Post by billybobjoe47s on Jan 11, 2013 19:43:50 GMT -5
Here's another Fanfic I'm working on, a pseudo-prequel explaining just how Six didn't die on Reach. These are the first four sessions, short little chapterlets I post every week-and-a-half.
Enjoy the Insanity!
Plains of Ash and Fields of Glass
Disclaimer: Halo, Halo: Reach, the Covenant, and Noble 6 are ©2001 Microsoft, 343 Industries
Run classrec001216974.01.rec……… Authorization confirmed. Beginning playback….
*START RECORDING*
CLASSIFIED: Hello, Noble 6. This is a classified, Level-4 debriefing of your experiences on Reach. So, let’s start at the beginning. As the Prowler UNSC Navajo went out-system, the last feed from your helmet camera was you beginning a last stand, surrounded by Elites. How did you escape that certain death?
(2 minutes of silence)
CLASSIFIED: Any time now.
(3 minutes of silence)
NOBLE 6: I remember that day. I remember it all too well….
He closed his eyes as he saw the dagger plunged towards his face. His good arm was held down by another Elite, and he couldn’t feel his legs. He could, however, feel the pool of blood—his own—he was lying in.
However, his acceptance was broken by a familiar sound, that of a highly-modified sniper rifle. The Elite about to end his life with an energy dagger was blown away, the dagger cutting his cheek instead of burying itself in his forehead. The other Elites reared up, mandibles flaring. Another shot sounded, followed by two more rapid-fire bullets imbedding themselves in each Elite’s cranium.
The other Elites had already left by Phantom, as they thought (and rightly so) that a single, badly injured SPARTAN with no ammunition or explosives would be able to be handled by a full squad of Ultras and Zealots. However, a second, near-full strength opponent changed the equation badly out of favor for the small squad.
With half their number already done in by either Noble 6 or the new enemy, the remaining 8 roared as they looked around the dusty battlefield for their new opponent. However, another 4 rapid-fire shots sounded, and four more Elites fell. However, the shots were from the same direction, and the few Elites left roared and charged in that direction. 4 more shots sounded, and the rest fell.
Walking out of the dust storm, his rescuer appeared, wearing a set of Green MJOLNIR armor, carrying a large sniper rifle, a pistol, and dozens of clips of ammunition. Various survival items were strewn around, attached to his armor and weapons.
Jun-A266 knelt down next to Noble 6, unlocking a large medical kit. In his distinctive accent, he said, “Good thing I showed up, eh Six? Just in time to ruin the Covvies’ party.”
Noble 6 felt his arms go numb, a relief from the obviously broken bone in his lower left arm. While his bones were tough, they were in no way invincible like SPARTAN-IIs. Soldiers made for suicide missions didn’t need unbreakable bones. Of more concern was his vision graying out, a symptom that he recognized as the beginning of death due to blood loss.
Jun tsked. “You really did a number on yourself, Six. But you also did a number on those Covvies, too. You deserve your reputation. Nearly a day, fighting alone, with no support and little ammo. That’s quite the feat, even for a SPARTAN.”
Noble 6 couldn’t concentrate on his words anymore, for his hearing had started to fade in and out. All he heard was a meaningless string of sounds to his slowly asphyxiating brain.
The last thing he heard before falling into unconsciousness was, “I’m going to have my work cut out keeping you alive, Six. But you can’t die on me. SPARTANS never die.”
(1 minute of silence)
NOBLE 6: I’d like to stop for now.
CLASSIFIED: That’s fine, Noble 6. We know that this is extreme emotional trauma for anyone, especially considering…… the later events and the current situation. Feel free to take the rest of the day off, but remember we will be continuing this tomorrow.
(3 minutes of silence, than scraping sounds of chairs moving)
CLASSIFIED: End recording.
*END RECORDING*
Replay? Y/N
Run classrec001216974.02.rec…….. Authorization confirmed. Beginning playback…..
*START RECORDING*
CLASSIFIED: Alright, Noble 6. Are you ready to continue with this debriefing?
NOBLE 6: Yes.
CLASSIFIED: Do you remember where you let off?
NOBLE 6: (laughter) Oh yes. The next time I was conscious…….
Noble 6 woke to a jolting. Opening his eyes, he saw he was in a transport Warthog, lying in the back, supplies piled under and around him. Jun was driving the Warthog.
