Vanguard

Chapter 30

"A new fight"

[Coruscant, Jedi Temple, Landing pad]

In the waning hours of Operation: Knightfall, the newly anointed dark lord of the Sith, Darth Vader, waited silently on one of the temple's landing pad, situated along one of the four towers, for his master's arrival. Clone troops of the 501st Legion continued to battle what remained of the Jedi and Temple Security Force throughout the temple, casualties were high on both sides, and they were winning.

Vader could see his master's shuttle appearing in the distance when a clone sergeant walked up next to him and relayed his report "My Lord, the Jedi have been routed and are fleeing into the temple precinct, we've set up troops around all exits and hangars to prevent anyone else from escaping."

"Good. Where's Commander Appo?" the sith asked.

"He was wounded after engaging a Jedi on one of the lower pads; he was turning away a senator before he was attacked."

Vader took a moment to think before giving his next order "Send word out to the men; tell them to begin coordinating with the Coruscanti Guard in hunting down the traitors that fled."

"Right away my Lord" the trooper acknowledged before jogging off to relay the order.

The shuttle was now slowing down as it was making its final approach to the pad, the downward wings began to fold upwards and the landing struts extended from the craft's underbelly, and lands softly in front of him. The boarding ramp lowers from the underside with an ominous hiss, once the ramp touched the ground with a metallic clang six troopers of the newly reorganized Shock Trooper Corps, ordained by red markings on their plastoid armor, marched off the transport and formed two lines on both sides. Moments afterwards a lone hooded figure, dressed in black clothing, treaded off the ramp and came forth before Vader, who bowed down afterwards.

"My master, the Jedi is nearly extinct, now they flee from the temple with my troops in pursuit."

The Sith master, Darth Sidious, made a crackling smile as he praised his apprentice's accomplishment "You have done well my apprentice, soon the Jedi will be no more and we will finally bring order to the galaxy. However there is more work to be done before our dreams become a reality."

"What is thy bidding my master?"

"The Separatist leaders are gathering on Mustafar in the outer rim, you will go there and dispatch them. Leave none alive. With their deaths the separatist movement will grind to a halt."

"It will be done my master."

"You have done well my apprentice, now Lord Vader, go and bring peace to the Empire."

Vader nodded to his master's request and began making his way back into the temple to reach another pad where his fighter would be waiting for him. But he stopped shortly; Sidious could sense something troubling him.

"Your mind is not at rest . . . tell me Vader, what is troubling you?"

"Master forgive me, but, I sense there is a much graver threat to the Empire, something far more aggressive than the Jedi."

The high Sith lord realized what his apprentice was referring to "Ah yes the ship you've encountered during the Battle of the Null Sector, the Vanguard and its single resident that calls himself a Spartan . . ."

"And the padawan of Anakin Skywalker, she is in league with him."

"Then they are both traitors to the Empire and will be dealt with accordingly. Do not fear, my friend, soon they too will be crushed by our might, it is only a matter of time."

Vader bowed his head "Yes Master" and resumed making his way.

With Darth Vader now absent, Sidious watched the temple around him burn and bellow smoke into the night sky, it was everything he had foreseen and more, it was everything he had ever dreamed of.

"Everything is proceeding as planned by my design . . ." he took a moment to savior this "I have waited a long time for this."

[Slipstream Space, UNSC Vanguard, two days later]

Aboard the bridge, Ahsoka Tano sat glumly in an operator seat meant for monitoring terminals while the two SPARTANs stood around the holotable that projected a list of Jedi that were killed during what was known came to be known as Order 66, the casualties were high.

James's mind read out each name that came with a corresponding picture of the individual 'Stass Allie, Cin Drallig, Ki-Adi Mundi, Sian Jeisel, Du Mahn, Aayla Secura, Jocasta Nu, Serra Kota, Etain Tur-Mukan, Saras Loorne' the list kept going without pause.

