Disclaimer: All HALO characters not my own belong to Microsoft and Halo studios
Chapter 3: Purpose
December 23, 2534, 0839 hours [MILITARY CALENDAR]
Location: Artemis system, Taree, UNSC Halcyon class light cruiser, Roman Blue
Third Person POV
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The orbit of the Taree, an outer colony, was empty…no satellites, no space ports, space stations, Orbital; defense platform, or even a defense fleet.
This planet was barren, dry of any infrastructure…atleast in space.
It was near its orbit that the Roman Blue exited slipspace, the Halcyon light cruiser gliding towards the orbit of the planet at constant speed.
Their arrival here was no planned, nor was it an official order from Command. But reasons, which were far too…severe to avoid, or ignore, and so it was decided to jump into this system.
Taree was a lush world, too lush of a world, a majority of its surface being covered and overflowed with dense tropical forests. The Planet had one large super continent, with dozens of smaller islands, some of which could be said to be the size of the British isle, or Japan.
The dense forest was what blocked any surveillance onto the planet from orbit, sending a probe or drone down there, would risk it being either out of range, or getting entangled from the flora.
Taree was a mystery, even to its human colonial overlords, if Arcadia was barely explored, due to its lush jungles, then Taree was completely unexplored.
No one knew why it had even been colonized in the first place, there was no Intel regarding Taree, just that it feel under the Outer colonies, and had been colonized around the 2470s…that was all, nothing else was stated in its files or any other sources.
It didn't even seem to have a colonial administration, which was nigh impossible for any Human colony, let it be the most well developed, industrialized and populated colony, or a backwater and less populated colony, every single one had a Colonial administration, before the Human covenant war, or even the outbreak of the insurrection, the Colonial Military Administration had a presence in every. Single. World.
As the Roman Blue entered the planet's orbit, inside the bridge, Hood watched from the viewport, his gaze fixed on the lush planet, while his hands were clasped behind his back.
"Nero, status?" Hood inquired, while the Smart AI appeared on the holotank.
"Standard orbit achieved, all systems checked, and the last of the inactive passengers are being awoken from Cryo"
Hood nodded, never breaking his gaze towards the planet, "What can you tell me about this planet?" he asked.
"Not much, Sir. The planet's still unexplored, population number is unknown, list of known settlements are unknown, types of flora and fauna are mostly unknown, in short, Sir, this whole planet is unknown" the AI answered.
Hood nodded, although he had learned nothing from his ship's AI, he atleast knew that whatever that they were dealing with was a big question mark, and they had just had the luck to be the First ones to explore the planet…how very amazing.
"What of the signal?" Hood asked, "Is it still traceable?"
"Somewhat" Nero answered, to which Hood raised an eyebrow, "The signal's still being transmitted from the surface of the planet. It's just that where it's coming from is unknown"
Hood sighed, today just seemed to not be their day. About three weeks ago, they had received a distress signal from the UNSC destroyer, Percival.
It had been two years since the battle of Vodin, and three years after the event on THAT planet. Hood still remembered the aftermath of Vodin, Hood had been met with praises from his superiors back at command, with Admiral Cole himself stating that one day; he'd make a fine Admiral.
But that was not why he remembered that battle, and its aftermath, no; there was a completely different reason, a more tragic one.
After the battle, both in space, and surface had been won, Hood had awaited in the hanger bay for the returning SPARTANs, once again, against all odds, they had managed to succeed in a task where many others would have failed.
But upon greeting them…Hood still remembered, it was the first time he had truly seen the entire team of SPARTANs in a sore mood, especially the Lieutenant-Commander, it hadn't taken long for him back then to realize that out of the six that had left…only five returned.
It was a dark day for everyone onboard the ship, they had learned of the First SPARTAN casualty, and it definitely affected the mood and demeanor of everyone onboard, with some negotiations that day, Hood had managed to request a search party for the fallen SPARTAN…yet no body was found, further cementing his fate.
After Vodin, the Roman blue had stopped briefly in Epsilon Eridani for repairs, before departing for Arcadia, regrouping with Admiral Cole's fleet, where they would remain, until early 2534 where they had returned to Harvest, the covenant having returned on that forsaken planet, thus beginning the Third and final battle for it.
The space and ground engagement was brief, before a general retreat was ordered, with all forces withdrawn from Harvest, effectively abandoning it, as the UNSC fleet retreated and escaped, the covenant fleet glassed Harvest for the second and final time…Five years of struggle, the lives lost…all gone down in vain.
After the defeat at Harvest, the Roman blue was stationed in the Kennewick system, above the Planet of Ballast. They had been there for over a month, until the distress signal came in…which leads them to now.
The months between late 2532 and early 2534, to Hood atleast, was an actual interlude, a break of sort, but on a much larger time scale, as between that time period, no major battles, except for Jericho, which was still an ongoing battle, had been fought, no major operations…it was simply, the most inactive that the entire crew of the Roman blue had been.
"Sir" Hood was retelling the past years mentally to himself, was snapped out of it by Nero, to which Hood turned to look at the Smart AI.
"Yes?" Hood asked, recomposing himself.
"I was asking whether I should prepare the recon squads" Nero stated.
"Yes…of course, do please" Hood answered, pausing for a while as he considered his next words, "And get Bravo team prepped up as well, if we're trekking into unknown territories, then I'd sure want some SPARTANs down there with the recon squads"
"Aye eye, Captain" Nero said, before vanishing from the holotank.
Hood returned his gaze back towards the planet, his mind once again returning to the past events, reminiscing all that has happened until this point.
The Launch bay of the cruiser was bustling with activity, maintenance teams were working around with repairing damaged vehicles, refueling the pelicans and etc.
While Marines lounged around the bay as well, having nothing else they do, some talked around in large groups, while others sat around in a squad size and played a game of cards, while others were on patrol duty.
On the upper levels, where the pelicans were docked, even there, some activities were taking place, with Pilots having their own conversations with each others, or some marines, patrolling the deck.
It was on this deck, in one of the corners where the weapon racks were kept, seated on some crates, with his dome shaped helmet rested on another, Tyler cleaned the barrel of his DMR, a weapon he had been using for…forever at this point.
Although his actions indicate him cleaning his gun, it was noticeable, even through his blue eyes, that his focus and mind were somewhere else.
Two years…it had been two years since Vodin…since he had led Randall to his death, time sure did fly by, but it failed to heal Tyler of his guilt, the guilt of feeling responsible for Randall's death. It was totally his fault after all, from no angle or point of view could Tyler convince himself that, No…he was not fully at fault for Randall's death.
After the mission on Vodin, he remembered the Captain, who understood the pain and guilt he was going through, trying to comfort him a bit…deep down, Tyler had appreciated that someone…no…everyone had tried to help him that day, the Captain, his team, Lisa and her brother-in-law, every damn marine he came across in the Roman, and even Nero.
