For the longest time, I had wondered how the ODST would fit in the universe of The Last Spartan. We saw glimpses of them through the story, but we never got a full character that was an active part of the unit. So that is what I decided to focus my fanfiction on. I sort of randomly picked a name out of a hat for my character and then wrote a story around what I felt that name depicted. Thus, Last of an Ancient Breed was born.
Enough of my talk! Here is the conclusion to Remember Shanxi.
…
Classified Date, 2657
Turian Bunker
Surface of Shanxi
…
"Do you know why we're called Helljumpers, Kyle?"
"Everyone knows why, sir."
"Everyone knows, but not everyone understands. The Alliance has a long standing tradition of romanticizing the ODST as some 'glorious cause.' You've seen the advertisements with strong, able-bodied men and women being flung into Hell to fight impossible odds. 'Only the best of the best are accepted.' 'The most enviable branch of the human military.' It all sounds too amazing to pass up. Then you see what all that propaganda amounts to: cannon fodder. Wave after wave of soldiers thrown against insurmountable odds to die for their species."
"You're still alive, sir."
"Because I wasn't just a good soldier. I WAS the best of the best. I didn't charge in like a gun-toting monkey with a death wish. I knew the casualty rates. I knew who my real enemies were, in and out of the ODST. I wasn't going to be 'a good soldier.' Is that what you want?"
"Ye...N-no, sir."
"Damn right, you don't!"
"..."
"Look, I don't want to ruin your big day. You've earned it, but you need to know the truth. The ODST is a death wish for vain and stupid. They think they're strong as Spartans before they can shoot a gun properly. They're the ones who die in a hail of bullets while the best of the best take their rightful place. Because the best of the best know they're cannon fodder, but even that can't stop them from defying the odds."
"...yes, sir."
"Yes, indeed. And you, my boy, are best of the best material. Now seize the moment one battle at a time. Show them you can jump into Hell and bring back Satan's head on a platter. Show them why the Nolans are the best of the best."
"Thank you, sir."
"Of course. And could you just call me grandpa? I know we're both ODST now, but I'm your family first..."
"...heads up!" Redmond shouted.
Kyle drifted out of his daydream in time to dodge a grenade explosion. He clumsily barreled towards an abandoned Raptor barricade while two other ODST cover fired for a group of pinned Unggoy. Redmond followed behind with an equally clumsy jump, narrowly dodging enemy fire skimming off the barricade's sides.
"Nolan!" Redmond shouted as Kyle came to his senses.
"I'm good," Kyle replied giving a limp thumbs up. He was surprised how vivid that conversation with his grandfather still was. That was the last time they had talked before being assigned to this unit, but it still felt like that alk only happened a few hours ago.
It was hard to forget that crusty old man anyway. One would assume that the horrors his grandfather witnessed in the Human-Covenant War were too horrifying to get past and to some extent it did shape who he was today. Still, despite his firmness and sometimes cantankerous attitude, his grandfather was one of the wisest and most loving individuals Kyle ever knew.
The story goes that around the end of the war, when the fighting against the Covenant was at its fiercest, his grandfather had an epiphany. The more than he saw what his fellow soldiers did to fight the enemy, the more he saw them begin to change. Not all of these soldiers were going to die, but they were never going to be the same when they went home. At best, they would become a hindrance to the peace they fought for, itching for a fight to combat the hollowness carved into their souls. Once his grandfather realized this, he vowed to never become that kind of man. No matter how hard the memories hit or how aggressive he could be, he would strive to be an optimist and peacekeeper in his heart.
Not to say he was always successful. Everyone understood his grandfather's outbursts when they were at their worst, but they knew he meant well. He was firm as any former soldier should be, but he was the man their family needed as humanity rebuilt itself around them. And if worst came to worst, Kyle's grandmother was always their to pull on his grandfather's leash. Talk about someone not to piss off...
Kyle hoped he would live long enough to revisit those moments again.
"Go, go, go!" Captain Turner shouted over the intercom. Kyle and Redmond peeled out from the barricade to join everyone else in their last push up the hill. They had lot a lot of people getting to this point, but now the enemy was on defense. It was time to break their line!
"Kill them all!" Corporal Patrick Maksimov shouted as he mowed down four Raptors alongside Jaskolski.
"To the right!" Sergeant Morgan then shouted.
Kyle spotted a group of Raptors Morgan saw. Before the troopers had time to react, the enemy open fired. The trooper to Kyle's left took two rounds to the chest, killing him instantly.
"Over here!" An exhausted Corporal Shinjiro shouted as he ascended the hill and tagged an opening in the bunker.
"Run and shoot! Go!" Captain Turner shouted.
Kyle's shields shimmered as he frantically maneuvered through the Raptor gunfire to keep pace with the team. He blind fired rounds until he reached the opening and pressed himself against the wall inside the bunker. To his right, he could see a long hallway with several other entrances that he knew the Raptors would enter.
At that moment, a group of Kig-Yar and Unggoy followed behind the troopers.
"More enemies!" One of the Unggoy shouted as the Raptors poured in from the farthest entrance.
Kyle looked to his right to see the Captain pull out a flash bang grenade from her belt and point to the Kig-Yar's leader.
"Form up in front of us," she said. "Once the flash is set, we'll clear them out for you. Redmond, get ready."
Redmond nodded and twisted the hose of the gun connected to her tank, igniting a small pilot light. The Kig-Yar arranged their shields across the hallway as the Raptors fired back.
"Flash out!" Turner shouted and chucked the grenade at the enemy. Kyle and everyone else shielded their eyes as a blinding white light flooded the hall. The Raptors yelled and groaned, stumbling at the flash's effect. Turner then pointed to Redmond. "Now!"
Redmond ran out from her cover, positioned herself right behind the Kig-Yar and pulled the trigger.
Streams of flaming red and orange napalm fired from her gun down the hallway. Seeing the fire cook their the Raptors' shields and fry their skin was as gruesome as Kyle expected.
"Open fire!" Sergeant Morgan shouted as the troopers, Unggoy and Kig'Yar unleashed on the remaining enemues. Raptor bodies fell one after another, riddled with bullets, plasma marks and napalm burns. So much smoke start to fill the kill zone that Kyle wasn't even sure if there was anyone left to kill.
"Cease fire," Turner ordered with a raised fist.
Everyone lowered their weapons as the smoke cleared, revealing one lone Raptor among a pile of burnt bodies. He seemed terrified and confused at the overload of carnage, but wasn't sure what he should do next. Kyle started wondering that too as the Raptor turned to flee. Surely the Captain wasn't going to let the bastard live, right?
It turns out she was just biding her time. The enemy came to an abrupt halt as the prongs of an energy sword lit up and pierced through its chest. A sickening his burned through the holes, while the alien coughed up some purplish-blood. The assailant holding the sword decloaked to reveal a Sangheili zealot decked out in some truly impressive looking officer armor. Figuring he had tortured the enemy long enough, the Sangheili sliced his sword out through the Raptor's right shoulder. The lone alien collapsed in a vivisected pile as more Sangheili uncloaked themselves.
"That is an excellent eye you have," the high-ranking Sanghelli with the sword said to the Captain.
"I've been in enough fights to spot active camouflage when I see it," she replied cricking her neck. "Besides, we can't have all the fun."
"Gryn'dama," a Sanghelli entering the hallway shouted to the high ranking zealot. "The enemy has fortified themselves at the north wing."
"Cowards," Gryn'dama replied as he pointed to another Sangheili. "O'Zur, take our brothers and assist in the fight."
"We'll cover you," the Kig'Yar's leader replied as they followed the group of zealots outside.
"D'Thun," Gryn'dama pointed to one of the remaining Sanghelli. "We'll remain to secure the bunker. The rest of you will guard this entrance. No one else comes inside until we've returned!"
"By your will," D'Thun and the other Sanghelli replied in unison.
"We're coming too," the leader of the remaining Unggoy chimed in. "We're not waiting here."
