Chapter four. Here comes the next bunch of characters.

The Spartan Chronicles

Chapter 4: The Mercenaries

"Hey… is this thing on? Um… hello, this is Choir, Captain of Blue Team. This is a distress signal going out to any ships that will take us. We have been abandoned on this planet in Zanzibar base and we have no way off of this rock. Please come and help us out if you receive this message and call us back when you get this. My God, I sound like I just left a message on an answering machine. It didn't sound too bad, did it Cookie? Huh… the signal is still going? Oh crap-"

"Well, lets get going."

"Hold on, big guy. What if this is a trap of some kind; it could be an ambush or something."

"I don't think so. The message sounded way to genuine to be a fake-out. Besides, I ran it through my lie detector app, so quit worrying. Go lock the coordinates in on the source of that call and bring the ship up to speed. I'll send the reply."

Choir and Cookie had been sitting around the base for about 15 minutes. It would take about 10 minutes for the transmission to reach its maximum distance with the substandard Comm. equipment. The two soldiers were starting to get nervous.

"Well, Cookie, you think we're ever going to get saved?"

"Well, um, I'm still hopeful that there will be a ship in the area eventually."

"I just wish that call would come sooner. I think the insanity may be taking me again. I may soon lose my mind and go crazy again. Why, it's already started. I think I'm hearing voices! Oh, what a way to go, to lose my sanity in such a horrific way, to be so desperate for survival as to start hearing tiny voices in my head saying they are coming for us!"

"Um… I think that would be the Comm. system picking up a reply to out signal."

"Oh. Well, in that case, WOOHOO! We aren't going to die on this rock or go totally mad! Well, at least not you, Cookie."

"Hello, this is a reply to the distress signal and message sent from Zanzibar base. Our ship is now on course and should arrive within five minutes of this message getting through. Just sit tight till we get there."

Choir managed to stop being hysterical within the 5 minutes they had to wait. After that time, a loud rumble could be heard overhead. It was a smaller grade transport craft that looked like it could hold 4 people comfortably. This vessel touched down in the same clearing that the ejected seat of the last transport landed. The back of this ship opened and its exit ramp dropped to its landing position.

The first figure to step out of the ship was a tall, 6'4" man in full jet-black armor. His armor made his body seem built for heavy battle. His movements all seemed quick and purposeful and almost mechanical in nature. The man seemed like the Master Chief on steroids. The next man to step out was a guy in teal armor, far smaller in comparison to the first; he was maybe 5'9". He seemed much more relaxed than his companion. The massive juggernaut walked up to the two awe-struck, blue-armored soldiers.

"Hi there. I'm Death, mercenary, bounty hunter, and heavy weapons expert. This is my assistant, Frozt, tech expert and sniper extraordinaire. You're Choir, right?"

"………Please don't kill me," Choir proceeded to hide behind Cookie and tremble in fear. Death then turned his gaze to Cookie.

"And you are Cookie, correct?"

"Um, yes, sir, Mr. big scary mercenary Death man, sir."

At this point, Death finally noticed the behavior of the two cowards. "Oh, you must be intimidated by my presence. Forgive me; I get that a lot. We're here in response to that signal you sent out."

Choir's head popped up from behind his recruit. "You mean you guys are getting us out of here? Oh thank God! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Hey," Frozt had gone back into the ship and had just started to come back out, "I have some great news!"

"What is it," Death turned his attention back to his ship.

"I adjusted the satellite systems and found a signal!"

"What did you get?"

"We have free HBO! I finally found and intercepted the signals for satellite T.V. again."

"Again? Frozt, please take this seriously for five seconds. Besides, once we take off, you are just going to lose that signal again. That satellite is to be used for intercepting enemy transmissions and other things more important than your Saturday morning cartoons!"

"Fine. I'll set the system to do a signal sweep then," Frozt went back into the transport to reluctantly give up his old Hannah-Barbara cartoons.

Death turned back to the Blues. "Sorry about that. Frozt is a good computer wiz, but sometimes, he can get a bit distracted."

Choir was curious. "So what kind of satellite is that?"

"This is a special signal interception satellite system built for Intel and information gathering. Any mercenary worth his reputation and huge guns has one of these. It's how we mercenaries get our jobs. We hack the signal on a private message that has no particular destination. These messages are actually intended for us, but receiving a signal directly could give our location, so that's why we use indirect Comm. transmissions."

"… You lost me."

"Um, Death," Frozt's head popped out of the back of the ship again, "I think you may want to hear this."

Why? What is it?"

"I've got a Covenant carrier's signal intercepted right now."

" A carrier! But that signal is too hard to pin down. How did the auto-sweep pick it up?"

"It didn't. The signal right now happens to be interfering with the T.V. signal. I really think you should hear this message."

End Chapter 4. What could be in store for Choir and his new allies? If the Covenant is involved, it can't be good. Then again, it also can't be any worse than Zanzibar. There is more to come in the next installment of TSC. Leave a review and comment please. Thank you.