After Vodin, Tyler had secluded himself to his quarters for almost a week, only exiting for food and showering. Then after that, for another two months, he had spent his time, mostly in the gym, like any stubborn idiot would, and beat his guilt, anger and sorrow away…it had cost the Roman Blue atleast 98 punching bags and 28 tether balls…a massive blow to the Roman's stock of gym equipment.
It took a direct order from the Captain, for Tyler to stop with his coping, and instead, Captain Hood assigned and appointed the chief medical officer onboard the Roman Blue, one Thomas Ivor, who for eight months, served as his personal therapist.
During these ten months of Tyler being and acting like a depressed Teen, no new assignments or mission had been assigned to Bravo team, which Tyler suspected had something to do with Leroy pulling some strings again.
Speaking of Leroy…as he promised, he would occasionally call in to either give Tyler something, or to get something from Tyler…except for the one time after Vodin, where he called to share his condolences…that was the most comforting.
The therapy sure had helped Tyler cope with Randall's death, and now, he could confidently say that he wasn't openly mourning his death, although if he was mentioned in any form or other, it would trigger those guilt's, it was basically comparable to John in the original Universe, whenever Sam would be brought up.
Ironic, Tyler had prevented Sam's death in this universe, and hence, saved John from that guilt, but now here he was, feeling almost exactly as John would have, feeling guilty for Randall's death.
But right now, he needed to brush all those negative thoughts away, just minutes earlier, Nero had informed him to have his team prepped, lucky for them, the entirety of Bravo team was lingering somewhere around the launch bay, having nothing else to do.
As he finished cleaning his DMR, he placed it on his back and picked up his helmet, putting it back on, making sure to properly seal it. After his final adjustments were completed, Tyler got up from his seat and looked around.
Their designated Pelican was of course, Twister 49, who at this point was basically their Echo 419 or Kilo 023, both of whom, Tyler was sure he would encounter one day or another.
He could hear the sound of footsteps approaching and halting, turning around towards the right, Tyler saw Cassandra, donned in her armor, and fully armed and equipped, standing there with her arms crossed.
"You done?" she asked.
"Yeah, did I take too long or something?" Tyler jokingly asked.
"Way too long, Alexander's already complaining on waiting for too long" Cassandra replied in a deadpan tone, to which Tyler nervously chuckled.
"Guess I really couldn't keep count of the time" Tyler said.
"Come on, the more we stay here, the more the chances are that Maria shoots Alex in the face" Cassandra answered as she turned to leave, Tyler understanding she was serious, followed suit.
Ever since Tyler had entered his depression arc, Cassandra had stepped in as the temporary leader of Bravo team, since she was Tyler's second in, and Tyler sure was proud of the fact that he had made the absolute best decision, in promoting Cassandra.
The two SPARTANs walked through the path towards where their pelican was docked; their walk had been short and silent, neither of them choosing to speak, both for their own reasons.
Nearing the hatch, Tyler saw that all of his team was already seated, their gaze turning towards Tyler and Cassandra as they entered the pelican, "Finally!" Alexander exclaimed.
"You're lucky Tyler made it in time, or else I would have strangled you" Maria said, clearly annoyed by Alexander's antics.
Owen, who sat between the two, simply leaned his head against his seat, not giving two fucks of what was going on.
Both Tyler and Cassandra too, took their seat opposite of them, "Next time, make sure you clean your gun AFTER the mission, not before" Cassandra said.
"Noted" Tyler replied.
The team of SPARTANs sat around, expecting for the ramp to be lifted up, and for the cheerful and lively voice of Lisa to greet them, but none of those happened.
"Aren't we leaving?" Tyler asked.
Owen, finally spoke up, "Twister said she was gonna be using the washroom, she still hasn't returned"
Owen's answer was only met with a loud and annoyed groan from Alexander, at this point, even Tyler understood his frustrations, if he had been in his place he too would have probably been driven insane from all the waiting.
"Guess we won't be leaving early" Cassandra sighed as she commented.
Owen stared at Tyler, to which he noticed, "Anything?" Tyler asked, tilting his head.
"You alright?" Owen asked.
Owen didn't need to say any more for Tyler to understand what he was asking, "Better than the last two years…" Tyler answered.
"Let's hope that's the case" Maria said as she turned her head, staring outside the hatch.
Tyler silently nodded, but, from the corner of his eye, he noticed Alexander engaged in some…interesting activity, "Mind telling me what you're doing Alex?" he asked.
Spooking Alexander a bit, who had been whining not moments ago, "Oh, jeez you gave me a flash, though you were Chief Mendez, for a second" he said, to which all of them chuckled.
"If the Chief was here, I'm sure he'll beat you back into discipline" Cassandra commented.
"Beat? I'd say he'll burn this guy alive" Owen stated.
"So, what are you working on?" Tyler asked, his gaze fixed on the small square shaped, metal plate.
"Oh this?" Alexander asked as he raised the metal plate. It was its usual silvery grey on the back; however Tyler was curious on what was on the other side. "Our team logo"
"Our what now?" Tyler asked, trying to confirm that his ears hadn't deceived him.
"Team logo" Alexander confirmed.
"He's been working on that for days now" Maria commented.
"I didn't know we need to have a logo" Tyler said. He truly didn't know that SPARTANs, atleast SPARTAN IIs could have team logos…'Huh, the more you learn' he thought.
"It's not a requirement, just a small piece of identity we keep" Alexander said as he flipped the plate around, revealing the side that he had been working on.
Tyler could have sworn that he felt his jaw hit the bottom of his helmet, atleast on the interior. "You're joking…right?" Tyler said in a disbelieving tone, refusing to take in what he was witnessing, or had witnessed.
The logo in question, that Alexander had spent his precious time working on, turned out to be…unoriginal somewhat. The familiar red rabbit, its borders highlighted with a black border…it was almost if not completely identical to the one on his left gauntlet.
"Seems pretty alright" Owen commented, the others, except for Tyler, nodded in agreement.
"Alright? Did you seriously have to use THAT for the logo" Tyler almost exclaimed, but managed to keep his composure, he was in no way mad at Alexander's work, hell he'd say he loved it…just that there was one slight detail that separated the one Kelly painted on his, and the one Alexander had.
"What?" Alexander asked, definitely knowing what Tyler was asking about, but pretending to be oblivious, "If you mean the rabbit, I mean, it's only fair that, that's the team logo…you already wear it…and just to make sure Kelly won't kill me for copying, I even added you comically large helmet"
Maria stiffed a laugh, while Tyler sighed. Alexander did have some point…although adding the Helmet ON the rabbit's head made it seem way too out of touch…it was almost as if the head was replaced with the Helmet…it was the sort of things Tyler would have seen in Halo's multiplayer, back in the day.
Before Alexander could continue on with his art, the sounds of footsteps caught their attention, gazing towards the open ramp, it wasn't long before the figure of Lisa stepped onboard HER pelican, huffing as she did so, "Sorry if I was late"
"No no, you were quite early" Tyler sarcastically commented.
Lisa ignored Tyler's comment and turned her gaze to the logo that Alexander was holding, "Nice art"
"Thanks" Alexander replied, everyone in the pelican could feel the smugness radiating off him with that comment.