Looking around for his helmet, Noble 6 inadvertently jostled some supplies, and just barely managed to catch them with his still-sluggish reflexes.
Alerted by the noise, Jun looked back. Seeing his passenger was awake, he stopped the Warthog gently and dismounted, walking around to the back of the cab.
“You’re up quickly. We’re only about 2 hours out of Azsod, and you took some pretty serious wounds back there. Can you sit up?”
Noble 6 attempted to comply, but quickly lay back down as he could feel blood start to run down his torso. Jun jumped up on the cab. “Still immobile, eh? Well, here’s a medpac I found alongside the road half a klick back.” Handing him a medkit, he turned around and seated himself behind the wheel again. “We need to keep moving. The Covvies have started glassing Azsod, and we need to keep ahead of it.”
Noble 6 looked around yet again for his helmet, naked without the protection it offered even when badly damaged. Jun noticed.
“Looking for your helmet? Here.” The helmet flew from the drivers’ seat into his lap, and he gingerly started to put it on. “Won’t do much for you, though. It’s cracked all to ****, and the shielding in your suits nearly fried. It’ll stop maybe one plasma shot before it fails. I would recommend not putting it on, it’ll hurt more than harm if you can’t see.”
Disregarding this advice, Noble 6 put on his helmet, and it attempted to seal with a hiss of rushing gases, but failed. The cause of this failure were the multiple cracks spiderwebbing the small visor slit, reducing his visibility measurably. However, he was safe, he had his armor.
Jun shook his head, not taking his eyes off the road. “So you still need to hide your face? Even Reach couldn’t teach you to trust us?”
Noble 6 opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a harsh rasp as both finally realized that he hadn’t drunk any water for a day while in vicious combat.
Jun grabbed something at his feet, momentarily slowing down, and tossed it to him. “Here, I thought you might want some refreshment. Savor it, this is the last New Alexandria bottled water. The rest was glassed when the factory fell.”
Noble 6 unsealed the small flap in his helmet for eating, and quickly guzzled it down. However, he soon felt drowsy, a feeling he recognized as strong sedatives. Turning an accusing eye (or visor, really) to Jun, he gave him the best glare he could in his weakened state.
Jun shrugged, a sight visible through the rearview mirror. “What can I say? I can’t have you rolling off the back of the ‘Hog trying to do something foolishly heroic. Not that there’s anyone left to save with heroism.
They’re all dead.”
NOBLE 6: I need some food.
CLASSIFIED: Very well, we’ll continue this after lunch. End recording.
*END RECORDING*
Replay? Y/N
Run classrec001216974.03.rec……… Authorization confirmed. Beginning playback……..
CLASSIFIED: Alright, now that you’ve eaten, can we continue?
NOBLE 6: Certainly.
He woke next in a cave, packed with supplies, as well as a large cargo truck and several Warthogs.
He turned his head to see Jun sitting near the entrance with binoculars, staring into the reddened sky.
“This was supposed to be the exit point for Company Charlie. But none of them made it, and their death allows us to live. We’ve got all we need here.” Jun turned. “Sorry for putting you out, but that medpac was the only thing I had back on the Warthog. I’ve got a full MJOLNIR repair unit in the truck, along with a full med center. You should be able to move now, but take it easy. Also, go get your armor serviced. It looks like ****.”
He turned back to the sky, and Noble 6 got up and turned towards the cargo truck, but sprinted to Jun’s side when he gasped. “****! Take a look, Six!”
Taking the binoculars, Noble 6 looked up and saw the familiar blue and black of slipspace ruptures. It seemed like the entire Covenant fleet had left, leaving only a single cruiser and a quarter-dozen corvettes in the skies.
“Where do you suppose they’re going?”
“Don’t care. All that matters is now we have a chance.”
Noble 6 stood and slowly walked over to the truck, getting in. The whirring of a MJOLNIR repair unit could be heard, and Jun said, “Six, as soon as your armor’s repairs we’re getting out of here. This is still too close to Azsod, and that cruiser is going to continue glassing. We need to find another shelter, one that’s glassing-proof.”
“Very well.”
NOBLE 6: I know now that they went after the Autumn. They really cared about that Halo, and so my sacrifice also ended up being my redemption and savior. Ironic that what should have killed me saved me as well.
