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Ryan Kast by Charlie Froese
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The Story of Ryan Kast, Part 1
Date: 29 June 2005, 8:54 pm
The Story of Ryan Kast
By Charlie Froese
My name is Ryan Kast. I am a private with the United Nations Space Command. I grew up on Reach, due to the fact that my late father served as a lieutenant for the UNSC. I joined the Corps at age eighteen, and spent six years training with the Helljumpers. Yes, that's right. I'm an ODST. I served under the command of Sergeant Brookfield for four years until a search and destroy mission in the Epsilon Eridani system went awry. A couple of Hunters ambushed our squad and vaporized him. I now serve a man called Major Trask. He's ODST to the core, and he is the most elite of us all. I consider myself a pretty good Helljumper, so I guess that is the reason I got recruited to The Pillar of Autumn under the command of Captain Keyes. I was very excited, especially since I was to be fighting the Covenant bastards alongside the Master Chief and his Spartans. But that was before Reach was attacked and we had to make an emergency jump away from Earth, as per the Cole Protocol. And by blind luck we stumbled upon the ringworld called Halo, and confronted the Covenant and Halo's horrible secrets. This is my story….
"Repel boarders!" Private Anthony Schwartz yelled, crouching behind a bulkhead. "The Covies are coming in through the airlock!"
"What?" I said.
"Behind you, soldier!" shouted Schwartz. "Get down!"
I hit the deck and twisted around. The heavy door behind me exploded outward in a shower of metal and fire. Blue plasma blasts erupted around me as a boarding party of Covenant aliens surged in from the wrecked airlock hatch. I scrambled to my feet and shouldered my assault rifle.
I fired, and my bullets showered the Grunts that were unlucky enough to be the first through the door. They squealed as their methane tanks ruptured. I leaped to the side and shot at the Elite commanders that were next through the door. They roared, the bullets ricocheting off their shielding. The Elites leveled their plasma rifles and unloaded a barrage of plasma fire in my direction.
I ducked around the corner just as the plasma melted the wall where I had been standing a second ago.
"Why don't you join the party?" I yelled to Schwartz as I reloaded my rifle.
"I didn't know I was invited!" he called. The Helljumper emerged from the bulkhead and fired at the Elites that were sprinting around the corner. The bullets tore into their bodies and they fell.
"Sorry I was late," he said, grinning. He spit at the fallen aliens. "What happened to Maloney?"
"I'm not sure," I said. "I thought she was right behind us." I looked back the way we came, and saw nothing but blood-soaked walls and bullet-ridden bodies. Seven ODSTs lay dead, as well as twelve Grunt corpses and a few Elite bodies, strewn about haphazardly.
The Covenant ambushed us when we exited Slipspace. They sent a couple hundred Seraph fighters and about fifty troop transports toward us. We fought like hell, but the Pillar of Autumn was severely wounded and outnumbered. Captain Keyes ordered the soldiers on board to meet the Covenant as they boarded. My small squad of fifteen managed to kill three boarding parties. We lost most of our squad, and a few more of us got separated.
"We probably lost her when that group of Elites ambushed us," Schwartz said. "Banks and Caulfield escaped through the service hatch. I guess Maloney went with them."
"So it's just you and me," I said, grinning and hefting my assault rifle.
"Looks like it," Schwartz replied. "Let's get to the drop pods. We're not going to be able to do much good here without a bigger team. The south service elevator will probably be our best bet."
"Sounds like a plan," I said.
"Oh, crap," whispered Schwartz.
An hour had passed, and Schwartz and I had traversed the length of the vessel to the service elevator. But four Covenant Hunters guarded the hatch to it. The elevator was our best chance of getting to the drop pods without being detected. But that plan just went to hell.
"Now what?" he asked. We were leaning against a wall just around the corner from the Hunters.
"I don't know," I whispered back. For I had no idea how to get past the giant aliens. Hunters are the largest known Covenant species. They stand about twelve feet tall, and they have giant fuel rod cannons attached to their monstrous arms. They have thick body armor and carry an impossibly large shield on their other arm. Their only weakness is the exposed orange patch of skin on their back. Even so, it takes about four Spartans just to take two of them down. But how could we possibly get past four of them?
"We could always go back," Schwartz suggested.
"That would take too long," I whispered. "We don't know how much more damage the Autumn can take."
As if on cue, a giant explosion rocked the ship.
"See?" I said. "We have to get past the Hunters."
Schwartz sighed, and slid to the floor. He eased a small optic wire out of his knapsack and slowly curled it around the corner. He attached the wire to a small field PDA. He uploaded the image. I looked down to see what was happening. The Hunters were standing there guarding the elevator door. But then I noticed something.
