Legend:
Bold- Scene Transition
Italics- Sounds
'Thoughts'- '...'
Chapter 5
HAVOC
[Play Halo 3 ODST OST Neon Night on You Tube]
"We making good time?" Lt. Miles asked making his way to the bridge, while trying to get an indication of what their estimated time of arrival would be.
"As well as you could expect, when using faster than light travel Commander." Lucy replied with only the tiniest bit of sarcasm in her voice."I've really got to hand it to the Director, his staff is top notch, these pilots are moving this ship... Well..."
"Better than you could?" the Lieutenant smirked trying to finish the AI's sentence.
"No, no, no, never that good." Lucy interjected,"If I were flying the ship we'd get their at the very least one one hundred of a the time."
"Is that right?" Lt. Miles replied humoring Lucy ego, hoping that she would caught the ever present uninterested tone of his voice. She did not.
"Oh yes Commander, an AIs of my caliber and capability are extremely hard to come by." Lucy bragged closing her eyes as she reflected of the obviousness of her statement. However, when she opened her eyes she saw that the Commander's face was not one of playful foolery, rather he produced an aura of strong seriousness. Lucy voice retreated within her as she worried if she had misread the situation.
"Lucy what's our ETA?" The Lieutenant asked his serious aura ever present.
"Uh..." Lucy knew what she wanted to say but her voice just couldn't keep up. Finally she spoke,"Estimated time of arrival just under an hour... Commander."
"Is the mission still unchanged?" Lt. Miles voice appeared once again however this time Lucy was ready for it.
"No reported changes on our end, Commander. O.N.I. has already wired the money to Saren Dexen the owner of the Black Star Maximum Security Prison for the release of one Nicklaus Holden. Whether they've packaged the right one up for us is another question." Lucy smiled, expecting the expression of the lieutenant to adjust in some way. It did not. Lucy began wondering whether something she had said or done had angered the Commander in some way.
"Don't take it personally Chica"Said a new voice entering into the bridge, it was Moreno. Lucy was just relieved to have someone else in the room to cut throught the thickness of the tension. "He always gets like this before a mission." Moreno reassured her,"I'd be more concerned if he weren't like this."
"Moreno you're done with inventory?" The Lieutenant asked plainly."How's the gear?"
"Commander I don't know what O.N.I.'s expecting us to do with all that firepower down there." Moreno exclaimed,"This ship has just about everything your standard Trooper could dream of One Scorpion, Two Warthogs, four Mongooses, a four drop pod release chambers and a god damn pelican. And, thats only what I could count on my fingers."
"That's ridiculous Moreno." Lucy corrected him,"its Mongeese not Mongooses."
"Really... I just make a joke about I having twelve fingers and you point out Mongooses." Moreno acknowledge.
"What? You mean humans don't have twelve fingers." Lucy paused in utter surprise"I'll need to add this information in when I get my next update.".
"Very funny." Moreno laughed.
"What's funny?" Lucy smiled.
ONE HOUR LATER
"Alright Commander." Lucy spoke,"ETA is 5 mins."
"Tell Chambers and the Rookie suit up and meet me at the hanger." Lt. Miles yelled.
Lucy could see why Chambers attendance would be necessary, the prison in question is privately owned and thus doesn't have to follow the sanction set forth by the UNSC in terms of ensuring the safety and security of their inmates, but why Adam. Both Moreno and Radd had more experienced and surely the Commander must have had doubts about Adams allegiance just as he questioned her's right. This must be some kind of a test she thought, it was just a pick up mission, it was low risk. And if Adam tried anything he'd defiantly notice. Lucy had no idea whether the director had given Adam orders beneath her notice, she simply hope that if Adam was up to anything he could do it unnoticed.
As the three young ODST made their way to the hanger, Lt. Miles provided expedition on the mission to come,"Listen up troopers, our objective is clear. Secure Corporal Nicklaus Holden for the mission . The monetary transaction has already been completed, all we have to do is the pick up."
"All wrapped up with a pretty bow on top, right Commander?" Chambers joked. Adam however was silent, it was the young trooper first official mission as a member of Nova team, and the lieutenant could see that he was determined to make a good impression even if was only a pick up mission.
"How long are we expected to be held up here Commander?" Chambers huffed she was all to familiar with wait times and paperwork associated with these types of missions. The UNSC could make something as simple as signing your signature a lengthy chore taking from minutes to hours.
"Not long." Lt. Miles stated plainly setting her mind at ease."This prison is privately owned so its unlikely that we'll any kind of UNSC 'BS' before doing what we came here to do." The lieutenant slips his helmet on and actives his visor and motions for his squad mates to do the same.
Adam throws his helmet on as if he were being timed or tested. Chambers laughs,"Ah Rookie calm down its not a race... I get it. That O.N.I. training right." Adam looks at her and nods, feeling a little foolish for showing just how green he was. She smiles then puts her helmet on as well.
"Chambers your leg going to be okay?" Lt. Miles asked as they all began boarding the pelican in the docking area, "I could always bring Moreno if your not feeling up to it."
"What? You don't think I can hold my own Commander?" Chambers mocked,"Its just a pick up, besides I got the rookie to pick up the slack."
The ODST took their sits as they felt the pelican exit the docking bay, within moments they heard the pilot requesting permission to land on the Prison space station. "Be careful Commander." Lucy voice could be heard over the team communication channel,"Although O.N.I. has done business with Dexen before I'd be lying if I said he could be trusted."
