Chapter 5: Svenson

The landing was rough. If everyone hadn't been strapped in, they would've died from being flung around the lifeboat. Svenson was thrown so hard against his restraints that it felt like they cut into him. The lifeboat screeched as it slid along the ground, dirt was thrown into the cockpit windows. When they finally stopped, the lifeboat was silent. Svenson coughed as the restraints lightened up. Clouds of smoke obstructed the view outside.

"Delta, sound off!" Arceneaux ordered, pushing his restraints off.

"Here!" Faraday said, followed by Wade and Jilani.

"All good," said Hanoi.

Everyone let the Corporal know they were intact, all except Kamal, who was out cold. Hanoi assured them he was still alive. Svenson felt a bit of respect for the soft-spoken Marine, not many survived the kind of beating he took.

"Get these doors open," Arceneaux ordered.

Hadrian pressed the control to open the lifeboat. The doors barely slid open, jamming with just enough room to fit a hand through.

"Well, that's great," the Corporal sighed.

Svenson pushed his restraints off and stood up, grabbing a hold of one door and trying to pull it aside. It wouldn't budge.

"Someone give me a hand with this," he said.

Hanoi came to his assistance, and helped him pull the doors open. They were the first to exit, quickly leaving the smoke screen around them. The others piled out, Hanoi returning to carry Kamal.

"Look at that," said Wade, his eyes wide as he stared up at the sky.

Svenson followed his gaze. The ringworld curved up from the horizon, extending into the sky and coming back down. It was almost like a whole planet curving in on itself, something he'd only seen in movies or video games.

The sight was breathtaking enough to make Svenson forget about everything else for a moment, trying to process what was before him. What was even weirder was the environment around them. Pine trees, cliffs, and waterfalls. In the distance ahead of the lifeboat sat an entire ocean extending up the curvature of the ring. The landscape had a pristine quality, like it had been carefully cultivated for generations. It almost looked like every other planet he'd visited in an uncanny way.

Something like this was what Svenson had always hoped to see when he joined the Marine Corps, he wished it was under better circumstances.

"The Covies are gonna be all over us soon," Arceneaux said. "We need to get as far away from here as we can."

"We can't move too far," said Hanoi. "We need to keep Kamal stable."

"That's gonna complicate things…" Arceneaux sighed. "Let's find a place to setup camp."

Arceneaux pointed to the hills in the distance, beyond them was a forest dense enough to hide from Covenant air patrols. Foot-soldiers would be a different story.

"Maybe over there," he suggested.

"It's a start," Hanoi shrugged.

"Let's move out, no wandering off."

Svenson readied his rifle in case they ran into trouble on the way, the other Marines doing the same. They set out together with Arceneaux at the lead, and Wade at the back. Svenson and Faraday moved together with Hanoi as she carried Kamal, Jilani and Lopes kept their eyes in the distance. Hadrian stayed between the group, gripping his pistol tight.

They crossed a field of grass and bounded over the hills, weaving between the trees to find a safe spot deeper into the forest. Being under the cover of trees somehow didn't feel right. The natural landscape combined with the artificial nature of the ring was almost enough to break Svenson's mind. When he spotted movement in the foliage, he assumed some kind of alien machine was going to come out and attack them. It ended up being a gopher scurrying away.

Hanoi set Kamal down at the base of a tree, removing his armour plating to inspect the true extent of his injuries. His skin was burned from the plasma rounds he took, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been. The hole in his abdomen left behind by the needler was roughly patched up by what medical supplies Hanoi had.

"Any chance of getting word back to command?" Jilani asked.

"No signal," Hadrian shook his head. "We can't even be sure there's any command left."

"That's a comforting thought," said Wade.

"Then we're operating on our own for now," Arceneaux said. "Priority one is finding a safe place to hold out. These trees are nice and all, but my hopes aren't high for them keeping us hidden. The Covenant are gonna be searching all over this place for survivors."

"Where are we even supposed to hide?" asked Jilani.

Nobody had any ideas. Not even after a look around the area could they find something other than trees or cliffs, and it was too risky to travel in the open. Svenson's eyes travelled to the sky, back at the curvature of the ring.

"I know that look," Faraday said. "Got an idea?"

The squad turned to Svenson, and he shrugged, unsure if what he had was a good idea or not.

"This whole place isn't natural," he said. "Someone built it, which means there's probably all kinds of buildings all over this place."

"With who-knows-what living in 'em," said Jilani.

"It's a better idea than anything I've got," Arceneaux sighed. "Svenson, take Fairy, Jani, and Uncle, find us a new place to set down. The rest of us will keep an eye on Kamal, report back once you've got something."

"Affirmative," Svenson acknowledged, but couldn't stop himself from asking, "who the hell is Uncle?"