"Us too," Turner said turning to her troopers. "Francis, you and your men wait with the Sangheili. Nolan and Maksimov, you're on point. I want Redmond and Jaskolski bringing the rear with Gryn'dama and D'Thun. Everyone else, stick with me in the middle and keep your eyes peeled."
The troopers all winked green. The Sangheili and the troopers waiting with them began setting up deployable shields as Kyle and Maksimov led everyone else inside the bunker.
The light from outside slowly faded with each step forward. Either the power had been cut off in the attack or the Raptors had switched off the lights. Regardless, it created an ominous atmosphere as the sounds of gunfire, plasma shots and explosions continued to echo from outside.
"Lights on," Turner said. No one wasted time following that order. The ground rumbled as a particularly large explosion was heard, causing the metal wall to reverberate with the cacophony of war.
"Shinjiro," Sergeant Morgan said. "How much further?"
"Beats me," the Corporal replied noting some high tech machines and computers nearby. "This place is bigger than the scans suggested."
Jaskolski paused for a beat to look at the readings on one of the computers before turning to Gryn'dama. "Looks like your tech," he said.
"Indeed," the Sanghelli replied. "It's possible our races run on similar technology lines."
"Huh?"
"Technology is not mutually exclusive to one race," Gryn'dama said as they continued walking. "The laws of universal probability suggests races may evolve on similar scientific tracts without external influence."
"But their weapons are clearly no match for plasma," D'Thun added noting his Plasma Carbine.
"True. Their projectiles are curious though. It looks like human bullets, but with some other form of energy-"
A sharp sound echoed down the hallway, prompting everyone to stop and lift their weapons up. After a few tense seconds of nothing happening, Turner signaled for Kyle and Maksimov to keep moving.
"How's the rear looking?" Morgan asked Redmond.
"Clear, ma'am," the private replied.
"Lookie!" The Unggoy's leader said pointing to a door with an unusual holographic lock and a side terminal up ahead.
"Shinjiro," Turner said.
"On it," the corporal replied without missing a beat.
The group fanned out around the door as Shinjiro pulled out a multi-purpose device to break the lock.
"Guzgud, go help," the lead Unggoy said as another one moved to Shinjiro's side.
For several more seconds, the group silently waited. Another loud explosion shook the ground directly above them.
"Anytime now, guys," Jaskolski said impatiently.
"It's tricky!" Guzgud chirped.
"What do you mean?"
"The door runs on a different code than the terminal," Shinjiro replied. "I can try reworking the encryption software, but we don't-"
D'Thun gently but firmly pushed Shinjiro and Guzgud aside at that moment. With a quick cock back of his arm, he ignited his energy sword and pierced through terminal.
"Jesus!" Shinjiro shouted.
The Sanghelli twisted the sword sharply and the holographic screen in front of the door flickered before disappearing completely. After a couple of seconds, the door slid open.
"Time is of the essence," Gryn'dama replied walking past the surprised Shinjiro and giving D'Thun a pat on the shoulder before they proceeded.
"...I could have done that," Shinjiro murmured as everyone else followed.
The door led into a stairway that, thankfully, led to what looked like the main control room. Unfortunately, the power was out here too save for several independently running machines.
"Fan out," Turner said. "Look for a power source."
Everyone scattered as they poked around the machines and scanned the walls with their lights. The Raptors must have left this place in a hurry. Personal items and what looked like food were scattered about the area, along with diverse tools and other tech Kyle had never seen before.
"Hey," Maksimov whispered motioning Kyle to his spot.
"Find a switch?" Kyle replied walking over.
"Nah," Maksimov replied pointing to something. "Look at that."
Kyle shined his gun's light to the identified spot. A storage container was mounted on the wall with its panels open, revealing a large variety of weapons hanging on a rack. Everything from side arms to some truly giant death dealers were on display.
Jaskolski whistled as he stopped next to them. "Bet the Brass would like to take these babies apart, huh?"
"What caliber do you think they fire?" Maksimov asked.
"If they even use caliber," Kyle replied before turning his head to see Turner looking their direction. There was no reason to suggest she was glaring at them, since you couldn't see through the visors, but he got that impression nonetheless. "We…uh, should probably get back to it."
"Yeah, sure," Maksimov said as he took an assault rifle off of the rack. Once he griped the handle, the gun did something funny. It was oddly small looking compared to what the Raptors had been using, which now had an explanation as parts of the gun unfolded and extended into a full frame.
"Collapsible weaponry?" Jaskolski said. "…I dig it."
Kyle decided to venture off on his own while the other two admired their plunder. He shone his light on a few random storage devices until he saw a private TEAMCOM channel open on his HUD.
"Hey, Nolan," Redmond said through the channel. "This your first fight too?"
He turned back to see Redmond searching alongside Shinjiro and two of the Unggoy. She quickly motioned for him not to make eye contact, which he obliged.
"…yeah," he replied.
"Yeah..." Redmond repeated at a loss for words. "And here I thought I'd start my career doing patrol work."
"I dunno," Kyle replied. "I'd take using a flamethrower over patrol work."
"I'm dumping this heavy bitch as soon as I can. Thing's like carrying a flammable baby elephant on my shoulders."
"'...flammable baby elephant.' That's the name of my synth band."
The two of them chuckled while the lights suddenly switched on and various inactive machines came to life.
"And that's why I'm a genius," Shinjiro said with an audible smirk closing a nearby terminal.
"Hey!" Guzgud complained next to him. "You used my code for that!"
"Then you turn the power on next time, tater tot."
"Shut up, you two," Turner said rallying everyone else together. "Get to work on shutting this thing down."
"Alright, alright," Shinjiro murmured as he and Guzgud went back to work at the terminal. "The A.I.'s are doing most of the work anyway..."
"Gryn'dama, any word from your people?" Morgan asked.
Gyrn'dama put one of his lanky fingers up to his earpiece and said something in his native tongue that even Kyle's translator couldn't identify. It was still tricky to decipher nuances with the Covenant races language after all these years, which made him grateful they could communicate at all.
"…negative," Gryn'dama replied.
"Yeah, my line's dead too," Turner replied.
"Yup," the Unggoy leader chimed in.
Kyle checked a small section of his HUD. Squad indicators showed people were still alive outside, but being underground was interfering with the scanners.
"Let's not get lazy," Turner then said. "Jaskolski, you and the Sangheili guard the east entrance. Morgan and the Unggoy will take the north. Maksimov, take the rookies and guard the west."
"Move it people," Morgan ordered as everyone took their places.
No one wasted a second. Once Kyle reached his spot, he did a quick inventory check. He only had so many clips of his submachine gun left. It would be risky to try and use the Raptor tech without knowing any potential side effects, so he left that stuff alone.
"What's the sitrep, Shinjiro?" Turner said over TEAMCOM.
"…uh…one moment," Shinjiro said slightly distracted.
Kyle figured this might take a little extra time. The ONI A.I.'s had been overclocking their software the last few days trying to crack the Raptor's code. The initial cyber warfare encounters only revealed certain segments, but the combined effort of their races had helped to fill in several key programming gaps. Shinjiro and Guzgud were responsible for getting practical, non-construct assisted experience so they could continue using Raptor tech against them, which might turn the tide early in this conflict.
"Sir," Maksimov asked Morgan. "How come we're not blowing this thing to kingdom come?"
"Forward thinking," Morgan replied. "Like how you were groping those guns back there. Alliance and ONI R&D would love to get their hands on this place before the enemy can counter-attack."
"You think they can gather a retaliatory force that quickly?" Kyle asked.
"Most definitely," D'Thun replied. "These are only the occupiers."
"Once word reaches the aliens' home planet," Gryn'dama said joining in. "Who knows what resources and allies they can gather together?"
"So the less of their stuff they have access to, the better," Morgan added. "Then they'll know what it's like to jump through Hell."
