"We're currently under emergency planetary directive, WINTER CONTINGENCY. I'm sure you're familiar with the punishment for civilian interference with a Spartan deployment." He explained to her, with her feeling insulted more and more.
"Are you threatening me, Commander?"
"Just making a reading suggestion, ma'am." Carter said as a final retort. Carter and Kat start to leave, while Halsey begins to examine the module. "Let's move, Noble Team."
Jorge wasn't satisfied with how things were going, so he tried to get her attention the same way a son would. "Ma'am?" Halsey was still examining the module when she, trying to restrain her anger at Carter and Kat, replied to him. "That... will be all, Jorge." Jorge sighed but understood, as he put on his helmet and left with Noble's three and four. Six started to follow but Halsey called out to him.
"Samael, what in the world are you doing here?" Six turned and went over to the glass. "Ma'am?" Halsey placed down the module and looked at Six right in his visor. "Don't act so surprised. I have heard a lot about you from Mendoza and your CEO. You were a certain someone's personal grim reaper, and by far one of the most skilled Spartans I have seen in a long time. Your intelligence for the enemy is definitely ONI originated if you knew about the covenant system just like that. Why are you here Samael? Why are you with this Noble team?" She seemed angered at him for being a part of the team, which confused him greatly.
"I was assigned to Noble Team by Colonel Holland after the loss of previous member Thom A293. I couldn't refuse a direct order since the negotiations with my CO were already done with. As a product of ONI, I haven't done anything I shouldn't have ma'am, and the black ink covers my file from everything else. No need to worry." He explained. She seemed to calm down just a bit.
"I'll be keeping tabs on you Sam, you just make sure that you do what's right under yours or ONI's standards. Don't allow something like the escape of a marshal happen again. You know better than that. Go regroup with your team." She shooed him off and he nodded, not wanting to really say anything after a spiel like that.
Noble all formed up and left the sword base. They did their job, and they were going to head back to base until notified for another debrief, or if they were needed to help with a surprise attack again. Noble then went out to the courtyard and got into their falcons. Six, Jorge, and Carter got into one while Jun, Kat, and Emile got into another. After a few minutes to get started up, they were clear for take off. They departed from sword base and made their flight back to their makeshift base.
"Hey Six, next time when you get banged up in the field, how about you give someone a heads up. I just checked your vitals, and they aren't looking so hot. You have a lot of internal damage, and a serious concussion." Jun said through coms. Carter and Jorge looked at him while Kat, Emile, and Jun stared at him from their falcon. "You told me you would be right as rain Six, what the hell? Not even a heads up, damn blockhead." Kat said in an annoyed tone. Emile scoffed, thinking it was good that he went on the way his did with such injuries. "I suppose we will just have to check for ourselves next time he does something crazy." Jorge said rather sternly.
"Shit, we will have you looked at when we make it back to base. Don't be pulling any crazy shit like that Six. We don't need you running around half dead." Carter demanded, as Six just kept his gaze away from his teammates. "Understood." was the only reply he gave out. "Gonna be quite a bit before our next mission Noble, unless we have any surprises like we did today. Better find some way to keep yourselves occupied in the time being." Carter said to Noble. He didn't need a response to know what they were probably gonna do with their freetime. When they got back to base, one thing was for sure. He was gonna go get checked out as fast as he can just so he can take a nap. It was another long day on reach.
*Time skip to July 27th, 03:12 hours*
Six jumped up out of bed yet again, nearly breaking a sweat from his current iteration of a nightmare. He took a minute to calm down before slipping out of his clothes and putting on his armor much like he did the other night. Once he was fully geared up, he grabbed the knife from the underside of his pillow and put it in its sheath, grabbed his sword, and pistol. He decided not to take his primaries, as he felt like he wouldn't need them.
Unlike last time, he didn't waste much time leaving. He told the soldiers out by the front that he would be going to clear his head while doing reconnaissance, and they allowed him to do so. Not like they could tell him no anyway. Six set off on his trek to find the same clearing from before. He had known something was up as soon as the carrier went down.
He still wasn't completely cleared to head back out in his armor with the banged up condition he was in, but he insists that he is fine. He will just sleep it off over the course of a few days or however long it's gonna take for the next mission to come around. The only thing that hurt for him was his head, so every now and again during his walk he would get these waves of pain. It would only cause him to stop and sort if grasp his head for a bit, and he would feel alright after a few more seconds.
The path got really familiar as he saw a wide open clearing. He walked into it and looked up at the twinkling night stars. "Beautiful…" He said as he turned on his VISR system. The area around him was now highlighted through his visor, and he could see a tiny amber outline much like before. He did not grasp his weapon, as he felt no fear. "Reveal yourself, it didn't work last time, why would it work now."
