Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Hunter and Soldier. Enjoy the 5300-word chapter. I do not own Halo, Microsoft, and 343 do.
(2551, August 8th, UNSC Kronstadt 12:20 PM)
Gram loaded another shell into his shotgun and hummed, looking at his helmet as he paused before putting his shotgun on his back. He then made sure he had as many frag grenades as possible, sliding them into leg and thigh holsters with amusement.
"You've double-checked equipment," Cal stated as she paused to load her sniper. "Standard op," Cal stated as Gram turned to her and snorted.
"This ain't standard… You know that… This ain't standard at all. It is us going in there with a chainsaw." Gram stated.
"Maybe… But it is still happening…" Cal stated, resting her hand on his shoulder.
Gram paused, thinking of it.
She knew him. she knew how he was, how he worried… If she was anything like him and she was? She knew what trying to appeal to him as that would do.
He looked at her as she put her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.
"Do not… Do not." Gram said, shaking his head. "I ain't Kurt… But I have a bad feeling, the one we do not walk away from… And if you had that feeling? You know why I am worrying." Gram stated.
"What are you thinking?" Cal questioned as Gram hummed.
"I am thinking we handle this and go… As in, get to Reach… There are a thousand missions and Silver Team always gets the crappy ones. Always, without fail." Gram stated.
"We have to," Cal stated before Gram paused.
"You act like you're going to die… Always, that bothers me." Gram stated.
"We're so…" Cal went to say as Gram shook his head.
"Does not mean we cannot fight to protect people…. I get it, mission first. Details expect me to leave you in the mud? I do so… But you want me to let you die just to deal with such a thing." Gram stated before he sighed to try and figure out something for now as he and she looked out the window.
She had a lot more to try and deal with such for now as she seemed to think for now, she had been unable to think for now, she had a lot more on the time being as she seemed to think for the moment.
She had a lot more on her mind, a lot more to try and figure out for now, she had paused to try and deal with such a thing was to deal with for now. There was a lot more on the mercy.
She did not wish to deal with it for now. She had been too interested in now as she paused to try and dwell upon it all she had been ready, exhausted for now, and wished to try and deal with for now, she cracked her fingers.
"We are going to war… Let us handle this." Cal stated to which Gram hummed to which Cal stayed silent, she knew.
She knew him for now as she paused to deal with it all even if she had wished to try and deal with it. That and that alone were to end.
He knew her, he knew himself at the same time… Even as he acted? Even as he wished? He would not relent, he would not falter, he was a Spartan, a super soldier, the most elite… And yet he felt ready to collapse.
"You think we're going to die?" Cal questioned.
"Going on an elite, top-secret mission with no backup against the enemy…. Yes, have no idea how that could go wrong." Gram stated as he put a hand on his helmet. "I am not going to be the one taking the shot and last I heard from the small recon footage we got? There are brutes down there… Hammer ones, you get hit once? You are going to get hurt." Gram stated.
There was an obvious tone of how screwed they were. Even against covenant soldiers? Gram was not stupid; they would be thrown against the wall and it would crush them to pieces… There was madness, utter madness in how it had been for now.
There was something else for now, something which he could not understand for now… He had been ready to try something, something for now, he had a lot more interested for now as he paused to try and deal with for now.
He had a lot more on his mind as he looked at Cal, watching as the girl tucked her blonde locks into her helmet. The two Spartans looked at one another.
"This ain't just about the target… You can fight, you get it… More options, more ideas. We handle what we can get." Gram stated.
"We have a mission to get done, what we care about is secondary," Cal stated before she paused. "There's a lot I know we're going to be doing, dying is one of them," Cal stated.
"If I wanted to die? I would not be saving anyone." Cal stated before she paused to think.
The options upon it all would be something that he could deal with, something that he cut through like a meat grinder. If he and she were to die? He would make sure they died screwing the covenant over.
Gram decided to go for the fact that he could be dealt with for now… He had been unable, unwilling even to try and deal with it possibly.
(2 hours later)
Gram settled into the HEV, knowing it was to be a bumpy ride. He could not imagine how the Helljumpers used to be something that she could not deal with…. Would not be able to deal with it at all, she was going to be dragging him to the ground, knowing what would become of it all for now.
He had not been willing to deal with it, for now, he had been willing to deny some stuff, but not at the same time.
Even then? It would not matter, nothing would since there was only one real way forwards, one way that could not be dealt with now.
They were Spartans, soldiers… They fought, they bled and they died like this, their path had been decided for now and for good reason.
He had been willing to act, to matter much at all. They were disposable, soldiers who were meant to handle the worst of it.
