1900 Hours, January 16, 2525 (Military Calendar),
Richter System, Richter VII, Camp Ulysses Brig
Simmons first mission was a complete success. He was commemorated with the Combat Action ribbon, and the UNSC Over-system Service ribbon, he wore them proudly as he walked into the Camp's brig. He was checked by two MPs before entering, and then two more once inside. The brig usually had about ten MPs on duty. Today there were at least thirty. And they were all armed with both MA2B assault rifles and M6C pistols. Simmons passed into the interrogation room. There were two ONI officers and three MPs. " You requested my presence, Sir," he said to the senior ONI, a Captain.
" Are you the man who was in charge of the raid at 0300 Hours?" he asked
" Yes, sir" Simmons told him.
" Figures," the other ONI, a Lieutenant, said. Simmons forgot about etiquette and turned to the man.
" What does that mean?" Simmons asked him. The senior officer threw the other man a cold look.
" It means nothing Lieutenant," the Captain said. " Now we are here to interrogate this prisoner and I would like to do so," he said, turning to the rebel. His shoulder was heavily bandaged and his long black hair was tangled and matted. Simmons knew just by looking at him that he hated this man. " Do you mind telling me why this man, who was supposed to captured without personal injury was shot?" the Captain asked Simmons.
" The blame is mine; he was about to shoot one of my men, and I was forced to act," Simmons said, he thought he had done the right thing during the firefight, but this man said he did not. The Lieutenant in the corner sniggered again.
" Lieutenant if it need be I can have you thrown from this room, and placed in a cell of your own," the Captain said, this time to the ONI officer. The man coughed and straightened up. " Now, Mr. Depp," the Captain said, turning to the rebel. " Do you mind telling me, oh, I know its so clichéd, where is the rebel base, and what are your secret plans?" The man gave a mirthless laugh, and looked straight at the Captain, " Our bases are everywhere," he said, smiling, " and our plans are to shoot anything with the letters UNSC on them," the man said, now cackling. The Captain smacked the man in the face, and he stopped smiling.
" Be more specific, please," he told the rebel. Simmons looked with interest on the scene at hand, had he not just seen harassment, then again, did this man deserve more than what he was receiving. " Lieutenant," the Captain said to Simmons, " You're services are no longer needed," he said, as two of the MPs came towards Simmons. He shrugged them off with ease and walked towards the door.
Simmons sat on his cot reviewing the briefing he was given before his mission. Nowhere did it say Depp could not be harmed, only that he was wanted alive. Why had the officer in the brig been concerned if no one else was? Just than Simmons heard a loud thump, as though an explosion had occurred on the base. But no such tests were scheduled today. Reacting instinctively, Simmons grabbed his M6C off his dresser and holstered it, and he ran out of his barracks towards the explosion. He sprinted faster than anyone else, and arrived there first. Two rebels had set off an antitank mine and were now fleeing. Simmons grabbed his sidearm and cocked it. He aimed, and shot the man on the left in the calf, he stopped running and fell, clutching his leg. Simmons remembered what the ONI Captain had said about personal injury to prisoners, and decided to chase the second man. The rebel had about a two hundred meter head start, it didn't take Simmons more than half a minute before he overtook the man and brought him to the ground. He pinned him and looked around for the other rebel, he was about fifty yards back and being taken to the brig by two MPs. Simmons saw two more MPs running towards him and he let the rebel go. The MPs took the prisoner away, and Simmons started towards his barracks. Before he arrived there O'Donnell ran up to him.
" You're wanted at headquarters, Sir," O'Donnell told him.
" Thanks," Simmons said to him as he rushed towards his Warthog, he hopped in the driver's seat and drove towards Headquarters. Headquarters was a large building hewn into the side of Mount Ulysses. It looked like an oversized barracks from the outside, but inside there were five meters of Titanium A Plating on the walls, and over twenty MPs guarding the single elevator that traveled into the center of mount Ulysses. Simmons had to take a fingerprinting scan, a retinal scan, and a DNA scan before being allowed into the elevator. He was escorted by two of the MPs inside the elevator, which slowly made its descent.
When the elevator finally stopped he was escorted to the receptions desk. A corporal sat at the desk, she had dark green eyes, and her beautiful long black hair flowed. Simmons suppressed these thoughts; they would lead to nothing but trouble. The MPs left and Simmons handed his identification to her and she signaled him into the room on the left. He walked in and saluted the Colonel sitting at his desk. The room was in half shadow and Simmons could not read the man's rank or see his face, but the plaque on his desk said Col. Hastert. The Colonel saluted in the shadows and picked up a cigar, he lit it and started to smoke it.
" You wanted to see me, Sir?" Simmons asked.
" Yes, I did," said the Colonel, he leaned out of the shadows and Simmons could see his face, he was the officer who flew down with him on the Pelican. " It turns out your recent mission," he glanced at Simmons new medals, " has won you some acclaim," he told Simmons.
" The success of the mission lies solely with my men, Sir," Simmons said.
" Of course it does," the Colonel replied, " but was it not you who captured Depp, were you not the one who stopped any use of rockets against your men?" the Colonel asked.
"Well, yes," Simmons started to contradict him, but he stopped; he saw the Colonel's point. "Yes, Sir, I was," Simmons told him.