(Buzzing sound)
CLASSIFIED: Excuse me. (Riffling) Oh! I’m afraid we must cut this short; an emergency has come up within the (CLASSIFIED) program. We’ll have to continue tomorrow.
NOBLE 6: Very well.
CLASSIFIED: End recording.
*END RECORDING *
Replay? Y/N
Run classrec001216974.04.rec……… Authorization confirmed. Beginning playback……..
CLASSIFIED: Well, now that that particular crisis was solved, we can continue with the debriefing. Also, your experience would be much appreciated within the (CLASSIFIED). Would you consider joining (CLASSIFIED)? The pay’s good.
NOBLE 6: No.
CLASSIFIED: Very well, we’ll just continue where we left off then.
NOBLE 6: Fine.
After Noble 6 had gotten his armor repaired, he walked out to find that the makeshift camp was already mostly packed, waiting in a pile net to the cargo truck.
Jun looked up from his cleaning of his sniper rifle. “Good, you’re done. We’re moving out. Help me get all this into the truck.”
After several minutes of packing, Jun threw the last package into the truck. Even with the vast amount of material there, including the MJOLNIR repair unit, the size of a shipping crate, the massive vehicle was still only slightly more than half full.
“Alright,” Jun said, walking to the front of the truck and climbing in. “We have a possible shelter about 200 klicks away, so we’d better get moving. He shut the door, the sound echoing through the cave.
Noble 6 climbed into the other side, sitting next to Jun in the silence.
They had been driving for roughly half an hour, when Jun slowed. “Looks like a homestead up ahead. Maybe they’ll have survivors….. or most likely a host of dead bodies and supplies.”
The truck stopped, and they disembarked. They walked into the homestead, which was relatively intact. Sure enough, several dead bodies were there, but to their surprise, weapons and the occasional Grunt were strewn around the building.
“Looks like these colonists put up a fight. Wonder why they didn’t run?”
Ducking into a half-collapsed doorway, Jun stopped dead. “Son of a *****,” he said slightly admiringly. This room held around a dozen dead colonists…. As well as two dead Elites. “Well, that’s a surprise. Civvies taking out a couple of Elites? What were they guarding that needed to have a dozen men, who could have escaped, throw themselves at the Covvies?”
Noble 6 kicked aside the body of one Elite, searching it for any grenades. Finding one, he scooped it up and attached it to his waist, magnetically locking it there. However, kicking the Elite aside had also discovered something else: A trapdoor, welded shut…. from the inside.
“Jun, trapdoor here. And it looks like it’s been welded from the inside.”
Jun rushed over. “We might have survivors then, let’s get this open.” However, the welds had been good, and the leverage was awkward. The two SPARTANS were unable to open the trapdoor.
Jun shrugged. “I doubt this is the only entrance. Must be another around here. Even civvies aren’t so stupid as to run into a place with only one exit, and then shut the exit permanently.”
Leaving the room behind, after taking all the weapons and grenades strewn about the room, Noble 6 glanced at the pile of weapons in the main room. Quite substantial, for such a homestead.There were even a few Covenant weapons mixed in, though they were mostly the nearly-useless plasma pistols preferred by Grunt infantry.
“Jun, second floor.” Noble 6 had noticed a discolored spot on the ceiling, too regular to be simply a stain. Reaching up, he could just brush the bottom of the ceiling, and so with a jump, he thrust his fist through the ceiling.
Sure enough, the stain was a door, as evidenced by the fact that the piece of ceiling which it occupied had seperated from the rest with a squeal of breaking hinges. Casting that aside, Noble 6 saw a ladder just within the door. Jumping again and gently grabbing hold of the ladder, he pulled it down. However, the ladder was ramshackle and flimsy, obviously made by someone with little woodworking experience.
Gingerly, Noble 6 put a fraction of his half-ton weight on the ladder. It creaked alarmingly, and a sharp crack was heard.
“Jun, we have an attic, but there’s no way up. Suggestions?”
“Six, you really need to think outside of the box, be creative. Watch.” Jun exited to the next room over, and returned dragging a thick metal table. Dropping it with a clang to the floor, he jumped on it and then jumped into the hole in the low roof, the table only bending slightly.
