"I've sent a ping to most of the other IFFS through a back-channel in the comms relays on the surface," Cortana told John as they worked through the paperwork necessary for the functions of their Outpost, "Gave them a nice RV area close to the Outpost. Considering they dropped to within twenty kilometers. I also told most of them to keep themselves to the shadows, just so that they don't start fighting the Raptures alone."
"Thanks," Chief replied as he signed another requisition form and set it aside. He then asked, "Sergeant Johnson's platoon is doing alright, I hope?" while looking through a requisition form for 'personal amenities' in the form of cigars and various alcoholic drinks. He sighed deeply, then, with a somewhat heavy heart, stamped the 'DENIED' stamp on it, with a side not of making it temporary.
"That an answer?" Cortana chuckled.
Chief nodded, then stood up and walked away from his desk, peering through the window to the Outpost's courtyard. It wasn't long before he spotted the platoon. Twenty Marines, the good Sergeant-Major in the lead with a Cigar between his lips, in PT Gear and formation on march through the 'streets'. PT Gear for Johnson, however, seemed to mean full combat load, backpack and extra supplies and MREs.
He shook his head and said, "He never changes..." before walking back to his desk and sitting down to finish the paperwork. He could hear Johnson's troop get closer, the thumping of the boots just below his window accompanied by the rhythmic cadence named 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon'. An old Marine song sung during training marches, the Cadence rang up to him, with Johnson calling the song very well.
"Sarge has a voice," Cortana chuckled as she started completing another form.
The Spartan, meanwhile, heard a knock on the door and replied, "It's open," only to add "Always," just in case a Nikke wanted to talk. And good thing he did. Calmly did Niner enter the place, a smile on her face and a new helmet slung under her arm. She saluted the Chief, who gave a nod and a salute back before motioning to her to take a seat. She offered a smile, then sat herself down on the couch. Chief finished one last form as he asked, "Anything I can help with, Niner?"
Niner nodded, "Needed some advice, sir."
"About?" He asked as he stood to his feet. It wasn't unusual for soldiers to ask for advice from their commanding officers and staff. It was actually far too common. He sat himself down in front of her, on a titanium chair that could withstand his armor's full weight. She chuckled at the sight, then heard a tiny groan from the metallic furniture, before bursting into a full-on giggle.
With Chief's confusion mounting rather noticeably, the girl waved it off and said, "Sorry... About why I was here... Guess advice is the wrong term, but I do need a favor. I was wondering if I could ask for something more personal. I can't exactly put it into a Req Form myself, sir, but uh..." She seemed to grow embarrassed, a faint flush on her cheeks. Chief nodded, urging her to go on with a motion of his hand.
She breathed in, breathed out and said, "A personal effect of mine from the Product Twelve barracks nearby Missilis HQ. It was basically the only thing I owned before I came here. A small coin, a Penny, I think, gifted to me by a kid I managed to save from a fire. It..." she sighed, "it reminds me why I fight from time to time. Not that I'd need a big reminder that Humanity's and our survival's at stake here, but that was the first gift I received."
"I'll see to it that we get it back. Maybe next time I visit Chief Deputy Andersen's office, I'll ask him to send for it," The Spartan replied. Niner beamed at that, then nodded in thanks before the two exchanged a few more words. Niner then stood up to leave, sliding her helmet on her head. Cortana let out an 'aww' at that, while the Chief stared at the young woman that'd been the first one of his squad he'd picked.
As she headed out, though, she told the Chief, "I'd expect the others to tag in as well for questions and a bit of advising, Chief. Thanks again," and smiled. The Spartan gave a nod back and let her walk off, with the girl leaving with a genuine smile. And, indeed, before long, the other members of the Strikes had arrived. Layla had had a request for advice in regards to a man she was writing to, for which Chief was woefully unprepared. He still gave it his best, though, for what it was worth. Sam, meanwhile, had asked Chief for advice on better room clearing. Chief had unironically suggested grenades. She took that to heart.
Following up, Pinne came in. She asked Chief what she should do if she recalled something from her past after seeing that Pilgrim. Chief told her to ruminate on it for a bit. Best to ensure that she remembered what she thought she did, though to also make sure to tell him about it. Finally, Delta and Signal had simply come in to report that radar and coms were working properly and they were ready to be dispatched on whatever errands Chief needed. He thanked them and let them leave with the order to go out on a scouting op later today to keep themselves sharp.
Finally, Kelly and Sam walked in, the two of them laughing, before Kelly looked to the Chief and, with arms crossed, commented, "I'll be damned. I never thought I'd see the day John becomes a pencil pusher..." With a grin on her face. Sam let out a short laugh, while the Chief took off his helmet, letting Cortana laugh while he looked at Kelly with a deadpan. She waved it off and said, "Just a joke."
