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Halo: Soldier of Destiny by GGrievous
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Halo: Soldier of Destiny Chapter.01 -- The Unsung Hero
Date: 22 January 2006, 7:18 am
The events that unfolded on the ring-world Halo is now stuff of legends. They the tales of the Master Chief and his triumph over the monstrosity known only as the Flood. He is praised as the hero of the UNSC who has saved the entire human race. And he rightfully bears that title.
But the entire story does not belong to the soldier known as Spartan-117. This is the tale of the unsung warrior, the second hero of the Pillar of Autumn. The tale of the events that took place on Halo that would forever shape his destiny.
0118 Hours (Ship's Time), September 19, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC Cruiser Pillar of Autumn, Location Unknown
The deck of the Halcyon-class cruiser, the Pillar of Autumn shuddered as the massive hulk exited slipspace. Strobes of light danced over the hull as the warp in space-time closed. Massive scars were visible on the Autumn's hull. Large sections of the ship's Titanium-A armor had been boiled away by plasma torpedoes. The once proud UNSC capital ship was a wreck.
The Autumn had just barely escaped the battle--and destruction--of the planet Reach. It was one of the few warships still mobile that hadn't been destroyed by the massive Covenant armada.
As the great battleship cruised through space, a lone marine sat in the ship's crews quarters. Corporal Zachary Thompson stared out the starboard view port. He was rather tall, and wore a jet black uniform. His hair was short and dark, and slightly spiked upward.
As he looked out amongst the stars, he sat reminiscing on the events that took place high above Reach's surface.
"How in the world could our fleet have been defeated so easily?" he pondered. "We had over a hundred warships, and nearly all of them were turned to scrap during the battle."
If you could call it a battle anyway. The human's had been fighting the alien race known as the Covenant for over twenty-five years. And they were no closer to winning than the day the Covenant had declared their holy war on the humans. In fact, the humans were on the brink of losing.
Covenant ships were light years ahead of UNSC ships in terms of combat capability. Their plasma torpedoes and pulse lasers could burn away the Grade-A titanium armor of a destroyer in seconds. And they're shields repelled most conventional UNSC ship-based weaponry. Not only that, but the Covenant fleet had outnumbered the UNSC three to one.
The battle of Reach hadn't been a battle. It had been a slaughter.
Even with the support of the twenty orbital Magnetic Accelerator Cannons, or MAC guns orbiting the planet, the Covenant had overwhelmed the UNSC fleet. Then they glassed the planet, bombarding it with their plasma torpedoes.
The Pillar of Autumn hadn't stayed to enjoy the show. They made a randomized jump, to ensure that they wouldn't lead the Covenant to any more of their outposts. And now here they were, drifting dead in an unknown system.
"Hey Zack, what're you doing in here?" The voice pulled Zack out of his recollection.
Zack turned to see his friend Jake O'Conner standing in the doorway. He'd met him on reach, and they'd become good friends. Jake could be best described as happy-go-lucky when it came to battle. He was a short and stocky with sandy red hair.
Zack shrugged. "Nothing. Just thinking."
"Well, everyone's gathering at the mess hall," said Jake. "Wanna join us?"
Zack shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll just stay here for a while.
"Suit yourself," said Jake, and he took off down the hallway.
Zack returned his gaze to the view port, and stared absentmindedly into the blackness of space. He didn't have many friends. Zack had been part of a special unit created by the Office of Naval Intelligence, or ONI, which they had called Destiny Squad. He had four team mates, Sean, Andy, Rick, and Jonas, and they had all been like his family.
As part of the squad, they were each given special weapons, and the prototype Phoenix battle armor, a descendant of the MJOLNIR battle armor used by the Spartans. For a while, they're squad had been invincible, taking on every mission given to them and succeeding.
That was until the battle of Sigma Octanus IV. When the Covenant attacked the planet, they had deployed hundreds of their troops into the capital city Côte d' Azur. Destiny Squad had been sent to rescue civilians being held in the city.
Sean, Andy, Rick, and Jonas were all killed in action. Only Zack managed to escape alive.
The incident left Zack torn. The squad had been his only real family. Zack didn't have any memory of his past before the squad. The earliest memory he had was waking up in some sort of ONI medical facility on Reach. When Zack had inquired about it, they had told him that he was being treated for injuries he sustained in battle, and had gotten a severe case of amnesia because of them. Zack had doubted their claim however. Nothing that ONI was involved in was ever as simple as that.
His suspicions were raised further when he was assigned to Destiny Squad. He and all of his other teammates had the exact same condition. None of them could remember anything beyond being assigned to the squad. They had considered taking the issue up to the brass of the UNSC.
