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  • Subject: [Story] Halo 3--Zero Tolerance {Chapter 4 now up}
Subject: [Story] Halo 3--Zero Tolerance {Chapter 4 now up}

my new GT is Moth Zero

Well, this is my first attempt at Halo fan fic, and all thanks goes to my pal Wolverfrog, who got me writing again after so many years.

Prologue

KABOOM! A tremendous explosion erupted in the midnight sky, the resulting shockwave shaking the trees to their very roots. Startled birds took flight and animals rose from their slumber to see what was happening in their quiet forest. A family of foxes crawled out onto a hill, peering into the sky.

High above them a fiery cloud blossomed out, illuminating everything like the sun for a few moments. As the foxes watched in wonder, a section of the fireball seemed to break away and came hurtling towards the forest, like a falling star. It fell swiftly to the ground, and with an almighty THUD crashed.

Several minutes passed as a shower of rubble fell to the ground, the crater at the impact point was still smoking. Inside the haze a dark figure began to stir, trying to pick himself up and get moving. It got to his knees but immediately feel over backwards, to injured to carry on. Once the smoke cleared, the nosy foxes edged their way to the rim of the hole, seeing what all the commotion had been.

Without warning, bright lights illuminated the woods, sending the animals scurrying away into the depths of the forest. Ships were hovering above the tree line, shining their lights in every direction, searching for something. Men on the ground were shouting, trying to be heard over the rumble of the massive ships engines.

Why couldn't we be assigned a ship that wasn't so loud? thought Lieutenant Harold. He was always being stuck with crappy, out of date equipment. Their vehicles were not reliable, their weapons frequently jammed, and the armor they wore would do no good against pistol, much less what they had just faced. With a grimace, he looked around at the warriors that had been assigned to him.

The fifty-odd men that followed him had their rifles up and ready to shot on command. At least something he had was useful, but after that he wasn't sure about how they were holding up. They had been with him for almost a year, and had served with him through some of the more intense parts of the war, and he knew they could handle anything. They had stuck by him through thick and thin.

His soldiers were the best his commander could give him, and time and again they had proven their effectiveness in combat. Nothing had ever even phased their strength and dedication no matter how grizzly the battle had been. Until now.

After what they had just gone up against, he just wasn't sure his warriors would ever recover. Even now he could see half of them starting to shiver. One soldier in the back leaned against a tree trunk and was violently sick. Even his right hand man, Ramirez, was shaking so badly, Harold had to take his rifle away from him, afraid he might shoot someone.

"Ramirez, buddy. Look at me." Harold pleaded. "Come on man, we've faced worse than this. Get a hold of yourself." When he didn't answer, he tightly gripped Ramirez's shoulders and brought him around to look him in the eyes. "Don't quit on me now, dammit! I need you to be alert. We're facing something the likes of which we didn't think possible." All he could see in Ramirez's eyes were the pain and horror he had just witnessed. Scowling, Harold turned to face his battalion.

"Come on you bunch of yellow-bellied cowards? What are you afraid of? You think this monster is going to stop us?" He walked around his men, trying to inspire some courage. "Do you honestly believe that this thing is going to get away with what he did? Or have you already forgotten what it did to us?" With every word he circled, staring each soldier in the face.

"Do I need to remind you what that bastard did to our city? What it did to our homes?" Some of the men cringed with the memory of burning buildings and the scent of charred flesh. Harold stuck his face into Ramirez's. "What it did to our families?" Ramirez face twisted with such pain and agony, Harold felt his heart twinge with sympathy. No, there isn't time for that, he told himself. There will be time for pain later. We have a mission to complete.

He walked forward and turned about face. "Here is how it's going to be. I am going ahead to finish this thing once and for all. Now, I'll admit, we got a lucky hit on it. It didn't expect us to have that kind of firepower." Harold looked around, letting his men know what was at stake if they followed him.

"I cannot guarantee success if you continue, only the knowledge that you will either succeed in saving Bastion, or you will die trying. If you want to leave, I understand. I won't hold anything against you. You're dismissed." He looked to each soldier, and saw that nobody made a move to leave. Even Ramirez stood taller, ready to kill the thing that had destroyed everything he loved.

Harold smiled, but quickly resumed his role as leader. "When we engage this thing, you do not stop for anything. Hammer that son of a -blam!- with everything you have. I don't know what kind of armor this creature has, but it is near impervious to anything but shredder rounds, so everyone load up and get ready to move. Don't be stingy with frags either. Understood?"