He felt his pod cut through the atmosphere, spiraling like a stone skilling across a lake of fire. This method was faster but far deadlier… Unless you were a spartan, cozied-up inside armor that weighed a half-ton designed to survive even reentry without much of scratch.
As a soldier? This was something that the best of them prepared for… But ODST or Spartan? They were BOTH only human and it showed.
One of the pods slammed into an asteroid, shattering like it was made of glass and paper. Gram winced, no way for anyone to die, soldier or not. He would give them a proper respectful acknowledgement when all was said and done.
Their pods slammed into the ground and Gram tore the hatch from the door, tossing it to the side while sweeping his magnum up. He paused to look over in time for Cal's pod to land followed by the rest of the team.
He would have gone to open it only to have the pod door fly over his head, Cal emerging with her MA5B drawn. She and Gram shared a look as the Spartan drew his M90.
The other 3 pods flew open, one slamming into the mud as Gram marched up to the trio. They turned to which the Spartan gestured to the forest, knowing what was going on.
The pod sunk into the mud as Gram went to slide down the slope only for Cal to move towards it, wrenching it from the mud and tearing to door off. The soldier within thrashed and struggled in Cal's arms.
"Get off me!" They yelled to which Gram shook his head behind his visor.
They were let go from Cal's grip as the two Spartans shared a look, Gram nodded and turned, slowly yet surely marching into the jungle surrounded by the others. Cal followed as the group moved.
"Checkman didn't make it." One of the ODSTS said.
"I'm sorry." Gram said.
"Why the hell do you care?" The ODST from the sunken pod snarled.
Gram said nothing and marched into the jungle. He and Cal had made apparent some ODSTS hated Spartans for an incident John had caused as a rookie. They did not, it did not affect the mission and Gram could respect them grieving the loss of their own.
"Site is 1-hour walk north, Highcom said to take photos." He heard as he sighed.
"Got it… Let us go." They heard.
"They left out high-risk targets guarding the VIP… Kilo Bravos." Gram stated to himself before slowly yet surely continuing forwards, ready to go on a rampage.
It was too much for now, she had been too interested in what was going to happen for now as she paused to think of what the next move was and what was going to happen.
She did not know these men, she could not promise them victory over her foes, to begin with… She would be too distracted for now; she was too interested in what came next.
"You, ok? There is a lot more to do…" One of the ODSTS stated.
"Relax, Sergeant, there will be time for sightseeing when this is all done." Gram said, making the group look at him.
"Did you just talk?" The ODST asked.
"Yeah, I can yap… Let us go, LZ is up ahead and the sooner we get there? The sooner we go home…. Unless you would like to start trying to set up a home here." Gram stated.
He was silent, too interested in what was going on, he did not know what was going on, he could have been ready for it as he seemed to be ready to scream.
The group slowly picked its way through the mountains, ready to get to work… All of them knew what was going on, they had a lot more going on before looking to the side as the group did so.
"I heard plenty of their security was going to be a problem…" They heard.
"Indeed," Gram stated. "We wouldn't be a match for them even if we had the full group," Gram stated.
"You don't know that Spartan." One spat.
"You want to go fight a bunch of Kilo-Bravos on your own? Be my guess… Because we are here to get a job done and most of us? We deal with it for now." Gram stated.
The group slowly yet surely proceeded up the hill, ready to deal with the next group of enemies.
"Hmm." They heard as they looked to the ground.
Perhaps it was because the Spartans eclipsed each of the group… But they all looked around, ready to get to the job.
"Sergeant?" Gram asked as the commander of the group looked at them. "Heads on swivels. You do what you must do, but if you see any SOBs with hammers? You tell me, we are taking care of them." Gram stated.
He was not trying to make it seem more like he was impeding on their duties than before now. Gram knew these soldiers were wounded as type as bombs, they wanted to go on the attack, and he respected that.
Still? They had a mission to deal with and he would let them hunt as he would only as his men were willing to get this job done. So much had been done and he had a LOT more to deal with for now as he cracked his fingers.
Perhaps there was something to deal with, he could have been patient, he was too interested in what was going on.
The chaos which was going on, he did not know what would become when it came to all of it more and more with each little turn.
Their boots clicked upon the mud as the group paused, thinking of what went on and knowing what was going to happen next.
"There isn't that much support up ahead…" They heard.
"Brutes and Grunts… Barely any real defenses, most of the soldiers haven't arrived." Gram heard.
"Which is why we're here early," Gram stated.