"Ooh-rah," Shinjiro, Maksimov, Jaskolski and Redmond whispered sternly.
"They not have much A.I. support," Guzgud said as he worked on the terminal alongside Shinjiro.
"That they do not," Shinjiro added in surprised agreement. "Mostly elaborate V.I. constructs and pre-programmed firewalls."
"Don't get too overconfident," Morgan said. "The Brass has enough foresight to know an AI counter attack is still a high possibility."
"But not enough to know activating a mass relay would start a war," Kyle replied.
That little remark shut everyone up for a while. During that time, however, something caught Kyle's attention. A short distance down the hallway, he thought he saw a small momentary glint. He pointed to Maksimov and gestured to the spot he saw, to which Maksimov shrugged.
"Done and done," Shinjiro said triumphantly while Guzgud closed the terminal. "We put up an aggressive firewall should the Boneheads try to access it again.
"Well done," Turner replied walking to Shinjiro.
Kyle spotted something again, but this time it was a large mass moving.
"Redmond," Kyle whispered sternly.
"Yeah I saw it," Redmond replied raising her napalm gun.
"Saw what?" Maksimov asked.
"Still nothing," The Unggoy leader complained following another unsuccessful attempt to hail the troops outside.
"Must be a weak signal here," Turner replied turning to Shinjiro. " See if you can boost the freq—"
At that moment, an enemy sniper round fired off, whizzing between Kyle and Redmond before striking the back of the Captain's helmet. Blood, skin and ionized glass exploded out through her visor as she collapsed in a dead heap.
"Captain!" Morgan shouted as enemy fire erupted from the west and north entrances.
"Incoming!" Maksimov shouted.
Kyle's shields took several hits before shattering as he blindly fired at anything that looked like a Raptor. Redmond fired off a stream of napalm down the hall, the light from which revealed a whole platoon worth of enemies.
"Shit!" Redmond shouted as she quickly backed away from the entrance. Kyle and Maksimov laid down covering fire following behind her.
"Damn it!" Morgan shouted. "They just keep coming!"
Two of the Unggoy near Morgan, including their leader, fell at both of his sides.
"Barzon!" Guzgud shouted.
"He's gone," D'Thun replied as he and Gryn'dama fired back at the enemy.
Morgan took cover behind a generator in another attempt to contact the outside as the fighting continued.
"Mayday! Mayday!" He shouted over TEAMCOM, an enemy round ricocheting right above him. "This is Bravo squad. We've secured the bunker, but we're pinned down. Captain Turner is KIA. Requesting assistance."
Radio silence followed.
"SOMEONE ANSWER THE GODDAMN COMM!"
Still nothing.
Right at that moment, one of the Raptors' circular looking grenades landed next to Maksimov. Instead of exploding, however, it started flooding the room with a thick, hazy smoke.
"Infrared!" Jaskolski shouted as everyone's visors adjusted for the smoke volume. This only heightened Kyle's anxiety as it revealed even more enemies coming their way.
"Fall back!" Morgan shouted pointing to the east entrance. "Find a way outside!"
"Sir-" Redmond started to say.
"Now!"
Kyle and Maksimov didn't need to be told twice. The two of them barreled through the entrance with Redmond laying down napalm to slow the enemy before following. Guzgud, Jaskolski and Shinjiro followed close behind as the last remaining Unggoy in Guzgud's group fell.
Halfway to entering the hallway, Kyle turned back to see Morgan and the Sangheili still holding the Raptors back. Redmond noticed Kyle's hesitance, but was too late to reply as he ran back to the control room.
"Sergeant!" Kyle shouted as he sprayed bullets at the Raptors, taking one of them down as the Sangheili ran past him in retreat.
Morgan pivoted to fall back, but it was too late. Two enemy rounds pierced his stomach and kneecap, causing him to fall to the ground.
"Sergeant!" Kyle shouted laying down cover fire, his shields shimmering from the enemy attack.
"…go…" Morgan wheezed as he lifted his head weakly and revealed two grenades in his hand.
There was no mistaking what that meant and no time to make another decision. Respecting the sergeant's order, Kyle shot the terminal next to the door. A red holographic screen flashed as the door slammed shut, trapping the sergeant with an ever increasing number of Raptors.
"Happy birthday, you avian bastards…" Morgan said through the TEAMCOM before his grenades went off and his channel went dead.
"Kyle!" Redmond shouted waving a hand at him. He turned and ran towards the rest of the group…only for another set of doors to quickly close between them.
"No!" He shouted futilely as he slammed against the closed door. He banged on them in frustration, hoping Redmond would reply back.
Behind him, he could hear the Raptors working on getting the door behind him opened. He looked to his left and right. There were more hallways, but he sensed a labyrinth awaiting him in each direction. There was no time to waste though. He quickly barreled down the right path and sprinted as fast as he could…
...
1621 Hours, December 15th, 2682
Lower Wards Back Alleys
Citadel
Widow System, Serpent Nebula
…
The small Turian Doran eyes widened as Kyle grabbed his outstretched arm before it could reach the Quarian's mask.
"The hell—?" Doran shouted as Kyle socked him right in the face, causing him to stumble back.
The other two attempted to tackle Kyle. He reacted by landing a punch into the stomach of the large Turian Quin'del and quickly pulling the pistol out from the thug's holster, firing at the ugly Turian's knee. The shot went clear through its target, causing the ugly guy to fall to the ground. At least this meant they their personal shields weren't raised.
The Quarian scurried back several steps as Kyle kicked Quin'del back into Doran, knocking the two thugs onto the ground. This gave him enough time to turn and kick up into the ugly Turian's chin. The thug slammed onto the ground hard with a pained groan.
Kyle chucked the gun away and ran towards the other two thugs who were getting back on their feet. He dodged Quin'del's punch before landing his own against the Turian's cheek. Doran pulled out his dagger and lounged. Kyle evaded several slashes before grabbing Quin'del's arm and using it to block the next one. The large thug screamed in pain, which provided enough of a distraction for Kyle to snatch Doran's wrist and punch straight up into his arm.
Another scream of pain howled down the alley as bones cracked upon impact, forcing Doran to drop the knife. Kyle caught the weapon mid-drop and kicked Doran backwards. The thug smacked his head onto a nearby wall, knocking him out cold as he slumped to the floor.
Quin'del wildly threw another punch at Kyle. This was quickly turned against the thug as Kyle used his momentum against him and threw Quin'del onto the ground. Kyle pulled his leg back to kick at the Turian's ribs.
"Kill him, Grandus," Quin'del wheezed through winded breaths.
Kyle heard a pistol unfold behind him. The ugly Turian Grandus snarled and fired. Kyle used just enough time to dodge the first shot before throwing his newly acquired dagger right into Grandus' shoulder. The thug groaned and dropped his gun, trying to pull the embedded knife out. Kyle quickly closed the gap between them and grabbed Grandus by the throat.
"You fuc—" The thug attempted to say before Kyle landed a punch into his ugly mug. And then another. And another. Soon, Kyle lost track at how many times he hit that sack of shit, each blow reverberating from his arm to his ear like a percussionist hitting a gong.
It was only when his fingers started to throb that he stopped. Blood dripped from the Turian's face as he weakly attempted to lift up a hand. One more punch knocked him out cold before Kyle tossed him aside.
"Behind you!" The Quarian shouted too late as Kyle felt something strike his side, causing him to fall onto one knee.
He groaned and turned to see Quin'del with a pipe in his hand. The thug cocked his arm back with an angered grimace.
"Goddamn humans," Quin'del shouted swinging again. Kyle barely dodged the swing from connecting to his head, which left him sitting on his butt as Quin'del lifted the pipe above his head. "When are you going to get the hint and mind your damn BUSINESS?"
Quin'del swung his weapon downward. Kyle felt himself work on autopilot as he shot up his right arm and caught the pipe in his hand. Quin'del's expression suddenly turned to surprise. Not from the fact Kyle caught the weapon, but from the metallic clanging noise that accompanied it.
