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  • Subject: Halo Fanfic: If I were your hero
Subject: Halo Fanfic: If I were your hero
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hunters and grunts are on the gd side, some of them but others didnt see the truth and stayed with brutes.......

  • 09.05.2007 12:37 PM PDT
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Yes in Soul's Haloverse, they did go to the good side, but the direction that Bungie took is that Grunts are on the bad side. It sorta stinks b/c I really, really, really love Grunts especially after SFFH!!!!

Soul, any update?

  • 09.05.2007 2:18 PM PDT
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he said this saturday i thinks

  • 09.05.2007 4:48 PM PDT
Subject: "Path of Reclamation" Level 18 posted 8/21 --p94-
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BRUTAL BOUNCING

  • 09.05.2007 6:47 PM PDT

|| Terminal Discussion.|| Where is Master Chief?|| Avatars and User Skins||

I hide my Gamertag because I don't want to play with you :).

"With great mustache, comes great responsibility"

This is a thread dedicated to Soulguards Novels, not for your advertisment pleasure.

[Edited on 09.06.2007 10:21 AM PDT]

  • 09.06.2007 10:19 AM PDT

Phoenix is dead, long live Phoenix!
Is it?

Hehe, its Saturady over here...
What does that mean?

A) All Blacks first game of the Rugby World Cup at 11.00PM.
B) Soulguards chapter being posted in the very near future.
C) Both A and B plus a very tired Lai Tasha.


Answer... C

Answer is... C-rect!

Lame, I know, but as I said I am tired from the Fashion Show last night and thrilled another chapters coming up, not to mention the biggest sporting event after the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup.

  • 09.07.2007 7:21 PM PDT
Subject: "Path of Reclamation" Level 19

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
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My Novel, available on Amazon.com

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Note: THis is a looooong one. So make a snack and enjoy. I think you will all find this one rather interesting. You knot the routine; rough draft, not a lot of editing and what not. Plus I have jet lag.
*************************************

Level 19: The Man and the Myth

Ark Excavation site // Mombasa observatory
ONI Facility Bravo A-11092G: The Gatekeeper
November 11, 2552

The whine of two pelicans soared into the New Mombasa skyline. Below them a monstrous cavern carved by the Covenant warships, and exposing the ancient Forerunner structure beneath. That structure was the Ark. Its mighty hull expanding much further than anyone had thought possible. Yet now it sits under the complete control of Truth’s conquest. Rain had been drenching the area for nearly ten hours, casting a near wall of water in the path of the approaching human forces.

Using the cover of night and the heavy downpour of rain, the two pelicans maintained a steady forward speed, hoping to completely avoid detection.

“Brute patrol on the northern border.” The lead Pelican pilot radioed to the trailing bird.

“Negative. That’s a decoy unit. Our unit. LZ is clear.” The second pilot replied.

“Confirm coordinates. Mark.”

“Active ping to Global… set.”

“I have a beacon.”

“Be advised, Banshee patrols spotted near Zulu.” The Gateway decoy unit reported into the pelicans’ radios.

“Drop count?” The lead pilot radioed back. She wanted to know how many she could shoot down in order to land.

“Negative. Negative Drop Count. Silent approach. Go Black at the beacon.” The ground decoy unit radioed back.

Eric heard the code. Adjusted in his seat and breathed a heavy sigh. They had been flying low for nearly seven hours, and his patience was wearing thin. He didn’t like this. There was nearly zero visibility outside, ONI had moles all over the New Mombasa creator, there was no sign of the Master Chief or the Arbiter, and the last time he saw the sun it looked like the sky was about to swallow the area into a den of hell.

ONI had resources. The ground decoy units were two man teams that simply hid in the brush, debris, trenches or sewers of the surrounding area. They were Marine Special Operations, the go anywhere do anything type. But Eric didn’t like the idea of having this secret location of ONI brass guarded by a bunch of moles. Moles could vanish from sight, they could stay silent for hours, days and weeks if they needed to, but they weren’t trained killers. They were sharp shooters, and experts in camouflage, but they were not heavy combat soldiers, and they were not up to date on the combat strategies of the Brutes. This new Covenant was a ferocious beast, nearly as deadly as the Elite led campaign.

Eric turned to his side and looked at Mathew and Gridolee. He had decided that the lead pelican would carry the majority of the heavy hitters, the warriors, while the second pelican would carry only the science team and Catherine Halsey. This way, if they were attacked, there was a higher percentage of the lead pelican being shot down first, and hopefully getting the second pelican enough time to bug out.

But Eric was never good with odds or percentages.

He quickly returned his gaze to the pilot, and listened in on the radio chatter.

“Confirming all Black.” The pilot sharply stated as she flipped off the pelican’s lights and beacons.

“Receiving guidance ping. Five till LZ.” The copilot muttered.

“Geez, we’re flying blind.” The second pilot radioed.

Eric huffed into his radio. “Cut that chatter. Stick to Op.”

“Roger.” The second pilot nervously replied.

The radio suddenly buzzed from the decoy unit on the ground. “Radar wake! Radar wake! You’ve been tagged!”

Eric cursed under his breath.

“Evade. Bank to port, drop to ... two hundred.”

“Copy!” The lead pilot shouted.

“Copy!” The second pilot shouted after a brief pause.

What was happening out there? Eric hadn’t heard of a ‘Radar Wake’, and the idea didn’t seem to make much sense. The pelican banked and everyone shifted to hold on. Eric turned to Gridolee and asked him, “Radar Wake?”

“The Forerunner ship that Truth controls, has a unique defense system. Similar to Covenant cruiser’s plasma canons, but it does not rely on line of sight in order to fire. A radar signal is all it needs in order to track its target.”

“Incoming!” The lead pilot screamed. Her voice seemed calm, yet excited. Pilots were an awkward bunch, as they loved to fly and seemed eager to do fancy maneuvers in order to dodge weapons fire; unusual tactics that usually shifted a Marine or Shock Troopers lunch. “I can’t see it! Damn it!”

The co-pilot shot back, “How can anyone see anything out here?”

“Stay your course, Foxtrot! Tangent, increase speed to match Foxtrot.” The decoy unit was feeding them information as fast as they could, but even that felt too slow. The pilots were on edge, flying blind, and trusting in a ground unit that was miles away and tracking them via GPS active Pings. Pilots were trained to trust their instruments and their eyes, not the moles. So it was expected that one of them lost their temper.

The lead pilot lost her calm. “You tell me to evade and then you tell me stay the course! Make up your mind!” Flying blind and trusting in someone you couldn’t see would make anyone jumpy.

“Trust me, we’ve done this before.”

“Trust you?” She shot back. “You’re not up here, you dirty mole.”

“Reset to beacon, full speed….-blam!-…” there was an explosion on the line. “Decoy six is under fire. Incoming friendly needs eyes! Six out!”

The moles were on the run. They had done there job, using themselves as bait in order to let the pelican’s get clear. Now they were on their own, and the Pelican’s were blind until another decoy unit cut in.

“The LZ beacon is now two minutes out, Chief.” The co-pilot sighed. “Orders?”

Eric walked toward the cockpit. “LZ, notify decoys to go radio silent until decoy six checks in. We’ll land ourselves.” Eric didn’t like that idea, but that was all they could do. They wouldn’t have the decoy unit radioing them information on Brute patrols.

The pilot sighed. She didn’t like that idea anymore then having the moles feed her info.

The radio quickly switched off on the LZ’s end. They had gotten the message and the inbound group was on their own.

“I’m locked on the beacon.” The pilot marked.

Eric tapped his radio. “Tangent, ride our tail. Move when we move.”

The second pilot replied back. “Yes sir.”

Eric leaned toward the co-pilot and looked over the man’s shoulder. He was attempting to see the ship wide radar. They’d only have a few seconds to veer clear of any inbound units.

But luckily it was a quiet two minutes.

“Beacon mark. Dusting off.” The pilot shouted.

