Flight of the Phoenix: Book 2

Plot Summary
The Spartan IIIs of Delta Company have established themselves as a powerful military force. Phoenix Team is at their head, blazing an appearance of every boy's dream: courage, honor, skill. But behind the shadows, their true faces will be realized, as they struggle to uncover a plot behind the use of ancient technology, and the purpose behind their very existence.

Prologue
1013 Hours, March 26th, 2580 (UNSC Military Calendar)

The Spartan sprinted across the flat desert, plasma bolts thudding out from the ridge to either miss or slap harmlessly against his shields. With a mighty leap he soared in to a foxhole, landing right beside several ODSTs.

"Welcome to the party, sir!" Staff Sergeant Dmitri "Zaichata" Zaitsev said, cradling his 99D-S3 sniper rifle.

"Good to see you, Zaichata." The Spartan said. "How you holding up?"

"Fairly well, sir, aside from those bastards trying to kill us. We could use your help." Dmitri said, slapping a new magazine in to place.

"Don't worry, Marine. Phoenix is on the job."

Master Chief Petty Officer Wings-D339 leapt out of the foxhole and sprinted towards one a few hundred meters away. A particle beam passed right between his legs, heating the sand to red-hotness. Another dive landed him in the hole, right next to another Spartan.

She sighed. "Things aren't what they used to be, are they, sir?"

Wings nodded. "Aye, it used to be us sitting pretty in the ridges."

Itzia-D102 poked her head up for a peek, then ducked down as carbine rounds hit her shields.

"We're losing men fast. Their positions on the ridge afford them a clear view of the close foxholes, so we can't get in there.  Good thing they only seem to have the three snipers, or else they'd gotten you."

Wings lay back for a moment. They'd been fighting for almost a week now, with little sleep in between the bouts of violence. His brain was nearing its limit, and being strained more and more every hour. And reinforcements were days away.

"To old friends?"

Itzia turned to look at him. "No, to family."

Yes, Wings thought. Things have changed.

Chapter 1: Demands
1000 Hours, April 2nd, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Wings stood at attention, the customary feeling of armor gone, replaced with a dress uniform. The day was warm and humid, not at all fitting for the mood. He stood in the middle of the front row, between Hal-D683 and Nat-D5795. It had been one week since the Battle for Mars, in which almost four thousand humans had given their lives. The Covenant had paid dearly for it, losing nearly their entire invading force. Delta Company Spartans had played a vital role in the battle. Twelve total teams of Deltas had fought on Mars, and only lost one member.

That was why they were here today. Carol-D2053 was killed by several plasma grenades by surprise, just before the Interspecies Union fleet had arrived and blown the Covenant out of the system. Her casket was the only one at the memorial today, the funeral service having been scheduled last. Wings had made sure that no press would be there, as he didn't want to make this a public thing. The truth was out now, everyone knew Spartans could die; they were just a lot damn harder to kill. Admiral Andrew Gering had asked if he could attend, but was politely turned down. So the funeral service was private, and all fifty-three Spartans that had fought on Mars were assembled in ranks, with Phoenix, Hawk, and Badger teams in the front.

As the priest finished the prayer, Wings and Nat strode forward and carefully folded the Spartan III Delta Company flag, consisting of the standard UNSC crest, modified with a spear and an old Greek sword crossing behind the eagle. Underneath them all was the silhouette of a rounded shield, with the words "One life for many" sewn underneath it. Taking the folded flag, Wings carried it to the only family Carol had ever truly known: her team. Hal took it solemnly,.

Wings took his place back in line next to Nat, and called out: "Seven gun salute!"

Seven Spartans, each one from a different team and holding new BR60 Battle Rifles set to single shot, stepped forward.

"Ready!" The seven Spartans raised the rifles. The casket began its descent in to the ground.

"Aim!" They aimed down the scopes.

"Fire!" The shots echoed off the buildings.

