Horse
Shar stood in the wide open room, not exactly sure what to do. She'd been ordered to report here, but there had been no actual information as to what she was going to be doing. She just stood on the platform looking out at the large metal rooms, examining the lines that seemed to be everywhere.
"Are you here for the testing?" Shar turned at the voice and was surprised to find what was obviously a Spartan II. The voice rang in her ears and she realized that she recognized it. This was the same Spartan who so many years ago had convinced her teammates to take Shar with them, who had carried her to the escape shuttles. Why was she meeting these Spartans now, when she couldn't show them what had become of her, couldn't show them that every life they saved might be a future Spartan.
What was more surprising to Shar was exactly how much she and the woman looked alike. They both had brown hair, though Shar's was cut a bit shorter, and blue eyes. Shar was extremely aware of a few differences, though. The Spartan II wore olive green Mark IV armor, so different from Shar's ODST armor. There was also the matter of height. This woman was taller than Shar, though for all she knew it might have just been the armor. It was also painfully obvious that this woman was much more beautiful than Shar. She lacked the many scars that already marred Shar's face, having few in comparison, and she had a sort of angular beauty to her. It suddenly made the Spartan III feel very awkward beside her.
"Yeah, but I don't know what we're waiting for." Shar's gaze turned toward the ground as the other woman moved up to stand right beside her. She heard a light chuckle and Shar frowned at the woman. "What?"
The other woman shrugged. "It's just, you and I look like we could be related." The woman shrugged. "Just found it amusing is all. I'm Kelly, by the way. Petty Officer second class, Kelly zero-eight-seven."
Shar nodded. "Nice to meet you, Kelly. I am Master Chief Petty Officer Shar three-one-two." Shar shifted the helmet in her hands. "Were you given any information on today's testing?"
Kelly shook her head. "Nope, not a word, Chief." Shar frowned at the word 'chief'. She had only recently been promoted so it was still odd to her to be called Master Chief by some people. "I only know one other Spartan who has that rank, so you must be the second class's equivalent of him."
Shar remembered the lead Spartan had been there the day she'd been saved. She remembered working with him against a group of rebels. "John, correct?" She didn't need to guess, she knew his name. "He and I have worked together in the past."
Kelly pursed her lips and then nodded. "Right, I remember him mentioning you. You're the same Spartan II that attacked a rebel base with him." Shar nodded her head. "Well if you are as good as he told me you are, I think we might have a nice challenge today, whatever we are doing."
Shar nodded but hesitated for a moment. "So…how is John?" She knew she shouldn't be asking, but she was curious. She'd like the male Spartan, and they had gotten along really well. It hadn't hurt that he wasn't too bad looking, and had showed her respect. Though if he worked with women like Kelly she was sure he was one of those soldiers who was aware of how strong a woman could be. Not like the soldier who seemed unhappy with being placed under the command of a woman, like she was inferior or something.
"He's doing fine. It will be good to report back to him that the second class is surviving well." Shar felt guilty at Kelly's words. These Spartans really believed that there had been a second class of Spartan IIs. They had no idea that orphaned children from the war had been used to create less trained Spartans who were basically expected to die in combat, only winning due to the fact they had such higher numbers. Shar didn't reply to the comment. She just turned her gaze back out into the wide open room, waiting for the testing to start. "So how did you get the arm?"
Shar shifted so she could look at her right arm. "A combat incident. Classified."
Kelly shifted, trying to find something else to talk about. "So what mission were you on before this?"
"That's classified." Shar could see the visual displeasure on Kelly's face. "I'm just going to save you some time. I've told you all that I can tell you. Everything else is classified."
Kelly shrugged and was about to say something when an odd looking metallic ball with glowing blue eye floated up. Both of the Spartans took a step back but the object didn't make a move to attack. "You must be my test subjects for today." The metallic voice of the floating machine seemed very pleased. "Greetings, I am known as the monitor, and welcome to The Forge."
"Forge, what is Forge?" Shar looked around, not really seeing anything.