"SIR! YES SIR!" All of the soldiers saluted and moved swiftly through the forest, carefully loading their modified battle rifles. Ramirez stopped in front of Harold. "Sir, thank you sir. I--"

"Save it, private. We have our orders. We have to stop this thing." Ramirez nodded, and began to jog back to his unit. The lieutenant quietly said to himself, "before that thing stops us."

[Edited on 06.19.2009 11:03 AM PDT]

  • 05.04.2009 12:54 PM PDT
Subject: [Story] Zero 214 {Chapter 1 now up}

my new GT is Moth Zero

Don't know if anyone even read my prologue. So if you did, here is Chapter 1.

Chapter 1


As his men moved forward to face their demons, Lieutenant Harold thought back to earlier that day. Had it really been twelve hours ago before it all happened? Before his whole life was obliterated?

He thought to his wife, Shanon. He wondered if she had made it to evac safely. If he lost her too, he wasn't sure if he would be able to go on without her.

Then he thought about his brother, Eric. Despite the warm summer night, Harold shivered with the thought of his dead sibling. Why did you do it Eric, he thought bitterly. You shouldn't have gone after it without backup. You should have listened to me.

Harold put his head in his hands for a moment. Now Cindy is going to have to raise your child alone. He thought about something that made him grin. Yes, she will, but your son will grow up knowing his father died to save everyone he cared about.

The lieutenant moved swiftly through the forest, trying to cover ground as quickly as possible. When he regrouped with his soldiers, they had circled the twelve foot deep crater, each one poised to fire. Harold peered over the edge of the hole, seeing if it had died.

This monster had killed a lot of soldiers, and even more innocents. It had nearly wiped Bastion off of the face of the planet single handed. Harold would rather throw himself off of a cliff than let this thing live. He would make it pay, even if it was the last thing he did.

But the thing hadn't been ready for such an enormous missile strike. Once Harold convinced Commander William, he had authorized the launch of every single warhead at the monster as it tried to escape in a longsword. Harold could remember feeling the explosion's shockwave from a mile away, and the deafening roar of the blast as it sent the creature hurtling from the sky.

Whatever it was that had come to Bastion, he wasn't even sure if it really existed. This thing had waded through their gunfire as if it was no more than a stiff breeze. If that size of an explosion hadn't taken him out, he seriously doubted his men would be able to.

When Harold reached the circle of troops, Ramirez nodded to him and without preamble, jumped down into the crater. Some of the soldiers tried to persuade him to come back, but Harold silenced them with a wave of his hand. As Ramirez got closer to the thing, he noticed, with a smirk, that the armor covering it was damaged.

He reached out slowly and waved a hand in front of the things helmet, seeing if it would react. When it didn't move, Ramirez kicked the beast in arm, then the leg, and finally started to stomp its chest, tears of hate rolling down his face.

"Easy, private." whispered Harold. While Ramirez had been beating on the armored behemoth, Harold had jumped into the crater with him and took him by the shoulders. Gently leading him away, Harold looked at him and said, "It's okay son. We got that bastard, it's all over."

Ramirez completely lost it, the memories of what that monster had done to his wife and children flooding back into his mind. Harold grabbed him in a ferocious hug, wishing he could do something to help his dear friend.

He called out, "Manny, radio HQ and get a crew out here to recover the body. Whatever tech makes this thing run, we need to figure out someway to use it."

Private Manny, startled out of silence, saluted Lieutenant Harold. "Sir, yes sir." With precise movements, he pulled his communicator from his rucksack and tried to patch his way to Command. The rest of the soldiers grouped up beside him, eager to share the news of their success.

The only ones that weren't sharing in the joy were standing in the crater. Harold had his friend in a tight hug, and whispered, "It's okay, we got it. Your family has been avenged. It won't hurt anyone else ever again. We did it." He was so busy trying to console his friend that didn't hear the startled warning of one of his soldiers.

"Watch out!" somebody shouted too late. By the time they had turned around, the monstrous form had rose up and with lightning speed reached out and grasped Ramirez by the throat. "NO!" Harold shouted, bringing his rifle to bare on the giant's head as it lifted Ramirez a foot off the ground, turning his face into a hideous shade of purple.

Even then, Ramirez tried to kill the thing that had taken everything away from him. He pulled out his magnum and fired at close range, but even then, it was useless. The monster stood at nearly six foot ten, and was covered in a matte black armor. Even after being hit with several dozen missiles, the armor was still functioning and the PING! of bullets as they ricocheted off the helmet and went whizzing about.

"STOP IT!" a deep, angry voice cried. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" It raised its arm back and punched Ramirez square in the chest. Harold could clearly hear the sound of ribs cracking and snapping. He panicked and ran up to the beast, caring only for the welfare of his friend.