"Shouldn't we get going?" Owen asked, reminding Lisa of the task at hand.
"Right!" she exclaimed, rushing into her cockpit.
Not even five seconds later, the engines of the pelican flared up, while the ramp of the pelican started to seal, Twister's voice too rang out the speakers, "Sorrry for the wait ladies and gents, Fred not for we shan't be irregular to our place of wait".
'What' Tyler thought, mentally questioning himself on what she was saying, and why she was speaking as if it were the Shakespearean Era…it didn't suit her, and it definitely won't suit him as well, as much as his English pride would object.
And it seemed his team didn't know either on what she was implying, although none of them openly asked.
The pelican was soon released from its docked state, and without haste, made its way out of the light cruiser, immediately descending towards the planet.
Inside, the team of SPARTANs remained seated and calm, this was most likely their least chaotic mission…a mission that probably won't prove any challenge or combat activity, it was after all, just a small recon and investigation.
The initial acceleration of the pelican soon began to decrease as it reached a stable altitude. The pelican started to fly low, just around 1000 feet above ground, it's ramp lowering down to give the passenger's a good view.
"Head's up we're in point" Twister informed over the speakers.
"Shouldn't we be landing?" Owen asked.
"No" Tyler answered, taking him aback. "We're on standby. The Captain wants us to be ready if things go south, and since the thick jungle disrupts any and every signal, the recon squads will have to utilize…flares if they get into trouble…meaning"
"We're gonna fly around so we can response without waste" Owen finished his explanation, catching on what Tyler was implying.
"Exactly, and that's why I took my sweet time" Tyler said jokingly.
"You didn't, and that was not even the exact reason" Cassandra corrected.
"Damn…if only I knew about that" Alexander muttered as he put the logo back. "So, we're just gonna be flying around, sitting in a pelican?"
"Pretty much, unless Twister a bit get's rowdy" Tyler answered.
"I heard that" Twister said over the speaker, which made the situation even funnier.
Tyler got up from his seat and walked over close to the edge of the ramp, he wanted to have a better view over the terrain. 'Damn that jungle's thick' he thought as the pelican flew over the vast, large and dense jungle, the only real road ways that they could hope to assume were the rivers that flowed through the jungle, and even then, in some parts, the river too was covered by it.
'My oh my…seems like Vietnam' Tyler thought as they flew over a small river, he could only wonder what a battle on this planet would be like…'Looks like we found Space Vietnam'
"Don't fall off Tyler, would hate if the next casualty of the team was you" Alexander joked.
"Nah, don't worry I'm not that bad on holding onto things" Tyler answered, although saying that, it did sting him as it reminded him of Randall. "On the bright side, atleast we are getting shot at by the covenant; so be grat-"
Before he could finish, the pelican was sudden rocked by something strong…very, very strong. The SPARTANs seated were almost thrown off their seats, while Twister herself tried her best to bring the Pelican under stable control.
However…that was not the case for Tyler, who had been thrown off his footing. Everything was slow motion for him, entering SPARTAN TIME…he could see himself being thrown off the pelican through the open ramp…he could have used his thrusters to save himself and get back in…but he didn't…he didn't know why…was it guilt, or acceptance.
Inside the pelican, of the four SPARTANs, Cassandra like always was the first to react, immediately jumping off her seat just as Tyler was sent flying out of the pelican. "Tyler!" she exclaimed as she reached her hand out, trying her best to grab, but to no avail as he was already out of her reach.
Alexander was the next to react, not wasting even a second as he jumped out of his seat, grabbing Cassandra by the shoulders, restraining her from falling down into the same fate. "Hang on Cassie!" he exclaimed.
Owen too immediately made his way over to them…all of them could only watch as their leader too faded and disappeared into the dense jungle, his IFF tag too disappearing. Cassandra could only watch in horror as they few away. "No…" she said under her breath, almost in disbelief on what had just occurred.
Owen turned to look back at Maria, who nodded, understanding what to do.
Tapping into her COM link, she spoke out, "Twister, bring the pelican down…we have a man down"
"Negative, can't do that SPARTAN" Twister replied.
Alexander immediately turned around and opened his COM link too, "The hell do you mean you can't, WE JUST LOST TYLER, OUR DAMN LEADER, WE CAN'T JUST ABANDON HIM!" he shouted.
"And I can't bring this birdie down without it getting scrapped! Whatever hit us damaged the fuel tanker AND one of the engines, if we stay here any longer there's no way back!…as much as I hate to say it…we'll have to come back later" Twister said, she made and excellent point, and as much as the SPARTANs hated it…they would have to return later on…but Alexander was stubborn, and would have argued had it not been for Cassandra placing a hand on his shoulders, shaking her head.
"Stand down" she ordered, she was second in command after all, and everyone could tell how much she hated giving that order, they could hear her gritting her teethes.
"I'll inform the Roman of our situation until then…we can only hope" Twister said
The ramp of the pelican began to seal shut; while the SPARTANs could only sit back down in despair…everything was going so well…and now this.
Meanwhile Tyler continued to fall from the sky, his view of the Pelican in the distance flying away soon disappearing as he was engulfed in the leaves of the dense forest, continuing to fall through the leaves.
He broke multiple branches, both small and large and very large, each of which seriously tested if his bones really were unbreakable. Until finally he crashed into solid ground, hitting the back of his head hard on the ground, while his consciousness began to fade away, slowly dissipating into obscurity.
On the Bridge of the Roman Blue, the crew went around with their daily duties, some of them gathered in a single post, using their collective brains to help solve something, or to simply act as if they were doing something…no one knows.
Hood stood at the foreground, the tactical map was turned off for the moment, giving him a much clearer view of the planet, besides him on the holotank, Nero projected itself.
"Nero, what exactly is the date today?" Hood asked, although he already knew, he just needed to confirm.
"December 23rd, 2534, Military time, two days away from Christmas if you ask me" Nero answered.
Hood nodded, "This might just be the first Christmas that the crew would be spending outside of Cryo"
"Correct assumption, Sir. I do feel quite excited" Nero said, to which Hood gave a small look. "I may be an AI, Sir, but even I can digitally feel things"
"That's no doubt" Hood agreed.
Both of them returned their gaze back towards the planet, with Hood clasping his hands behind his back. "What's the status on our stocks?" he asked.
"Other than the Gym equipments that the Lieutenant commander had broken so long ago…everything is in perfect stock, we wouldn't need another resupply until October of 2536" Nero answered.
Hood nodded, it had been a good decision to make sure to restock before leaving Ballast.
"Sir, if I may, I had been going through the ship's feed systems, and I've heard…gossips that the men will be getting…Hot chocolate on Christmas Eve" Nero stated.
Hood chuckled, "Well if you heard it, then its damn fine true, those cooks plan everything themselves, almost as if they have their own command structure" he lightly joked.
"Certainly possible, Sir" Nero commented.
Their moment of small talk was interrupted by a communications officer who informed from his post, "Sir, transmission from the surface, it's an E-band"
"Put them through" Hood issued.