"That would be me," said Wade.

Svenson couldn't possibly think of a reason the man was called 'Uncle' other than the fact he was an older man, one of the oldest he'd seen in the Marines. Or maybe he actually was someone's uncle. He rolled his eyes and followed the Corporal's orders, moving out.

Nobody could stop themselves from looking in the sky as they left the treeline behind. Even Svenson had to fight to keep his eyes in front of him.

"Who do you think built this place?" asked Jilani.

"I wouldn't put it past the Covies," Wade said with a shrug.

"With how many planets they've destroyed, I can't see them building something like this," Faraday added.

"Maybe this is what they've been destroying our planets for," Wade suggested. "Materials to build these rings all over the place."

"Uncle?" asked Jilani.

"Yeah?"

"That's fucking stupid."

Wade shrugged like there was still a possibility of what he said being true.

"As far as I can tell, they're destroying our planets because they hate us," said Svenson. "This is something different. Whether it's a Covenant world or not, I'm sure they know more about it than we do."

"What makes you say that?" asked Faraday.

"When's the last time you saw so many elites board one of our ships?"

"Come to think of it, I don't even remember a time they boarded us instead of just shooting us down," said Wade.

"We're getting into something dangerous," Svenson warned. "We can't afford not to take this seriously."

The land beyond the forest was picturesque in its beauty. Huge cliffs extended into the sky, waterfalls flowing between them. The pine trees were a deep green, bathed in the red glow of the gas giant in the sky.

Birds with two sets of wings circled the trees, rodents scurried between the bushes. Svenson swore he saw something that looked like a deer with multiple jaws, similar to the maw of an elite. Nothing was too different from the wildlife of Draco III.

The only creature they spotted that wasn't familiar was a sort of hairless bipedal dog with huge teeth, and no eyes. A pack of them traversed the land in the distance, none of them looking very friendly.

"They really got all kinds of shit here," Wade commented.

"That's an eloquent way to put it," said Faraday.

Svenson turned the safety off his rifle as he watched the blind dogs move. A distant explosion seemed to draw their attention, and they sprinted toward the sound. The four Marines dropped, raising their rifles in each direction. Over the treetops, a bright flare soared into the sky, heading for the other side of the ring. Judging by the size of the flare, and the fact it moved in a straight line, it definitely wasn't UNSC.

It wasn't something he'd seen the Covenant use either.

"That way," Svenson pointed toward the direction it came from. He checked his compass. "Uh… North."

"You sure that's not Covies?" Faraday asked.

"Nope," Svenson shook his head, and stood up. "Let's just hope it isn't."

The journey to the source of the flare wouldn't have taken long if it wasn't for a massive hill in the way. With Kamal's condition, it was going to be difficult to get the others over there, but there wasn't time to find another way around.

Faraday kept track of the areas with tree cover, the safest route to move when the Covenant would inevitably come looking for them. Jilani constantly checked her comms, hoping she would eventually hear from another group of survivors. As far as Svenson could tell, Wade was just watching the scenery.

The Marines pulled themselves to the top of the hill, giving them a scenic view of the ring beyond, and the source of the flare.

A giant tower sat between the cliffs, a network of tubes and smaller buildings surrounding it. The tower was split down the middle with a platform raised around it, another flare shot out from between its halves.

"Is this really a good idea?" Wade asked. "The Covies can see this as well as we can."

"It's the only place with actual cover," Svenson said. "And if we've got any Pelicans left, this is an easy place for them to find us."

"It's a good point," Jilani said with a shrug. "They're gonna find us anyway if we stay out here."

"Alright, you've convinced me," Wade sighed.

"Let's get back to the Corporal," Svenson suggested.

Faraday and Jilani followed him back down the hill. He instinctively reached for his radio to report back to Arceneaux, sighing as he couldn't get a signal. They only noticed Wade wasn't with them when they reached the bottom. Svenson turned to see him atop the hill, still staring at the tower.

"Come on, Father Time!" Jilani shouted. "Let's go!"

Wade flipped her off and slid down the hill, landing surprisingly well on his feet.

"What's the holdup?" Svenson asked.

"I think I saw a Covenant dropship in the distance," he replied. "Couldn't tell exactly, I don't know what's what in this place."

"Let's assume it was a dropship," Svenson said, watching the sky. This time it wasn't the ring he was looking at. "We need to move, now."

The Marines sprinted the way back, using as much of the tree cover as they could. Foliage was sparse by the hill, Svenson silently prayed for the Covenant to wait until they had better cover. He also prayed that finding the UNSC survivors was the Covenant's main priority, rather than exploring the structures. If they had to fight to take that tower, this mission would be over quickly.

