Chief steadied himself. Bullets zipped past him and Sam, with the Spartans taking cover behind a slew of ancient fortifications that lay half-buried beneath the snow. Old, frozen-over sandbags they'd managed to re-arrange into fighting positions, rubble from the research stations nearby and the capsized remains of a beached icebreaker amidst the rock, snow and ice provided the background to the firefight in the Northern gloom.
The Raptures had decided to send more troops their way. Terrifyingly enough, these quadrupedal mechs stood at about the height of a human, oculuses covered by lighter armor, but revealed enough for them to be visible. Their humanoid torsos mounted two guns each on both the arms extending out from the sides, as well as a pair of smaller missile launchers near the hips. They stood at about one and a half times the height of Spartans, too, with black armor plates overlaid onto their endoskeletons.
One of a squad of these mechs swept over toward the Spartans and their Nikke support. The Counters, Luckies and Unlimited all fired their weapons in return as a slew of smaller mechs advanced. Their leading element lay at the rear, a command Rapture rather obviously, sat on two hind legs and peering at them from amidst a crowd of drones. Chief had wanted to try and assault the command unit's position with Sam.
He ducked as his mind remembered why he'd resigned himself not to. He looked to Ludmilla, who dropped a spent magazine to the floor and slammed in a fresh one for her weapon, before asking, "The base is over the hill, right!?" just as Rusty kept flying overhead and firing her weapon, trying to keep the enemy pinned. She gave a couple pings to the crew, but Chief was focused on survival right now.
"Should be, yes!" She replied. The thunder of Alice's sniper filled the air, followed by the hum of the Chief's shield recharging. The blonde-haired Nikke grit her teeth, stood to her feet and opened up again. Bullets tore through the armor plate of the quadrupedal humanoid machines, only for her to catch a couple rounds in her abdomen, too. Delta, beside her, also took a round to the shoulder that threw off her aim, making the young sniper let out a soft swear under her breath.
Signal, quick to her feet, moved up behind cover thanks to her short stature and started trying to patch the girl's injury up.
Sam, who was beside the Chief, murmured, "Running low on mags..." before hearing Neon's shotgun thunder just over his head. The girl shouldered the strange double-barrel gun and slam-fired it. Her hand rapidly pumped the shotgun's pump, spent casings flying from both sides as she peered down its holographic sight, gritting her teeth. High-explosive rounds tore through quite a few of the enemy's troops.
Chief handed Sam a pair of his own magazines, partially thankful MA5B Mags and MA5G Mags were interchangeable. He slammed in his own fresh magazine, peered out and fired a burst at a pair of suicide drones that got too close, detonating both mid-jump, only for a third to pounce on him and try to overcharge its systems. Pinne grabbed it and threw it sky-high, before belting out five consecutive buckshot blasts at it and letting its corpse tumble to the floor.
Chief nodded in thanks, then asked, "Thanks. That's the second time..."
"Third, I think," Pinne smiled, then patted him on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it, Chief, just keep shooting!" and she gasped as a fourth drone pounced her. The Spartan was quicker on the draw, however, pulling his combat knife out of its sheath and slicing the machine's oculus in one strike. It fell, inactive, next to the Nikke who simply smiled at her Commander before continuing to fire.
Alyosha grit his teeth as he sat beside Rapi, his only weapon being his execution pistol. He told her, "Y'know, I might try and ask doctor Halsey to make me some kind of armor... I feel completely useless beyond giving commands here," as he peered over his own cover, an overturned, flattened car of some kind that'd been damaged considerably by nature. Rapi hummed as she knelt beside him, looking up at him.
"That's all a commander should do. Remember what I told you... It's our job to protect you," She told him, clearly wary of the idea of him going into combat. Just as Anis fired a shell from her launcher, the man and Rapi exchanged a quick look. She scoffed as a bullet skimmed just over her head, then said, "... Then again, maybe armor protection would prove beneficial at least..."