Every name, every face, he didn't recognize but as each one passed his eyes he felt that each and one of their deaths were somehow his responsibility, a feeling perhaps he adopted to fill the absence of safeguarding civilians of UEG worlds, from the wisest of masters to the youngest of children were listed in front of him, the chances of finding survivors in the temple were very slim.

Jorge sighed in sorrow and misunderstanding "How? How could someone do this? It's practically genocide."

"I don't know Jorge . . ." James replied as he stares at every name passing by, eventually he asks "Percival . . . what's the body count?"

"Too high" the AI responded, feeling the same way as everyone else.

Ahsoka eventually stood from her seat and walked over to the table, she was taking the losses the hardest given that she knew half of these people, some were mentors and friends.

Longarm notices her glare, the hurt-filled expression on her face, and states solemnly "Ahsoka I can't imagine what you're feeling right now, but we need you to help us plan our move. You know the temple better than any of us."

"Yeah . . . right" she answered back almost knocked out of a trans the list had put over her.

But before they could start making plans, her eye caught a name on the list and immediately called out "Wait, Percy go back . . ." her heart stopped.

The AI complied and rewinds list until she spotted what she feared the worst, one of her closest friend's name, Jedi Master Plo Koon.

"No . . ." she muttered, her heart shattered at that moment, tears began to swell in her eyes but she fought hard to keep her feelings down, she was losing.

The SPARTANs immediately showed concern, in a tactical sense their friend has been emotionally compromised and is therefore an unreliable asset to their rescue efforts, James restrained himself from trying to put a hand on her, fearing any attempt to comfort her would cause an emotional outbreak.

All he could say was "Ahsoka . . . I'm sorry. If you need a moment . . ."

Tano shook her head in disagreement "No . . . you need me to help plan-" she began to choke up but she held on "How did he die?"

Percival took a moment to find the reports "Official documents reports he was shot down in his fighter over Cato Neimoidia in an attempted suicidal terrorist attack on a neimoidian grub nursery."

The young togruta then went into an outrage "What? No he would never do that! He wouldn't!"

"Hey, look at me" the SPARTAN ordered, his voice was calm and gentle.

Ahsoka turned her eyes to his gold visor, he assured her "We'll take care of the planning, go."

Tano wanted to argue but there was no point, the SPARTANs were deeply concerned for her emotional and mental state of mind and this could hamper their efforts, she nods silently in agreement and slowly walks off the bridge. The two super soldiers knew that this was going to be their hardest challenge yet, and they feared things were just getting started.

"Percival, bring up the Temple" Longarm requested.

There was no response but the list of names immediately dissipated and a large ziggurat-like structure with five towers extending from the top was constructed in front of them, Percival explains "This is the Jedi Temple located on Coruscant, sitting uncomfortably close to the now Imperial Senate Rotunda and the Imperial Palace. From what I was able to gather from external references, the Temple has several points of entries, from the hangars at the lower levels and the four symmetric towers to the main entrance, the central tower is where the Jedi high masters conducted their council meetings which could signify some importance there."

"What about interior?"

"Unfortunately there are no current records of the interior architecture, no telling what kind of combat you'll be facing if you were spotted by imperial troops."

"I suppose that's where Ahsoka comes in . . ."

"That is correct."

"Well" he sighs "We'll discuss that when she's ready. But for now let's talk about a method of entry."

[Elevator lift]

Ahsoka was devastated, her heart was torn from her chest the moment she saw one of her closest friend's name on that dreadful list, she on the verge of breaking down into tears. The elevator lift was gradually making its decent down to the deck where she lived on, just several levels below the command deck, where everyone else lives on, until it arrived and allowed her to walk off. She treaded silently through the empty corridors pondering about the possibility of being the last of the Jedi, her friends, mentors, and even her own master may have suffered the same horrible fate.

She continued to walk the halls in silence, not even Percival spoke a word, perhaps to give her time alone, and she appreciated it for the time being. Despite her overwhelming sorrow in her heart she was glad to know she wasn't alone, the AI, Jorge, and James were there for her no matter what. They could've refused a rescue operation to the Temple just to save themselves, but they agreed, not to just avenge the Jedi that showed friendliness to them, they agreed to help for her, someone who's been there for them they first met whether it was inside of an apartment complex or aboard a Covenant warship. She was fortunate to call them friends.