"Silence Demon, I just had to be cautious you weren't being followed." a voice shouted out from the dark. 'So she does speak english' he thought to himself. Sure enough, the amber outline turned into a blue and crimson armored Field Marshal, with a red outline in his VISR. "I knew you would be here, I don't know why I knew specifically today and here, but I just did." He explained
"Fate has told you. We meet here again because we have much more to discuss, Noble Six" she finished off, carrying herself like a person of nobility. "What is it you wish to talk about, Thaya 'Vadam? I presume you saw the attack and what we did to the corvette?" He boasted. Thaya didn't seem all that mad by his boasting surprisingly. "A noble display to say the least. You and your... Spartan team held yourselves well in the battlefield." She has paused a bit to try and remember the name they called themselves.
"Nice pun. I assumed the worst when we first saw the corvette attack. I assumed you did it because of the high priority the base holds. I suppose I guessed wrong though, haven't I?" He walked over just a bit closer to Thaya so they could be within a reasonable talking distance. She thought he would keep his distance, but surprisingly he isn't scared.
"You did guess wrong Noble Six, It was Iro 'Ronam, another Field Marshal who decided to lead the attack on Sword Base. I am still conflicted in my views, so there is now way in hell it would have been me." Six grew annoyed rather quick when she said conflicted, but he couldn't help it. There were lots of human bodies at Sword base so it's understandable. "How are you still conflicted! You saw that battle before we arrived, so you know that people were getting slaughtered like cattle! Everyone would be dead if we wouldn't have shown up. Just like that old man you killed back at the relay, it was simply a bunch of scientists conducting research. Simply because they have research that the prophets want, and because we are such 'impudent' and weak creatures, we get crushed and skewered. I guarantee you if the prophets started doing that to your people, you wouldn't side with them anymore."
"That's exactly what happened. They killed our people simply for refusing to join the covenant. Our cowardice lead us to join them, rather than die with honor. I suppose it was for our people's safety." She explained calmly, constantly switching her stances due to her nervous nature.
"Although that decision saved your people, it only bloodied your hands. Our race is under attack, and we are doing everything we can to fight back. All of our species could be saved if we all were to turn on the prophets, but if I could only influence one single elite to hear me out? It just might not ever happen." His anger was skyrocketing at all the shit going through his head. Soon enough, he got a big wave of pain in his head. He sat down and grunted in pain as he took off his helmet quickly to hold his head. "Grrrrhhh… son of a bitch."
Thaya cautiously walked over to him, curious as to what had happened. "What happened Six? Have you been injured? I didn't see you get any injuries." She tilted her head to the side as she looked over his armor to see if anything stuck out. She also checked his head, and she didn't see any bruises or abrasions. "I suppose you weren't watching me the whole time. Heh. The Mgalekgolo attacked us when we went to get inside the building. I killed one, and when I killed the other one, it had a charged shot that it launched at the ceiling right above us and it launched me into a wall. It hurt like all mighty hell." he stopped gripping his head and peered his icy blue eyes into her amber ones.
"Those things are meant to be stubborn in terms of death. They won't go down without harming something." She said rather bluntly. "You know, your English is quite good. I didn't know covies spoke our language." He said sarcastically.
"Well I didn't know demons could speak sangheili either." She said in her native tongue. Six chuckled, grabbing his helmet and putting it beside him as he sat down. "Would you sit down? You are killing my neck." Six asked as he rubbed his neck. She was a little confused at first but decided to sit in front of him. It looked a bit awkward with the way sangheili legs were structured, but it didn't bother him all that bad.
"Thanks. Now let's get started. What do you want to know?" He started first. She didn't hesitate to lean forward and start asking. "Why are the humans here on reach? Why won't you simply leave to avoid all this conflict?"
"Reach is home to some people here. My partner Noble 5, Spartan 052 is what is known as a Spartan two. He was born here in the first place, but if you are a Spartan two, this place is home to you. Me and the rest of my team are Spartan three's, so we wouldn't know this place as home. People are not only defending their homes, but their livelihoods. People are just trying to live happy lives here. They don't want to leave. The covenant attacked first due to the prophets... we just attacked back."
"You… Spartans are different? You are different by a simple number?" She asked intently. "Not exactly. The group of numbers is our identification. I'm B312. Jorge is 052 so on and so forth. The Spartan program was used three times, and those people who become Spartans are given a number for what program they were in. Most of Noble were made Spartans in the third program, hence the name of Spartan Threes. Jorge and others were made during the second. So they are Spartan Twos. There are some Spartan Ones as well, but they are not as strong as the twos or the threes. When it comes down to it, the Spartan twos are the strongest. Us threes have some drawbacks. The twos are perfect." He explained.
