I grasped the handle above me tighter as we flew closer to the Corvette. I could hear Sarah in the background of my thoughts as we inched closer to the covenant fleet. I was focused, thinking about my squad, running over every scenario in my head, trying to count the odds of anyone getting hurt. And how I was going to stop that from happening. I finally was awakened from my trance like state when I heard Sarah's voice break through my cloud of concentration. She seemed worried, her voice screaming my name. I shook my head clear before looking at her in my HUD.
"Sam, Sam!" she screamed, trying to snap me out of it.
"Yeah, I'm back, sorry I just kinda drifted off."
"I can see that, but right now we need your head in the game, there's a real attack happening right now, this isn't a simulator."
"I know that, it's just-" I was cut short as our pelican rolled right, a green ball of plasma streaking by where we could see it out of the back.
"Sorry guys, you might wanna buckle up." said Fallen, a nervous chuckle coming over the comms.
I jumped in a seat quickly and snapped the buckle in place, the other following suit as the Pelican banked right and left, slowing down quickly or accelerating at random intervals. All we could see from where we sat was the infinity, Longswords now swarming out of its bays. I looked to my the left of the pelican's door, noticing the corvette come into view as we banked left again. What I saw terrified me, because it just as easily could have been us. I watched a friendly pelican get rammed in the side by a Phantom, knocking it off course as it flew straight into the corvette, the enemy phantom flying off with nothing but a few shield damages. I stared in shock for a moment before turning toward the cockpit.
"We got a Pelican down!" I screamed.
Fallen her head to the right, seeing the same thing I'd seen. She stared for a second before readjusting her grip on the steering module.
"We've got to help them!" yelled Meteor, caring as ever.
"We can't risk it, and besides, how would we help them!" asked Fallen, swallowing hard, trying to push back the instinct to fly in to rescue the survivors.
"We go in the same way they did!" yelled Phoenix, his Battle Rifle being lifted into his grasp.
I took this all in, thinking for a moment. They continued their argument for a few moments longer, before I spoke up, "We have to at least try!"
The pelican fell silent. Fallen gripped the steering again before responding, "Yes sir."
The pelican banked to the right, turning around to gain distance before turning back towards the hole they'd made in the Corvette, the equivalent of a scratch on a normal ship. The pelican sped towards the opening, plasma bullets whizzing past us. As we neared the breach the pelican jerked violently, turning around and reversing up to the jagged edges of the hole. There was a shield covering the hole by now, another obstacle to push through.
"Ready," I said, the others standing with me, "Aim" the others drew up their guns alongside me, Athena's barrel resting on my shoulder, "Fire."
As the order was given all hell let loose in the back of the cabin, the blowback from Athena's barrel being absorbed by the spring loaded barrel that slid back and forth across my shoulder. My own Assault Rifle roared against my shoulder, spitting lead at the resistant shields of the Corvette. The onslaught of firepower began to wear on the shield, a hole opening up in the center.
"Go, go, go!" I yelled, he hole opening more as the shields deteriorated around the hole.
Dragon was the first to jump, using the thrusters on the back of his armor to propel him into the shield, shoulder first. This opened the hole exponentially, Phoenix following him, then Meteor, Athena, and Crow. Fallen stood from her seat in the cockpit, jumping down the stairs and stepping through the passenger bay. I gave her a nod, which she returned before she too boosted through the space between the open door and the hole. As I leapt after her, the shield began to close, I clearing the regenerating shields just before they got too small to slip through. I landed on my shoulder and felt my armor grind against the floor before coming to a stop. I rolled onto my back and saw a Crimson armored hand come into view. I grabbed the hand and pulled in sync with the unknown SPARTAN. As I stood I looked at the Crimson and violet trimmed SPARTAN, her armor bearing a large resemblance to Athena's, her colors being identical.
She was leaned on a gravity hammer, a pink armor clad SPARTAN next to her. I offered a nod to them both before turning to my team for a moment. They were battle ready, rifles on fire and wits on high alert, Meteor was on his knees, scanning each body for vitals before moving on. I turned back to the other two, satisfied with my own team's situation.
"Are you two the only survivors?" I asked.
They both nodded, "As far as we know sir, my A.I. can't find any other vitals in the area." said the Crimson colored SPARTAN said, the pink, helmetless SPARTAN nodding a confirmation.
"What are your names?" I asked the girl who had non-hesitantly called me sir.
"My name is Lilith sir, callsign Divine." she said, pointing to the girl next to her, "And she's mute, so I'm not sure."
I was slightly taken aback, "Ok, is it ok if I call you Pink?" I asked, just to have something to refer to her as. She gave a nod and a smile.
I sighed just as Sarah came into view. She offered a kind smile which I feebly returned before walking over to Meteor, "The A.I.s are getting no vitals Meteor, I think you might be fighting a pointless battle."
He looked up at me, his look solemn even through his visor, "I know." he then returned to his scramble to remove pieces of debris.
I patted his shoulder before standing and addressing the rest of the team, "Alright we need to get back outside, back to Infinity. But firing off a couple hundred rounds inside of a covenant ship, at a shield that has already twice been breached is probably not a good idea. Any plans?"
The team looked around at each other, expecting the other to have a plan. Each one coming up empty. I felt a tap on my shoulder.
I turned and was greeted by the face of Pink, a certain sparkle in her eye.
"What is it Pink?" I asked.
She made a few indistinguishable signs wit her hands, Sarah chiming in to translate, "She just signed escape pod Sam, and it's not a bad idea. The next set of escape pods is not too far."
I thought to myself for a moment before making a decision, "Alright squad, we have our plan. We're gonna head towards the escape pods closest to us. I'll have Sarah link you the directions so we're all on the same page. Lilith, Pink, you stay in the middle of our group, we can't have an injured and unarmored SPARTAN out in the open. Athena, Meteor, you've got our backs. Crow, Dragon, you have point. Me and Phoenix will fill in the sides, Fallen, you stay behind Crow and Dragon."
I saw each of the SPARTANs processing the information as I said it, each giving me a nod before proceeding.
"Alright Crimson. We are Oscar Mike!" I said, Crimson and the two survivors walking, jogging and hobbling into formation, Sarah sending directions, and I worrying my ass off about my team.
Crow and Dragon took the first step towards the unknowns of the Corvette, blindly following orders from a man that had already almost gotten some of them killed. I being the man that had ordered them, carried through my own plan in a tremendous amount of dread, for every time I spoke the word, someone else was in danger. And I couldn't afford to lose my team, couldn't afford losing a SPARTAN. Couldn't afford to lose a single soldier.
And I especially couldn't afford to lose her.