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Subject: [Story] Memoirs II: Fighting a Losing Battle (Part 4 is up!) ~ 20/12

I advise you read this first - Memoirs of an ODST ~ Book I

FOREWORD

Newest part: Part 4 - Whole World Ablaze

The second book in the (so far) positively received Memoirs trilogy.

"It's been five years since the first battle on Harvest, where we lost many friends close to us. And things aren't looking much better for humanity. The Covenant are sweeping us aside, with little or no resistance on our part. We all know it's just a matter of time before we're all killed. However, me and my squad of ODSTs; we're gonna buy humanity as much of that time as possible. And perhaps a miracle will happen. Perhaps, somehow, we'll all make it through this."

Anyway, this takes place five years after the first book, and the squad we all know and love are still doing what they can to stop the Covenant. It should be fun to write, and read. Enjoy.

You do not have to have read the first book to understand this one, for the most part. I'll try and weave in the basics of what happened in the first into this book. It would however help if you do read the first, if only to get an idea of what the characters are like. A link to the first book in this trilogy can be found at the very top of the page.

Chapter List

Prologue

Part 1 - Shore Leave

Part 2 - Mugged

Part 3 - Corrupted

Part 4 - Whole World Ablaze

[Edited on 12.20.2009 1:15 PM PST]

  • 11.13.2009 3:06 PM PDT
Subject: [Story] Memoirs of an ODST Book II (Prologue) ~ 13/11

Prologue

"Is something wrong sir?"

There was a pause at the dinner table as the General mulled it over.

"That man. He keeps glancing over at me."

Colonel Darrell looked over to where the General was indicating, and saw a young man of around 20 years old, sitting at a table under the patio, reading a paperback and sipping a beer. The man seemed harmless. Just another tourist enjoying the sunset on the colony world Serenity.

"I'm sure it's nothing General." the Colonel assured, relaxing into his seat a little. Darrell's superior didn't seem to be put at ease though.

"Maybe we should leave." the General murmured, beginning to grab his thick winter coat, rising out of his chair as he did so. Darrell sighed.

"General Roberts sir, you do this all the time. If you don't mind me saying so sir, there's no need for it. We're completely safe, the UNSC don't give a damn about what happens on Serenity; it's too far out from the inner colonies." the Colonel assured. The older man paused, before nodding slowly, sitting down again.

"I suppose I am being a little paranoid." the General mumbled, returning to his Martini. Colonel Darrell gave a satisfied smile, nodding in relief.

"You are sir."

That was when the sniper bullet hit the Colonel in the temple, knocking his head from his shoulders. Darrell's lifeless head rolled under the mahogany table, a smile still on his face.

General Roberts swore, immediately diving under the table. He looked to the side and saw the Colonel's head, smiling eerily at him. With a cry of horror, Roberts tossed the head away. The General's hand was exposed for a mere second as he did so, and a bullet came inches within striking it. The frightened General brought an encrypted radio to his mouth.

"I'm under attack! Sniper in an unknown location, killed the Colonel. I need an extract now!" Roberts shouted. Outside the table he cowered beneath, dozens of panicking civilians were fleeing the bar, hands over heads as if that would stop a sniper bullet. Still, the turmoil would be useful. After a view seconds, the General's chief of security replied.

"Roger that General, we're Oscar Mike sir. Stay out of the sniper's line of fire."

A little hard to do that when you don't know where the sniper is. Roberts thought to himself, but out loud merely shouted 'hurry', and gave a vague threat involving execution if something happened to him.

As a particularly large crowed of screaming people ran by the table, the General joined them, staying in the middle of the mob and likewise crying out for help. Hiding in plain site.

Roberts stole a look over at the table where the young man looking over before had been sitting. The chair was now empty, the paperback calmly rested on the table, even with a bookmark in between. The beer had been drank with a few dollars of change left beside it, and the chair was tucked underneath the table. Those weren't the actions of a fleeing man. The General's blood ran cold, and for the first time in years, he was truly afraid.

Still, Roberts kept running, taking the time to reload the M6D at his side as he did so. He was out of the sniper's view, and so he was safe.

He saw an alleyway, and quickly dove into it, breathing heavily. He rose the radio to his mouth once again, and spoke over the encrypted channel.

"Where the hell are you Jerome?" the General demanded to the man on the other side, who replied back calmly.

"Keep your cool sir, we will get you out of this. There's a chance that the sniper had been ordered to take out the Colonel and only the Colonel." Roberts' chief of security, a burly, Zen like man named Jerome explained back.

"Yeah, and my Granddad was an Elite. Just get your ass over here." the General instructed, as he ran along the backstreet, heart beating a mile a minute. At the rate he was going, if the sniper didn't get him, his heart problem would.

"India one is en route sir. Where exactly are you?" Jerome questioned, and Roberts stopped for a moment to think.