"Still, nice to see you taking a break, Lead," Sam quipped. He told him, "Sarge and the others are getting acclimated quite well to the place."
"And you?" Chief then asked, leaning back. Sam smiled again and gave his friend a nod, while Kelly stretched.
She spoke, "A bit of a narrow place to do my laps, but I'm managing," then crossed her arms to her chest. She then asked him, "So, how's it like, being a sort of impromptu Commander for your own squad of android women, eh, John?" all while Sam let out a short chortle. The Chief sighed, then shook his head and offered a small smile to his friends. Kelly smiled back fairly broadly, stating, "They're good listeners, then?"
"Most of the MP Nikkes are just soldiers like us. Delta and Signal are fine infantry, with Signal being well-versed in brevity codes and everything else, while the markswoman is actually a good shot," Chief complimented them, even in their absence, "They remind me a lot of us in the early days. Bright-eyed, though a bit more world-weary. Understandable, considering the mixed reception from the people they're protecting."
"Cortana was kind enough to send us the data via single-beam," Kelly nodded, "Plus, we had a basis thanks to Scarlet telling us about the world."
"Yeah," Chief nodded, "Didn't expect you to wind up working with a Pilgrim, though I should've expected it." Only to note both of his friends being confused by that statement. He clarified to them, "Linda was working with another Pilgrim. A Sniper. She saved me, my team and Commander Harris from Codename:Chatterbox... An eerily smart Rapture..."
"Noted," The two stated, rather unfazed. Sam was, however, happy to hear Linda was still alive if the smile he now wore told John anything. The group paused as they saw Alyosha walk in. All three gave salutes to the man, to which he replied with his own awkward salute and wave at them to put them at ease. He walked in and opened his phone to show the Chief something.
"Chief Andersen wants to see us," He told the Spartan, "All of us. You, me, Kelly, Samuel and the Sergeant-Major. Turns out he wants to see what kinda assets he's looking at... Plus he's probably gonna give us a mission of some kind if I know him," before turning to Kelly and Sam. Both Spartans gave nods to the Commander, who grinned and said, "Remind me to ask you guys and girls for tips on how to fight asymmetric battles properly. I want to have us risk as little as possible for maximum gains."
"We'll make sure to write up a comprehensive briefing, Commander," The Chief answered, "When we come back."
"He means I'll write it," Cortana chuckled as she appeared on the holo-display next to the Chief, "Has anyone told Andersen about me?" only to get shakes of the head. She smiled and nodded, "Alright. The fewer people and AIs in the Ark know about me, the better. I'll still be with you all if we're going to talk with the Chief Deputy, though. Y'know, safety's sake."
On the elevator to the Ark
"Well, I'll be..." Johnson murmured as he stared at the Ark. The sprawling underground metropolis had left him and his Marines particularly stunned, understandably enough. Kelly and Sam, both of whom sat behind the Chief and Commander, stared at the place as if they were looking at a strange, broken version of home cities long relegated to obscure memories.
"Jesus, look at the size of this place..." Jenkins murmured, leaning against one of the railings surrounding them as he peered out of the elevator. Even Chief was a tad stunned by the sight every time he came down toward the Ark. He'd admit it openly. Something as massive as this place, located in a deep cavern underground, was a sight to behold. The domed city still acted as a shining beacon for survivors. Jenkins, however, paused and asked, "... Hey, does anyone else hear the voices?"
Mendoza shot back, "You going Flood on us again, Amigo?"
"Eugh, fuck off, Mendoza," The man shuddered, "No... There's something about this elevator..." and he turned to the Commander and Rapi. Rapi had also joined in on this outing, rather obviously. She nodded to him, as if saying she'd explain everything later to them. The elevator car came to a halt, finally, opening to one of the many lift stations in the Ark and the closest to the Deputy HQ. Johnson let out a whistle as he looked up, then took a puff from his cigar.
The man never left home without those, did he? Thought Chief as they entered the place. After a rather short exchange with the Nikke that was acting as the place's secretary. Another short elevator ride up to Andersen's office and the group was met by the grizzled veteran-looking man. He stared, a bit surprised, at the sight of several new people, only for them all to salute him, Johnson included.
He saluted back and said, "At ease," before motioning for them to sit. He noticed Johnson was smoking and leaned over, tapping his intercom and asking, "Bring an ash tray up, please..." before starting to tug at his wrist cuff again almost out of instinct. His dark eyes scanned the entire group, noting the two Marines' gazes, while the Chief and his Spartans stood there, perfectly ramrod-straight. He spoke, "First of all, welcome back, Chief. To you and to commander Harris."
"Sir," He nodded. Alyosha seemed a little surprised Andersen cared to remember his name, but whatever. No time to ask about it.
Andersen hummed, then scratched under his chin and set his hands on his desk, "Right. And welcome to the Ark to your comrades. These must be the two Spartans that were with that Pilgrim and the subsequent Marines you found during your latest operation. Sorry we're not exactly the best accommodation, but we're all humanity has for the moment..."