"I see, but I do not see what your flaw is. You bested two zealots and a Field Marshal in their own combat realm. You took out a mgalekgolo pair using a simple sword. Your skill is to be revered." She tried to make his skills seem a lot better than what they were. Six laughed a bit. "I got messed up by those Hunters, don't forget that. It was my own mistake though. I may have skills, but I'm not all that. I am just different from others Spartans." He scratched the back of his neck, while Thaya tilted her head to the side. "But I thought you said you were a Spartan Three? How are you different?"
"Well, I didn't train like the Spartan threes or the Spartan twos. I trained a completely different way under the instruction of a single man. He held a very high position in ranks, so I had no choice. I became his lethal killing machine." He tried his best to explain, but there was so many things he couldn't say.
"I see. There are still so many questions I wish to ask, but they are all silly and pointless. I just wish to know, what should I do if I were to believe you? About the covenant and the prophets, everything." Her tone got nearly saddened at the end there, and he understood why.
"I know this is hard, it's no joke. You would he going against everything, but it's the right thing to do. I am not one to lie, and I know you have no good reason to trust what I say. I always go back on my word, and I take my honesty to the grave. If you wish to test my metal you may, but I promise you, out of interest and purity, I wish to save your race from the onslaught. If I can save the Sangheili, then maybe the Unggoy and Kig-yar would realize it and join in too. We don't have to lose everything all because of the prophets. In end, that's all it will be. The prophets will reign over all the races and we will all be powerless in shackles. It will be hard to adjust on both sides, and there will always be that one bad egg that wants to mess things up, but we band together and stand strong. We could all live in peace, and help each other out if need be. Your people would be happy in Sanghelios. If you ever needed help, humanity would come at your beckoning call just to help out. Why? Because we would be allies." He tried his best to be prominent in his speech, but giving a speech wasn't his thing. Persuading someone isn't his thing either. He just knew how to make his enemy cease existence. That's about it.
Thaya straightened herself up as she took in all of his words. She doesn't know why, but she could feel it. She could feel that he was telling the truth with everything coming from the heart. She extended her hand, offering a shake. "I believe you Six." She said soothingly. Six's heart was racing when he heard her say that. He had always imagined a world where he didn't have to fight anymore, and if this was the first step into stopping the Human-Covenant war, than he was doing great. He extended his hand and shook hers. "Thaya, I don't know how to thank you. I owe you an debt that will never be repaid. It's size is too great."
"Do not go thanking me yet Demon. You never know when I could turn on you." She said coldly, but it was really just to assure him to not trust so easily, as that is how the sangheili got mixed up with the prophets in the first place.
"Well, when it happens, I won't go down without a fight. I'll keep fighting for what I dream for, for what I believe in. If my time comes, it just comes and takes me off to finally rest." He said, words coming straight from the heart. She did not know how to react to his words, as it was very unexpected from her supposed enemy. She couldn't tell if this was a flaw or if he really did just trust her. He did say he was really interested in their culture.
"What will you have me do Six? How shall I help the humans? How will I help my own people?" She asked, desperately seeking for an answer that will sooth her nerves. Six sighed as he grabbed his helmet and peered into the visor. "We can't be seen with each other, that much is for certain. We must not give away that we are allies. I will hide your existence from my teammates until I feel like they can be reasonable enough to listen. You however, should only trust those you would take a bullet for you. If you can save any humans, do so. If you must kill, I will understand. I shall do the same towards your people."
"They will be a lot more stubborn than humans. You will not be very successful in such endeavors, since you are indeed an enemy." She remarked. "I understand that Thaya, but I have to try. If you can gain the approval of such ideals by someone who is higher up, perhaps a council member or another Zealot, then you might make it easier for yourself." He explained, hoping she would understand.
"It might be possible, but we have the tiniest of margins to succeed in such an endeavor. This vision you have really is a dream. We could both fail, and make things either worse, or might not change anything at all. You know that right?" She asked, nervously rubbing her legs. "Yes, I have accepted all possible outcomes. I promise you, that I will do whatever I can to help you, and make sure that we can make this possible."
"Really? I just… I don't understand… we are supposed to be enemies, and look at us. Is this normal in human society?" She asked intently. Six gazed up and put his helmet back on. "Long ago, around the 1900's, us humans were locked in a war with each other that we dubbed the Great War, the War to end all wars, World War One. Amidst the War during a holiday, enemies and allies alike on both sides stopped their fighting to celebrate the holiday. People were talking about their lives back at home, their lovely families that are waiting for them to return. People laughed and played with each other, as if they were never enemies. When the day went by, they resumed fighting the next day, and it was hard for a lot to continue after realizing that we were all human. We were fighting for a foolish cause, and we still are to this day. We are locked in a battle with the covenant and the Insurrectionist group. When will it ever just stop…" he leaned forward and covered his visor with his hand, looking up at the night sky.