"North of the bar, down a little chain of alleyways." the General informed to chief of security, who grunted.

"Roger that, thanks."

"No mate, I should be the one giving thanks." an unknown voice spoke over the channel.

Roberts' blood ran cold.

"Who are you?" Jerome demanded over the channel, his voice breaking slightly mid sentence. There was no response. Jerome growled.

"Sir, your position has been compromised. I recommend you get out of there, ASAP."

There was no argument from Roberts' end. He ran faster than he had ever ran before, clipping the radio to his collar.

"How did that person hear us? This channel's encrypted!" Roberts cried out to Jerome as he was sprinting, vaulting over a crate a few seconds later. A dog barked viciously at him as he ran passed an iron fence. The General nearly had a heart attack then and then.

"I don't know sir, India one has a lock onto you. Just keep moving, they're nearly--" Jerome began to call back, when suddenly his voice cut off. Roberts' heart turned to ice, and his eyes widened.

"Jerome? Jerome!" the General cried out nervously.

"Sorry about that sir, radio slipped out of my hands. Like I said, keep moving, we've got a Pelican ready and waiting for--"
The voice cut off again. The General couldn't believe it, what a clumsy fool!

"Jerome you butter fingered moron, keep hold of that radio or get someone to tape it to your hands dammit!" Roberts barked over the channel angrily. A few moments later there was a response, but not one the General had been expected.

"I'm terribly sorry General, but Jerome is no longer with us. It was quick, don't worry." the creepily calm voice mocked. Roberts froze, forgetting to run. He looked around him, tall, shabby buildings rising around three stories each surrounded him in the dimly lit alley. In the distance, the sun of Osiris VII was all but set.

"Who--who are you? Jerome, if this is some kind of joke--"

"Dead men don't joke Roberts. Otherwise they wouldn't be dead would they?" the voice said over the channel. "You may as well give it up, we've got a whole team converging in on you. And that rescue team, India one? Lying face down in a ditch. Now their deaths, they weren't quick. One of them offered to tell me where you were in exchange for his life. I denied. I do enjoy a good chase, don't you?"

This was bad, very bad. The General was alone with no rescue, no contact. Nothing but a weak side arm and rusty training from his days in service.

"Listen, I'm a wealthy man. I can make you rich, just don't do anything hasty." Roberts attempted to persuade, but his bribe was met with a vindictive laugh.

"I have no need for money you scum. I'll speak to you in person shortly."

The channel clicked dead, leaving Roberts to stand in silence. He recovered from the shock soon enough though, and carried on moving. He'd reach the nearest space port, charter a ship, paid for with his card. Everything would be fine then.

Light glared a few hundreds yard down the alleyway. In the distance, the General could hear the faint roar of ships. The space port wasn't too far off! Roberts blindly ran for the exit of the close quarters dim chase, eager to put this horrible ordeal behind him.

Only fifty yard down though, he ran into a big surprise. A figure stepped out from behind a wall, small smile on face and arms folded. The General jumped back, raising his pistol.

"Nice to see you too General." the man spoke, a warm, greeting smile on his face. Roberts frowned for a few moments, before facial recognition kicked in. The General sighed in relief, lowering the pistol.

  • 11.13.2009 3:07 PM PDT


"Commander, I haven't seen you in years. We thought you'd died at Harvest." Roberts exclaimed, collapsing against the wall happily, breathing shallow breaths.

"Part of me did," the Commander replied ambiguously, staring straight at the General, wearing a big smile. Almost a little too big.

"What do you mean Mains?" Roberts asked uncertainly, frowning slightly. Commander Mains chuckled, before bringing out his own gun, aiming it squarely between Roberts' eyes. Mains wore a very serious expression now. The General slowly rose his hands.

"Commander--"

"Quiet, you low life. I'm not your Commander any more," Mains replied aggressively, digging the rusty steel end of the pistol into Roberts' forehead, which was lined with beads of sweat.

"Then what--" the General then looked down at the Commander's uncovered shoulder. There was a familiar tattoo there which he had seen before, Roberts knew Mains had once been an ODST. Yet something was wrong. The tattoo wasn't faded.

"You've switched sides. You're an ODST again." the General breathed, staring into Mains' eyes, the horrible realisation dawning upon him.

"I was never on your side, murderer." the traitor Mains spat in Roberts' face. The General automatically recoiled away in disgust, looking down at the floor for a moment.

"Good work Mains, you got him," a new voice congratulated from the end of the alleyway, walking towards Roberts. Except it wasn't new; Roberts had heard it before over the radio. And the face belonged to the paperback reading young man back at the bar.

Two other men stepped out of the shadow's, guns levelled at Roberts' torso. Four men, four bullets. The General's vest wouldn't be able to withstand that.