"Yeah," The man replied, then yelled, "Chief! We gotta mo-"
The distant roar of the Lord Rapture echoed. Before long, the volleys of fire that were keeping the squads pinned slowed, then died out with the Raptures turning to face the person attacking their unit. Chief poked his head out and squinted, with Cortana stating, "New friendly IFF in the AO! It's not Linda, but-" only to pause as she, too, saw the man climbing onto the side of the Rapture as it bucked and kicked, angrily trying to get him off.
ID Number 043.
William.
The beast managed to shake him off, sending him skidding to a halt in the snow, amidst a squad of enemy units. He sighed and radioed, "Chief, I don't know what happened to me, nor do I want to know right now, but if you don't mind backing me up..." only to grab a suicide drone that charged him as it powered its explosives and throwing it back toward a slew of other mechs.
It detonated, showering them with shrapnel and dazing them as the Spartan, clearly out of ammo for his AR, surged forward and pummeled the first monster he could see with his balled fist. The armored gauntlet punched clean through the machine's armor and went out the other side with the oculus flying out. He spun on his left leg and threw the corpse at a pair of its buddies, blunting several rounds of theirs.
Alyosha blinked, while the Marines beside him, one of whom bore the name Shevchenko, spoke amongst themselves. Mike Shevchenko, also known as Sev, murmured, "Jesus Christ, talk about a bombastic entry..." as he watched Chief and Sam jump over the cover with their Nikkes, pushing into the line of enemy units despite some of the injuries they suffered.
Chief marched up beside Will, hefting his AR and opening fire into the crowds as he said, "It's been a while..."
"I can tell," The Spartan replied, a hint of joy behind his otherwise stern voice. He rammed his foot through the leg of another Rapture, before using both of his hands to open up its armor and rip out its core. He tossed it aside just as it detonated, then went for the next one. He asked quickly, "Any spares for my pistol?" only to pause as Chief and Sam both tossed him ammunition. He drew the gun, dropped the spent magazine and slid in a fresh one, racking the slide forward and opening up with precision, still maintaining a shorter engagement distance.
"This is the nineteenth or twentieth person we've encountered from your world here, Chief!" Delta said as she sniped away at the Lord Rapture.
The Marines in the rear gave waves of the hand as they took cover and opened up on the other machines, too, trying to double the Front for the machines. Rapi kicked a Rapture down and put the barrel of her rifle into its face, squeezing, while Anis and the others focused on the Lord. Missiles, machine guns and pistol rounds pierced the body of the machine, but its armor was thick.
Will rolled his eyes, then surged forward at high speed, calling out to Chief, "Cover me!" as he charged through. Bullets sparked off his MARK-V's shields as he charged, watching as the strange machine aimed its own weapons at him and fired. Bursts of energy lanced forth, cutting swathes and melting snow around the Spartan. Most of the people present watched with muted awe as the man moved like a freight train, swatting away other Raptures that tried to stop him and even outright dodging several of the drones while firing his pistol at others.
He slung the pistol into the mag-lock on his thigh, jumping and grabbing onto a protruding prong on the command Rapture. He climbed, mounted near the oculus, cocked his fist back and punched once. Even as gunfire raked his armor's shields and caused them to flare up, he hit and hit and hit. Metal plate bent, buckled and broke and the glowing blue eye of this machine was revealed.
Will grabbed it with one hand, twisted, then squeezed.
It popped.
He jumped off just as the strange leader machine rippled, several explosions flaring across its body. Its escorting battalion all began to collapse or explode outright, corpses in the snow. He turned to his comrades, several of which stared with wide eyes at him, while the Marines and Commander walked up. Shevchenko commented, "That's a fuckin' Spartan right there, Jesus..."
"Yeah," Alyosha murmured, eyes wide.
Will, meanwhile, looked to John and saluted, then said, "Chief. Sorry for the sudden arrival, but I saw you all needed help and-" only to pause as he saw Sam. The blonde Spartan gave a quick Spartan Smile to Will, who returned it. He sighed, then told them, "C'mon. I saw a base nearby, just over that crest. We get to it, we get some shelter and you all can explain what's going on."
