Chapter 5: Svenson

When Svenson stepped off of the Pelican, he was immediately blinded by the light of the New Tampa sun. He turned away from it, raising a hand to shield his eyes. After having spent the previous weeks aboard dimly lit space ships, the wide open spaces and bright sky were almost overwhelming. The pain in his legs wasn't helping much either, as he stumbled down the ramp and onto the ground.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, buddy," Cas said, running up to Svenson and taking a hold of his shoulders to help him keep his balance. "There's no rush here, take your time."

Svenson took a deep breath. He closed his eyes tight, and very slowly opened them to help him get used to the sun again. He had to reorient himself with the horizon as well, he admittedly had grown used to seeing the curving ring of Alpha Halo ahead of him.

"Thanks," he said to Cas. He felt the pilot slowly let go of him. "I can make it from here."

"If you say so, partner," Cas responded with a shrug. "I'll be here with my bird if ya need anything."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Svenson left Cas by his Pelican, and set out across the yard to the firebase across from the landing pads. It was a large complex of several distinct buildings around a central hub, like something he had only seen in recruiting posters. The military bases he had visited on Reach were nothing like this. He wondered why a frontier paradise world would even need this kind of military presence, there had to be something more that he wasn't being told.

A pair of UNSC Army troopers stood at the entrance to the base. One of them waved Svenson over, and he approached them. I guess they all knew I was coming. Svenson felt a little discomfort, he wondered if this was what it was like to be famous.

"Private Svenson?" the guard asked.

Svenson nodded with a sigh. That was the third time that day someone had asked to confirm his identity. He figured it wouldn't be the last time.

"I'm here to find Sergeant Nagata," Svenson said.

The guard nodded and stepped aside as the firebase's entrance opened. She gestured for Svenson to enter.

"Take the lift, it's at the end of the hall on the left," the guard said. "Sergeant Nagata's office is right across from the lift on the second floor."

"Got it, thanks," Svenson gave the guard a nod, and he made his way into the base.

The inside of Firebase Veles was very highly decorated, it almost looked like the inside of a town hall rather than a military base. UNSC flags and posters lined the walls, and there were even a few statues of UNSC Marines and Army troopers, none of which represented anyone in particular. He made it to the end of the hall and took the lift as instructed, and sure enough, Nagata's office was right across from it when it reached the second floor. Svenson calmly approached the door to the office and knocked. The door slid open a few seconds later. Nagata sat behind a wooden desk with her hands folded. She had short dark hair and dark skin, and an angled face. Behind her was a window with a view of New Tampa's city, but other than that the office was mostly empty.

"If it isn't the talk of the town, Matthew Svenson," Nagata said, standing up from her chair and extending a hand.

"I wasn't aware I was famous," Svenson said, shaking her hand. The Sergeant gestured to the seat across from her desk, and Svenson sat down.

"You're pretty popular with ONI," Nagata said as she sat back down. "There weren't a whole lot of survivors from Alpha Halo, let alone ones that made it out of that weapons facility."

Nagata wore the uniform of a Marine Sergeant, but the insignia of the Office of Naval Intelligence was emblazoned on her chest. Svenson had heard several things about ONI, most of them negative. Their sheer presence on New Tampa was beginning to concern him.

"Anyways, we've got some important business to discuss," Nagata said. She folded her hands again.

"Regarding my mandatory shore leave?" Svenson asked.

"Partly," Nagata explained. "You are being placed on shore leave, but that isn't the only reason you're here. What I'm about to tell you is something you cannot talk about unless it is to me or another ONI operative."

"I understand," Svenson nodded. This was already the second conversation that day that he couldn't tell anyone else about.

"ONI wants you as a consultant," Nagata continued. "Yes, you'll get your break. But when we call for you, we're going to need you here."

"A consultant for what?"

Nagata pressed a button on her desk, and the window behind her closed. The room darkened significantly, the only light above them was very dim. Svenson was being reminded of the interrogation room on the Tigershark.