"Oh, I am sorry, I haven't booted up the systems yet." There was a pause and the walls of the room glowed. The outlines of metal appeared below them and then rocks. The metallic walls faded and the outlines of water and land stretched out for what seemed like forever. "Welcome to what we call Forge World."
Shar looked around at the expansive land. "This is…it's giant." Kelly smiled beside her, clearly in awe of the space. "So what is it used for?"
"For creating whatever we need, mainly for testing things. Today, you will be testing it out." The monitor hovered up and down. "Today you will be competing against each other in a game of horse."
The two women looked at each other. "What is horse?" Kelly asked.
"Horse is a simple game. You play through rounds, and whoever completes a task first wins. The person who loses will get a letter until one of you spells horse."
"Seems simple enough." Shar slipped her helmet on and out of the corner of her eye she could see Kelly do the same. "So what kind of rounds will we be playing?"
"That was determined by the creators of this facility. They all spent some time programming and have come up with challenges that they think will help to push the limits of this facility and test you." The monitor turned and moved a bit away. "A few important things you must know. You cannot die here. If you die, in a few seconds you will be respawned, though we have taken precautions in most of these that you will be able to just be teleported back to the start rather than having to respawn."
"No dying? So then we don't have to worry about injury?" Shar smiled behind her visor. "I like the idea of that."
"Well, your vehicles can be damaged, which can have an effect. Remember, damaged too much, and they will burst into a ball of fire." The Monitor paused. "I think I have chosen a great map for you to start out on. It should get you used to the system, and be a good warm up round."
Shar looked to Kelly. "I'm ready to go if you are."
Kelly set her hands on her hips. "I am. You better be ready to be a horse."
Shar smirked. "We'll see who's a horse." She turned to monitor. "Go ahead and start us up."
The Monitor nodded and then Shar was surrounded in gold light. It faded and she looked around. They were once more in a room, this time on platforms standing before a series of tunnels. Shar looked over her shoulder at the fusion coils that were behind them.
"This is a rather simple game. Simply take the grenade launcher, fire toward the top of the area over there," the monitor turned toward the top part of the series of tunnels. "Use the manual release and simply try to get the grenade to fall down the proper path. When it reaches the bottom simply detonate the grenade and you will see the fusion coils behind you explode.
Shar grabbed the grenade launcher. She aimed and fired. The grenade bounced around a bit but went down the wrong path. She sighed and detonated the explosive. "Might be a bit harder than I thought."
"Should we take turns?" Shar could barely hear Kelly from the other side of the wall between them. A grenade went flying through the air but Shar didn't see it bounce down below.
"I don't think it went down." Shar fired again and the looked for her own grenade. She didn't spot it so she detonated it, seeing the explosion at the top of the funnel.
Kelly detonated her own and then fired a second time. This time it went down what seemed to be the right way. "How do I follow it? It's down too low."
The Monitor hovered over toward her. "Simply use the teleporter and you can view the bottom."
There was a moment's pause. "Oh." The word came from a bit lower down then Shar. The Spartan III turned as the fusion coils behind her exploded. Kelly moved out from around the wall and moved so her grenade launcher was resting against her shoulder. "Looks like I win round one."
"Guess that gives me a h." Shar turned toward the monitor. "So then, what's the next challenge that one of your spooks came up with for us?"
There was a golden light and Shar found herself standing on a cliff beside a pair of ghosts. This might just be fun. "Simple objective, ride the ghost across the rail." The Spartans turned to the monitor as he moved. It brought their attention to a simple rail that was spread over a long drop.
"That does not look safe." Kelly moved over to the edge, looking down.
"They said we couldn't die." Shar moved over to ghosts and got in one. "Since you won last time I get to do it first this time." Kelly motioned for her to go ahead and Shar lined up her ghost. This didn't look like all that hard of a task. She moved forward but only got a few lengths before her ghost tipped and fell over the edge. Rather than the long drop she was expecting she found herself once more where they had started.
Kelly moved over to her own ghost. "Well that little aspect is going to be a good timesaver." She moved her ghost into position and moved forward. She got about as far as Shar had before she tipped as well and was teleported back. "That is much harder than it looks."
