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Green Team ch 1-5
Date: 1 May 2007, 1:02 am
I.
The Spartans that comprised Green team cycled the bolts on their MA5B assault rifles. The weapons were formidable by anyone's standards, but in the hands of the Spartan IIs, the fully automatic weapons were especially deadly. For a week, the squad of four had been fighting in the thick jungle of the outer rim planet, Orion. ONI had reported covenant activity present in the system when a prowler class corvette had gone missing and the recon fleet of small battle ships sent to find it had failed to report in. The powers that be sent an entire fleet to protect Orion. The UNSC ships had arrived in system only to discover four covenant battle ships and one covenant carrier circling in high orbit above the planet. When all was said and done, the UNSC fleet, lead by Admiral Hirokawa, had lost seven of the original fifteen ships, but had managed to push the covenant into retreat. The Covenant's violation of their usual SOP of fighting to the last man had been the reason for the Spartan's deployment. ONI had ordered Green team to the surface to locate any Covenant forces that may have been dropped onto the planet. Sure enough, the Covenant had landed a sizeable force on the surface.
Green team had been ordered to minimize collateral damage. ONI was determined to prevent another Sigma Octanus. Instead, the Spartans of Green team had been ordered to discover the Covenant objective and neutralize the ground forces whenever possible. Dan twitched his trigger finger. Brian, Green leader, knew that his Spartans were tired but ready. He looked over his squad mates. Dan was big, even by Spartan standards. He stood a head over every other Spartan in Green team, but was adept at camouflage and could disappear in any type of terrain. Ashley was the fastest. Some said she almost gave Kelly, the fastest Spartan of their graduating class, a run for her money. Dominic was the quiet one. Not big, but not small, Dominic liked to work behind the scenes. He carried the team's radio and could hack into almost any computer system with ease. During training, they had nick named him AI because of his "talent." He was one of the best shots in the Spartan II program as well. Unlike Linda, the Spartan's best sniper, Dominic preferred iron sights to telescopic scopes. Brian looked at his team and felt a sense of pride.
Brian opened up a secure COM channel to his team. "Listen up. Orbital recon indicates that the Covenant have massed in the capital city of Beklin. We have orders to infiltrate and ascertain their exact objective. If possible, we must secure their objective and deliver it to the spooks in orbit." Green team blinked their acknowledgement lights. Three flares of green winked on for a moment in Brian's heads up display. His team was ready. They knew the plan as well as he did, but it was more for his benefit that he reviewed their objectives. It helped him organize his thoughts and focus on their mission. "The capital city is twenty kilometers from here. We should be there before sundown." Brian gave the signal to move out and Green team disappeared into the thick of the jungle. Dan took point and was almost indistinguishable from the fauna around him.
The four Spartans reached the edge of the city without incident. Beklin was set deep into a valley, surrounded by plunging cliffs and fissures. Brian sat perched upon the cliff's edge and gazed down into the city below. From his point, Brian had a clear view of the city square….and the battalion of Covenant troops organized there. Overhead, Banshees patrolled the edge of the city. The air support creating an overlapping pattern would be Brian's first problem. Behind him, Dominic sent their observations to the fleet circling above. Dan huddled quietly in the underbrush, covering their rear. Ashley had scouted ahead and now returned to the squad. "Rappelling lines in place sir," she said. Brian replied, "acknowledged." Ashley had set up four, industrial strength rappelling lines that could support the Spartan's weight. Brian looked down into the city. The Covenant soldiers were comprised of an unusual amount of veterans. The dozen Elites, in their maroon armor, addressed the mass of gold-shielded Jackals and black armored Grunts that stood in formation. Brian wondered what the Covenant were doing here, and why there were so many battle-hardened soldiers in one place. And then he saw. Floating a short height above the ground, a gold crowned Prophet moved to address the Elites. His royal guards took up flanking positions around him. The Elites knelt before the Prophet and bowed their heads. Brian reeled at the fact that there could be a Prophet present on Orion. He opened a COM channel to his team. "Dominic, open a secure transmission to Admiral Hirokawa. Tell him we are moving in. We're going to catch a Prophet."