"This planet isn't like the others," Nagata explained. "The eggheads here can't explain exactly what it is yet, but according to them the planet is giving off some strange readings. A group of civvie explorers also found this in the uncharted lands."

Nagata placed a datapad on the desk. The screen showed a video of people entering what looked like a cave, only to find it wasn't a cave at all. Walls of grey metal surrounded them, forming what looked like a tunnel that led deeper into the planet. The structures reminded Svenson of the weapons facility on Alpha Halo. There could be more of those monsters here.

"Someone built that, and it definitely wasn't us," Nagata said. She paused the video and pulled the datapad back. "The structure is reminiscent of what we've been told about by the other survivors from Alpha Halo. My guess is who or whatever it was that built that ring did something to this planet."

"So… Am I just supposed to confirm that these are the same structures?" Svenson asked. "Or… What do you want me to do?"

"Your experience navigating the structures on Alpha Halo is what we need. And if we ever encounter more of those… Monsters from the reports, we'll need your experience fighting them as well. You're the only one here who has."

Svenson could feel his heart beginning to beat faster. Seeing and fighting more of those things was the absolute last thing that he wanted. He felt anger that he was brought here just for that reason. Can't they tell that I want to be as far away from this shit as possible? Svenson took a deep breath to stop himself from freaking out, he could see Nagata giving him a look of concern.

"I'll give you a few days to relax, and adjust to the life here," Nagata said, changing the subject away from the structures and the monsters. "We've got an apartment set up for you in the city, all your needs will be taken care of. You have free access to the firebase as well, if you ever want to stop by."

"Sounds good," Svenson said with a nod.

"Your ride will be waiting outside the gate. You're dismissed," Nagata said. "Enjoy the city, mister Svenson."

Svenson stood up from the chair and gave her a sharp salute before leaving. Though he wasn't exactly thrilled, at least now he knew what was really going on. He understood the strong military presence, and the abundance of ONI officers. He wondered if any of the people that actually lived on New Tampa knew any of the strange things about their planet.

Svenson crossed the open area between the entrance of the firebase and the gate that locked the military district off from the rest of the city. The troopers at the gate opened it when he approached, and on the other side was a civilian car with a fancily dressed driver standing outside. The driver waved him over, and Svenson took a seat at the back.

"Corporal Svenson," the driver sat as he took his seat. "I heard you're new here."

"Corporal?" Svenson asked, tilting his head in confusion. That isn't right…

"Ah, sorry," the driver checked his tablet for a moment and set it down. "Lance Corporal, my apologies."

Was I promoted without being told? It didn't surprise him that ONI didn't tell him about something like that, but he was still a little disappointed.

"No, it's alright," Svenson said. "Ignore me."

The driver nodded, and put them on their way across the city. Svenson's view of Firebase Veles was soon cut off as the car rounded the corner of a building. This wasn't Svenson's first time in a city, but the tall buildings and tight streets were something he hadn't gotten used to. The last city he was in was burning and falling apart around him as the Covenant were invading. But this city was nice.

"Welcome to Kujo City," the driver said as they drove through the streets. Buildings of different heights and incredible designs moved past as Svenson looked out the window. "It was the first settlement on New Tampa, and now it is the first and only city on the planet."

Svenson watched the people on the sidewalks and the shops as they passed. Looking at the people there it was hard to tell that there even was a war going on. He wondered if the people even knew, and what would happen if the Covenant ever found them. He tried to push the thoughts down, now wasn't the time to think about death and destruction.

The car eventually slowed down as it reached a parking lot outside a large open plaza. Palm trees and fountains of water were placed ornately around to make it all that much of a better sight to look at. Crowds of civilians moved across the plaza, some joining into groups to sit down and talk, and others moving between the buildings.

Svenson couldn't remember any time he had seen an active city like this. When he was young on Draco III he had lived on a farm, there wasn't much around his family's home other than wildlands. The place where he had enrolled in the Marines was only a small town, there were no skyscrapers or giant open plazas.