Shar grinned beside her. "I know that it is. Might take us longer then the first one." It took them almost an hour before one of them managed to finish the course. Shar landed on the other side, her ghost a bit damaged from grinding against the rail. She jumped off of her ghost and raised her fists into the air in triumph.
"Excellent." The monitor was very pleased. He moved over to Shar and hovered. "You have won the second round, so it is all tied up. Let us move on so that we may learn more."
There was golden light and Shar found herself standing beside a few more ghost and before a half-pipe. The odd thing was that there were bits and pieces of banshees and ghost falling down all over the area. "Now this one looks difficult."
"The task is simple. Get in a ghost, drive through the debris, and then jump off the end to the circle below." The monitor floated off to watch from above.
"Well he's a great help for all of these." There was amusement in Kelly's voice. "Well since you won, I get to go first." Kelly moved over to a ghost and started to drive, trying to move about the wreckage. Her shields flared, ghost sparked and a large piece hit her. Shar watched as the female Spartan fell from the vehicle. Her first instinct was to just run in and help the other woman but she stopped. There was no way she would make it through the debris in time.
"Wow, that is interesting." Shar looked to her side and saw Kelly standing beside her. "A bit odd to see my own body." There was a bit of odd tone to her voice.
"Well I guess that he wasn't lying." Shar moved over to her own ghost. "Well, I don't see why you should have to wait. Just start right after I go and that way we can get in more tries in less time." The ghost came to life and Shar moved off, leaving Kelly to grab a new ghost and move after her.
It was not an easy task at all. Every time they seemed to get close to the end, it seemed like a bit piece of banshee would fall and take them out, sending them back to the start. It didn't frustrate them, though. Rather Shar found herself enjoying the challenge, and the fight to get to the end. In the end they both found openings and gunned it. It was only a second difference between them hitting the island below.
Shar stood, triumphant, beside her broken ghost. "That makes you a ho."
Kelly made a slightly mocking bow. "I relent to you and your greatness. Though I do have an issue with being a ho."
"If you are all done, we will move on to the next challenge. There was golden light again and this time Kelly and Shar stood on their own platforms. "This is a simple task. Take the sniper rifle, throw the plasma grenade, go through the teleporter, and then snipe the grenade out of the air."
Shar looked up toward the blue sky above. "Easy he says, when these little glowing things are almost the exactly same color as the sky." She grabbed the sniper rifle and a pair of plasma grenades.
"Sorry, Chief, but you are at a disadvantage. One of my best friends is a sniper and taught me a thing or two." Kelly moved into position as well.
Shar looked up through the hole she would have to throw the grenade through. She frowned, realizing that she didn't really know any snipers. Really, she wasn't friends with anyone. She prepared, and as one the two women tossed their grenades then stepped through their individual teleporters.
Shar searched the sky, not seeing any sign of her grenade. She heard a shot to her side as Kelly tried to catch her grenade. Shar moved back up to the top through the teleporter and Kelly did the same. They tried two more times before finally there was a cry of triumph nearby. Shar lowered her rifle and nodded to Kelly.
They were once more transported and found themselves on a platform high above a series of floating blocks. "That was nicely done." Shar moved over to the edge along with Kelly.
"Thanks, my friend Linda gave me a few tips for being a better shot. You don't have any friends that are snipers?" Kelly looked over toward the other woman.
Shar shook her head. "Don't have any friends." Kelly stared at her and Shar sighed. "I don't stay in one place very long, and I usually work alone. Doesn't really make it easy to make friends."
Kelly shrugged, but didn't press it any further. They both turned as the monitor appeared. "This is a rather simple task. Just jump down the boxes to the bottom, put on the jetpack, and then make your way back up."
"You know, he's starting to annoy me a bit." Kelly glared at the monitor. "These are not simple task. They are hard in actual physical action."