" Well than I would say some congratulations should go to you Lieutenant," the Colonel told Simmons, " but congratulations are not why you are here. You are here to receive your orders for your next mission. The ONI spooks were able to break Mr. Depp, and we have discovered the location of the rebels operation."
" That is good news, Sir, but what does it have to do with my next mission?"
" It is your next mission, Lieutenant. Your platoon is going to drop in to the rebel location, capture the rebel leader, and then kill anything that moves," the Colonel said, he puffed on his cigar and smoke filled the room. " Do you understand your mission lieutenant?" he asked as he took another puff.
" Yes, Sir, I do," Simmons told him, " When you say drop…?"
" Yes, Simmons when I say drop I mean HEV pods. You will rendezvous with the UNSC frigate Petersburg and drop in, then you will be picked up by Pelicans and flown back here." The Colonel pulled open a drawer in his desk. He grabbed a cigar and a data pad. " This first thing," he said, indicating the data pad, " contains all the information you need. The second," this time indicating the cigar, " is for a job well done," he winked, " and I hope we can enjoy one together soon." The Colonel puffed his cigar, " Dismissed,"
Simmons saluted him and walked out of the room. He took the long way back to his Warthog and then drove back to his barracks. He pulled his Warthog into its spot and entered the barracks; he slipped out of his dress uniform and placed his M6C on top of his dresser, he got on his cot and went to sleep.
0500 Hours, January 18, 2525 (Military Calendar)
Richter System, Richter VII, Camp Ulysses
Simmons awoke as his alarm went off. He dressed quickly and grabbed all his gear. He holstered his M6C and opened the door out of his quarters. He walked to his Warthog, to see O'Donnell and the Sergeant already in the passenger seat and the gunner position.
"All right we can move out," Dominique said as Simmons hoped into the driver's seat and drove towards the airfield. When they arrived they saw five Pelicans being prepped for takeoff. Simmons parked his Warthog at the edge of the airfield and he and Dominique walked towards their Pelican. O'Donnell walked over to his squad's Pelican. The pilot was entering the cockpit, but Simmons could see the name Charles on his flight suit. Simmons and Dominique jumped in to the back of the pelican. He accessed the COM panel at the front of the Pelican's bay and opened a channel to the other Pelicans. " Is everybody ready for dust off?" he asked.
" Yes, Sir we are," O'Donnell said over the COM. The four other squad leaders replied and Simmons gave the pilot a thumb up through the window into the cockpit. The back hatch closed and they took off. Simmons inspected the drop ship, Dominique was the only other occupant, but there were crates supplies going up to the Petersburg where the other row of crash seats should have been. No voice came from the cockpit. Apparently Charles had received a new copilot. They experienced "turbulence" again as they went through Richter VII's atmosphere. Simmons looked through the window to the cockpit. He could see the Petersburg through the front view screen; the four other pelican's were behind them.
The Pelican entered the frigate's hangar, and the back hatch opened, and three men walked in and started carrying the crates out of the drop ship. Simmons grabbed his gear headed for the Petersburg's weapons locker. He passed through several corridors before entering an elevator. Once it stopped Simmons walked into the weapons locker. It had been upgraded for Simmons' mission; it contained over one hundred MA5B assault rifles, there were crates of M9 HE-DP fragmentation grenades, and there was a large locker labeled "Rockets". Simmons walked over to the MA5Bs, he grabbed one that was modified. He attached ten clips to his vest and walked over to the crates of grenades. He attached a few to his belt. He saw an unmarked locker and opened it; there were ten M90 shotguns. Simmons grabbed one and slung it on his back, and then he placed two boxes of shells in his drop bag. Just then the rest of the platoon walked in. Most went over to the rack of assault rifles, but some went towards other lockers. O'Donnell walked over to the rockets. He hefted one of the large launchers and grabbed a crate of extra ammunition. He grabbed an MA2B and placed it in his drop bag. Private Hanks walked over to the Lotus anti tank mines. He placed two in his bag, and then grabbed a shotgun. Simmons looked for the platoon's sniper team. The spotter, Private Sanchez, had a laser sight in one hand, and a MA5B in the other. The sniper, Private Allison, was customizing his S2 AM sniper rifle. He was the platoon's only sniper, but he was all they needed. He could make a shot from anywhere. And he certainly deserved the call sign "Omnipresent". Allison seemed happy with his rifle and proceeded to grab an extra M6C and a handful of clips. Dominique walked over to Simmons; he was armed to the teeth. He had an M90 slung on his back, like Simmons, but he also had a Jackhammer rocket launcher, two M6Cs, ample clips of ammunition, and a knife attached to his boot. His drop bag looked like it contained thirty boxes of shotgun shells. Simmons could not believe Dominique could walk. He grabbed a combat knife from the table and handed it to Simmons. " You might need this," he told him, before departing for the HEV pods. Simmons waited for everyone to clear the weapons locker. What was once enough firepower to supply a small army was now almost empty. There were only half as many rifles, the shotguns were all gone, and the crates of grenades were empty. Simmons walked out of the now deserted room and walked to his HEV pod. Satisfied that everyone was ready, Simmons snapped on his helmet and entered his pod.