Six followed his lead, but this time, the table bent alarmingly as he leapt off of the table, now bent nearly in half. Ignoring that fact, he looked around the attic. Dusty crates, a few more weapons strewn about, and a solitary window, shards of glass the only remnant of the window.
After collecting the weapons and throwing them back down the hole, Noble 6 walked over to the window while Jun broke open the crates and inspected the contents, which were just personal effects of no great value. However, a much more interesting sight greeted Noble 6 as he looked out the window.
On the opposite side of the house from the cargo truck, there was a great blackened crater, the surface glass. It was obviously the work of a concentrated Wraith barrage for many minutes.
“Jun, I think I found what the Covvies were searching for. It’s under that crater.”
“Good work Six, let’s check it out.”
Breaking the few glass shards left in the pane, Six leapt out the window, landing on one knee outside. Straightening, he walked to the center of the blackened crater, tapping at the ground. “Looks like they didn’t get through before they left. See another entrance, Jun?”
Jun walked over to him. “No, no sign of an entrance. Maybe it was here, and they hit it so hard it melted.”
However, that thought was broken as the ground crumbled underneath them, sending them 50 feet to a slamming stop.
“Agh!” Six groaned as he stood. “Jun, you green?”
“Yeah Six, but our armor’s all dented again. Looks like another trip into the MJOLNIR repair unit later. Anyway, looks like we found what the trapdoor led to. Let’s take a look around, shall we?”
The room in question was dimly lit, crates stacked 20 feet high in places, full of supplies. A handful of bodies lay dead in the room. Six checked one, and found he had died when he inhaled too much superheated air, destroying his alveoli.
Jun whistled. “There are a lot of supplies here, Six. If we took some, we could fill up the truck.”
Six nodded. “Do it.” As he walked over to check the contents of a crate, he saw a dusty panel of metal on one stone wall. Curious, he walked over and brushed the dust off of the panel, revealing a familiar map, a map of Reach. Dots of various sizes, painted a bright red to the grey of metal, were strewn about the map, and a circle surrounded one particular location, a place that corresponded roughly to the homestead above them.
“Jun, I found a map. Looks like there’s more of these hidden caches. If we can find one that hasn’t been compromised, we could stay there.”
Jun looked over. “A map? Grab it. We’ll throw it in the truck so we can look at it later. Then, come help me check these crates.”
Six nodded, and proceeded to grip the sides of the metal map. However, the map was bolted into the wall, and there wasn’t enough room for his hands to get a good grip, meaning he couldn’t wrench it off the wall. However, Six chose another option, moving to the side of the map and delivering a powerful kick to the side of the map. That side dented slightly, but the entire map moved as well, and several kicks later, two of the bolts broke with a crack. Six proceeded to insert his hands into the gap left and pried the map off the wall.
He tossed that to the center of the room, then proceeded to start checking crates.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
After cataloguing the remaining supplies, including a vast amount of dehydrated food and ammunition, the two main things they needed desperately, they had finished with their task here.
Jun walked to the edge of the perimeter, where a door was located. As Six followed, Jun tried the handle, to find it locked. Kicking the door in, they continued into a hallway, a staircase located at the other end. At the top of the staircase, another locked door resided, soon also kicked in.
The last room was a small one, with the trapdoor they had found at the top of the room, with a platform just below it, with sturdy metal ladders connecting the floor, platform, and trapdoor.
Climbing the ladders, which held surprisingly well, they stood on the platform. The trapdoor was only about 6 feet above them, and so crouching, they easily broke the welds from this side, with much more leverage available to crack the weld beads.
Clambering out of the trapdoor, they soon returned to the hidden cavern, returning dragging the first load of supplies out to the cargo truck. After several such loads, they closed the trapdoor, with Six holding the map under one arm.
As they boarded the cargo truck, and began to leave the homestead, Jun said thoughtfully, “How did these civilians get so much ammunition and food?”
CLASSIFIED: Well, that was our most productive session yet, but I’m afraid I’ll have to cut it short. The doctors have recommended that you get a good deal of sleep, and it’s getting late.
NOBLE SIX: Whatever you say. Sir, is (CLASSIFIED?)
CLASSIFIED: No. (CLASSIFIED), and because of (CLASSIFIED). However, (CLASSIFIED).