But in the end, they all decided that finding out what had happened would have to wait. For now, fighting the Covenant was all that mattered.
Besides, for some reason when they were put back into the field, they found that they were stronger, faster, and more quick-witted than they had been before. They knew it couldn't be a coincidence. But no one had any complaints. They just went with the flow for many months.
"Now I'm the only one who will ever find out", Zack thought ruefully. After Côte d' Azur, he was stationed back at Reach. He was then assigned to the Pillar of Autumn, as a part of the ship's special mission. The rest, is history.
Zack sighed. "Now I really don't have any home to go back to either," he said to himself.
Suddenly, a great rumble shook the entire ship, which caught Zack's full attention. It could only mean one thing.
The Autumn's engines had accelerated to combat speed.
Then the voice of Captain Jacob Keyes came over the intercom. "All hands to battle stations. Prepare to repel borders."
Zack shot up and sprinted to the weapons hold without hesitation. But as he hurried along the corridor, he began to ponder upon the Captains orders. The Covenant rarely, if ever, attempted to board human ships. They usually just burned them into giant hulks of molten slag with their plasma torpedoes. Why the sudden change of heart? Zack thought.
He pushed the thought out of his mind. He had to focus on the here and now. Best to leave alien ethics to the spooks at ONI.
Zack skidded to a halt at the weapons hold. Jake and a few other marines were already there. "Hurry up man!" said Jake when he saw Zack. "Those Covenant freaks will be here any minute!"
"You don't gotta tell me twice," Zack calmly replied. He never got excited or nervous when it came to battle. He always kept his cool, collectively carrying out his objectives to the best of his abilities. The other members of Destiny squad had been the same way. It was as if they were born fighting machines.
He rushed to a locker in the corner and opened the coded lock. Inside was his suit of Phoenix armor. It was ash colored, and made up of several sections that fit across his entire body, as well as a jet black helmet with a visor that covered his eyes. He quickly secured the torso, leg, and arm sections to his body. Finally, he strapped on his helmet.
Unfortunately, there was only one left. SPARTAN 117, only known as the Master Chief. All the others had been killed on Reach. The Chief was the last of his kind. He had lost all his family back on the planets surface.
Zack sympathized with him. He had lost his brothers too.
His Heads-Up Display came online. His ammo counter and motion tracker flashed in front of his eyes as the
He strode over to the weapons rack and grabbed his favorite weapon, the M90 8-Guage shotgun. While the weapon wasn't very accurate at long range, it still produced an astonishing amount of fire-power that Zack couldn't help but admire. He pumped a round into the chamber, and slung it across his back. Finally, he grabbed an MA5B Assault Rifle, and slid a fresh clip into it with a satisfying clack. He secured several cartridges of ammunition for all the weapons to his belt, as well as four M9 HE-DP fragmentation grenades.
Zack felt the ship rumble and heard a muffled explosion as he sprinted out the door. The Pillar of Autumn had engaged the Covenant vessels. He would have to move fast.
As he surged down the hallway, he happened to glance outside a nearby view port, and what he saw made him stop dead in his tracks.
Outside, Zack could see a massive red gas-giant planet. And orbiting it, was a large metal ring.
The ring had to be at least ten-thousand kilometers in diameter. But it's size wasn't what was most impressive. Along the rings inner surface, Zack could see sapphire oceans, and expanses of snowcapped mountains. There were crystal glaciers, emerald forests, rugged deserts, and immense valleys. Streaks of white clouds were spread out over the ring.
Zack couldn't believe that such an environment could exist on an artificial structure. He might as well have been looking at planet Earth itself.
Zack stared at the spectacle in awe. He knew that no human could have built the massive structure he saw before him. And it sure didn't look like anything the Covenant would ever build. They seemed more intent on destroying ecosystems, rather than creating them.
"So if we didn't build it, and the Covenant didn't build it," Zack thought, "then who did?"
Then he noticed something else. A group of large objects, though not as large as the ring, slowly drifted towards the Pillar of Autumn. Each were about half a kilometer long. Most people would have mistaken them for space junk. But Zack knew better. The objects moved about in a synchronous fashion. And he noticed one of the objects shine as the sun glared upon it's metal hull.
They were Covenant ships. Shaped like teardrops, their hulls were lavender color, and made up of three bulbous sections. Their sides bristled with plasma conduits and pulse laser turrets.
They were also moving towards the Autumn at considerable speed.
Zack pulled his gaze away from the sight, and rushed down the hallway, anticipation growing with every step. Finally, I'll get to kill some more of those Covenant bastards.
Ahead, Zack saw marines gathering at a closed blast door at the end of the hallway, taking cover behind crates and alcoves. Zack took position directly across from the door. He wanted those alien scum to meet their death, face to face.
