Prologue
Mike was having the time of his life. Here he was, a ten year old child,
yet still having fun playing duck, duck, goose. “Who cares what the
others say,” his mother had said, “just have fun!” The new kid was circling
the others. “Duck, duck, duck, duck, duck...” Mike was wondering when it
would stop when suddenly, “Goose!”
Mike whirled around and tried to catch the kid with his hand but he was too
late. He got up and circled as fast as he possibly could, but he was too
late. The new kid was awfully fast. Mike sighed. Knowing that
whining would just ruin the game, he started to pat each kid on the head.
“Duck, duck, duck, duck…”
Mike continued this game for several more rounds before deciding to return
home. He ran as fast as he could as soon as his house was in site.
His dad was coming home in a few minutes and Mike didn’t want to miss a
second. Just as he reached the front porch he caught a twinkle in the
sky. He assumed it was just another transport from Earth and continued inside.
Nothing. That’s strange, he thought. He expected his aunt
and mother to be excitedly talking, awaiting his dad’s arrival, but it was
quiet.
He slowly walked down the hall and turned into the kitchen. He looked
curiously at his mother, but her blank face gave him no sign as to what the
problem was. She stared at the TV on the other side of the room. Uhhhh…..
news. But even the news didn’t provoke such silence as this.
“Mom?” Mike asked, “Is everything okay?”
No answer
“Mom?” Mike tried again.
“Mike,” she said.
Relieved that she could still speak, he answered “yea-” but the door slammed
open before Mike could finish. Mike turned to see his father filling in
the doorway. Mike ran too him to give him a hug, but he slowed to a halt
half way. His dad wasn’t smiling as he thought he would be, but instead
his face was stricken with fear.
“Honey, get Mike and get in the car,” he said.
“Ken, what’s wron-” his mom started.
“Just do it!” Mike reeled back in shock. His father never yelled,
especially not at his mother. Without warning Mike felt his body being
pushed outside from behind.
“Let’s go Mike,” his mom said. “Hurry.”
“What’s wrong?” Mike asked, but there was dead silenced.
Quite again? Mike was getting sick of this lack of speech.
He hoisted himself into the back seat of the car as his mom started to shut the
door. “I can do it,” Mike inquired, but the door had all ready shut.
The drive there consisted of even less talking than at home. “Where are
we going?” Mike had asked several times. All that he got for an
answer was “On a little trip.” After about thirty minutes into the ride
Mike was just starting to sleep when the car leached forward and ground to a
halt. We must be here. Standing before Mike was two giant
towers with spinning lights at the top of each. There was a large
building in front of them and behind it was a giant paved area. Like a
big black top from school, Mike thought. His mom held his hand as
they moved from place to place in the building. Finally they came to what
looked like a long tunnel.
“I’m afraid I’m not allowed to let you go any further,” the guard told Mike’s
parents. “Only he can go past this gate.”
“Mike, don’t worry,” his mother insisted.
“We’ll see you soon again,” his father assured.
“Where am I going?” Mike had not been told anything for the whole trip.
“Have you ever seen a rocket ship?” his mom asked. “You’re going to ride
a space ship! Just like a real astronaut.”
“Really?” Mike asked, now very excited.
“Yes,” his father said. “You’re going to a planet called Reach.
Reach? Mike thought to
himself. I’ve never heard of Reach.
Mike had lived all of his life on Chi Ceti IV all his life.
“Go on now,” his mother said, “we’ll see you in a few days.”
Days? Mike was nervous.
He had never been apart from his parents for more than a few hours. Now
he wasn’t going to see them for days?
“Don’t worry. You’ll be perfectly safe,” his father assured. “Now
get to the ship before it takes off without you.
“All……right…” Mike wasn’t so sure. He took the guards hand and hesitantly
walked down the tunnel. He watched his parents as long as he could before
he had to turn. He would have stayed longer, though, had he know that was the last he’d ever see of
them.