"Aim the camera at the ceiling," I whispered. Schwartz obliged. And there, right above the Hunters, hung a loose wire that was sparking erratically.
"You got a grenade?" I asked. He looked at me and nodded, smiling.
"I like your thinking, Kast," he whispered. Schwartz unhooked a grenade from his belt. He stood up, primed it, and tossed it around the corner.
I heard one of the Hunters growl as the grenade bounced towards them. There was a loud explosion, and the Hunters roared as the wire burst in their faces.
I peeked around the corner. Two of the Hunters were dead, bits of metal protruding out of their backs. Another lay mortally wounded. The last one roared in confusion and anger. Hunters had strong bonds with one another, and if one of their "blood brothers" is killed, the remaining one becomes enraged.
I figured that the blast would kill all four, and I wasn't ready to fight one. But we were Helljumpers.
"Let's charge him," I said to Schwartz.
"What?" he whispered. "Are you crazy?"
"He's confused," I said. "He won't know what hit him."
Schwartz moaned. But he pulled out his assault rifle.
"Let's get him," he said.
"Alright," I said. "On three…One, two, three!" We jumped around the corner and fired our assault rifles at the armored behemoth. The Hunter roared and charged us. I leaped to the side as the alien's shield crashed down on the floor. Schwartz darted around the Hunter and shot at its unprotected back. It gave a moan of pain as the bullets tore into its flesh. The Hunter fell forward, dead.
Schwartz stood there, smoke curling from his assault rifle's barrel. He grinned and spit at the fallen beast.
"Now that's how you take down a Hunter." He turned and walked toward the now unguarded elevator. I followed him inside as the doors closed and sealed. I reached toward the control panel and punched a button. The elevator slowly began its descent down.
Five minutes later the elevator reached the hangar level. The ODST drop pod chamber was on the other side of the main hangar. It would take us about half an hour to get there.
Schwartz and I took a detour to one of the many armories located throughout the ship. We needed more ammo and heavier weapons.
"Christmas must have come early," I said as we entered. The room was packed with ammunition, grenades, and guns.
We spent about ten minutes selecting firepower. I kept my MA5B assault rifle and grabbed a few extra magazines of ammo for it. I also selected an M6D pistol as well as five fragmentation grenades.
Schwartz ditched his assault rifle for an M60 tactical shotgun. He also shouldered a "SPNKr" rocket launcher.
"Just in case we run into any more Hunters," he said.
Done with our task, we continued on around the hangar. We ran into a few small pockets of resistance, but it was nothing we couldn't handle.
Fifteen minutes later we reached the drop chamber. Drop pods are the Helljumpers' preferred method of transportation. There are individual pods for each soldier. The pods drop from the belly of the ship and race towards its destination. The pods are built for atmospheric entry, but they are not completely safe. About one in every ten pods burn up in the atmosphere.
Once past the atmosphere, the pods unfurl parachutes, and the pods drift leisurely to the surface. The pods are how the Helljumpers got their name. They basically jump feet first into hell.
Schwartz and I entered the chamber to find that most of the pods were gone.
"Major Silva and his boys must already be gone," Schwartz commented.
"We'd better get going," I said to him. "I'm not sure if the Autumn will last much longer." We headed for the pods when we heard a voice behind us.
"You're not going without us, are you?" Schwartz and I turned to find Privates Susan Maloney, James Caulfield, and Eric Banks. They each carried assault rifles and were stained with Covenant blood.
"What happened to you guys?" Banks said. "We thought you were right behind us."
"I think we were separated when the party of Elites ambushed us," I said. "We fought off another wave of Covenant, but you were gone after we finished them off."
"You guys don't want to know where we've been," Maloney said. She walked up to us and spit a wad of tobacco out of her mouth. "You wouldn't believe how many Hunters they've got on this ship."
"We had a few Hunter problems ourselves," Schwartz said, grinning. He clapped Maloney on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back, soldier."
"It's good to be back, Schwartz," she replied. The soldier looked at the drop pods. "Why don't we get moving instead of sitting here drinking tea?"
I smiled. Maloney was always quick to get the ball rolling.
"Let's go," I said to the four Helljumpers. "We don't want to linger here more than we have to."
Another explosion rocked the Autumn. It was bigger than the first, and sent the soldiers to their knees.
"What was that?" Caulfield exclaimed.
"I'm not sure," Banks replied. "But it was big." Another huge explosion shook the ship.
"I think the Covenant have had enough of playing games," Schwartz said. "They're firing on us."
"Oh, man," Maloney said. "We need to move. Now!"
The soldiers raced to their pods. I opened the hatch and settled myself in the seat. I reached forward, sealed the door, and powered up the computer system. I flipped on the comm link.
