- Thel Vaddam
- |
- Noble Heroic Member
III
515 was sitting in the passenger seat in the Warthog, twirling his knife in his hand. Ethan was driving, and Gage was on the turret. As SWORD Base approached, he looked down at his helmet, staring at his features in the reflection. His blonde hair, cut military style, seemed to be getting whiter every time he took off his helmet. His blue eyes gleamed at the thought of getting back in the action, of defending the planet on which he had spent most of his life. He looked over to the other Warthog, which Tyler and Kale were in. Mark was giving them cover in a Falcon. Since that first meeting the day before, the newly formed Gold Squad had gotten to know each other a little better.
He had learned that Kale, Gage and Ethan had been close friends during their childhood and training. They had been removed from Beta Company immediately after completion of training, along with SPARTANS B-312 and B-320. They were placed in a squad with five other SPARTAN IIs to fight in the Battle of Bevin. He also learned that when Gage detonated the five nukes on those five Covenant Corvettes, he killed the five SPARTAN IIs. Gage had told him everything. "Kale, Ethan, and I were riding away from the Corvettes in a Warthog, waiting for them to give me the signal to detonate those nukes, that they were off those ships, safe from the blast. Then my squad leader, Darren, said that they were having complications. The five of them were on separate Corvettes, one on each. He said that the Covenant had dispatched squads of Elites to deal with them and the nukes. I said, 'Do you want us to come back and provide assistance?' He says no, says that I should carry on with the mission and blow those Corvettes to hell. I argued, told him that they should get off. He said that by the time they got off, they would have disarmed the nukes, and all of the others would be dead. I couldn't bring myself to do it, but then he said that if I didn't do it now, the battle would be lost. I closed my eyes and pushed the button. There was this glow, and it was so bright that I could close my eyes and still see. Once the dust had settled, I started to try to contact anyone that has been on those Corvettes, even though I knew it was futile." 515 remembered how it felt to know that everyone on your squad was dead, when he tried to contact his dead squad on New Alexandria.
Ethan hadn't had as painful a past. He had always been an exceptional soldier, but usually drove the vehicles, and stayed out of the fight. "But I like being out of the heat of battle, it makes me feel safe." He had said. 515 was the exact opposite, always looking for Covenant to kill, always looking for a fight. By now he thought he would be dead, but his luck just kept holding out for him.
Kale wasn't as lucky as Ethan. He'd always been the smartest SPARTAN in the UNSC, and his hacking skills were rumored to be better than B-320, the hacker of Noble Team. Unfortunately, he never had as much of a killer instinct as other SPARTANS, and was chosen more for smarts than battle sense. When he was under pressure or under fire, he would fold. He had once run away from a hacking job because of the massive force of Elites coming for him and his squad. "I panic. A lot. I cost ONI major information. Fortunately, my squad covered for me, because they knew of my condition. They said that there was too much resistance, and that we had to back out of there if we wanted to live. I can promise you, Andrew, I will not shirk away from battle, that I will fight to the best of my ability." 515 gladly accepted Kale's promise, assuring him that he thought Kale would be an excellent addition to the team.
He hadn't learned much about Mark, other than what he had said during their first meeting. All he knew was that Mark has been transferred from Gamma Squad to the ODST for additional training. This training gave him a sense of what to do under fire or pressure, unlike Kale. 515 the team had a sniper who was not unnerved easily, and from what he had heard, would not miss a shot.
Tyler still remained a mystery. He had shut himself away from the rest of the team, and any time 515 or anyone else tried to get him to talk, he would shove them away from him, and then suddenly become very interested in his armor, and would wipe it as though he'd die if it was dirty.
515 had also learned that they all had requested callsign changes sometime during their service. Mark went from 85 to 805, Gage from 46 to 178, Tyler from 34 to 288, Kale from 47 to 187, and Ethan from 45 to 134. The UNSC permitted this because they had known about the hardships these SPARTANS went through.
515 drifted away from his thoughts and back into reality. He pulled out his combat knife, and sharpened it off his left shoulder, which had a COMMANDO shoulder piece attached to it. Sparks flew through the air, flying through the evening sky like the fireflies 515 used to chase when he was a child. He ran the blade over his hand, digging slightly into his skin. Warm, crimson blood seeped out and ran down his hand and onto his wrist. Good, it's sharp. He had always liked a sharp knife. It provided a sense of security, knowing that if he ran out of all other weapons, his knife would be there; always ready to be inserted to an Elite's soft, warm flesh. He then inserted his last resort back into the holster on his right shoulder, which had a SECURITY shoulder armor piece attached to it. He put his cobalt and orange helmet on, and then looked at SWORD Base. The doomed fortress towered over him, making him fell very small, just an insect, a pawn in the game of war. Banshees and other Covenant aircraft flew over the once majestic symbol of ONI strength.
Their job was to get into the base, where Gage would plant seven C4 charges on each of the seven major supporting beams of the base. They would then proceed to evacuate the remaining Marines and ODST troopers, leave the base, and blow it up.
They were about 5 miles from the base, and had already experienced light resistance. A couple of Covenant patrols had spotted them. 515 and Gage had picked them off before the enemy could even figure out where the fire was coming from.
515's communication radio sparked to life. "This is 805 to all of Gold Squad. We have incoming Covenant Banshees. ETA thirty seconds."
515 responded. "Engage, take them out swiftly." They were to leave no survivors or anyone who could alert other Covenant about their presence.
Gage and Tyler responded immediately. "Yessir." They turned their M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Guns, nicknamed the "Vulcan", and begin firing. The violet aircraft turned and began launching plasma rounds from their front turrets. It rained green. The heat of plasma in the air, incinerating anything it touched. Their stuck the ground around the Warthogs, and 515 pulled out his M392 Designated Marksman Rifle, his weapon of choice, and took a few potshots at the low-flying aircraft.
The Banshees had passed overhead and were beginning a second run. The Warthogs had not suffered major damage, only a few scratches here and there. Gage and Tyler had warmed their LAAGs again, and the rounds began firing 550 rounds a minute out of their red-hot barrels.
A minute was less than the two gunners had needed, the already damaged Banshees were reduced to rubble in a matter of seconds. They exploded, and a bright violet flash blinded all of Gold Squad. The bodies of their Elite Pilots flew through the air, one landing in front of 515's Warthog. It had no arms or legs. "Hey look, it's torso boy! Shame he couldn't stay for the fireworks!" Gage remarked.
515 spoke over his radio, "Good shooting SPARTANS, we're going to be experiencing much more resistance than that in a few minutes, so be prepared."
About a minute later, they encountered a massive resistance force. It was composed of seven groups of Covenant squads, a Wraith, three Banshees, and five Ghosts. "Engage lightly, we don't have time to take them all out, pick off what you can. Ethan, Kale, keep driving."
"Right." His group responded in unison. He, Tyler, Gage, and Mark began to rain down shots as they passed; bodies of Covenant troops fell like dominoes. As they pushed through the Covenant lines, SWORD Base appeared overhead. What was once a symbol of the might of the UNSC was now a symbol of the greater power of the Covenant. As 515 looked at the forsaken building, he felt fear once again. But more importantly, he felt a feeling he'd been hoping he wouldn't feel. The feeling that the fight that the battle for Reach was unwinnable. He felt Death knocking at the doors of Humanity and the UNSC. He shook the feeling off, only to have it return.
He had no time to focus on those feelings, though. They were at the entrance to the base. They lined up at the door, preparing for a breach. Gage set the charges. "Detonate on my mark." 515 said. He took a deep breath, the shouted, "Mark!"
[Edited on 02.21.2011 12:32 PM PST]