NOBLE SIX: Good.
CLASSIFIED: End recording.
*END RECORDING*
Replay? Y/N
Enjoy the Insanity!
Plains of Ash and Fields of Glass
Disclaimer: Halo, Halo: Reach, the Covenant, and Noble 6 are ©2001 Microsoft, 343 Industries
Run classrec001216974.01.rec……… Authorization confirmed. Beginning playback….
*START RECORDING*
CLASSIFIED: Hello, Noble 6. This is a classified, Level-4 debriefing of your experiences on Reach. So, let’s start at the beginning. As the Prowler UNSC Navajo went out-system, the last feed from your helmet camera was you beginning a last stand, surrounded by Elites. How did you escape that certain death?
(2 minutes of silence)
CLASSIFIED: Any time now.
(3 minutes of silence)
NOBLE 6: I remember that day. I remember it all too well….
He closed his eyes as he saw the dagger plunged towards his face. His good arm was held down by another Elite, and he couldn’t feel his legs. He could, however, feel the pool of blood—his own—he was lying in.
However, his acceptance was broken by a familiar sound, that of a highly-modified sniper rifle. The Elite about to end his life with an energy dagger was blown away, the dagger cutting his cheek instead of burying itself in his forehead. The other Elites reared up, mandibles flaring. Another shot sounded, followed by two more rapid-fire bullets imbedding themselves in each Elite’s cranium.
The other Elites had already left by Phantom, as they thought (and rightly so) that a single, badly injured SPARTAN with no ammunition or explosives would be able to be handled by a full squad of Ultras and Zealots. However, a second, near-full strength opponent changed the equation badly out of favor for the small squad.
With half their number already done in by either Noble 6 or the new enemy, the remaining 8 roared as they looked around the dusty battlefield for their new opponent. However, another 4 rapid-fire shots sounded, and four more Elites fell. However, the shots were from the same direction, and the few Elites left roared and charged in that direction. 4 more shots sounded, and the rest fell.
Walking out of the dust storm, his rescuer appeared, wearing a set of Green MJOLNIR armor, carrying a large sniper rifle, a pistol, and dozens of clips of ammunition. Various survival items were strewn around, attached to his armor and weapons.
Jun-A266 knelt down next to Noble 6, unlocking a large medical kit. In his distinctive accent, he said, “Good thing I showed up, eh Six? Just in time to ruin the Covvies’ party.”
Noble 6 felt his arms go numb, a relief from the obviously broken bone in his lower left arm. While his bones were tough, they were in no way invincible like SPARTAN-IIs. Soldiers made for suicide missions didn’t need unbreakable bones. Of more concern was his vision graying out, a symptom that he recognized as the beginning of death due to blood loss.
Jun tsked. “You really did a number on yourself, Six. But you also did a number on those Covvies, too. You deserve your reputation. Nearly a day, fighting alone, with no support and little ammo. That’s quite the feat, even for a SPARTAN.”
Noble 6 couldn’t concentrate on his words anymore, for his hearing had started to fade in and out. All he heard was a meaningless string of sounds to his slowly asphyxiating brain.
The last thing he heard before falling into unconsciousness was, “I’m going to have my work cut out keeping you alive, Six. But you can’t die on me. SPARTANS never die.”
(1 minute of silence)
NOBLE 6: I’d like to stop for now.
CLASSIFIED: That’s fine, Noble 6. We know that this is extreme emotional trauma for anyone, especially considering…… the later events and the current situation. Feel free to take the rest of the day off, but remember we will be continuing this tomorrow.
(3 minutes of silence, than scraping sounds of chairs moving)
CLASSIFIED: End recording.
*END RECORDING*
Replay? Y/N
Run classrec001216974.02.rec…….. Authorization confirmed. Beginning playback…..
*START RECORDING*
CLASSIFIED: Alright, Noble 6. Are you ready to continue with this debriefing?
NOBLE 6: Yes.
CLASSIFIED: Do you remember where you let off?
NOBLE 6: (laughter) Oh yes. The next time I was conscious…….
Noble 6 woke to a jolting. Opening his eyes, he saw he was in a transport Warthog, lying in the back, supplies piled under and around him. Jun was driving the Warthog.