Gram could have paused; he could have allowed it to have happened. He said nothing, knowing what was going to be coming next and dreading it. He looked to Cal who simply nodded, knowing the next move would not be fun, it would not be over easy.
The rest of their soldiers seemed only exhausted the more time went on, knowing what would occur next.
(50 minutes later)
Gram and the others observed the ruins. They looked old but they looked a LOT like humans which made him interested in what was going on. Each ruin looked the size of a small tree and he could see at least a half dozen grunts. All of them milled around the ruins, observing their surroundings.
Cal was quiet, too interested in what was going on, she rested her rifle and set it down, turning to Gram and holding a finger in front of her faceplate.
"Take them out quiet," Gram stated, gripping his knife, and sliding down the hill.
Cal seemed deep in thought as he realized what was going on before she paused with deep in thought now.
They seemed to be dealing with it as best they could. All of it? All of it was better at the end of the day. He twirled his knife through his fingers, knowing what the fight would bring and being unable to fight to begin with.
Then again? He had been tired; this entire thing would continue to be making him exhausted and thrown off.
The second the enemy attacked? They would be dead, the second they hit? They would die. He knew this and he knew what the next move would have been too interested in what he had been whatever had been too interested in what was going on.
He had been too interested in what he had been too relaxed for now as she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth.
She had not been interested in what was going on and what to try and deal with as she clicked her fingers before she hummed and then was too interested as she paused.
Whatever came next? They would die in battle sooner or later; she had been too unable to throw their lives for now.
She was too thrown off before she managed to relax and then managed to keep growing for now as she would not be as she came down to it at the end of the day.
It was something he could not have allowed either damn way when push came to shove.
He had to be prepared for it all…. Even if it got him killed now. He decided that was worth it more than trying to act in opposition to what needed to be done as of now.
Cal dropped behind a grunt, pausing only to raise her arm in a blur of motion which left the object embedded in the head of the soldier in question, Gram watched another of the ODSTS drop behind a grunt and grab its head before twisting.
The third collapsed to the ground with the hulking ODST standing over them. This left the last one which Gram raised his magnum to put the soldier down only to notice the ODST from before trying to kill it.
Gram weighed the option of executing it himself and saving the ODST the trouble when he noticed two things.
The first? A twig that the ODST crunched underfoot. It would have been nothing and not stopped them… If not for the second issue.
A hulking Brute Chieftain eclipsed them all, raising its hammer to smash the ODST to hamburger as Gram rushed forwards.
All the ODST saw was a blur of motion which took him clear off his feet as the object turned and executed the grunt with a single headshot, splattering blue liquid across the floor as the spartan spun, using his armor to shield them both.
The two landed in a ball as the chieftain roared and charged only for a green bullet to slam into them, tossing them both into a waterfall that surrounded the ruins.
"Cal!" Gram yelled, drawing his shotgun before he looked at Cal.
The girl moved with grace like a ballerina. The brute was massively powerful and one swing from its hammer would crater her skull all over the ground.
Instead? It was clear to him that the Brute would not land a hit… But Cal did, landing a punch that made the brute vomit its stomach into the water before dodging another swing. She managed a punch that tore its eye apart.
Then she spun, landing a roundhouse which sent the brute careening over the edge and into the water. Gram heard it bellow a scream which sounded less like fear and more like the dying echo of hate from the enemy.
Cal looked up at Gram who had never taken his eye off the ODST, his shotgun in hand as he turned wordlessly and photographed the ruins as he had been asked in the briefing.
'She wants me to focus on the mission but she does things that make it come down to it as he clicked his fingers.' Gram stated before he paused.
He sighed, knowing he was going to lose it for now. She would not be able to think of it for now as she paused to think for the moment before she clicked her fingers as hummed once more as she paused.
There were a lot of things that needed to be dealt with and even he could not have allowed himself a moment of peace while they were out here.
Even then? He could not relax; he had been too unable to try and deal with it for now as he clicked his fingers and then paused to think.
Gram wanted to say something. He had a LOT on his mind before he managed to relax and then looked to the ground, he had fallen silent, he had been unable to have done something.
He sighed and continued with his work. They had to move or they would be pinned down, Gram decided to wait as the ODSTS collected their gear and left to turn.
"I told you we are going to be dying here. These things are strong enough to murder a Spartan with their bare hands." Gram stated before he sighed. "We're going to die out here and nobody is going to care," Gram stated.
Gram stayed silent as Cal turned and looked at him, both knew the cost, both were not stupid and they were aware of the next mannerism they tossed at their enemy… Even then? He could have allowed it to have been going down into the fire.
"This is the mission," Cal stated to which Gram sighed.
