Ch 9
The mess hall was busy with activity, and the one thing the freelancers were talking about, was the covenant war. Six smirked as the realization hit the freelancers, that they were not the top of the food chain.
"Spartan, can we talk?" Wyoming asked.
"What about?" Six asked.
"We'd like you to train us, to fight the covenant." Wash said.
"I don't have time for bullshit. In that simulation, Wash and North were the only one's who got that far. They didn't even complete the mission. The covenant incinerated the entire city, killed everyone." Six said.
"What if we encounter this covenant?" Wyoming asked.
Six stood up and left the mess hall.
"I'll go talk to him." Carolina said, and followed him.
"Six, what's your problem?" she asked.
"My problem. I was with a team, who was unified in everything they did. Now, I'm working with a team, that is fighting against each other. The director is leading you guys to your deaths!" Six said.
"Six, the director is giving everything to us. He's helping us." Wash said.
"You want to be a sheeple, be my guest. In the meantime, follow me." Six said, as they headed to the holo room.
"Another simulation?" South asked.
"None of you are participating in it. I'll show you what I'm capable of doing. This is from a battle I participated in during the fall of Reach." Six said, as he headed to the armory and grabbed an assault rifle, and a covenant focus rifle.
"What is that?" North asked.
"Covenant sniper rifle." Six said.
"Impressive." CT said.
'Simulation begins'
Six found himself inside a warthog, sitting in the driver's seat. Driving was Kat, and June and Jorge were providing air support in a Falcon chopper above them.
"Six, you ready?" Kat asked.
"Ready, Kat." Six said.
Banshee's came into view, and fired onto the convoy. The gunners in the convoy retaliated, filling the sky with gunfire. Kat dodges the incoming mortar rounds, and heads towards a bridge.
"Incoming!" Six shouts, as the bridge is destroyed by a mortar round.
"Might want to hold onto something." Kat says, as she guns it.
The warthog clear the opening, but crashes upon landing, tossing the two Spartans out. Six quickly gets up, grabbing his rifle.
"Kat, Six, what's your status?" Carter asks.
"Pylons are down, we're pushing up the hill." Kat says.
Six runs forward, shooting at any covenant that get in his way. His target, is one of two fuel shade rod turrets that are firing at him. He circles around the turret and quickly kills the grunt, then sits in the seat.
The HUD compensates for the alien weapon, and he grabs the duel controls. He swings the turret around, and when the crosshairs turn red, he pulls the trigger. A large green plasma round hits an elite, draining his shields and killing him.
"One down." He mutters, as he faces the other turret and pulls the trigger. The next plasma round hits the enemy turret, and destroyed it.
"Well done, Six." Kat said, as a pelican appeared, dropping a warthog, with a rocket launcher on the back.
"Kat, be advised. ONI has identified two hostile anti-air guns southwest of your position." Carter said.
"Copy, commander. Six, shut down those AA guns. Get us there." Kat said.
Six drove towards the AA guns, killing some jacks in the process. The belly of the warthog was decorated with their blood and guts.
"There they are!" the army trooper says, firing the rockets at the covenant forces.
"Two Lima Four to Noble one. Those AA guns are pounding us with high velocity plasma shells!"
"Which would mean, a strike by the frigate Grafton is also out of the question." Six said.
"Noble six, get those guns offline." Carter orders.
"Working on it." Six says, as he runs onto a revenant; the smaller cousin of the wraith-tank. He kicks the driver out, and the passenger jumps out, only to receive a plasma round to the face.
"Man, he's good." Carolina said.
"Yeah. He is." Wash said.
Six presses the peddle and runs over a squad of jackals, and kills an Elite. Approaching the back end of the anti-air gun, he notices an elite wearing gold armor, and holding a fuel rod cannon. He turns the vehicle towards the elite and pulls the trigger. The plasma round hits the elite, disabling his shields.
The elite roars, only to be ran over by the Spartan.
"Kat, I could use some help over here." He said, as he backs away from the aliens, firing the plasma cannon as fast as it reloads.
"Six, you're clear." Kat says.
The Spartan carefully drives the revenant inside the AA gun, and fires at the core. The core explodes, an alarm now ringing. Six drives out of the turret, and watches it explode.
"Look at that, Six." Kat says, as two heavy frigates appear, escorted by dozens of longsword bombers and Falcons.
"Give them hell." Six mutters, as they pour their deadly fire on the covenant forces, destroying three scarabs.
The two Spartans sit in the revenant and drive away towards the second AA gun. They climb a small hill, and watch a Pelican drop off a portable bridge. Heading across the bridge, they come across a large mining facility.
UNSC soldiers were busy fighting the covenant forces, as they slowly crossed the bridge.
"Noble Six, there's a mining facility near your location. The Covenant are using it as a command outpost. Troopers on-site have already engaged." Carter informs.
"We see it." Kat says.
Six drives across the bridge and rams a plasma turret. The two climb out, and engage the covenant forces on foot.
"New intelligence: friendly forces near the Covenant outpost have spotted a high-value target. An elite Zealot in fact."
"A zealot? We're onto something big, commander." Kat says.
"Eyes on the prize. If you see that zealot, take it out and keep moving toward the spires." Carter said.
Six takes point, and moves across the metal gangplank, killing grunts and jackals as they come. At one point, he hoses a large red fuel tank with rifle fire until it explodes, killing 4 grunts next to it.
"Messy, and effective." Kat says.
The Spartans head onto the upper floor, where they see an elite manning a plasma cannon.
"Six, get to cover!" Kat shouts, as the elite hoses the area with the plasma cannon.
Six notices another fuel tank, conveniently placed next to the elite.
"What an idiot." he muttered, as he primed a plasma grenade. He threw the grenade, and watched as it landed on the outer hull. The grenade detonated and the fuel tank ruptured as well.
The elite was not lucky, as gallons of explosive fuel killed him. A roasted corpse was all that remained.
"He knows how to blow shit up." York said.
Six slung his rifle and grabbed the plasma cannon, holding it as if it were a rifle. He walked over the ledge and into the quarry. He calmly walked towards the stairs, and watched as special ops grunts came to face him. And were promptly killed in the process.
Reaching the top of the stairs, he faced down the zealot and pulled the trigger. He walked closer, giving the zealot all the plasma he needed. The zealot was killed, and the covenant forces ran in response.
"High-value target eliminated. Impressive, six." Kat said.
Even though it was a simulation, Six couldn't help but smile. It was great to work with noble team again.
Reaching the end of the facility, Six spots a plasma launcher on the ground, and swaps his assault rifle for it.
"All freelancers, report to the briefing room." The director said over the PA system.
"Computer, end simulation." Six said, and watched as the battle ended, leaving a cold holographic room as his view.
"Come on, Six. Lets go." Carolina said.