Eric patted her on the shoulder. She had done a good job. He turned to his team and held up a fist and pointed two fingers to the rear ramp. Mathew 08 hopped up and lowered the ramp. Gridolee and his grunt support unit trotted to the edge and looked outward in to the dark rain drenched surroundings.

Gridolee turned to the grunts. “Migpap, establish a perimeter. Put your noses to good use.”

Migpap cheerfully jumped of the ramp, falling the short ten feet, and rolled away from the pelican’s landing zone. “Fan out, by two, secure area.” He softly ordered his team. They cloaked and vanished into the stormy night.

Eric was next, his Assault rifle primed and ready. “Tangent, hold at fifty until LZ check is set.”

“Roger that.” The second pelican’s pilot replied. “Holding at Fifty.”

Lightning lit the surrounding area, burning a ghost image of the region in Eric’s eyes. Trees lined the south. Remains of Mombasa and the Covenant made canyon was to the north. Eric clicked on his Radio and set it to the proper frequency. “Friendly forces at the door.”

Mathew stepped out of the pelican and turned toward the nose. Rain beads swelled all around. He knelt near a tree and switched to night vision. It helped. “Clear. Thirty yards.”

Gridolee trotted a few feet out scanning the area and replied, “No hostiles detected.”

Migpap emerged from emptiness, shaking water from his hooves, and replied. “Me no see nothing. Teams say area clear. No smell nothing either.”

“How good is that nose in the rain?” Mathew shot back.

“Brute stink worse in water.” Migpap laughed.

Eric was still restless. “Displace fifty yards, mark LZ drop 2. Tangent stay at the ready.”

“Roger.” Came in from all voices. Tangent shifted sideways and prepared to land while the advanced team made sure that the area was in fact secure.

After a few minutes of waiting everyone replied with the same statements and Eric breathed a little easier. Rain water was rolling off his gear, adding an extra chill to the African night. His suit adjusted to the temperature.

“Tangent. Down and off.”

Eric watched as rain poured from the top of the bird as it lowered and finally came to a rest. The ramp opened and a horde of Marines filed out. “By twos. Secure a path to the entrance. Move out!” The Marines did as they were told, sprinting away from the LZ and toward the entrance into the ONI facility known as The Gateway.

Eric climbed the ramp, water dripping from his armor and nodded toward the four scientists. “Area is clear, but I don’t want to risk it. Until we get to the door, I want everyone to keep at least ten feet between you and the person in front of you. Keep your heads down and move swiftly.”

Catherine had to comment. “We are no longer spring chickens, Eric.” Two of the men laughed at Doctor Halsey’s comment, but the young lady with them could not find any humor in the situation. “Point us in the right direction, we’ll do what we can.” Catherine added.

  • 09.08.2007 12:37 AM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
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My Novel, available on Amazon.com

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Eric pointed toward a clearing of brush, barely visible with the downpour of rain. “There are two trees directly ahead of you. Split them and keep going straight. If you veer off course a marine will put you back on the path.” Eric looked the group over. “Dr. Halsey, you’ll lead. She’ll be last.” Eric pointed to the younger woman sitting on the bench.

Catherine gave a shout, “Anne. You heard the Chief.” Catherine watched as the young woman sluggishly pulled on her light jacket and pulled the hood over her head. Doctor Halsey leaned toward Eric. “Push her if you need to. She’s been in shock all day. She’s never seen death.”

“I can tell. That’s why she’s going last.” Eric turned to the group and made sure they were ready. “Gridolee, lead them out.”

“As you wish, Honored one.” Gridolee stood at the ramp’s edge, his body armor drenched in rain water and he nodded toward Catherine. “I will go slowly. Follow me and do not stop.”

Gridolee turned and trotted into the rain. Catherine huffed as she followed. His pace could not be classified as ‘slow’; Catherine felt like she was running a sprint. She pulled her hood upon her head and watched the massive Elites back. Wet grass bobbed against her and it felt like rain was splashing up into her face. Her glasses began to fog and she pulled them off. She could still see Gridolee ahead of her, but she was worried about the other scientists behind her. She turned her head and could hear the slosh of mud and water at her heels.

A voice quickly forced her to turn forward, “Watch it, ma’am!” A marine jumped up and gently angled her into the right direction. She felt his hand graze her side, and edge her back on to the path. She refocused and spotted Gridolee. She had strayed off the beaten path by nearly thirty feet.

Gridolee stopped at what looked like a rock outcropping, but further examination showed it to actually be a heavily armored door. Weapon’s turrets lined the area, two scorpion tanks and at least one warthog. Catherine was stunned because just a minute ago she was running through a dense packet of grass and leaves. Now she was on solid ground with ONI personal.

Gridolee halted and looked back to see if everyone was still following. Two, three, and four, all were accounted for. Eric was closer to the scientists then was planned, and he was holding the arm of the young woman that Doctor Halsey had singled out.

Eric let the woman go, and she simply lowered her head. The scientists were breathing heavily, and Catherine smiled as Eric walked past. “Sorry about the run, ma’am, but we are in enemy territory.”

“Eric, the whole planet is Enemy territory.” She exhaled. “Can we go inside? It is still wet out here.”

Eric walked toward the door and was approached by three armed men. They were Navy officers, but they seemed out of place. ONI Section III security.

“Senior Chief, Sir!” One man saluted. “We have orders to bring you, the rest of the Black Ops, and Doctor Halsey’s staff inside. The elite and grunts will have to stay….”

Eric interrupted. “Lieutenant Gridolee is hereby assigned to Doctor Halsey’s full security detail. He does not leave her side.”

“Sir… that’s… uh…” The man was at a loss for words; as was Gridolee. The elite looked at Catherine and she smiled innocently back at him.

The guard questioned, “Sir, this is an ONI facility… the Elite…”

“The elite is a Lieutenant in his respected service. He has fought by my side a lot longer than anyone inside this base. I feel that he would be more trust worthy then any of you. And according to my higher ups, Doctor Catherine Halsey is a VIP amongst VIPs. So, either you open the door and let us in, or we turn around and go back to Eden.”

Catherine had walked up to Eric’s side. “Please decide quickly. This rain is starting to damper my mood.”

“Sir, as you wish.” The officer sighed. “Follow me.” Eric led the way, with Catherine, Gridolee, the science staff, and Mathew pulling up the rear.

Eric radioed back. “Migpap, make yourselves at home.”

Migpap and his group emerged from cloak, startling a few of the human security officers. The group of four grunts quickly jogged into the weapons shed and got out of the rain. Before long they were all sitting and fast asleep.

Eric added to the security guard, “Make plans to bring the Unggoy inside as well. They can remain on the upper levels, but I don’t want them outside with those trigger happy Moles nearby.”

“I’ll see what I can do, Chief.”

The group entered the building and descended down a short elevator. At the bottom they stepped out and were greeted by several more soldier and ONI officers. Catherine and the scientists were offered towels to dry off and fresh clothes. They eagerly accepted. Mathew and Eric never left Gridolee’s side. Despite what he had told the officer, surely a higher ranking brass member would show up and have Gridolee escorted out of the building. Eric hoped against this, as he needed Gridolee.

Mathew was also privy to this notion. “Why did you want Gridolee in here?” He said on his private channel. “You know the brass won’t go for this.”

“I don’t trust them.” Eric replied. “I trust the elites more then I trust ONI right now, and that should tell you a lot.”

Mathew was taken back by Eric’s words. After all, the Elites killed Kim, Black Ops 04. “Eric… what’s going on in your head?” Mathew questioned.

Eric didn’t respond, but looked at Mathew and tapped his helmet near the ear. Chances were that someone might be listening on the secure channel. Inside an ONI facility, there were no closed channels. Mathew understood and changed topics. “Still, if you don’t trust them, we need them.”

“I know.” Eric sighed. He didn’t dare say what he wanted to say, but understood what he needed to do.

Catherine and the scientists emerged from the rooms wearing clean clothes. Anne slowly sulked out of the room last. She was lost amongst her thoughts and felt out of place. Catherine stood in front of her and glared into her eyes.