"Got it. All units, move it out, double time. Marines, stick with the Civvies. Luckies, on me..." Chief nodded, then rallied everyone up around him. The Spartans yet again took the lead of the formation, with the Nikkes of Lucky Strike behind them. As they crested the hilltop, they saw it:A wide compound filled with various buildings. Some corpses littered the main road and damage was visible across its form, but the camp itself seemed rather intact.
Halsey sighed, crossing her arms, "Just as we left it, it seems..." before scanning the area. She looked over to the stunned Spartan-043 and greeted him with a nod, "Will. A pleasure seeing you intact after Onyx, though I certainly wished you'd kick those habits... I'm sure you have a lot to brief the Master Chief and what is present of Blue Team about our trip, but we have a more important matter to attend to..."
Ludmilla hummed as she looked at the camp, then told them, "Something isn't right..." before turning to the civilians. She watched Alice bounce up toward them, a smile on her face. She paused, however, her spry steps turning from bouncing into a slowed walk. Ludmilla blinked, blanked, then looked ahead and called out, "TAKE COVER!" as the ground around them began to violently shake.
Halsey's eyes shot wide open, "It's back...!?"
"Doctor!" Chief called out. He grabbed the Doctor out of the line of fire as his Nikkes set up a Perimeter around them, then set her down next to the Commander. Alyosha gave several chops of his hand to the Counters to set up in position, while Chief readied his own team and his Spartans, positioning them to combat something massive. The Marines stood behind, forming the rearguard in order to protect the Doc and the others...
... As the base's defenses came online, lined by the azure glow of the Raptures' Alva Particle weapons adding upon them, the ground trembled yet again.
"Well, that's new..." Cortana murmured, her voice strained as she'd clearly focused on scouring the enemy BattleNet.
"Oh, this is gonna suck..." Anis vociferated, loading her launcher with malicious intent. When the first volley was fired, everyone heard Chief call out to them, "Particle cannon battery!" as he slid himself into cover, too. Will, Sam and him nodded to one-another, then looked to their Nikkes as the volley struck. Only once the thump of hits and hiss of boiling snow faded, did the group stand up and open fire...
The Fussillade that came shook the ground right back...
The Outpost...
Kelly and the others had returned to find that Centi and Liter were still up and about, doing stuff at the Outpost despite the night cycle having kicked in. Patrolling MP Nikkes and some of the newer arrivals at the Outpost also kept up the pace in their work, but some were already retreating to their dormitories and other areas of operation. What surprised Kelly the most, however, was the presence of Absolute in the Outpost.
Absolute, as Chief had told them from reading through the stuff Cortana had given him, was the best of the best amidst Elysion's girls. A squad of elites that Rapi, the executive officer of the Counters, had been a part of. That they were assigned to the Outpost meant that Ingrid, the CEO, cared enough to deploy them. Or, perhaps, as the case was today, they were escorting someone.
All three members of Absolute:The voluptuous and well-meaning gatling gun-toting Emma, the thin, short, but heavy-weapon-carrying Vesti and the middle ground between the two in terms of development, armed with a Sniper, Eunhwa, the team leader, all were there with a tall, lean woman with light skin and clad in a white-and-red uniform bearing thee Elysion four-diamonds-within-a-diamond emblem.
Also amidst them was a young woman with dark-brown hair and blue eyes, speaking with Ingrid. Despite a slight change in development of the body and her overall appearance, though thankfully still retaining the tasteful uniform of the UNSC, with all of the accolades and gear and with some added-on armor to boot, Commander Miranda Keyes stood with her arms crossed and listening to them speak.
The stunned Marines and smiling Kelly watched the exchange proceed for a couple more minutes, then saw Keyes snap a crisp salute that Ingrid returned. Absolute nodded to her, then departed for another part of the Outpost, before the good Commander hummed and turned, catching sight of the Spartans and the others. In her full, up-armored dress uniform, the woman marched up to them with a smirk.