She was beginning to near her quarters, which was further down the hall, when she came across James's quarters, she stopped and carefully took a good look at the door itself. The SPARTANs' quarters was one of the very few places she's been in aboard the Vanguard and despite being somewhat open to her there is still a lot she doesn't know about James. She sobers up, wiping away the tears that dripped from her eyes, and presses a button on the keypad situated on the door causing it to swish open.

She silently walks in to find the room to be clean and organized, something she expected, there was nothing to note of it other than a table where his Mk. V EOD helmet rested along with some hand tools, presumably repairing the helmet in his spare time, and a cabinet sitting next to another table holding his terminal. She decides to step over and sit down in a seat and turn the terminal on, at first she was expecting Percival to appear and warn her about invading privacy but he never showed, and instead of the traditional UNSC insignia appearing like other terminals a background cover of a massive, immaculate super metropolis spanning out for miles and miles with no end, skyscrapers reaching for the skies, and a single massive spire that reached all the way to the stars. Feeling that Percival would quickly discover her soon enough she switched the terminal off.

She stood up from her seat and took a look at the cabinet, opening them to find nothing until she reached the middle drawer and found a book, small, old, torn at the edges as if it's been through quite a bit of history, and had a thin string tied around it to keep it from opening. She gently takes the book into her hands, feeling the brown leather covering that protected the pages inside, and unties the knot before carefully opening it to the first page.

She was expecting to see writing, possibly a log of the Vanguard's history in this galaxy, but she found something else entirely "Drawings?" she muttered.

The first drawing was that of children playing in a city park, parents stood by watching them with warm smiles, she seemed to smile herself seeing the joy that was put into this artistic work done only by a lead pencil. She began to flip through the drawings, each with a sense of peace in them, until she stopped on a page that showed a different side of things. The drawing she came across depicted a clear sky with large shady objects looming high above the surface, each looking smooth and organic much like the Covenant corvette they encountered. The next drawing showed a city burning with another one of the large ships hanging over it, emitting a beam of light down into the streets below, she was witnessing the beginnings of the Human-Covenant War through James's drawings.

She continue to flip through the pages, soldiers fighting, dying, cities burning, even entire worlds with religious glyphs burned into the surfaces, human, Covenant, all part of a massive war that decides the fate of a species. Some of the drawings were rather graphic and full of depression, bodies lying in streets, Covenant standing victorious over the bodies of human soldiers; she was almost tempted to put the book away, when things took another turn.

A detailed drawing, evidently recent given that age hasn't taken a toll like the others, of her smiling at him. She was surprised by how much work he put into this page alone, almost as if she was looking into a mirror, and she gave a gentle grin herself as she turns to the next page. The next drawing depicted her wielding her two sabers in her unique reversal style posture with James himself standing behind her, towering over her due to his height advantage, armed with a sniper rifle in an alert stance. She couldn't help but feel that she and the SPARTAN were beginning to become close, what else would the drawing have told her?

She flips over another page, this time showing her, James, and Jorge standing side by side atop a ridge overlooking a vast peaceful field, the sun hung high over the horizon in front of them, and at the bottom right corner of the page was a single word that was on the SPARTAN-ll's mind at the time of the drawing:

Hope?

She grinned, knowing she had done something to restore some faith into the super soldier. She turns over to the next page to find it blank, the next one after that was blank as well, eventually she closes the book and ties the string back around it before returning it back into the cabinet. Her mind couldn't help but bring back the gut-wrenching loss of her beloved friend, Plo Koon, but her heart was somewhat at ease after seeing some of the more pleasant drawings in the SPARTAN's book.