Chapter I
Mike ducked his head, plasma fire
scorching the barrier in front of him. He clutched his battle rifle and
prepared to lay down counter fire when a bright blue flash appeared next to
him. Plasma Grenade! Mike dove to his right, under the cover
of his warthog. When the explosion came the entire warthog tipped to the
right. No! We can't lose the warthog! Thankfully the
giant beast fell back and came to a rest. Mike flew out from under the hog
and thundered down the hallway into the building. He plowed his rifle
into the chest of the elite in front of him and quickly fell back behind a
nearby wall.
"You all right?" called Zane, second in
command in Delta Force and Mikes best friend for the past two years.
"Yah," Mike called back.
"Good, last thing we need is a ton of hungry
elites smelling your fried ***!"
Mike sighed. Always making light of even the
most deadly situations. "Thanks!" he replied, "I'm
glad I'm still breathing too."
Mike had joined the UNSC in the war against the
covenant at the age of sixteen, four years ago, by faking his age. After
arriving at Reach, Mike spent six years in foster care, awaiting his parents’
arrival. They never came. Mike's sorrow quickly turned to
rage. He vowed revenge on this new alien threat and joined the
cause. Within two years of his enlisting his passion had lead him to
Delta Force, the UNSC special operations squad. Delta Force could even
stand toe-to-toe with ODST's.
Mike was huddled up against the wall. He had
strict orders to eliminate all information stored inside the bank's computer
system and retrieve the AI that was held inside the structure that was once
used as a UNSC HQ before it was overrun. He was in the city of Kali, a major business
center. Though normally packed to the brim, it was now deserted and felt
like a ghost town.
Mike rounded the corner and burst into a large, open
lobby. He caught three grunts huddled around a methane tank by surprise
and dispatched them silently with his magnum. A clash of growls and
murmurs came from a nearby doorway. Mike climbed behind the front desk
and awaited his prey.
Sure enough, two eight-foot-tall elites entered the
lobby on patrol. Upon seeing the pile of grunts, the red armored elite
raised his plasma rifle. Mike ducked down. I could take them out
with a single grenade... but it will be sure to raise alarm. Better to
take them out silently. Mike reached into his pack and withdrew a
silencer. He attached the short barrel to his battle rifle and inserted a
fresh clip. Take your time, aim over speed. Cross hairs
lined up, Mike squeezed down on the trigger. There was a quick splash of
purple liquid as the red elite's head vanished. Strike one.
His companion turned just in time to hear a bullet ring past his head. Strike
two. Next shot will count. The elite raised his rifle, but had
no time to do any damage before it was surrounded by a cloud of purple
vapor. Strike three, you're out.
Chapter II
Mike clutched his MA3 Assault Rifle, securing his pistol in it’s holster on his
leg. The next phase will require a bit more punch. Zane’s
voice erupted in Mikes ear. “Report.”
“Two elites and three grunts down. Lobby is clear. No sign that
they know.” Mike replied.
“Good, then they should have no reason to suspect that we are here.”
“I still don’t know why we just don’t nuke these *** things.”
“You know that we need to be sure that the AI does not fall into their hands.”
“Right.” Mike sighed. “I’ll continue to clear out the first level.”
Mike had barely finished his sentence when a grunt waddled in. It made it
to the northern doorway before streaking. Oh ***. The grunt
quickly sped out yelling. Those things run pretty fast. Mike
got up and ran after him.
The hallway jutted into a corner and Mike stopped before turning. Peeking
around the corner he saw that two jackals were holding the grunt. Mike
swung his head back behind the corner. Just perfect. He
heard one of the jackals growl as the grunt babbled on. Screw silence!
Make pulled a grenade off of his belt. He yanked out the pin and rolled
it down the hall. One of the jackals looked down. Hope you like
hell. I hear it’s kinda warm this time of the year.
The entire structure shuddered as the immense explosion thundered through the
hall. “What the *** was that?” screamed Zane.
“The welcoming committee.” Mike flipped a switch on his helmet and the
radio shut off. I’d better work fast.
Mike came around the corner to see two more grunts running around with their
arms flailing above their heads. They both fell as Mike fired bursts of
lead from his assault rifle. Well, at least I won’t have to worry much
about grunts. He grabbed the large metal door at the end of the
hallway labeled ‘stairs’ and pulled as hard as he could. Locked.