II.
Brian dodged the stun rounds that flung through the air. The drill instructors had grown increasingly ruthless as Brian and his fellow recruits continued to succeed with ease. After the trainees' augmentation, the DIs had been hard pressed to come up with ways to push and expand the Spartans' limits. Today had been a simple assignment. Capture the flag. Only today, the flag stood atop a fortified bunker and surrounding it, stood four drill instructors encased in Mark I powered armor. Each suit hefted a powerful chain gun capable of filling the air with fire in seconds. The bunker stood in the middle of the cave in which the Spartans had been training for weeks. John had ordered Dominic to cut the power as he and the rest of Blue team took down the guards. Brian and a group of other Spartans stood in the shadows surrounding the bunker waiting for their cue. The power cut and the lights flared and died. For the Spartans, the darkness was as clear as day. Their enhanced eyes allowed them to see clearly in even the darkest locations. Brian watched as two of his teammates descended and pulled a DI into the rafters. Acting as a counter weight, John dropped quietly onto the bunker and into the guard's formation. With a powerful blow, one of the guards was knocked from the bunker and straight into the shadows where Brian and Dan awaited. The two Spartans pounced and disabled the power armor. The drill instructor's weapon flared once and then fell silent. The lights powered on, but Brian and his fellow Spartans had already retreated to the rafters. Cast in light, the bunker stood, littered with broken metal and hydraulic fluid. One DI struggled to free himself of his powerless armor. The flag was nowhere to be seen.
Brian and the rest of Green Team rappelled down the cliff face and took up positions on the outskirts of the city. The Banshees circled overhead, but had failed to detect the Spartans. ONI had ordered the team to capture the Prophet alive and bring him to the pick up point. There the Spartans would be extracted and taken directly to the NavSpecWep corvette waiting in orbit. Green team moved out and took up position along the street. Darkness was beginning to fall as the sun slipped over the horizon. Something troubled Brian. Why would the covenant forces in orbit retreat when one of their most treasured figureheads was groundside? Brian wanted to capture the Prophet as quickly as possible and get his team to safety. He opened the com. "We need to avoid an all out encounter with the enemy. We don't have enough firepower to take on a battalion of veteran Covenant. Dan, we are going to need a distraction. ONI has retracted our order to minimize collateral damage." Brian could hear the satisfaction in Dan's voice. "No problem sir, I'll open the door." Brian addressed the rest of the squad as Dan moved out. "Dominic, get to the extraction point and lay out the welcome mat. We may be coming in hot, and I want a little surprise waiting for our pursuers. Ashley, you and I will infiltrate the city and retrieve the package." Dominic disappeared into the shadows.
Brian and Ashley took up positions on opposite sides of the street and began to make their way into the city. There was an unusually small enemy presence in the outskirts of town. Brian's COM flashed. In his internal speakers, Dan's voice streamed loud and clear. "Sir, enemy patrols encountered. All soldiers neutralized. I've got the door." Brian clicked his acknowledgement light. Dominic reported in shortly after. "Extraction point secured, welcome mat laid out." "Affirmative. Green leader out." Brian and Ashley continued to move toward the city square.
