Chapter5

UNSC Shortsword single ship, call sign Echo 5-9

Unknown star system, 2563, September, 19th

Approaching the unidentified Object for a recon sweep.

"Echo 5-9, do you copy over?" came the voice of Echo lead.

"Roger Echo lead, I hear you five by five." Reply Shina as she examined the object that was growing larger on her viewport.

"Move to this location and perform a sensor sweep. I've dropped a nav point for you. We'll cover the rest of the thing, whatever it is." Came back Echo lead's voice.

"Roger Echo5-9 heading out." Said Shina as she twitched her flight controls to compensate the change in direction. Her Shortsword bank hard right as she brought it to point towards the nav point. Flipping a few switches that brought her Short sword's sensor system online, "Sensors online, beginning sensor sweep". Reported Shina as she maneuver her agile fighter/bomber next to the object.

"Copy that, Echo5-9….." there was a sudden silence as Echo lead frowned at his own sensor data. "SHIT! ECHO 5-9, BREAK, BREAK!" shouted Echo lead as the energy signature of the object spiked. There was a stunned silence as Echo5-9 try to move away from the object before she disappeared in a flash of blue light. "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPEN!" roared Captain Cutter as the Spirit of Fire make course changes to point it's MAC cannon at the object.

"I don't know sir" came the shell-shocked voice from Echo lead.

"Serina, what do you have?" asked Cutter as he tried to calm himself, "Any trace of what is left of Echo5-9?"

"Well, this is new... and scary." replied Serina as she replayed the video recording of the what happened to Echo5-9. It shows a blue lightning reaching out and zapping the Shortsword before the small single ship began to glow blue and disappeared.

"Slow that down to 1 frame every milliseconds" Ordered Cutter as he examined the video. The video replayed only this time much slower. "Freeze it right there" said Cutter suddenly. The video paused, and it show the Shortsword blurring, as if it was accelerating at FTL speeds. "Recall the other Shortswords, I want them away from the object until we figure out what happened to Echo 5-9" said Cutter as he reexamine the video once more.

"Sir something's wrong, the sensors are picking up a contact" said the Sensor officer before displaying the data on the viewscreen.

"Hmmm, it appears the object is traveling towards us at FTL speed in normal space Captain." Said the AI as she frowns at the sensor data. The was a sudden blue flash as a small ship decelerated suddenly in front of the object. "Receiving IFF signal, confirmed to be Echo5-9" Said the AI.

"Contact that singleship and find out what the hell just happened." Ordered Cutter as he settles down into his command chair.

"Echo5-9, this is the Spirit of Fire do you copy over?" came Serina's voice over the com. There was a hiss of static as the crew awaited a response. "I repeat, Echo 5-9 this is the Spirit of Fire do you copy over?"

There was a slight groan before a reply came "Spirit of Fire, I read you. Requesting permission to dock." came the voice of Shina

"Request approved, move toward docking bay 7, what happen Echo5-9?" Ask Serina as she shifted most of the ships sensors to point towards the Shortsword

"Hell if I know, I woke up in a different star system with a similar unknown object and was doing another recon to find where everybody went when I blacked out again." Reply Shina as she wobbly piloted her Shortsword into a flight path provided by Serina.

"Roger that, RTB for a debrief." reply Serina before she cut the com. "Captain, I would suggest we stay a safe distance away from the object until a more complete analysis can be done"

The captain nodded" Move us towards the Forerunner ship, keep the ship away from that object for at least 500 thousand kilometers away"

"Staying away from mysterious object, aye" Reply Serina sarcastically, as she adjusted the ship's course. Suddenly she paused, "Captain incoming transmission from the boarding party"

"Put it on speaker Serina," said Cutter before asking " what is it Lieutenant Sanders?"

"Oh shit… Sir, we got trouble here," there was a burst of fire from an Assault Rifle "the Enforcers… we counted about a dozen of those darn things." There was a telltale whoops as a missile was launched, seconds later a detonation ripped across the com channel "FIRE THOSE MISSILES GOD DAMN IT, RETURN FIRE!" Yelled Sanders "Sir requesting more reinforcements… Oh Shit Oh Shit" Before the come channel cut off.

Captain Cutter looked pointedly at Serina" Send more troops, tell them to be ready for anything"

"Sir, requesting more reinforcements…. OH Shit Oh Shit!" cursed Sanders as he dived behind a crate for cover. A golden object landed where he had been standing and detonated with the force of a frag grenade.

"Where the Hell are the Spartans?" Yell the LT as he brought his AR up and fired off a burst at the Enforcer. His bullets pinged harmlessly off the Blue energy field in front of the Enforcer "Fuck this" he yell before firing the rest of his clip into the robot's shield. The blue shield flicker red slightly before a Jackhammer missile detonated on the shield destroying the emitters.

"Need a hand?" Asked Douglas before he fired off his second missile. The Spartan reached behind and pulled out another tube of rockets and began reloading. The Enforcer swirled to face the reloading Spartan, its pulse laser glowing a bright red.

Suddenly a ruby color laser Shot forward melting and destroying the Enforcer's optical sensor. Jerome stepped back into cover as the Enforcer pivot towards him, firing it's missiles. The Spartan dove gracefully away from the his cover as the missiles detonated ripping his cover to shreds.

"Just like old times huh?" Commented Alice before she heft up a M41LAAG spraying the Enforce with 12.7mm rounds. With no shield to stop them, the bullets slammed into the Enforcer pockmarking it's surface with craters before it's arms fell off.

"One down and 11 more to go" Remarked a Marine before a series of explosions signaled the death of five more of the Forerunner creation

"Make that 6 more, Jarhead" shouted an ODST as he reload his Jackhammer missile launcher.

The firefight lasted 12 minutes before the Airlock cycled opened, a Vulture Gunship burst in and its A-74 Sylver Vertical Missile launcher firing a barrage alongside it's Argent V missiles and it's 30mm GUA-23 Autocannons spray a barrage of exploding shells at the remaining Enforcers' shields.

"Hell yeah here comes the cavalry!" Whooped a Marine as he fire another duo of Jackhammer missiles into the unshielded behind of an Enforcer.

With the arrival of the Heavy Gunship, The remaining Enforcers were reduced to rubble as the missiles from the Vulture hit home, blasting pieces of Forerunner metal everywhere in the hanger bay.

"And that people is how we do things" Yelled the ODST CO.

"HOORAH!" replied the battle wary marines.

"Lieutenant, I assume it's safe to come out now?" Asked Anders as he walked out of the Forerunner singleship.

"It is ma'am," reply the lieutenant as he leaned against a crate, and setting down his MA5B.

There was a sudden rumble, before hatches in the hanger bay started to open. Before anyone can cry out a warning, hundreds of Sentinels gush out of the hatches. There was an eerily silences as the Sentinels stopped and examine the battered remains of the Marine company.

"Out of the frying pan and straight into the cooking pot" Muttered a Marine over the com. No one bothered to reply.

Author's note: Hmmmm it seems the boarding party ran into another trouble. Oh Btw here's a Spoiler alert. Someone gonna come knocking near the Relay not I'm going say who though :)