Mike looked down at his small package of C4 on his belt. No, I may
need that later. Maybe there’s a key in the lobby.
Mike rushed to the front desk. Key, key, where are the keys.
He started to rummage through compartments. No luck. As he
was walking back to the stairway, he noticed a glimmer of light from the red
elite’s body. It can’t be that easy… Sure enough, a small
keychain was dangling from the red armor. Without hesitation, Mike
grabbed the keys and ran down the hall.
The first four keys were too large, but the fifth key fit perfectly. Mike
pushed on the door and it opened up to a small stair case. He quickly
climbed the first set and turned around to face the second set when a green
flash almost melted his face. Holy ***! A jackal charged
it’s plasma pistol at the bottom of the stairway growling. There was no
way he could get out of range before the blast hit him and it would take
several shots to bring down it’s shield. Nowhere to run, Mike
thought.
“Go to he-” Suddenly the jackal fell, face first.
“You didn’t really think we’d let you have all the fun, did ya?”
Zane.
Chapter III
“Well, what are you waiting for?” The voice came from behind Mike.
It was Taylor, the demolitions expert for his squad. Taylor may be a girl, but she was one of the
roughest marines he’d ever met. On Mikes first day in Delta Force, he
went up to meet here, but instead he got a boot between the legs. “Let
that be a lesson. I’m a girl, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t make you
eat dirt for breakfast,” was her reply. Mike was sure to stay out of her
way.
“Right.” Mike trudged up the stairway.
At the top he could make out what looked like a large purple crate. Was
very smooth, but tougher than any material he had seen, other than that of the
covenant ships themselves. It was wedged against the door to keep
intruders out. “Looks like we’re going to need some bang to get around
this one.”
“I’m on it.” Taylor
immediately went to work. She set two yellow packages in the center of
the crate. Taylor
then went down the stairs, to the safety of the hall below. Knowing it
wouldn’t be wise to stay in the stairway either, Zane and Mike followed in
close pursuit.
Mike watched as Taylor
pulled out a small device that resembled a COM pad. This was the modern
version of a plunger. “Fire in the hole.” This bang was even worse
than the grenade that Mike had used, but it got the job done.
The trio marched up the stairs to find that not only had the crate been moved,
but so had some of the walls. The entire doorway was scorched and smelt
of fresh gunpowder. Zane smiled, “We’re really good at this element of
surprise thing aren’t we?”
Mike grinned. While the situation didn’t call for jokes, it felt good to
put his mind on something other than the war.
The upper level was very hot. The end of the hall jutted in two
directions. Mike took the lead, assault rifle drawn. At the
end of the hall he took the left while Zane and Taylor took the right.
Mike opened the door and looked around the new room. There was a large
assortment of bulky machines all along the walls. Crimson wires hung
everywhere. In the center of the room were a holo-projector and two large
computers. This is it.
Before he could alert his two comrades, he could hear gunfire behind him.
Mike pivoted around and caught a glimpse of Zane firing his BR55 battle rifle
across the room. Suddenly he felt his gut drop as a giant stream of
plasma scorched the wall above Zane’s head as he ducked. ***!
Mike raced to the room, gun in hand. The first thing he noticed upon
entering the room was the desk at the far wall. It was littered with
papers, as was the floor. File cabinets lined the walls around the
desk. But then he saw it; a gigantic creature was charging Taylor, who
was behind the desk, using all the cover she could get. It appeared to
have a large serrated shield and it’s arm glowed bright green. Bullets
bounced off of it’s massive armor with no effect. Mike could make out
what looked like orange muscle between the gaps in the armor.
With a wipe of the beast’s arm, it shoved the desk aside, leaving Taylor exposed.
Raising it’s arm, it let out a stream of green plasma at Taylor’s leg, much like the plasma that
barely missed Zane. She screamed in agony as the plasma seared her leg,
and then fell limp.
The alien, apparently satisfied with this, turned towards Mike and Zane.