They repeated the gesture twice more, the casket gave a soft bump as it hit the bottom, the lowering device was removed, and a silence descended. Each Spartan then stepped forward and dumped a single shovelful of dirt in to the hole until it was full. Rio-D973, another member of Hawk, marched forward and set Carol's Mk. VII helmet in to a special slot on the tombstone. A quiet click was heard, which was a mechanism that would grip the helmet, ensuring that no one would steal it. That done, she stepped back in to her rank.

"Deltas, dismissed!" Wings ordered, and each Spartan went their own way. They all lingered for a while, not saying anything. But eventually, team by team, began drifting away. Hawk stayed, and Itzia moved towards them. She stopped as a hand gripped her shoulder.

"Don't." Zero said. "This is their time." Itzia nodded silently, glanced one more time at the three remaining members of Hawk Team, and followed her teammates.

X mumbled, mostly to himself, "Man, they have the worst of luck." They were, of course, out of earshot by now.

"Watch it, Spartan." Zero growled, and X stiffened. Zero didn't wasn't a great leader, but she had an amazing Sergeant's voice.

"I'm just saying, sir. They're the only team to have lost more than one member, and both of them by surprise."

"He's got a point, Zero." Wings said as they reentered the city and headed for the barracks. They'd be heading back to New Quebec tomorrow.

The team was silent as they marched in to their barracks room and got down to the business of weapons upkeep. Every Spartan needs something to get their mind off death today, Wings thought, feeling the weight of his MCPO insignia clearly.

1220 Hours, April 4th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

"Welcome home, Chief." Ezekiel-254 said. "I trust your hiatus was pleasant?"

"To a point, sir." Wings drew in a breath. "We lost Carol."

Ezekiel's jaw tightened. "I see." He said flatly. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"With respect, Hawk needs the sentiment more than I do, sir."

"Very well. Dismissed, Chief."

Wings saluted and went to join his team, who he'd sent off in another direction. He jogged to catch up, and they all walked to their destination together.

The bunker doors seemed to be slightly more overgrown by jungle vegetation than last time he'd been here, but the keypad was still operable. Wings punched in the code, and the titanium door hissed and slid open.

"Welcome back, sirs." A voice said over the speakers, laced with artificial tones.

"Thank you, Element." Wings said. Element was the bunker's security AI, programmed by Peec with the best counter-intrusion routines.

The walk to their bunk room was only paused by a long, but fast, elevator ride.

Their bunk room was fairly plain, made up of five Spartan sized beds, and two weapon lockers and one footlocker for each bed. At the center of the room was a holo-table.

As the team placed their gear in the respective places, Wings went to holo-table and activated it. Five different holographic pads materialized and floated to each Spartan.

"New orders from ONI." Wings said, tapping in his code on the solid hologram. "We're going to be split for a while. Zero, you've got a sniping mission with 'Antinr, Linda-058, and Dmitri Zaitsev." He paused. "You know him, right?"

Zero nodded. "He was on Mars. Damned good sniper.  I like him."

"Good." Wings turned to X. "You're going on assignment with Tom-B292 and Lucy-B091.  Apparently they need a demolitions expert."

"The Lone Survivor and the Mute. Will do."

"Itzia, Doctor Halsey sent for you. No idea why." Wings' eyes flicked from the hologram to Itzia. Phoenix had secretly asked for Halsey's help in curing Wings, who was afflicted with a disease that randomly shut down an organ in his body at random times. It had resulted from Itzia herself directly injecting Cell QX518-I53PR in to Wings, which did speed up the affected person's neural processes, but had uncontrollable side effects.

"Peec, you're on further down time. Apparently ONI has no use for you."

"That's alright, I have no use for ONI." Peec mumbled. "Some work needs done here, anyway."

"I know. I've left orders for you with Element.  Aaand I'm on down time, too.  I however, will be-" Wings tossed the datapad back towards the center of the holo-table. A garbage can appeared and swallowed it. "Traveling."