"What do you want from me?" the General demanded angrily. He heard the sound of four pistols cocking themselves to fire. The youngest of the four held up a hand, walking forward, staring Roberts right in the eyes.

"Why'd you do it, you Innie bastard?" the young man questioned, his voice a hoarse whisper. Roberts' eyes grew wide. They know. How do they know?

"I don't know what you're talking about," the General spat back, a little too hastily. He received a punch in the jaw for that, which sent him crashing into the rough brick of the house he was backed up against.

"Don't play stupid with me! We know! Did you think doing it would save you? Did you think, by helping them, the Covenant would allow you and your little asteroid operation to survive?" the young man demanded, and from the tattoo on his shoulder, Roberts guessed he was an ODST too. He seemed too young for it.

"I--" the General began to explain, before being shouted down by the young ODST.

"Ten million people lived on that colony. Ten. Million. What does it feel like Roberts, to have the blood of ten million on your hands? Tell me."

Roberts' eyes flared.

"I did not kill those people." he growled back at the ODST, who gave a mocking laugh, shaking his head.

"Oh really now? Selling out the co-ordinates of Eridanus II to the Covenant, just to buy your little asteroid cluster a bit of safety? You killed them Insurrectionist, don't tell yourself otherwise."

The General felt his eyes well up with tears. He had never told himself otherwise. Ever since Eridanus II had been attacked -- because of him --, Roberts had known only sleepless nights. He wished he could go back, undo would he had done. But although they may be able to travel faster than light, humanity could not travel back in time.

"I didn't know--they told me they would just occupy the planet. They didn't say they would--" the General began to protest weakly.

"Glass the planet? You didn't know they would glass the planet? You're a fool then Roberts, and a dangerous, sick, twisted one at that." the young ODST accused. The General had no response.

"Please, I don't want to die." Roberts pleaded, shaking his head. He couldn't die. He had too much to do. Too much money to make. And perhaps, one day, he would be able to do what the UNSC couldn't; wouldn't. Perhaps he'd find a way to make peace with the Covenant. No, Roberts couldn't die. Not here, not now. And not like this.

"I've got good news and bad news for you General. The good news is that the UNSC told me to bring you in alive," the young ODST with the dark hair told Roberts, whose heart soared. He had contacts in the justice system, he wouldn't stay in any prison for long.

"And the bad news?" the General asked tentatively, too relieved to feel worried about whatever the ODST would say. The young man chuckled to himself, raising his pistol.

"I'm not prepared to comply with that order. Have a nice time in hell General."

The ODST fired the pistol, a direct shot at Roberts' stomach. The General's eyes widened, his mouth opening.

"No! Not like this!" Roberts screamed out, collapsing to the ground in agony. His vision was already beginning to dim, the flame of his frail human life extinguishing.

"Good call Arch." one of the ODSTs said to the youngest as the group turned away. Roberts reached after them, screaming a silent scream. They didn't look back as they walked away slowly, talking as if nothing had happened.

"Bastards like that don't deserve the luxury of prison. And may I say Switch, that was some fancy hacking on that channel. And you Rook, good job on wiping out that India one team." the young ODST said back, his voice growing quieter and quieter in the General's ears.

"Feels wrong to be killing humans, after fighting the Covenant." the one named Rook replied, his voice a mere whisper to the General now.

"Those weren't humans Rook. They were monsters."

Roberts' senses disabled, and he was alone in the dark with his dying thoughts.

Not like this. Not like this...

  • 11.13.2009 3:07 PM PDT

Posted by: Dropship dude
No, acnboy. Spartain Ken 15 is a lesser being. Much like the bacteria that lives in your shi­t.
Posted by: mike120593
My shi­t bacteria takes offense to that comparison.

Don't make me lel. You won't like me when I lel.

Archer = Bladex99999999999

Awesome, thoug I still reckon you should have finished Insurrection first.

  • 11.13.2009 6:59 PM PDT
Subject: [Story] Memoirs of an ODST ~ Book 2 (Prologue) ~ 13/11

Posted by: random no337
Archer = Bladex99999999999

Awesome, thoug I still reckon you should have finished Insurrection first.


I'll keep writing Insurrection, despite the fact I personally don't think it's my best work; why does everyone like it so much?

But if you want, I'll postpone this and finish Insurrection first.

[Edited on 11.14.2009 4:26 AM PST]

  • 11.14.2009 2:28 AM PDT

Posted by: Dropship dude
No, acnboy. Spartain Ken 15 is a lesser being. Much like the bacteria that lives in your shi­t.
Posted by: mike120593
My shi­t bacteria takes offense to that comparison.

Don't make me lel. You won't like me when I lel.

Hey! hey! Don't take orders from me!

As for liking Insurrection, it's probably due to the expansive plot and familiar charcters, its a bit more like the gigantic space-opera that Halo 2 and 3 were.