"No point in arguing with a floating ball." Shar moved to the edge and jumped. She picked her way through the boxes until the came to the bottom. It took several times of them making it all the way to the bottom, and detonating the mines before they finally both retrieved their jetpacks. It was slow going to get back up, but in the end, Shar just barely beat Kelly.
The two women stood on the platform, Kelly saluting. "Well done, Master Chief." She shifted a bit. "That feels odd, because I sometimes call John by his rank."
Shar looked away a bit. "Well...you can just call me Shar if that would be better. I don't mind." Really she sort of did. Using her name would likely make a bond, and she hated to admit it, but she sort of feared having a bond.
The two were teleported once more and this time they were in an open field. There was a mancannon ahead of them, and one behind them as well. "The game is now hor to ho." The monitor bobbled happily. This one is a simple idea, and a bit fun. Just toss a plasma grenade at the gravity canon over there, and then walk backward into the second. The object is to stick yourself with your own grenade."
The two women looked at each other. "I hate to admit it, but I think he's right. That sounds like it will be fun." Kelly moved into the right position and prepared. She tossed the grenade and then moved backward, being shot through the air. Shar watched as she just barely missed the grenade hitting sticking to her. Shar grinned as she watched Kelly plummet toward the water.
Shar didn't waste another moment. She tossed her own grenade and then moved backward, watching it sail over her head and she fell toward the water. She hit the water below and everything became blue before it went dark. She then found herself once more standing up on the field, facing the cannon. Kelly was already in position and throwing her grenade. This time she didn't sit around to watch Kelly fall toward the water. She moved into position and started to throw her grenade.
It took almost a half hour for Shar to finally stick a grenade to her head. It had glued itself to the spot just above her visor, filling her vision with glorious blue light, detonating before she hit the water. She was respawned up on the field again beside Kelly.
"So what was it like?" Kelly seemed a bit eager to know.
Kelly smirked a bit. "It was blue." Kelly tilted her head to the side and Shar realized she didn't understand. "I like the color blue. It didn't hurt, so it was great. Not to mention, it means you get another letter. Just one more and then I win." Shar set her hands on her hip. "Better get to work, Petty Officer, or you'll be going back to John a looser to me."
Kelly's fist hit Shar's arm and the Spartan III looked at her confused. "Don't call me by my rank. I like when you use my name. Also, what makes you think I'm going to tell John if I lose?"
Shar chuckled slightly. "Smart girl, diffidently a smart one." She turned to look at the monitor. "Bring on the next round."
There was the golden light again and they found themselves in a large hanger filled with scorpion tanks and a single mancaonnon.
"Well this one looks like it is going to be interesting." Kelly looked out into the open area. "So what are we supposed to do?"
"Get in a tank, launch with the cannon, land on the platform alive." The monitor seemed to have a very excited tone.
Shar frowned a bit. "Sounds like it's something that relies a lot on luck." She preferred winning with skill.
"Well then I get to go first. If you're really like John then you're going to win this just because of luck." Kelly moved over toward the tank.
"Actually, I've never been that lucky," Shar admitted, watching the other woman. Kelly must not have heard her as she slipped into the tank and moved forward. Shar moved to watch and the tank hit the cannon. The force sent it tumbling through the air. Shar burst out into laughter as she watched the large vehicle spin comically in the air.
Kelly respawned, staring at the still laughing Spartan. "And what exactly is so funny?"
Shar sucked in air enough to talk. "The way a tank looks…ha…flying through the air." She tried to calm herself down shaking her head. She couldn't believe that she'd lost her composure like that. She never laughed like that and she felt a bit embarrassed.
"Well then get your ass in a tank and in that cannon. If it's so funny I have got to see this." Kelly pushed Shar a bit to get her moving, moving so she could get the best view.
Shar ran over to one of the tanks and slid into the driver's seat. The tank roared toward the cannon, and the next thing Shar knew the sky and sea kept changing places as she spun through the air. The hit the side of the platform and the tank exploded into fire. It took a second before Shar was respawned back to the hanger. Kelly was laughing hysterically.
"What did I tell you?" Shar waved toward the tank. "It's your turn." She moved back to allow Kelly to move on.