"This here is Bay Plaza, it has everything you will ever need," the driver said. "Food, recreation, entertainment. The apartment complex is across from us."

The driver pointed to the building, it was the tallest of all the buildings in the plaza. When the car doors opened, both of them stepped out.

"Would you like me to accompany you, sir?" the driver asked.

"No thank you," Svenson said, "I can make it from here."

"Very well then," the driver said, "enjoy your stay."

The driver nodded. He saluted Svenson in the way that a Private at boot camp would salute a drill instructor before getting back into his car. Svenson turned back to the plaza, and he made his way across it. He noticed looks from the people there, but he couldn't tell the emotions behind them. Maybe they were just surprised to see a new face.

Svenson entered the apartment building. The lobby was a large space with a water fountain in the middle. Red carpets covered the floor, and windows in the ceiling let the sun shine down into the lobby. On the walls were screens showing advertisements, mostly recruitment ads for the UNSC Marines, and paintings from an artist Svenson didn't recognise. He found a receptionist and he made his way over. They were a cheerful looking young woman, she didn't seem like someone who knew there was a bloody war raging across the galaxy.

"Welcome to the Bay Plaza Apartments," the receptionist said, her voice as cheery as she looked. "I don't believe I've seen you here before, are you new?"

"Yeah, first day on New Tampa," Svenson sighed. "I'm Matthew Svenson, I was told there was a room for me here."

"Just one sec."

The cheery woman typed into the monitor in front of her for a moment. She looked up at Svenson with a friendly smile that he couldn't tell whether it was genuine or not. "Room 23, it is on the second floor," she said.

"Got it, thanks," Svenson awkwardly returned the smile. He quickly found the elevators and made it to the second floor.

Svenson stepped out into empty halls. The silence there was deafening. For the first time since leaving Alpha Halo, he was completely alone. He found his room, the number '23' was printed on the door, and he slowly pushed the door open. He for some reason expected someone to be there. Not just someone, but something. You're not on Halo anymore. You don't need to worry.

No matter what he told himself, he worried. He slowly entered the room and closed the door behind him, shutting it so carefully that it barely made a sound. Any sudden move and he could alert something. He didn't know what, but he knew it would kill him. Of course that wasn't true, but the silence and solitude made him think too much.

The room was small, but it was nicely furnished. There was a bathroom by the door, a pair of chairs in one corner, and a bed against the right wall. Across from it was a screen he could use to access entertainment feeds. On the wall across from the door was a window that overlooked the beach. The shores against the planet's massive ocean were filled with bright sand, docks for ships, and people who were enjoying the sun and playing in the water.

It was a peaceful sight, but it annoyed Svenson. Not because he hated when people had fun, but because he couldn't do it. Yes, he could go down to the beach, but he knew he wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Not with the things going through his mind. He took a long look at the view of the ocean. The water was the clearest he'd ever seen, and there were barely any clouds in the sky. The planet definitely was a paradise, one he was sure would be ruined by industrialisation if the Covenant didn't find them first. And if the Covenant did find them, it would be ruined by them instead.

But the planet almost seemed a little too perfect. Like it was too good to be true. The planet was of course hiding a secret, which were the structures underground. Svenson wondered if there was something about the structures with the potential to ruin the planet for good. Halo had perfect ecosystems built into the shape of a ring, would it be so crazy for the beings who built it to have also built an entire planet? The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to stop thinking.

At first Svenson was a little excited to take a break, but now he was beginning to regret it. He kicked off his shoes, laid down on the bed, and turned on the screen to get some noise in his apartment. He tuned into an entertainment feed from Earth to see what was happening there, and he turned the volume all the way up to drown out the sounds of his own thoughts.

But turning on the feed would soon prove to be a mistake. He was expecting something to calm him down, instead the feed quickly switched to an emergency broadcast. Earth was under attack. The Covenant had found humanity's home.