- MaxRealflugel
- |
- Elder Mythic Member
Spirit Drop ship: Vengeful Duty
John looked on as Ceris descended through the wispy white clouds above Europe. The holographic display of the Covenant drop ship projected their surroundings in amazing clarity and detail.
Around him the rest of Blue Team sat in quiet awkwardness as the unusual seating area was ill equipped for a Spartan.
"I see their seats haven't changed," Kelly whispered over the COM.
Fred shifted in the angled seat; the frame creaked under his armour. "Or improved," he laughed.
John looked at his team. He was pleased that he could have these moments with them again. His previous, isolated, exploits on the Halo constructs had been a stark reminder that Spartans were now a rarity. Or so he thought.
Dr. Halsey's return from the Micro-Dyson sphere within the remains of Onyx had given him a new found sense of family.
The newer Spartan III soldiers had added to the small numbers of remaining Spartans, something which gave him a great deal of hope. But what he was more surprised by was the involvement of Colonel Ackerson in the project, and his desire to put a Spartan II in charge of the whole thing, in this case Kurt.
John had to admit, that it was the last thing he expected from a person deeply opposed Dr. Halsey's work.
John thought back to the brief run-down of events that Fred had gave him back in Stuttgart several days ago.
The other Spartans had problems of their own, and like their Halsey produced counterparts, they had also dwindled in numbers.
The remaining, active, members were not a concern. John knew Ash and his team could handle anything that was thrown at them, but the others were beyond his control.
Tom and Lucy had been taken to a remote testing facility in Fiji, where they were trying to unlock the remaining stasis pods found on Onyx, but according to a brief examination by Cortana, they were no closer to achieving anything.
He activated the Spartan team roster and then selected a wider and more informative sub-menu of the various Spartan teams that had been deployed over the years. There were so many MIA's.
John scrolled to a separate list that he had compiled himself; one that he used to remind himself of those that had made the ultimate sacrifice. At the top of the list sat a familiar and missed name: Samuel-034.
John had lost so many Spartans, so many friends, that he sometimes felt as though his own luck or his 'destiny', as the Forerunner put it, was an unfair advantage over the remaining members of his team. He was now more determined than ever that no more Spartans would die, that no more friends would be lost.
The Covenant drop ship suddenly shuddered and vibrated. John shook himself from his thoughts and looked over towards Ceris. "What have we got?"
The young Elite tapped away at several different coloured rune-covered panels and then turned around in his chair, his mandibles clicking. "The Scourge are attacking on almost every front, Spartan but the cruiser is sitting off at a short distance. I am detecting no power surges from the vessel. It would appear that only the troops are doing the fighting,"
"Take us in low. Use the gap to the south. I wouldn't keep these drop ships here for long, they'll only become targets," John ordered.
"Agreed, Spartan," Ceris replied. He turned his attention back to the detailed display and then ordered the other drop ships to head for the small gap in the Scourge line.
John felt his insides move into his stomach as the tuning fork shaped craft dive-bombed towards the battle raging below. At the last second the craft pulled up, and they followed the lines of trees and hills until they were almost at the drop zone.
John re-checked his HHAG, as did the other Spartans. The Elites had opted for the more effective carbine rifle instead of the now useless plasma rifle, but John noticed Ceris still had an energy sword in his possession.
John looked at the sweeping terrain, judging the descent. "Drop in ten seconds!"
All of the Spartans rose from their orthopedic racks as one, and then moved towards the edge of the deployment ramp.
The remaining elites moved forward as well followed by Ceris who quickly relegated one of his warriors to piloting duties.
John smiled. The sign of a committed and determined former enemy, ready to lay down their lives for the survival of humanity, made him feel more at ease with his survivor's guilt.
The shell of the drop ship opened up, revealing green plains of sweeping grass. To the right of the craft was the southern edge of the cliff face, which ran along the landscape and into the horizon like a big cragged scar. To the left was the shape of a sweeping hillside, pot marked with small stone circles that were formerly used by sheep during the winter. Accompanying these were a few isolated groups of trees, most of them covered in leaves of bright green and red berries. A few at the far end, however, had been reduced to burning ash from the nearby firefight.
John looked for the human battle line.
Three hundred metres from the drop ship, and centred around the cave entrance were the defending troops. Only a few platoons of marines remained, along with several warthogs.
As John looked on at the raging battle the sight of tracer fire and energy weapons filled the air, explosions sent both aliens and humans cart-wheeling through the air.
John had seen enough. He activated his NAV marker and placed it on Ash's position, which was in the dead ground of the hill, and leapt off the floating Covenant drop ship. The other Spartans quickly followed along with the accompanying Elites.
They raced along the grassy plain and into the hell storm that surrounded them.