  • 11.14.2009 4:04 AM PDT
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SAS Halo 3

INSURRECTION FTW! Its Epic Wolvers. Everything done by you is.

Damn you and your Epicness.

  • 11.14.2009 5:12 AM PDT

Count the prologue as a teaser until Insurrection is finished, I won't work on this until then. Don't want to get that swamping feeling again.

Of course, I have no idea if people even want a Memoirs sequel. But I'll give it a shot. After Insurrection. Thanks for helping me see sense Random.

  • 11.14.2009 10:28 AM PDT

MOAR MEMOIRS!

  • 11.14.2009 10:22 PM PDT

I -blam!- loved this prologue. It's like something you'd see in a sequel to a movie-it starts off indirectly but then the characters we know and love arrive. Superb.

  • 11.14.2009 11:59 PM PDT

nice writing, i love it wolver i wish i could write like this, i enjoy trying to think i can actually write....

got any pointers or tips you wanna give me to draw in my audience a little.

  • 11.16.2009 7:31 PM PDT
Subject: [Story] Memoirs of an ODST ~ Book 2 (Part 1) ~ 26/11

I've been having PC trouble lately, and lost a lot of unposted Insurrection and True Sangheili. And ever since the good ol' forgetting to save Pokemon days, I've hated doing things I've done again too soon. So I decided to do the next part of this while thinking. Short, but enjoy.

And by the way, if anyone can think of a better name for this sequel, I'd be very grateful.

Part 1 - Shore Leave

"We are now arriving at Alborn station. All departing passengers keep in mind not to leave behind any personal belongings, as Transline will not be able to replace or recover them."

I looked at Rook inquisitively, who shook his head, arms crossed.

"Not our stop."

I nodded, trying to repress the heartfelt sigh building up in me. It wasn't that I minded travelling, and I'd been on my fair share of trains in the past. No, it was the fact that we were all wearing our military uniforms, causing us to stand out from the general public.

The uniforms provided different reactions throughout the other passengers. Old men -- no doubt war veterans from the last Insurrection -- smiled respectfully in our direction, as did a few others. Children stared up at us in wide eyed adoration, both afraid and awed.

Those stares didn't bother me. In fact, they were pleasing, knowing that people respected who we were. What annoyed me were those who stared at us with open content; sneering and pointing. It annoyed me, but didn't surprise me; the UNSC was none too popular right now. Most civilians in the inner colonies believed that the Covenant war was a lie to generate popularity and patrioism Thing is, the UNSC encouraged those rumours, their reasoning being that a harmless lie is better than the deadly truth.

After a minute or so, the train began to move again at a steady speed. I tried to ignore the penetrating stares and sat down in a chair near the exit of the train with the rest of the squad. I liked having my escape routes close at hand.

It had been five years. Five years since I'd lowered Richard "Blade" Cole, my old CO and apparent Uncle into the grave on Reach where he lay still. Five years since I'd assumed command of my squad as Staff Sergeant. Five hard years. And two since I was promoted to Master Sergeant.

And the war with the Covenant was worse than ever. Humanity was just buying time for its inevitable destruction. We were losing a planet every few months, ships vanishing every day. The Covenant were ruthless, and wanted to destroy us utterly and totally. Any hopes that the war had ended on Harvest were long gone.

Didn't help that some low lives, humans too, were selling out our positions to the Covenant. The reasons why they did this were numerous; power, wealth, promised safety. Men like General Roberts, one of the Insurrectionist bigshots were only making the running sand in humanity's hour glass of survival run faster.

Still, we were trying to stay on top of it. That was my squad's specific assignment; to track down anyone involved in dealing with the Covenant, and attempting to capture or kill them before too much damage could be done. Roberts had been one of many in the past.

"Feels good to be on shore leave. It's been too long." Switch -- the squad techie, and eldest of us all -- exhaled lazily, not caring about what other passengers heard or thought. And why should he? We were driving ourselves into the ground protecting these people. Their opinions didn't matter in the greater scheme of things. Still, things would be a lot more covert if we were wearing casual civilian clothes.

"Remind me again why we're in our blues." I demanded of Rook, who grimaced.

"My folks -- Mom mostly, Dad isn't too keen on me being with the UNSC -- like seeing me in uniform. Says it makes them proud. When they invited us all, they asked that you wear 'em too. It's kinda embarrassing I know, but you'll like my parents when you meet them." Rook explained, flushing slightly. I nodded understandingly.

They weren't Rook's birth parents, I knew that much from his file. Those had been locked up when Rook was only five years old, involved in some Innie terrorist plot. Rook had been put up for adoption, and Collin and Susan Hale had been happy to welcome him into their family. I knew Rook didn't think of them as adoptive parents; he'd hardly known his birth parents after all. To him, Collin and Susan were Mom and Dad.