Soon, the voice of Twister rang out through the consol's speaker, "Mayday, Mayday, this is Twister 49, we've taken heavy damage and are pulling off of the surface, casualty taken, One, SPARTAN down. I repeat SPARTAN down, we've lost the LC, he's MIA"
All activity on the bridge halted, all eyes being turned towards the speaker…Hood was stunned, his ears weren't deceiving them…were they?
He remained paused for…even he didn't know how long, he didn't know what to do next…for the first time, he had no idea how to proceed.
"Sir?" Nero called, snapping him out, "Orders?"
Hood tensed, going through every possible solution, his hands trembled a bit…hearing the sentence 'SPARTAN Casualty' is a nightmare for any service man or woman.
"What's the status on the recon squads?" Hood inquired, still shaken by the news.
"Squads one to six are all down on the surface, no leads to the signal yet. Squads Seven are eight are preparing for deployment" Nero informed.
"Have the last two Squad's parameter's changed, they're gonna be looking for the Lieutenant commander" Hood issued, "Get medical teams ready just in case…and have maintenance team down at the launch bay, I want a full report on what exactly happened"
Hood said as he made his way towards the exit, he had to see it for himself, one part of him refused to believe that the Lieutenant commander was MIA possibly KIA, while another part of him dreaded in thoughts as he realized what would happen if he truly was dead.
Tyler for all, had a lot of influence in command, many of the higher ups respected him a lot, although he may seem to never know or realize about it, it was a universal fact in the UNSC that he was to be RESPECTED.
For Hood, he was a life saver, a lot of the times that is. He genuinely believed that Tyler would and will be one of the key players for Humanity's continued survival and triumph in this God forsake war, a view shared by many in FLEETCOM, including his former Captain and friend, James Cutter.
Hood couldn't imagine the morale drop that would happen if he was truly dead, although he was Naval intelligence would censor any detail of this, the same couldn't be said for the crew of the Roman Blue or his team of SPARTANs.
Hood walked down the hallways, his hands clasped behind his back. As he did so, he walked passed many personals, crew and marines alike, all of whom stopped and saluted him as he walked by.
In other days he would have returned a nod, but not today, not now…this entire operation which seemed to not be much, might just have gotten critical…very critical.
Date: [UNKNOWN]
Location: [UNKD-OMANO-WN-IAN]
The sounds of birds singing were heard, but none were in sight, the scorching heat of the sun fell upon the land, yet no sweat fell, there was no silence, there was no living, there was no cloud, and no star…..just a plain of grass, with one drop of water which grew thorns.
Tyler's eyes flash open as he gasped for air. 'What the hell…the fuck am I at' he thought as he raised both his hands, making sure they were fine…which they were, as if instincts kicked in, he immediately placed both his hands on his face, rubbing them across every corner, touching, feeling every single part of his face, his eyes, nose, mouth, ears and his hair…all of which were intact.
Tyler sighed in relief as he got up, dusting himself in the process. He realized that he was no longer in his MJOLNIR, no, he was in his off-duty uniform, black Camo fatigues like the ODSTs, black shirt with his number on the chest.
Tyler looked around his area, scanning for any danger, 'Wait…this isn't THE place…' he thought as all he was greeted with was a vast grassy plains, the only out of touch thing was the oasis type pond right in front of him, around which a series of palm and oak trees grew at.
'Hang on…isn't this…' Tyler started to realize as he looked around the place, and once again, all he was greeted with was a vast grassy plains…similar to the vast central Asian steeps. "Ah fack…this place again" Tyler murmured under his breath.
Walking over to the pond, he simply sat by its edge and looked down at his own reflection…it was…clear, far too clear, almost as if he were looking into a mirror. 'Bloody hell…I've not aged a bit now that I think about it' he thought.
Even though his age had increased over the twenties…he still looked as if he were fifteen, sure he had some scars which made him look older, and his SPARTAN height, but other than that…he was and still looked like a fifteen year old.
"So that's why I still have no girls" Tyler joked to himself, and making himself laugh…he didn't know how now…but this place felt…nostalgic, when he first had dreams of this place back on 25, he felt confused, alarmed and…even scared…now, he felt calmness…he felt as if he were Tyler Williams again, the teenage kid that loved Halo and everything about it…and one that had an almost stupid yet aspiring dream.
'Let me guess…something's gonna happen again' Tyler mentally said to himself as he sat near the pond and waited…every time he came here, something would happen, something until when he would once again wake up.
And so, he waited…and waited… and waited… and waited…until it had been God knows how long. 'Don't tell me I'm stuck here now' Tyler thought as he mentally panicked…the first few times he came here was when he slept or was in cryo, then was when he went unconscious…and before ending up here he was…'No…I can't be…dead?'
"You are correct to assume that you are not in fact, dead" a voice was heard next to him…very next to him, and in fact, it had a very English accent, one of more etiquette and authority.
Tyler jerked back towards the sides a bit, having been spooked out by the sudden voice, which was awfully familiar to him. Looking up, he saw a man, mostly late forties or early fifties, although his physic said otherwise, however what truly made him recognizable was his uniform, he wore a Number 3B general duty dress, summer variant, with his rank insignia proudly seen on the collars.
A uniform that Old Tyler would have proudly worn one day, a day which never came…and probably never would, "Dad?" Tyler asked, almost in a disbelieving and unconvinced tone.
His father, whose name was seen on his chest…Tobias. R. Williams, simply gave him a side stare, 'Oh shoot…' Tyler mentally cursed; he remembered what would happen when his old man gave him that stare.
Without a blink, his father immediately kicked his son on his legs and barked, "Get up you runt, is this how you respect your pops!"
Oh how he had missed his Dad's kick…without any waste, Tyler immediately got up on his feet and stood in attention, he stood taller than his father, but he still showed him the respect that he needed…the respect he had earned.
"Dad…are you…real?" Tyler shyly asked, to him it was a stupid question, and it seems his Father had the same views…like father like son.
"Of course I'm bloody not innit!" he barked once more, taking Tyler aback.
'Wait…not real? Did I hear that right?' Tyler thought.
"Did I stutter?" his father asked in an authoritative tone, once more taking Tyler aback….he can read his mind?
"How did you…where…what…wh-fuck I can't speak" Tyler cursed right in front of his father, usually he would have gotten the biggest disciplining in the face…but this time…his father remained calm and silent…proving his point of him not being real, as if he truly was real…Tyler would have probably gotten some nice sucker punches.
"Look at you rascal, I raised a man, not an idiot, speak like a man Wanker!" his father barked out.
Tough love…it was something his father had started to show once he had revealed that he would too join the military…it was something Tyler had volunteered for, even after his father had warned him that he won't be lenient, all of which helped him a lot when he joined the academy.
Tyler looked down, not in shame, but guilt…guilt in what he had become…he once wanted to be an SAS, and through unknown circumstances, became a SPARTAN…something he only imagined…imagined…and now that he was one…he started to act like an idiot…a fool…a softie, one loss had affected him so much…
He heard his father sigh, before speaking up, "My son, Look".