Zero yawned. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna crash. Gotta wake up early tomorrow."

The rest agreed, and they all fell asleep withing a half hour.

0830 Hours, April 6th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Lieutenant Commander Spartan 116 marched through the streets of the city. Vadam Keep towered behind him, easily overshadowing the buildings around it.

Spartan spotted the landing pad he was looking for, and approached a Sangheili, who was carrying a fusion core.

"Morning, Ipla. The Pelican due?"

Ipla 'Ihpor set down the core and went to his nearby Phantom. "Any moment now. We just got the message that D339's dropship is on the way down."

116 turned his eyes to the sky and was able to make out a fast moving dot. The Pelican dropped fast, but slowed as it approached the landing pad.

Wings leapt out fifteen meters above the ground, and landed slightly crouched on the metal landing pad. He straightened hurriedly and saluted the Lieutenant Commander.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan D339 reporting as ordered, sir!" Wings said.

The Lieutenant Commander returned the salute, and let one eyebrow raise. "Three years in active service and already a Master Chief?"

"Technically eight, if you want to count the Battle for Zeta-9."

"Still, impressive." 116 said, and began the walk back to the Vadam Keep. "I admit I was perplexed when I heard you were making a visit to Sanghelios."

"I'm just as perplexed finding out you're here, sir."

"Does it have anything to do with that structure you and your Spartans found?"

"Of course it does. I suppose that's why you're here?" Wings knew exactly why the Lieutenant Commander wanted to know more about the structure. Several years ago the Lieutenant Commander had been hit by the Judicator's Gavel Rifle during a mission to collect some of the Brute's DNA. This had resulted in infecting the Spartan with a virus that prevented cellular regeneration and acted as a blood thinner. The last time Wings had seen the Lt. Cmdr., the older Spartan had been shot in the hand and almost bled out from it. Apparently his body had refused to accept a cloned arm, so his right one had been replaced by a prosthetic limb.

Almost a year ago Phoenix Team and a few Sangheili had stumbled upon a Precursor structure. Within it was a room that could seemingly heal any malady. The only problem was that it had to know that a certain attribute of the person was a malady.

"Nice weapons." Wings said as they walked in to the Spartan's designated room at Vadam Keep.

The Lieutenant Commander followed the Delta's gaze to several cases, wherein lay his weapons. There was, of course, an MA7C, but there were a couple of odd additions to his armament. "Prototype and made with Forerunner tech. Got the SRSS Nyegen 48 Magnum, and a C58 Phoenix shotgun, no relation to your team."

"I know. Never heard of it."

Another raised eyebrow. Thank whoever made polarized visors that 116 could make any facial expression he wanted, and everyone would be none the wiser.

Of course, from what he'd heard about D339, the Spartan would probably pick out 116's eyebrow raise somehow.

"Odd, considering you're the one with the expert computer hacker."

"One, he doesn't tell me everything he finds. Two, I don't really care what the UNSC is researching as far as weapons go, as I don't plan on taking them out."

"Fair enough."

1400 Hours, April 6th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Ipla kept the Phantom steady as the two Spartans floated down the gravity lift, then turned and sped off back to Vadam Keep.

Professor Anders was talking to a couple of other scientists who'd just brought up an artifact, apparently questioning them about it and taking notes. She looked up as Wings and the Lieutenant Commander walked up.

"Afternoon."

"Professor Anders." 116 said, holding out a hand. Anders shook it and Wings' hand as well.

"Where's Halsey?" D339 asked.

Ander's jaw tightened slightly. She and Halsey had always been at odds with one another, but seemed to have set most of it aside while working on this project.

"She's down in that healing room. Seems someone managed to interface with an AI in it."

Wings nodded. "Not an AI. 'Comprehensive database', in its terms." And he walked off.

116 could only shrug as Anders muttered: "Sometimes that Spartan creeps me out."



"And what would it take for me to access your files?"

"A test. That is all.  However, I can only test one organic at a time.  That is how I was programmed."