He grabbed the thing by the arm and pulled with all his might. "Let him go you bastard! Let him go or I will kill you with my bare hands!" Harold put all of his weight into one mighty pull, and wound up on his backside, the creature letting Ramirez fall to the ground with a thud. It put its hand to its head and began to moan in agony, falling to its knees.

Harold took the chance to draw his .30 Caliber machine gun and pointed it at his enemy's helmet. Before he had a chance, its hand flashed forward and clasped the barrel, destroying the gun and squeezed the barrel like it was made of taffy. The thing looked at his hand, obviously surprised at what it had done.

It looked up at the lieutenant, who looked into the golden visor on its helmet and asked, "What the hell are you?" It lowered its arms and whispered, "I was hoping you could tell me." It suddenly toppled over onto the ground. shivering. As he stood over the cowering giant, a sudden sensation of understanding crept up on Harold.

The thing looked humanoid, and had even spoken English. In Harold's head there was no doubt as to what he was facing. Even some of the troops were whispering to each other.

There had been whispers of incredible beings traveling around the galaxy. Warriors that were unstoppable in battle, and had never failed to carry out their orders. They all thought they were rumors, but there was no doubting what this was.

A Spartan.

But none of the tales had ever described their inhuman strength and speed. Nothing about
the kind of horrors they were able to commit.

None of the soldiers had expected something like this to happen, and stood there until the lieutenant yelled at Manny to get a medical unit to their location ASAP. Jolted out of his stupor, he hopped on the phone and radioed for evac while several walked over to take care of Ramirez. While the troops got ready to move out, Harold leaned over and looked into the Spartan's visor.

He had a sinister idea. One that would provide his cause a means of success. He had seen what this thing had done first hand, and if he could control that kind of destruction, there would be no stopping him.

The Rampant Soul, Harold's annoyingly loud ship hovered overhead, lowering down to collect the troops. The rumble was loud enough so only the Spartan heard what he said.

"If you can hear me in there, your name is, uh-" he thought for a second, and said, "Zero. Your name is Zero. And you are our greatest chance at freedom. At liberation." He patted Zero on the head and grinned. "Welcome to the United Rebel Front."

  • 05.11.2009 10:40 PM PDT

Morning Moth. Geez, no one read this? That's harsh. Perhaps people like simple titles like the ones me and Max use (No offence to Max's creativity)

Anyway, maybe you should think about changing the title. How about you put *Endorsed by Wolverfrog* at the top? Haha, then again, that might make people recoil in horror.

  • 05.11.2009 10:46 PM PDT

my new GT is Moth Zero

What would you recommend, wolver? Simply calling this story Zero? Actually, I think I'll do that.

  • 05.11.2009 10:49 PM PDT
  • gamertag: [none]
  • user homepage:

____________(˜˜˜||˜˜˜˜||˜˜˜˜˜)_∏______
l | --------____.`=====.-.~:________\___|================[oo]
|_|||___/___/_/~```|_|_|_|``(o)----------<)

I'm gonna hope that more people read this than commented on it, nice work.

  • 05.12.2009 5:45 AM PDT

my new GT is Moth Zero

Chapter 2

Dr. Rawlins brushed the sweat from his eyes as he ran through the ship Resilient Peace. Why does my room have to be on the other side of the ship? he thought, pausing to catch his breath. He looked around at the marines walking past him. He nodded politely, and the marines returned the gesture. Once he had controlled his breathing, he began his sprint back to his office. Once inside, he locked the door and turned to the mirror. Looking at himself, he frowned, seeing his appearance.

He couldn't remember the last time he had shaven, let alone had a bath. Rawlin's once short, brown hair was starting to fall into his eyes and was liberally streaked with gray. He had always thought of himself ruggedly handsome, but now he simply looked rough, worn by the many years he had seen. I guess even I can't halt old age's advancement. His new project had kept him so busy, Rawlins could barley tell what time it was or the last time he had had a night's sleep. Frowning, he turned his sink on and splashed himself in an attempt to stay awake. Whatever reason that Captain Xavier had called for, he was sure that it was important. He wasn't one that simply called someone up just to have a chat.

Rawlins turned to face the holographic projector resting on his desk and switched it on. An iridescent hologram of the Captain appeared. Xavier was in his late fifties, but you would never have know by looking at him. He was a man that believed in keeping his body in peek performance, even if he wasn't actually in any real combat. Dr. Rawlins put on his biggest smile and said, "Good day, Captain. How are you doing today?"

"Stow the pleasantries, doctor. We have a situation." the captain seemed more agitated than Rawlins had ever seen. His grin evaporating, he asked, "What seems to be the problem, captain?" "I need information, and you're the only one who has all the answers I need." The doctor stiffened. There was only one thing that Xavier could be talking about, and he knew that it couldn't be could.