At least Rook had parents, adoptive or not. Mine were both dead; killed on Harvest when the Covenant first attacked. And I would have died too had Blade -- who I hadn't even known back then -- not thrown me onto an evac ship. Soon after the ship left Harvest, I'd joined up with Blade's squad of ODSTs. I'd been trained, before heading back to Harvest, where we fought a bloody battle against the invading Covenant. In the last op there, Blade had died; shot in the lung by a Jackal sniper.

It'd surprised me when Rook's folks had asked us all to pay them a visit at their home on Charon VI. Mains -- an Irish former Insurrectionist Commander who had rejoined the UNSC -- and I had never even heard of them before then, but apparently Switch had seen them before, with the late Blade and even later Det. According to him, they were nice people, although the father could be a little strange at times; he'd been diagnosed with mild schizophrenia.

Still, we'd all accepted the invitation with the consent of our direct CO, Admiral Cole, and so we had soon boarded the train from the nearest space port to where the Hales lived.

After another ten minutes or so, the high speed train stopped once again, at a new station. I looked at Rook as the 'dumb' AI driving the train read out the name of the station. Rook nodded.

"This is it."

I let out a breath I hadn't even known I'd been concealing, and picked up my bags. We'd be staying with Rook's parents for the week, seeing the sights of the planet and socialising. Ironic that a planet named after the Greek mythological ferrier of the dead would have such beautiful scenery and spots.

"Let's go then. I'm starved." I told my squad, moving to the queu at the train exit. A band of teenagers stood outside on the platform, smug sneers on their faces as they saw us. I tried to ignore them as we all hopped off the train and onto the platform.

"I don't know about you lads, but I could certainly do with a pint of ale to relax after such a long journey," Mains suggested.

"Can't; car's got a schedule to keep. It should be around here someplace," Rook reminded.

"That it?" I asked, indicating a sedan in the difference with the name 'Hale' flashing on the side of it. Rook nodded, and we moved towards the vehicle. I stopped as I saw the empty driver's seat.

"Where's the driver? Gone for a coffee or something?" I questioned of Rook, who looked at me for a moment as if I were joking. Once he realised I was serious, he burst out laughing.

"There's no driver idiot! This car drives itself," Rook explained to me. I nodded, although I was fuming within. Sometimes I think Rook forgot that I was the Master Sergeant, not him. Hell, even I forgot at times.

"Yeah, shut up and get in smartass. Is there a way to drive manually?" I inquired, and Rook turned to Switch. Everyone turned to Switch when machines were involved. The ODST tech specialist nodded then shrugged.

"Sure, if you want. But there's no need, the car can drive better than--" I silenced Switch as I hopped into the driver's seat, putting two hands on the wheel. There was a button to the side reading "Manual override." I pressed it lightly, ignoring the protests of the AI within. Computers could be stubborn at times. Finally, the sedan was under my control and my control alone, which gave me some pleasure. I turned to my squad, who were looking in at me with no little amusement.

"Get in everyone, the metre's running." I ordered, and Switch gave a mock sigh, muttering a joking retort.

"Even when we're on shore leave he orders us around," Switch breathed, climbing in the back. I smiled smugly, before realising one thing: I had no idea where I was meant to be going..

"Now, Rook. Where the hell do your parents live?"

"Are you serious? The address is in the GPS," Rook informed me. I blinked, frowning.

"Civilian cars have GPS?"


[Edited on 11.26.2009 2:32 PM PST]

  • 11.26.2009 10:50 AM PDT
Subject: [Story] Memoirs of an ODST Book II (Prologue) ~ 13/11

Halo: Heretic or Hero---An Elite's Story
Choose your own destiny

FanFicFactor
Forged in the Flames of Passion, go forth and represent!

That was an awesome way to introduce the second story, Wolver. I particularly like the dialogue in the Prologue between Mains and Roberts. It was intense, made me wonder when Mains was finally going to pull the trigger on him.

The first chapter is pretty cool too. You've mastered the art of squad-banter!

Nice work. Will be waiting for more.

~Murph

  • 11.26.2009 2:59 PM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

I love the dialogue in the car, that was awesome. The squad-banter was pretty funny too, it's a useful thing to have in order to make the story and characters more likeable.

  • 11.26.2009 3:03 PM PDT

The Hybrid a FanFic by Tehface

"Look for the signs, the keepers of the flame. They will lead you to war, and perhaps, to victory."

Nice Wolvers! An excellent way to begin the second book.
It stinks that your PC is messed up.

Oh well, I look forward to more!

  • 11.26.2009 3:20 PM PDT

Posted by: Dropship dude
No, acnboy. Spartain Ken 15 is a lesser being. Much like the bacteria that lives in your shi­t.
Posted by: mike120593
My shi­t bacteria takes offense to that comparison.