"Everyone in?" I said into the system.
"We're all in, Kast," Maloney said, her voice slightly distorted due to the radio signal.
"Got it," I said. "Everybody eject on my mark." I pushed the button next to the computer. "Mark!"
The five pods remained in the air for a split second, and then they plummeted downward out of the launch tube. The pods raced out of the Pillar of Autumn and headed down to the strange ringworld in front of us.
I craned my neck and looked back at the ship. Giant blue blasts of plasma were buffeting the ship, tossing it around. I saw other conventional escape pods race by us as well as a few Pelican dropships and Longsword bombers. Then I saw the Pillar of Autumn begin to accelerate towards us. The huge ship roared above us towards the ring.
Captain Keyes must be trying to manually land the ship on the ringworld, I thought. The ship kept going and soon was too far overhead to see. I looked back down and saw that the other pods were still going strong towards the ring.
"How are we doing?" I said into the comm system.
"Doing good, Kast," said Schwartz. We'll be hitting the atmosphere in about two minutes."
"Got it," I replied. The ring was a huge mystery. Once we jumped away from Reach and randomly landed here, nothing made sense. There were a couple dozen huge Covenant capital ships waiting for us. At first we thought that the ships had tracked us and had pinpointed our destination. But that was before we discovered the ring. It was unimaginably large, and had an artificial world built right into it. The outer side was a giant metal wall, but the inside was beautiful. It looked like Earth, with large, swirling clouds, deep, dense jungles, and huge bodies of water. Scans showed that the ring had a nitrogen-based atmosphere and was very similar to Earth. Scans also showed that it was made of material that was beyond even the Covenant's technology. That was another huge blow. If the Covenant didn't make it, who did?
"Kast!" said Caulfield, his voice separating me from my thoughts.
"What?" I said into the comm.
"We're breaching the atmosphere," he said. "Prepare for a little bump."
"Got it," I replied, gripping the harness tighter. The pod started to vibrate, and then it began to rock back and forth erratically as it entered the atmosphere. The pod began to glow white-hot as the temperature intensified. My heat shield held, however, and five minutes later the pod slowed its vibrating. The other pods were right in front of me, and they looked unharmed. I looked down and saw a thick jungle spread out beneath us.
"Deploy parachutes," I said into the comm. I pulled a handle and my parachute sprung from the pod. It unfurled and caused my pod to decelerate rapidly. I looked down again and noticed a small clearing in the forest.
"Aim for that clearing," I said, "and try to stay away from the trees."
"Got it," came Banks' voice. "And by the way, who put you in charge?"
"Shut up, Banks," Maloney said. "Quit being jealous."
I smiled. Although Maloney and Banks fought a lot, they were the best of friends.
My pod touched down softly. I removed my harness and opened the hatch. Bright sunshine penetrated the pod and warmed my skin. I grabbed my assault rifle, stepped out of the pod and had a look around. A huge sun hung in the glorious blue sky. Cumulus clouds dotted the landscape. Lush vegetation lined the clearing. Whoever designed this ring did a helluva job.
The other pods slowly touched down, and their occupants emerged.
"Wow!" said Schwartz, stretching. "I haven't felt this good in months."
"I'll say," said Maloney. "That sun is amazing!"
"Wait a minute," said Caulfield, grabbing his assault rifle. He looked around, a look of concern on his face.
"What is it?" I said. Caulfield had the best eyes and ears of us all, so I knew something was wrong.
"Do you hear that?" he said.
"No," Banks said, looking around, his hands gripping his rifle. "What is it?"
"Everybody hit the deck!" Caufield shouted suddenly. "Ghost!"
A Covenant Ghost burst out of the trees. The five soldiers fell to their stomachs as the speeder raced over their heads.
Caulfield was the first back on his feet. He shouldered his rifle and fired at the Ghost. The Elite at the controls roared and fired blue-white plasma at him. He dodged it and continued firing.
Maloney and Banks yelled and added their barrage of bullets to Caulfield's.
"You still got that SPNKr?" I asked Schwartz. He nodded, eyes wide, and dived to his pod. The Helljumper emerged carrying the heavy weapon. He shouldered it as the Ghost accelerated towards him.
"See ya, bastard," he whispered, and fired. The rocket raced out of the tube at the Ghost. The Elite realized what was about to happen and leaped out of its vehicle. The Ghost exploded as the rocket collided with it.
The Elite rolled to its feet and roared in anger. The alien grabbed its plasma rifle and fired at Banks, the nearest soldier. The plasma bolts impacted into his armor and he fell.
"No!" yelled Maloney. She pulled out her combat knife and hurled herself at the Elite. She sunk the blade into the alien's shoulder. It howled in pain and struck at her. She fell, dazed. The Elite aimed its pistol at her head.