"When I woke up here and was told I was recovered by the Chief, I'd have expected him to be the first to greet me," She said, her voice exactly the same as Johnson, who stared with a hint of muted awe, had last heard.
Snapping out of his stupor, the Marine Sergeant-Major barked a jovial, "Marines! Commander on-deck!" and snapped his hand up to his forehead, boots clicking together in synch with the others' and Kelly's. Miranda smiled at that and saluted back, nodding to them to be at ease. As the group straightened their postures and lowered their hands, Johnson said, "Damn good to have you back, ma'am..."
"They slapped me into this body. Apparently it took Ingrid all her power not to let that flamboyant Frenchman turn me into something even more... Bulky," She replied, crossing her arms to her already slightly-more-developed chest. While most men attempted to avoid staring(God help Johnson, it was hard), she sighed and said, "But I doubt it's going to impede my combat capabilities... Good to be back, Sergeant-Major. Marines. Spartan."
"Ma'am," The others replied.
"I'm guessing you want a short briefing as to what's going on, or did Ingrid give it to you, ma'am?" Kelly offered. Keyes nodded appreciatively at Kelly, then motioned for them to lead the way. With the Sergeant beside her and Kelly at the forefront, the crew advanced into the building that the UNSC Staff were utilizing as a barracks. The place was newly built and was rather welcoming, surprisingly, if a bit bare.
Entering the dorms, the Commander sat herself down at a table as the others just found their own place to rest. She told them, "I have basic knowledge of what's going on. The Ark, humanity's fight for survival and something about the Raptures. Which makes me guess that Chief's up there with one of the Commanders and his own squad, meaning that we're in deep..."
"Survival and humanity and all that jazz, ma'am. Objective ain't changed much since you..." Johnson hesitated. Keyes smiled kindly to the Sergeant, showing him with a wave of her hand that it was fine and he didn't need to continue that thought. He sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes, then continued, "But that's about the gist of it, yeah. Chief's upstairs with a kid from the Ark's ranks and his own squad of Nikkes."
"Didn't think Chief would be taking a command role for these people, but I guess it makes sense. He's most comfortable as a soldier, not as a politician. Honestly can't blame him for it, either," The Commander scratched her chin, "And what about you all, then? I don't think we've actually met before, Spartan," all while eyeing Kelly. The brown-haired speedy scout looked back at her.
"Ma'am," She then replied, then introduced herself, "Spartan 087. Chief Petty officer. Call me Kelly if you'd like... Ma'am."
"Pleasure, Kelly," The woman replied, "Sergeant?"
"Yes, ma'am," Johnson raised a brow.
She smiled again, "It's genuinely good to see you..."
"Likewise. Especially after the Other Ark and all," He shot back, then looked to Kelly and asked, "Ma'am, we moving in for the next scout op tomorrow, by the way? We still got plenty of crap to find in the Lost Sectors, after all, not to mention those two signals from our group. Maybe some survivors like me and my Marines, still looking to find a way home..."
"We'll get to it ASAP, Sergeant. You all need to rest for now, though," Kelly replied as she stood up. A ping echoed from her helmet and the girl looked over at the Tac-Pad she'd built into her gauntlet, then sighed. Looking to Keyes and giving the hint, she asked, "Commander, if you don't mind," while motioning to the door. Seemed like someone else wanted to talk to her and Ingrid didn't have the time to bring her to him.
"Lead the way," The woman replied, standing up. She told the Marines, "Get some rest. We'll talk later, Johnson," before she followed Kelly out of the room. Descending toward the rail station linked to the Outpost. The Commander's eyes scanned the Outpost as she said, "Mighty impressive floating island, I guess. Real artificial Shangri-La if you consider it that way..."
"She ain't pretty, ma'am, but she's been home for us for the past few weeks," Joked Kelly, smiling, "So, you must've met two out of three CEOs."
