Sword Base, Babd Catha Ice Shelf, Eposz, Reach

November 03, 2551, 07:56 Hours

"Last teams are inbound now, ma'am. Gauntlet and Blue Teams are on the pad, Echo is 25 minutes out. Noble and Anchor are in the elevators."

"Thank you, Major. Direct them to the proving grounds as soon as they reach Sub Level 17."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Dot, release the storage facility seals and warm them up, we're about to have company."

"Of course, Doctor Halsey. Shall I bring online the mod fabricators as well?" Dot's disembodied voice echoed in Halsey's lab as the Army Major closed the comm link.

"Yes, Spartans do love to accessorize after all." replied the ONI scientist as she watched the elevator feeds, about a dozen Spartans in banged up SPI armor talking like old friends who hadn't seen one another in probably years, some more stoic, some a bit more animated, some comparing Elite teeth trophies.

"Understood, Doctor Halsey."

Somewhere east over the Babd Catcha Ice Shelf

"So, does anyone know why the recall? Especially now?" asked a Spartan over team comms, as the Falcon's rotors were a bit too loud.

"Need to know basis, Echo 2. We'll find out when we'll get there." replied Echo 1.

"A bit too criptic, if you ask me, sir. What are they hiding, the Ark of the Covenant?"

"Which Covenant, Echo 4?" replied their team leader with a speck of amusement.

"You'll have to forgive 4, sir." interjected Echo 3 "She's been watching 20th century movies again."

"Noted, 3." Replied Echo Leader as he saw the tower of Sword emerge from the fog "Heads on a swivel, people, I can see Sword Base, and we're not the only ones invited."

Two Spartans who had their backs hanged a bit out of the Falcon to get a look past the UH-144's cockpit, indeed there were already two other Spartan teams on the ground, talking to a few ONI spooks.

"Looks like they're waiting for us, how sweet." Echo 5 piped up for the first time, probably done with his 40 winks.

"Grab your gear, monkey boys and fall in, we're here."

"Sir!" 4 Spartans replied in unison.

Echo Team got out of the Falcon's troop bay, if it could be called a bay, weapons and packs locked and stowed on their persons, SPI armor scuffed, burned, dented here and there, Echo 3 would lament how they put their gear through way too much punishment sometimes. Then again, when you're deep behind enemy lines for 6 months at a time you're not exactly going to the spa.

The tower of Sword Base loomed overhead, like a giant shark fin, no one knew why it was called Sword, looked nothing like one. An ONI spook made her way towards them, shielding her face from the helicopter's downwash as she yelled over the noise.

"Welcome to Sword, Spartans! Follow me! Doctor Halsey has requested your presence!" and with that, the young blonde woman turned on her heels and walked witch as much dignity as high heels would allow on banged up tarmac.

"You heard her, move!" Echo 1 interjected as they all turned to him to get his approval to follow the stick in the pants suit.

As they approached Gauntlet 1 took a few steps towards them "Staff Sergeant, as I live and breathe!" as the leader of Gauntlet Team extended her hand, her shoulder length brown hair blowing in the wind.

And the leader of Echo Team reciprocated and shook it "Rosenda, I see you're all in one piece. Weren't you attached to Noble?" replied Echo's leader

"I was, but, Noble 7 doesn't have quite the same ring to it as Gauntlet 1 does! So I got my very own pack of misfits, all from Beta Company." she explained with a smirk and a small nod towards said pack of misfits.

"Don't I know it." replied Echo 1, as he had two in his own unit.

"So, how you've been, Tom?"

"We're still all in one piece, Rosie, I don't know 'bout you, but we had a few close calls, as we all do from time to time. Any news on Gamma? Last I heard they went through their augmentations back in Feb."

"Kurt's still working with them, final phases of training are in progress. Got their shipments of SPI back in June."

"Good." just then Echo 1 noticed one of the ONI spooks waving them over "Time to face the music." he mused more to himself than anyone else as Rosenda also noticed and smirked "Echo, fall in!" followed by "Gauntlet, grab your toys!" by A344.

Blue Team was already at the elevators with a few spooks "Hah, ever the overachievers." Rosenda joked to Echo 1 as they made their way to the vehicle elevators, probably the best place for a bunch of Spartans. The first elevator closed and machinery whirled as it descended into the bowels of Sword carrying Noble.

"Looks like we're taking Elevator 3." noted Echo 2 from the back as Elevator 2 was currently occupied by 2 Scorpions and 4 Warthogs.

"Fall in, kids, and try not to break anything." Rosenda ordered in her motherly tone, that's why she got a subdued "Yes, mom." from someone in the back.

"I heard that, Gauntled 5." she half jokingly replied "SPAM MRE for you tonight."

"Hey, an upgrade!"

Echo 1 only sighed as the elevator doors closed and locked.

'Sub level 17' the automatic voice chimed as the doors opened into a large hallway meant for vehicles leading to one of the subterranean motor pools, personnel were moving to and fro, some carrying equipment, some talking lively over one matter or another as a few troop Warthogs pulled up.

The young woman from earlier lead the way "Hop on, Spartans, we're going down to the proving grounds." she said as the got into the shotgun seat of the lead vehicle.

"Let's go." Echo 1 following suit and hopped on near to the front "Any reason why we're heading straight to the P.G., ma'am?" he inquired of the young woman.

"I was only told to get you there as soon as possible, Staff Sergeant." she spoke over the Warthog's engine "Doctor Halsey will explain the rest." and with that the Spartans fell into silence, curious and puzzled.

After 1.4 minutes of silence the three Warthogs arrived at the Proving Grounds' deployment zone, standing there with arms behind her back stood Doctor Halsey, a small army of scientists, technicians and spooks around her, and further down the line Teams Noble and Anchor, all in SPI, everyone waiting expectantly for whatever this was to begin. Gauntlet 3, Gauntlet's marksman was quick to point out quite a few 3-stars and 4-stars, along with some other no-name high ranking officials standing and watching them like hawks from Observation Tower 7.

They were directed to deposit gear and weapons in the adjacent locker rooms before they filed back into the deployment zone, just as the overhead cranes brought in about two dozen highly secured crates from the adjoining supply depots.

"That's Titanium-A." Noble 3 was heard saying "Who makes supply crates out of Titanium-A?" the incredulity in his voice was dripping like his usualy dry sarcasm.

"School circle, Spartans!" Halsey's voice rang out, and they did just so without question, especially the IIs who were deployed with a few of the Teams, especially with Noble and Blue.

"Today- you will all become what you were always meant to be." she said as the first crates started to open up "Today- you will become perfection."