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  • Subject: A Reach Fanfic: Noble Team
Subject: A Reach Fanfic: Noble Team

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|| Average Joe ||

Writer's notes:

This may or may not be continued. It depends on the reception of this part, and also on whether or not I will be able to find the time to write more. Also note that this was finished at 3:00am GMT, and posted at 3:30am GMT, so I apologize now for any small errors. The new aircraft revealed in the cutscene will be called the Kestrel in this, and I have named the Lieutenant and the sniper. Their names may change if I can think of more fitting ones.

Enjoy.


As Noble Team flew over the deathly silent scenery of Reach, they were reminded of what they were fighting for: freedom, and survival. The two Kestrel transport aircraft soared over the grassy surface between two glorious mountain ranges, heading for the UNSC base two kliks from Noble Team's outpost. The radio chatter was frantic and confused, with cries of desperation echoing across the comms. Reach was under attack, and the Covenant were not going to make it an easy fight.
"This is Sierra-320. Noble Team is mobile and prepped for combat insertion," Kat announced over the comms. Within seconds of her notification, a Covenant cruiser sitting tight over one of the main UNSC cities fired a devastating plasma blast, tearing the city apart. The shockwave cut through the air, uplifting trees, and throwing birds out of the sky. The clouds above sparked with furious bolts of lightning as the air became rife with electric charge from the blast.
"-blam!-!" yelled Carter, "hold on to your seats, people!" The Kestrels did not respond well to the blast. The lead Kestrel carrying Jorge, Kat and the silent SPARTAN nicknamed 'Skully', was knocked clean out of the air. It crashed into the mountainside below, exploding on impact and throwing the occupants across the rock face. The second Kestrel managed to remain airborne, but Carter had been knocked from his seat, and plummeted down to the hard ground below. With a sickening thud, Carter smashed into the ground. He lay motionless, his body in a position that suggested he was dead.

The pilot of the Kestrel tried to maintain his position, but it was in vain. The EMP wave that follows a plasma blast would reach the Kestrel in seconds, so he pointed the nose of the aircraft towards the valley floor below, and eased off the throttle. With any luck, the Kestrel would maintain its forward momentum, and the nose would lift before reaching the ground due to the heavy payload in the fuselage. Sure enough, the invisible EMP wave rippled across the landscape, passing over the Kestrel like a deadly virus, dooming the craft to a certain and painful death. In the cockpit, the electronics immediately fried. The pilot lost all control of the aircraft, and the region was subjected to a horrific silence as the engines stopped spinning the triple-bladed rotors. He shouted to the other occupants of the Kestrel, who were preoccupied in staring blankly at the deformed body of their Commander.
"We're going down, hold on tight!"

Falling from the sky like a stone, the heavy Kestrel lurched forwards under its momentum, slowly raising the nose to a point level with the horizon.
"Come on, pull up," the pilot urged the craft, "pull up!" The nose was rising agonizingly slowly, and the ground was fast approaching. As the nose reached a safe angle, the pilot sighed in relief. There was a chance that the Kestrel would slow down before hitting the ground, he thought. That chance was near enough to nil. The tail was the first section to go, followed by the fuselage. The aircraft ripped apart under the force of the collision, and the cockpit was torn off before it even hit the ground.

Dirt and smoke filled the air around the crash site, along with the powerful stench of fuel. There was no movement aside from the rotor of an engine slowing to a halt. The spinning rotor helped clear the smoke, and the shredded wreck of the Kestrel was revealed. The tail had been crushed into an unrecognisable mess, and the cockpit was smashed to pieces. The pilot was dead, killed quickly by the impact. In the fuselage, the two SPARTANs lay motionless. Their powered assault armour had not been able to protect them from the impact due to the EMP, and their weapons were violently rammed into the walls of the aircraft. Just as it looked like there was no hope for anyone in the crash, the Lieutenant regained his consciousness, and rolled over onto his back. He stared up and the mangled wall panel, in which his rifle was firmly lodged. He tried to pull it free, but his attempts were futile. Realising it was hopeless, he rolled onto his front again, and crawled out of the wreck.

Standing himself up, he assumed that he was the only one to survive the crash. The other SPARTAN's helmet lay at the side of the fuselage, blood splattered across the visor. Taking a few steps back, he remembered the other Kestrel having crashed not too far back. Perhaps there were survivors, and perhaps the Commander was OK. He removed his helmet, and took a deep breath of air - his breathing regulator had also been turned off by the EMP - and started towards the billowing smoke that marked the crash site of the other Kestrel. He was no further than ten feet away from his crash site, when he heard a sudden cry of pain. The other SPARTAN was alive, but seriously injured. The Lieutenant turned back to the fuselage, and started throwing the debris out of the way. He soon reached the other SPARTAN. He had several cuts across his face, including a large wound on his forehead - this explained the bloody visor. His left arm was impaled by his sniper barrel, and his legs were clearly broken.
"Get... me... out of... here," he gasped.

After a large effort, he was finally freed from the wreck, and resting against a large boulder a few meters from the crash site.
"I have to check on the others, see if anyone survived the crash," the Lieutenant said. "I'll come back for you," he promised.
"Take your time," the other SPARTAN joked, his voice clearly revealing the immense pain he was feeling. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I never caught your name," the Lieutenant quickly added.
"Nor I yours."
"I'm Evans," said the Lieutenant.
"Yuri," came the reply.
"Hold tight, Yuri. I'll be back."

  • 12.19.2009 7:34 PM PDT

Interesting. I like it. You've portrayed the new Spartan as less of a "Strong and Silent" guy, as much as it could be applied to a Spartan. It's a very good new twist on the typical perception.

  • 01.01.2010 11:20 PM PDT