Chapter 1: Ultimatums

Log #0:

There's a very strong disconnect between what people tell you and what you remember. They told me that I was in and out of consciousness for weeks. That the team didn't leave my side. That I almost died that night before they even found me in the rubble. I can't recall those things. I do remember the sound of the tension bar as I slammed through the door. I remember the feeling of the pressure wave around me. I remember the heat that it caused. I remember the numbness in my left leg. The weight of the rubble that pinned me to the ground. The sound of Sylas whimpering next to me. How he kept burying his muzzle in my neck. It was like he was begging me just to hold on. I remember the bipolar integration augs kicking in. How they forced me to stay awake.

When I woke up in the hospital the air around me felt heavy, as though my team's worries had weighed it down. The doctor said I lost my leg in the explosion. Just above the knee. I don't remember when my leg was lost. Whether it happened during the explosion or after they stripped me of my armor. I remember standing in the crutches and looking at what was left. They fitted me with a prosthetic and I spent months in physical therapy.

I remember receiving that damn medal. The Distinguished Service Award. They gave me my discharge papers right afterwards. I didn't blame the Commander. She wasn't the one to decide if I stayed or was cast aside. The higher ups decided I wasn't useful anymore. They couldn't get rid of my augments. Not when they were what had been holding me together for almost a decade. I finally got to go back to Tribute. That's when I decided to compile this. This is the story of what O.N.I had me do. Everything; all of the dark, corrupt and vile missions. I was a hitman, a liar, a thief. My name is Andrew-G199 formerly Andrew James Tyberius. This is the Black Book


June 5th, 2581

06:55

Casbah City, Tribute, Epsilon Eridani System

"For the last time Sarah, you and Alice are staying here. The four of us promised Jesse that we'd keep you safe if anything happened." Andrew's duffle was slung over his shoulder. All morning she'd tried to convince him to let her and Alice go back home. He wouldn't budge on the issue. It's what the Boss wanted, what they promised him.

"What are we supposed to do here, Andrew? Alice is still in school. Taking a break for the foreseeable future is going to set her back," Sarah argued in return. She stood in the kitchen over a plate of eggs, hash brown potatoes and orange slices. It was Alice's favorite breakfast and she would be up soon. This conversation needed to end now.

"She's a smart kid. She'll be able to catch up if you get her a tutor, once you go back. You're under military protection anyway. They won't let you go home." Andrew had full confidence in his goddaughter's ability to learn. She'd shown herself to be much smarter than she let on.

"How is this much more secure?" Sarah flung her arms open wide. Andrew's kitchen and living room had an open floor plan, with the only private areas being the office, master suite, guest room and bathroom.

"Harper, protect Sarah and Alice at all costs."

"Understood. Enabling security protocol Sigma One. Defense Systems on standby," the AI chirped.

"That doesn't make me feel better."

"Don't worry ma'am, protocol Sigma One has a success rate of five thousand simulated and one actual. I'm very precise," Harper's tone shifted from cheery to dead serious.

"This is ridiculous Andrew." Sarah stomped her foot in frustration causing Sylas to look up from his spot on the couch.

"Someone broke into your home, left a message for me, and now your husband is MIA. You live on base and Jesse is a 'Verse damned Spartan. Nothing adds up. You need to stay here. There will be a guard rotation alongside Harper's protocol." Andrew stood by the door to his apartment now. His gun case was waiting there, filled with the relics of his service. Andrew turned back to look at Sarah one last time, "Please, this is the one thing he asked of us. We're family. We look after each other. Kasey will take Sylas out every day. Just give him some attention while we're gone."

Alice wandered out of the guest room, rubbing her eyes. Sylas kept close to the young child as she passed through the living room. She blinked the sleep away and looked at her mother and godfather. "Uncle Andy, why do you have a bag like Daddy had? Are you going away?"

Andrew smiled and motioned for her to come closer. He knelt down and stroked the young one's hair. "I'll be going away for a while. I'm going with uncles Brandon, Sam and auntie Jaq to go find your dad and bring him back home. You and Mommy will be safe here with Harper and Sylas. You remember how to tell Sylas what to do?"