Ashley stopped. "Wait one." Brian stopped in his tracks and leveled his MA5B looking for targets. Ashley slipped into the shadows. Brian followed suit. Coming down the street was a patrol of veteran Jackals. The aliens moved, shields already deployed and searched the shadows. "Ashley, neutralize the enemy quietly. No shots." Ashley acknowledged. The Jackals slipped passed her position. From the shadows, a green blur lashed out and dragged the last Jackal into the shadows. The alien was dead before it knew what happened. The other Jackals continued to scan the shadows, unaware of their impending death. Brian reached into his pack and withdrew his razor wire. With the Spartan's strength, the wire could slice through flesh as easily as butter. Brian saw movement in the shadows. Black against black as Ashley scaled the fire escape that overlooked the street. From her position, Ashley was perched directly over the Jackals, but was still hidden in darkness. Brian flashed his acknowledgement light and Ashley dropped from her vantage point. She crushed one Jackal with the combined weight of her body and MOLJNR armor. The Jackals turned and leveled their plasma pistols. Brian sprang from the shadows. He sidestepped and kicked out, shattering the jaw of a nearby Jackal. He pounced on another and ran the razor wire across its throat. The alien let out a surprised grunt as the wire tore through its flesh. The Jackal dropped in a pool of its own blood. The Jackals, confused and disoriented, fell out of formation. Ashley jumped towards a Jackal and ripped the shield generator from its arm, shattering its wrist. The Jackal let out a scream. Ashley shot out a hand and tore the aliens jaw from its head. The Jackal dropped to the ground, dead. Brian tackled the last remaing alien and snapped its neck with a twist. The two Spartans dragged the bodies from the streets and hid them in the shadows. Ashley passed a shield generator to Brian and strapped the remaining shield to her wrist.
Dominic had reached the extraction point and had quickly buried the lotus anti tank mines ONI had stashed there. These mines could tear a Covenant Wraith tank to pieces. When deployed against infantry, the anti armor mines could reduce a platoon to smoldering chunks of unrecognizable flesh and metal. Dominic finished deploying the "welcome mat" and patched through to Brian. "Extraction point secured, welcome mat laid out." Dominic finished his report and rechecked the perimeter.
On the opposite side of the city, Dan sat on the east end of town and waited to trigger the distraction. He had placed the C4 charges in his pack on the foundations of several skyscrapers that lined the edge of the city. The charges would be enough to destroy the foundations and bring the buildings toppling down. Dan sat upon a low rooftop several blocks south of the target buildings. To his west, Brian and Ashley made their way towards the center of town. To the North, Dominic was busy securing their exit.
Brian and Ashley reached the town square and stopped in their tracks. Ahead of them lay what had to have been the city courthouse. Now, the building had been partially demolished and replaced with a temporary command base. The metallic purple steel of the building shined in the moonlight. In front of the command center stood two Hunter pairs, each looking bored with their guard duty. A squad of Elite royal guards flanked the entrance of the building. Their semi luminescent armor glowed a dull orange and red and cast an eerie aura around them. The maroon armored Elites Brian had seen from the cliff's edge were nowhere to be seen. In the streets, several Shadow gun emplacements had been erected and a squad of Grunts manned each. The stocky aliens barked and grunted at eachother. Brian and Ashley circled around the square so that they were positioned at the very back of the building. A group of Jackals had congregated here. Brian noticed with disgust as a pair of the creatures feasted on the body of a long since dead dog.
Brian went over the plan in his head once more. Dan would blow the charges distracting the Covenant forces long enough for he and Ashley to slip onto the roof. Once up, the pair would cut their way into the building. The Spartans would capture the Prophet and extract the alien to the pick up point. Brian nodded and gave the order. "Dan, Green leader in position. Ring the door bell."
III.
Brian remembered the day he was first assigned his suit of MOLJNR armor. The suit had fit him like a glove and adjusted to his body temperature. The enhanced strength and reflexes the armor gave him were difficult to get used to, but he quickly became adept at wearing the suit. Now years later, he hardly realized his suit was not apart of his body. It acted as an extension of his will and moved as easily as his own limbs. He remembered entering combat without the suit. He had performed well and without hesitation. The suit merely allowed him to complete his objectives with greater ease and efficiency. A tool to be used, but not relied upon.
Brian had been put in command of Green Team when the Spartan IIs were deployed across the galaxy. He had heard of John's triumph on Halo and longed to see his classmates again. He had led Green team through a long list of campaigns. So far the team had been lucky to suffer no losses. Brian wondered how long their winning streak would last.
The flash that engulfed the east side of the city was like another sun, suddenly racing above the horizon only to retreat again. The buildings toppled and crashed to the street below. Dan ran towards the extraction point to await their pick up and help secure their exit.