He felt a hand grasp onto his, and he almost jumped. He slowly looked back down into the amber eyes of the elite before him. "We fought amongst ourselves too way back when. We still do to this day, and it's despicable. I think your vision… your dream of peace, is a lovely one. Anyone who wouldn't want to fight for something like that is beyond foolish." She gave out a smile, and boy did that make Six feel strange. It wasn't the smile of an Elite who was bloodthirsty, it was a cherished smile. A warming one.
"I… thank you." He said grasping back as a reassurance that he would be alright. "If things go south, are you prepared to be labeled a heretic? Are you prepared to be hated amongst your own people, for having a bigger heart than anyone else."
"It would be an honor Noble Six. They already have their hatred set on me for being a female, so why bother. I feel as if I am only respected by you, Rtaha my bodyguard, and the prophets due to my position. I fear not what will happen should I fail. I will try my best to help you all the while keeping my position. You have my word." She stood herself up and extended an arm. Six grabbed her hand and lifted himself up with her support. They looked into the eyes of each other despite their helmets, and a smile appeared across their faces. A shout was heard in the distance, breaking their focus and causing both of them to get their guard up.
"SIX! SOUND OFF SOLDIER!" The voice yelled from within the trees. From the likes of it, it sounded like… "Oh shit, Thaya." He turned around and lightly pushed her back. "You gotta get out of here. It's my commander. Go. I'll be fine." He shoved her again and she just nodded, "O-okay." She activated her cloak and rushed off. Six turned back around and yelled back. "Over here Sir!"
The sound of swishing brush was heard as an armored blue Spartan appeared from within the forest. "Damn Six, you had me worried there for a second." He put his DMR on his back and walked over to Six in the clearing. "Explain yourself Six, what are you doing out here this early. This is the third time you have done it. Before you ask, I know that you left because Kat miraculously ended up in bed. She reported it to me, and when we check cams, you were the only one walking around at 03:00. What's going in?" His tone was stern, and serious.
"It was a bad habit I picked up during training, Sir. With my CO always waking me up at around three, and the nightmares that followed throughout my career, I just don't get to sleep all that often. I manage to get enough hours to keep me on my feet. A little energy bar with some protein and I'm fit as a fiddle." Carter crossed his arms after he finished explaining it to him.
"Mhm. I believe you Six, but after today, when it comes to personal health, how am I supposed to know if you are telling me the truth? I do not need you walking around fighting a battle at half your full ability. We need you at tip top shape. Clear?"
Six sighed, he was telling the truth. Sure it sucked to be on mission with little sleep and maybe it might be a pain to clear out sword base after you have been knocked around like a ragdoll, but it didn't matter. "Yes sir."
"Good. Now I expect you to actually recover over these next few days. See if you can nap during the day when you don't feel like doing anything. Just make sure you get your daily workouts in, and you better eat too." He lightly shoved Six. "I don't wanna have to force feed you dammit. Jun was the same way for a bit."
"Must be an ONI thing." Six suggested jokingly. "You are telling me, alright then. I'm heading off to see if I can catch a few more winks. Just thought i'd give you a rundown, make sure you were alright. Try not to stay out too long soldier." He turned off and began to head back towards base. "Yes sir" Six said as Carter waved him off. Six took a relaxing breath as he soothed himself. He stared up into the night sky a bit longer before turning around and looking into the brush. Surely enough he could see that same amber figure as always, hiding out behind a tree. He knew that they saw each other, so he waved at the figure while turning and following suit of Carter.
'Their companionship is remarkable. They actually care for each other like family. We may treat each other as brothers and sisters, but in the covenant there is still so many unspoken morals that get tossed around that makes it harder to really feel like you belong. Being injured in a battle and returning without finishing off your opponent is seen as a sign of weakness for not going down with honor. It's either kill with honor or die with honor. No retreating to save your hide. No seeing doctors to make sure you can get your wounds healed. Nothing. The code is a harsh one, but they follow it willingly without any complaint. I think it's safe to assume that I wish I had what he had. We most of the time just act like a bunch of big headed brutes…' she thought to herself as he walked away. She turned back as well, heading back to her ship and deciding to undergo her first mission for the humans. She was going to see what she could do in order to help them progress, and she knew the perfect person to talk with.
Heyo! Thought I would leave it off here and go ahead with a small little filler chapter. Chapter 6 will be the nightfall Mission incase you want to skip chapter 5 (when its out that is). Its been really fun working on this story, and I can't wait to get to certain missions that pull your heartstrings. I surely hope you enjoyed, and I love all of you. Thank you for reading. I'll catch ya later!
~Red