Schwartz pulled out his shotgun and charged the alien and hit the Elite's back with the butt of his weapon. The Elite grunted in confusion and turned. Maloney kicked at the monster's shins and rolled out of the way. The Elite fell, dropping its plasma pistol. Schwartz put his foot on the Elite's chest and pointed his shotgun at its face.
"It would be wise not to move," Schwartz said. The Elite snarled in rage but wasn't stupid enough to try anything. Caulfield ran over to Banks. He checked the fallen soldier's pulse and then shook his head at me. A cold fury washed over me; Private Eric Banks was dead.
I ran to the Elite and kicked its head as hard as I could. The Elite roared and struggled. I kicked it again, my anger uncontrollable.
"You stupid alien bastards!" I yelled. "You're going to pay!"
The Elite roared and grabbed Schwartz's shotgun. The alien tossed the soldier away from him and threw the gun at me. It struck me across the face and I fell. The Elite kicked my side and punched me in the face. I coughed and tried to lift my battered body from the ground. The Elite drew a plasma pistol and pointed it at me.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Caulfield draw his pistol. He aimed it at the Elite and fired twice. The bullets struck the alien's knee and it fell, its leg bones cracking.
The Elite howled in pain and clutched its knee. The bones were oddly bent and punctured the skin. Blood seeped out of the wound. Caulfield stepped closer and pointed his pistol at the alien.
"Didn't my friend tell you not to move?" he asked. The Elite growled in anger but couldn't retaliate. I stood up and limped over to my pod. I reached into the emergency compartment and grabbed a length of thick, steel wire. It probably wouldn't hold the Elite for long, but it would do for a few minutes. I hobbled back over to Caulfield.
"You okay?" he asked me.
"Yeah," I said. "But the bastard hurt my knee." I glared at the Elite and spit at it.
Caulfield turned his attention back to the alien.
"Don't even think of escaping," he said. "If you make a wrong move I'll blow your brains out."
I turned to find Maloney trot over, closely followed by Schwartz.
"What happened to Banks?" Schwartz asked. "I saw him go down, but—"
"That alien freak murdered him," Maloney said, her voice full of rage. "I say we pump him full of lead right now."
"We can't do that," I said. "I want to kill him as much as you, but we need him for information."
Maloney glared at me, and then lunged at Caulfield. She snatched the pistol right out of his hands. Before any of us could react Maloney pointed the gun at the Elite. She pulled the trigger and a bullet struck the alien's head, killing it instantly.
"No!" I yelled. "God, Susan, you're supposed to be a soldier! You can't let your emotions get in the way!"
Maloney threw the smoking pistol down.
"Oh, come on, Kast! Do you really think he was going to tell you anything?" She looked down at the bloody corpse. "These religious fanatics would rather die. He's better off dead."
"She's right, Ryan," said Caulfield. "He wouldn't tell us anything."
I sighed in exasperation. Who was I kidding? They were right. The Elite wouldn't cooperate. And by killing him we avenged Banks' death.
"Alright, then," I said to the Helljumpers. "First we need to bury Banks. It's the right thing to do. Then we should see if we can rendezvous with any of the other soldiers. They can't be far off." I reloaded my assault rifle and wiped the blood off my armor. "Let's go."
"We sleep in shifts," I said. "Caulfield, you keep watch for two hours, and then wake me. Got it?"
The three soldiers nodded. It was night on the ring. Caulfield, Maloney, Schwartz and I had trekked into the jungle after we buried Banks. And now, five hours later, the sun had disappeared from view. We felt it would be safer to travel by day and sleep by night.
Caulfield checked his gun to make sure it was loaded.
"Sleep tight," he said to us, grinning. "Don't let the bed bugs bite."
I walked over to the large fallen log, the shelter that Schwartz found. The log was completely hollow, and was big enough in diameter for us to sit comfortably. Vines, moss, and leaves covered the shelter. Covenant search teams would have a tough time of locating it. Maloney and Schwartz ducked under a low-hanging branch and entered the shelter.
Maloney crawled to the far end of the log and curled up. She immediately fell asleep.
"Poor thing," Schwartz said. "She must be torn up from Bank's death."
"Yeah," I said, staring at her. "She just needs time to think it over."
"And I need time to sleep," Schwartz replied. "Good night, kid." He rolled over and began snoring.
I crawled over to the end of the log and looked out at Caulfield. He was sitting in a small stand of bushes with his night goggles on. Good. He was alert. I crawled back into the log and flopped down next to Schwartz. I fell asleep before my head hit the ground.
Two hours later I felt a hand nudge my shoulder; I was instantly awake, hand on my assault rifle.