Alice nodded and smiled. Andrew knew her pronunciation wasn't great by any means, but it was good enough for the aging fur missile. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and stood back up. "Good, if you're ever in trouble just let him know. Sylas, beschütze sie. Ich zähle auf dich."

He turned back around and picked up the gun case. Andrew passed through the threshold and into the hall. Two MPs sat at either side of the door. He glanced at them and headed to the elevator. This was the last thing he thought he'd be doing, yet here he was, leaving his home world yet again for the military.

His drive to the orbital elevator was relatively peaceful. Traffic hadn't been too bad through the city and the highway was shockingly uncongested. He was stopped at the gate for military parking. An MP was busy checking his new ID and he had about an hour to get up to the port at the top of the elevator. "Sorry about the wait. We had to inquire about your orders and they were less than revealing. Have a safe trip, Captain."

Andrew's eye twitched at his new rank. The last standard rank he held was Staff Sergeant. After being transferred to Spartan Operations he held no rank, an equal to all other Spartans. Now he was an officer, his commission only lasting as long as it took to find his former leader. Still, even now he hated the responsibility of command. Even now he'd rather be given an order and decide if it was worth following than be the one giving them.

The ride up the elevator was boring, but it gave him a chance to catch up on his reading. According to local news Casbah had the lowest crime rate since reconstruction had begun. He smiled to himself knowing that his work with the CPD was making a difference. In other news, efforts to rebuild or even expand parts of the city had been going well also. He spent the next thirty minutes lost in his reading.

"Welcome to the UNSC Orbital Docking Station at Casbah. Please exit in an orderly fashion."

Andrew stood up and gathered his belongings. His street clothes clashed against the uniforms everyone else wore. It seemed to draw the eyes of a fair few people, not that he cared. It was normally his size that caught people's attention, so being noticed for something else was a change of pace. A marine stopped Andrew in his tracks. "Hey boot, where do you think you're going without a proper uniform? Or are you just some lost civvie?"

"That's Captain to you, Marine." Andrew had his ID in hand faster than the Marine could catch on. "Give me shit like that again and your Company Commander will be on your ass like white on rice, am I clear?"

"Understood sir, my apologies, sir." The Marine snapped off a crisp salute and practically sprinted away.

Andrew pushed on towards a secluded gate. There were far fewer people here. Most of them were MPs and a few logistics officers going over the ship's supply manifest. Through the thick windows Andrew could see the ship he was here for; the PRO-99578 UNSC Duskline, a Sahara Class Prowler. He had to admit that she was a hell of a vessel. Her sleek lines blended into one another and her hull mixed into the inky black of space. A few running lights pulsed across the hull as though the ship was visibly breathing.


The members of Phoenix alongside the ship's Captain stood in the OpCenter. O.N.I's Eye of Odin rotated on a holographic display. It had been five minutes since Andrew made the call. Finally, a video feed opened. CINCONI Admiral Serin Osman sat at her desk. Her face was placid and indifferent. "Andrew, I'm glad that you chose to accept this. Do you have any questions?"

"Didn't have much of a choice. I owe Thermer. I need to know exactly what his mission was, as well as every report he made. Every last detail." Andrew shrugged through his first sentence, but crossed his arms upon making his request.

"I cannot give you those documents all at once. Nor will I authorize anyone to do so. Thermer's mission was strictly need-to-know." Serin's eyes glared through Andrew.

"That wasn't a request, Serin. If you expect us to follow a wild goose chase, you'd better be prepared to hand over whatever intel you have on our objective." Andrew knew she was testing him. He had changed over the years, but he'd be damned if he let her push him around.

"You have your first clue, don't you?" She said nonchalantly.

"Need I remind you of the havoc I can cause just by publishing The Book? Do I need to go there?" Andrew growled, his fists clenching.

"Is that a threat, Captain Tyberius?"

"That isn't my name and you know it."

"That wasn't my question."

"It's a promise. Either you provide me with every detail on Thermer's mission or I set the colonies on fire. I fought for the people. Maybe it's time for them to fight for themselves. Maybe the insurrection has a point." Andrew's words were laced with venom.

"What the hell are you doing Andrew," Sam asked, stepping forward cautiously.