From where he sat, Dominic had a clear view of the buildings as they fell, engulfed in flame. He watched as the Covenant within the city sprang to life and ran around in confused chaos. From the south, he could see Dan running full speed towards his position. Dominic disabled the proximity charges and opened a secure channel to his teammate. "Kind of over did it didn't you?" Dan arrived at Brian's side. He had covered the two-kilometer distance in less than thirty seconds. He wasn't even out of breath. In reply, Dan simply moved two fingers over his faceplate, the Spartan symbol for a smile.
The Jackals, startled by the sudden explosion, raced to the front of the command building, leaving the back completely un-guarded. Brian could hear the thunder of bending steel as the buildings on the east end of town collapsed. He and Ashley rushed from their hiding place and scaled the ten-meter building with ease. Once atop, the Spartans dropped and crawled towards the center of the structure. The command post was composed of thin metal, designed to withstand only small arms fire. The cutting torch the Spartans carried with them would be more than enough to open up a skylight. Ashley withdrew the torch and began to cut through the roof. Brian crawled towards the front of the building and snaked his fiber optics cable over the edge. He patched the link into his helmet. The scene below was utter chaos. The veteran Elites Brian had seen before, now barked orders to the Grunts and Jackals under their command. The Banshee flyers that had been patrolling the city, broke formation and began to circle the crater that was once a pair of buildings. The Hunter Pairs that stood upon the steps roared their lust for battle. A green light winked in Brian's heads up display. He turned and saw that Ashley had peeled a section of the roof back like a tin can. She now fed her optics cable into the hole and opened a channel to Brian. "No immediate enemy contact below sir." Brian nodded and took up a position over the hole. Ashley dropped to the floor below and landed noiselessly. Brian attached a pair of repelling cables to the roof and followed her in.
The command center was deserted. Brian and Ashley stood in what must have been a waiting room or receiving chamber. Ahead of them, stood two formidable looking doors, behind which, Brian was sure the Prophet waited. Ashley approached the door and pressed her helmet against its surface. Brian covered her six and noticed that his motion sensor was an array of red dots moving around directly behind him. Ashley signaled him and he turned to face the doors. With a few quick movements, he signaled Ashley to blow open the door. Brian took up a flanking position to the left. Ashley pressed a small chunk of C4 onto the frame and retreated out of the blast path. Brian gave the signal and Ashley ignited the charge. The doors blew open and Brian entered low and to the left. Ashley went in high and right. Brian took in the scene with a glance. The Prophet hovered in the middle of the room, surrounded by Elite guards. The Grunts positioned in front of the door had been dismembered by the explosion. Brian opened fire with armor piercing rounds and quickly dropped the first Elite. The Prophet roared his reproach for the Spartans as the other Elites sprang to action. Brian had no intention of getting involved in a firefight. Instead, he dove toward an Elite that stood nearest the Prophet. Ashley let loose with a spray of shredder rounds and forced the Elites to take cover. Brian flung himself upon his target and jammed the butt of his rifle into the alien's throat. He felt the satisfying crunch of breaking bone. The other Elites were unaware of their fallen comrade as they struggled to flank Ashley. The Prophet turned as Brian leapt upon the alien's floating throne. The Spartan grabbed the Prophet by the neck and ripped him free of his seat. Off of his throne, the Prophet looked no more intimidating than a child. Its frail arms and legs looked like they wouldn't be able to support the alien's weight. Brian held the Prophet as a shield and made his way toward the door. Ashley dove for cover outside the room. The Elites finally noticed Brian and turned to face him. The Prophet barked an order and the Elites immediately lowered their weapons, but still tracked Brian as he and the Prophet made their way towards the door. Brian backed out of the room and the Elites made to follow. Before they could, Ashley pulled the pins from a handful of frag and incendiary grenades and tossed them inside. The resulting explosion painted the walls with the blood of the Covenant soldiers. Brian switched his translator on. The Prophet was demanding his release and was struggling to free himself from the Spartans firm grip. Ashley walked forward and brought the butt of her gun down onto the creature's forehead. The Prophet slipped into unconsciousness. Brian glanced at Ashley.