Looking around for his helmet, Noble 6 inadvertently jostled some supplies, and just barely managed to catch them with his still-sluggish reflexes.
Alerted by the noise, Jun looked back. Seeing his passenger was awake, he stopped the Warthog gently and dismounted, walking around to the back of the cab.
“You’re up quickly. We’re only about 2 hours out of Azsod, and you took some pretty serious wounds back there. Can you sit up?”
Noble 6 attempted to comply, but quickly lay back down as he could feel blood start to run down his torso. Jun jumped up on the cab. “Still immobile, eh? Well, here’s a medpac I found alongside the road half a klick back.” Handing him a medkit, he turned around and seated himself behind the wheel again. “We need to keep moving. The Covvies have started glassing Azsod, and we need to keep ahead of it.”
Noble 6 looked around yet again for his helmet, naked without the protection it offered even when badly damaged. Jun noticed.
“Looking for your helmet? Here.” The helmet flew from the drivers’ seat into his lap, and he gingerly started to put it on. “Won’t do much for you, though. It’s cracked all to ****, and the shielding in your suits nearly fried. It’ll stop maybe one plasma shot before it fails. I would recommend not putting it on, it’ll hurt more than harm if you can’t see.”
Disregarding this advice, Noble 6 put on his helmet, and it attempted to seal with a hiss of rushing gases, but failed. The cause of this failure were the multiple cracks spiderwebbing the small visor slit, reducing his visibility measurably. However, he was safe, he had his armor.
Jun shook his head, not taking his eyes off the road. “So you still need to hide your face? Even Reach couldn’t teach you to trust us?”
Noble 6 opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a harsh rasp as both finally realized that he hadn’t drunk any water for a day while in vicious combat.
Jun grabbed something at his feet, momentarily slowing down, and tossed it to him. “Here, I thought you might want some refreshment. Savor it, this is the last New Alexandria bottled water. The rest was glassed when the factory fell.”
Noble 6 unsealed the small flap in his helmet for eating, and quickly guzzled it down. However, he soon felt drowsy, a feeling he recognized as strong sedatives. Turning an accusing eye (or visor, really) to Jun, he gave him the best glare he could in his weakened state.
Jun shrugged, a sight visible through the rearview mirror. “What can I say? I can’t have you rolling off the back of the ‘Hog trying to do something foolishly heroic. Not that there’s anyone left to save with heroism.
They’re all dead.”
NOBLE 6: I need some food.
CLASSIFIED: Very well, we’ll continue this after lunch. End recording.
*END RECORDING*
Replay? Y/N
Run classrec001216974.03.rec……… Authorization confirmed. Beginning playback……..
CLASSIFIED: Alright, now that you’ve eaten, can we continue?
NOBLE 6: Certainly.
He woke next in a cave, packed with supplies, as well as a large cargo truck and several Warthogs.
He turned his head to see Jun sitting near the entrance with binoculars, staring into the reddened sky.
“This was supposed to be the exit point for Company Charlie. But none of them made it, and their death allows us to live. We’ve got all we need here.” Jun turned. “Sorry for putting you out, but that medpac was the only thing I had back on the Warthog. I’ve got a full MJOLNIR repair unit in the truck, along with a full med center. You should be able to move now, but take it easy. Also, go get your armor serviced. It looks like ****.”
He turned back to the sky, and Noble 6 got up and turned towards the cargo truck, but sprinted to Jun’s side when he gasped. “****! Take a look, Six!”
Taking the binoculars, Noble 6 looked up and saw the familiar blue and black of slipspace ruptures. It seemed like the entire Covenant fleet had left, leaving only a single cruiser and a quarter-dozen corvettes in the skies.
“Where do you suppose they’re going?”
“Don’t care. All that matters is now we have a chance.”
Noble 6 stood and slowly walked over to the truck, getting in. The whirring of a MJOLNIR repair unit could be heard, and Jun said, “Six, as soon as your armor’s repairs we’re getting out of here. This is still too close to Azsod, and that cruiser is going to continue glassing. We need to find another shelter, one that’s glassing-proof.”
“Very well.”
NOBLE 6: I know now that they went after the Autumn. They really cared about that Halo, and so my sacrifice also ended up being my redemption and savior. Ironic that what should have killed me saved me as well.