After her grieving over her loss she felt she wasn't quite ready to rejoin the others on the bridge, instead she lies down on the SPARTAN's well-made bed which hasn't been used for at least a few days now, and closes her eyes to rest for a little while, just long enough where she would be able to function like her old self.

[Bridge, two hours later]

Longarm finishes briefing Jorge on the final steps in the operation as he pointed towards a section of the temple before them "Once I've secured the survivors we'll make our way to one of the western landing platforms where you'll be on standby ready to get us out."

"Sounds easy enough" Jorge muttered as he watched the holographic simulation.

Percival adds "And by the time you return home, our FTL drive should be already spooled up to jump us away, giving the Imperials no chance to intercept us with their cruisers."

"Strike crafts shouldn't be a problem right Percival?" James asks with concern.

"They are superior compare to the Sabre but they're no Covenant fighters, I should be able to hold them off long enough for you all to return safely, I will even deploy the wombats to secure your route."

But Jorge assures the AI "That won't be necessary Percival, I can handle a pelican."

"As you wish" Percival nodded.

Not moments later did the bulkhead hatch slide open letting the now calm and collected Ahsoka Tano back onto the bridge, the SPARTANs gave their respectful nods to the togruta, and Jorge was the first to ask "How are you feeling ma'am?"

"I could be better Jorge. But I will be soon after this mission. Speaking of which how goes the progress?"

James answered "We just finished on the briefing, we were actually waiting for you to help give us an idea of what we're dealing with inside the temple."

"Ok so what's the plan?"

The SPARTAN twirled his finger towards the AI "Percival run through the simulation again."

Percival complied, the holographic presentation of the temple was quickly replaced with the entire temple district and surrounding areas, kilometers wide, and James began "We will be exiting out of slipspace at o' ten hundred hours tomorrow within the planet's lower mesosphere here."

As he pointed out to the area high above the temple, the Vanguard materialized into view just as he stated, "Once we've made a successful drop out, I'll make a high altitude insertion from the Vanguard down to the temple."

Ahsoka quickly interrupted "How are you going to do that?"

Percival chimed in "We do have a small detachment of SOEIV drop pods onboard, but SPARTAN James has an alternative approach."

Tano glanced over to the two SPARTANs, switching back to and fro until Jorge answered "He's going to jump."

She then turned to Longarm "You're serious? That has to be at least fifty kilometers up, how do you expect to land without breaking something?"

"MJOLNIR armor has the ability to solidify the hydrostatic gel layer to a hardened state called the Lock-Down System capable of withstanding high impacts, I'll be safe."

"Okay . . . well what am I going to do?"

"You'll stay here and provide mission support, guide me through the temple and alert me of any complications."

"What!? No! I'm coming with you! I can help you find survivors, these people are friends to me! Family even!"

But the SPARTAN put his foot down on this "No" he demanded firmly "You'll be a high priority target to the Empire, if word gets out that you're there, they'll be swarming the temple and neither of us will be able to get out. "

Ahsoka was about to argue but James sighed "If the worst outcome is a reality, then you need to be the one to carry the torch for the Jedi Order."

And that stopped her, she made no back talks or arguments afterwards, he continues with the briefing "Once I exit the Vanguard, the ship will make an immediate jump out to clear away from any Imperial cruisers that will be on an intercept course to engage."

"What makes you think they'll want to attack?"

"If a heavily armed unidentified warship just suddenly appears on your front door, what would you do?"

"Point made."

He resumes his briefing "I'll make landfall somewhere along the rooftop of the temple and proceed to infiltrate. That's when I'll need you to guide me through. I'll try and make a thorough search of the temple to find any survivors, when either I've completed my search or our operation has somehow been compromised I'll contact the ship to arrive and we'll make our way to one of the western landing platforms along the ziggurat where Jorge will be waiting to extract us via pelican."

He raises his finger back into the sky above the temple "By that time the Vanguard will most likely be already engaged by small fighters and possibly corvettes but hopefully the cruisers will still be out of range. With the destroyer keeping the skies clear for the meantime the pelican will return back into the hangar and dock. Afterwards we'll make several randomly calculated jumps through slipspace to make sure they won't follow us."

