Hi everyone. I've been hanging around this board for some time, reading up on a lot of the fanfic, so I thought I'd register so I could leave comments. Now I've gotten into my own little piece of the story, and thought I'd see what you guys think. All feedback is welcome. It's short, yes, but it's a work in project. The time period should be obvious as you read, but don't get bored assuming I'll follow the Master Chiefs story. I don't plan to. Anyway, enjoy, hopefully.
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The sun was setting when the lone Pelican class dropship finally came into sight on the horizon, zig-zagging its way towards the hillside where two men, heavily camoflagued, slowly rose from the grass. They’d been laying there, flat on their stomachs, for most of the day, one with a pair of binoculars and the other with a military grade sniper rifle. Only a few hours earlier had the cover of a nearby tree shaded them from the burning sun, though both men were still hot and sweaty beneath their combat armour. Finally, though, with the single ship on the horizon, their day was done.
As both men made it to their feet, stretching their arms and legs as the transport got closer and closer, a cool wind swept up from the valley below, a welcome change to the hot, dry weather they had endured for the previous few weeks. With a sigh, of both relief and annoyance, one of the Marines watched the approaching ship through his binoculars while pulling a small, handheld radio up to his mouth.
“HQ, this is Crow Charlie. Pelican 219 is in sight. No sign of any hostilities. She’s headed your way, HQ. Over.” The soldier, Private Jason Gray, said into the radio, his eyes still following the approaching Pelican. It soared majestically towards them, slowly descending, the roar of the engines getting louder and louder until the ship shot straight over the two men, their heads twisting around the follow it. The ship slowed down drastically now, starting a vertical descent into the valley behind the Marines’ position. Through Jason’s radio, a crackled voice confirmed the arrival of the dropship, then ordered the two men back to base for debriefing.
“A job well done.” The second, taller soldier said, hoisting the large sniper rifle up on one shoulder as he observed the dropship slowly dissapear through a hidden opening in the valley floor. His name was Rune Bankes; his rank, Gunnery Sergeant. Removing his helmet, he let the breeze wisp through his short hair, his entire body relaxing. Jason didn’t seem as relieved. He hadn’t been impressed with their allocated mission from the beginning.
“With all due respect, a dull job, sir.” The Private replied, slowly removing his own helmet. Jason was younger, perhaps in his mid twenties, a perfect representation of the ‘new blood’ the UNSC had recruited when the Covenant had brought the war to their doorstep. Conscription could have been a way to describe it, though the truth was that most of the new recruits were volunteers. Everyone seemed ready to fight and die for their homeworld. Their civilisation. Their race.
Rune, on the other hand, was a hardened veteran. His rank wasn’t one worth boasting over, but his expertise in the Marine Corps was definitely at the higher end of the scale. He’d been in more firefights than his service record would suggest and received high appraisal from his superiors for all his command efforts in the Covenant-Human war so far. Physically, Rune wasn’t much out of the ordinary. He stood 6 foot from the ground, an average height for a soldier, and held his age well. Most people dismissed the fact that he was nearing his late forties.
“A dull job, maybe. But it was still well done. You can’t always be on the front line, Private. You know what happens to all those men who get too eager. Sometimes you need the time out.” The Gunnery Sergeant said softly, placing one hand on Jason’s shoulder. The Marine just nodded, muttering an inaudible affirmation as he began to move down the side of the hill, towards where the Pelican has dissapeared underground. Rune sighed, following close behind, his mind wandering the weeks that had just passed.
The cool wind soon dissipated, replaced by the scorching afternoon heat as the men arrived at the bottom of the hill. The sun was almost gone, its last few rays of burning light spreading across the landscape. Moments later, it was gone, leaving nothing but an ominous orange glow on the horizon.
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Relieved to be back indoors, Jason moved steadily down the ladder as Rune followed, closing and sealing the circular hatch they had climbed through. The ladder, running almost fifty metres down, was enclosed in a long, dimly lit tube that led from the underground bunker to the surface. At the bottom, the Private’s heavy combat boots thudded onto the metal grating and he stepped aside, leaving room for the Sergeant to follow. He, too, thudded down the the floor, almost losing balancing and cursing as he did.
“God ***, soldier! You’d think they would have altered these things to make it at least a little more accesible. This is a joke.” The Sergeant grunted, leading the way down the tunnel.
The two stood in an old service tunnel which, many years ago, would have been used to commute heavy building equipment and materials to a construction site which had now been adapted into a large underground military base; the Crow’s Nest. From just one week after the Covenant fleet had appeared in orbit of Earth, nearly all UNSC forces in the area who had been able to escape to the large bunker had arrived. Pelican 219 was the last to arrive, harbouring two of the keys that UNSC high command hoped could win the war. Now the time had come to begin some kind of offensive. As far as Jason knew, high command was waiting for just a few more troops to report to combat-readiness. After that, they had a big operation planned. Of course, what Jason knew was limited, most of it spewing out of the rumour mill. As a Private, he only really had access to information that concerned him.
Coming to the end of the tunnel, a narrow stairway led down into a more heavily lit chamber, a heavy blast door on one wall. The Sergeant took point, opening the door and marching through. On the other side, the two soldiers arrived in a hallway which was not only brightly lit, but was bustling with other people, both civilian and military. One soldier, an assault rifle cradled in front of him, stepped forward.
“Sergeant Bankes, sir.” The soldier gave a crisp salute. Rune nodded, ordering the man at ease.
“Sir, I was told to let you know that HiComm wants you at a meeting in the command centre. They said that the…” He hesitated, trying to stay proffessional, though the excitement in the mans eyes was too bright to hide.
“Sir, they said that a Spartan had arrived; the Master Chief. He and some Elite. They’re all gathered now in the command centre. I think we’re getting ready to move out, sir.” The Marine said, his words getting faster and more excited as he spoke, a smile spreading across his face. A small smile crept onto Jason’s face, who was standing to one side, listening to the younger soldier. It still amazed him how deeply affected some of the men were by the Spartans. Jason himself had never met one of the legends, thus no amount of storytelling aided his mind in quantifying just what the Spartan soldiers were capable of.
“Very well, Private. Thankyou.” Sergeant Bankes nodded, turning back to Jason, ignoring the giddy excitement from the other Marine as he gave another swift salute and walked back to his post.
“You’d better get down to the debrief, then his the racks, soldier. I got a feeling that, if we are ready to move, our team will be first out.” Rune said. Jason nodded, happy that to have such a welcoming commander. Sure, Rune could be a total pain when he had to, but he’d never been much of a fan of tough-love. He treated the soldiers in his squad with respect and decency, always doing what was best for them. This was one of the major reasons why his rank had stayed so low over his long haul in the Corps.
“Affirmative, Sarge. I’ll let the others know.” Jason said, one hand flying up in a brisk salute. The Sergeant saluted back. Then they both parted, heading in different directions, down the busy halls.