(Buzzing sound)
CLASSIFIED: Excuse me. (Riffling) Oh! I’m afraid we must cut this short; an emergency has come up within the (CLASSIFIED) program. We’ll have to continue tomorrow.
NOBLE 6: Very well.
CLASSIFIED: End recording.
*END RECORDING *
Replay? Y/N
Run classrec001216974.04.rec……… Authorization confirmed. Beginning playback……..
CLASSIFIED: Well, now that that particular crisis was solved, we can continue with the debriefing. Also, your experience would be much appreciated within the (CLASSIFIED). Would you consider joining (CLASSIFIED)? The pay’s good.
NOBLE 6: No.
CLASSIFIED: Very well, we’ll just continue where we left off then.
NOBLE 6: Fine.
After Noble 6 had gotten his armor repaired, he walked out to find that the makeshift camp was already mostly packed, waiting in a pile net to the cargo truck.
Jun looked up from his cleaning of his sniper rifle. “Good, you’re done. We’re moving out. Help me get all this into the truck.”
After several minutes of packing, Jun threw the last package into the truck. Even with the vast amount of material there, including the MJOLNIR repair unit, the size of a shipping crate, the massive vehicle was still only slightly more than half full.
“Alright,” Jun said, walking to the front of the truck and climbing in. “We have a possible shelter about 200 klicks away, so we’d better get moving. He shut the door, the sound echoing through the cave.
Noble 6 climbed into the other side, sitting next to Jun in the silence.
They had been driving for roughly half an hour, when Jun slowed. “Looks like a homestead up ahead. Maybe they’ll have survivors….. or most likely a host of dead bodies and supplies.”
The truck stopped, and they disembarked. They walked into the homestead, which was relatively intact. Sure enough, several dead bodies were there, but to their surprise, weapons and the occasional Grunt were strewn around the building.
“Looks like these colonists put up a fight. Wonder why they didn’t run?”
Ducking into a half-collapsed doorway, Jun stopped dead. “Son of a *****,” he said slightly admiringly. This room held around a dozen dead colonists…. As well as two dead Elites. “Well, that’s a surprise. Civvies taking out a couple of Elites? What were they guarding that needed to have a dozen men, who could have escaped, throw themselves at the Covvies?”
Noble 6 kicked aside the body of one Elite, searching it for any grenades. Finding one, he scooped it up and attached it to his waist, magnetically locking it there. However, kicking the Elite aside had also discovered something else: A trapdoor, welded shut…. from the inside.
“Jun, trapdoor here. And it looks like it’s been welded from the inside.”
Jun rushed over. “We might have survivors then, let’s get this open.” However, the welds had been good, and the leverage was awkward. The two SPARTANS were unable to open the trapdoor.
Jun shrugged. “I doubt this is the only entrance. Must be another around here. Even civvies aren’t so stupid as to run into a place with only one exit, and then shut the exit permanently.”
Leaving the room behind, after taking all the weapons and grenades strewn about the room, Noble 6 glanced at the pile of weapons in the main room. Quite substantial, for such a homestead.There were even a few Covenant weapons mixed in, though they were mostly the nearly-useless plasma pistols preferred by Grunt infantry.
“Jun, second floor.” Noble 6 had noticed a discolored spot on the ceiling, too regular to be simply a stain. Reaching up, he could just brush the bottom of the ceiling, and so with a jump, he thrust his fist through the ceiling.
Sure enough, the stain was a door, as evidenced by the fact that the piece of ceiling which it occupied had seperated from the rest with a squeal of breaking hinges. Casting that aside, Noble 6 saw a ladder just within the door. Jumping again and gently grabbing hold of the ladder, he pulled it down. However, the ladder was ramshackle and flimsy, obviously made by someone with little woodworking experience.
Gingerly, Noble 6 put a fraction of his half-ton weight on the ladder. It creaked alarmingly, and a sharp crack was heard.
“Jun, we have an attic, but there’s no way up. Suggestions?”
“Six, you really need to think outside of the box, be creative. Watch.” Jun exited to the next room over, and returned dragging a thick metal table. Dropping it with a clang to the floor, he jumped on it and then jumped into the hole in the low roof, the table only bending slightly.