Tyler still had his head lowered, which only further agitated his father, "Look here you damn scoundrel!" he barked, to which Tyler immediately looked up… straight in his eyes. "My son, you're troubled…a soldier cannot fight without a right mind, and most of all, a Leader cannot lead without the perfect mind"
"Yeah…but how…how am I supposed to move on?" Tyler asked, almost pleading…trauma was never a thing he had experienced, and so…experiencing it now…he was unprepared.
"Look my son" his father said as he placed his hand on the shoulder, making Tyler feel…comforted. "There are some things we can never change, we're human's after all, and as a leader, the loss of life in a war is unavoidable"
"But I let him die…I could have saved him, his life mattered to me, and it was my job to make sure he made it back" Tyler expressed, not giving a damn about if his father understood what he was even talking about.
His father, to his surprise only gave a small yet tough smile, "He didn't, he gave his life so that you may live, didn't he?" he asked.
Before Tyler could answer, a short flash of the exact moment Randall fell to his death, flashed before him…"You see, when one of your boys give his life for you, it's not because he's a selfish wanker, but because that mate values your life more than his" His father continued.
"And when that happens, it's your duty, as a team and a leader, to make sure his death; his sacrifice did not go down the drains of London, and in a war…the best way to honor him…is to Finish the fight" his father ended with a small bump on his chest, before walking over to a nearby oak tree and lighting a cigarette, blowing a puff as he stood next to the tree.
Tyler was…astonished? No, he was…refreshed…un-ironically a strong, authoritative and experienced man to smash some sense into him, and so, Tyler only smiled as he nodded. "I'll tale you're word to heart dad"
"And remember! Always follow your heart, but enact it with that fat brain of yours!" his father shouted as he let out another puff of smoke…before soon, from his lower body, he began to fade away. "Good luck my son…you make me proud"
Before Tyler could reach out, he too felt himself going dizzy, his vision fading away once more…he had wanted to talk more to his unreal father…but it seemed time hadn't been on his side.
December 24, 2534, 0445 hours [MILITARY CALENDER]
Location: Artemis system, Taree….
Stirring up awake, Tyler finally regained consciousness and jerked up, looking around the area, making sure to scan every detail around him, he could be in a hostile situation, or not…either way, he had to be cautious.
However, instead of being greeted with a dark, shadowy and almost abyssal forest, his sight was welcomed upon to a room…a very sturdy large room, entirely made out of wood, there were three windows on the three sides, both in front of him, and on either sides… his motion tracker showed everything was clear…but that didn't mean he would lower his guard.
It wouldn't take long for him to figure out that…it was a tree house…how it was holding his weight was a mystery, but most importantly, how he ended up here.
Last he remembered, or hoped he remembered, was him hitting solid ground, not a sturdy well made wooden floor.
As he tried to get up, he felt a jolt of pain go through his left shoulder, immediately moving his right hand over to help suffice the pain, he had most likely dislocated a bone or two, and right now, he'd have to use brute strength to join it back.
But before he could, he was interrupted by a voice, "I don't think trying to fix your shoulder immediately after waking up is a good play"
Tyler immediately snapped his head around, scanning each and every corner of the room, trying to figure out where the voice came from, "Who's there" he demanded, and although Tyler knew he was in a vulnerable position, he couldn't help but demand, "Show yourself!"
"No need to shout mate, it's still mornin" the voice said, he had a very Australian accent.
Homing in on where the voice came from, Tyler's gaze landed on a wooden chair, obscure by the shadow, right besides the front window, he could barely make a figure seated on the chair, Tyler tried to reach for his weapons, atleast his side arm…but to his dismay, he found them to be missing.
"If you're looking for your weapons…it's on the table, over there" the voice said, to which Tyler followed, his gaze for a brief moment landing on the table on his right, before returning his gaze to this shadowy figure.
"Alright…Who are you? What do you want?" Tyler asked, he was still very cautious, you had to be cautious, as a man who's behind a shadow, and very, very perceptive is someone you shouldn't take lightly.
"Joe" the voice answered.
"Joe wh-" Tyler was about to say, but immediately halted himself as he realized the absolute Nuclear blast he was walking into.
The mysterious man simply chuckled, "Ah, I see you know of this old trick…guess I have no choice…call me Leo"
"As to what I want? Well nothing, after all, you did land right next to my post, it was simply merely good gesture to harbor you here while night passed" the voice ended.
Tyler didn't sense any malice in his words, something which he was totally expecting a shadowy figure to do. "That's…thank you" Tyler thanked, it was the least he could do to someone who had sheltered him in his weakened state.
"No need for thanks, just doing what's right" the man replied, a candle was soon lit by him, revealing his full figure, which as Tyler had studied, was seated on the chair.
But what took him aback was his outfit…or his choice of outfit…a green camo fatigue, a torn half military jacket, and a red bandana wrapped around his forehead…'Is that Rambo?' Tyler could only think as he studied the man's features.
He was muscular, very muscular…nowhere near SPARTAN level, but still impressive, he had a mix of green and black painted over his face, probably for Camo…which raised further questions, "Are you…UNSC?" Tyler asked.
"No…I'm or We, are more of the planet's police…Colonial militia as the UEG and the UNSC calls" the man answered.
"What" Tyler said, confused. With the little Intel that Nero had provided about the planet…Taree was said to have almost if not no UNSC presence on the planet, it didn't even have a colonial administration. "I thought the UNSC had no presence on this planet"
"Well yes, but the planet needs its own defense, and since we're not technically independent…we stuck with the Colonial militia" the man explained, which made some sense.
"So, I guess you're a local then?" Tyler asked, changing the subject.
"Close to being one" the man answered, to which Tyler, beneath his faceplate, raised an eyebrow, "Served in the marines up until 2524, after I discharged I settled down here, away from all that mess with the innies and what not…Taree might not seem much, and it's definitely not a vacation spot…but with the right mind, skills and will…it's a good retirement world"
Tyler silently nodded, "You said you were colonial militia…so doesn't that mean you must be a part of a unit?" he asked.
"Traditionally, Yes" the man answered as he leaned on the back of his chair, "But this world forces you to be…unconventional, the wild life here is…it's definitely dangerous, and that's not even talking about the plants that grow in these forests"
Tyler upon hearing on how he spoke deduced that the planet that THEY were on was…a no fly zone, 'Oh god…so it's Australia, Vietnam and the Amazon combined…that's bad…very, very bad' Tyler thought.
"Usually we vets are often given solo duties, like sentries and scouting" the man continued, "If you're wondering, this is not my house, but the post I was stationed on"
Not that Tyler was even about to ask, but it was appreciating for him to clear a possible miss understanding. "Are there any major settlements?" Tyler asked.
"Why do you ask? Are you planning to invade us or something?" the man obviously joked.
Tyler chuckled, "No, just wondering if they're any cities on this planet, it's hard to tell from orbit" Tyler answered.