Jake was propped against a container nearby. "Glad you made it, we thought we were going to have to start without you," he called out.
Zack gave a rare smile. "You kidding? Wouldn't miss it for the world," he replied.
Just then, a tiny white flare appeared on the blast door. "Heads up! Their coming through!" shouted a Sergeant among the group.
A few of the marines around him tensed as they readied their weapons. The flare spread across the seam of he closed doors as the Covenant burned through the other side. Zack aimed straight into the fire.
Suddenly, the door exploded. Bursts of blue and green plasma rained though the opening. Grenades flew from both sides, and Zack smiled as his rifle flared and sprayed bullets into the onslaught.
Halo: Soldier of Destiny Chapter.02 -- Fasten Your Seatbelts, We’re Experiencing Turbulence
Date: 30 January 2006, 1:21 am
There was a flash of blinding light. Jagged voices rang out from all direction. Zack's vision was blurry. He blinked once. Where the hell was he?
He blinked again. He could make out a few words now. It was a female voice.
"Doctor, his heart rate is rising."
Zack's vision was clearing now. He was lying down on some sort of table. He found himself staring at a giant lamp on the ceiling. He tried to move. He couldn't.
"Quickly, apply a second dose of anesthesia."
Anesthesia? Was he in a med lab? He was able to look to his right, and saw a man in a naval officers uniform, standing to the side. Suddenly Zack felt a sharp stab in his right arm. He felt himself slipping back into unconsciousness. Before he blacked out, he managed to catch sight of the insignia on the mans jacket.
Black and silver eagle wings over a trio of stars.
A few hundred kilometers away from the Pillar of Autumn, The Covenant destroyer Eternal Treason cruised through space, flanked by two smaller frigates. At the heart of the metal beast, in the center of the cruisers bridge, stood the Elite Ship Master Xaru Xolamee . He was clad in golden armor. A plasma pistol and an energy sword hung from his belt. He stared at the multiple view screens with an ever watchful eye, contemplating the events that unfolded before him. Several of the other ships had gone ahead to pursue the human ship that flew near the sacred ring.
Xolamee once again cursed the foul beasts. If the human ship were not so close to the ring, their fleet would have burned them to molten slag long ago. But they dared not risk damage to the structure. So they had been forced to deploy boarding parties aboard the ship. Such a move was costly, for many of their soldiers would be killed.
As the ship master continued to examine the battle across space, when the communications officer, Neju Nagamee announced, "Commander, we have a transmission from the Reverence and Nobility. Shall I patch it through?"
Xolamee snapped to attention. The Reverence and Nobility was the flagship of their battle group. The ship wasn't taking part in the battle, as it was being used to determine strategy for the time being. Onboard was the Grand General of the Covenant armada. Whatever he had to say would be of the utmost importance.
Besides, ignoring the hail would mean having his ship blown to tiny atoms around him.
"Of course," growled Xolamee. "Patch him through immediately.
Nagamee pressed a few buttons on the holopanel in front of him, and the Grand general appeared onscreen. He too was dressed in gold armor, and stood at attention on the command platform.
"Commander Xolamee, have the boarding parties arrived at the human ship yet?" he inquired.
"Yes excellency," said Xolamee with a nod. "The assault has already begun."
"Good." replied the general. "The humans will no doubt begin to launch escape craft, and attempt descend to the ring. Move your battle group to intercept any that launch."
"Of course excellency." Said Xolamee with a bow. "It will be done."
The general nodded, and the transmission terminated.
Xolamee sprung into action. "Move the ship at heading two-zero-three. Ready all pulse lasers." The ship rumbled as the engines accelerated. Xolamee muttered to himself, "I will not allow a single filthy human too lay one foot upon the sacred ring."
0125 Hours, September 10, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC Cruiser Pillar of Autumn, location unknown.
Zack's rifle spat bullets into the smoke and chaos in the dark room. He heard several screams as well as the sound of blood splattering on the deck. Through the smoke came two alien Grunts. These creatures stood about five feet high, and had stone gray skin. They wore orange armor and large pointed backpacks that fed methane into a breather mask strapped across their face. In their hands they held blue-green colored Plasma Pistols. They yelled out diminutive squeaks and grunts as they fired green bolts of plasma at the humans.
Zack ducked as one bolt shot right over his head. He reached for a frag grenade on his belt, pulled the pin, and gave it a subtle toss right over the container. He heard the Grunt's screams as the grenade bounced next to their feet, followed by an explosion and two dull thumps as their bodies hit the ground.
The noncom peered over the container. There was a scorch mark on the deck where the grenade had detonated, as well as a splatter of turquoise alien blood.