“Yes ma’am?” Anne questioned.

Catherine remained silent, sighed heavily, turned and walked away. She approached the security escort and said, “Leave her somewhere, I don’t care where. She’s useless to me like this.”

Everyone looked at Anne, and she froze in place; shocked.

“If you will all follow me, we need to go to level 15.” The security officer waved the group forward to the next set of elevators further down the hall. Anne stood motionless. The security guard nodded toward one of the floor monitors opposite the group and they walked up to Anne.

“Follow me, Miss.”

Anne nodded and silently followed, and eventually vanished amongst the upper level corridors.

The other scientists, Gridolee and the Black Ops descended lower into the facility arriving at the fifteenth floor. Armed guards patrolled the hallway and every one of them eyed Gridolee strongly. Eric and Mathew stood in front of their Sangheili partner, forming a small distraction from everyone’s harsh glares.

Catherine commented. “Most of these Section III boys may not have seen an elite since the alliance was formed.” She looked to Gridolee and showed the same smile she always formed when looking at him. “We should be careful in this neck of the woods.”

“I have no fear of them. If they wish to test their courage, I would gladly face them.” Gridolee softly spoke.

Eric whispered, “It won’t come to that. I hope.”

As they neared a thick double door, several of the security officers approached and demanded that everyone be stripped of their side arms. “Sir, we most also ask that you two take off your helmets.”

Eric and Mathew hadn’t even realized they were still wearing them. They were so accustomed to having their modified ODST helmets on that they completely ignored it. Mathew and Eric popped the seals to their helmets and pulled them off. They both had thick beards from too many days without shaving, their hair was puffy with sweat from prior combat situations and they had a slight musky smell of two active men.

Catherine was forced to take a step back while holding her nose; hardly able to contain her laughter.

Mathew scorned her, “You try wearing this gear, even with the coolant layer, for several days.” He laughed.

Catherine smiled and shook her head.

The door parted and everyone walked in. The security guard halted Gridolee. “Your helmet and energy swords… Lieutenant.”

Eric looked to Gridolee and nodded, a simple suggestion that it was alright. Eric was also surprised to hear the guard call him a Lieutenant. That was proof enough that someone was watching, and listening to everything that they had been saying earlier. Gridolee disarmed and followed them in.

The brass sat quietly before them, with Wesley standing in the corner at full attention. Mathew and Eric ignored him.

Catherine did not. “Are they feeding you well, Mr. Williams?”

Wesley didn’t reply. The brass motioned for everyone to have a seat on the couch adjacent from the table and Gridolee stood against the wall near them. But Commander Hue quickly blurted, “Hello Lieutenant Raynord. Would you and Doctor Halsey please remain standing?”

Mathew and Catherine were curious as to why she called Eric a Lieutenant. Eric was stripped of his bars after the New Mombasa incident.

Eric stood tall, placed his hands behind his back and looked at the table of high ranking officials; the ONI Board of Representatives. It was combination of officers from the various branches of the UNSC. However, unlike the public office of Naval Intelligence, this board was a completely different beast. This was Section III, best known as the Board of Black Operations.

  • 09.08.2007 12:38 AM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
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My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Commander Hue stood from her seat at the table, pulled down her uniform with a soft tug and spoke with a casual smile. “Lieutenant Eric Raynord, under command of Captain Megan Monroe of the Rogue fantasy, we would like to thank you for your service to the UNSC, and to ONI Section III. Your plan to find the Elite home world was executed successfully…”

Eric turned his eyes toward Gridolee, knowing that the next few lines would perhaps anger the massive elite.

Hue continued, “… however, the alliance hindered your plans to destroy it. Thankfully you, along with Commander Miranda Keys and Sergeant Major Avery Johnson, were able to establish a peaceful aid to this alliance.” Commander Hue stepped out from the table to approach Eric and Halsey.

Caherine Halsey took advantage of this brief silence. “Lieutenant?” She questioned softly.

“It’s a long story, ma’am.” Eric whispered.

Hue overheard, “Indeed it is quite a tale. After the death of Senior Chief Petty Officer Kimberly Peters, we were approached by Eric and gave him a quick commission based on his deeds during the Troy operation. The Black Ops lost a great deal of their forces on Troy.”

An older woman at the table cut in. “We all agreed on his plan. Though it was fully based on revenge, we agreed that this would be a swift strike against the Covenant. The duty of the Black Ops was to observe the Covenant reaction after they had pushed us away from a planet. We knew they stayed and studied and searched, but we didn’t know what they were looking for.”

Hue added. “Vice Admiral Parangosky is correct.” Doctor Halsey twitched at the name. Parangosky was the head of ONI, and rightfully she would be involved with Section III. Hue continued. “The Lieutenant knew that they were looking for crystals. The same type of crystal that was eventually found on Earth, and it somehow powered the Ark. We had found another artifact in space, picked up by the Apocalyspo, and it was too late when we discovered it was a beacon to the Covenant.”

Eric couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “After the beacon broadcasted, I knew the Covenant would come. I had already broken up the surviving members of the Black Ops, but I knew that I needed them in order to find a Covenant home world. My plan was risky and complex, but it was the only way. We choose a remote Facility where the the Ark Crystal could be hidden. Some place easily defendable and protected from the Covenant’s scans. Unfortunately, Doctor Roselyn Santos was an unknown factor.”

“Indeed she was!” Parangosky snapped. She was obviously a bit angry. “Nearly cost us the whole operation.”

Eric continued. “The plan was originally to force the Covenant into searching the city by foot. I would organize any militia I could and board the ship. Spartans were on standby and waiting for the call to join the fight, however, things changed when the Covenant zeroed in on the crystal without hesitation. I defended it as best I could.”

Mathew blurted, “This was all a part of your plan?”

Eric ignored his long time friend, and continued, “No thanks to Major Rawlings small part, the plan was nearly grounded.”

Commander Hue chuckled, “I think she charged you with… treason, wasn’t it?”

“Yes ma’am.”

The board members gave a soft chuckle, obviously they knew something Eric didn’t. Another man spoke up. “Had I not been there, there is no telling what she would have done.” The man was a Lieutenant Commander and his pipe sat comfortably at his lips, but it was not lit. Eric recognized the man as the one that had allowed Rose, Wesley and himself to walk out of that room with ‘Uncharacterized Demotions’.

“Yet it was only a farce.” Hue added.

For Mathew’s sake, Eric blurted out, “Yes. I received a memo a few hours later saying that my commission was still in place, but for security reasons I was to play along with the demotion.”

Mathew could be heard sighing from across the room, and he also shook his head in disbelief.

Hue once again addressed them. “The plan was off track, but we still had hopes that you could pull it off. We selectively gave you command of Red Squad, comprised mostly of soldier from your Black Ops, and finally a Spartan was sent to assist.”

“I thought he was going to lead the mission, but he affirmed that I was still in control. 043 was a good soldier.”

Hue added. “You carried out the mission as expected with your Black Ops team. Siren successfully infiltrated the ship’s systems, found Dorenth and took you there. The rest is history. But I think it is only appropriate that we continue to address you as your proper title, Lieutenant.”

Eric nodded. “How does the Major feel about that, ma’am? She is strongly opinionated.”

There was a short silence and everyone looked to a thin Navy officer wearing nothing but a naked officer’s uniform; there was no identification upon him, not even his name or rank.

“She was withholding evidence from the board. Including information about the Black Ops program that was not made known to the Board.” The man stated. Eric could recognize an ONI spook from a mile away. He handed Eric a data pad and said, “you may find that an interesting read.”

Hue chimed in, “But before you read that. We must inform you that Major Rawlings is dead. KIA. She was leaving the facility when her ship was shot down by a Seraph patrol.”

Eric didn’t believe that story, but decided to ignore it for now. He then looked at the data pad and began to cringe. “There’s more…” He froze and read deeper into the file. Names, ranks, date of births, skill set, eating habits, performance evaluations and nutrient mixes were displayed for one hundred EaMP candidates. Eric lifted his head and glared at the ONI spook that had given him the file.