Halsey turned as she heard a hiss, and saw Wings behind her, slipping his helmet on to a magnetic holding on his back. Spartan 116 was coming up the stairs behind D339, doing the same with his helmet.

"Having fun with the database, Doctor?"

The hologram in the center of the room was humanoid in form but possessed no real features to distinguish it. Its head turned towards Wings.

"Ah, the one I was testing. It seems you have succeeded as well." A hologram of Mars appeared, with the summit of Olympus Mons smoking and a quarter of Kennedy Space Center in ruins. "Better than I could have hoped."

"If you did have feelings, that is." Wings said. Something in his voice doesn't sound right, 116 thought. ''He sounds almost... strained. Exactly how many humans died that day?''

"This is true. I assume you want answers to your questions?" The database asked.

"Of course."

Holograms popped up, labeling all the equipment that had been used to create Delta Company: MJOLNIR armor, augmentation syringes, 3000 six year old children, even the instructors and handlers.

"As you know, the Spartans for Delta Company were conscripted in 2555 under the Spartan III program. They were to be a new generation of Spartans; not suicide soldiers, but five-man armies.  What was not given was the why behind it.

"In 2556 a small group of Spartans encountered a Forerunner force which was attempting to unleash the Flood. If Delta Company had been recruited a year later, then this explanation would have sufficed.  But it doesn't.  Unless,"  The database raised a holographic finger. "You factor ONI in to the equation.

"In 2542 ONI received unconfirmed reports of an ancient space-faring race that had reached a trans-sentient level of technology. They called them the 'Precursors.'"

"You."

"Technically yes, although my makers called themselves by a different name. Anyway, these reports were confirmed when a Spartan recovered a Precursor artifact that could create time shifts.  I cannot tell you the details of this as I have been inactive for too long, but it would appear that the Spartan and a ship's entire crew made a jump from 2547 to 2552, during the First Battle of Earth.

"This caused the upper echelons of ONI to worry if the Precursors were returning. The final death count after the Human-Covenant War ended sealed the deal."

An audio file started playing. Wings recognized it from Chairman Kevin Locke's revealing of the Spartan III program.

"Our population has been ravaged, our infrastructure destroyed. We have all lost something during this war, but the fight is not quite over.  The Covenant still exists, and to fight it we need an army.  But we do not have the manpower to place a thousand Marines against one army, and so we need a new kind of warrior.  We need a handful of soldiers who can do what several million Marines cannot."  The audio clip ended.

"This is a good justification for your creation, but it is not the only one. The return of the Forerunners raised many concerns.

"And your Office of Naval Intelligence found out that they plan on returning.

"And so, around 2548, they began genetic engineering of fetuses, maximizing their DNA for Spartan augmentation procedures. The discovery of Forerunner processing technology only made things easier: it only cost half as much to manufacture one MJOLNIR suit as it used to, and the cost of creating the augmentations was cut by three quarters.  This has made creating Spartans fairly easy, only limited by the time it takes to grow a human being and train them to become soldiers.

"So now you know: You were built by Forerunner technology to end a struggle that would otherwise rage for many decades, and would likely end with the extinction of the human race. Delta Company is the one thing that can keep the tide turned against to Covenant."

"So we really were created just to fight the Covenant?"

"Not to continue fighting it. To end the fight." The humanoid hologram cocked its head. "I'm detecting an incoming transmission. For D339 only."

Wings turned to the Lieutenant Commander. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all." 116 said a bit stiffly, and walked out with Halsey following him.

The instant they were gone the humanoid hologram transformed and became a skinny being, with a thin, curved neck and an elaborate crown. It sat on what seemed to be a hovering chair.

"Destroying that fleet at Mars was not very effective for welcoming in peace, Spartan." The Prophet of Intuition said flatly. "The Judicator has become enraged, demanding that we come back in force. Thankfully we don't have that kind of fleet now, and I reminded him that he struck first."

"You need to keep a tighter rein on your pets, then."