It crept forward, their bullets pouring down on the monster, but having no
effect. A blue flash caught Mike’s eye, but before he could
identify the source, the alien blew apart, it’s orange, worm-like entrails
showering the room.
Zane was silent as Mike radioed in to the rest of Delta Force. “We need a
medic now!”
Taylor’s head
fell to the floor as she went into shock. Mike left the room, unable to
see her there, but Zane stood frozen in place staring at the scorched leg.
And beneath the clamor of the COM channel, Mike swore he could hear crying.
Chapter IV
Mike felt sick for the rest of the day. He couldn’t get the retched smell
of burnt flesh from he nostrils, he couldn’t purge his mind of the thought of Taylor’s pain. True,
Mike had been in battles before, seen people die before him, but he had never
seen someone been so brutally tortured. The medics had waited no time and
they got her back to base before she lost too much blood. Mike lay in his
tent now, devoid of happiness. It had been one rough day.
The AI that they were after had been no more than a false alarm. He knew
it wasn’t his fault but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt, that he
could have done more than just sit there and waist ammo. After all she,
in her injured state, had done more for him than he had for her.
Mike decided to review what he had seen. He flipped a switch on his
helmets camera and the recorded battle was displayed in his visor. He saw
the bullets clang against the armor. He fast-forwarded to the part where Taylor had killed this
goliath. That’s when he saw it, she had not mealy tossed a plasma grenade
at the alien as Zane and Mike had, but had stuck it in the center of the orange
muscle. It has a weakness, he thought excitedly.
He quickly compiled a report and marched to the commander’s desk to relay the
news. The commander’s tent wasn’t far from the bunker, a ten minute walk
at most, but Mike was now sprinting. As he ran past the field hospital,
he once again felt sorrow. He slowed to a walk with his head hung
low. I should have seen this weakness before, not just fired
dumbfounded at it. The grey skies started to let a slight rain reach
the ground. Time moved slowly as he finally reached the commander’s tent.
“Permission to enter.”
“What’s the password?” Came a rough voice from within the tent. Commander
Healy was in command of Delta Force, but, like Zane, was not particularly
serious when unnecessary. It is rumored that he was there when the aliens
first arrived at Harvest.
“Sir, I have some important information regarding our last mission.”
“Then by all means, enter. But make it
snappy, we are short on time. It’s only
a matter of time before the Covenant get tired of playing games and bring out
the big guns.”
Mike lifted the flap and entered the warm, dry tent. A small, portable
desk sat in the middle of the room holding Commander Healy’s laptop, but the
only other objects in the room were two small chairs in front of his desk.
“So, let’s hear it.”
“Well, the creature that injured Taylor-”
“Ah yes,” Healy cut him off “rest assured she will be fine. You know I
was a medic not to long ago?”
“No sir.”
“Well, that’s a different story. Back to your report.”
Mike handed Healy a video chip from his helmet. “See for yourself.”
“Very well.” The commander put the chip in a small adapter on his laptop and
the screen filled with the grainy recording from Mikes helmet.
“As you can see, this is a new contact. It appears to have a large,
bladed shield and a plasma weapon even more deadly than what we have seen
before. Both seem to be attached to the creature’s arms.”
“Interesting.”
“What’s
even more interesting is yet to come. Skip to the creatures death.”
As
the commander did this, Mike continued his report. “It has a weakness.
The center of it’s orange muscle-like body seems to have a weak spot.
While it’s armor is nearly impenetrable, the back is exposed. The only problem is getting around the
thing.”
“Very good. I will relay this information to Gama Station at once,” Healy
trailed off, “and as for you, you are promoted to second in command as of
today.”
Mikes eyes grew wide. “Second in command, sir? Isn’t that Zane’s
position?”
“Yes, but he had decided that he could not take the pressure of Taylor’s death. He
has stepped down. You will report to my tent at oh-eight-hundred
tomorrow”
It felt as if a rubber ball was lodged in his throat. “Yes… sir…”
Mike saluted and slowly backed out of the tent.
Second in command… I’m second in command. The rain had stopped and
Mike raised his head to catch the sight of one of the most beautiful rainbows
he had ever seen.