"Sorry sir. I didn't feel that the mission allowed us the time to carry on a conversation." Brian smiled internally. He was thankful for not having to listen to the Prophet condemn them as demons the entire way to the extraction point. Ashley climbed the rope Brian had left for them and helped lift the Prophet's weight onto the roof. Behind them, Brian dropped a pair of experimental bombs provided to them by ONI. The bombs themselves were no different than a small charge of C4. It was the timers that were the experimental part. The Spartans dropped off of the building and ran, full speed towards the extraction point. The Elites outside of the command building heard the explosions echo from the inside. The guards rushed inside only to find their comrades completely annihilated. The Elites prepared to exit the building and locate the Prophet of Retribution. The noble one must not come under any harm. If these guards were alive, they would be tried as heretics for their inability to protect the holy one. As they began to leave, a small package lying on the floor began to speak. "Greetings from Earth you sons of whores. This is a bomb. This is a personal greeting from the soldiers of the UNSC. Pray to your god and kiss your ass goodbye. Have a nice day." The Elites studded the device quizzically. The small satchel fell silent.
Brian felt the explosion before he actually heard it. He looked over his shoulder as he ran and watched as the Covenant command center was reduced to smoldering rubble. Ashley ran ahead of him and led the way towards the extraction point.
Wing leader, Qual' Jar, watched in horror as the holy one's temporary chambers were reduced to nothing. The demons would pay for this tragedy. He turned his flyer and rolled into a dive. There. He spotted two, fast moving enemies running towards the outskirts of the city. He signaled for his patrol to lock onto his target and engage. He would drink the blood of his foes before the night's end.
Brian and Ashley had reached the city's edge and were rapidly approaching the dust off point. Ahead, Dominic and Dan were waiting. Brian ran, the Prophet thrown over his shoulder. Ashley looked behind, stopped and leveled her assault rifle. Brian turned and spotted her target. Three Banshee flyers were zeroing in on their position. Ashley opened fire and peppered the incoming bogies with shredder rounds. The shells bounced harmlessly off of the ships' fore armor. Ashley turned and ran as Brian caught up with her. The Banshees opened fire and hot plasma splashed around the Spartans. The enemies raced overhead and turned for another attack run. Brian thought of turning and using the Prophet as a shield, but decided that it would be useless. He had to get his team off the surface before the Covenant could mass and surround them.
Qual 'Jar turned his ship and dove for another run. He would not miss the demons this time. They could not escape their impending doom. The Elite opened up the throttle and pushed his ship beyond its limits. His senses were filled with the lust for the kill. His wing mates charged their plasma cannons and waited for his order. Qual 'Jar reached for his fire control. His sights were centered on the lead enemy. The day would be his.
Fire consumed the Banshee and turned the craft into flying pieces of scrap metal. The rest of Qual 'Jar's wing mates were peppered with heavy fire and reduced to nothing. Lt. Irons threw his Pelican Drop ship into a tight turn to confirm his kill. He and his team flew towards the city, leveling all covenant troops that lined the streets. He opened up a secure channel to Green Leader. "Green leader this is Sun Dog. We've got the door and we're waiting on you, over."
Brian heard the voice of the Pelican pilot over his internal speakers. "Roger that Sun Dog. Thanks for the hand. Green Team will be at the extraction point in five." Brian clicked off his COM and gave a sigh of relief. He had spent so much time training with his fellow Spartans that he sometimes forgot that the non-Spartan soldiers deserved just as much respect as his classmates. He wouldn't forget again.
Dominic watched as the Pelicans flew strafing runs over the cities. The ships had caught the Covenant air support by surprise and had decimated their numbers. The fifty caliber and twenty millimeter machine guns mounted on the ships lit the sky as the pilots continued to mow down the enemy forces. The city was ablaze. Dan's "distraction" had set fire to the east side of town. Dominic disabled the anti tank mines and welcomed Brian and Ashley back. Two drop ships fell out of orbit and landed gracefully behind the Spartans. Out of one, a team of ONI spooks leaped to the ground and relieved Brian of the package. The men boarded their ship silently. The Spartans watched as the ONI drop ship dusted off and raced towards the heavens. Ashley looked at Dominic. "How was your nap?" she asked. Dominic smiled inside his faceplate. "It would have been fine," he said, "if it weren't for all of the noise." The Spartans boarded their drop ship and dusted off.