"And your employers can?" The lieutenant replied somewhat curious as to how the relationship between O.N.I. and Dexen could possibly function if nether trusted the other.
"Hey we're O.N.I remember..." Lucy explained,"We wouldn't be doing our jobs if people trusted us. But, that's besides the point. One of the reason why we've continue to work with him is because he's easy to read. He's in it for the money, always has been. The only problem with that is we know exactly what he'll do once someone comes along with a bigger checking account than we have."
"Fair enough" Lt. Miles acknowledge, "I'll keep an eye out." Just as those words left his mouth the the door of the Pelican opened revealing a tall light skinned man with dark blue hair dressed in black and violet body armor with two men dress in identical brown uniform, similar to the one's worn by marines in the field, standing nearby.
[Play Halo ODST Project Valkyrie Theme "The Way" on YouTube]
"Welcome to Havoc; You must be the representative sent by O.N.I. for the pick up of..." the man paused, "Darn it... What was his name again."
"Holden sir." One of the two guards spoke.
"Holden ah yes crafty one, that one." The man exclaimed,"When he first got here he prove to be quite a handful, That man could make an explosive device out of cooking grease and hand soap. It took a bit of time but we finally find just the right accommodation for him."
"Havoc?" Lt. Miles uttered not completely understanding.
"Yes. That's what some of the prisoner call the station, It just sort of caught on even among my guards." The man smiled.
"You must be Saren Dexen,"Lieutenant Miles stated. "You're a bit more exotic then I would've expected"
"Come now Lieutenant, the only difference between you and I is a few zeros on our respective paychecks that's all." Saren Dexen explained,"And maybe the number of rifles under our charge... Speaking of which I'm afraid I'm going to have to asked you and your comrades to lay down your arms. Only guards are permitted to carry their weapons pass the entry point."
The two guards standing behind Saren slow moved to recover the guns held by Lt. Miles and his troopers. Swiftly the Lieutenant draw his side arm with his sites aimed sharply center mass of the eccentric bastard, causing both his trooper to aim in at the guards at Dexen's back. Lt. Miles spoke calmly and clearly,"You got your money Dexen, and we've got our guns."
"Lieutenant... this i standard procedure." Dexen explained with a smile on his face as if he did not have a care in the world.
"You make the procedure right? Then change it." The lieutenant explained coldly, "Your life expectancy depends on it."
"Very well lieutenant." Dexen agreed motioning for his men to stand down allowing the lieutenant and his men to do the same. "As your employers have already transferred the funds we have already prepared Nicklaus Holden to be released into you custody." Dexen turned around and proceeded to lead the troopers to Holden's cell. Along the way the troopers saw many horrid and disturbing things from the guards viciously beating inmates outside of their cells to disturbing graffiti curved into the walls and floors of some cells that weren't suffering from over population begging for death.
"My God." Chambers uttered under her breath before finally finding her voice ,"These living conditions... This can't be legal!"
"Legal?"Dexen laughed,"We're in the vacuum of space, and the UNSC is far too busy trying to pick up the piece of their beloved colonies to focus on anything going on up here. And by the time they do I will have already made quadruple the fine they're likely to charge me."
"Commander?!" Chambers blurted letting her emotions and ethic as a doctor get the better of her.
"Stay on mission Chambers." Lt. Miles said looking back towards her. The sight of this place didn't rub him any better than it did her, but it was important that he keep his cool so his troopers could do the same.
"Right this way lieutenant." Dexen lead the troopers into a room where there were monitors with a visual on Holden's individual cell with two guards standing in-front of it. Lt. Miles saw Dexen say something over the radio, which was then preceded by the guards opening and entering Holden's cell. Suddenly the butt of one of the guard's rifles smacked across the face of a subdued Holden, which was then followed by a relentlessly assault upon him.
Lt. Miles voice exploded from his chest,"Dexen!" The lieutenant examined the room he was in and found Dexen no where in sight.
Suddenly a voice a from the monitor that was documenting Holden vicious assault.
"O.N.I. must think me a fool. Offering me such a tiny lump sum, and then sending Noel Radd and Trent Miles, the only two surviving members of Project Challenger to my doorstep!" Dexen exploded,"My mistake, the true names of the members of Project Challenger should never be spoken. I suppose I should your code names; Remind me again which of you is Phantom and which is Nightmare. You two killed a lot of people during the war: grunts, elites, humans... Do you know how much money people will pay see both your heads rolling on the pavement? Millions... literally millions."
"Phantom... Nightmare?"the Rookie whispered under his breath.
"Commander the door is sealed; we're locked in!" Chamber exclaimed, using all her might to get the door open.
"Commander!" Lucy voiced echoed over the comm.
"Not a good time Lucy!" the Lieutenant exclaimed.
"My apologies Commander." Lucy replied,"I mean why would you want to know that the black star has just sent out fighter jets and are trying to board the ship."
"Perfect! Is their anything else you want to tell me?" Lt. Miles states sarcastically not thinking things could get any worst.
"There is one more teeny tiny thing that you should probably be aware of." Lucy continued,"We sort of... Kind of ... Possibly... Lost Warrant Officer Noel Radd." The lieutenant placed the hand that wasn't gripping his battle rifle on the top of helmet completely confident that things couldn't get any worst.
"Just give up Nightmare, and I promise you'll be well taken care of... until your execution that is." Dexen's laugh echoed over the intercom and into the heart and mind of the young lieutenant fulling him with frustration and anguish.