"Sam, shut up. Your move Admiral. You want to play hardball? I'll play hardball, but I ain't going into the howling void blind."

"You're dead serious. Fine, you'll get what you want, and more. You'll have the reports by morning. Captain G199 will be taking command of this operation. Captain Sloane, if he says you're headed somewhere, you head there. For tonight, get acclimated to your new home." Osman signed off and the rest of the room let out a breath none of them realized they'd been holding. Andrew stepped away from the holo-table and looked around.

"You haven't changed much in ten years, big guy," King broke the deafening silence.

"Clearly you missed the part where that wasn't an empty threat. Captain Sloane, set us a course for Minerva in the Lambda Rho System. We leave tomorrow morning after our supplies are all delivered."

"Wait, you meant all that," Sam asked aggressively.

"Yeah, I did. I'm sick of playing O.N.I's games, Sam. They can either give me the full story or they can burn. I committed atrocities against the people in an effort to protect them from themselves. I was kept in the dark and never told why. I'll be damned if I blindly follow them into the dark again."


"C'mon in," Andrew responded to the knocking at his door. Sloane entered the small quarters. At almost sixty-five the man was in impressive shape. He stood at 1.8 meters tall with an athletic build, his expression was grim and his posture ramrod straight. Andrew looked up at him from where he sat on his bunk. "At ease, Captain."

"Sir, I think we need to have a talk," Sloane said as he took a seat in Andrew's desk chair.

"I understand why you're concerned. I made some rash statements, but I meant them. I've worked with the Office before. I have more dirt on them than most people and I'm not going to apologize. Thermer dragged me out of a shit op and if it weren't for him I wouldn't be here now; if they won't help me find him, I'll burn everything to the ground. At the end of it, I know he'll still be standing."

"So, it's a personal matter. I understand that. How long's it been since you lost it," Sloane asked as Andrew scratched a phantom itch on his prosthetic. The Spartan pulled his hand back slightly and gripped his pant leg.

"A little over ten years now. How could you tell?"

"Your gait is a bit off, like you don't trust it."

"Hard to trust the simulated sense of impact I feel."

"Why didn't they just clone you a new one? They could've done that at the time." Andrew pulled up the leg of his straight cut jeans. Sloane expected him to stop mid-shin, then at the knee, Andrew finally stopped halfway up his quadricep.

"It's a little hard to clone a whole leg, especially when the patient is a millimeter from death's door. As I said, Thermer saved me. If he's in trouble I need to know what he's been up to. I owe him."

"How'd you lose it," Sloane leaned back as he asked. Andrew rolled his pant leg back down, taking his time coming back up.

"Op went south fast. We got separated. Hostiles on my six. I gave Sylas the order to kill. Damn hellhound tears through them like a champ. I find a building and just charge through the door. Turns out they were routing me. Soon as I hit the door I hear a tension bar pop, whole fucking thing comes down on me. Just my torso and right hip hanging outta the rubble. Managed to fish my SOCOM out and cover myself for a while. Tell me, what do you know about Gamma Company Spartan Threes?"

"You mean your illegal augments? I've had your kind on my ships before."

"Well, the internal bleeding and external bleeding kicked the augs into gear. I was awake for most of the time I was stuck. I know Thermer was the first to find me. I was almost gone by the time he did."

"I couldn't imagine going through that, much less coming out alive."

"Took me a long time to understand that it was a blessing. They pushed me into retirement. It felt like they were abandoning me at first. Being free from the military has been something else. My conscience has been clean for a while," Andrew said in a manner all too familiar to Sloane.

"I guess it makes sense. You older generation Spartans only ever knew the service. I just need to know something. If and when shit hits the fan, can I count on you? Will you do everything in your power to keep this ship sailing?"

"I'll do what I can. I'll explain my actions when I can, but I need you to trust me when I say where we need to go. I can't promise you that we won't get into trouble."

"All I ask is that you're with us if we do. If you can guarantee that, you'll have my trust."

"Hard not to be there when I'm getting us into it, no?"

"Good point, I think that's all I needed to hear. Thank you." Sloane left the room, stepping aside to let Sam pass through the door. Sam went off as soon as it shut.