Six followed his lead, but this time, the table bent alarmingly as he leapt off of the table, now bent nearly in half. Ignoring that fact, he looked around the attic. Dusty crates, a few more weapons strewn about, and a solitary window, shards of glass the only remnant of the window.
After collecting the weapons and throwing them back down the hole, Noble 6 walked over to the window while Jun broke open the crates and inspected the contents, which were just personal effects of no great value. However, a much more interesting sight greeted Noble 6 as he looked out the window.
On the opposite side of the house from the cargo truck, there was a great blackened crater, the surface glass. It was obviously the work of a concentrated Wraith barrage for many minutes.
“Jun, I think I found what the Covvies were searching for. It’s under that crater.”
“Good work Six, let’s check it out.”
Breaking the few glass shards left in the pane, Six leapt out the window, landing on one knee outside. Straightening, he walked to the center of the blackened crater, tapping at the ground. “Looks like they didn’t get through before they left. See another entrance, Jun?”
Jun walked over to him. “No, no sign of an entrance. Maybe it was here, and they hit it so hard it melted.”
However, that thought was broken as the ground crumbled underneath them, sending them 50 feet to a slamming stop.
“Agh!” Six groaned as he stood. “Jun, you green?”
“Yeah Six, but our armor’s all dented again. Looks like another trip into the MJOLNIR repair unit later. Anyway, looks like we found what the trapdoor led to. Let’s take a look around, shall we?”
The room in question was dimly lit, crates stacked 20 feet high in places, full of supplies. A handful of bodies lay dead in the room. Six checked one, and found he had died when he inhaled too much superheated air, destroying his alveoli.
Jun whistled. “There are a lot of supplies here, Six. If we took some, we could fill up the truck.”
Six nodded. “Do it.” As he walked over to check the contents of a crate, he saw a dusty panel of metal on one stone wall. Curious, he walked over and brushed the dust off of the panel, revealing a familiar map, a map of Reach. Dots of various sizes, painted a bright red to the grey of metal, were strewn about the map, and a circle surrounded one particular location, a place that corresponded roughly to the homestead above them.
“Jun, I found a map. Looks like there’s more of these hidden caches. If we can find one that hasn’t been compromised, we could stay there.”
Jun looked over. “A map? Grab it. We’ll throw it in the truck so we can look at it later. Then, come help me check these crates.”
Six nodded, and proceeded to grip the sides of the metal map. However, the map was bolted into the wall, and there wasn’t enough room for his hands to get a good grip, meaning he couldn’t wrench it off the wall. However, Six chose another option, moving to the side of the map and delivering a powerful kick to the side of the map. That side dented slightly, but the entire map moved as well, and several kicks later, two of the bolts broke with a crack. Six proceeded to insert his hands into the gap left and pried the map off the wall.
He tossed that to the center of the room, then proceeded to start checking crates.
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After cataloguing the remaining supplies, including a vast amount of dehydrated food and ammunition, the two main things they needed desperately, they had finished with their task here.
Jun walked to the edge of the perimeter, where a door was located. As Six followed, Jun tried the handle, to find it locked. Kicking the door in, they continued into a hallway, a staircase located at the other end. At the top of the staircase, another locked door resided, soon also kicked in.
The last room was a small one, with the trapdoor they had found at the top of the room, with a platform just below it, with sturdy metal ladders connecting the floor, platform, and trapdoor.
Climbing the ladders, which held surprisingly well, they stood on the platform. The trapdoor was only about 6 feet above them, and so crouching, they easily broke the welds from this side, with much more leverage available to crack the weld beads.
Clambering out of the trapdoor, they soon returned to the hidden cavern, returning dragging the first load of supplies out to the cargo truck. After several such loads, they closed the trapdoor, with Six holding the map under one arm.
As they boarded the cargo truck, and began to leave the homestead, Jun said thoughtfully, “How did these civilians get so much ammunition and food?”
CLASSIFIED: Well, that was our most productive session yet, but I’m afraid I’ll have to cut it short. The doctors have recommended that you get a good deal of sleep, and it’s getting late.
NOBLE SIX: Whatever you say. Sir, is (CLASSIFIED?)
CLASSIFIED: No. (CLASSIFIED), and because of (CLASSIFIED). However, (CLASSIFIED).
NOBLE SIX: Good.
CLASSIFIED: End recording.
*END RECORDING*
Replay? Y/N