"Well you certainly put quite a bit into it, I'm impressed. But while I was thinking about some things, I believe we have another objective."

James's attention was certainly undivided "Such as?"

"The Jedi Archive inside the temple is home to the holocron vault, a place where only members of the Jedi Council were permitted to enter, we need to make sure they don't fall into Imperial hands."

"So we're talking about asset denial?"

Jorge asked out of the blue "A holocron?"

Ahsoka answered "It's a data storage device that is only activated by the Force who has a kyber crystal. If we can get our hands on some of those holocrons-"

"We'll be denying the Empire potentially vital information" Longarm adds "Alright consider that part of the plan. But now comes the final part of the ordeal, what can we expect inside the temple, how large are the rooms and hallways, are there any potential security systems to watch out for?"

"The rooms and hallways are wide and open so don't expect close quarts much, it's likely the Temple's security were taken down after the invasion, and it's also very likely you'll be seeing clone troopers guarding and patrolling the building."

"I've fought Covenant and droids, both of which doesn't offer much of a challenge, but what are these clones capable of? Surely you fought alongside them during the war."

"They were trained from birth, given the best training and equipment they'll ever have. Plastoid armor, blaster rifles, advanced training and tactics, they may be the kind of challenge your looking for."

"Let's hope not. But thanks to you it looks like I'll be utilizing short to mid-range weaponry to push through. Is there anything else to add?"

Everyone looked to each other, waiting for a response to come out, but no one said a word.

"Alright then, we have our objectives, Percival how long before we drop out?"

"Approximately eleven hours before the operation begins, I suggest a six hour rest period before making preparations, I will notify all of you when it is time."

Jorge nodded "A little shut eye wouldn't hurt, besides this'll be the last time we get to sleep with the ship to ourselves."

Longarm added "I agree. I'll be in my quarters" and began to head off the bridge afterwards.

Jorge looked over to Ahsoka "It's funny don't you think?"

"Think what?" she asked perplexed.

"That after two months of knowing each other, you two are there for one another as if you've known each other since childhood. The James I used to know would've put the ship ahead of the survivors in this case, I guessed you changed him."

"Huh that is weird I guess. But you know, I think he changed me as well . . ."

"Hmm. Right well then would you like to accompany me to the cafeteria?" Jorge grinned with his grizzled face.

"Sure" she replied with a similar expression.

[Cafeteria]

Jorge-052 and Ahsoka ate silently with one another, eating what Percival had prepared for them, as they sat next to each other.

Ahsoka took another spoonful of rice before she asked "So you fought with James through the war, what was he like?"

"During the war? Well he was normally silent and often wanted to work alone, I think he sees himself as a lone assassin with a long reach. Some SPARTANs saw respect in that, others didn't."

"Yeah, James told me about the fights he had with someone named John."

Jorge chuckled "Yeah hehe, those two were always butting heads with one another, normally it break out into a fight. Anyways he's respectful of others, even to men that were assigned under his command, putting himself in the line of fire to save a fellow marine or shock trooper. He also had a lot of interest and respect towards the elites, despite them trying to kill him at every opportunity, he was fond of their lifestyle and ideals of honor and tradition."

"How so?"

"The elites are a strong species, taking pride in their sense of honor, if you were a marine surrounded by these guys armed to the teeth, if you throw your gun aside and raise a fist or a knife. You can bet that some of them are going to do the same. I guess that's why James always liked them. He even took training courses to learn and speak their language."

"Really?"

"Yeah well he doesn't use it often, only when he's facing off with one of them as a way of showing respect to them."

Jorge fell silent afterwards, eating some more, while Ahsoka did the same, thinking about James and his life, but then she remembered a while ago on a matter that disturbed her quite a lot "Do you think James was forced into the SPARTAN program when he was a kid?"

The big man stopped, his spoon was halfway to his mouth when it froze, "Ma'am?" he asks.