"It's quite alright, sir," Johnson said, "We'll mostly be hangin' out with the Chief and commander Harris over here."
"Understood, Sergeant," The man replied, then sighed. "Well, with that in mind, onto the matters at hand. I suppose I don't need to brief the Commander about the Pilgrims anymore, so I'll say that they'll be your next target in the upcoming operation. We need you all to head North, as the Nikke in white that saved you from Chatterbox has been spotted in that area."
"The North... That's a ways away," Rapi murmured, crossing her arms, "Will we have support, sir?"
"The local Research Base's staff will provide you with everything you need. I'll also have the coordinates to the base sent to you," The man confirmed, then continued, "Once there, make contact with the Pilgrim. See what you can learn from them. Anything that can be useful is to be written down..." and turned to the Chief, "As for the other reason I brought you down here for... I am assuming that at least Commander Harris has heard of the Lost Sectors..."
Alyosha blinked, then nodded and said, "Yes, sir..."
"Mind telling the Spartans and their compatriots?" He then asked, leaning back into his seat. Alyosha nodded and began explaining the entire concept:The Lost Sectors apparently represented other Arks that had been worked on, other cities where as much of Mankind would have been evacuated as possible. Though they neared completion, many of them had been wiped off the map, with only various tunnels that had been closed off linking them to the last surviving Ark. Added upon that was the fact that the Scouts were apparently those usually deployed to check those places and Chief was intrigued.
He nodded to Alyosha as soon as the guy finished, "Thank you, Commander. With all that said, you can imagine those places are nominally of interest to us due to the invested technology and resources. Yes, we have scavenger teams already visiting many of those places and the resources found are plentiful, however, that's not the reason I'm bringing this up."
The man then tapped a few buttons on his holo-computer and sent the data to Chief, Alyosha and Rapi. Rapi blinked, then asked, "How long ago was this picked up, sir...?" before turning to the confused Kelly, Sam and Marines, "There's a faint signal playing over broadband. Sounds like a mayday in Morse... It's located deep within the Lost Sectors, though. We'd need weeks to comb through it all with our current mission rate. Even more if the mission to the North takes too long."
Chief spoke, the faintest hint of surprise in his voice, "It sounds like a UNSC distress call... We'll need a team while we're away."
"I'll form one," Kelly spoke, smiling. She then explained to a concerned Andersen, "If you need a scout and fast runner to explore those places, sir, I'm the best bet. Especially while Chief, the Commander and their teams are out there, hunting for one of these Pilgrims. I'll take a small ground team and scout the places out. Come back every once in a while when we need to resupply, grab what we need and we go back in."
"I and my Marines wanna tag in with you, Spartan," Johnson stood up and crossed his arms, "Ain't no way we're sittin' here with our thumbs up our asses while they go out and do all the heavy lifting. With all due respect, Chief Deputy," before he flashed a pearly grin at the man. Andersen hummed, scratching his chin and considering the possibilities.
"Alright," Sighed the man, "If that's what you want, feel free. Just make sure you have your weapons topped up with armor-piercing ammo. Apparently, that does wonders against the Raptures," And he wrote in the report. He spoke to them, "That'll be all. If you want to go back to the Outpost to prepare for your mission and brief the others, now would be a good time."
"Sir," Chief and Alyosha replied, nodding.
Cortana let out a short hum, "Strange. I really can't tell what the IFF is about, but the power with which is transmitted..." She took a moment to check, "... It's been here for some time. Longer than us, for sure. Kelly, if you don't mind tossing me the reports as well when you return, I'd like to see what kinda stuff you and your unit pick up on the radar..."
"Will do, Cortana," Kelly replied, "As for everyone else, well, good luck. If you're really going to find other Pilgrims... Maybe it means you'll meet Linda."
"I have a feeling that the Pilgrim she's with is the one we're going after," Chief told her. The group left and boarded the elevator for the Outpost, the Spartan sighed and said, "We're gonna need to prep for winter combat, sir. Weather's treacherous in Northern areas and, going by the way Rapi reacted, we're very likely to meet ice and snow on the way to our target," then he radioed, "Signal. Tell everyone in the Lucky Strikes and the Counters to prepare for Winter Combat... You mean there's another radar ping in the North. Roger. Slow down, Signal, I get it. Roger. We'll see you at the Outpost."
"So, newbie?" Johnson asked, smirking. Meant more reinforcements, eh?
In the North...
... Amidst the tundra and ruins, a sniper shot rang out, loud, its noise conducted by the walls of the valley. The Rapture command unit took the hit and detonated, bursting ablaze and taking its entire escort battalion with it. Rapture parts now scattered across the bottom of a valley that had once been a sprawling city in the Continental North. Barrel fires burned in the distance, the light of morning peeking through the clouds warily.