Back in his early twenties, Dr. Rawlins had been selected to head a top secret project that only half a dozen people knew about. He knew that once the project was over and done with, ONI would have taken every caution imaginable to keep it quiet. And yet, over two decades later, here was the captain asking him about his greatest achievement.

The captain said, in a quiet voice, "I need you to tell me about your old assignment. I need to know about Spartan 214." The doctor slid into a nearby chair. He hadn't thought about 214 in ages. For some reason, Rawlins had a very bad feeling about this. Why would the captain be asking about that particular Spartan?

"Now, Captain. Why do you think I had anything to do with a Spartan?"

"Don't be coy with me, Daniel." snarled Xavier. "I suggest you answer my questions, immediately." Wow, he must be really tense to be calling me by name like that, thought Rawlins. He began to speak, when he was hit with a realization. "How do you even know about my involvement, Captain? The way I understand, ONI would have wiped any mention of it from their records."

"I had someone do a little digging." answered the Captain, as a glowing blue figure appeared by his side. She was an young oriental girl dressed in a kimono, with lines of code streaming across her body.

"I can be very persuasive, doctor." she said, with a smirk. "ONI tried to wipe everything out, but they missed just a little bit, specifically the mention of a Doctor Rawlins's involvement in a test subject 214."

"Ah, I should have know you would send Mai Ling to snoop. I'm simply impressed she found anything at all." With a smile and a bow, Mai disappeared, leaving the doctor alone with the captain.

Xavier starred at Rawlins and asked, "Well, you just going to sit there or are you going to give me some answers?" Rawlins started to tell him no, but he began to think of the past few years he had spent aboard the ship. Xavier had always treated him kindly and with respect, and sometimes even like a friend. They had been through many battles and through more close calls, and the very least he owed the captain was answers to his questions.

"You know that everything I''m about to tell you is strictly confidential. And you can't unlearn the things I tell you. You can never tell anyone else as long as you live, understand?" The Captain nodded, eager to hear his story.

"Normally I wouldn't even answer you, but something major must be going on to have you so hot and bothered." with glee, he saw the Captain scowl. He couldn't help messing with the captain. Rawlins thought back, remembering a young boy standing in front of him. He had had raven-black hair and piercing green eyes, and he had been one of the most promising subjects Dr. Halsey had picked. "I'm not sure how well you're informed, but the Spartans were chosen at a young age. We tested countless DNA samples, and picked the ones that had the best compatibilities. While Dr. Halsey went and checked out the children, I was sent to investigate one, and only one, child."

He paused for a moment, thinking back to what seemed a lifetime ago. "ONI had told me to go check out this child, and to not raise any suspicion. The problem they had, was that this child was a prodigy, a celebrity on his planet. His IQ was astronomical for a kid his age. He was a technological wizard. His genes had seen fit to bless him with every quality we were looking for, so when we began to bring the children in, I was told to keep it a secret. I mean, even more so than the others."

"For the longest time, the boy trained with the other children, them unaware of his intellect. He acted awkward around the other children, though. The poor boy wasn't always accepted by the other kids, but they all got along well. He went through all the same training and tutoring as everyone else, but we saw that his potential was far, far greater than the others. He was given special tutoring on the side, and by the time he was ready for the Spartan Augmentation Processes, he had learned so much that he was assigned his own AI that taught him some highly advanced stuff. Things only an AI could teach a child, like propulsion technology, quantum mechanics, and some stuff I don't even know how to pronounce. Things that would take normal humans several lifetimes to learn. He just soaked it up."

"And when he came out of the augmentations, he-" Rawlins paused, reliving the moment from his past. "His body seemed made for all of the enhancements. He wasn't the tallest one out of the whole group, but close. Could bench press more than most other Spartans. He could nearly keep up with Kelly. But the one thing that really separated him from the others was his intelligence."

Rawlins leaned forward and starred the captain in the eyes. "Knowledge is power, Captain. And Spartan 214 was the most intelligent person I have ever met. 214 was the one who built nearly everything in the Mark IV Mjolnir armor. He would collect items from the covenant after he killed and would disassemble them, trying to figure out how it all worked. Once we had acquired enough tech, he actually designed the shield system for the Spartans' armor. Not only that, but he would enhance his own armor, adding all kinds of tech to make him stronger, faster, and deadlier. I once saw him get in a foot race, against a Warthog. He chased it down. Once he caught up to it a mile later, he picked it up and threw it back to us. Simply put, Captain, Spartan 214 is the greatest soldier, and the best Spartan, that we have ever produced."

