Hello everyone, so sorry for the excruciatingly long wait. I hope the length of this chapter will suffice for my absence.
Before I let you read, this month will be doubled up on business for me. I'm graduating high school, I'll be doing clinicals for my CNA classes, and I was recently hired at my first job.
I would like to give a shoutout to Noble17 for the OCs that were kindly supplied. I also have a treat for the RvB fans.
Please read and review! I appreciate your support!
CHAPTER THREE
1023 Hours, November 25, 2557 (Military Calendar) /
Double Helix Star System, Planet Symphony, Simulation Room Alpha-006
"Master Chief!"
The Spartan leaned back, narrowly avoiding the blunt of the gravity hammer as it swung across him. The brute roared as the armored man recovered from his dodge and charged forward, fist balling up and running into the brute's stomach. The creature dropped to its knees and Master Chief drew his dagger, slicing it across the brute's jugular. His head turned in the Corporal's direction. "Thank you."
Cicada nodded, leaning on her right foot and propping her rifle against her shoulder. She glanced at the brute near the Chief's feet and she mused. "This has to be the last of them. My motion scanners aren't picking up anything within 25 meters on this floor and we've picked every bone."
Maria spoke up in her carrier's internal speakers, "Chief, I've gathered heat signatures. There seems to be a multitude of brutes gathering in the command deck."
"Noted." said the Master Chief. He accessed the linked comm channel. "Spartans, they've gathered in the command deck. Let's blow this rig."
Acknowledge lights winked on and he motioned for the Corporal to follow. No less than five minutes of traveling down to the gravity lift, PO3 Xiao spoke on the comm channel, "Bombs are set, Master Chief. We all have to be off the ship in T-minus three minutes before the place blows higher than Mount Olypmus."
"Acknowledged. You heard, Spartans. We need to get out of here."
It was now running against the clock to off-board the Covenant ship. With an extended Sprint capability, Master Chief and the Corporal made it to the gravity lift, meeting with several others that were making their way down.
"Seven have already dropped, Master Chief." informed the female Scout.
"Including us, is ten." At that moment, the remaining six came into view. "Alright, everyone down and out."
The last to drop was the Master Chief, but halfway through his descent, the ship above him exploded with a resonating boom and with its destruction, the gravity lift flickered and dissipated.
"Chief, we'll be approaching freefall in a matter of seconds and we have a kilometer until we reach ground." Maria informed. John had to think fast as he stared at the incoming ground; he adjusted his body so that his front was facing the ground.
"Maria, on my mark, exert all of my jetpack's power, then pressurize the gel in my suit to cushion the landing." he sensed her hesitate, but replied with an affirmation. The Spartan was silent was he focused on his altitude, barking "Now!" at 250 feet. John was lurched horizontally and towards the trees. Once the power in the jetpack was gone, he turned his back to the trees, curling into a ball. Maria took this as a sign to pressurize the gel.
The Spartans on the ground watched as their leader collided with the treetops and disappear into the forest. Immediately, they followed his trail, hearing the snapping and breaking of trees.
"Talk about dramatic landing." commented the Gunnery Sergeant.
Cicada snorted. "You think he would have had a better plan than that."
"We have to see if he made it first." said the First Sergeant, silencing any other comment; she led the group forward. Master Chief had blown down several trees, splintered logs uprooted from the ground and branches scattered in the Spartan's wake. John groaned as his suit recalibrated, the pressurized gel returning to its natural state. Maria spoke to him, but her voice fell upon ringing ears. It was until a moment later when John could finally hear her.
"Chief? Can you hear me at all?" asked Maria for what seemed like the tenth time.
John attempted to sit up, but the suit was still stiff. "Status."
"We have landed successfully with minor injuries to the backside of the suit. You'll be stiff for another while." said Maria. John groaned as he rolled to his front, hands pressing into the ground as he moved to stand. When his suit refused to ease up, a hand was placing the man's line of sight and John accepted it without hesitation.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome, Master Chief." said the Scout.
Before anything else could be said, the General's voice boomed from above their heads. "Congratulations, Spartans. You have successfully met your objective. This simulation will end in five seconds."
"Well, it was an honor working with all of you. Especially you, Master Chief." Sergeant Crockett said. Master Chief gave him a nod.
"Thank you for having me." The forest life surrounding them began to flicker until it dissipated, the simulation room returning to its original grey room. Master Chief gave the room one look over before he asked, "Where to from here?"
The Gunnery Sergeant shrugged. "From here, we're split off. This was a test of our suits. Who we will be assigned to will be up to the Generals.
The Spartans exchanged a final parting wish before leaving the room.
Outside waiting for the Master Chief was a tall woman, a Spartan with red clad armor and white stripes. Her helmet was tucked under her arm, settling at her hip. "Master Chief, I am Danielle Dorson, Air Force Senior Airman. I have been instructed to lead you to your group."
"I have already been placed with a team?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yes, the Generals are quick in their assignments. They wanted you to be with our best Spartans."