Chapter V
“Keep your eyes open,” Mike encouraged as his troops marched through the empty
fields. Ever since the Covenant troops landed on Reach, they had been
pushing with immense force. As soon as they reached Kali, the front door
to Delta Force’s main base- and the generators that powered the orbital MAC
stations- Commander Healy had ordered recon patrols. Recently there had
been a large amount of air traffic on the outskirts of these patrols and this
could only mean one thing, they are preparing to attack Delta Force.
Mike clutched the LAAG turret on his warthog. These guns were originally
meant to be anti-air weapons, but having proven inefficient against anything
but the banshee, the weapons are now used to mow down infantry coming out of
drop ships instead of the ships themselves.
He was not required to be on this patrol because of his newfound
position. Mike had held his position for no longer than 24 hours, but he
already yarned to be back on the field rather than cooped up at base as did
Zane. He wasn’t ready to let his base get attacked.
Taylor was
still in the hospital and Zane was a mess. Healy told Mike he had given
Zane two days of rest and Mike jumped at the opportunity to replace Zane during
this time.
While there was no complaining, Mike knew that the marines were dead
tired. They had been called up at oh-two-hundred last night and woken up
less than five hours later. The immense heat didn’t help either.
The star in Reach’s solar system wasn’t particularly hot or bright today, but the
heat from constant plasma and glassing by the Covenant war ships had
drastically changed the temperature.
Everyone knew that Reach wouldn’t last much longer. Covenant didn’t leave
survivors; it was all glassed from space, leaving people to die without any
hope of striking back. So why are we here? Why are we still alive?
Less than three days ago, the already famous Battle of Reach occurred.
While the navy took a major toll on the Covenant ships, they couldn’t overpower
them. During the battle, it is rumored that a ship of Spartans was headed
down to Reach, but never made it. While this would be top classified
information, it wouldn’t be too hard to believe that it was leaked.
“Three targets, buggers, two o’clock.” Said Lt Don Carson.
“Confirmed,” replied Mike, “engaging.” It didn’t take 10 shots to nail
all three drones. These giant insect-like creatures were fast and always
moving, but their armor wasn’t particularly useful.
Not one alien was seen for the rest of the patrol. “Lets head back to
base,” Mike said after another hour, “there’s nothing here.”
The warthogs rolled through the gate. The fence surrounding Delta Force
wouldn’t do much to stop the Covenant, which was exactly why it was
there. In front of the fence was a large mine field, enough to take out
several squads and enough to slow down the Covenant enough to ready for an
attack. Behind the fence were several auto-cannons, ready to halt any
aerial assaults.
“How’d the patrol go?” asked the guard.
“Good,” Mike lied. He had noticed that there was a definite lack of
Covenant activity. This meant they were ready, but didn’t know the guard
and had no clue how much he could tell him.
“You can drop me off here.” Mike said as the warthog neared the commander’s tent.
“Sure thing.” The warthog slowed to a stop. Mike dismounted the
turret and lifted the flap to the tent.
“What’s the news?” asked Healy, not even bothering to look up.
“Three drones, nothing more.” Healy lifted his head, an unreadable expression
on his face.
“I want all the firepower you can get out on the front line. If they want
a fight, we’ll give them one their ancestors will remember.”
“Sir, what if we loose?”
“Excuse me?” the commander had a cold look on his face.
Though it was unwise to make a commander angry, he knew that it had to be
said. “The Covenant are no pushovers. If we loose, we need to have
a line of retreat. I suggest we pack up all unneeded gear, just in case.”
Commander Healy’s face seemed to loosen, apparently surprised by Mikes
proposition. “Fine, spread the word that there’s an attack on its
way. Pack your things or leave it here.”
“Yes sir.” Mike exited the tent, going about to spread the news.
There’s an attack coming, and this base will be ready for it.
Chapter VI
Mike looked up as the cool breeze swept around him. The
calm before the storm, he thought. All around him marines were busy
establishing turret emplacements. Some were already suited up for battle,
eager to be ready for the first wave.
He strode over to the field hospital. It was very early, before the sun
even rose above the horizon. I wish I had brought my watch.