While Rawlins had recounted his story, the captain had been awestruck. He was impressed at the abilities of 214, but now that he knew his capabilities, it made what he knew so much worse. Xavier shook his head. "Of all them, it had to be him, didn't it?"

Xavier looked into Rawlins face and told him, "Yesterday at 0400 hours, we received a transmission from a planet at the very edge of the Sol system." The Captain disappeared, and the doctor turned to face his monitor. A video popped up, showing several men in masks, standing beside a hulking figure clad in black armor. The first figure lifted his mask and said, "Greeting, UNSC. I am Lieutenant Harold, of the United Rebel Front. I am sending you this message to inform you that one of your super soldiers has joined our cause."

Rawlins jumped up out of his chair and rushed to the monitor. When the Spartan turned to the left, he saw an emblem of a wolf howling on his right shoulder. the very same logo he himself had painted onto 214. There is no way this could be real, he told himself, and yet there it was, right in front of him.

The man that called himself Lieutenant began to yell, "That's right, you murdering bastards! One of your very own Spartans has joined the United Rebel Front. We shall turn your own weapon against you." Harold grinned wickedly. "You have become the makers of your own destruction." The video cut out, leaving Rawlins starring at a blank screen.

Rawlins shook his head as he heard Captain Xavier gravely say, "We have orders to head to planet Gastoon to investigate this alleged report." He saw the look of confusion on the doctors face and asked, "Is there something wrong, Daniel?"

"Yes, Captain. Why of all times is the URF reappearing? It can't be a coincidence that as soon as the fighting with the Covenant is over, they just appear like this. Especially with a Spartan on their side." He had a thought and looked at the captain with hope. "Unless the signal we received had been sent years ago, before the war began."

Xavier shook his head. "I'm sorry son, but this was sent little more that a year ago, right before the peace treaty was signed. I'm afraid to say that the URF has indeed returned."

  • 05.20.2009 8:59 AM PDT
Subject: [Story] Halo 3--Zero Tolerance {Chapter 2 now up}

Join a fun and extremely active group. Forge, Machinima, Halo
__________ The Spartan Special Ops ___________

AMAZING!

  • 05.20.2009 11:17 PM PDT

my new GT is Moth Zero

Thank you, Cheapo. Nice to see some people still actually read instead of posting endless screens

  • 05.20.2009 11:19 PM PDT

my new GT is Moth Zero

sorry. I've been incredibly busy with my final projects. Here is Chapter 3! If anyone cares...


One year ago.....


"Okay, we're clear!" Manny yelled. The soldiers standing around Zero backed away quickly, still nervous about being next to him. As Harold walked over to the computer to check his message had been properly recorded and sent, they whispered amongst one another.

"Man, this is insane! What's the Lieutenant thinking? Recruiting that THING!?"

"You saw what it did to Ramirez! Punched a hole through his chest."

"And not to mention it leveled half the city. If you ask me-"

"What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?" Harold asked. The soldiers quickly turned around and saw the lieutenant standing right behind them with his arms crossed. "I said, is there a problem, soldiers?

In unison they all said, "Nothing sir!"

"Well then, lower the private down." Harold commanded. They saluted and rushed to the forklift, to which Zero was propped up against. As the fork was lower, Zero slid to the floor with a THUNK! Harold stood over the motionless giant, staring into his dome-like visor. It had been almost two days since Zero had collapsed, and he had yet to wake up. He fervently hoped that this comma was temporary, and if and when he woke up, that he wouldn't remember why he was here in the first place. "Okay soldiers. Let's get this man moved to the warehouse so the scientists can take a look at it. See if they can't get Zero out of this armor." Harold walked outside as the forklift lifted the Spartan's limp form off the ground and carried it out the hangar door and across the tarmac to the opposite warehouse.

Harold looked around the converted airport station, the setting sun casting long shadows from the buildings. The runway itself ran for almost three miles, hundreds of warehouses and hangars running the entire length. He paused as a Warthog crossed the runway in front of him. It had taken over a decade to fix up, but they had finally made the abandoned airport into a viable battle station for the URF. He slowly walked towards the edge of the runway and looked over Bastion, the city that had been built next to base.

It had grown into quite a community in the past years. That is, until the Spartan had come along and destroyed everything. Harold looked over all the damage that had been wrought. Half of the buildings were nothing more than smoldering rubble, and the rest were all vacant, as everyone had been evacuated to a nearby fallout compound underneath Mount Castle. Zero may have weakened their cause, but in no way had he stopped them.