Don't make me lel. You won't like me when I lel.

Damn, that sucks ass about Insurrection and True Sanghelli, but this was a great first chapter. Murph, you and your Darkwing operatives have some competition in the art of squad-banter!

  • 11.26.2009 3:42 PM PDT
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Your back has just been scratched. How does it feel?

But in all seriousness, nice! I love the car part. I see Archer is in command, now? That'll be interesting.

  • 11.27.2009 11:39 AM PDT

I'm someone you knew, maybe even were friends with.....but from another time...another place.

The Mayans were the most epic trolls EVAR.

I've got nothin' to say except for this:
:O

  • 11.28.2009 10:58 AM PDT

Make sure to reply if you've read.

Part 2 - Mugged

"So how's the war going?"

Not exactly the perfect icebreaker at dinner. Still, if one word could be used to describe Collin Hale, it would be blunt. I frowned.

"I won't butter it up; badly. Ignore what the tabloids and news stations tell you, they're all edited to make it look like we're winning," I informed Rook's father, who's eyes went wide.

"You mean we're not?"

The ignorance of civilians in the inner colonies was astounding. ONI had evidently created a huge blanket of lies; according to them, the Covenant bastards were being beaten back by us 'fine boys' in the corps.

"Small victories, here and there. But to be frank, I don't expect humanity to survive another ten years," Rook chipped in, shaking his head grimly. There was silence for a few moments, before I, seeing the horrified looks on Susan and Collin's faces, decided to be an optimist.

"Don't be so certain Rook, the Covenant have no idea where Earth and most of the colonies are, and we're reverse engineering their tech all the time. I won't be surprised if we're ready to launch a counter attack soon," I lied slightly, knowing that the speed at which the scientists were discovering how Covenant technology worked was far too slow. Still, it eased the tense mood at the dinner table, and conversation turned to other, slightly related matters.

"So what are the Covenant like to fight then?" Rook's mom questioned to us, and Switch answered honestly, going into quite gory details at times. I cut him off with some cheerier tales of small success as I realised he was about to relay the anecdote about the time our squad had found a pile of dead young children all heaped up in a house, with two Jackals inside feasting on a few. We'd decided to give the Jackals a taste of their own medicine, and had fed them to some stray dogs whilst they were still alive. Monsters.

Susan and Collin Hale had to be two of the nicest people I had ever met. Despite never even seeing me or Mains in the past, we were immediately welcomed with open arms, and introduced quite thoroughly. Susan had been quite upset when I told them about Blade and Det's demise, apparently Rook hadn't got around to telling his parents about them. Collin had also showed sympathy; apparently he and Blade had hit it off the last time the squad had visited, -- before I joined -- and the two had played Chess every night. I'd been surprised to hear Blade had played Chess. Collin seemed quite reserved though, as if he were unhappy underneath his smiling exterior.

After the usual welcomes and hellos, we'd all sat down at the table, where all of us had been ladled out far too generous servings of a Chicken Dinner. I ate ravenously; the food we ate whilst on duty was terrible and scarce.

Before speaking about myself, I'd asked Susan and Collin what they did for a living. She was a social worker in the city, which was apparently how she and Collin had come across a young, parent-less Rook, and he was a rather successful lawyer who owned his own firm.

"How's business been lately?" I had asked Collin, who'd shrugged.

"None too good. With the threat of an alien genocide on the horizon, people are suddenly a lot less concerned about suing the guy who caused them to break their leg. I've been getting a lot of will work lately."

I nodded, empathetic, whilst at the same time stuffing my face with a roast potato; marvellous.

Later in the night, after Susan had decided to retire to bed, and after everyone had had a few drinks, the atmosphere took a turn for the worse, when Collin decided to try and persuade his son to leave the corps.

"This war is dangerous Drew, and I don't want to have to see you come home in a casket. Please, come work for me at my firm, leave the fighting to others," Collin said to Rook, and I winced. Whilst we were off duty, I hated it when someone called a squad member by their real name. Evidently, Collin had either forgotten we were at the table or simply didn't care in his drunken state. Rook's gaze darkened.

"Not now Dad." the ODST's tone was crisp and cautioning. Collin ignored Rook, still going on.

"Then when son? When are you going to wake up and smell the music? You know I hate you being in the UNSC, you know me and your mother want you home. Where it's safe." The lawyer's tone had become desperate, and I grimaced slightly, looking at Switch and Mains uneasily. Rook caught my expression and scowled.

"For Christ's sake, you think you're safe here Dad? No where is safe! The Covenant will come here eventually, and will burn it to the ground!" he'd risen to his feet now, as had Collin. The two exchanged heated words for around a minute, before Rook decided he'd had enough.