IV.
Brian stood at the bulkhead marking the entrance to the bridge. The last few hours had been a blur of activity as he and his team were de-briefed by an array of ONI specialists. Their success had been classified TOP SECRET, and Green Team had been forbidden from discussing their mission. The Spartans had been relocated to Admiral Hirokawa's battle cruiser, The Balanced Justice. Shortly after their arrival, the fleet had accelerated out of system towards the planet Nicea. The planet's bases had been refitted to support Fleet High command after the destruction of Reach. There, ONI could poke and prod their new prisoner as much as they wanted. The Admiral himself had summoned Brian to the bridge, for reasons Brian could only guess. He stood at the threshold of the bulkhead collecting his thoughts for the first time in days. Admiral Hirokawa met him at the door. Brian saluted and addressed the Admiral. "Green Leader reporting as ordered, sir. Permission to enter the bridge?" The Admiral didn't return the salute but instead, offered the Spartan his hand, an action most people tended to avoid when it came to Spartans. The outfit of super soldiers had attained a legendary reputation within the rank and file, but most people were put off by the hulking soldiers in their green battle gear. In full armor, Brian more closely resembled a futuristic gladiator or alien warrior than a human soldier. "Permission granted soldier," the Admiral said. Brian took the Admiral's hand and shook. The officer turned and made his way towards the navigation console. Brian followed behind.
"Mighty fine work my boy." Admiral Hirokawa smiled at the Spartan. The crew inspected Brian in his MJOLNIR armor with awe. He stood, three meters of hulking battle hardened soldier, his plating splashed with the purple blood of his enemies. Brian was used to the attention. "Thank you sir," Brian replied. The Admiral inspected Brian with respect. "Your team may have just bought us a crucial trump card that could help end the war. ONI hopes that, with the Prophet as leverage, we may be able to negotiate some kind of piece. Personally, I'd rather kill every one of those alien bastards, starting with their beloved "holy one." Brian nodded. He shared the Admiral's sentiments. Admiral Hirokawa continued. "But unfortunately, there are smarter men than me who are calling the shots. I just wanted to personally congratulate you for your success." Brian nodded. "Thank you sir, but completion of the objective could not have been possible had it not been for my team and the quick response of the Pelican pilots."
Hirokawa smiled, understanding. "Of course," he said. "You are all to be congratulated for your actions. But now, down to business. The Prophet has already started to bleed information. He has given us the location of a Covenant training facility. Destroying this facility could neutralize Covenant reinforcements to the front and stunt further advancement on Earth. Brian swelled with excitement. "We're sending in the Spartans."
Across the galaxy, The Prophet of truth learned of his brother's capture. The creature curled his fragile fist and slammed onto the arm of his throne. The humans would pay for their daring and their audacity to lay hands on a member of his holy order.
V.
Admiral Hirokawa's fleet decelerated in system. Around Nicea, orbital Mac platforms were being constructed. Each cannon supported its own, reserve generator that could support the gun's systems. High command had learned from the loss of Reach. The Covenant would have to work harder if they wanted to destroy these defenses. The surface base generators powered the cannons, but if destroyed, the reserve generators could power the formidable weapons. Each Mac cannon was designed to fire a three round burst of super heavy Mac rounds. More than enough fire power to destroy even the strongest Covenant battle ship.
Brian had returned to the cargo bay where his team had settled. The Spartans were a blur of movement as the cleaned and re-cleaned their weapons and armor. Dominic sat silently, adjusting the sights on his MA5B. Dan checked over Ashley's armor and gave her the thumbs up. The pair switched as Dan allowed Ashley to check and repair his own armor. Brian went over the Spartan roster. A number of his teammates were listed as MIA or WIA. Brian knew the truth. When the Spartan program had gone public, ONI had decided that it would be bad for fleet morale if any Spartans were listed as KIA. Instead, Brian's fallen teammates were listed as wounded or missing. After all, Spartans couldn't die. Brian wished this were true.