The man smiled softly. “Major Rawlings gave us this information before she departed. She was heading back to Eden. We are currently looking for Colonel Ackerson in order to verify that these men and women existed.”

Eric turned toward Mathew and tossed the data pad toward his friend. Mathew caught it and read it to himself. He was just as stunned. Eric turned back to the brass. “Why weren’t we told? We could have used the extra man power.”

“Unlike you and your Black Ops, these soldiers have been under Ackerson’s private care. According to Rawlings they were stationed under the command of Lieutenant Commander Kurt Ambrose, on ONYX. They were used to aid in the training of the Spartan IIIs on base. Those soldiers have been declared legally dead for more than fifteen years. Their deaths were cover ups, and Commander Ambrose never questioned who they were. However, our own intelligence has reported that Planet Onyx has gone… missing.”

“Missing?” Eric questioned. “A Planet has gone, missing?”

“Yes. We received word from Blue Team, Spartan’s 043, 058, and 104, just prior to the planet’s disappearing act. A small team is being put together to investigate. We’re hoping that Spartan 087 and Doctor Halsey will lead this team.”

Everyone turned to Catherine. She sat stunned. “What about the Ark Data Node?”

“Come now doctor, surely you’ve watched the rest of the data on the Path of Reclamation?” Parangosky added. “We’ve been aware of it for some time. Why do you think we’ve been so… aggressive in our actions as of late?”

Halsey flinched, reached into her pocket and pulled up the data pad. She glared at it. Did they know something that she didn’t? Was ONI this confident? She walked to the table and placed the data pad into a receptacle. The video display emerged on the wall behind her and began with the opening statement on the goals for Reclaimers.

Catherine stated. “I have to warn, that two of my staff members committed suicide after seeing this.”

Hue added. “We know.” Halsey folded her arms inward, upset that section III was this informed, too informed, but at the same time she wondered how informed they really were.

The video continued and neared the section where she ended it. The video showed the sequence of lines of soldiers, both human and elite being injected with the soldier gene, which was derived from the Flood spores. And then it shifted into a new sequence. A war had begun, but the enemy was not made clear. The construction of the Halo’s was shown, several species aided in its construction. Then there was a switch, more species were being given some form of injection.

Catherine sat forward. “More tests?”

“Not quite.” A voice said from the table. “We thought this as well, but look closer.”

Halsey watched. Grunts, Jackals, Engineers, and various other creatures she had never seen, all being injected, or so she thought. “No… they aren’t being injected. Samples... blood samples.”

Some one spoke. “We don’t know much, but at some point the Forerunners began testing to find a way to reach immortality.”

Catherine added as she glared at the display. “Yes, I was under this suspicion as well. That was my original belief in why the Forerunners accidentally created the Flood.”

The video continued. Numerous images flowed across the screen, cell reconstruction and then an image of what looked to be another Halo world, but it wasn’t. “What was that?” She questioned. It appeared to be a giant structure almost arc shaped. Similar to Halo in every way, however it was not a ring. Then another image display, an image of a sub-space world. The planetoid was metallic in appearance, yet images showed the inside as habitable. A glowing orb sat in the center globe shaped world, and it was much bigger than those used in the inner sanctum and the Seed ship.

“A giant globe,” Catherine mumbled. She pondered, “No, a Dyson’s sphere?” She peered closely, but the images shifted. Another image showed, star charts, locations, points of references… a map.

Catherine turned to Parangosky, “Vice Admiral, do you…”

  • 09.08.2007 12:40 AM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
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My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

“Yes, we do and we have, several times.” She said with a heavy sigh. “There’s nothing there.”

“I think your timing is off.” Catherine said. “The Path of Reclamation. The puzzle is on that world. The answer is there… whatever that Forerunner object is will be revealed soon.” Catherine looked to the Board as she stopped the video. “The Ark is counting down.”

Everyone gasped. “Based on what?” Hue questioned.

“Siren was running an analysis and discovered that her system clock is not concurrent with the stars. Time, at some point, stopped on Earth. We lost six days.”

“That’s not possible.”

“No, it’s not possible. But it is a fact. Every time keeping device on Earth is out of synch and is six days behind. By my estimate today is November 17, not the 11th. There is no real way to tell when this accord, but Earth lost six days. During those Six days, the stars continued to move. I think this was not a solar event. It was a planetary event. Everything on Earth… simply stopped.”

“What would that have to do with the Ark?” Someone asked.

“The storm overhead began three days ago, did it not?”

“Yes.” Everyone agreed.

“It is directly connected to the Ark, a local event. The storm, according to reports, began on the day Siren reported the time shift. We lost six days and then the Ark powered on. This is what my scientists also discovered. And based on this display we just watched…” Catherine replayed a segment of the video, a description of a ship and a massive underground device showed on the screen. “…you can see that this is the Ark. The first object is the Ship, while the second object that stretches into the ground is the Ark structure. The system has a failsafe countdown. Siren discovered this when she accessed the Data Node, however we didn’t understand what triggered it. Now we know. I was scanning for Flood spores in the air and based on wind-sheer I estimated that we were fine. There were no traces. But my two scientists still believed that we were going to be infected. After seeing this, I understand why they still killed themselves. If the Ark has activated, that means that some flood spores still survived. This is what they feared. But they didn’t understand the full nature of a Flood spore. It is a very weak infection, and one spore cannot turn you. At worst it will make you very ill. This is why the flood evolved with the Infection form.”

Catherine started the last of the video, and as she predicted the image bounced back to the Ark Structure, a single flood spore, and then a storm as the Ark began to draw in particles from the atmosphere. It was a simulation, but there was no doubt that it could be the real thing. The Ark’s failsafe didn’t care about situations. If it found one flood spore, it would activate.

Parangosky added. “We’ve seen this. We know what it means. The Ark will fire if a Flood Spore is detected, but it can be shut down.”

“You fail to see the point, Vice Admiral.” Catherine watched the display as it once again shifted to the Dyson’s sphere and then the strangely shaped halo. “If the storm began three days ago, and the time slip occurred three days ago, and we lost six days, then I can only guess that we have three days until the Ark fires. But like I said, this is only a guess. The Ark is now charging itself.”

The display continued and Catherine smiled at the following images of human’s and elites standing side by side. She mumbled, “The Path of Reclamation. The Forerunners want us to rebuild the Empire. The elites-how is it possible that we are once again fighting together? No. How is it possible that things are being played out exactly the way the Forerunners envisioned it?”

The group began to mumble to themselves. “What do you believe was the reason of this time event, Doctor? What caused it?”

Catherine looked to the images and lowered her head, “I believe it was Cortana.”

There was a silent pause as everyone glared at Catherine coldly. Parangosky was the first to comment. “Has she begun her Rampancy period?”

Catherine watched as the video began to repeat, she then turned to the table and smiled. “Cortana has done more than any AI in the fleet. Her service record and accomplishments are…”

Hue returned to her seat and cut into Catherine’s speech. “Stop doting over your estranged daughter, Doctor Halsey. We are all aware of Cortana’s service record. The fact that she did not physically return with the Arbiter still has several of us rather miffed.”

Catherine froze. “What do you mean?”

“You were not informed?” Hue questioned oddly as she looked to her superiors. Parangosky nodded her head, agreeing to let her tell Halsey. “The Cortana that the Arbiter and Sergeant Johnson recovered… was only a copy. Siren made this clear in her last report.”

Catherine blurted out, “I thought she was with the Master Chief…”

“During the destruction of the Rogue Fantasy, Lord Hood ordered a rescue mission for the AIs.” Parangosky stated as she thumbed through her data pad. “It was lead by an elite Lieutenant… Simyaldee.”

Gridolee lifted his brow at the name, he remembered that particular mission.