The shooter, hidden underneath a white camouflage blanket, breathed out. She radioed, "SNOW. BLUE. Target destroyed..." before slowly crawling backward. She wrapped the blanket around her MJOLNIR armor, which looked a little worn and battered, before marching toward the place she and her sniper comrade had taken as shelter:An old, abandoned cargo vessel that was beached, encased in ice and snow. Overhead, the clouds gathered and darkness loomed as the first flakes began to fall.
Entering the ship and slinging her rifle over her shoulder via a strap she'd made herself, the Spartan, Linda-058, took her multi-optic SCOUT Helmet off, revealing red hair, a pair of emerald eyes and a few scars. She looked toward the burning barrel fire that had been started by her compatriot, a white-haired young woman clad with advanced equipment and powerful weapons. The woman arranged her own, damaged camouflage poncho she had draped over her shoulder, then started tending to the robotic right arm she wore, auburn lights flashing on it as she began maintenance.
"Welcome back," The girl spoke with a rather serious tone, tending to her arm via the use of tools that looked fifty years out of date. Beside her lay the rest of her armament:The Seven Dwarves. Seven highly-capable weapons which included, amidst other things, an assault rifle, what was apparently called an Anti-SHIP Rifle with a scope(A handheld railgun?) and an MLRS. She looked Linda in her emerald eyes, her own auburn ones glowing for but a moment as she asked, "Target go down?"
"Easily enough," The Sniper shot back as she sat by the fire. Though it wasn't particularly necessary for her due to the MJOLNIR's inner temperature controls, the Spartan felt more comfortable by the fire, even within the massive hold of the abandoned cargo liner, which was littered with ancient containers, many of which had rusted due to the saltwater. Linda then leaned forward and handed a piece from a Rapture killed before the latest.
"Thanks," Sighed Snow as she pulled off a panel from her arm. She took the damaged part out of her arm and utilized the one Linda gave to her for the repairs. Closing the panel, the young woman started flexing her hand and murmured, "Thirty percent efficiency return. Good enough..." before looking to Linda as the girl started cooking an ancient can of what looked to be tomato soup.
Linda hummed a quiet tune as she did so, stirring the can into a makeshift plate that she'd set over the fire, then looked up at Snow to see the line of drool that always made its way from the right corner of her mouth down to her chin. She offered a short smile to her as the winds outside began to howl, then poured the soup back into two cans they used as cups. She offered one to Snow, who downed the contents in a minute, while she simply stirred hers with a spoon.
Nikkes truly were wonderfully quirky creatures. Snow let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling her stomach a little fuller, then set the can aside and sat herself on the smaller container behind her. She then activated her mask, a headset and face cover combo with a HUD, to check something. With a nod, she told her, "Radio's falling silent for the Storm. We'll make it to that RnD camp just yet... You sure you want this? You'll be tied down."
"My friends are probably with the Ark you mentioned," The Sniper nodded, "I don't wanna leave John and Blue Team short a sharpshooter."
"Noted," The Nikke sharpshooter replied, crossing her arms to her chest, "They must be pretty important to you if you want to see them that bad..." only to pause as some blurry memories. She sighed and shook her head, noting that Linda had given her a nod in confirmation. She was about to ask another thing of Linda, something more about the Human-Covenant War, but she had little time to.
A creak of snow alerted them.
Snow pulled her assault rifle, a sightless, blocky grey weapon with various piccatini rail attachment points left unoccupied, and aimed it at the door, racking the bolt and ensuring the weapon fed properly. Linda, meanwhile, had drawn her M6 Magnum sidearm, peering down the sight. Though the situation grew tense for a minute, the Spartan woman lifted a balled fist and then opened it into a straight palm, lowering it gently alongside her weapon.
A UNSC IFF flashed onto Snow's HUD, similar to that of Linda. And inside, stumbled a figure clad in a black, encased armor that was covered in layers of snow. The barrel of his weapon seemed to glow a bit, the heat melting the snow into water vapor that floated off of it. It wasn't even a barrel proper, rather a long silencer with an attached red dot sight. The weapon, a short SMG that looked strange at first sight, also had a holographic sight on top.
Linda sighed deeply, relieved, then said, "Didn't think ODSTs dropped in these nasty parts."
The ODST lowered his SMG, then sighed, relieved, and simply nodded to her. Linda told him, "C'mon, Lance Corporal. Time to warm up..." before motioning to the fire. He took it, carefully walking forward and rubbing his hands together, the fingerless gloves probably not having provided much protection to the now purple appendages. Linda offered him something warm to drink as he sat himself down, then asked him, "You got a name? Your tag only says JDO. Not a lot to go on."
"... Yes, ma'am... Johnathan Doherty... Friends call me Rookie, though..." He replied, taking off his helmet and smiling.