It was hard to focus on their actual task. The sight and fun of just flinging the tanks kept them fully entertained and when Shar finally landed on the pad she was actually disappointed. She ended up jumping into the water and respawing back up top.
"I didn't blow up." Shar pouted and crossed her arms. "I'm starting to like the blowing up part."
"You didn't blow up, so I'm officially a horse." Kelly shook her head. "Don't get too attached to it. It will kill you outside of this place."
Shar nodded. "I know, but it's fun in here." She paused for a moment. "Wait, I won?" Kelly nodded. "Ha, you're a horse." She pointed and grinned at Kelly.
"I'm just sad that we can't do this anymore. I like launching those tanks." Kelly reached up, removing her helmet. Shar did the same. "You know, I've really enjoyed this."
Shar nodded. "I did as well. I had a lot of fun. It's been so long since I've had real fun." She frowned a bit. That was a bit of a dark realization.
"Well, there are some bright points." Shar looked up at Kelly, waiting for the older woman to explain. "Not only can you say you are a master of horse, but you are also as lucky as John, not to mention, now you can say you have a friend." Shar was surprised. "If you're ever in a position to be able to send me letters, do so. I'd love to hear from you. I will understand that you can't always tell me everything. I can't always tell you everything." Kelly smirked a bit. "I'll even give you updates on how John is doing."
Shar started to smile. It had been a while since she'd felt like this. Someone wanted to be her friend, was accepting her. "I will do that. I'm glad you want to be my friend, and I'd love to hear how John is doing."
The two looked up as the monitor appeared. "Thank you both, you have been such a help. We have learned so much, and so much science was done. I'm so pleased." The world around them started to fade. The tanks vanished and slowly the wide world around them lost color, becoming only an outline, before it too vanished, leaving only the empty room from before. "That is all that you were needed for. You may return to your stations to receive further orders."
The monitor floated off and Shar felt regret. It wasn't just that the forge world was gone, but she was going to be leaving Kelly. She'd been enjoying herself and the idea of just walking away from that was not appealing.
"Well, I hope to see you again." Kelly held out her hand. Shar hesitated for a moment before she reached out, taking the other woman's hand and shaking it. "I wish you luck in the future, Shar. I hope we can both see the end of this war."
Shar nodded. "It would be nice to know something other than just fighting." She paused for a moment and then shook her head. "No, that's a lie. I like the fighting. Have since I was a kid." The memory of the grunt lying dead on the ground, then Kelly praising her for the action.
Kelly smirked a bit. "You want to know something? So do I? I don't know what we'll do without it." She looked toward the ground. "Though I have a few things I wish I could do." A slight smile spread over Kelly's face.
Shar felt a bit empty. She didn't have anything she'd like to do other than fight. She didn't really see any other option for her. There was only fighting.
"Well, it was nice to meet you, Shar." Kelly released Shar's hand and moved to walk out of the room.
Shar waited until she was out of the doorway before she spoke. "It was nice to see you again, Kelly." She closed her eyes. She was happy, she'd made friends with the woman who had inspired her to become a Spartan, but she felt a sorrow knowing that she could never tell Kelly how she had touched Shar's life. She could never show her that what she'd done mattered, that it had given her purpose in life, a drive that lead her to be who she was. Shar took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before she started to move toward the door. Even if she never could tell Kelly the truth, keeping it forever in the darkness of the black ink and bright red word 'classified' that seemed to coat her life, she could still make a difference. Maybe, just maybe, something that Shar did would help Kelly in the future, allow her to help save the woman who had saved her.
For now, she'd have to see what her next mission was. Maybe after it she'd be able to write to Kelly. Shar smiled. She had something to look forward to after a mission.
Note: If you want to see the actual games I suggest going onto youtube and look up the videos. The first one is Horse 19, the third round. The second round they played was the first round of Horse 19. The third round was Horse 15, round 5. The fourth round is Horse 28, round 3. Round five is Horse 17, round 5. Round six is Horse 17, round 6. The final round is Horse 19, round 7.