A soft chuckle came from the fairly young San'Shyuum. "Do not think of him as a pet. He is very smart for a Jiralhanae, even if he is still barbaric."

Wings nodded. "How goes the peace work?"

Intuition sighed. "Not well. The Unggoy and Huragok are quite happy to go back to peaceful ways, but the Kig-Yar and Jiralhanae are up in arms about the idea." He fondled his dangling wattle. "I'm just glad that the Prophet of Bliss is so good at his work, else they'd have beheaded the three of us Prophets. How goes the effort on your end?"

"Decent, I suppose. The UNSC's major problem, besides you, are the countless numbers of Insurrectionist groups that have sprung up.  I'm trying to keep the Deltas assigned to fighting the Covenant, rather than taking down the Innies.  Innies go down, then the UNSC focuses all its attention on crushing you.  And that wouldn't be good for business on your end."

Intuition nodded. "Very good. I shall-"  Wings held up a hand and turned to slowly face the entrance to the healing room.

The Lieutenant Commander was standing just inside it, staring up at Spartan D339 and the hologram of the Prophet of Intuition. His face was locked in an expression of extreme anger.

"Shit." Wings said under his breath and turned back to Intuition. "I'll talk to you later." Intuition's hologram disappeared.

Spartan 116's face did not move a muscle as his eyes followed Wings, who approached the older Spartan slowly, but obviously believing he was in command of the situation.

"We need to talk." 116's voice came out in a relatively controlled, but angry, manner.

"No. We really don't." Wings stated calmly, and brushed right by the Lieutenant Commander, stepping through the doorway.

The Lieutenant Commander's teeth ground against each other, and it took a couple minutes to compose himself before following.



Wings walked in to his quarters, thinking. Surprisingly, the reasoning made sense. They'd always been told that they had to fight the Covenant, but the Deltas had never known they were made to fight the Covenant to a standstill.

How many Delta Spartan lives will that take? Wings wondered. This is ONI we're talking about. His mind raced, analyzing the scene from every possible angle. He stood and went to the door as the sound of booted footsteps reached his ears. The Delta XO moved to block the doorway as the Lieutenant Commander stepped up to it, only the door separating them.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do." 116 said, his voice flat and emotionless.

Wings' thought of everything that could happen if he explained himself now, and saw what would happen.

"Not to you. Not now." He said and pressed the emergency lock.

The magnetically sealing door slid down faster than even a Spartan could move, effectively locking Spartan 116 out and D339 in.

Wings walked to a chair and sat down after taking off his armor. The Lieutenant Commander definitely didn't trust him now, but that wasn't D339's problem. He'd be gone the next day, and Itzia would arrive.

The MCPO leaned back in the chair. Spartan 116 couldn't prove anything, but he'd have the rest of the Spartans watching his team carefully. There was one on his team that wouldn't be under constant scrutiny, however...

Chapter 2: Hunters
1114 Hours, April 7th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Zero hopped out of the Pelican and strode over to her temporary team, assembled in one corner of the hangar.

'Antinr acknowledged her with a nod, then went back to replacing a fuel cell in his particle beam rifle. Linda-058 was about ten meters away, conversing with John-117.

Lance Corporal Dmitri Zaitsev, who Zero had nicknamed Zaichata, meaning leveret, stood and saluted. "Sir! Good to see you again!"

Zero returned the salute. "Nice to see you, too, Zaichata."

Linda finished her conversation with John and marched back to the rest of the group. Zero saluted.

"Chief Petty Officer Spartan D576, reporting for duty, sir!"

The older Spartan returned the salute, then got right to the point, addressing all three of the other snipers.

"We're going to be dropped a few dozen kilometers from our target: a small Covenant camp. Only about four hundred foot soldiers there."

Dmitri whistled. "A hundred of them to one of us? Why not just drop a HAVOK on them an be done with it?"