They walked through a series of halls, passing men and women in uniforms and armor alike. The trip was silent as the two arrived. "This, Master Chief is where Spartans like to mingle. It is a large commons room with plenty of training sims, recreational fare, and so much more. Please, do not feel secluded, these Spartans are much more open when they are amongst their own. That being said, the only people allowed in here other than Spartans are the Generals and high ranking officers."
The Master Chief nodded.
The doors opened, revealing a mass of Spartans so great John nearly stumbled over his own feet. He had seen how many there were at the grand hall upon his arrival, but now he was up close with all of them. Danielle wove through the crowd of Spartans with John following closely behind. Every Spartan was equipped with new armor and it was the lively chatter amongst all of them.
"Why do they want to get rid of us? After all the work we did for them." said one male.
"Spooks will do anything because we are expendable." replied another. "If one Spartan is killed, he can be replaced. We're like dogs to them."
"They expect that a trained dog can stop hunting for game, but it can't. We live by Spartan training. We have been trained to kill aliens of mass power. I am glad Dr. Halsey thought of this because no way will I be stripped down to cannon fodder."
The Master Chief spared them a glance before looking forward, keeping a tail on Danielle.
"Grif! Hand me my shotgun! Let me teach this Blue a lesson!"
"Sarge, if you want me to give you your shotgun, you must be using a training sim." replied a Spartan in orange armor who looked bored out of his mind.
"Don't give me none of that crap, Private! Do as I say!" Sarge hollered as he held out an expectant hand for his shotgun.
"Simmons, convince him since you're such a kiss ass." Grif looked off to the side to the male next to him.
The maroon Spartan pointed at himself, giving Grif a wild look. "Me? You're the one in charge of ammunitions and weapons. You deal with it."
The teal Spartan snorted, arms crossed and looking smug. "See? You Reds argue all the time. My case stands."
"Tucker, shut the fuck up before I hold you while they punch." a blue Spartan was shaking his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sat on a crate, leaning forward as he gave Tucker a reprimanding look. "I might as well hand you over so that they can kick your ass."
The one named Tucker whirled on the other in alarm. "Aw, you dick!"
"I never said I was a nice person."
"But Church, you're the nicest person ever." A Spartan in a royal blue suit was clinging onto Church's arm with a smitten look on his face, raising himself to press a gentle kiss to the other man's cheek. Church spared his companion a glance, returning the kiss to which Tucker and the Reds gagged. Master Chief had to stop to make sure he was seeing correctly. In all of his years, he had never seen this before amongst the Spartan ranks.
"He's only nice wherever you're concerned, Caboose." Tucker remarked. "He's always an ass towards me and the Reds."
"I would rather be an ass than be kissed by another guy." muttered Sarge.
"You're already an ass."
"What was that, Grif?"
Grif sighed in agitation. "You're already an ass, sir."
"Much better, Private."
Simmons arched a brow in the Master Chief's direction. "Can we help you?"
John cleared his throat. "Pardon, I did not mean to intrude."
"By all means, take me away from these lunatics." Grif piped up.
"Shut up, Grif. If you leave, who will be my punching bag?" silenced Sarge.
Master Chief arched a brow from beneath his helmet. He didn't know what to say before Danielle came to his rescue. "Pay them no mind, Master Chief. They are our lower operatives in this organization." This erupted a protest from the two teams as she pulled John along. "Never talk to those Spartan whackjobs."
"Noted." he offlined his external speakers. "Maria, who were they?"
Maria took a moment before responding. "They are, as what Danielle Dorson stated, low level operatives used to test the Freelancer program that has long been out of commission. They are the Red and Blue teams assigned to Blood Gulch. The Red team is composed of Sarge, Dick Simmons, Dexter Grif, and Franklin Delano Donut; the Blue team is composed of Leonard Church, Lavernius Tucker, Michael Caboose, and occasionally a Freelancer known as Agent Texas would join them. Unfortunately, Agent Texas is KIA."
"Why are they-"
"Unlike most Spartans?"
"Yes."
"Despite that they received the same training and augmentations, they scored the lowest and were sent away. Therefore, their lame capabilities only worsened. As you have witnessed, they are quite… the interesting group."
John grunted.
"Master Chief." spoke Danielle. Said Spartan focused forward. "This is our team."
Six other Spartans looked up from their mingle in the direction. Two other females and four males in total. One male came forward, his grey eyes looking past John's visor. John's HUD beeped, his eyes sparing a glance at the indicator. The man was an officer. Crisp, his hand came up in a salute. "Sir."
The officer returned the salute before he dropped it to his side with the Master Chief following suit. "Master Chief, it is an honor to meet you. I am Frank Lennox, Marine Corps Lieutenant First Class. The team calls me Ghost, but you can address me by name, rank, or nickname." The Master Chief nodded in understanding.
"Don't be shy to the team, Master Chief. You have already met Dani." he held out a directing hand in the direction of the woman beside the Master Chief.