Jake looked over as well. "Nice job Zack!" he called.
Zack waved him off. "Don't thank me yet. The fun's just starting." He had just finished his sentence, when a Covenant Elite, clad in blue armor rushed through the door, flanked by two more Grunts
Just as their name implied, the Elites were the best warriors the Covenant had to offer. Unlike the Grunts, they stood eight feet tall, had smooth brown-colored skin, and wore armor from head to toe that generated an energy shield around them. Not only that, they were incredibly strong, and extremely intelligent.
In other words, the only enemy Zack preferred not to dance toe-to-toe with.
His assault rifle flared as Zack took aim at the elite, as did the weapons of the others around him, but the Elite was too fast. He managed to dodged behind another container. Zack cursed, and proceeded to take down the two Grunts.
The Elite swung out from around the container, and fired his plasma rifle. A stream of plasma bursts lanced only centimeters from Zack's head. He managed to duck before the Elite hosed the area with more fire.
He heard a few screams from the marines as they were hit. Zack gritted his teeth. He was going have to end this quick, or they'd all be dead in minutes.
He unsung his shotgun, and dashed out from his container, firing two shots at the Elite. The spray from the shells impacted the Elite's shields, and they shimmered a ghostly blue, but the field of energy held. The Elite gave a cry of rage, and rushed out to meet this new challenger.
Zack rolled right as the Elite swung his rifle down like a club. The blow impacted the deck and dented the solid Titanium-A deck plate. Zack grimaced. There was no way he would match the Elite in strength. He would need to outwit the alien.
There was a streak of blue as the Elite raised his rifle to strike again, but Zack rolled past him towards the destroyed bulkhead. They both spun back around at the same time.
Then Zack did something the Elite never anticipated. He primed his seconded grenade, and dropped it right at their feet.
Zack was already lunging back towards the bulkhead when the Elite gave a cry of surprise. He just barely managed to take a leap backward when the grenade went off. The Elite survived, but his shields had taken a beating.
Furthermore, by jumping backwards, he had placed himself square into the other marine's line of fire.
As he was priming his shotgun, Zack shouted. "Now! Shoot him!"
"Hell yes, Zack!" shouted Jake, and he unleashed a stream of rounds into the Elite, as did every other soldier with a weapon in their hands.
The Elites failing shields were no match for this new onslaught. They flared once, then failed. Dozens of armor-piercing bullets tore through the Elites torso. He let out a cry of agony as he fell in a pool of his own violet blood.
The staccato of firing ceased as Zack turned to check the room the Elite had come from to see if there were any more unwelcome guests. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found none.
Zack turned to the rest of the marines. "Anybody hurt?"
A Sergeant stepped forward. "We got two KIA. Nobody else is wounded though." He glanced at the dead Elite. "That was a pretty impressive display."
"Just doing my job, sir."
The Sergeant nodded. "I'm Sergeant Richard Jameson. You must be the member of that special squad I heard about," he said noting Zack's armor.
"Yes sir. Corporal Zachary Thompson. I was transferred over from Destiny squad." Zack hesitated for a seconded. Even the mention of the squad name brought back sour memories.
"Well, we could sure use the help. With you around, we might actually make it off this rust bucket alive," said Jameson. He turned to the four marines behind him. "Let me introduce you to Fire Team Delta. This is Private Miccardo," gesturing at a tall blonde haired marine. Miccardo snapped off a quick salute. "I've heard a lot about you sir. It's an honor to fight along side you."
Zack nodded, "Likewise,"
"This is Corporal Rhomer," said Jameson gesturing at a surly looking marine with shoulder length black hair, who nodded.
Zack studied the marine. Rhomer looked like he'd been through his share of battles. Zack knew he could depend on him in a tight situation.
Jameson turned to a freckled face youngster with trim brown hair. "This is Private Church, newest to the squad." Church saluted Zack as well. "Sir! It's a pleasure to meet you sir!" he practically shouted.
"Settle down marine," said Zack with a small laugh, "save that energy for the Covenant." Church seemed to be a bit excitable. He'd have to keep his eye on him during battle.
"And I'm assuming that you already know private Jake O'Connor," said Jameson.
"That's correct sir," said Zack. Suddenly, another explosion caused the Pillar of Autumn's hull to shudder. The ship wasn't going to last much longer at this rate.
"Sir, I would suggest that we try to find a lifeboat, and get the hell off this ship."
Grimly, Jameson said, "I agree. The lifeboats are on the upper level. We're going to have to fight our way up there."
"Sir!" cried Jake suddenly, "I just got word off the COM. More Covenant are on their way to this part of the ship."
Jameson nodded. "Then we better start moving."