Upon entering the tent, Mike was welcomed by the musky smell of blood and
death. All around him were marines with various injuries, some with
casts, other with complete amputations. At the far side of the tent was
another marine, screaming and struggling to break free of the two other marines
holding him down. A nurse was trying to give him a shot below the
shoulder on his right arm. Toughest men in the world, he chuckled
at the thought.
Taylors bed was
the third on the left side of the tent. Though her entire leg had been
amputated, she looked fairly cheerful. “Doc said that I’d be out in a few
hours,” she said calmly.
“I’m so sorry,” Mike begun.
“Stow it,” she confirmed, “you did what you could.”
“No, I could have killed it,”
“No you couldn’t have, nothing prepared you for such an encounter.”
There was dead silence.
“How did you-”
“Know it’s weakness? I don’t know. I just guessed and hoped I got
it right.
“Nobody gets that lucky with sheer guessing.” Mark implied.
“Maybe, maybe not. But from what I can tell, the human race will need a
lot of luck soon. We’re going to need a lot of luck soon.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know exactly what I mean.” And he did, though he regretted thinking
it.
It was the whole reason Mike had wanted to take such precautions when meeting
with Healy. If we didn’t get the kind of luck that Taylor was talking about, the entire Delta
Force was doomed. Then where would Earth be? No more Delta
Force, no more spartans… it would be mass slaughter.
Light gushed around Mike and he turned to see what happened. Zane had
lifted the flap to enter the tent. As he walked over to Taylor Mike could
see the grief in his eyes. If I felt this guilty, I can’t imagine how
mortified he must feel.
“Mike.”
“You stepped down?” This was the first time Mike had seen Zane since he
was promoted.
“I can’t-” but before he could finish, another person entered the tent, Private
Don Cozan.
He marched over to the three of them and saluted towards Mike. “Message
from Commander Healy, report to his quarters immediately.”
“Can do,” Mike looked at Zane, “keep her safe.” Taylor growled from her bed, obviously
insulted by the order.
“Then who’s going to watch his sissy back?” she joked, but Mike was already out
of the tent. The captain’s quarters? He never invites people to
his quarters. He was perplexed. Did I do something wrong?
Mike began to think through everything he had done that morning, making sure
nothing was out of line.
Mike located Commander Healy’s tent fairly fast, as it was the only tent that
had two guards. Though they looked as if they wouldn’t let even the most
innocent of flies past them, they each stepped aside when they saw Mike.
Each saluted as he pulled back the flap and entered the tent.
The tent was much like his office. A lone table with his laptop rested on
it. It was almost completely devoid of furniture aside from the commander’s
rough metal bed and stool, which was behind the table.
“You wished to see me sir?”
“Yes.” There was an uncomfortable silence.
“May I ask why sir?”
“You are a very talented soldier,” the commander began, “this is why I chose
you to be my second in command.” Mike blushed.
“I-”
“The truth is that Zane didn’t step down from command.” Mike was
aw-struck. But even Zane acknowledged that he chose to give up his
position! “I relieved him of his duties.”
“Sir… He-”
“He was torn apart by the last battle. While he was ready to do his duty
as a good soldier always is, I knew he would be more of a loss in his current
state than an asset. However, he is still a valuable soldier, which is
why I chose him to be one of the members of your team for your mission.”
“Team? Mission?”
Mike didn’t know what was going on.
“Answer this, what do you know of the spartan program?”
Chapter VII
“Sir? The spartan program is classified information. All I know is
the rumors that I’ve heard, most of which sound unrealistic to say the least.”
“Well soldier, we need you for this mission which is why you are being promoted
to top security clearance.” Mike was stunned.
“But sir, you don’t have the-” but before Mike could finish his objection Healy
slammed down a manila folder on his desk. It was labeled ‘S-II’.
“I have orders strait from command. I don’t know much of the details, but
I will give you a brief summery of your main objective,” the commander paused
for a while, as if to wonder weather or not he should carry on, “It seems we
have a few AWOL soldiers.”
AWOL soldiers? Mike thought, what could this possibly have to do with
Spartans?