"Yeah…that's right," Kyle said with a smirk as he kicked upwards into the Turian's groin, then cocked his leg back and kicked the thug backwards. Quin'del stumbled backward and Kyle quickly got to his feet. He looked at the pipe in his hand and then, to Quin'del continued surprise, crumpled it with that hand. He chucked the scrunched piece of metal to the ground and cricked his neck. His body ached and he was short on breath, but he had just enough energy to kick this guy's ass should he make a wrong move.
Quin'del clearly had no intention of doing that.
"C-Se—" Quin'del turned and shouted before a fist landed in his face and knocked him out cold.
"Damn it…" The Quarian grumbled shaking the pain out of her hand. She clearly wasn't a fighter, but being able to knock out someone so much larger than her was impressive. Kyle did soften the guy up, though...
It was then that the two of them met each other's eyes…or at least where he assumed her eyes were through her visor. They stood there for several seconds, unsure what to do next. Quarian's were usually very expressive in their body language to compensate for their suits, but this woman was sending out a lot of messages at once. Confusion, worry, amazement, gratitude and more. Possibly all of the above.
To be fair, Kyle was also having a hard time processing his current emotions. The way he just mowed through those thugs seemed to happen in an instant. Like something just took over him. It wasn't a new sensation, but he thought he had gotten a control over it by now. If it was that easy to be provoked again…
"C-Sec!" An Asari shouted from the way Kyle entered as five shadows darted along the wall.
The two of them glanced down the alley and back to each other before the Quarian nodded, signaling Kyle should high tail out of there. He didn't have to be told twice as he bolted down the opposite direction. He suddenly felt very grateful his gloves were on when he left Chora's Den.
But he wasn't out of the woods yet. The last thing the Alliance needed right now was yet another scandal involving interspecies conflict. Kyle swiftly exited through the alley before coming to an abrupt halt. Taking a millisecond to catch his breath, he merged with a nearby crowd of people towards the nearby elevator. The sound of the arriving C-Sec offeres were drowned out by everyone else around him. His heart continued to beat loudly in his throat. All he could think about now was getting back to the ship as soon as possible and not being noticed…
Kyle's heart was racing a mile a second as he sprinted down the hallway like a madman. The situation had turned FUBAR in no time flat. His commanding officers were dead and everyone was scattered trying to find a new exit. And the Raptors would be on his tail shortly once they got that door opened.
"…anyone….if you read this—" Redmond's voice crackled through the TEAMCOM. "…Kyle?"
Before he could respond, Kyle rounded the corner and ran smack into someone else, knocking them both onto the ground and causing them to drop both their weapons.
"Agh!" A reverberating alien voice grunted.
...that was not a good sign!
The two of them saw each other and Kyle realized he had bumped into a lone Raptor soldier. Of all the rotten luck! The enemy's eyes widened as he shouted something in his language and reached out at Kyle.
The private reached for his Hurricane, but the Raptor got to him first, grabbing his shoulder and slamming an elbow down on his neck. Kyle wheezed as he flopped himself onto his back and threw a punch at the alien's face, knocking it back onto the ground. Kyle attempted to stand up to get his weapon, but the Raptor kicked at his right knee.
"GAH!" Kyle shouted collapsing to the floor again.
The Raptor got to his feet and shouted down the hallway Kyle came from, likely trying to signal he teammates. This gave Kyle enough time to also stand up as he pulled out his combat knife and swung at the alien. The Raptor grabbed his arm midswing and rammed a fist into Kyle's side. He yelled and dropped his knife, leaving him open for another strike. Reacting quickly, Kyle used his other hand to ram two fingers into one of the alien's eyes.
The enemy howled in pain, but kept a firm grip on Kyle's arm. Before Kyle could reach for his sidearm, the Raptor pulled a close quarter combat maneuver and threw Kyle over his shoulder onto the floor. All the air in Kyle's lungs erupted out his mouth upon impact. There was no time to catch his breath as the enemy pinned Kyle down with a knee and wrapped his hands around his throat.
That avian bastard's hands felt stronger than metal clamps! Kyle felt his vision grow blurry. He struggled in vain to pry his assailant's hands off. The enemy glared down at him as his mandibles formed into what would equate as grit teeth and blood seeped out from the poked eye. Kyle swung one of his arms to try and hit that eye again, only for the Raptor to grab it and pin the arm onto the floor.
Even with one hand though, the Raptor had a firm grip on his windpipe. The Raptor released Kyle's arm to throw a punch against Kyle's helmet, causing a crack at the bottom of the visor. It was then Kyle saw the enemy quickly reach for its own sheathed dagger and attack. With only a split second to spare, Kyle grabbed the arm mid-swing. He wouldn't be able to hold it for long though, as the enemy continued to choke him and slowly lower the knife towards Kyle's visor. His head started spinning as he gasped and kicked his legs around fruitlessly. It was going to be over one way or another very quickly if he didn't do something fast.
There was only one last move Kyle had. He slid his free hand off from his throat and grabbed for his pistol. There was no time to hesitate as he noticed the Raptor glancing at the hand. With the handle firmly in his grip, Kyle used the last bit of his strength to whip out the sidearm and plant the barrel between the alien's eyes.
The look of surprise on that bastard's face was burned into Kyle's brain as he pulled the trigger, splattering blood and brain matter against his visor.
The Raptor's body went limp and Kyle rolled the corpse off of him. He dropped his pistol and weakly took his helmet off with a loud gasp to catch his breath. He rolled onto his stomach and attempted to lift himself up, only to stumble and vomit onto the floor. He coughed and wheezed on the floor, his throat still burning from the stomach acid. He almost died there, he realized. He almost died alone in the middle of a hallway and no one would have known…
He looked up to see his Hurricane a couple feet away from him. His hand shook as he holstered both of his weapons, scooped up his helmet and shakily stood up. I got to leave, he thought to himself. I got to escape.
Right when he thought that, two enemy rounds struck the wall on both sides of him. He glanced to see the squad of Raptors he sealed behind the door shooting at him. Great...
Walking in what felt like a drunken stupor, Kyle did his best the outrun his assailants down the labyrinth of the bunker. He offered up a few shots from his pistol in retaliation, but his vision hadn't fully recovered enough for his shots to hit the enemy. It amazed him that he managed to evade them for this long, but he could feel himself about to trip up again. Still, he pushed himself to the limit.
By the time he reached his third hallway, he slumped onto one knee and wheezed. His light-headed feeling returned. All he wanted to do was lie down and sleep. A quick moment to catch his breath...
That wasn't going to happen though. He heard the Raptors shout in their tongue and footsteps echo as they came his direction. This was it, he thought to himself seeing three Raptors round the corner. He lifted his pistol weakly as the Raptor in front pointed its weapon back at him…
…and then was riddled with plasma shots coming from behind Kyle.
The private turned to see Gryn'dama and D'Thun uncloak as they continued firing, diverting the Raptors' attention. Kyle used the diversion to drag himself behind a nearby metal crate. He then saw the Sanghelli light their energy swords and yell before charging at the enemy. Over his shoulder, Kyle could hear sickening burning sounds mingled with Raptor shouts as the Sanghelli commenced their work of death.
"Kyle!" A familiar voice shouted behind him.
He looked back to see Redmond and everyone else who was alive run towards him.
"More of them coming down the hall!" Shinjiro shouted.
"We got this!" Jaskolski shouted firing alongside Maksimov. "Help Nolan!"
Redmond and Shinjiro lifted Kyle to his feet. His vision cleared enough to see that Unggoy Guzgud signal the others towards an open doorway he stood under.
"Over here!" The Unggoy shrieked as he fired plasma shots toward the enemy.
"You alright?" Shinjiro asked Kyle as they moved him to the door.
"…been better," he wheezed in reply.
They leaned Kyle against the wall near the doorway before running back to help the others.