"That's what is going to get us killed." Gram stated before Cal moved ahead.
Gram decided to shut up, no amount of talking would cause her to back down. if there was one brute chieftain? There was more… There were a lot of things that he could perhaps seem to deal with and fighting this current battle was going to push them to their limits one way or another.
Now all that was left to do was die, anything else and he would feel he had insulted himself.
Gram swept their flank once or twice, making sure there were no sentries alive to see or even notice him.
Gram thought about the intel. They were told more and more there were plenty of patrols between them and their enemy, it would be better to cut through them entirely and leave nothing besides a wrath of destruction.
Still? He had not the ability to think of this the tactical way, they had such a way to divide this up and yet here he was questioning what was going on to the end of the day.
He had not the ability to dwell on that, merely thinking of what was going on now at the end of the day, there was a LOT to see and do and here he was dealing with such an issue to try and deal with it to the end. There was a lot more chaos with stuff, too interested in something else.
Perhaps he would go screaming into the afterlife… He did not know whatever was going on as he clicked his fingers and followed.
(5 minutes later)
Cal moved through the brush like a panther, trampling several plants and pausing to adjust her scope, knowing that whatever came next was to be worse for the time being.
He had not been able to deal with it as he looked to the side, he had thought of his next move with such a thing.
Gram paused, thinking of whatever was going on before he managed to see and relax for now as he wanted to think of whatever was going on.
He had been too interested in what was going on before he sighed and then looked to the side.
Gram stood to the side as the ODSTs all spread out. Gram was no sniper and he knew it… Yet? He carried a backup SR-99.
'Well, I can snipe, yet? I ain't Cal, I will do what I can to back her up.' Gram thought as he paused before he thought of whatever was going next.
Cal sat on her belly, slipping her SR-99 from her shoulder, and resting the sniper's tripod on the ground.
"Great, almost done. Then we can get off this damn planet." He heard.
"We all want off," Gram stated.
He wanted to say something. He knew these men; he knew soldiers like them. He had been too interested in whatever was going on before he seemed to relax, he knew more and more with each passing moment was going on.
He heard a twitch before he snorted… Then he realized something. He heard dozens of footsteps, crushing leaves and roots under their footsteps.
The roar of the brute caused him to turn fast enough to duck and pull the ODST next to him to the ground, causing the hammer to shatter a tree to pieces.
The brute roared, a dozen grunts in its wake. It reared up like a wild beast with its eye empty, shattered like a tree.
Gram acted in a blur as Cal sat up and unslung her MA5B, Gram wrapped his hands around the brute, sending them tumbling down the hill and forcing his hammer away. He kicked it away as the brute secured a hand against his throat.
Gram felt himself slam into a tree as the ODSTs traded fire, downing the grunts as another dozen emerged. Gram felt his shields drop to nothing before the ODST who had tried to kill the grunt but stepped on a leaf slammed a knife into the soldier.
"O'Brien, take the shot!" Cal yelled before she rushed forwards, leaping towards the brute with her hands raised.
O'Brien blinked before pausing to do so as he watched the Spartans hold off the massive group of Covenant and realized they were something else.
He watched the Spartan who had been sniper slam into the Brute, knocking it to the ground as Dutch went to swing around only for a grunt to pounce on him.
Gram paused and tossed his magnum to the ODST who put the gun to the head of the Covenant soldier and pulled the trigger, splattering his armor with its blood.
Gram felt himself spin away as he grabbed his shotgun and rushed at the Brute with it raised to fire. He slammed into the creature… And felt a crack that made his arm scream in pain as his biceps ached.
The damn bad arm… He still had to deal with being bedridden. It did not make him fully lose control of his arm but it made him groan.
The brute crashed to the ground and then Gram leveled his shotgun at its skull before pulling the trigger, reducing its skull to a pulp.
There were a few seconds before a crack of lightning caused them to turn to see a bullet streak across the dozens of miles and into the head of the prophet, reducing it to mush as it wobbled. They watched the creature wobble forwards and then fall to the ground, its gravity chair dying as well.
Cal took the rifle back as they went, firing the other three shots at the rows of honor guards. He watched all three targets collapse to the ground.
"Nice distraction." Gram said, looking at the ODSTs. "Nice skill… We need to move; they are going to swarm this spot and we need to get to the evac point." Gram stated.
Gram knew more and more with each little moment that there were going to be more soldiers to deal with.
The group proceeded down the slope, Gram trailing behind as he looked to an ODST.
"You guys still don't like us?" Gram asked.
"One of your guys killed one of our guys… But you have not." Gram heard.