"Well because there aren't any" the man too answered, "Taree doesn't keep cities, that would make them a massive target, what it does have are small villages, towns even, small pockets of populations spread thinly around the large forest"
Tyler tilted his head in confusion, "Then how do you…communicate? We had observed that radio frequencies could not be sent from within the forest…so, how?"
"Messengers of course, when I said this planet forces you to unconventional, I meant it, living standards here could be comparable to Earth's old Medieval age, it's not the best, but every man makes due here" the man said
'Guess that's why it's not a vacation spot' Tyler thought.
Tyler tried to open some sort of COMs link to the Roman Blue or atleast to anyone…but it seemed that the signal either didn't go through, or his Helmet's COMs had been damaged. "How high up is this…outpost?"
"Three meters above ground, it's still well below the larger trees" the man answered.
'Well that's not nice now…wait did he just LARGER trees!?' Tyler thought.
Slowly getting up on his feet, Tyler made sure to NOT accidently break the wooden floor, placing one foot forwards, preparing to walk towards where his weapons were kept, "No need to worry mate, the floor can hold your weight, it can after all hold about 40 tons without collapsing" the man assured.
'Forty. Fucking. tons! This thing can almost hold a flipping tank' Tyler mentally said to himself, while nodding to the man's assurance, and slowly walking towards the table where his guns were at.
His weapons were neatly arranged, his DMR taking the majority of the space, with its mags besides it, bellow it was his M6D side arm, also with its mags, frag grenades on the sides and finally, his combat knife.
It took Tyler atleast two minutes to pick up all his equipments, and making sure they weren't in any way, damaged.
Turning towards the man, who still sat on his chair, distracted as he looked out his window, or observation window, "I'll have to move out" Tyler said.
"Hold up right there" the man said as he too got up, walking over to the table next to him, he picked what seemed, like his own weapon, a MA5B assault rifle, "You're not going out there alone"
"That won't be necessary, you've already helped me enough" Tyler argued.
"You know, some folks from the marines that recently settled down here had been talking about some Super soldiers going around, now everyone dismissed that as rumors, and I got some old contacts still in the Marines, some of which come for visits sometimes…and I can tell that you…your one of them Super soldiers aren't you" the man stated, to which Tyler stiffed up.
"What if I am?" Tyler challenged, "If you've heard even the slightest of rumors about Super soldiers. Then you must know that they are more than capable"
"On the battlefield maybe" the man said, "But in this world, in this forest, anyone new is a stranger, and I'll tell you this, strangers won't last even a minute without help from A local"
Tyler stayed silent as he swallowed the words from the man, who slacked his gun over his back and walked towards the centre of the room, "And you don't know where the exit even is at" he said as he smacked his ceiling with the butt of his gun, which in turn lowered a ladder which in turn led to an opening in the ceiling. "Come on now, I'll take you to where you need"
The man climbed up the ladder, while Tyler watched in astonishment, 'Guess he had a point' Tyler thought and shrugged before following the man up, the ladder, like the floor, was capable of withstanding his weight.
Climbing up, Tyler had expected to be greeted by atleast some sunlight or the sky, but no, he was greeted by a dark shadow with over grown vines and creepers, the man waited for him at what seemed like a small opening in the dense vines, and so he walked over towards him.
"See what I mean, you'd not even know where to start" the man said, to which Tyler nodded. "Now keep up with me, Boy"
For some reasons, Tyler being called Boy didn't really irk him or even annoy him, instead it made him feel more…humble, more humility.
Tyler followed the man, who seemed to walk on some extremely large branches, ignoring the fact that it too could hold Tyler's weight, 'Have I lost weight?' Tyler thought, obviously he knew it wouldn't be the reason or even possible, but he didn't want to think about the other reasons.
"How'd you know where I would be headed?" Tyler asked.
"It's obvious for anyone from the military, if you're stranded you'd try to get word back to whatever vessel you came from, and on this planet, to do that, you'd need an open ground with no trees, and lucky for you, I know exactly where it is" the man replied.
Tyler nodded, satisfied with the answer, however there were several more that were still unanswered, "Why not move by ground? Any reason?" Tyler asked.
"Oh you bet there is, if we move by ground, I'll bet you, we won't even last ten seconds" the man calmly replied.
"Why?" Tyler asked a simple question. "Is it because of the…wildlife?"
"No" the man answered, taking Tyler aback and confusing him. "It not those animals and bugs that are the danger"
'What' Tyler thought, if animals weren't the danger, then what was?
"It's the damn plants" the man answered, stunning Tyler for a moment, "atleast eighty nine percent of the plants down there are either toxic or acidic, and then another eight percent are predators, man eating ones"
'The fuck…is this Jumanji or something?' Tyler thought, never had he thought plants could be actually the main danger on a planet. "And then the other, one percent are either harmless one's or the big shooter ones, now those one's are the real reasons why you don't see any air boys on this planet and why aerial travel is not possible. Those damn things fire big balls of glue, ones strong enough to bring down birds and all for them to feast on" the man continued, as the traversed through the branches of the tree.
'So that must have been what rocked the pelican' Tyler thought…now it all made sense on why their pelican was hit with something big and large. 'Oh Twister would be pissed'
"What about the weapon" Tyler asked to which the man hummed in response, "The UNSC doesn't have any presence here, and I don't think other than old vets, no other offical personals stop by here, so, where'd you get the guns from"
"That my friend, is a good question" the man said, "The government might not care enough for this world…but arms dealers sure do love stopping by, others like raiders, criminals and even innies also do…the last three of them don't last long as EVERYTHING on this planet hunts them, but arms dealers? They're just businessmen, and are the only way we get some arms to fend for ourselves"
Tyler silently nodded. The two of them came across a breaking point in the long and thick branch they were walking on, a gap which separated two branches from two different trees… the gap down was a bit high, and the lack of light made it near impossible for any human to see anything down in the dark…but for Tyler it was no issue, with his augmented eyes and even the in-built night vision.
The man jumped over to the other side with ease, but Tyler…he hesitated, he didn't know if the weight of his body would break that branch or not.
Seeing his hesitance, the man spoke out, "It's alright, you can jump, these big branched won't break even with the full weight of a tank"
Feeling a bit reassured, Tyler leaped over across the gap, landing perfectly on the large branch, and as the man had assured, it didn't break. "Jesus" Tyler said under his breath, "How are the plants this…strong?"
"On that…we don't know" the man said as he continued to walk, which Tyler followed suit.
"What" Tyler asked, confused at his answer.
'We don't know" the man repeated, "When the first colonist arrived here, the world was already a massive dense jungle, ironically it was almost uninhabitable, not because it was barren or highly radioactive…but because it was too habitable…the soil here is very, very fertile, plant any seed here and it will mutate and evolve into either a toxic shooter, or a giant tree, with barks and branches that are strong as titanium, we don't even cut them trees down, for even with all those fancy machines the government at earth has, all the manpower, they would only be capable of cutting down two tenth of the entire planet before everything they cut grew back"
"Any idea how?" Tyler asked, already knowing the answer.