Parangosky continued, “Simyaldee returned the Rogue Fantasy’s data module to Eden. Major Rawlings, along with others, quickly powered up the module and found that Siren was forced to…” She adjusted and read the file directed, “delete what was actually a degrading copy of AI Cortana.”

Doctor Halsey looked stun. “Siren never told me this.” She looked to Eric, but Eric simply shook his head, unknowing of any of the details. “I worked with Siren for several days… she never mentioned this. That means…”

“Don’t alarm yourself, Doctor.” Parangosky cut in. “We will solve one crisis at a time. Cortana is a mandatory asset. Leaving her in the hands of the Flood is not advisable. Once we’re done with Truth we will be going after Cortana.”

Hue added, “It is not considered a rescue operation, Doctor. We must be sure that Cortana is secured or deleted. You yourself said that she may be the reason why we lost six days-though how this is possible is beyond me. None the less… it is clear that Cortana must be found and then secured or deleted.”

Catherine stood in silence.

- - - - - - - -

Eric descended down the elevator with Mathew close at his side. The meeting was over and had been for quite some time. Catherine’s ship was scheduled to depart in less then three hours, but she took that time to talk with Rose in the Mechanics and testing bay on the lower level. For Gridolee’s own safety, Eric sent him to the upper levels with the Grunts, to prepare them for the upcoming mission. Eric had planned to go into combat on his own, but Section III decided to officially give him the mission.

Eric exited the elevator and could smell the heavy garage sent of oily parts. Ahead of them was a bay window with one Spartan III looking into the cave beyond. Weapons fire sounded inside the cave while Rose and Catherine examined a nearby table of parts.

Rose was gritty looking. Her face was smeared with sweat and grease and her hair was tied up and back. She had come a long way from her all business attire. Even though she had a PHD in Engineering, she rarely had a chance to work hands on, if only to show a worker the correct way to assemble a Mark VI gauntlet. Eric felt reassured seeing her in dirty clothes, it somehow fit her better then the marine fatigues that she was forced to wear a few weeks ago.

Eric and Mathew walked across the metal bay and Eric turned to Mathew, “Check out the SIIIs. See if they are worth it.” Mathew gave a nod and walked towards the practice range and the lone Spartan III. Eric turned towards Rose and Doctor Halsey.

Catherine was talking about the gel layer of the Mark VI as Eric approached. “… amazing. The gene node is off by one, but that should be easy to compensate. I assume you reverse engineered the Reclaimer armor to get this far.”

Rose smiled. “Yes. It was the only way. I have no way of understanding how it works, but it is working and that’s all that matters for now. Eventually I’ll have time to adjust the flow ratio, and maybe study how this works. But for now this will have to do.”

“It’s brilliant. The power output should be more then one hundred and twenty percent higher then spec. To bad John’s not around… he could use this as well.”

Rose smiled, happy to see that someone was appreciating her work. “For now, Kelly will have to do. But are you really going? To space, I mean.”

“If John is successful, then we have no choice. This is the only way to make it end. That Dyson’s Sphere and Onyx, I need to be there. I’m leaving the Path of Reclamation in the hands of Section III.”

Eric walked up to the table and examined what the commotion was about. Rose fell silent as he leaned over her shoulder and examined her work.

Catherine sighed, “Well I guess my work here is done. Rose, do what I told you and this suit will be ready. I’ll go and tell Kelly to get ready to leave.” Catherine stood from the table and walked to the observation glass.

Eric was emotionless and glared at Rose. “You okay?”

“Fine.” She blurted out.

“I know we haven’t had a chance to talk…”

  • 09.08.2007 12:42 AM PDT

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“I’m sorry I helped Rawlings take Kelly.” Rose shot back. “How I left you in the desert, it’s been bothering, but I had to. Rawlings was right I’m the only one that could do this. Look what I made! It can up the power output to the Mark VI armor and help reduce power consumption.” Rose lowered her head, after noticing the Eric didn’t care. “This is all I can do, Eric. I told you I would help build a weapon to help fight the Covenant. This was all I can do… but… I did do something else.”

Rose grabbed Eric’s hand and led him back to a storage closet. She pushed him inside and gleefully smiled. On the bench were three SPI armor suits. “SPI armor doesn’t work on the same principles of the Mark V or VI. It is best comparable to your modified ODST armor, but with some MJOLNIR qualities. I adjusted them. These three suits will work with your augmented muscles. But I had to lower the output because you don’t have the bone structure strong enough to support the full power. I mean, you are Spartans, but not quite Spartan IIIs. I made them for you, Mathew and Melanie.”

Eric examined the suits and a crooked smile formed. “She would have loved this. Melanie. Mel would have loved this.”

“Oh God.” Rose gasped.

“She died two days ago.” Eric turned to Rose. She was at a loss of words and holding her hands to her mouth in shock. Eric sat down on the bench and lowered his head. “I’m tired, Rose. Everyone… they’re all gone. Mathew is the only one I have left.”

She didn’t say anything. She walked toward him and stood in front of him. She then embraced his head into her chest and held him. Eric wrapped his arms around her legs and for a moment he let down his soldier’s emotional wall and cried. He held himself in control, no loud sobbing, no hysterical burst or whimpers, he simply let go of his anger and frustration and let them run down his face in the form of tears and small sniffles.

Rose gently stroked his head with one hand and cupped the back of his neck with the other. She understood what he meant. He wasn’t sleepy, he wasn’t exhausted, he was emotionally drained. Death surrounded him everywhere he went. The world was coming to an end, and amongst the hundreds of thousands of soldiers that were left to fight this war, Eric was considered one of the more aspiring leaders.

Rose knelt down to face Eric. She held his head up by placing her forehead under his. Her nose brushed his nose. She used her thumbs and dried his eyes. She looked into his swollen eyes, feeling the edge of her eyelashes brushing against Eric’s. She twisted her head slightly, Eric countered, and they kissed.

Eric brushed his hands over her head, cupping the back of her neck, and pulled her closer. Unlike the quick kiss they had shared in the past, this was real. Rose could no longer hold back her desires. She pulled away and looked into Eric’s eyes. His eyes studied her and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was. This could possibly be there last moment together.

Rose stood and closed the closet door.

Mathew turned from the training spartans and watched as the door that Eric and Rose went into closed. He turned back towards the window as Kelly sprinted around the training room. Standing at Mathew’s side was one of the Spartan IIIs and Doctor Halsey. Mathew questioned the Spartan, saying, “Are you taking a breather?”

A soft voice exited the Spartan’s helmet. “No, sir. I lost my temper a moment ago. The Chief ordered me off the training ground until further notice.”

“Mind if I ask what happened?” Mathew turned to the young girl.

“If you order me to, Sir.” She calmly replied. She continued to watch the training inside.

Mathew huffed, instantly recognizing that she was not going to be an easy soldier to work with. “Spill it. What happened in there?”

“Sir!” She snapped too, and faced Mathew at full attention. “During the Capture the Flag scenario, I utilized my team as a diversion however the Chief was prepared for this. She defended the flag and herself by …”

“-waiting for you to come to her.” Mathew cut in. “She found a good hiding spot, and took you out before you could make your move, then took out the decoys.”

“… Y-yes Sir.” Kate curiously stated. “How did you know, Sir?”

Mathew smiled at the young girl. “Combat experience. Something you lack.” Mathew walked closer. “Helmet off.” Kate, quickly popped the seal of her SPI armor, cupped it under her right arm, and stood at attention. “At ease, uhh?”

“Kate. Spartan G017, Petty Officer Second Class, Sir!” She formally stated.

Mathew looked into her eyes. She was young, no more then twenty years old at best guess. “So, why did she put you out?”

“Sir, when we did not win, I scorned my team. I told them I would challenge the Chief on my own. I told them to sit and watch me. I felt… no, I FEEL that I can win!”

Mathew rubbed his chin. “Kate, do you have an attitude problem?”

“I was frustrated and lost my calm in battle, Sir. I was angry.”