With a deep sigh, Harold ran his hand over his face and through his silver hair. I'm getting to old for this, he thought. We've been out here for over three decades. He passed a fairly polished Pelican and saw his reflection. The deeply furrowed wrinkles in his face became harsher as he frowned. I've grow old waiting, and I will not let it be in vain. Ever since the Covenant had first shown up, they had hid on this isolated planet, far from their wandering eyes. Biding their time as they built up a force strong enough to defeat the UNSC.

They had waited patiently for the High Commander to signal for their return, but as the years had passed, contact had completely disappeared. All the information they could get was from stray radio signals, telling of a surprisingly strong defense against the forces of the Covenant, and of super soldiers roaming the stars. For so long they had waited, and unknown to them, the URF had basically been forgotten by the rest of humanity.

But such an exile had not been spent in vain.

The Lieutenant strode quickly to the closest hangar. Behind him, he could here the whine of turbines as dozens of Shortsword bombers prepared for takeoff. Across the runway, another massive hanger filled with a vast array of vehicles. Warthogs, Wolverines, Rhinos, Cobras, a dozen Grizzlies, and even two Elephants. The hangar adjacent that was filled with various aerial tools of destruction. Hornets, Pelicans, and the crown jewel of the battalion: five Vultures. Harold passed by the armada of vehicles and entered the hangar that served as the weapons cache. He looked around until he spotted Manny, and waved for him to come over. As the fresh-faced private raced to him, Harold couldn't help but admire Manny's ambition. He had been a member of the URF since he was eighteen, and had shown undying loyalty to their fight. If he plays his cards right, thought Harold, he has a bright future in store.

Manny snapped to attention. "Sir! The cache is being cataloged as we speak, sir!"

"As ease, soldier." Harold commanded. Manny relaxed with a grin as Harold asked, "So, Private. What is the outlook on our weapons? Anything important get blown up?"

Manny shook his head excitedly as he looked over the PDA in his hand. "No sir. Well, the battle with Zero exhausted our supply of warheads." He clicked on the screen and pulled up the numbers. "But you'll be happy to know that there was no damage done to any of the hangars. It was all civilian buildings and casualties." Manny saw the pain on Harold's face and quickly stuttered, "But I'm not saying that was a good thing, sir, I was just--"

"It's okay, Private." Harold whispered. "Continue your report."

"Oh, okay." Manny quickly looked through the report. "Well, there was no military personnel killed, but many wounded. Nothing a week or two of bed rest won't help. The closest was when Zero punched that hole into Ramirez's chest." Harold nodded at the though of his friend, laying on the gurney as the doctors had done everything in their abilities to save him. It had taken several hours of surgery, but he had miraculously pulled through. It would be quite a while before he got out of his bed, though, and even longer before he got back in the fight.

Harold began to walk past the rows and rows of weapons. Battle Rifles, Sniper rifles, shotguns, and Magnums galore. As they walked to the back of the hangar, the weapons became higher grade: SPNKrs, missile pods, and machine guns. There were a few Gauss cannons waiting to be placed on Warthogs, and turrets being tuned. Harold nodded to all the men as he passed them, Manny following in his wake, reading off all the weapons that were currently housed in the warehouse. As he finished the list, they arrived at a tall safe, covered in heavy metal platting.

Harold inserted his key into the safe and turned the handle, opening the heavy door with a swish. Inside there was a trio of odd weapons roughly the same size as rocket launchers. He tried to pull out one of the three massive weapons, but Harold motioned for Manny to help him carry it. With a grunt of effort, they carried it quickly across the room, and they barely lifted it up high enough to drop it on the workbench. The light from the lamp reflected off of the green tint, the word "Galilean" spelled out across the top of the handle.

As they carried the second weapon to the workbench, Harold thought back to when they had first discovered the empty, old ship on the top of mountain. They had been on the planet for almost ten years when the thing had come drifting out of the sky. A massive ship had slowly fell down, landing on the top of Mount Castle. A team had been sent to scope out the site. There was no visible damage on the outside, but on the inside, there was clear signs of a deadly struggle. They never found anything inside, save for the unbelievable armament. The ship's computers had been erased, and no signs of a crew had ever lived on the ship.

It gave Harold an unsettling feeling. That ship had carried enough weapons to wage its own war, yet the crew had abandoned ship. What in the world would cause a crew to do that? Whatever it was, he sure didn't want to meet it. He snapped back to reality as Manny was reviewing the list of weapons.

"The only thing left to account for are these three mysterious weapons we recovered along with the rest of the arsenal from that abandoned UNSC colony ship." Manny scratched his head as he tried to remember something. "Uh, what was it called again?"