Linda ignored the interruption. "The point of this mission is to see if we can teach the Covenant that the UNSC can kill an army with a few soldiers without being discovered. That's why they chose us.  We'll be taking shot from anywhere between a hundred meters to five kilometers.  Empty a clip and move.  The day only ends when all four hundred are dead.  ONI is furnishing us with M6C SOCOM pistols, M7S SMGs, and the new M80667 Anti-Armor Sniper Rifle.  Designed for use against infantry, it's silent and leaves no bullet trail.  The Covenant may see their buddies dying, but they won't see or hear us."

She handed one of the new snipers to Zero and Dmitri, then held one out for 'Antinr to take. The Sangheili warrior shook his head and patted his particle beam rifle.

"This will do me fine."

"We need to be stealthy, 'Antinr." Linda said. "They'll be able to trace the particle beam back to you."

'Antinr twisted a dial on his weapon. "This is a new particle beam rifle. It has a low power setting that will still do enough damage to kill, but the beam is only visible for half of a millisecond.  They won't be able to see it, but it may take two hits to kill a brute."

"Fair enough."

A voice over the PA said: "Snipers, report to Lieutenant Derick in hangar B2. Repeat, Snipers..."

"Well, 'snipers', let's do this." Zero said, and they marched off to the Pelican.'

Linda put an armored hand on Zero's shoulder. "I've been told to watch you. Orders from the Lieutenant Commander.  Any idea why?"

"Not a clue." Zero said, her mind flicking back through all the "behind the scenes" work that Phoenix had been doing. And there was the fact that her boss seemed to have allied himself with a Covenant Prophet.

Phoenix's sniper inwardly sighed. It'd have to get worse before it got better.



"We're dropping you off about forty kilometers from the camp. Covenant have patrols out, so take it easy."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Linda answered, then turned to 'Antinr and Dmitri. The Marine was wearing a combat visor. It was a relatively old idea, but one that had just been refreshed in the past couple years. The one he was optimized for snipers, feeding weather and range data to him at the blink of an eye. It also housed infrared and high-frequency scanners. "Our active camouflage is superior to yours, 'Antinr. And yours is non-existent, Corporal.  Therefore, I propose that D576 and I take point.  It'll be a couple days before we actually get within range of the camp, and a couple extra hours to set up.  Just follow our nav markers."

'Antinr nodded. "Very well. You lead, we'll follow." Dmitri had no real choice.

0200 Hours, April 8th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

X-2552 leaned back on against the titanium walls of the small corvette, setting his feet up on a crate. At this early in the morning, everyone liked to catch a wink or two.

Approaching footsteps signaled the arrival of his temporary team: Tom-B292 and Lucy-B091. X sighed and stood, saluting the slightly shorter Spartans.

"Petty Officer First Class Spartan-D2552 reporting for duty, sir!"

The other two returned the gesture. Tom looked at Lucy as she signed something with her hands, and Tom nodded. Another twitch of her head in X's direction told him all he needed to know. He may not be able to understand over thirty different languages, but every Spartan knew something about body language. It was just another perk that came with the job.

"Weren't expecting ONI to send a Phoenix along with you?"

"Frankly, no." Tom said. "We were expecting someone with more... rigid morals."

X snorted. "My morals, what ones I do have, are very rigid, sir."

"I would hope that those include loyalty to the UNSC." The older Spartan said. "I've just received orders from Spartan 116 to keep an eye on whatever Delta ONI sends with me. Apparently he had a run-in with your boss."

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted."

"First and foremost, my loyalties lie with my boss, and the rest of Delta Company. Not to the UNSC." X said, a tone entering his voice that didn't normally. "D339 made every Delta the best they could be. He saved many minds, hearts, souls, and lives.  That is why we have unswerving loyalty in him.  As long as he remains loyal to the UNSC, then so do I."

Tom's mirrored visor didn't betray anything. "Very well. Let's get this mission over with."

Lucy marched over to a few crates and pushed them to the middle of the room. She, Tom, and X popped the lids open, and X almost whistled at what he saw.