She continues "It doesn't make sense, I've learned about the Spartans of Greece and they supposedly forced their children to become soldiers. I've seen the scars across his body, they looked like they were done a long time ago but he's only twenty two years old excluding his time in cryogenic stasis. He also looked . . . hurt whenever I want to know more about the program. I think he and Percival are lying about the program to keep something a secret."

"And you're sharing this with me why?"

"Because you're one of his closest friends, and a SPARTAN like him. You weren't forced into the program were you?"

"No I don't reckon I was. I was in the ODSTs when I joined just like James."

"But something just doesn't seem right . . ." she replied, unsure of what she was getting into.

"Listen, let's just worry about one thing at a time, first the temple. Then we'll figure out our next step. If you want, go talk to James or Percival about this. They'll tell you the same thing."

Ahsoka thought silently about it then replied with a nod "I think I will" and stood up with her empty tray before walking away.

[James's Quarters, twenty minutes later]

SPARTAN-121 was tending to his damaged Mk. V EOD helmet, carefully rewiring the circuitry with a pen-shaped wielder. He has high hopes that his Mk. V would be brought back into operational status soon, he even thought of a way to repair the armor and bodysuit but unfortunately with the tools and resources he has at his disposal the suit will never be brought back to optimum capacity like it was when he first received it. However he would be able to repair the helmet and armored components back to functioning order though it would take time.

He was finishing rewiring the helmet's HUD sub-routines when he heard a light knocking on his door, he sets the wielder down and stood up from his seat before walking over to the door and press the switch.

The door slid open and Ahsoka was found on the other side, she seemed troubled, "Is something wrong Ahsoka?" he asked with concern.

"We need to talk . . ." she answered strongly.

He wasn't sure what was going on but he steps aside and gestured her to come inside. She does so and sits down on his cot finding the Mk. lV helmet next to her, while he goes back to his seat at the table with his Mk. V helmet and resumes repairs.

"Is this about the operation?" he asks as he begins working on comms unit relay in the helmet.

"No, the operation isn't the problem" she answered.

"Then what's the problem?"

"You."

The SPARTAN stopped; he sets the wielder down and turns to her asking "Me?"

"Ever since we've met on Coruscant you've been hiding something from me, something you're not telling me about yourself, I think I figured it out."

"Really?" he asks "Okay shoot."

She picks up the green helmet next to her, feeling the weight and examining the finer details, "You didn't join the SPARTAN-ll Program, you were forced into it when you were a child. Wanna know how I figured it out?"

"Enlighten me."

"It started when Percy taught me about the original Spartans of Ancient Greece, how they fought bravely and served their king well. He also told me that the soldiers were trained from when they were young children, forced to become a soldier and expected to die for their king no matter what. I began to wonder if Doctor Halsey took some inspiration from it and did the same with you and the others. Second was when I saw your scars, all old and faded as if they were doing ages ago, but then I remembered that you were only twenty two as of now. You also seemed hurt and distant about the subject, never wanting to really talk about it unless I asked."

Longarm sat silently listening to her explanation "So I really think you were actually forced into the Program against your will, you were never an ODST or even a soldier as of matter. You were just a child, young and afraid, and they changed you into this."

She ceased talking and waited for a response from him, he sighed "That's certainly a lot to think about, but there's somethings you don't know."

"Like what?"

"First off the scars, yes augmentation was probably the worst pain I've ever endured. But our augmentations had given us not only superior strength, speed, and intellect, but also enhanced regenerative abilities. The blood in our systems works faster, sealing up any wounds we sustain in combat or other means. The scars you saw were more recent than you think, but it was because of this ability that it looks old and faded, it only took weeks for our wounds to heal."

"So you're still recovering from it?"

"In a way yes."

"Okay . . . so why don't you want to talk about it? It seemed like it was the worst part of your life."

"People make friends faster than one would normally expect, it's hard to think about losing some of them in such painful ways. The augmentations killed a lot of those people who had friends. It's something us SPARTANs rarely talked about."