After they set the third and final weapon onto the bench, he turned to Manny and said, "I believe it was called the Spirit of Fire."

Harold took a moment to catch his breath, as he did so looked over the enormous warehouse, inspecting the soldiers as they went about cleaning and arming every weapon. He knew that at that moment, mechanics were making repairs on all the vehicles, making sure that they were all ready to roll out at a moments notice. He wiped the sweat off his brow.

Manny stood beside the Lieutenant and worked up the nerve to ask him something. "Sir? What exactly are we getting ready for?"

Harold thought for a moment, trying to choose his words carefully. He looked to the young private and simply said, "War."

  • 06.02.2009 8:57 AM PDT

Yeah. I'm back. Whatcha gonna do about it?

Noone's read this yet? That's an outrage, a scandal! Someone needs to read this already.

Anyway, good story so far. Can't wait to see more!

  • 06.14.2009 1:35 PM PDT

my new GT is Moth Zero

Part 4, for those that care


Dr. Rawlins sat down in a chair with a sigh. Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought. He looked about the expansive worktable, looking over the various tools and equipment laid out before him. How am I going to make this work? I don't know all of the exact specs, so how do they expect me to-- He cut his thought short when he heard shuffling at the door. Behind him stood tree people standing by the entrance to the lab, their massive forms blocking out the light from the hallway. With an exasperated groan, he turned his chair around to face them

"Do you think you will be able to do it, Doctor?" the first figure asked. As he spoke, the first figure walked up and stood in front of him. "We really need this, Doctor, and you are the only one on the ship capable of making a shield generator."

Rawlins pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I'm not entirely sure. I have a general idea about how to assemble them, but I'm not sure how the power system will handle. The theory I have is sound, but there is still the chance it will blow up on you."

The man bent down in front of Rawlins and smiled." Don't worry, Doc. We'll be just fine." He stood up and walked around the table, picking up a sniper rifle. "Doctor, I didn't know you had a fascination with firearms?"

Rawlins jumped from his chair and took the weapon back. "Hey, be careful with that!" Setting it down gingerly, he looked at the man and whispered, "Don't say anything, but I've been working on some new weapons for you and your team.

His guest raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? That's mighty thoughtful of you, Doc." With a sly grin, he asked, "Care to show me what you've got?"

"Sure, come over here." Rawlins beckoned him and the others to follow. They followed him to the back of the shop, to a table laden with disassembled guns and strewn pieces. He picked up a large handgun and handed it over. "This isn't just a regular pistol. The Magnums are good, but they lack any real firepower and range." The Doctor grabbed an ammo clip and said, "This gun may only has a clip size of ten, but it doesn't shoot regular bullets. It shoots incendiary rounds."

The man nodded, impressed with the gun. With a laugh, he said, "Oh man, I could imagine what that would do to a grunt's head." Placing the pistol down, he looked over to a rocket launcher laying on the table. It wasn't an ordinary SPNKr, though It's barrels had been replaced by a single barrel and what looked like a gigantic chamber. Rawlins hefted it up to his shoulder, and released the chamber. It rolled open, and he inserted six missiles into the weapon, the closed it back up.

Turning to face the confused man, he struggled to say, "The one thing I don't like about the M19s? They don't carry enough rockets! So I essentially built a launcher that could shoot six instead of just two. Pretty nifty, eh?" With a grunt of effort, he laid it back down onto the table, is face shinning with sweat. "The only drawback, that blasted thing is too heavy for a regular soldier to carry."

The man cocked his head to the side. "Huh, well it's a good thing we aren't normal, eh Doc?"

Rawlins nodded. "Yeah, that's why I made these for you and your squad specifically, Jerome." Walking past him to the main table, he looked back at Jerome and said, "Don't worry about this. I'll have you Mjolnir fully upgraded well before we reach Gastoon." He shook his head. "All you and the others need to do is get ready to fight 214."

Jerome strode up to Rawlins and asked, "Doc, do you honestly think that he would turn on us? After all those years of fighting with us, I knew what kind of man he was. That he still is. He would sooner put a bullet into his own head than betray the UNSC."

Rawlins shrunk back from Jerome. "Of course I don't, but we have orders to deal with this situation. And the Captain isn't going to go easy on him just because he's a Spartan.If we have to, we'll--" Rawlins was cut off when one of the other figures appeared beside him and lifted him up with the front of his lab coat. Rawlins looked down to a woman's face that may have seemed calm, but her eyes betrayed the wrath and fury that was contained just beneath the surface.

"Doctor Rawlins, I've spent the greater portion of my enlistment with 214. He has saved me numerous times, always putting himself before others." She lowered her head. "He wouldn't turn on us."