"You never change do you? Always the same, even around my friends! I knew coming here was a mistake..." As Rook marched out of the room, and practically ripped his coat off the hanger, I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Rook, you're drunk, and so's your Dad. You're both saying things you don't mean, just go to sleep and you'll--" before I could finish, Rook had shrugged me off and had gone out of the door into the street outside, slamming the door behind him. I look back over my shoulder, and saw Switch and Mains standing in the dining room doorway awkwardly. I could hear the faint sobbing sound of Collin at the table.

"Listen, I'm gonna go find him. Stay here," I told Switch and Mains, grabbing my own coat. A few seconds later, I was out on the street, cursing as I had no idea of which way Rook had gone.

Instinctively, I turned right, hurrying down the near black street. A few moments later, it began to rain; a heavy, constant stream drumming heavily on the back of my coat.

"Rook? Rook!" I called out when I reached an intersection. A gang of teenagers nearby gave me an odd look, but I ignored them.

Spurred on by some unknown force, I decided to head down an alleyway. I realised that now, not only had I lost Rook -- I was also lost in the pitch black sprawling metropolis. Crap.

Ahead, further down the alley I heard voices whispering, as well as movement. Could it be Rook? Frowning, I moved forward, reaching down for my gun as I did so. I nearly swore when I realised I'd left it back at the house.

"Rook?" I whispered harshly. Instantly, the voices stopped, and all was still. Slightly nervous, I moved around the corner of the alleyway building...

...and something heavy hit me on the back of the head. Shouting out in pain, I stumbled forward, crashing face first into the wall. I reached up with a hand, gingerly feeling my nose. Bloodied and crooked. My eyesight was blurred.

Before I could right myself, I felt two pairs of arms grab my by either shoulder, and throw me to the ground. Looking around, I saw an old man cowering against the wall; a knife held to his throat. Three other men stood, garbed in balaclavas. Two held me pinned down. Muggers.

"You move, we cut the old man's throat," one of the muggers threatened. I got the message, and nodded mutely, terrified. Not terrified of dying, but terrified by the thought that I would no longer be able to fight the Covenant if I was dead. Terrified that I wouldn't be able to make a difference.

"Listen, just calm down all right?" I attempted to placate as I was roughly pulled up to my feet, and pushed against the wall. The same mugger who had spoken before -- I assumed he was the leader-- screamed aggressively in my face.

"Shut up! We call the shots here. Search him."

I tried to remain still as one of the muggers -- slightly shorter than the others -- expertly began to turn my pockets and anywhere I could conceal something of worth inside out. It wasn't long before he found my wallet, tossing it to the leader, who brought out a torch, flicking quickly through the black leather pouch and its compartments.

"Well well, Master Sergeant eh? Keep an eye on him lads, he's probably got training." The leader had evidently found my UNSC Identification card.

A few moments later, he had taken the $115 cash I had on me, and held my debit card in the light too. After a second or so of squinting at it, he tossed it to one of his lackeys. Then, a pistol was aimed at my face.

"What's your pin?"

I remained silent, managing to meet the masked face in the eyes with a defiant stare. The mugger fired a warning shot above my head; I felt the heat from the bullet as it passed.

"5225!" I blurted out, giving false information. The leader narrowed his eyes, before turning to one of his subordinates.

"Go find the nearest ATM and check it out. If it ain't right, come back and I'll chop this soldier boy's thumb off. That'll make him talk."

My eyes grew wide. It would be awfully hard to hold a sniper without a thumb. The mugger holding my card took his balaclava off; showing he wasn't a complete professional. A smart person would never show his face to the victim. I took a look at his face. A scar above his right eyebrow, dirty blonde, long hair, a rough beard. About 30 years old, maybe a bit older.

He'd find out that the pin wasn't correct. And then he'd come back, and I'd lose a digit. Not good. If I was going to act, it would have to be before he came back.

"You won't get away with this! I called the police as soon as I saw you come towards me! They'll be here any minute..." the old man crumpled in the corner wheezed out, before coughing. The leader of the muggers stared down at him in surprise, as if he had forgotten about his previous victim. The mugger looked uncertain.

"You're lying..." the leader accused, biting his low lip. The old man gave a grim, painful smile.

"Willin' to take that chance?"

Then, the moment I had been waiting for arrived. The leader wasn't looking at me, and the lackey pinning me had loosened his grip slightly, nervous.

  • 12.15.2009 3:41 AM PDT

I struck.

My leg rose up and hit the lackey in the gut. The man's eyes went wide for a moment, and he staggered back slightly. Before he could react, I swung a fist, which connected straight with his jaw. The mugger went sprawling down to the ground, where he connected with a metal rubbish bin. Evidently he hit his head pretty hard, because a second later he was out cold.