"Brother!" Kyle then heard D'Thun shout as an additional hail of enemy gunfire suddenly erupted.
Kyle turned to see Gryn'dama get riddled with Raptor rounds. The older zealot roared in agony before collapsing onto the ground.
"They just keep coming!" Jaskolski shouted as more Raptors traded shots with the troopers.
"Go help them!" Shinjiro shouted to Redmond, who shot a stream of napalm to cover the others' escape.
"Lock the door!" Guzgud chirped running next to Shinjiro and toiling away at the terminal nearby.
"Nolan! Cover them!" Shinjiro shouted lifting his weapon and firing at the Raptors.
Kyle lifted himself off from the door, feeling slightly more strength in his limbs to help fire back. It wasn't much of a resistance, but they managed to buy enough seconds for the Unggoy to do his work.
"…got it. I got it!" Guzgud chirped as the terminal lit green.
"Fall back!" Shinjiro shouted to the others. "Fall back!"
Redmond laid down another column of fire against the enemy as D'Thun picked up his fallen comrade's body and ran back through the doorway.
"Go!" Maksimov shouted as he, Jaskolski and Redmond bolted for the door. They almost made it without a hitch…
…until a shotgun blast struck one of them in the back.
"…Patrick!" Jaskolski shouted as Maksimov collapse onto the ground.
Redmond attempted to run back and help, but a flurry of rounds blocked her way and forced her to retreat.
Jaskolski wouldn't be deterred though. He rushed to his friend's side and dragged him by his arm, enemy gunfire dancing around them. Kyle and the rest of the squad laid down covering fire until the two of them struggled through the doorway. Once Maksimov's foot cleared it, Guzgud sealed it shut immediately and locked the terminal down.
"Get some biofoam!" Redmond shouted kneeling down and sprawling Maksimov on his stomach. Shinjiro and Jaskolski struggled to remove Maksimov's back armor. Kyle holstered his pistol and took off the wounded soldier's helmet. Maksimov coughed up blood and his face had turned paler than a ghost. Shinjiro successfully lifted off the armor, revealing several large holes spurting blood. Kyle knew right then that there was no helping him.
"Don't die on me, Pat," Jaskolski said frantically pulling off his helmet and taking a biofoam spray from his belt. "We'll patch you up. Good as new."
Maksimov flailed a hand about, trying to reach for something but not grabbing it.
"Don't move, buddy," Jaskolski said reaching for the hand.
Maksimov grabbed onto Jaskolski's collar and gripped tight. He turned his head weakly and looked to his friend with sorrowful eyes.
"…thanks…" He wheezed. "…for…coming back…"
His hand then slipped off Jaskolski's collar and he was gone.
Silence followed. Guzgud walked to Jaskolski's side and attempted to put a hand on his shoulder before the trooper stood to his feet.
"GOD! DAMN! SHIT!" He shouted throwing his helmet against the door, putting a hand over his face to wipe away some tears as he let out a quiet sob.
Redmond took off her own helmet and looked towards Kyle with an expression close enough to shock. If Kyle hadn't just blown an alien's brains through the back of its head, he would have looked the same.
The two of them turned to see D'Thun kneeling over the body of his own friend, muttering a word of prayer before standing to his feet.
"…is he…?" Kyle attempted to ask, his throat still dry from vomiting earlier.
"He was gone before he fell," the Sanghelli said somberly before checking his weapon's ammunition. "He died honorably in battle. A great warrior would expect no less."
"This is Bravo squad," Shinjiro said over the TEAMCOM to anyone who would listen. "We have many KIA's and we're trapped inside the bunker. Please respond."
Nothing.
"Damn it," the corporal muttered before looking to D'Thun. "Any ideas?"
"I've not heard a word from my brothers," D'Thun replied.
"We're on our own?"
"So it would seem."
Jaskolski took some calming breaths to collect himself as Guzgud approached Gryn'dama's body. The Unggoy put his hands together in some sort of religious reverence.
"May our dead be welcomed by the ancestors," Guzgud said quietly.
"And may we live to avenge them," D'Thun said in reply as he met Jaskolski's eyes. "There will be time to mourn, but the longer we wait, the more time the enemy will have to attack,"
"He's right," Shinjiro said reloading his assault rifle. "We're sitting ducks here. We've got to hold out for the admiral's fleet."
Jaskolski exhaled deeply as he picked up his helmet. His little tantrum seemed to have broken the visor enough that he chucked it aside. "Fine," he said pulling out his battle rifle. "Let's burn these shit heels."
Redmond nodded as she removed Maksimov's dog tags and pocketed them.
"Nolan," Shinjiro said. "You good to fight?"
Kyle shook his arms a little to get the feeling back in them. He still felt weak after his run-in with that Raptor and his battle fatigue was hitting faster than he would have liked, but he felt decent aside from one thing.
"Anyone got water?" he said with a cough.
Redmond took out a canteen from her belt and tossed it to him. He nodded in thanks, gargling down a swig and spitting the water against the wall.
"…alright," he said clearing his throat and tossing the canteen back to Redmond. "I'm good."
He pulled out his Hurricane while most of the group gathered together to discuss the next course of action. Before he could join them, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey…" Redmond asked as Kyle faced her. "…you ok?"
Kyle felt he had already answered that question, but he got the feeling she was asking for her own sake more than his based on that look she gave.
"…no," Kyle said quietly.
Redmond sighed as she slipped her flamethrower off her shoulders. "Yeah…me neither."
Kyle looked down as the weapon slid onto the floor. "You sure you don't need that?"
"If I'm going to die today, I'd rather not have a time bomb on my back."
Kyle sighed. It sounded like her resolve was faltering.
"I want to go home…" Redmond said with a quivering tone.
He let her sit on that emotion for a few seconds before responding.
"We'll make it," he said looking to her.
"What if we don't?"
"…we will."
The two of them met each other's eyes before Redmond looked down and closed hers. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
"The fleet will be here soon, right?" She said opening her eyes.
He nodded in reply.
"…ok," she said putting on her helmet and pulling out a Hurricane of her own. "Ok…we can do this."
Kyle smiled as he put his helmet back on. He took a moment to wipe off the brain matter from his previous encounter as the visor ionized and realigned with his eyes. The crack that Raptor gave him caused his screen to flicker momentarily, but it seemed to still be functional.
"We're all good?" Shinjiro said leading everyone down the hall. "We've got some ass kicking to do."
D'Thun walked by his side as they proceeded down the hall before spotting a path leading outside.
"Thank god," Jaskolski said as the group picked up the pace. The sooner they got out, the sooner they could reestablish connection with everyone else.
Once they reached the exit, however, they realized there might not be anyone else left. The group stopped to see corpses littering the ground and most of them were from their side. Jaskolski gagged next to Kyle. He didn't have a helmet to filter out the stink of the dead bodies, which Kyle only assumed was intense. In the distance, they heard the rumble of scattered explosions and gunfire. They weren't completely alone, but they were the only ones left on this hill.
Well, them and whatever had just revved to life next to them!
The group turned to see a large enemy vehicle hover off the ground and point a mounted machine gun at them, its barrels whirring for an attack.
"RUN!" Shinjiro shouted grabbing a flashbang from his belt.
Everyone scattered every which way they could as Shinjiro set off the grenade and the vehicle fired. Kyle bolted toward a large, half crumbled stone wall nearby as he could hear the mounted gun firing in his direction. Of course it was coming after him! He pleaded to God frantically as he could feel the heat of the gunfire approaching him with each step. He had to hold out for a few more seconds…
At that moment, he rolled sideways behind the wall. The gunfire ripped up a line of grass and dirt past where he had just stood before stopping. The private exhaled frantically as he heard the vehicle prep its gun again for an attack.
"Over here!" Redmond shouted as gunfire and plasma fired at the vehicle, bouncing off its exterior and drawing its attention away. Kyle heard the group scamper away until they were out of earshot, the vehicle not pursuing them. It was likely the driver was still somewhat disorientated from the flash, but for a moment things were quiet again.