Halo: Soldier of Destiny Chapter.03 -- Ringfall
Date: 9 February 2006, 8:28 am
Zack awoke once again. He was able to sit up, but he could feel his muscles responding sluggishly. He looked around and saw he was in a ships med bay.
Then he suddenly recognized the throbbing pain in his head. He lowered his head into his hands.
"Well. Glad to see your finally awake."
Zack turned to the voice. The man who stood before him wore a jet-black uniform, and had slicked back red hair. Zack saw that the man was a second lieutenant.
"Where am I?" asked Zack
"You are on the UNSC frigate Marauder," said the man "My name is Harveson. I've been assigned to oversee your voyage."
"Whatever you say man," said Zack. Then something caught his eye. On Harveson's shoulder, were black and white eagle wings and a trio of stars. It was the symbol of ONI.
Suddenly it all came rushing back. The med lab. The officer standing in the shadows.
"Before I was here, I remember waking up in a med lab. What was I doing there?"
"Ah, you were awake were you?" said Harveson. "Well, as it were you had sustained some injury during your last campaign, and were being treated for it."
"My last campaign…" Come to think of it, he couldn't even remember where he had been before then. He tried but he couldn't. He tried to remember what happened before than. His insides ran cold. Nothing. He couldn't remember a thing.
"I can't remember. I can't remember anything!" said Zack.
Harveson frowned. "Probably a slight case of amnesia. You should recover soon."
Zack's shoulders slumped. His memory was gone. Now there was only what lay ahead for him. "Can you at least tell me where we're going?"
Harveson smiled. "Of course. We're inbound for the Epsilon Eridani system, and planet Reach.
The Eternal Treason rumbled as its energy shield took hits. Xolamee studied the display, and saw a number of small missiles streaming away from the human vessel.
"It would appear that ship still has some fight left in it," he murmured. He had to give the humans credit. The battered human cruiser looked like it was about to fall apart. Yet it continued to fight on despite being outnumbered, outgunned, and surrounded.
As does the entire human race itself, Xolamee reflected. Persistent creatures. He would see to the death of every last one if it was the last thing he did.
Xolamee shook the thought from his mind. He needed to focus on the battle. "Deploy countermeasures," he exclaimed, "And continue to monitor for additional escape craft."
"Yes excellency," said the gunnery officer named Zola Ikalamee. He input various commands into his station. Xolamee watched with satisfaction as pulse lasers swatted the missiles from space.
"Good work," said Xolamee. The humans weaponry was no match for them.
"Additional lifeboats detected," said the gunnery officer.
"Target, and destroy," commanded Xolamee.
"Roger, preparing to--"
"Excellency!" cried the navigation officer. "The human ship is changing course. It appears they're about to attack us directly."
Xolamee turned back to the view screen. Indeed, the human ship was now turning about. He also noted that they were still in close proximity to the sacred ring. If they used their torpedoes, they might damage it.
The Elite commander clicked his mandibles. "We will have to take that chance," he said under his breath. "Ready plasma torpedoes!" he commanded. "Target the human vessel!"
"But sir!" cried Ikalamee, "We have orders not to use our torpedoes against the human vessel! They are still much to close to the sacred ring! If we fire a volley, the general will have our heads!"
Xolamee glared at the officer. "I am well aware of their position, and our orders. I will not have my command contradicted, soldier!" He returned his gaze to the display panel. "As for the consequences, I will bear full responsibility. Now do it!"
"Yes excellency!" said the officer, and typed rapidly on his control station. "Charging plasma torpedoes now."
"Fire when ready." said Xolamee. He tensed as he noticed the human ship was now in perfect position to fire their main weapon.
"Torpedoes charged and ready sir!" cried Ikalamee.
"Fire!"
Several lines of crimson plasma lanced towards the human cruiser. At the same time, three red hot projectiles erupted from the human ship's main weapon. The two attacks crossed each other in mid-space. The plasma torpedoes reached their target first. They made contact and gutted the ship, boiling away several sections of it's hull.
The three shots fired by the humans however, were still speeding towards them. "Evasive action!" shouted Xolamee.
"It's too late!"
The first projectile, then the second slammed into their shields. For a moment, it looked as though they would hold. Then they winked out of existence. The entire deck shook as the third projectile tore through the Eternal Treason.
Xolamee almost lost his balance. He could hear explosions chaining up the length of the ship, complementing the klaxons ringing throughout the bridge. "Report!" he bellowed.
"Sir, main reactor damaged! Power output is at seventy-three percent and dropping!"
"Main weapon systems are off-line!" cried Ikalamee, "We can no longer fire plasma torpedoes!"
"Maximum engine output?" growled Xolamee
"Sir," said the ops officer "At current reactor output, we will have an engine capacity of fifty-five percent."