"I can't believe that shit Andrew! What the fuck has gotten into you? Seriously! 'Maybe the insurrection has a point!?' Are you fucking mental?"

"You wanna sit down and shut the fuck up so I can explain." Andrew pointed to the chair Sloane had formerly occupied. Sam sat down and waited. Andrew ran a hand through his messy, undercut, brown hair. Were it not for the deep lines and gray streaks he'd have looked nearly the same as the day he retired. He even had that same harlequin fire burning in his eyes.

"I said that because I've watched how the government works, I've watched for ten long years as politician after politician promised the people of my world a better future. Very little has come of it. There's a reason why my firm works with the police to help them investigate blue collar crimes. Shit like kidnappings, gang activity, bomb threats at reconstruction sites. The people in charge don't want to help the people affected most out here. If the Boss is in trouble, then the Office better give me what I need to find him. I will burn everything down if that's what it takes, I know he'll still be there."

"So, after working so hard to protect the system for so long, you'll destroy it just to save one person?" Sam scoffed.

"We're family, Sam. We agreed to the contingency, all of us. Even after we went our separate ways."

"You have a very skewed definition of that word."

"And you've become more cynical since Alice's last birthday. Family doesn't end in blood, Sam. We fought, bled and nearly died together. We had our reasons for fighting, but we were the best at what we did. I still remember you and King trying to get me to participate in Christmas celebrations. We're more than just a bunch of old war buddies. I ain't leaving my family behind."


June 6th, 2581

09:30 Local Time

UNSC Duskline, UNSC Orbital Docking Station at Casbah

Osman had made good on her word. Andrew had spent most of the morning looking over the reports and logs Jesse had provided to the Office. His first stop was something Andrew had predicted, Minerva. The team's stomping ground for about four years, before the battle that took his leg. Andrew was about to go fill the others in when his COM pad lit up and began to vibrate. He patched the call through to his computer terminal and gave it time to encrypt.

"Andrew, why did the call just encrypt and why aren't you in my office right now?" Arinn had a face of placid irritation.

"Promise me you won't freak out."

"Andrew, I know you're on a ship right now. If you knew you'd be taking on an offworld job you should've told me." Arinn crossed her arms and glowered at him.

"This is a different kind of job, Doc. I won't be home for a while."

"Go on."

"I've been temporarily commissioned by the Office of Naval Intelligence. Jesse is missing in action and his target happens to be the bastard behind the Red Hand attacks on Minerva." He knew she was going to trip out.

"Andrew…" Her face was trying to settle on an emotion to express.

"Look, he left a message in Jesse's kitchen the same day Jesse sent the contingency notice. He left a message for me in their kitchen. They live on base."

"Andrew."

"Arinn, there's nothing you can do to stop me. This is a task we agreed to take on, as a family, on Jesse's wedding day. If any of them went missing the rest were to come to my home unannounced. From there we'd track down whoever it was and bring them home."

"I was supposed to discharge you today, Andrew. You've finally learned to cope with your issues in a constructive manner and now you're just going to jump right back into the world that fucked you up?! Are you kidding me," Arinn exclaimed. She couldn't believe what he was saying. Almost twenty years of therapy and counseling, and he was just going to throw it all away? If anything, he'd be a great case study for psychology students.

"Doc, I understand that you're concerned I may regress. I'd like to remind you that I have healthy coping mechanisms now. That I can deal with the stress. I'm not the same self-loathing twenty something Spartan who was forced into therapy. Have some faith in me, will you? If it makes you feel better, I'll swing by your office and we can talk after I get back home." Andrew had his hands up trying to signal her to calm down.

"Fine, but if you're like you used to be I'm gonna make you find a new shrink. I'm getting too old to be dealing with you."

"You're two years younger than me. Anyway, I've gotta let you go. We should be getting underway any minute now."

"Promise me you'll come by the office," she pleaded.

"I will, you have my word." He signed a Spartan smile before disconnecting the call.


Translations:

"Sylas, beschütze sie. Ich zähle auf dich." = "Sylas, protect them. I'm counting on you."

Welcome to the sequel to Operation: OUTCAST. This will not necessarily be as action packed as OUTCAST got and will focus more on Andrew's past and how he's changed in the twelve years since the end of OUTCAST.