"Kast," Caulfield whispered. "You need to take a look at this." He led me out of the log and into a small stand of bushes about thirty meters away.
"Look," he murmured, pointing twenty meters straight ahead. I flipped on my night vision goggles and peered through the thick vegetation. At first I saw nothing but a grove of boulders and a small jungle bird. Then one of the rocks moved.
"Holy shit!" I whispered. The 'rocks' were Covenant Hunters. And there were eight of them. One of them growled softly and nudged one of the other Hunters. The second one cocked its head quizzically, and then the spikes on its back flared up.
"I think they can smell us," Caulfield whispered. "That first one's been acting weird all night."
"Maybe their night vision sucks," I suggested. "Otherwise they would have come and scouted out the area."
"Or maybe they're guarding something," Caulfield said
"Let's go check it out," I whispered. "But we have to be careful if they know we're here. Wait here for a minute." I went back to the log and tapped Maloney's arm. She awoke.
"What happened?" she whispered.
"We've got Hunter problems," I said with a small smile.
"Shit," she said. "Where's Caulfield?"
"Keeping an eye on them," I replied. "Go on and meet him out there."
"Got it," she said. Maloney picked up her weapon and crept out of the log. I crawled over to Schwartz and punched his shoulder.
"What do you want?" he said sleepily, his eyes still closed.
"Come on, we've got things to kill," I said.
"All right," he said. He followed me out of the log. "That's the problem with the Covenant. They're really inconsiderate when it comes to my sleeping schedule."
We all regrouped with Caulfield and made a plan.
"Okay," I whispered. "Schwartz and Maloney, you go and climb one of the trees surrounding the Hunters. Cover us with a sniper rifle and rocket launcher. If things get hot, blast 'em. Don't get too close, though. They can't see you very well, but they can hear you and smell you. Be very quiet. You might want to rub some mud and leaves on you to mask your scent."
"Great," Schwartz said. "I've always wanted mud-scented deodorant." I ignored him.
"Caulfield and I will see what they're up to," I said. "If everything falls apart, we'll meet back here at the log. Everyone ready?"
"Come on, Kast," Schwartz whispered. "We're Helljumpers; of course we're ready."
"Alright," I said. "Let's go."
END OF PART ONE
The Story of Ryan Kast, Part Two
Date: 26 July 2005, 8:57 pm
Here's a link to Part One of my story. Read it before you read this one. If you have read Part One, enjoy!
http://halosn.bungie.org/fanfic/?story=Charlie_Froe0629052054541.html
----------------------------------------------------
The Story of Ryan Kast, Part Two
By Charlie Froese
"This has to be the most fun I've ever had," Caulfield whispered sarcastically. He and I were lying in a puddle covered in broken leaves and smelly dirt as small insects crawled all over us. We were only seven meters from the nearest group of Hunters. Maloney and Schwartz, our backup team, had set up shop in a tree 100 meters from our position.
The Hunters hadn't moved an inch in the past hour. The only thing that reassured me of their existence was their ragged, irregular breathing. I was beginning to think that this whole thing was pointless when every single spike on the Hunters' backs suddenly flared up. They all hunched down as their fuel rod cannons began to glow.
"What the hell?" I whispered. I gripped my assault rifle, aimed at the nearest Hunter, and then I heard a loud roar. A Pelican dropship appeared above the clearing and began raining bullets on the Hunters. The walking tanks fired their cannons at the new arrival. It was pointless, however, and the Hunters dropped one by one under the unrelenting gunfire.
Caulfield and I jumped up and helped bring the beasts down with our assault rifles. It was all over in a matter of minutes. The dropship slowly descended until it was only a few meters away from the ground. Five men jumped out of the cargo hold and made their way toward us. One of the men walked over and gave me a curt nod. He had gray hair, a chiseled face, and carried a modified M6D pistol in his hand. I was looking into the face of one of the greatest soldiers I've ever met.
"Major Trask," I said, saluting.
"At ease, private," he said. Then his hard features cracked into a smile. "It's damn good to see you, Kast." He put his pistol away and held out his hand.
"It's good to see you too, sir," I said as I shook it. Trask withdrew his hand and nodded to the four men surrounding him.
"These are Privates Ripley, Campbell, Reeves, and O'Donnell," he said. "They're only a small part of my team, but in my opinion are the best." He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and beckoned me over to the Pelican. "There's something important I need to show you, Kast."
"One moment, sir," I said, pulling a small light out of my pocket. I blinked it twice in the direction of Maloney and Schwartz. A moment later came the reply: two blinks from Maloney's light.
Five minutes later the two soldiers emerged from behind a bush. Schwartz walked up to me and saluted.