He had briefed his team on their new objective. The Spartans would be delivered in system via a Prowler class Corvette. The craft would enter into a low orbit burn and drop the Spartans in their drop pods. Green Team would land thirty kilometers from the training facility and make their way towards the objective. The Spartans had been authorized to use a cluster of HAVOK nuclear warheads to reduce the Covenant facility to ashes. The Prowler would then make pick up at the drop point. Brian watched as his team readied themselves for the battle to come.
The Spartans exited the drop ship and stepped upon the surface of Nicea. A platoon of ODSTs, orbital drop shock troops, marched passed his team. Above ground, little could be discerned of Fleet HQ. A few guard tents and training grounds peppered the green hillside. Beside these structures, administrative buildings and marine barracks lined the base. The actual head quarters were located deep under ground. Green Team left the landing pad and was escorted to their barracks by a stocky marine. The soldier led the Spartans to a small field building. The marine turned, saluted, and left the Spartans. Brian entered the temporary building. Inside were rows of bunks. At the far end awaited a team of technicians. Brian approached and removed his helmet. He ran a hand over his cropped brown hair. The lead technician addressed the team. " We have been ordered to refit and repair your armor systems." With that, the team of techs began to help the Spartans out of their armor. Brian and his teammates dressed in fatigues and stretched their battle-hardened bodies. The technicians left with their armor to perform various repairs. Brian frowned as he noticed the back of his suit. The shoulders were charred with black soot. Apparently, those Banshees had been more on target than he thought. He couldn't afford to be careless again.
Shortly after, Brian left his team and exited the barracks. He and his team were on a twenty-four hour R and R. He stepped into the warm sun and let it beet upon his face. The warmth felt good and allowed Brian to relax for the first time in weeks. The Spartan approached the garage and signed out a warthog. He took the all terrain vehicle across the base and towards the air field. As he approached, he watched the Pelicans and Long Sword fighters lift off and land. He brought the vehicle to a stop at the gatehouse marking the entrance the airstrip. Brian handed the guard his papers who looked them over and snapped a crisp salute to the Spartan. Brian returned and accepted his papers as the soldier handed them back. The guard's eyes loomed for a moment on the insignia on Brian's shoulder. An eagle clutching lightning bolts in its talons. The symbol for the Spartans. The guard's eyes widened and he stood up even straighter. Brian nodded as the guard lifted the gate and allowed the jeep to pass.
Brian accelerated towards the hanger. He wanted to personally thank Lt. Irons and his team for their quick response. The pilots had saved Brian's team. Brian pulled to a stop and climbed out of his warthog. A group of pilots were busy tossing a ball to eachother. Brian noticed with a respectful eye that the Pelicans that had saved his ass were already refitted and repaired. Each shined of polished metal. These pilots respected their ships as much as Brian respected his armor. He walked toward the pilots and was nearly upon them before they noticed his presence. They stopped their game and looked quizzically at the Spartan.
Brian called out, "I'm looking for Lt. Irons." A tall, lengthy man jogged forward to meet him. Brian noticed the nametag on the pilot's flight suit. Lt. James Irons. The pilot looked the Spartan over. Brian smiled and offered the man his hand. Lt. Irons took it and shook. Brian said to the man, "I just wanted to thank you personally for saving my team back on Orion." Lt. Irons smiled, recognizing Brian's voice.
"All in a day's work, Green Leader," the man said. Brian nodded. This man would have made a good Spartan. Brian saluted and began to walk back to his jeep. Lt. Irons called after him. "Care to join us for a game?" Brian turned and smiled. "You may be faster than me in your Pelican. But on the ground, you couldn't touch me. It wouldn't be fair." Lt. Irons smiled and turned to rejoin his fellow pilots. Brian thought, "He would have made a hell of a Spartan indeed.
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