The roar of a nearby waterfall masked the hum of a Covenant dropship approaching a field next to the trees. By the time Svenson noticed it, Faraday was already dragging him to the ground.

The alien ship was shaped like a tuning fork, two troop bays extending back from a rectangular cockpit, an energy field tying the bays together. Beneath the cockpit sat a plasma cannon capable of ripping a Marine apart in one shot.

The bays folded open, allowing a squad of grunts and jackals to jump out. A single elite followed them, immediately barking orders for its underlings to search the area. The four Marines stayed low, creeping through the trees while keeping their eyes firmly on the prowling aliens.

It wasn't long until they left the grunts behind, but the jackals seemed to be coming toward them. Svenson held up a fist, stopping the others behind a rock, and he peeked at their pursuers. One jackal looked in their direction, he couldn't be sure if it saw them or not. It was impossible to tell where the creature's aimless eyes were pointed.

The jackals eventually moved on, searching the base of the hill. Another flare launched from the tower, drawing the elite's attention. The massive alien moved toward it like it was fascinated, an emotion Svenson never saw them display.

"Hey, Ghost," Faraday whispered. "What do you see?"

Ghost?

"Covies are moving away," Svenson replied, figuring she was talking to him. "They're gonna find the tower."

"Shit," Wade cursed. "What are we gonna do if they take it over?"

"We're not going to let them," Svenson said, signalling for them to continue moving. "We'll have to take them out before reinforcements get here."

Sidestepping a Covenant patrol was easy when a squad only consisted of four soldiers. Getting the rest of the team to the tower was going to draw the Covenant's attention anyway, and they couldn't look for another place to hide.

Another dropship whirred over the trees, heading in the direction of their lifeboat. They all knew this battle was coming, now it was really time to get their payback.

Svenson returned to the temporary camp to find everyone with their guns trained in the distance. Arceneaux waved them over when he spotted them.

"You hear that dropship?" Svenson asked, crouching next to them.

"Yep," Arceneaux nodded. "No sign of its troops."

"Well we ran into a Covie patrol," Svenson reported. "But we found a good place to hold out. A tower about a klick north."

"Is it safe?"

"No telling for sure, but the Covenant know where it is. If we move quickly we can capture it before they do."

"Agreed," Arceneaux stood up. "Get Stoner moving, we need to get there ASAP."

Hanoi lifted Kamal, and the squad returned to their formation. Arceneaux gave the order to move out, and they made their way back to the tower. Herds of alien deer sprinted away from the Marines, gophers scurried through the foliage.

"Guess they don't like visitors," Wade commented.

"How many do you think they've even had?" Hanoi asked.

"We might be the first by the looks of it," said Faraday.

"Cut the chatter," said Arceneaux. "There's still aliens looking for us."

Wade sighed, Hanoi and Faraday obliged without complaint.

"What kind of resistance are we looking at?" the Corporal asked.

"One elite, at least four grunts, three jackals," Svenson recalled. "They seemed very interested in that tower so I doubt they haven't called for reinforcements."

"Then we'll have a firefight on our hands," Arceneaux. "Get ready for combat, Delta."

They reached the hill in front of the tower, Svenson assisted Hanoi in lifting Kamal to the top. The Covenant patrol was gone, but that wasn't exactly a good sign. Laying prone atop the hill, the fireteam got a look at the tower, already occupied by the alien soldiers.

"We'll come in from there," Arceneaux pointed to one of the smaller buildings. "It looks like there's an entrance, Hadrian and Stoner and stay covered in there."

"I'll stay with them," Hanoi suggested. "Keep 'em safe."

Arceneaux nodded. "Lopes, go with them. The rest of us will take that tower."

The fireteam slid down the other side of the hill, weaving between trees and rocks to get to the perimeter of the compound. A patrol of jackals circled the building Arceneaux mentioned, the aliens already alert for trouble. Svenson waited for the Corporal's order to fire.

The order came in the form of Arceneaux shooting an unsuspecting jackal in the head, a following shot from Hanoi hit a second jackal in the hand. The bird-like creatures screeched, making sure every Covenant soldier around them knew what was happening. The third jackal stood atop the building, keeping them pinned behind a rock until the rest of the Covenant force arrived.

Svenson and Faraday exchanged a glance, and popped out of cover together. Svenson aimed for the jackals feet and fired a burst of rounds, snagging it in the toe. Faraday finished the staggered alien with a headshot.

"Move up!" Arceneaux ordered, the team sprinting to the cover of the building.

The small building was empty on the inside, the interior being perfectly square with another door opposite from the entrance. It didn't open on approach, nor was there any kind of mechanism to get it open. As long as the Covenant couldn't use it either, they were relatively safe.

Hanoi set Kamal down in the corner, Hadrian cowering alongside them. The others watched the entrance, waiting for the rest of the Covenant to come to them. No one showed up.