"Sir, who killed those Hunters?" Then he noticed Trask and the four privates. "Major Trask? Sir!" He saluted again, looking slightly embarrassed.
"At ease, private," Trask said. "We killed them. Now if you three would please step aside, I need to talk to Kast." Caulfield, Schwartz, and Maloney backed away with miffed expressions on their faces.
"With all due respect, sir," I said, "What you tell me, you tell my team. It's always been that way, sir." Trask looked at me, his expression full of contempt. Then he softened.
"All right, son," he said. "Come on." He walked over to the Pelican, his soldiers in tow.
"Thanks, Kast," Maloney said softly as she stepped beside me. "It takes real guts to stand up to Trask like that."
"Of course," I said to her. "I would never ditch my own team, even for Trask." I looked at Schwartz and Caulfield. "Let's go see what he has for us." We walked to the Pelican and climbed into the cargo bay where we saw Trask and his men already seated. Private Ripley stood up and banged on the door separating the bay and the cockpit. Someone in the cockpit banged back and started the engines. The Pelican roared as it ascended above the trees. I looked out over the forest and was in awe of the beauty of the ring. The sky, hard to see before, was speckled with stars and other celestial bodies. The largest visible objects were the gas giant and the moon. They loomed over the ring like escorts sent to shield the ring from any harm. It was inspiring, in a way.
The Pelican accelerated forward, just inches from the forest canopy. I assumed that this was to help hide the Pelican from prying eyes. I looked over at Trask's men and sized them up. Ripley was huge; he stood 6'5" tall and was extremely muscular. His head was shaved and his arms were covered in tattoos; most of them contained ODST phrases and mottos. Campbell was also tall, but seemed a bit too thin to be a Helljumper. He had a serious face and closely shaven black hair. Reeves was slightly stocky and had a mean face. It looked as though he could snap the assault rifle he held in two. O'Donnell was the shortest of the four; he was only 5'9" tall. He wasn't thin, but wasn't fat, either. He was the typical military cliché, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a scar that ran from his temple to his nose.
"What happened after you were separated from us on the Autumn, sir?" I asked. I was curious to find out what happened.
"At first we thought you were killed by that Elite hunter-killer team along with Bates and Forrester." Trask said. He paused and shook his head. "But then we came upon the drop bay and found your pods missing, so we figured you had already left. After we reached the surface we found your pods along with a damaged Ghost and a dead alien." Maloney's hands clenched as Trask mentioned the Elite. "We were about to follow your trail into the forest, but then this Pelican picked us up. We set up camp about five kilometers from where we killed the Hunters."
I nodded, and then felt the Pelican slow.
"We're here, sir," Campbell said to Trask.
"Good," the major said, "Kast and his team need debriefing."
The Pelican descended into a small clearing. It hovered a few meters away from the ground and allowed its passengers to disembark.
I stepped off the dropship; Maloney, Caulfield, and Schwartz were right behind me. Trask and his men hopped down and made their way to a small tent in the middle of the clearing. The Pelican slowly rose above the trees and accelerated away. I turned and followed Trask to the tent. Standing guard outside was a Helljumper named William Burke. I knew him as one of the first ODSTs in our unit. He saluted. I returned the salute and stepped inside the tent, my teammates right behind me.
Inside the tent was a wooden table topped with navigation equipment and motion detectors. Trask and his men stood around the table as five other soldiers stood guard around the perimeter of the tent.
"Like I said before, Kast, there's something very important I must tell you," Trask said. "Sit down." He pointed to a couple of chairs placed haphazardly around the table.
"I prefer to stand, sir," I said. Trask looked at me and then nodded.
"Alright, then," he said. He pulled out the paper he had showed me earlier and spread it out on the table. My teammates and I crowded around the table and peered at the paper, which appeared to be a hastily drawn map.
"What is this, sir?" Schwartz asked. He looked up and gave Trask a quizzical glance.
"This is a map, son," Trask said, stating the obvious. "We drew it up shortly after we arrived here." He pointed to a group of spiky circles. "This is the group of Hunters we killed." His finger traveled to a large square above the Hunters. "This is what we're all worried about," he said. "This is a structure, apparently built by the schmucks who own this ring. We've been monitoring Covenant activity around it, and what we've found is not good." He paused and took a deep breath. "Teams of Spec-Ops Hunters have been..."
"Whoa!" Maloney said suddenly. Her face reddened as everybody stared at her. "Sorry, sir, but did you say Spec-Ops Hunters?"
"Yes, private," Trask said. "They wear black armor instead of the customary blue." He paused. "The Hunters have been escorting Elite councilors into this structure. We've never encountered councilors before, but transmissions intercepted from the Covenant battlenet have informed us of their existence. These councilors are not soldiers; they are politicians."