"I ain't here to fight ODSTs, soldier. I just handle missions." Gram said before he looked at them. "All of us are expendable here… Not just us, do not think I do not care about every soldier in the UNSC." Gram stated.
It sounded, unlike a spartan… But Gram did not wish to lie. He considered the ODSTs just like this to be just as vital to the effort of war as anything else.
Each soldier in the war mattered. Every single death meant fewer soldiers to fight and that was something that he could not relax about with it all coming to an end.
The group was beset by more grunts, a small swarm of them as the ODSTs went for their thigh holsters.
A pair of grenades were swung into the group of at least 20 grunts, rolling along the ground before finally exploding amid the group.
There was a roar as a few dozen figures moved through the corpses… Spears at the ready, all of them.
Elites. Honor Guards, Gram, and Cal took charge of the group as all four ODSTs emptied their M7 SMGs toward the group.
Gram shot one of the elites, making their shields shatter before a knife to the throat ended their life.
He was too interested in the next moment, in whatever he could do next and whatever he had left now beforehand.
All of it came crashing down as they fought, ready to cut through the enemy like a knife into hot butter.
All of them knew what was going on and did not wish to relax either way when it came down to such a thing and with such precision.
It had been something he could not have dealt with even at the end of the day, the chaos which they were beginning to get used to…
The elites roared, charging at them with reckless abandon which Gram and Cal rewarded with bullets. Cal emptied her rifle into the rest of the soldiers with anger.
Gram turned and slammed his gun into the next elite before firing and reducing its skull to a pulp.
The ODSTs opened fire as well, bullets slamming into the few dozen or so elites as shields popped left and right. Dutch switched to his magnum and fired as elite after elite crashed to the ground.
The group moved and fired at the same time. There were too many Covenant troops to gun down but they seemed to be limited to mostly trying to stab them.
Cal on instinct shielded the ODSTs unlike she had before, tucking and turning to let them shoot past her only to block the elites from attacking them.
"Get to the point!" Gram yelled, catching an energy stave, and blasting its user into pieces.
There was a moment of indecision which made the group too interested in the next move. They acted as one unit, either way, fighting the elites in tandem.
Gram and Cal urged the group down a hill as they reloaded and fired again, sending a trio of the elites down it before they vanished into the thicket of trees.
Gram turned to look at her, thinking for but a moment what to do as they were silent… The covenant soldiers were enough to cut them to pieces, they acted like they were superior and all of them knew it.
"Ok… I have had enough hiking for one day." Gram muttered, slipping the last of his shotgun rounds into the gun.
He looked over to have seen Cal, he blinked before looking at her for a moment.
There was a spot on her armor, a part on the chest where it looked like…
Cal suddenly fell over as Gram rushed towards her. He looked at her and realized it was a round from a plasma rifle… One of the elites must have had a rifle while they were fighting.
He grunted, his bad arm burning with fire as he realized she was wounded and trying to push past a wound which despite their augments and training? Still hurt. He cursed as more and more Covenant soldiers moved in.
"Take your men and get them to the ship," Gram stated as they surrounded the two.
"He's hurt." One spoke.
"She… Get out of here, they are going to surround us in a few minutes." Gram stated with a voice barely above a whisper.
He was going to hurt them… He wanted to hiss and scream but such a thing would not grant them the satisfaction he had been denied.
He wanted blood in a way that a wolf wanted revenge on those who abused its attempt to try and deal with for now.
He had not been eager to try and deal with it for now as he clicked his fingers and then looked to the side, he hadn't been too interested in something.
Gram was angry, he wanted more blood, he was not going to let it all go the same way he could have been dealt with for now… Such a thing was beyond the chaos… He had not been perhaps taken off the mind… Lest he finds some anger in it.
Instead? The ODSTS seemed too ready to fight something like this sort of what he could be dealing with for now at the end of the day while he clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth.
The shadow of a Prowler flew overhead, its 40MM cannon opening fire and obliterating the wave of Covenant soldiers.
Gram groaned, his limb falling limp as he picked up Cal, hoisting her over his shoulder as another ODST fell, a shard impaled into his leg.
"Retreat!" Gram yelled, tugging the ODST along with him as the prowler began to open fire upon them, ready to try and shatter them into pieces.
He still had not been able to try and deal with it, for now, he clicked his fingers and then sighed.
Author Notes
Phew. Another chapter is done! I want to point out next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will be 900-6500 words and will show more and more of both Cal and Gram after the mission and set up the next arc as well as the aftermath… I am not going to make it easy for them. Until the next chapter done!