"Where's the rest of them?" asked Wade.

"They're guarding that tower," said Arceneaux. "That elite is not an idiot."

"Any idea how we take them out?" Faraday asked.

"Just one," Arceneaux stood up. "Uncle, Jani, you're with me. We'll hit them from the perimeter of the compound. Fairy, Svenson, get up there while they're distracted and finish them off."

"Understood," Svenson acknowledged.

The five Marines sprinted out together, Svenson and Faraday headed for the tower. A ramp led from the ground onto the second story, where the elite was waiting. Four grunts made their way down.

Faraday shot one, hitting its backpack. The aliens returned fire, peppering their position with their plasma pistols. Svenson dove for cover behind a rock, Faraday dropping to the ground, narrowly avoiding another shot from the grunts. With her gun steady, she took the alien down with a headshot.

Svenson popped out from behind the rock, Faraday rolling to his side. He blasted a second grunt, a glob of plasma smacked him in the chest in return. Even with the protection of his armour, his chest felt like it was on fire.

More plasma rained down on them, the elite firing relentlessly from the tower. They had to hug the side of the rock if they didn't want the plasma to burn them alive. With the Marines pinned, the remaining grunts made their way around to get a clear shot at them. Faraday kept her rifle trained on the side of the rock, anticipating the arrival of the enemy. The grunt reared its head, and it exploded.

The rain of fire stopped, gunshots cracked in the distance as Arceneaux and the others took shots at the elite. Svenson dove out of cover and lit up the final grunt, the creature staining the grass blue as it bled out.

Svenson and Faraday sprinted for the ramp, both loading fresh magazines into their guns. The elite crouched behind cover, spotting them as they made it up to the platform. The massive alien roared, standing up to fire on them only to be showered by more bullets.

With all five Marines firing on it, the elite fell quickly, a deep wail coming from its throat. Svenson and Faraday spread out around the tower, confirming the area was clear. Arceneaux and the others made their way up to the platform, Hanoi and Lopes found an entrance where they could keep Kamal and Hadrian safe.

"Excellent shooting Marines," the Corporal congratulated them.

"What do we do now?" asked Wade. "Wait until we're rescued? Nobody even knows we're out here."

"Don't be such a downer, Uncle," said Arceneaux. "Let's make sure our people are doing well."

The squad formed up inside the tower, the only room was another set of ramps leading between the platform and the ground. Hanoi tended to Kamal, Hadrian sat against a wall with his head in his hands. Lopes was messing with her radio, an excited look in her eye.

"Corporal!" Lopes jumped to her feet. "Great news! We might be able to use this tower to get communications out, and we can use it to broadcast around the ring. I just have to find the right frequency…"

"A broadcast like that is gonna draw all kinds of attention," Arceneaux said.

"Attacking a Covie patrol will do that too," Lopes said with a shrug. "Right now this is our only shot."

"Alright," said Arceneaux. "Let's do it. Everyone take defensive positions along the tower. Keep your eyes peeled."

Svenson nodded, returning to the platform with Faraday. Even though they would have a Covenant army coming down on them soon, he was thankful for a moment to rest outdoors. The air on the ringworld tasted fresher than any other planet he'd set foot on. Though it didn't help that the other planets he'd been to were being melted into glass at the time.

"You know, there's plenty of other angles we should be watching," Svenson said, sensing Faraday's presence behind him.

"I'm sure the others have that covered," Faraday shrugged.

Svenson sighed, he didn't understand her obsession with him. She even gave him a nickname he couldn't decipher, but at least it wasn't Svenny. He would have to kick Kamal's ass for that when he recovers.

Neither of them even talked to each other, only standing together with their eyes in the distance, waiting for the Covenant to arrive so they finally had something else to do. Lopes sent out a broadcast looking for survivors, Svenson hoped somebody would answer the call. It wasn't too crazy to think anyone else survived.

Half an hour passed with no sign of any hostiles, and no word on the radio. He was starting to lose hope before the silence was broken by a familiar voice.

"Sergeant O'Hale to Fireteam Delta, can you read me?" the Sergeant's drawl crackled into Svenson ears.

"Loud and clear," Arceneaux responded. "Good to hear from you, Sarge."

"Likewise Coop. I've got Bravo with me and half a team of pissed off Marines looking for some action. We got your message and we'll be with you shortly, ETA twenty minutes."

Svenson didn't know how tense he was until his muscles relaxed. Their odds of surviving just went up exponentially. He looked at Faraday to see a wide smile across her face, a sight that was almost contagious.

But he couldn't stop himself from expecting the worst. Another fireteam would only help them survive for so long, and they still needed a ride out of there.

One thing at a time, Svenson told himself. One thing at a time…