Meaning they had next to no means of fending off another assault. "Enemy ship status?"
"Sir, unable to confirm, but it appears their main weapon is off-line."
Xolamee clicked his mandibles. "In that case, move off at heading zero-four-five at maximum power. We're no good to anyone now."
The ship started to turn about. Though he didn't show it, Xolamee was humiliated at having to run from an enemy. But at least they had managed to do some damage.
Suddenly, Neju Nagamee approached the captain. "Sir, we have a communication from the Reverence and Nobility. Shall I patch it through?"
Xolamee frowned. Ah, that's right. I violated the general's orders as well. Xolamee let out a low growl. "Patch it through immediately." He stepped forward and awaited his judgment.
0135 Hours (Ship's Time), September 19, 2552 (Military Calendar)/
UNSC Cruiser Pillar of Autumn , Location Unknown
Jameson led Zack, Jake, Miccardo, Rhomer and Church down the Pillar of Autumn's corridors. They had to reach a life boat before the ship was shot down. And Zack had a feeling that that would be very soon.
They rounded a corner, and nearly slammed head-on into a Grunt. Zack and the others skidded to a halt, while the Grunt let out a cry of terror. He was fumbling for his plasma pistol as Zack rushed forward and slammed his rifle into the alien's skull with a sharp crack.
Zack looked past the fallen alien, and was dismayed to see four more of the creatures standing behind him. He was about to fall back when a resounding explosion rang through the hull, and the
ship lurched harder than it ever had before. Zack was nearly thrown off his feet, but managed to retain his balance.
The Grunts weren't as fortunate. All four of them tumbled to the ground. The marines didn't fail to take advantage of the opportunity. The aliens were all dead in seconds.
Miccardo spat on one of the corpses. "Burn in hell you son of a bitch."
Zack paused to reload his rifle. "What in the hell was that explosion?" he wondered aloud.
"Not sure," said Jameson, "But my guess is that the battle's heating up. We'd better get outta here before the ship falls apart."
Ahead was an elevator that would take them to the upper levels, where the lifeboats were located. Zack walked up to it and pressed the call button. Nothing happened.
"Let me check it out," said Miccardo. He pressed a few more buttons, then shook his head. "Dammit, the powers been cut. Nothing we can do from here."
"Where can we go to restore power?" asked Zack.
"Well, if my guess is correct, the power stations should be in the next room over," replied Miccardo. He pointed at a locked hatch. "Right through there."
Jameson nodded at Rhomer, "Corporal, see if you can bypass that lock."
Rhomer walked over and examined the control panel next to the hatch. "I probably could. But you wouldn't want me to open this door."
"And why the hell not?"
Rhomer looked back at the Sergeant. "Because there's no atmosphere on the other side."
Jake let out a sigh. "Great. Then that means we are officially screwed men."
Zack shook his head. "Not yet. Rhomer, get ready to open the lock. I'll go through."
Off to the side, Church's eyes widened. "Didn't you just hear Rhomer? There is no air over there."
Zack let out a small laugh. "Not a problem." He pressed a few buttons on the forearm portion of his armor, and there were a few metallic clicks. Sections of metal slid out from his helmet and locked together, completely sealing his head. He took in a deep breath as his helmet pressurized an the micro-air recyclers within his helmet kicked in.
His Phoenix battle armor was similar to the MJOLNIR Mk.V battle armor, and in some ways was a step up in performance. When the helmet was closed, he could survive in space for up to sixty minutes. The team members of Destiny Squad had found this function useful on zero-gee ops. When he was in an environment where he could enjoy the luxury of oxygen however, the retractable sections allowed him to breathe fresh air.
The other marines seemed impressed. "Why in hell don't we get stuff like that?" asked Jake.
Zack laughed, "One of the perks of being in a special unit."
Jameson nodded. "All right then. Rhomer, bypass the lock. Everyone else, take cover!"
The others gathered on opposite sides of the doorway. Zack strapped his weapons to his back. He crouched down on the balls of his feet, and planted himself on the palms of his hands. He nodded at Rhomer.
Rhomer flattened himself against the wall, and pressed the button. The lights on the door turned green, and the doors opened.
There was an explosion of air as the atmosphere was sucked out of the room. Zack leapt forward through the hatch, and landed in a roll as the doors closed and locked behind him.
Zack stood up and keyed his COM. "I'm in."
" Good work ," said Jameson's voice. " Not hurry up and get the power restored ."
"Roger," said Zack. He observed the room he was in, and was thankful to find there was still gravity. The room was massive. Zack saw that the roof was at least twenty feet above him, and he was on a catwalk that criss-crossed the entire room. Pillars and control panels lined the walkways.