"I'm sorry, Alice. I know he was close to you, but you have to face the facts here. He was seen fraternizing with insurrectionists. You've seen the tape--"

"I have seen the tape!" she growled. Alice tightened her grip. "I refuse to believe that he is there of his own free will." Jerome gently laid a hand on Alice's shoulder.

"It's okay Alice. We'll get to the bottom of this once we get there." Jerome spoke softly. "It isn't the Doc's fault we've been given the orders. It's standard UNSC protocol."

Alice whispered, "I know. All rogue Spartans must be swiftly and effectively dealt with." She let Rawlins back down to the floor. "I'm sorry, Doctor. Excuse me." Alice briskly walked out the door, hands wiping at her face.

Jerome sighed, and said, "Hey Douglas, could you go with her?" Jerome nodded and took off after Alice. Rubbing his forehead, he turned back to Rawlins.

"Sorry, Doc. She's always been the more emotional out of our squad. Ever since we were attacked by that Flood Juggernaut form on the Spirit of Fire, it's been harder for her to keep her emotions in check. Of course, it doesn't help that we are going after 214, of all Spartans."

"Ah, it's okay, Jerome. You don't need to worry about that." Rawlins rubbed his neck. "So Jerome. I need a little help with the modifications I'm making for your armor. Care to help?"

Jerome nodded, "Sure thing Doc."



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Douglas found Alice in her room, sitting on the edge of her bed, looking at a picture. Douglas walked into the room and shut the door behind him. Alice never turned around.

"You know Alice, you should learn to handle your emotions better."

Alice tucked a strand of her red hair behind her ear. She softly chuckled as she said, "It has to be you, Douglas. Nobody else has a voice that deep."

"I'm serious. What's going to happen when we go to take 214 down, and you can't pull the trigger because you two have history?" He walked over and sat down beside her. "Now, I know you two were close, but we were taught not to get too attached to anybody, and for this exact reason." Alice nodded in agreement. She blinked her eyes rapidly, but it didn't keep a lone tear from falling down her cheek.

"I know Douglas.But-" she took a breath to steady herself. "What if he really has betrayed us?"

Douglas shook his head. "No, that's not what is bothering you. What you're really worried about, is if he has betrayed you, isn't it?"

Alice looked into Douglas's face and said, "Yes, Doug. I am. I am worried." She took a ragged breath. "What if we get to Gastoon, and we find him, but he doesn't love me anymore?" She bowed her head, tears beginning to freely role. Alice leaned her head onto Douglas's shoulder and quietly wept. He put his arms around her and held Alice. They sat there for a few minutes until Alice sat back up. She looked at the picture of herself and a man with short dark hair an kind green eyes. They were leaning against each other, and the man had Alice in a headlock, and she had his other arm in an arm bar, but they were both smiling and laughing. Douglas looked at the photo and rubbed his hand over his scalp. Alice set the picture back into a drawer in her desk.

Douglas sighed in exasperation, "Alice, you were warned multiple time about getting involved with someone. Mendez told us how those we cared about could be used against us." Douglas pulled her face up with his hand. "I know this is hard, but we have to follow orders. When we get to Gastoon, we have to take 214 down, by any means necessary. If you can't comply with that order, you could be accused of treason yourself."

She stood up with her back facing Douglas. "If it does come to that, I won't stop you."

Douglas rose from the bed and walked to the door. He didn't turn back as he said, "Alice, I'm going to give you some time to think. I would suggest you begin by deciding where your loyalties actually lie."


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Captain Xavier was sitting at his desk, typing up a report when Mai Ling appeared on his desk.

"Captain, I have just found something that may interest you."

Xavier closed his report and said, "Okay Mai, show me what you got."

She smiled and said, "Captain, I didn't know you felt that way about me."

The Captain sputtered and felt his cheeks burning. "No, dammit. I meant the report!."

Mai laughed as she pulled the file up onto Xavier's monitor. He read over it once, then twice. After the third time, he asked Mai, "Is this real? Does it come from a credible source?"

Mai nodded, her smile vanished. "I am afraid so, Captain. I got that directly from ONI's databases. Seems they have been hiding this for quite some time now."

Xavier leaned back in his chair in disbelief, looking at the report. "For all these years, we have been under the assumption that the URF had joined the UNSC to fight the Covenant. We thought they had chosen to stand with us, But, if that was true.." He turned back to face Mai. "If that was true, why does ONI have extensive records covering this active URF colony called Bastion, and all its inhabitants?"


I'll be honest, I had a hard time writing this. I wanted to show more emotion in my story, and I figured this would be as good a place as any.

  • 06.19.2009 11:06 AM PDT