"The Frenchie called Mustang and Ingrid herself, yes," Keyes shot back, "I've yet to meet the Third of the Big Three..." and she saw Kelly wince. After blinking, confused, the Commander asked, "I take it from that reaction they aren't exactly the nicest person on the planet...?" only for Kelly to wince again. It was rare to see a Spartan show this much emotion, much less with their helmet off, so the Commander knew that whoever the Third was, they were bad news.
"Hey, Brid," Kelly greeted the white-haired woman with... Cups surprisingly much bigger than Miranda's. The Commander felt a little self-conscious about her own shape, something a Spartan like Kelly probably never really thought of. Brid waved back, arranging her train conductor's cap as her fellow crew members boarded, too. Kelly requested, "Ride down to the Ark, please. Chief Deputy Andersen asked to see the Commander now that she's up and about."
"Understood," The woman nodded. She walked on board and watched as Diesel and the smaller Soline boarded the vehicle, entering the locomotive. Pushing a strand of hair out of her eye, Brid told them, "Please, enjoy the ride, ladies. Diesel, Soline, let's get started," and turned toward the locomotive. As the doors of the train closed, the vehicle departed for the massive city.
Keyes looked over the city with a little awe, murmuring, "Reminds me of home..." as she leaned her head on her hand, peering at the sight through the window. Kelly remained silent for the duration of the trip, watching the Commander seemingly ponder everything. Miranda, to her credit, said, "Remind me to thank the Chief for recovering me, by the way... I never thought I'd live again..."
"Aye, ma'am..." Kelly replied. She wondered if the others felt the same way. And where Blue team was. As the train reached the station and the Spartan and Commander disembarked, Kelly left a tip to Brid, Diesel and Soline. A few extra credits for their work on such short notice. The pair then approached the Central Government's command building and entered it. The secretary buzzed them in and they were at Andersen's office within minutes...
... Only to hear an irritating voice complaining, "You don't understand the fact we need to study these people?! Seriously, Andersen, I thought you were smarter than this!" just as they entered. A diminutive figure with short black hair and a white and purple outfit. Andersen, to his credit, looked just about done with this, rubbing his forehead, "C'mon! One of them'll do! They have three! Oh, and don't get me started on the fact that Ingrid and Mustang agreed to help 'develop' a new body for that other runt of theirs!"
"... Chief Deputy," Kelly voiced, a little wary, which caused Syuen to turn toward them, eyes wide. Andersen looked up, his face a combination of tired and thankful for their arrival, while Kelly said, "We come in at a bad time, sir...?"
"No, Chief Petty Officer, just..." He replied, visibly miffed by Syuen's continued presence. He looked pointedly at the CEO, ordered, "This meeting's done. Go home, Syuen," and tapped his PA, "Security. Please come retrieve miss Syuen from my office," only for the girl to start basically barking orders and hurling insults as the Security Nikkes came and non-violently dragged her ass away. Andersen sighed, rubbing his eyes as the door shut behind the Commander and Spartan, before saying, "Welcome back to the world of the living, Commander Keyes. Sorry for the rough first introductions to the Ark..."
"It's fine, sir," She nodded, then leaned toward Kelly and whispered, "Take it that little runt was the Third...?" warily. Kelly's nod of confirmation made her newly-mechanized heart sink a little, but she still maintained etiquette. She saluted the Chief Deputy, who saluted back, then showed them to take seats. Both complied, with the Commander starting, "As long as you keep me away from her, sir, I think we'll be fine."
"I'm afraid that's out of my purview," The man replied half-jokingly, half-longing for that ability. Miranda leaned onto the desk as he started, "While I'm aware you know the basic gist of everything, I'd like to extend a formal welcome to the Ark and the current predicament mankind finds itself in in our own time. As far as I understood from the Chief and his other companions, your situation wasn't too far from our own."
"Galactic instead of just planetary, for the most part, sir," She replied. This was going to be an interesting chat.