He also saw that the wall separating them from the vacuum of space had been completely boiled away. Some of the melted Titanium-A had still burned a dull red.
Zack felt the ship rumble again. He'd have to move fast. "Where's the power station?"
" The transformers should be to your left, " said Miccardo. " They're the giant gray cylinders. "
Zack turned and looked across the room. Sure enough, there were the two massive transformers. "I see them. It looks like their intact."
" Good. Then it's probably just a disconnected power coupling. You're going to have to reconnect it. "
Zack strode over while priming his shotgun. It never hurt to be prepared. He kneeled down and examined the coupling. It was disconnected all right. He reached for it, when something caught his eye.
He had assumed that the coupling had become damaged in the explosion that gutted the room. But the break looked too clean for that. It was almost as if it were cut by some type of blade…
A chill traveled down Zack's spine. He hurriedly worked to reconnect the coupling. If something had cut it, it was probably still here.
Finally, after a bit of tinkering, the transformers hummed to life. Zack keyed his COM, "I think they're back online."
" Yeah," said Miccardo , " The control's are working now. Nice job Zack! "
"Roger, returning to---"
Zack stopped. His motion tracker registered a contact. It was very, very close.
" What's wrong? " said Jameson."
"I've got an enemy contact on radar. Stand by." Zack pressed against a pillar and waited, his eyes scanning the room.
Then he saw what his motion tracker had detected. It was an Elite, wearing some sort of atmospheric flight suit. More amazingly, he was floating above the ground, despite the gravity. He appeared to be held aloft by two horn-like objects mounted on it's back.
Had the Elite seen him? No, it looked as though he was merely on patrol. In that case, he'd have the element of surprise. The Elite moved closer still, scanning the room from side to side. As soon as the Elite had passed, Zack jumped out and landed behind him.
Zack let out a smile. "Game over, mother fucker."
He fired before the Elite even had a chance to move. His shot tore through the Elite's shields and armor, as well as his pressurized suit. Atmosphere vented from the puncture and the Elite clawed at its throat as he suffocated. Within seconds he was dead.
Zack was savoring his victory, when he saw another dot on his motion tracker. Directly behind him.
He spun around, and saw another floating Elite. Zack couldn't see his face, but judging by the two glowing Plasma Rifles pointed at him, he could tell that the alien wasn't too happy. Zack took cover again as the alien fired. The sound of the blasts were oddly muffled in the vacuum of space. He pumped a round into his weapon and then answered in kind.
The alien's shield blocked his first shot. He fired again and the shields disappeared. The Elite let out a cry of raged and then flew directly at Zack at top speed.
"Not good," said Zack. He fired again, and hit the Elite's left hand, causing him to drop one of his rifles. The massive alien however, still smashed into him full force. Zack's armor cushioned the blow, but he lost his grip on the shotgun and it flew from his hands. The Elite smashed Zack into the ground, and he felt the air leave his lungs.
The Elite had the upper hand in strength, and had the added advantage of flight. If Zack didn't do something, this fight would be over quick.
Zack delivered a kick to the Elite's knee. His leg buckled, giving Zack the opportunity to strike again, and he kicked the Elite's other weapon out of his hand.
The Elite roared and grabbed Zack by the throat. He lifted him in the air while slowly squeezing the life out of him. Zack clawed at the Elite's arms, but to no avail. He grunted, as he realized that there was only one chance left.
He lifted his leg and drew a seven inch long combat night from a sheath on is leg, and stabbed it into the Elite's jetpack.
The result was more than Zack could have hoped for. The jetpack malfunctioned, and was now flying about by itself, and taking the Elite along with it..
There was only one problem that Zack had failed to consider. The Elite hadn't let go of Zack's neck. Though he had loosened his grip, his iron hard muscles wouldn't yield. Together they flew towards the hole in the outer hull. Zack struck again and again at the Elite's midsection, until finally the Elite let go. He proceeded to speed away from the ship out into deep space.
The Elite had released Zack too late however. He was now free floating out side of the ship as well, and moving away from it at an alarming rate.
Shit, thought Zack, this is not good! He searched for something, anything to get him out of this situation.
Then, he spotted something floating a few feet ahead of him. It looked like a piece of metal. Then Zack realized that it was his shotgun that he'd lost earlier. Desperately, he reached for it, stretching as far as his muscles were allow. His fingers brushed against the slide of the gun.
" Come on! " Zack said, willing his arm to stretch even further. Then his finger caught the trigger guard, and he pulled and grasped the weapon.
He curled into a ball and spun so his back was facing the Pillar of Autumn . He fired out into space, and his outbound speed slowed. He fired again, and the force of the shot pushed him back. He fired until he was out of bullets. Finally, he floated back into the transformer room, and landed onto the deck.