The leader had realised what was happening, and fired a shot from his pistol at me. It missed as I dived out of the way, and he cursed loudly, fumbling with the weapon. I laughed then -- the man hadn't even reloaded the pistol before aiming it at me! Amateur. Still, it made me wonder just what the other bullets from the clip had been used on.

Before the gun could be reloaded, I tackled the man, driving him hard against the wall. The pistol went flying out of his hand. He lashed out with a fist, which I caught easily with a deft hand. The odds were easily in my advantage now. I was a highly trained ODST -- he was a petty thief.

"You picked the wrong guy to mug bastard," I growled at him, slamming another fist into his face. That felt good. The feeling of elation vanished when a knife was driven into my side.

The world swam before me, and I tumbled to the ground, moaning. I looked down at my side, and surely enough, there was the hilt of the felling weapon, wedged firmly within my flesh.

The thug had drawn another knife from somewhere, and now stood over me, ready to stab down. I tried to scurry out of the way, but my entire body felt numb. I couldn't do anything.

Suddenly, a shining glint caught my eye. Lying a metre away was the mugger's lost pistol. Desperately, I reached for it. Forgetting that it had seemed to be out of bullets, I aimed it at the mugger, and pulled the trigger.

Much to my surprise, a shot rang through the alley. Smoke trailed from my pistol. And the mugger collapsed to the ground, a bullet wedged firmly between his eyes. Evidently, the pistol had been loaded, it must have just been jammed.

Breathing heavily for a few moments, I forced myself to get up. The mugger who had run to the ATM was still out there. Grimacing, I looked at the knife sticking out my side. Putting the collar of my coat in my mouth so I wouldn't bite my tongue off, I yanked the knife out with a yowl.

Blood spurted out of my side. Reaching down to the dead mugger, I striped him of his jacket gingerly and put it under my coat, where it pressed hard against the wound. It didn't entirely stop the blood flow, but it was quite a small wound and would soon scab over.

Remembering the old man, I looked down at him. His legs were bent at an unnatural angle; those sick bastards had broken them. His eyes seemed to be shut, and I was worried for a moment. I let out a difficult breath when I saw his chest rise, then fall. He was just unconscious.

I then heard a sound. Sirens. And they were drawing closer. Less than ten seconds later, I was surrounded by police, all aiming guns at me and screaming at me for some reason. I realised that I was still holding the pistol, and dropped it. Instantly, a guy pounced on my from behind, knocking the wind out of my lungs.

Apparently, the old man had been speaking the truth when he said he had phoned the police. If only they'd arrived sooner.

"You're making a mistake. I'm not--" I began to protest as I was thrown face first onto a car bonnet. As if I hadn't been smashed around enough today.

"I'm arresting you on suspicion of attempted robbery, assault and actual murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. If you are not a Charon VI citizen, you may contact your colony's consulate prior to any questioning. If said colony has been destroyed, you will merely be tried as a UNSC citizen. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

They thought I was the mugger! Idiots! I tried not to despair -- everything would soon be sorted out. For now, I decided to be cooperative.

"Yes. But listen--"

"Good!" the police officer who had read recited to me my Miranda rights stated, and before I knew it, I was thrust in the back of a police car. This was all wrong.

Before I could try to appeal to the officer's sitting at the front of the car, a hatch was shut and I was cut off from them. The small space in the back was pitch black.

Why did these things always happen to me?

  • 12.15.2009 3:42 AM PDT
Subject: [Story] Memoirs II: Fighting a Losing Battle (Part 2 is up!) ~ 15/12

Posted by: Dropship dude
No, acnboy. Spartain Ken 15 is a lesser being. Much like the bacteria that lives in your shi­t.
Posted by: mike120593
My shi­t bacteria takes offense to that comparison.

Don't make me lel. You won't like me when I lel.

Kick his ass.
edit: oops, tried to post that after the first bit :S

Bad luck, Archer.

[Edited on 12.15.2009 3:51 AM PST]

  • 12.15.2009 3:48 AM PDT

By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

Great writing and very descriptive fight scene, a very vivid image formed in my head whilst reading that.

My only word of advice is to describe the setting a little more, I'm a very visual reader and like to know the surroundings - though my mind isn't so shallow that I can't imagine a city metropolis.

  • 12.15.2009 8:50 AM PDT

I'm someone you knew, maybe even were friends with.....but from another time...another place.

The Mayans were the most epic trolls EVAR.

Nice. But what about the old man, wouldn't he say something about Archer being arrested?

  • 12.16.2009 3:20 AM PDT

Posted by: IcyColdStare
Nice. But what about the old man, wouldn't he say something about Archer being arrested?


He fell unconscious.

  • 12.16.2009 3:23 AM PDT

I'm someone you knew, maybe even were friends with.....but from another time...another place.

The Mayans were the most epic trolls EVAR.

Sorry, missed that part. *facepalm*

  • 12.16.2009 3:28 AM PDT

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