“Calm in battle?” Mathew smirked. Halsey was listening, but mostly watching Kelly. “When you get in a real battle, you’ll find that there is no such thing as being calm. You adapt to battle. If I meet anyone who’s calm in a heated exchange of weapons fire, I’ll get as far away from him as I can, because he is either drunk or suicidal.”

Mathew turned and looked out the window towards Kelly and the other two Spartan IIIs. “What have you learned from the Chief during all of this?”

“That Spartan IIs are still far better then we are.” She mumbled. “Sir.”

Mathew sighed and looked away from the girl. “You’re too caught up with trying to prove yourself, aren’t you? This isn’t a game, kid. You either learn from those who are better then you, or you end up in a box. Stop trying to win, and learn HOW to win.”

“I don’t understand, Sir.” Kate added. “I thought the goal was to always win?”

Catherine laughed. “Where have I heard that before?” She turned to Mathew and young Kate. “She hasn’t seen combat yet, Mathew. You can’t talk to her like you would a marine.” Catherine walked to Kate, smiled and placed her arms up to her shoulder. Kate stood nearly six foot five. “He means here, in training. Your job is to learn. But in real combat, you will have to win. You like to win… don’t you?”

“Yes ma’am. I always win.” Kate looked out the window at Kelly. “At least I did until these last two days.”

Mathew folded his arms. “You’ve met a better opponent, and not even superior numbers will help you. How do you handle that situation?”

Kate thought for a moment. “Tactically you would fight the opponent even if means death. You would hope that someone would eventually be able to stop your opponent even if you fail.”

“That’s a pretty basic cannon fodder tactic.” Mathew shook his head in doubt. “We can’t use them, Doctor. They hurl themselves into a fight, head first, without thinking and attempting to use brute strength all the time.”

“You have little choice, Mathew. I’m sure your Lieutenant told you to check them out. You will have to make them ready.”

Mathew watched as Kate looked at him with a puzzled demeanor. “Suit up. Come with me. If you’re going to be a Black Ops, you have to think like one.” Mathew pulled on his helmet, gripped a practice rifle and opened the door to the training ground.

Kate nervously followed.

The computer AI gave a soft buzz when the door opened. “Halt exercise.”

Kelly and the Spartan III’s stopped there game. Mathew and Kate approached them, stepping through the hilly passes and jumping over trenches to the nearby sandy hill, and atop the mound stood Kelly.

“19, is that you?” Kelly questioned loudly.

“No, its Mathew 08.” He sighed. Whenever the Black Ops showed up, 19 was often the first name shouted.

“Sorry. What is she doing in here? Is she ready to cooperate with her teammates?”

“She will be.” Mathew shot back. “Mind if we take you on?”

“Sure thing.” Kelly turned to the other two Spartans. “009 and 021, take a few minutes to get your energy back.” The Spartans jogged off of the training area. “The game is Crazy King of the Hill.”

“I haven’t done this one since boot.” Mathew chuckled as he pulled the hammer on his pulse rifle. The stun rounds buzzed as it primed in the chamber. Mathew looked at the rifle curiously and then lowered it. He looked up at Kelly. “How many hills?”

“Three.” Kelly nodded, climbed from the hill and jogged to the far side of the training cave. She then opened a closed channel to Mathew. “What brings you in here with her?”

“Teaching her a lesson.” Mathew radioed back. “Play hard, 087. We’re coming for you.”

The computer began the countdown at ten seconds.

Mathew killed the line to Kelly and opened another line to Kate. “The odds are against us so how should we handle this?”

“King of the Hill, we rush the mound and keep the Chief off of it.”

“No. We can’t keep her out of the hill. She’ll easily overpower us.” Mathew shot back. The alarm rang and they both took off toward the first selected hill. The location arrow appeared on their HUDs and they sprinted forward.

“Then, what can we do?“ Kate asked as she jumped over a concrete barricade.

“She won’t take the hill right off, so she’ll watch and see how we attack. Unless she thinks we aren’t a threat. With me out here she will most likely stay back and watch.” Mathew knelt at the edge of the mound and looked around. Kelly was no where to be seen and his radar was being jammed. “She dropped a jammer somewhere.”

“She’s trying to flank us!” Kate gasped.

  • 09.08.2007 12:43 AM PDT

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“Not too hasty, kiddo. There are a hundred scenarios for using a jammer. Flanking is too simple for a Spartan of her degree.” Mathew pooped his head up, found the hill circle and tossed a smoke bomb inside. Smoke spat from the grenade and engulfed the circle.

“Why did you do that? We could have used it later, and now she knows where we are.”

“Kid, we’ve been sitting in the same spot for ten seconds. She already knows where we are. Get into the circle, lay prone and don’t move till the smoke clears.”

Kate climbed the mound and was instantly being targeted by pulse fire. She turned to face the fire and let her new shield unit take most of the fire. Kate then dived into the circle and vanished in the thick grey cloud of smoke. She couldn’t see anything, and her radar was still being jammed. She lay on her stomach, swiveling her gun toward the area where the incoming fire had originated. The clock on her HUD began to climb, they had gained a twenty second lead before the circle vanished.

“The circle shifted to a new location, I’m going there!” Kate shouted into the com.

“Negative! Don’t move!” Mathew shot back. “Stay on the ground, and play dead.”

Kate held her frustration and held her position. Suddenly the clock on her helmet began to climb again. Mathew was scoring on the other hill. Pulse fire echoed in the cave then the counter on her HUD stopped.

A static burst filled Kate’s Ears. “Fall in on my position, ASAP!”

Kate popped up and sprinted toward Mathew’s NAV marker. She then dived at his side. “I thought she got you.”

“Nope, but she’s about as smart as I expected her to be.” Mathew was breathing hard, but he was excited. He was testing his wits and skills against a Spartan; a real Spartan. He had fought with the Spartan in the last few months, but never against them. It was exhilarating as he thought it would be. It was too bad Eric had to miss it. “She’s scoring points, but that hill will shift, when it does, sprint to the top and make sure you are in the open… in plain sight.”

“I’m the bait?”

“You bet your ass you are.”

The hill moved and Kate and Mathew sprinted toward it. Mathew gave a shout. “Be ready to defend yourself, and fall back if you have to.”

Kate climbed the hill and stood in the center. Her head was on a constant swivel, and her heart was racing with a nervous flutter. “Where is she?”

Mathew took up position on the back side of the hill and counted. He had seen Kelly’s land speed before, and with all the obstacles on the training ground he quickly estimated that Kelly would need eight seconds to reach this hill. The question was if she was going to take the bait. He risked it. He rolled to the clearing and sprinted in the direction Kelly was coming. Once he turned the corner a giant MJOLNIR clad Spartan emerged in his face. They both fired and dodged to their respected rights.

She fell for it.

Or maybe not.

Mathew rolled to his feet and watched as a stun grenade landed in front of him. She had to have thrown it before Mathew showed himself. Mathew didn’t bother to stand, he simply kept rolling and luckily rolled clear as the stun grenade detonated. He jumped up and spun around as Kelly raced up the hill. Kate fired down, but Kelly was to elusive, or Kate was a really bad shot, either way Kate was forced to retreat. She watched as her counter stopped and Kelly’s began. Kelly was still trailing by nearly forty seconds, but there was little time left on the existing Hill.

Mathew shouted into her COM. “She’s in a pinch. She needs to score in order to win. She’ll switch to a more aggressive style at the next Hill. Get to the center point of the three hills.”

“The center point?” Kate questioned.

“You’ve got to be kidding me kid?” Mathew sighed over the radio. “The hills are set to three, it is a basic triangle formation. The first thing you should have done was to remember each hill spawn point!”

“Sorry Sir, I…”

“Obvious errors get people killed in combat, Kate!” Mathew barked. “Fall on my position, now!”

Kate sprinted toward Mathew and slid to his side. Mathew ignored her, and his head was bouncing from side to side. “The hill will spawn in 3… 2…” The hill emerged forty yards away and Kate dashed toward it. Mathew didn’t follow. He instead charged Kelly.

“Sir?” Kate questioned.