"As I said, even we don't know…all we do know is that it's home…might be harsh, but atleast it keeps us safe from anything outside" the man said.
Tyler understood why the man was implying, he couldn't help but agree that this world might just be the one human world that the Covenant genuinely wouldn't be able to glass, hell they might not even know there are humans here, it was as if the world was almost…sentient, perhaps even artificially made.
"Some kids in the towns often share stories about some blue eyed birds in the skies at night, said they have one eye, and are big, too big for an average bird, say they even fly almost as if they levitate" the man said, "Of course it's nothing but stories made by kids"
'Wait…one eye, colored blue and flies as if it levitates…' Tyler thought as he felt as if that description was eerily familiar to him, and then it clicked. 'Sentinels…'
It all made sense now…this world was too bizarre, too dangerous to have naturally formed…and so it made sense that the Forerunners were the ones that were responsible for this world's conditions…but that meant if sentinels were here…that meant a structure of facility was on the planet, 'Tyler…you just hit a jack pot' Tyler mentally complimented himself. But, as much as he would have loved to check this forerunner facility or structure out, it'd be best left for another time…after all, he was certain the Covenant won't even find the structure in this deep forest.
They made to an ending, and ending which was another branch which was sloped down, almost like a slide, "That's the final road, and we'll be where you need to be" the man said as he casually jumped down, landing on the branch and skillfully sliding along the branch.
'I feel like a little kid again' Tyler thought, he hadn't used or played in a slide since he was five. 'Welp…here we go'
With that, Tyler followed suit as well, landing down on the branch and sliding along it, surprising; the branch was even longer than the previous ones, taking him through many different trees. It was in this short-cut that Tyler had his chance to witness one of those man eating plants…to put it simply, it was an over grown Venus fly trap, it's head basically the size of a damn hippo.
It took a good forty seconds before Tyler saw the view of light, penetrating through a small opening, and just like that, Tyler found himself thrown out of the natural slide and into a small yet flat open ground, with nothing but rocks and gravel, in front of it was a large river that ran down and disappeared into the forest.
The man was waiting right next to the river, taking a few sips from it. As Tyler got up, he looked up at the sky, which was still a bit dark, the local sun still not fully out, as it seemed it was still early morning,
"Wow…that was something" Tyler said.
"It's normal day for us" the man said as he walked towards Tyler, "You know, if you want, you could stay here"
Tyler chuckled, while the man joined in too, "That was a nice joke" Tyler commented, staying here would mean deserting the UNSC and humanity…and that was something Tyler would never ever do…not because he was indoctrinated like the others…but because he had a Purpose to fulfill.
"I know…it was worth a shot, I know Super soldiers like you would never abandon the military…I would never too as well, had it been a few decades ago…well if you ever want, say some changes happen…we're always open" the man said
"I'll see about it" Tyler said, he definably wasn't planning on retiring from being a SPARTAN…if that was even possible…but it was kind and genuine offer, one which he might consider if things changed.
His thoughts were interrupted as his COMs sudden flared to life, "Tyler? Tyler! Oh thank whatever God that we finally got your signal" Cassandra's voice was heard.
"I'm still here Cassie, a little fall isn't enough take me down" Tyler proudly assured.
"Yeah right, be grateful that you've got John's luck with you…anyways, we'll be arriving at your position, ETA's two minutes" Cassandra said.
"Right…Tyler out" Tyler said as he turned off his COMs, turning back towards the man, he was about to speak, but stopped, as the man was nowhere to be found, 'What' Tyler thought.
Tyler looked around, scanning the edges of the forest to find any signs of the man, but to no avail…there wasn't even any tracks of him…it was as if he had vanished, as if he was never here, wasn't real…
His short search for the man that had helped him came to an end as the distant sounds of engines were heard, getting ever so closer…and not even five seconds a pelican flew over head, conducting a circle of the area before beginning to land on the open patch of ground.
As the pelican landed, it lowered it hatch, and immediately the four SPARTANs of his team filled out, with Cassandra in the lead, who immediately stopped right in front of him. An awkward silence followed between the five SPARTANs, that was before Tyler broke it, "Miss me?"
Instead of getting a reply or even a greeting, all he received was a kick to his groin, "Fuck" Tyler cursed as he stumbled back a bit, containing his pain and want to scream, 'Cubby wanker…only Kelly ever did that…'
"That's for being an idiot" Cassandra said, "Do you know how worried all of us got!?"
"Yeah, you gave everyone back at the Roman Blue a mini heart attack as well" Alexander chimed in, only to get smacked by Maria.
"If you hadn't jinxed it, that wouldn't have happened" Maria said, while Tyler rubbed the back of his helmet.
"It's good to have you back Tyler" Owen said, the only one to actually give him a greeting.
"Yeah, yeah…so, how's the mission going?" Tyler asked.
"Our mission was changed, most of the recon squads were redirected in finding you" Cassandra replied, still very pissed.
"Right…" Tyler nervously chuckled. "But what about the signal…what of the ship?"
"Squad four and six found the crash site, approximately ten kilos east, there was nothing there, just the front bow of the ship, it seemed to have been split in half" Maria replied.
Tyler nodded, "So…we going or what?"
"Get in" Cassandra said in a serious tone, immediately dragging him into the Pelican, followed by his team. Before being seated in the Pelican, Tyler gave one last look towards the jungle, hoping to see if that man was still looking from somewhere…but it seemed even his augmented eyesight was unable to detect him..or he really wasn't real and just his imagination.
As the ramp to the pelican closed and Tyler took his seat, Twister's voice came through the speaker, "Welcome back aboard, Sir, hope your picnic down was fun"
"It definitely was" Tyler replied, joining in with his humor.
"Well, let's get back home shall be, and please make sure you don't fall off"
Tyler chuckled to himself. Soon he felt the Pelican lift off the ground, and immediately start ascending towards the orbit…today or the today and the day before was…interesting…
Meanwhile, in the dense woods, right at the edge/border which would lead onto the open ground, atop one of the large branches, hidden deep inside the woods, but with a clear view.
It was on that branch that the man, or Leo sat, and watched as the SPARTAN he had helped was dragged into the pelican, he chuckled to himself, "Truly are kids"
He grabbed a piece of handmade cigarette from his pocket, putting it in his mouth, he used a lighter he had to lit it up, and released a small puff as he watched the pelican take off.
Leaning against the trunk of the tree, he looked up at the sky where the Pelican soon became just a dot, before completely disappearing…letting off another puff, he unbuttoned one buttons on his jacket, letting it completely loose free, which revealed a tattoo on his right chess…the tattoo was that of a Lion, facing his left, a sword that passed through his top and exited on the bottom, and the words PROSEQUOR AD ASTRA inscribed right between the sword and the lion…it was a tattoo that he had kept since his time in the military…a time that would never leave him.