For several seconds he lay there and just enjoyed being alive. Then a transmission brought him out of it. It was Jameson's voice. " Zack, respond! Are you all right?! "
Zack keyed his COM. "Roger. I'm on my way back." He stood up, and then looked at the shotgun he still held in his grip. "You my friend, are god damn lucky piece of standard-issue UNSC equipment," he said, and then slung the weapon across his back.
He walked over to the hatch, and the pressed against wall next to him. Then he contacted the other marines, "Unlock the door now, Rhomer."
" Roger that. Unlocking now. "
The lights turned green and the door open. Immediately, the air in the other room was being sucked in by the vacuum. Zack gripped the doorframe, and with all his strength pulled himself through. He swung around the door, and it closed behind him.
Jameson stepped up to him, "Are you all right Corporal?"
Zack pressed the buttons on his forearm, and the plates covering his face slid back into his helmet. "Well, I just had a near brush with death so, yes I'm fine Sarge."
Jameson grinned. "All in a days work, huh?" He turned to the rest of the marines. "All right men, lets move! Into the elevator!"
The all rushed in and Zack pressed the up button. As the elevator rose up through the ship, Zack had time to ponder the Sergeant's comment. All in a days work.
Now that he thought about it, Zack supposed that this was all he could do for a living. Seeing as how he had no memory past being assigned to Destiny Squad. Nothing about his parents, his home, his life before. He only had memories of the squad, and of war.
His train of thought was interrupted when the reached the level they were headed to, and an explosion blew a piece of shrapnel just inches from his face. He dived out of the elevator while priming his shotgun as plasma flew all around him.
He turned to the source of the fire and shot at anything that moved. Screams of agony and sprays of blue blood soon followed. He charged and butted a Grunt in the head, while kicking another one into the wall.
Ahead, there were still two Grunts firing from behind cover. Zack unpinned two grenades and flung it behind them. They both screamed before being blasted into the air.
As Fire Team Delta moved to secure the life pods, Zack walked over to two marines crouched behind a fire shield. They both stared at him in awe, taking in his appearance.
"I'm Corporal Zachary Thompson," said Zack. "Are there any wounded?"
The first, a female Warrant officer shook herself from her stupor. She had shoulder length blonde hair tucked into a cap and wore a flight suit. "No wounded, just dead. We'd be joining them too if you guys hadn't shown up." She saluted. "Petty Warrant Officer Polaski at your service."
The other marine stepped forward. "I'm Private Richardson, nice too meet you sir."
Zack nodded. "We've got to get off this ship. Can one of you pilot a lifeboat?"
Neither of them spoke at first, then Polaski said, "Well, I normally pilot dropships, but think I could take a crack at it."
"Good. Then lets move."
He'd just finished the sentence, when something down the corridor caught his eye. A split-second later, Zack realized what it was.
"Shit! Get down!" he cried, but it too late. The Elite fired a burst of plasma that hit Richardson square in the back. His eyes widened as he fell on the deck.
Zack grunted as he pushed his way past Polaski as he fired all his remaining shells at the Elite. After several hits, the alien went down.
As Zack reloaded his shotgun, he glanced down at Richardson., but didn't bother to check his pulse. There was a four inch hole burned through his torso. He looked back towards Polaski, who was staring at the corpse, frozen with shock.
"What the hell are you waiting for?" said Zack, "Get on the ship!"
Polaski looked like she'd been slapped. Then she nodded and ran for the lifeboat, with Zack following right behind.
The rest of Fire Team Delta was already strapped in. "Everything all right?" asked Jameson.
Zack nodded. "Everything's fine. Lets go."
As Zack settled into a seat, Polaski got behind the controls. "All systems green. Preparing to launch."
Jake looked dubious. "Zack, are you sure she can fly this thing?"
"Would you rather stay on the sinking ship?" growled Polaski. "If not, sit down and shut up."
Jake grimaced and gripped his crash seat tighter as the lifeboat launched. Through the rear doors, Zack watched as the Pillar of Autumn grew smaller and smaller in the distance. Then he turned to look out the cockpit windshield, and saw the massive ring structure he had observed before.
Zack stared at the structure in awe. The ring was massive. It had to be at least ten thousand kilometers in diameter. As they grew close, he could see the vast environments spread across the interior. If not for their current situation, he might have found it to be….Beautiful.
Jake let out a low whistle. "What in God's name is this thing?"
Zack shook his head. "Dunno. But we're going to be stuck on it for a while." As flames licked the lifeboat while it entered the atmosphere, Zack couldn't help but feel a certain unexplained sense of dread as to what lay in store for them.
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