"So if this was all true, then why did you do it? Why would you throw away who you are just to become some weapon?"

"For some of us, we saw it as a new beginning, a new slate. Others had their reasons to join as well."

"What was yours?"

The SPARTAN thought silently for a moment "I suppose I wanted to keep people safe from harm, it helps me to know they're sleeping at night with us to protect him. And when we made contact with the Covenant, I realized that this was what I was meant to be. A SPARTAN, humanity's last line defense standing between them and extinction."

Ahsoka didn't know what to think, she was sure about her theory but he seemed so sincere, that he actually became part of the SPARTANs at his own will. She had question in mind but they were dashed away by his words. She believed him.

"Alright . . . I'm sorry I bothered you. It just didn't feel right, you understand?"

"Of course, you had a feeling and you acted on it. It's what kept us SPARTANs in the fight for so long. "

The two fell silent afterwards, James turned back to his helmet and resumed repairs, Ahsoka watched as he taps the tip of the wielder against the helmet and emit a small spark as wirings are fused back together. She eventually lies down, with no objection from the SPARTAN, and closed her eyes once more.

[Armory, ten hours later]

Longarm was by now arming up for the operation, the first weapon he took was the energy sword he latched onto his left thigh magnetic strip. The next was a M7 SMG; he grabs the gun and attaches a sixty-round magazine to the side receiver and pulls the charging bolt, loading the first round into the chamber, and set it on his right thigh.

Jorge walks in through the main hatch and saw his fellow SPARTAN gearing up "You're expecting trouble down there?"

"We always expect trouble Jorge, we're SPARTANs remember?" James replied as he walked over to the assortment of rifles.

"You've fought alongside the clones for a time, you know what they're capable of."

"You're right I do, but if some clones were enough to kill a Jedi then I'm not taking chances."

James was debating whether to take the compact BR55 or go with the more powerful M392 Designated Marksman Rifle, his personal favorite next to the SRS-99, eventually he takes DMR.

"Where's Ahsoka?" he asks.

"Up on the bridge, about to get ready for the op."

"Hm" he muttered as he grabs an empty magazine and begins loading it with 7.62x51mm FMJ-AP rounds, fifteen rounds per mag.

After loading four separate magazines he gently inserts three into the ammunition pouches he attached to his chest piece, slams the fourth into the rifle, pulling the bolt, and latches it onto his back. He then silently walks over to another rack and pulls out a M90 CAWS Combat Shotgun, a weapon well known and widely used within the UNSC, and begins to load the Soellkraft eight-gauge magnum shells into the top-sided receiver, twelve rounds into the magazine tube before pumping the weapon, loading one shell into the chamber, and insert a thirteenth into the tube.

"You're expecting more than trouble" Jorge comments as James slaps the shotgun onto his back alongside the DMR.

"I expect the clones to put up a good fight, it wouldn't be fair if I held back don't you think?"

"No I suppose not."

Longarm finally grabs a M6G magnum from another rack, inserting a pre-loaded magazine into the feed and holster it into a tailored made holster on his right pec.

After that he begins to make his way out of the armory alongside Jorge but before the two parted their separate ways Jorge spoke "Good luck down there."

James nodded to that with a grin and walked away.

[Ventral Hangar, fifteen minutes later]

Longarm stood silently, a UNSC duffel bag slung around his right shoulder and his arms crossed, as he waited patiently for the Vanguard to exit slipspace over Coruscant, there's been no word from the bridge but he didn't worry. He waited silently for another thirty minutes when Percival's voice finally crackled through.

"We're just entering the system now, ETA one minute to target."

James made no response, instead he began to get into position in the middle of the hangar, Ahsoka's voice then came through "The holocron vault will most likely be the most heavily guarded area of the temple, you'll need to deal with the clones before getting in there. But please, if you do find anybody down there . . ."

The SPARTAN stood silently for the moment before he answered "I'll bring them home."

Percival's voice immediately reported afterwards "Commencing slipstream exit procedures, drop out in ten."

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