Healy continued, “What I am about to tell you, you cannot repeat to anyone aside
from your team.” He paused to let it
sink in, then continued. “During the Battle of Reach, less than oh-eight-three
hours ago, a large group of spartans were shipped to land at the reactor
complex via pelican. We haven’t heard from them since, MIA.”
By then Mike knew his mission, but he couldn’t understand why it was him.
“Sir, why me?”
“Because you are the only one with enough balls to do this correctly.
Believe it or not, you are one of the best soldiers of Delta Squad.” Mike
was blushing again. He had noticed that his missions were getting more
and more dangerous, that last one was pure luck that Zane had showed up when he
did. “We have one shot at this before Covy *** are crawling all over the
crash site. We believe that some may still be alive, but not for long.”
Now Mike was sweating. The sartans themselves? But if they wont
survive the onslaught, how will we? “Sir, may I ask who my team is?”
He asked as he reached for the manila folder. It was very clean and
organized compared to those you see in the classic movies.
“Yes, I have assembled all that I could for you without compromising our bases
defenses.” Mike knew that couldn’t be much, which only served to increase his
nervousness. “Zane Tanners, Don Cozan, and Vasili Yakamof will all
accompany you on your mission.”
Vasili
Yakamof? The Russian brute? If Mike was worried before, he was
in a full state of panic now. Vasili was Russian. After the UNSC
had finally united humanity, most people had grown a more American accent, yet
the Yakamof family kept their rough Russian accent. Vasili was a vehicle
and explosives specialist, much like Taylor,
but twice as mean. Nobody crossed Vasili, though it wasn’t hard
for he mostly kept to his own.
The commander continued, “You leave for the crash site in one hour. Make
sure you are fully loaded. We will supply you with any vehicles and
weapons that you may need. Make sure to leave some for the fight, okay
soldier?”
“Yes sir!” Though Mike was in no mood for jokes.
“You will be debriefed later today on the full extent of your mission.
Until then, make sure you can get as much as you can out of that,” Healy said,
pointing to the manila folder. “Dismissed.”
With that, Mike saluted and strode out of the tent. For the next five
hours, he would be in his tent learning what he could from this small
folder. Why does this stuff always happen to me?
Chapter VIII
The wind felt good as Mike traced the horizon from the back of his transport
hog. While they could have opted for a tank, it would have dangerously
slowed them down and been very easy to spot by covenant patrols. Besides,
Mike thought, we need the extra space.
Stacked in the rear where the turret would normally be were five crates,
normally meant for carrying large 50 cal turrets, but now gutted and loaded
with ammo and munitions. While the marines hoped that they themselves
would never need that much firepower, the Spartans would surely be running low
by now. At this rate, we’ll be lucky if the ship is even there.
Mike, Zane, and Don all shouldered their BR55s while Vasili preferred a bit
more punch. Strapped to his back was a large, boxy rocket launcher.
Though the casing is only big enough to hold two rounds it can lock on to
targets, making up for it’s lack of shots. Vasili also boasted a single
M7 sub-machinegun (SMG) stored in the crude holster on his left leg. He
sat on the opening at the rear, cleaning his rocket and making sure everything
was ready.
Silence filled the marines as they prepared for the fight of their lives.
This is suicidal, Mike had thought as he was reading his full debrief
via com pad. However, Mike was determined to follow through with his
mission.
“5000 meters and closing” Don said from the passenger seat. Sure enough,
a pelican was sitting atop a hill dead ahead, completely destroyed beyond recognition.
Five or six grunts were sitting around the site, no doubt unaware of the fight
ahead. Fairly close to the pelican debris was a large, glowing antenna
with three hooks jutting out at the top.
“They have communication,” Mike alerted his team.
“Not for long,” Vasili confirmed in his thick Russian accent. Soon after,
the com tower exploded in a brilliant blue and purple flash as his rocket made
contact. Grunts scrambled and ran for
cover. The marines slowly picked them off, not stopping the hog to take
cover from the wave of plasma fire.