“We need forty seconds to win! I’ll be the bait this time!”

Kate dived into the hill’s score zone and watched as the seconds began to clip by. She then watched the spectacle in the middle of the training ground.

Mathew fired in a strafing pattern as Kelly attempted to blow past him. She stopped and jumped backwards as a stun grenade detonated. Mathew then fired from cover as Kelly also returned fire, and then he heard it. It was faint, but it was as clear as day; the sound of an empty stun clip. He remembered it from earlier, from when he was testing the gun when he first walked onto the training ground. Mathew spun from cover and charged toward Kelly. She was in the middle of slapping in another charge of stun batteries as Mathew raised his rifle and fired. Kelly let the fist round wash over her shield and she slipped into cover. Mathew ceased fire and heard the loud confirmation of a freshly loaded round. Kelly was rearmed. He dropped a stun grenade and pivoted toward the hill and Kate. Kelly was quickly on his heels.

The stun grenade detonated and dropped Kelly’s shields to twenty percent. She kept running after him. Her gun fired controlled bursts, but Mathew stayed low and didn’t make himself an easy target.

He then stopped, turned, took a knee and returned fire. Kelly seemed shocked. She expected him to take cover. The first three rounds dropped her shield completely and she took cover behind a dismantled warthog. She checked her radar and saw that Mathew was charging her.

She stood and fired over the warthog, but Mathew’s outstretched leg kicked the gun from her hands and he plowed into the goliath female Spartan. She stumbled backwards, but barely. Mathew, however, hit the ground hard. He stood and threw himself into Kelly’s midriff. She easily tossed him to the side, but Mathew grabbed her arm and held on. His grip was tight, vice like, and a simple toss wasn’t going to shake him loose.

Kelly had almost forgotten that the Black Ops strength was equal to her own. The only difference was that they didn’t have the strength enhancements of a MJOLNIR Mark VI and the steel like bone structure of Spartan II and III surgeries. Kelly soon found herself being pushed backwards. Mathew had pulled himself back into her stomach, planted his shoulder and was driving her backwards.

A one ton Spartan was being physically bullied.

Kelly planted her back foot, stopping Mathew in his tracks. She wrapped her arms around his waist and flipped him over her head. He tumbled in the air, attempted to right him self but landed on his back just as the alarm sounded.

“Game over. Winner, Blue Team.” The computer casually stated.

Mathew cheered as he lay on his back, throwing his arms into the air as if he had won some sort of tournament. Kate raced down the hill to see if he was okay and Kelly simply stood there, stunned.

“That was reckless.” Kelly snapped. “I could have seriously hurt you.”

Mathew stood, dusty himself off and extended his hand. “But you didn’t.” Kelly took his hand and gave it a shake.

Kate stopped at their side, “We won.” She was shocked. “I didn’t do anything, but we won.”

Kelly turned to Kate and corrected her. “You had the hardest part, and I’m certain of it.”

Mathew nodded, agreeing with Kelly. “You had to obey orders, Kate. You obeyed orders and you watched.” Kate thought for a moment. She felt more like running fool then anything else. Mathew continued. “There were moments were you could have disobeyed but you didn’t. You did what you were told no matter how much trouble it looked like I was in. That was risk you have to take, a risk everyone has to take when in combat.”

Kelly added. “08 was giving you good commands. What did you learn from them?”

“Study your terrain and your opponent.” Kate replied quickly.

“There’s hope for you after all.” Mathew sighed. “There is more, but we can talk about it later. For now, I think I need to debrief you and the other Spartan IIIs on your next assignment.”

“A mission, Sir?” Kate eagerly questioned.

“Yeah, a mission.” Mathew turned and walked away.

After walking back to the mechanics bay, Mathew took off his helmet and looked to the young Spartan IIIs. “Today, you and a Platoon of marines will be going into the Ark. Our orders will be simple; Find Truth or any other Prophet Hierarchs and kill them. You will be under the direct command of Lieutenant Eric Raynord. You will address him has 19 or Lieutenant, and if you’re feeling cocky you can try ‘El Tee’.”

Mathew looked at the three of them, casting his eyes from one to the other. “Following orders is a must. If he orders you to jump into the flames of hell, you will strap a canister of fuel to your back and jump in with a smile. If he tells you to retreat, you will do so without question! In this Platoon, we have no place for those who second guess an order. 19 has been by my side for more then fifteen years and I’m sure that we will finish this war together, dead or alive.

Mathew turned toward Kelly and gave her a nod. “I need to go prep the platoon, but the Lieutnant will be out in a minute to debrief you. I’m sure that the good Doctor will also share the plan.” Mathew looked back at Kate, Greg, and Dave. “Get your gear together, and stay loose. Relax and clear your minds until I assemble the full Platoon. 19 might stop by and talk to you before then, so don’t tell him that we had that little training session.” Mathew turned and walked back to the elevator. But the closet door opened and Rose stepped out. She waved Mathew towards her and let him walk in.

  • 09.08.2007 12:44 AM PDT

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Kelly rubbed her helmet in a somewhat confused manor. “Wait, 19 is a Lieutenant?”

Doctor Halsey sighed, “Apparently, he was always a Lieutenant but Section III told him to play along with the demotion.”

Kelly turned to the three Spartan IIIs. “You’re all pretty lucky. If your going into combat, it is always good to know that your Platoon commander is willing to get his hands bloody at your side. 19 is a great soldier, he’ll keep you in line and on point.”

Kate stepped forward. “Sir, permission to speak freely?”

“Granted.”

“The Black Ops are Spartans?”

Halsey commented instead. “They volunteered for a program called the EaMP program. It was a cover for Spartan III testing.” Halsey looked over her shoulder at the three Spartans. “They cut the Black Ops up, tested them and left them for dead… so that you could be who you are today. Try to remember that when 19 and 08 start giving you orders.”

Kate lowered her head. “But they survived.”

Halsey added. “Yes, thanks to the kindness of their Chief of Surgery.”

Kelly chimed in. “None of that really matters. You simply need to know that they are your superiors, and they have far more combat experience then you do. 017, you should clearly understand that. Stick with them, and you’ll live longer.”

“Chief.” Dave began to comment. “Black Ops 08 was able to push you around, and he beat you in King of the Hill. We weren’t able to do this, and we tried nearly ten times. And he didn’t have powered SPI armor or MJOLNIR. Can you explain this?”

Kelly turned to Kate. “Tell them.”

Kate began to explain to the rest of her team what Mathew was doing. She told them how he ordered her and made her think; to study the terrain and possible solutions to her opponent’s actions. She told them how he was always analyzing, thinking, putting her into positions to score, while distracting Kelly. “And it wasn’t that he was simply running a basic diversion, he was utilizing the terrain to his advantage and anticipating the Chief’s actions.” She said.

“The Black Ops utilize stealth.” Kelly remarked. “I knew he would do this, but it’s almost impossible to predict an opponent’s actions. Once I began to trail in points, I had to become more aggressive. That was when he directly attacked me, and let 017 score.”

The conversation continued but it was suddenly stopped as Rose approached. She had an awkward smile but she approached the group and stood silently at the side. Kelly was the first to notice her presence and quickly walked closer to her.

“Have you seen 19?” Kelly asked.

“Oh.. yeah, I have.” She shied away from the question. “Eric and Mathew are getting dressed.” Kate, with her enhanced SPI armor hearing, walked closer to Rose.

Kelly added. “Oh, so they are trying on the armor you made?”

“Yeah. But Melanie didn’t make it.”

“05?” Kelly sighed. “She was a great soldier. She’ll be missed.”

Kate interrupted. “Armor, ma’am?”

“Yes. I took a few SPI armor parts and adapted them for the Black Ops while you were training. I made the same modifications to them as I did to yours.”

A metal grind echoed in the mechanical bay and everyone turned toward the closet door. Two figures emerged, both wearing SPI armor, however, instead of the deep green seen on the traditional Spartan colors, Eric and Mathew’s SPI armor was painted black, and their helmet visors were silver-reflective.