"Now, the reason these Elites are being escorted to this structure is a mystery. I believe it is something very important, however." Trask looked up, a gleam in his eyes. "We're going to infiltrate that structure." I smiled. This sounded like a good old Helljumper mission. Or, in the words of Schwartz, "Get in, kill, get out."
"So," I said, "What's the plan?"
"This is Kast. I have a visual on the structure. There are four Spec Ops Elites guarding the entrance," I whispered into my comm. "All the councilors have been escorted in, as far as I can tell, and there's no sign of Hunters or other backup." My team had set up camp in a large bush at the edge of the forest. The structure stood in the middle of a huge clearing. It was dome-shaped, with a large spire protruding from the top.
"Roger that, Kast," said Trask's raspy voice through the radio. His team was located atop a small hill covered in vegetation. The plan was for Trask and his men to get inside while we functioned as a backup team.
I dropped the binoculars and picked up my sniper rifle as his men crept down the hill towards the Elites. The aliens were on edge, constantly clicking their mandibles together in agitation. I heard one of Trask's men emit a low, long whistle. One of the Elites growled at the unfamiliar sound. He motioned for its comrades to cover him as he made his way towards the edge of the foliage. The alien pushed aside the leaves and branches, activated its shield, and entered the darkness of the forest.
I waited, my eyes on the spot where the Elite vanished. Two minutes went by and it still didn't emerge. The other Elites fidgeted restlessly, their plasma rifles sweeping back and forth along the edge of the forest. The silence was broken as Ripley stepped out, an assault rifle in each hand. He fired, his rounds cutting into the unshielded Elites. They dropped in quick succession under the merciless barrage of bullets.
The rest of the team crept out, Reeves dragging the dead Elite.
I couldn't help but marvel at the efficiency of Trask's team. They worked as though they could communicate telepathically.
"Sir," Maloney whispered, pointing to the entrance of the structure. "We've got reinforcements."
Sure enough, a small group of Jackals and Grunts stampeded out and began firing wildly at everything around them. Trask's team fell back into the trees and scattered. They set up positions along the edge of the clearing and took out the aliens using guerilla tactics. The Grunts were so scared and confused that they started shooting each other, their barks and squeals becoming almost deafening.
"Kast," said Trask's voice through the radio, "Come on, we're going in." I looked up and saw Trask and his men emerge from the trees firing at the remaining Grunts and Jackals.
"Let's go, team," I said as I got to my feet. Caulfield pulled out two pistols as Schwartz and Maloney prepped their assault rifles. I grabbed my shotgun and together we ran from the cover of the forest.
One Grunt noticed us and squealed, his plasma pistol spent. I slammed the butt of my weapon into the side of his head and kicked the center of his chest. The petite creature gasped for air as it fell to the ground. I spun and fired into the center of a Jackal's back. It shrieked and fell.
"Kast!" Schwartz yelled as he reloaded his gun. "The entrance!"
I looked up and saw four Elites sprint out of the structure. Three of them wore black armor and carried dual plasma rifles. The fourth one wore gold armor and sported a glowing energy sword. It roared and punched his hand into the air. The other Elites sent a flurry of plasma in our direction. I managed to dodge the first few blasts but caught two of them in my chest. The white-hot plasma melted my armor away and burned into my skin. I yelled and tore the smoldering mess off.
I heard a whooshing sound and looked over to find Campbell holding a rocket launcher. He had fired two missiles at the knot of aliens. His aim was perfect; the Spec Ops Elites were torn to pieces.
The gold plated Elite bellowed and charged straight at Campbell. The rest of us fired our weapons at the interloper yet did not bring its shield down. Campbell dropped the launcher and pulled out an assault rifle, but it was too late. The Elite swung his blade and neatly cut Campbell in half.
I gaped as the soldier fell in a heap to the ground, a shocked expression on his pale face. I recovered my composure and quickly snatched a plasma grenade from a Grunt corpse. I activated the grenade and hurled it at the Elite. The glowing orb attached itself to the alien's arm. The Elite roared as a cloud of blue-white plasma engulfed him. The cloud cleared and the Elite lay dead, still clutching the handle of its sword.
"Come on," Trask said. "We need to get inside before something else goes wrong."
O'Donnell covered Campbell's body with a few stray branches, his head bowed, while Reeves grabbed the Elite's energy sword and deactivated it.
"Could be useful," he muttered as he placed it in his belt.
"Let's go, then," Trask said, leading the way to the structure. We crept inside and the doors slid shut behind us, drenching us in darkness.
"Turn on your night-vision goggles, everybody," Trask whispered. I complied and slid the goggles over my eyes, revealing the inside of the structure.