Kyle leaned against the wall and caught his breath. It was then he realized he didn't have his gun in his hands. He hit his helmet against the wall in frustration as he looked over to see it right beside him…in a spot the vehicle could easily see. Great, he thought to himself. THIS was the moment he died.
"Greenhorn!"
Kyle quickly pulled out his pistol and pointed it at the voice to his left, only to spot another ODST hiding behind the wall with him.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" The trooper said with a faint British accent lifting his hands up. "Friendly!"
Kyle exhaled lowering his pistol and noted his visor tagging the trooper. Lieutenant David Anderson? Didn't ring a bell. He must have been from a different squad.
"Sorry…" Kyle said still short on breath. "Where's everyone else?"
"…all over the bloody place," Anderson sighed motioning around them.
Kyle peeked his head out again. Sure enough, all those bodies they saw before were still there. For every Raptor they took down, there were at least two dead ODST, Sanghelli or someone else mingled with them. One of the Mantis vehicles had been blown to pieces in the distance, while another laid mostly intact save for the pilot who was splattered inside the cockpit. The Mgalekgolo had collapsed into heaps of armor and bleeding wormlike guts. Even the distant fighting he heard before had silence, with nothing left save the ships still fighting the enemy fleet above them. For all Kyle knew, the first wave was almost completely wiped out.
"…jeez," Kyle exhaled ducking back behind the wall and putting a finger to his earpiece. "Guys?"
"I'm here," Redmond replied sounding just as exasperated.
"D'Thun and Guzgud are with me," Jaskolski chimed in.
"…where's Shinjiro?"
"…where we left him…" Jaskolski replied.
Kyle peeked out again to confirm Jaskolski's claim. Shinjiro didn't even have a chance to run before the enemy's gun tore him to pieces, with the holes still smoking from his armor. That blasted vehicle was still there by the entrance too, only now it was accompanied by the Raptor squad that had been chasing them. There were maybe seven of those avian bastards left, but the vehicle put them at an advantage.
"Greenhorn," Anderson said as Kyle ducked back behind the wall. "Patch me through a secure channel."
Kyle looked to the lieutenant pitifully, suddenly not feeling so confident as he did before.
"Don't pussy out on me," Anderson replied removing his helmet. He was a stern looking black soldier, yet he radiated a certain warmth and charisma that Kyle noted as infectious. "We're not dead yet and we still have our weapons, so we can still kick some ass. Patch me through!"
Kyle nodded opening a link into the squad's secure channel for the lieutenant.
"Troopers," Anderson said. "This is Lieutenant Anderson. Who's left on our side?"
"Private Redmond, sir," the private replied. "I'm pinned by a wall near the bunker."
"Corporal Jaskolski," the corporal said. "I'm with a Sanghelli and an Unggoy behind a collapsible barricade."
Anderson sighed as he peeked over the wall. Kyle used that moment to covertly reach out and grab his Hurricane, ducking behind the wall again before the lieutenant finished his observation.
"They're not moving yet," Anderson said glancing back down the hill, the gears in his head clearly working overtime. Mulling over something for a few more seconds, Anderson put a finger to his earpiece. "Listen up. We have to take that vehicle down if we're going to get out of here."
"Any ideas?" Redmond asked.
"Just one. Jaskolski, how far are you from that Mantis?"
There was a pause before Jaskolski replied. "I can make it."
"Good. Redmond, I need you and the Covvies to keep those wankers occupied. Nolan, you see that group of Unggoy there?"
Kyle peeked out from the wall to see the corpses the lieutenant identified, along with a fallen trooper. He nodded in reply.
"That trooper was carrying a rocket launcher."
"You think it's loaded?"
"Definitely," Anderson replied. "I need you to go down there and get it."
Kyle turned to him surprised.
"Either you or Jaskolski have to take that bloody thing down if we're going to make it out alive. I'll cover you," he said picking up a rifle by his side.
Kyle looked back to where the rocket launcher was and gulped loudly. He gripped his gun against his chest and felt himself heaving nervously. There was a good chance neither of them would be able to reach their targets in time.
"Hey!" Anderson said slamming a hand on Kyle's shoulder. "Don't bugger out. Show these bastards they can't take our bloody planet."
The private nodded nervously as he got to his feet. He tried to pump himself up to do the task. Maybe Kyle was going to be THAT soldier today that his grandfather said he would be…or he was going to get shot in the back running downhill. That wouldn't look so good out of context.
"Everyone ready?" Anderson said raising his rifle.
Kyle pushed the edge of his boot past the wall as he slowly inhaled to catch a second wind. He could do this, he said to himself. One step at a time. All it took was—
"GO!" Anderson shouted.
Kyle bolted from his spot and charged down the hill. Out the corner of his vision, he spotted Jaskolski also sprinting like a madman towards the downed Mantis as everyone else fired at the Raptors.
It didn't stop them from spotting Kyle though. Enemy rounds struck all around him and whizzed past his helmet while he ran. He blindly sprayed rounds from his Hurricane up the hill, never letting his sprint falter as he focused on his target.
"Over here!" Redmond shouted firing on the enemy, one of the Raptors shouting in pain as she hit her mark.
Kyle dove towards the Unggoy corpses as he reached his target, tumbling slightly and just missing the rocket launcher before he could grab it.
"I got it," Jaskolski shouted over the TEAMCOM. "Keep them off me!"
Kyle's lungs felt like they were on fire as he scrambled back to the rocket launcher. Up the hill, Kyle saw Jaskolski throw the deceased Mantis pilot out the cockpit and hop inside. Further ahead, Anderson sniped a few rounds at the remaining Raptors while Redmond, D'Thun and Guzgud laid down suppressing fire. The enemy vehicle divided its firing time across multiple targets, trying to keep the fire on Jaskolski while also taking shots at the rest of the team.
A couple more rounds whizzed over Kyle's head as he reached the rocket launcher. Thinking quickly, he propped up the dead trooper laying on top of the launcher. The body took a couple of rounds while Kyle slid the weapon out from underneath. It was then a lone plasma grenade caught his attention lying next to the launcher. He used an extra second to scoop up the grenade and latch it to his belt before getting to his feet.
"Here I come!" Jaskolski shouted as the Mantis reactivated and he fired a flurry of machine gun rounds at the enemy. Three of the Raptors were cut down immediately while the remaining forces took cover behind the vehicle, which was now focusing all its attention on the walker.
"Look out!" Redmond shouted as Kyle saw an enemy grenade fly out and land nearby Guzgud, exploding almost immediately upon impact. The little alien was tossed into the air and landed on the ground, a leak now seeping gas from his tank.
D'Thun rushed to his ally's side, firing plasma shots back at the enemy while dragging Guzgud behind a nearby barricade.
Kyle ran up the hill as fast as he could, quickly adjusting his grip on the launcher. He counted one round left in the weapon, which meant there was little to no room for error. He only hoped Jaskolski could—
"Corporal!" Anderson shouted as the enemy vehicle concentrated fire on one of the Mantis legs, knocking the walker down slightly.
"I got it!" Jaskolski panicked as he primed a missile from the walker's launcher, enemy gunfire pummeling its sides. "I just need to—"
The corporal never got to finish that thought as a round hit one of the missiles in the launcher, detonating it. The explosion must have spread to a gas leak coming from the Mantis, because the walker erupted into a humongous fireball.
Kyle slanted to the left as the walker's wreckage creaked and fell backwards in a burning heap. Jaskolski was gone. It was all up to him now. As soon as the enemy vehicle came into view, Kyle bent to one knee, aimed the launcher and fired.
The rocket crashed into the vehicle's side, engulfing it and the remaining Raptors in flames. Kyle exhaled loudly as he stood up and dropped the launcher…only to see the smoke clear and the vehicle turn his direction! There was some damage to the vehicle, but not enough to disable it.