The plasma was quickly thinning as more than half of the small force was
knocked down. The warthog burst into the camp and the marines swiftly
switched to fully automatic, finishing off the survivors. The only damage
that could be found was burning paint on the front of the warthog and a melting
area on the windshield. We caught them by surprise, but we won’t be so
lucky with the next group, Mike thought, viewing the obliterated antenna.
“Command?” Mike radioed in.
“Yea?” replied the commander’s gruff voice through the static. Gun fire
could be heard in the background and he knew the attack was already underway.
“As expected, the spartans packed up, no survivors at the crash site.”
“Affirmative, any bodies?”
“No sir, it seems the Covenant have packed them up if there were any, along
with all weapons and radio gear on the ship.”
Mike could hear Healy swear under his breath as a few bursts exploded from a
nearby gun. “Pull a five mile sweep of the area. If you don’t find any hint of where they
could be, fall back to base. These
b*******s brought more to the show than we had expected.”
“Yes, sir! Mike out.”
“Healy out.”
Chapter IX
The next three hours consisted of several
circles around the crash site, looking for any hint on where the Spartans could
be. Even worse, the only enemies the
small team could find were very small on numbers and didn’t even put up a fight.
“Do one more pass here, Don,” Mike yelled
over the growling warthog engine, pointing to a clearing in the brush. Don pulled the warthog to the left and rolled
over the untouched grass.
After a quick scan of the area Vasili
reported, “Looks all clear; no hostiles, no spartans.”
Mike
let out a sigh. “All right. Don, bring us out over there. There’s a path just beyond those bushes. We’re heading back to base.” Don had nearly cleared the brush when the
tail of the warthog hit a bump, sending a loose crate in the back tumbling
off. Slightly frustrated by the days
failed mission, Mike hopped out and stomped to the back of the hog. It didn’t take long to locate the bulky,
olive-green case. Mike let out a grunt
and bent down to retrieve it when a thud sounded from behind him. Mike twisted his head around to see Zane
loading their crate onto the bed of the warthog.
“Sir?” Zane asked, noticing Mike’s stare,
“Is something wrong?”
All Mike could let out was a short gasp as
he realized what he had found.
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Chapter X
Mike couldn’t move at first. Zane, alarmed at Mike’s unresponsiveness
rushed over. “You okay, buddy? You look a little pale.” Zane put his hands on Mike’s shoulders and
shook him. After a little of this, Mike
snapped to.
“We’ve found one.”
“One wa-”
“A Spartan!” With that, the rest of the crew jumped off
the hog and were with Mike in a second.
Mike turned around and pulled out his combat knife. He began slashing at the undergrowth all
around the giant suit until the helmet was finally visible.
“That’s one of them alright,” confirmed
Don with a hint of awe in his voice.
“But he’s not moving,” Zane said, worried,
“Do you think he’s sleeping?” The other
three stared at Zane, not amused.
“Right, sorry.”
A grunt was heard and the corpse moved a
bit. Mike turned to see Vasili tugging
at the legs, trying to drag the heavy armor out of the brush. “I could use a little help here.”
Mike and Zane reached under the arms and
lifted while Don went back to the warthog and started to clear the bed for
their new guest. Once the body was
clear, the three set it down on the open terrain.
“Spartan-059,” Mike read aloud from the
chest plate on the armor. “Name seems to
be Tanya.”
“Tanya?” sounded Don from the warthog,
“They have female spartans too?”
“That’s what it looks like. Most of the armor’s in good condition, not
bullet wounds or plasma marks. What do
you suppose got to her?”
“How do we know she’s even dead?” asked
Zane, “And I’m not talking about sleeping this time, could just be
unconscious.”
“Well,” this time from Vasili, “we’re not
here to be doctors; we’re just the search party. What now?”
“Let’s load her up and pull a sweep of the
area. If we don’t find any more, we’ll
head on back.” And so the day went
on. Other than a small crater near where
the body was found, there were no signs of Spartans and with a little
depression, the soldiers began back to base, unsure of what they’d find.
Words
Possession of the beggar and the king
Received by all and we're sentenced to a life with
Obsession of the genius and the fool
Find them you can use them
Say them you can hear them
Write them you can read them
Love them fear them