It was a giant circular room containing a large spire pointing up through the roof. I assumed this was the same one that could be seen from the outside. Upon closer inspection I noticed that the spire was giving off a faint blue glow.
"Apply silencers," Trask said. "We need to stay silent." The silent room was filled with a soft click as everyone snapped silencers onto their guns. I holstered my shotgun and pulled out my silenced M6D.
"Reeves," Trask said, pointing to the spire. "Get close to that thing and see what happens." Reeves looked a little apprehensive.
"Sir?"
"Do it," Trask said, glaring at him. Reeves exhaled and crept forward. As he neared the spire, it suddenly glowed brilliant blue and rose into the air. The floor around it retracted to reveal a large hole in the ground. Seconds later a lift rose from the depths.
Trask waved his hand forward and we all clambered onto the lift, a very shocked Reeves bringing up the rear.
"How do we work this thing?" Schwartz asked. His question was answered a moment later as the lift began to descend.
"Keep your eyes open," Trask said. "It's too weird that the Covenant haven't sent any more troops to combat us."
"All I'm worried about is the Spec Ops Hunters," Maloney said. "Regular Hunters are bad enough." She bit her lip and fiddled with her assault rifle. The lift continued downward for nearly five minutes.
It finally reached the bottom of the shaft and stopped with a soft hiss. We all pulled off our night vision goggle, for the room was lit. I heard a loud bark and turned to find four Grunt guards standing frozen in shock. Trask raised his pistol and fired four shots. The Grunts squealed and fell, dead before they hit the ground.
"Stow those weapons, Ripley," Trask growled. "We'll need them later." Ripley crept forward and shoved the four plasma pistols into his knapsack. I used the momentary pause to study the room we arrived in. It was square, and fairly small. The room was completely bare except for the lift and a large mural-like carving on the wall. It depicted what looked like a group of bloated jellyfish attacking some sort of biped creature.
"Hey, Caulfield," I said, pointing to the mural. "Check that out." He walked over and examined it.
"Maybe those little creatures are some kind of insect," he said.
"Maybe," I replied. "But why make a mural of it?"
"I don't know."
"Come on, men," Trask said. "Let's go." He led the way towards a door on the wall opposite the mural. Trask placed his hand on the controls and prepared to open the door.
"Wait, sir," Ripley said. "Listen." We all strained to hear what Ripley heard, and then we heard loud roars and squeals coming from the other side of the door.
"What the hell?" murmured Schwartz as the commotion grew louder, coupled with the sounds of plasma fire and the loud blasts of Hunter fuel rod cannons. Then something pounded on the door. Trask jumped backwards and pointed his pistol at it.
"Get back to the lift," he said, a note of fear in his voice. "Come on!" We all ran back to the lift, Trask still aiming at the door.
"Sir?" Maloney asked. "What is it?"
"I don't know," he said as the lift began to ascend. "But whatever it was scared the shit out of the Covenant. Something non-human was attacking them."
"What?" she said. "Non-human?"
"Are you saying there's another goddamned hostile alien species?" Schwartz said.
"I guess so," Trask replied. "Just be careful. Shoot first; ask questions later."
The lift reached the top of the surface and plunged us into darkness again.
"Put your night vision goggles back on," Trask said, pulling his goggles down over his eyes. We all complied. Suddenly a long, unearthly wail broke the silence.
"What the hell was that?" Schwartz whispered, sweeping the room with his assault rifle. The spire in the middle of the room suddenly glowed bright yellow and bathed the entire room in light.
We all ripped our night-vision goggles off and tossed them aside.
"Oh my God!" yelled Reeves. We all turned and saw Reeves staring at a jagged hole in the wall. Small squid-like things were pouring out of the hole, filling the air with an acrid smell.
"Fire!" Trask yelled. "Kill those things!" We all opened fire on the creatures. They popped as soon as they were hit, but hundreds more were still pouring out of the hole.
"Caulfield!" I yelled over the din of the weapons fire. "Those are the things on that mural!"
"I know," he shouted back. "It's doesn't do us much good now, though, does it?"
"This isn't working!" Trask yelled. "They're surrounding us!" Sure enough, the bloated creatures were forming a ring around us, ensuring that we wouldn't escape. My assault rifle clicked as the magazine ran dry.
"I'm out!" I shouted.
"So am I!" yelled Reeves.
"Use those plasma pistols!" Trask shouted. We dove for Ripley's knapsack and pulled out the pistols. We used those until they were dry. Soon we were all out of ammo.
"Shit!" yelled Schwartz. "Shit, shit!"
The swarm of creatures stood still for a moment, and then pounced.
END OF PART TWO
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