John nodded. "Yes, sir, I have."
"Meet Marine Sergeant Major Gavin Smith, my second in command on this team." Frank's hand went to the bald headed Spartan sitting on a crate, leaning forward and resting his arms on his thighs. His armor was an overall slate grey scheme, decorated in secondary purple. Gavin grunted in greeting, nodding his head. The Master Chief returned the nod.
"Nice to meet you, Master Chief. I hear great things from you."
"I am honored, Sergeant Major."
"Please, Master Chief. The honor is mine." Gavin smiled.
A female Spartan moved forward, her armor an off-shade of white and flush pink details; her long, blonde hair swaying. Her light blue eyes raising to meet his visor. "I am Air Force Staff Sergeant Sophie White."
"Marine Gunny Diego Gomez." said another male in forest green and black clad armor, voice rich in a Spanish accent. He flashed a grin in the Master Chief's direction. "The team calls me Loco."
"Only because you go hoppy-bunny with shotguns, you little bulltrue." snorted Gavin. Diego shrugged.
"Which can get you killed." replied the second female curtly, sparing the Marine a glare. The woman's armor was jet black with secondary white. Her gaze went to the Master Chief. "I am Army Corporal Chloe Jones."
"Be careful of her, Em-Ce. She can figure out how to kill you in your sleep faster than you can breathe." teased Diego. Chloe glared at the man again.
"Gunny. Shut up." Frank said with a frown. Said man chuckled softly to himself before falling silent. Frank's gaze went from the Marine back to John. "Lastly, is Army Private First Class Jack Johnson. Big Guy here isn't much of a talker to newbies. Not that you're a rookie in any sense, Master Chief."
"I understand, sir." nodded John. Jack was a tall man, built thick in muscle mass. The Master Chief took notice in the scar embedded from his lip to chin and Jack glared at the other for staring.
He made it known. "It's rude to stare."
Volatile instincts buried within the Master Chief broiled in challenge, but Frank beat him to it. "Easy, Big Guy. Master Chief means you no harm."
Green eyes burned through the visor. Jack harumphed. "Call me if you need me. I'm getting a drink."
That said, the Private stood up and walked off towards the cafeteria within the commons room.
"Don't mind him, Master Chief. He's a loose cannon." said Frank once the large man was out of Spartan hearing range. "Give him time, he'll come around."
"Noted, sir."
1357 Hours, November 25, 2557 (Military Calendar) /
Double Helix Star System, Planet Symphony, Galaxy Map Room
"Well, well. Long time, no see, Master Chief." at the sound of her voice, Master Chief turned in her direction, giving her a crisp salute. She returned it, face serious as ever before it fell into an inviting expression as her hand returned to her side.
"Commander Palmer." The female stepped forward, smiling warmly. "I did not know you were sent here."
"When Dr. Halsey says 'git', you have no choice, but to 'git.' That woman knows how to command us around." the commander's face fell, morphing into a look of hate. Her eyes narrowed, looking past the Master Chief as her eyes unfocused. "Those bastards. They get rid of her, then think that we will be easy to strip down."
"I know, Commander. I saw Dr. Halsey last. Believe me when I say she did not look pleased in the least."
"Knowing her, she doesn't want us to engage the UNSC directly. It'll happen, Master Chief. UNSC has great power and they will do whatever they can to dismantle the entity of the Spartan program. It is up to us to keep the program going for as long as a Spartan lives."
"I agree, Commander."
"Generals on deck!" at the command, Frank's team and Sarah Palmer snapped to attention as the four Generals entered the Galaxy Map room.
"At ease, Spartans." said General Detritus. The three men and woman walked past the Spartans, semi-circling the large Galaxy Map console. The four Generals glanced between each other before turning their gazes towards the Spartans. "If we are to avoid any confrontation with the UNSC, then we must rally everyone and depart within the next hour. That being said, we must move double time."
"Where we will be going is a distant star system." General Nakai said as she brought the holographic map to life. Tiny glowing orbs in the shape of stars and planets danced around in front of the Generals and Spartans as the Asian woman inputted the coordinates. "It is on the edge of both UNSC and Covenant jurisdiction. Until we decide how to deal with ONI, we will remain in hiding. When we have a plan, we will go against them. This will go two ways: ONI and the UNSC will keep the Spartan program or we are forced to eradicate them."
General Yanskee continued. "Should the circumstances fall to the latter and not former, then we must be prepared for any whiplash the general public will place upon us. It is no longer a matter of humankind as a whole. Spartans stand apart from the general military and civilian life. As you all know, you have been made for conflict. Granted, humankind is known for conflict, but you all have adapted to war."
"There will be a time when humans will fight either against themselves or another alien force. or maybe something bigger. Whatever it may be, we must be prepared."
Commander Palmer spoke next with a firm tone. "I assure you, Generals, my Spartans will always be prepared for whatever comes our way."