He took one final puff before throwing the cigarette away, chuckling, he got up and dusted himself, and giving one last look at the sky…it would be the last for him, atleast for a while. "Avery, you damn son of a guns, you weren't kidding about these Super soldiers…guess these really are the new ones" he murmured to himself before disappearing into the woods
December 24, 2534, 0703 hours [MILITARY CALENDER]
Location: Artemis system, Taree, UNSC Halcyon class light cruiser, Roman Blue
The pelican began to descend and dock into the launch bay of the Roman Blue, and soon, as it docked, the ramp to its troop bay was lowered, allowing its SPARTAN passengers to exit.
As Tyler stepped out from the pelican, he was greeted by the sight of Captain Hood, escorted by two marines, waiting just outside, right in front of him.
Halting half way, Tyler and his team immediately snapped into attention and saluted. "At ease" Hood said.
Tyler and his team stepped out of the pelican and towards Hood, with Tyler in the lead, "Good to see you well, SPARTAN, you had us all on the knife's edge here" Hood remarked.
"A little fall won't be enough to take a SPARTAN down" Tyler replied.
"I sure as well" Hood agreed, "Now, as much as I want a report of everything that happened down there, there are much more pressing matters"
"Sir?" Tyler questioned.
"SPARTANs, you're needed at the conference room, you'll be briefed on what's about to come" Hood said, and soon without any waste, turned around and left with his marine escorts.
All five SPARTANs looked at each other before nodding, and thus they immediately without any wastage of time, made their way towards the Conference/briefing room.
The walk to the conference room was short, one which was covered in silence from the SPARTANs, not because they weren't in the mood, but because they were all wondering what could be so important for the Captain himself to bring it to them…that they were about to find out in a moment.
Entering the conference room, it was empty, no sign of life, only a deactivated Holotable at the centre, and a screen on the wall…a screen on the wall.
Tyler immediately had an idea who it was that was going to brief them…and he would be proven right.
The screen turned on, and in came the image of Commander Leroy, seated behind his desk, with his hands clasped.
Without any hesitation, every SPARTAN snapped into attention and saluted…in the meantime, the door they had entered from too slid shut. "At ease SPARTANs" Leroy said.
"Sir, if I may, what's going on?" Alexander asked.
"I'll get to that in a moment petty officer" Leroy replied, before his gaze turned to Tyler, "Well, well, heard you got into an accident"
"Merely a scratch, Sir" Tyler replied, a smirk forming behind his faceplate.
"Mhm…alright then, back to the topic" Leroy said, to which the SPARTANs tensed up, "Under official orders from FLEETCOM, your assigned ship will be transferred over to the frigate, Commune, your time on the Roman blue has unfortunately expired"
The SPARTANs didn't openly show it, but they were quite disappointed to hear that…all of them, especially Tyler knew that it won't be long before they would be shipped off somewhere else…and it seemed that day had arrived.
"When shall we leave, Sir" Cassandra asked.
"The Roman Blue will return back to Ballast, there the Commune would be waiting for your arrival, as for the Roman Blue, it will be rejoining Admiral Cole's fleet in Epsilon Eridani" Leroy answered.
It was a satisfactory answer, however Tyler knew there was more to catch, Leroy wouldn't have called only to inform them of their redeployment, "I sense there is more, Sir" Tyler said.
Leroy smirked and answered, "Perceptive as always, indeed there is more"
Suddenly, the Holotable was activated, all attention turning away from the screen and towards the table, which had a holographic star map, which decomposed into a star system, then finally to a particular Planet…one dubbed as Jericho VII.
"I believe all of you are aware with Jericho?" Leroy asked.
"We are, Sir. I'd say we're one of the few SPARTANs that haven't had the honor to fight there" Maria said, the sarcasm on the word 'Honor' being highly visible.
"Well it's your lucky day then, because that's where you're headed" Leroy said, and then the hologram of Jericho decomposed into a table top, holographic 3D map of the surface.
"As you all know, the Planet's been under constant battle for two and soon to be three years, UNSC forces have been able to hold out on the planet for long enough, but with the constant arrival of more covenant ship…Command has seen it fit to order a withdrawal by next year" Leroy explained.
"So is this a guarding the rear mission?" Owen asked
"On that part later petty officer, now where was I" Leroy said, "Yes, So, I've estimated that your deployment and mission will occur just before the official withdrawal is ordered, after which all material that was being shifted to Jericho would be halted"
Tyler and his team nodded, but still there was the question of, what their mission even was, "Now, onto your mission" Leroy said.
The holographic map changed into that of a mountainous terrain, a type of platform hanging on by its edge, on the far end of the hologram, the outskirt buildings of a city was visible.
"This is your mission, Research and Development facility or materials facility Zero nine. Officially abandoned when the planet was first invaded, the personals there had failed to destroy any and every asset remaining, even the data banks. Over the years Naval intelligence has deployed teams to complete the unfinished task, but to no success" Leroy stated, while Tyler in particular closely observed the map, "And so, Naval intelligence has seen your team fit for the job, your success rate is higher than most SPARTAN teams, rivaled only by one. Your mission is simple, get in there and destroy any remaining asset, both physical and digital, leave nothing behind, we cannot have the Covenant rummage through confidential and potentially catastrophic data"
"We understand" Tyler said.
"Good, any questions?" Leroy asked.
Owen raised his hand and spoke up, "Sir…can we use a Nuclear warhead if necessary"
Leroy chuckled over the screen and spoke, "I believe you will be authorized to use anything and I mean anything to make sure that facility is destroyed…any other"
Cassandra was the next to ask, "Sir, will there be any other team accompanying us?"
"While there are other SPARTAN teams on Jericho, you will be the only team for this operation, codenamed, OPERATION: MOSCOW, however there will be a platoon of marines that would be deployed alongside you, and will act as your rear guard while you enter the facility, speaking of which, you will be received with the proper schematics of the facility, it is quite a maze"
Everyone nodded, there seemed to be no more questions left and so Leroy continued on, "Consider this your first assignment from Naval intelligence, your first Black ops of sort, I wish you good luck on your mission……and Merry Christmas as well" the screen along with the table turned off.
The five SPARTANs all looked at each other, and Tyler spoke out, "Well…let's get ready to enter the dark"
A/N: And that my folks is Chapter 3. Sorry dear readers for the late update, as you all know, Christmas is nearing, which really is limiting my time, but fear not, update schedules might become as bad as Oversimplified's but know this, I will not die until this story…this series of books I've planned is all over….well then, I'll probably do a Christmas special chapter, Spoiler: it won't have anything to do with the overall plot, just Tyler having some much needed relaxation and fun…so until then dear readers….hang on.
Before that, I have to address another comment from one of you.
Guest [Anonymous: "Hey I was wondering if somewhere in these sagas that we get to meet O'Brien and his teammates of ODSTs from halo legends"
Well my man, all I can say to you is that you hit the nail on the head, if there is one thing I've planned then it has to do with covering almost every. Single. Halo media/extended universe [Except TV series for obvious reasons]…although things like Halo evolutions might be added in the Behind the scene book I've planned…trust me, I've planned almost all of the plot regarding my books up until…nah wait that would be spoilers…so as any good Author/creator would say, stick around and find out…so until then……P E A C E.