Rose smiled at seeing them in their Armor. Eric walked out first, his call number written on his shoulder in small grey numbers. She gleefully walked up to him and examined the straps. She helped him adjust his armor so that they fit a little more snug and then she stepped back with a wide eyed smile.

“This is my contribution, Eric. My way of helping you win this war.”

Eric looked down at Rose and then examined his HUD. He turned on his private line to Mathew and looked at his long time friend.

“Hey… Mathew.”

“Yeah Eric?” Mathew laughed back, in awe of the new armor he was wearing.

“We aren’t dreaming.”

“No man.” Mathew laughed. “This is real.”

Eric lifted his hands and starred at them as he activated his camouflage. He then turned it off and whistled into the radio. “We made it, Mathew. We’re Spartans.”

- - - - - - - -

Hammer of God
Sangheili-Human controlled ship
Camp Eden

The ship flowed with workers, mechanics, human and alien, as Siren explored thousands of digital videos in her virtual world. She was in complete control of the ship and with each passing moment she knew she was getting closer to what needed to be done.

“If only I could have acted sooner. I could have saved you, Mel.” Siren zoomed a camera into the nearby temporary grave yard. She quickly closed the view and waved her hands over the numerous video feeds; closing them. “Doctor Halsey never noticed that I was able to fully copy the code.” Siren gazed into the data stream in her hands. Everything she needed to know about the Path of Reclamation, and the Ark. Siren then knelt and pulled her knees into her chest.

“Is this the right thing to do, Cortana?” She questioned to herself. “Must it be done this way?” In front of Siren appeared the Luminous Key, the very Key that Cortana had taken from Regret and Gravemind; the Key to controlling the Ark. She had sent it to Earth with the copy of herself in order to save humanity; but at what cost.

The Crystal shifted and changed forms multiple times as it floated just within arm’s reach of Siren. Then, beside the pink glowing Key, a video window opened. It was the last thing Cortana had given Siren before she was deleted. Siren watched the Path of Reclamation video and then overlapped it with the video that Cortana had given her. The picture of the Ark firing in the Reclamation video was identical to the image that Cortana had recreated from the future. Cortana had seen the end of the universe.

“This is the way the world ends.” Siren sobbed as she watched the two displays. “Not with a bang, but a whimper.”

To be continued...
******************************

Notes: So there it is. We get back on track with the action in the next level, but I'm not worried about that just yet. Let the Flaming comence. :D
~soulguard

  • 09.08.2007 12:48 AM PDT

Phoenix is dead, long live Phoenix!
Is it?

Wow, that was amazing. There were a few small errors but overall it was pretty demmed amazing.

Your going way beyond your best writing with each additional chapter, to me that was the most gripping chapter I have read. Awesome.

[Edited on 09.08.2007 2:31 AM PDT]

  • 09.08.2007 1:09 AM PDT

|| Terminal Discussion.|| Where is Master Chief?|| Avatars and User Skins||

I hide my Gamertag because I don't want to play with you :).

"With great mustache, comes great responsibility"

OMG such a big level!!! I love it!

  • 09.08.2007 2:21 PM PDT
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*All of the above is the opinion of the user: WartHogRacerman3. Complaints can be forwarded to his secretary.

I own an HDTV [12/30/07]

BEST. LEVEL. EVER.

  • 09.09.2007 11:20 AM PDT
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I am a Sangheili Bard.
Tomes of the History of the Mirratord
For the honor of the Mirratord!

It's awe inspiring to see the master of an art showing his true colors. Your fellows salute you, Soulguard, and the rest gape in wide wonder.

May the big finish be remembered for many years to come.

~Aardvark

  • 09.09.2007 12:53 PM PDT
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Ok, so I am a little upset. I went to copy the newest level, level 19, into a word doc so I can read it at my leisure at school, and while I was copying it I read the last two paragraphs. LOL

I can't wait to read it. Sorry everyone for being sorta MIA. I started student teaching and as you can tell it is 6:30 EST right now and I am about to leave for to teach 10th grade social studies and not get paid for it. Thanx Guy in Charge of Country. I should be able to read this today at school and will get back to everyone after school lets out.

~~Fred~~

  • 09.12.2007 3:30 AM PDT
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Thank goodness I was merely reading this story. Had I been typing it I probably would have given up halfway through.. LOL

Seriously, very nice work with this chapter. I agree with others that say your writing of this story gets better with each new post. I am curious though, or maybe misunderstood, that if they could detect the dyson sphere on Onyx and were sending Kelly and Halsey there, would that not mean that the sphere had been activated along with Onyx's defenses, meaning that the planet had already given way as it did at the end of the book?

I have to say I almost teared up when Eric told Mathew they were finally Spartans, that was just a great moment.

  • 09.12.2007 5:43 AM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Wow, glad you all enjoyed it. The length was a bit long but I wanted to get everything out of the way before we dive back into the action. As for the Dyson's sphere and Onyx, you are correct. The Idea I was trying to portray is that Onyx has basically vanished, Blue team was able to send a transmission before they went into the Dyson's sphere, and now Halsey and Kelly are being sent in to find out what happened.

The next level will turn slightly toward the Sangheili side of things and the next two levels will end the Sangheili sequence of events... but then there will be two more levels to end the story. So, 2 sangheili levels, and then 2 human/Ark levels.

4 levels remain.

I'm getting a bit misty eyed at the idea of ending the story... this has been a huge part of my life for quite some time.

~soulguard

//file structure event//parse error//
.
..
...
....
.....
.....xxx
01111010100010101001011011010110101
ccacgaacca gtgagaacac cctacaaatc Have you enjoyed yourselves?

Have you embraced all the knowledge before you?

What more can we teach you?

There is no time left.

Seek the dark layer where we await to great you.

We have the answers to your questions.

We have the vision you seek.

You are our only hope.
aaaatcaacc atccaactaa aacaccacat cgttattacc ccgagaacta accaaaactc
01111010100010101001011011010110101
.....xxx
.....
....
...
..
.

  • 09.12.2007 12:29 PM PDT

|| Terminal Discussion.|| Where is Master Chief?|| Avatars and User Skins||

I hide my Gamertag because I don't want to play with you :).

"With great mustache, comes great responsibility"

//System integrity//: Low, barely holding.

//System flaw//: Need more Soulguard.

  • 09.12.2007 6:44 PM PDT

Phoenix is dead, long live Phoenix!
Is it?

Have you enjoyed yourselves?
elbayojne syawla si egdelwonk rof tseuq eht
have you embraced all the knowledge before you?
esoprup ym saw taht
What more can we teach you?
yrotsih ruo
There is no time left.
evael ruoy ekat ll'i neht
Seek the dark layer where we await to great you.
htap eht kees ll'i
We have the answers to your questions.
snoitseuq eht evah i dna
We have the vision you seek.
enim si noisiv eht
You are our only hope.
emoc I


[Edited on 09.12.2007 9:46 PM PDT]

  • 09.12.2007 9:41 PM PDT

TWP - Assistant Director
Blade Runner: #00124A
- - - - - - -
My Novel, available on Amazon.com

Homepage

Posted by: x Lai Tasha x
Have you enjoyed yourselves?
elbayojne syawla si egdelwonk rof tseuq eht
have you embraced all the knowledge before you?
esoprup ym saw taht
What more can we teach you?
yrotsih ruo
There is no time left.
evael ruoy ekat ll'i neht
Seek the dark layer where we await to great you.
htap eht kees ll'i
We have the answers to your questions.
snoitseuq eht evah i dna
We have the vision you seek.
enim si noisiv eht
You are our only hope.
emoc I


Nani?? Who? What? Parkay? (lol)
~soulguard

  • 09.13.2007 6:09 AM PDT

Phoenix is dead, long live Phoenix!
Is it?

Back to front, sheesh.

  • 09.13.2007 10:49 PM PDT
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You know, they have treatments for that sort of thing.

  • 09.14.2007 5:25 AM PDT