However, now the cover around the vehicle's cockpit was exposed, revealing a lone Raptor driver brushing debris and glass off. That gave Kyle a random impulse idea. It was crazy, borderline suicidal, but it was the only way he could see them taking this thing down.
"Kyle!" Redmond shouted as Kyle ignored all rational impulses and ran straight towards the vehicle. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the vehicle fired at him. Somehow, he managed to run in such a way that the rounds seemed to hit all around him. Dirt kicked up in his face and rounds whizzed past his ear, but he managed to not get hit once. At that moment, he felt more invincible than a Spartan.
The private reached for his belt and pulled out the looted plasma grenade, priming it mid-sprint. He was close enough now to duck beneath the vehicle's mounted gun and aim directly into the cockpit. It was time to put Olympic shot-putters to shame.
He hurled the grenade at the exposed cockpit. It stuck directly onto the driver's face, causing the Raptor to panic and make a futile attempt to remove it. Using his remaining seconds, Kyle rushed away from the vehicle and dove onto the ground with his hands over his head.
The grenade detonated, engulfing the driver and cockpit in plasma. Without functional controls, the vehicle's thrusters slowly died and it dropped to the ground with a firm thud. After all that struggle, they brought that thing down.
"…trooper," Anderson said following a short pause.
Kyle shakily got to his feet. He looked back to see Redmond emerge from a barricade with D'Thun by her side. Near the Sanghelli's feet, Guzgud heaved slowly as Kyle spotted the improvised plug in his tank. He then turned to the wreckage of the enemy vehicle...and spotted a wounded Raptor sprawled on the ground pointing its weapon at him.
It didn't have a chance to fire, though, before a sniper round struck him right in the skull.
"Points off for letting your guard down," he heard the lieutenant joke over TEAMCOM while emerging from his hiding spot. "But damn fine work."
Kyle smiled as the two of them removed their helmets and approached each other. The fleet should be here any moment, so all they had to do was wait.
That's when Kyle spotted it. A short distance behind Anderson, a wounded Raptor emerged from the wall they had previously hid behind. Blood dripped from the wound on his ribs as he unfolded what looked like a sniper rifle and aimed for the lieutenant's exposed head.
"LIEUTENANT!" Kyle shouted dropping his helmet and sprinting towards Anderson. Before lieutenant could even react, Kyle pushed him down the hill to avoid the shot.
And then Kyle's right wrist exploded.
Time slowed to a crawl again. Pain surged through Kyle's arm like he had never felt before. He didn't know if the alien's shot had some sort of explosive or shredding modifier on it. He didn't know if it hit his wrist at just the right angle. Whatever the case, all he knew was where his hand used to be, there was only a profusely bleeding stump.
The world returned to normal speed as he fell backwards and collapsed onto the ground. Before he shut his eyes in pain, he saw his dismembered hand roll on the ground and come to a stop. The fingers on it twitched slightly before going completely limp. It was a sight that would burn into his brain, but that couldn't be helped at the moment. Especially because his major concern now was the blood soaking through his armor and underlay.
He covered a hand onto the stump as he heard gunfire erupt from Redmond's direction. He heard the Raptor yelp and collapse dead before Redmond and Anderson ran over to his side.
"SHIT!" Kyle shouted while hyperventilating and gritting his teeth.
"Don't move!" Redmond shouted moving his hand off the injury while Anderson unclipped biofoam spray from his belt. "It'll be alright."
Kyle struggled against Redmond, forcing her to pin his arm down. His injury felt like it was on fire from the exposure to the outside. All he wanted to do was cover it. He knew they were trying to help, but it hurt like a bitch...
"This is Pelican Four to ground team," a new voice suddenly said over TEAMCOM. "Ground team, does anyone read?"
Anderson and Redmond looked up to see Alliance and Sangheili ships exit Slipspace and engage the Raptor fleet. Pelican drop ships, Kodiak shuttles and more drop pods made their way through the atmosphere to Shanxi's surface.
"Pelican Four," Redmond replied relieved while Anderson applied biofoam to Kyle's injury. "We have many KIA and wounded. Requesting immediate evac."
"Copy that," the Pelican pilot replied. "Approaching your position."
Kyle seethed as the cooling factor of the biofoam went to work. He opened his eyes enough to see two Pelicans and three Kodiaks land nearby, unloading marines and soldiers by the dozens. Several ODST and Sangheili drop pods crashed around the field as well, their occupants bursting out and securing the perimeter.
"You need to go!" Anderson said louder over the engines of the ships. "Get him to your ship!"
"But you-"
"I have to stay here," Anderson said cutting Redmond off. "That's an order, private."
Anderson ran to meet with the arriving soldiers while Redmond helped Kyle to his feet. Nearby, D'Thun threw Guzgud over his shoulder fireman style and followed the troopers to a nearby Pelican.
Kyle continued to cradle his arm as he and Redmond ran up the drop ship's loading ramp. He turned to see D'Thun place Guzgud on one of the nearby seats and, right as the loading ramp started to raise, jump back out.
"Wait!" Redmond shouted.
"My brothers require my presence," the Sangheili shouted. "Gods speed, troopers."
The ramp closed shut as a trio of Phantoms landed nearby and D'Thun ran to meet them. With one slight shake, the Pelican lifted off and made the ascent back to the fleet. Exhaling, Redmond sank into a nearby seat and rested her head against the wall. Guzgud gurgled deliriously across from them, still alive but in as much need of medical attention as Kyle.
"...we made it," Redmond said exasperated.
Kyle didn't look to her or sit down. He felt a thousand miles away as he stared vacantly at his injury. He survived all that hell could throw at him and it cost him a hand. His thoughts came across an old play he remembered from school that mentioned something about the price of a pound of flesh. How much was he going to have to take to pay the Raptors back?
"Kyle?" Redmond asked worried as Kyle gripped the forearm below his injury. "Kyle!"
Kyle slipped off his gloves and inspected his right hand. Fighting the thugs made it start hurting again, which was actually impossible because he shouldn't feel pain there at all. This wasn't the first time he felt psychosomatic pain there. His physical therapist had mentioned the concept of ghost limbs to him before, where a missing body part may feel like it's still there long after separation. That probably didn't apply to feeling pain on the metal of a synthetic hand.
He remembered that day again. It wasn't long after the fight on Shanxi that the Harvest's medics brought him in for surgery. There was no time to clone a new limb before he had to be sent back out to the field, so he had to settle a temporary prosthetic until the battle ended and they could grow a proper hand.
That was twenty years ago and he was still using synthetic prosthesis. Combat specialized ones, but prosthesis nonetheless. He could have gone to clone a new limb any time he wanted. Hell, he could go get one now if he had time. And yet...he didn't want to. As far as he was concerned, the only hand he would ever have was left behind on Shanxi, buried under corpses and wreckage.
Kyle began testing his synthetic fingers one at a time while riding up the slow as molasses elevator. This was the third ride in a row since he left that alley and he really hoped this was the last one. The Keepers were so focused on maintenance for the station, but they couldn't speed these elevators up? He would never understand how those bug things worked and no one ever would.
He timed the movement of each joint in his fingers to the music playing through the elevator speakers. Once he finished that, he twisted the wrist around, clenched his hand into a finished and shook it slightly. Everything seemed fine. So why was it hurting?
He sighed crossing his arms and leaning back against the elevator glass. He thoughts were getting the better of him again. He had tried for years to suppress and eliminate them, but he could relive that day vividly like he was still there. The sound of that rifle, the twitch oh his removed fingers, the level of pain in his arm and everything in-between. It was all there in the back of his brain...
He realized his synthetic hand was clenched in a fist again. He needed to calm down. That doctor told him years ago that stress was more lethal than any battlefield danger. Not that he believed it, but if relaxing kept him away from another therapy session then he would do it. He had told the therapist he wasn't angry anymore, right?
So why did beating those thugs feel so...therapeutic? He fought them out of self-defense for the Quarian's sake, but he did throw the first punch. Could that have been resolved peacefully? Was the fight unavoidable? Why would he flee the scene if he was innocent?
He exhaled loudly. Thinking this hard was what got him in trouble last time. He closed his eyes and attempted to empty his mind by listening to the music...
"...in other news, three Turians were hospitalized following a brawl in the lower wards," a reporter said over the speaker.
Shit! Kyle moved from the glass and looked to the speaker. Sweat formed on his brow as he continued to listen.
"The victims claimed to have been assaulted by an older looking Alliance marine while engaging in a business deal. However, contradictory claims from an eyewitness have ed to investigations revealing ties between the victims and Citadel criminal operations. C-Sec has placed the victims in hospitalized custody while their investigations continue, but the lack of visual aids make the assailant's identity inconclusive. Local activist groups plan to use this and related incidents to lobby the Council for increased lower ward surveillance. Coming up next, elevator maintenance will continue in the following districts..."
Kyle sighed. It looked like the Quarian had his back for now. He couldn't count on things working out so neatly in the future though, so he would have to avoid any future situations like that...or be more discreet about it...
The elevator chimed and came to a stop. Kyle quickly exited and proceeded towards his assigned ship parked in a nearby dock: the SSV Tokyo. She was a sturdy Alliance cruiser, its construction and operation dating back to First Contact. It wasn't the fanciest ship in the Fifth Fleet, but, for the time being, it was home.
Kyle slid his gloves back on while he walked. The shifting of his arms strained the area where that Turian hit him with the pipe, forcing him to suppress a wince. He worried for a moment that it might be cracked, but he would worry about that later. He needed to get on the ship and then he could-
"Second lieutenant?"
Shit...Kyle sighed and turned to face the man dressed in an Alliance blues officer uniform. The years may have worn down the man's rougher features and accent, but he was still the revered soldier Kyle knew from that battle years ago. He never expected to serve directly under him again after all this time, especially given the personal information about Kyle the man had made himself privy to. The look on the man's face meant that he clearly had something on his mind, which meant Kyle would likely have to face the music.
"Captain Anderson," Kyle said raising a hand in salute.
"At ease," Anderson replied. "Did you enjoy the shore leave?"
"Y-yeah," Kyle said lowering his hand. "I mean, it's not Earth, but…yeah."
"I know what you mean. Simulated daylight and filtered oxygen doesn't make a place home. Heard from your family lately?"
"Bits and pieces," Kyle said still waiting for the pounce. "Mostly it's 'The kids are great' or 'Mom and dad got back from Harvest.' Civilian living."
"Don't envy them too hard," Anderson said with a slightly cocked brow. "Something on your mind?"
Kyle couldn't hide his emotions from Anderson very well. It hasn't worked before, so why now? He rubbed his arm and averted the captain's gaze. He had to think of something quick.
"I've….I've been thinking about…you know…old thoughts."
"Same as before?"
"…yeah," Kyle replied realizing he had an easy out.
"You said everything was under control," Anderson said crossing his arms.
"It is. I swear. I just…" Kyle said lifting his gloved synthetic hand. "…it's been hurting again."
"It's psychosomatic, Kyle," Anderson replied. "Always is and always will be."
Kyle nodded in reply. Same thing everyone else said too. At least Anderson stopped asking Kyle why he wouldn't replace it years ago.
"…its almost three decades," Anderson said. "Three decades since that first drop on Shanxi."
"…do you still think about it?" Kyle asked rhetorically.
"That kind of thing doesn't just go away."
"…no. It doesn't…"
"I've seen men buckle under the strain before and they didn't go through half of what we did," Anderson said approaching Kyle. "But you can't let those thoughts control you. You're watching over my men on this ship and there's no room for error. I know you're better than that, so be better. Understood?"
Silence lingered while Kyle mulled over his words. Anderson was one of a few people who could make him feel this way. And even those people didn't have this kind of…hold, for lack of a better word. He didn't even need coercion or intimidation to do so. Still, if he had to choose this or being chewed out for beating civilians, he would listen to this version of Anderson on loop.
"…sir yes sir," Kyle said nodding.
"Good," Anderson smiled giving the lieutenant a pat on the shoulder. "We're heading out shortly. Make sure your team's accounted for."
Kyle turned towards the ship, sighing that the conversation went so well.
"Oh, and I hope you went easy on them," the captain suddenly said.
Kyle turned sharply back. "…sorry?"
"Jenson and Resolme," the Captain said. "Sounds like you cleaned their pockets."
"Oh, ha!" The lieutenant chuckled relieved. "Yeah, I didn't think they'd tell you about that. I mean, they barely put anything down. Greenhorns, you know? Got to knock them down a peg so they can grow."
"Indeed, but don't abuse the mentoring privilege. Too much tough love can break a private."
"Right, sir."
"Dismissed, lieutenant," Anderson said.
Kyle nodded and walked to the ship's dock entrance. Well…that was a bullet dodged. It wasn't entirely implausible that this was some test to ultimately prove he did beat the Turians, but Kyle figured he was in the clear. The only thing he cared about right then was getting off that blasted Citadel. After a day like today, anything they'd encounter in space would be a welcomed experience…
Codex Entry (Alliance): Orbital Drop Shock Troopers- History
The Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are a special operations capable organization of the Alliance military. The unit originated during the Martian campaign against the Neo-Communist Koslovics, when the 105th infantry successfully deployed from Mars's orbit to support United Nations soldiers. The title 'Orbital Drop Shock Trooper' was officially established following successful drops in the preceding Rain Forest Wars and the Jovian Moons campaign. However, further ODST involvement diminished as focus diverted to more pressing issues like overpopulation and famine.
The unit's future was in limbo until 2490, when the outer colony Insurrection threatened the stability of what had then become the United Earth Government. After considerable lobbying, the United Nations Space Command authorized the use of ODST squads to fight the Insurrectionists. The exploits of their high-risk operations, from sabotaging Insurrectionist suppliers to large joint operations with other military branches, restored the unit's reputation in the public's eye.
The dawn of the Human-Covenant War brought an unexpected end to their involvement in the Insurrection. In the years that would follow, some of the deadliest and most critical missions in human history were conducted by ODST squads fighting such a technologically superior opponent. Though casualties were high, the troopers fought valiantly in nearly every major campaign of the war from Harvest to Arcadia to the final Battle of the Ark. A memorial outside the ODST headquarters at Kenosha, Mars pays tribute to the thousands who gave their lives to secure peace among the 314 races.
Following this and the discovery of the mass relays, the unit was once again called upon to repel the Turian occupation of the human colony Shanxi. Following a deadly first wave attack, the ODST and 314 races pushed back Turian soldiers for the entire two months of the 'First Contact War.' Their victories leading to the Turian withdrawal served as a rallying cry for future trooper recruitment, as well as an unfortunate political tool for anti-alien activists like the Terra Firma party.
Following the war, ODST priorities shifted to meet the needs of human colonization and the newly established relationships with the Council races. While they are still used for major combat scenarios, ODST squads are now regularly rotated among Alliance cruisers, colonies and human military detachments both terrestrial and station based. On top of maintaining security and protection, the squads are meant to boost efficiency and morale among their fellow soldiers. They also regularly field-test new military technology, leading to many weapons, armor modifications and vehicles becoming standard in the Alliance military. Despite this more multi-faceted approach, direct action has continued to be the unit's primary selling point.
Further information on Orbital Drop Shock Trooper history not classified by the Office of Naval Intelligence can be found through the extranet and numerous war museums across the Forerunner cluster.
And with that, the first two chapters of Last of an Ancient Breed are complete. Thank you so much for your time. Please feel free to review and critique the story as you please, either through the review section or PMs. I am pretty open to suggestions for improvement and corrections if any need to be addressed. Let me know what you think of these chapters, Kyle as a character or whatever else is on your mind about this story.
As well, remember to check out the source story, The Last Spartan.