"Micro-Injection Nuclear Entering Charges. MINE Charges for short.  Contains a tiny nuclear bomb, and has a variable setting.  These things can be set to punch through a thin sheet of paper and not harm a human," Tom paused for a second, then continued. "Or right through a MJOLNIR Mk VII's shields and the armor underneath it."

"Fun." X said, taking one of the tiny charges and running his fingers over it. Tom and Lucy couldn't help but notice that the Delta's voice had changed from a hardened warrior to one who seemed to be holding something they dearly loved.

B292 cleared his throat and moved to the next box. He pulled out what appeared to be a smooth M9 fragmentation grenade.

"SLE7." Tom declared. "Fondly called the 'Stick Light and Explode' by some in ONI. Like a cross between the plasma grenade and the plasma grenade.  Latches on to your enemy.  There are actually two explosives.  The first is the frag part, which is designed to take down enemy shields.  Then the plasma charge detonates and finishes the work.  However, there is a small button here." He showed X a small red button standing out on the opposite side of the explosive. "Which will switch the modes to plasma first, then frag."

"Even more fun," X proclaimed, attaching a brace of the grenades to his belt. "Can't wait to try 'em out."

"The point of this mission is to collect data pertaining to new Covenant technology." Tom said. "We're really just guiding you in so you can blow stuff up for us. Then we grab the data and you blow us out of there."

"No guard duty, no long range duty..." X seemed to ponder. "Just blowing shit up. I like it."

"Then let's go."

0800 Hours, April 8th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Peec ran his fingers through his short hair, checking his calculations again.

''No, dammit, that won't work. The servos had to...''

Peec grabbed the knee joint servo-motors and moved them out a fraction.

Much better. Now the servos actually had a place to move relatively freely. There's still one problem, however...

Footsteps echoed from outside, and Peec looked up.

"Maurice, come in here."

Maurice-D3574 stopped and leaned in to the room.

"Something you need, sir?"

"I need your help with something."

Maurice walked to the holo-table Peec was working at. His lips parted a bit in surprise as he turned to the Phoenix Spartan.

"Why are you designing power armor for a Sangheili?"

1000 Hours, April 8th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

"I've always wanted to try this."

"Trust me, it's not all that great."

Lucy signed something, and Tom translated.

"Lucy says that what you really aren't supposed to be excited for this sort of thing."

The two Bravo Spartans were taken aback by X's chuckle. "Ma'am, ODSTs do this sort of thing all the time. There's got to be a reason for it."

More hand signals. Tom spoke as he watched her hands dart around.

"She says that you shouldn't be too excited, as this is probably a downgrade from leaping out of a sub-orbital dropship."

"True, true. Maybe it's just that I know this is safer, so my stomach isn't churning quite so much."

"I have a hard time believing anything could make your stomach churn." Tom mumbled as the three Spartans seated themselves in the drop pods with their weapons.

"Thirty seconds to drop." Tom said as the pods swung in to position.

X watched the counter tick down and held on to the armrests.

3... 2... 1.

The seat shot out from under the Spartan, and he felt like he was floating.

There was an intense bump as the pods entered the planet's atmosphere. Then the ride settled out again and the mirrored visors of Tom and Lucy appeared on the mini screens of the drop pod.

"It looks like we won't be taking forever to regroup. Looks like the trajectory is good.  Pop chutes on my mark." Tom's voice said over the com.

"Mark!"

The pod jerked and slowed dramatically, then went in to free-fall again.

X checked the altimeter. 4 klicks... 3 klicks... 2 klicks... 1 klick...

He felt an acute jarring as the pod smashed in to the planet's surface. X hit the ejecting pins and the front leapt away from the rest of the pod with an sharp bang.

X opened the team-com. "Twenty-five fifty-two here, reporting safe drop. No hostile contact; I think they may not have seen us." He said.

Two more clicks came over the com, and a nav marker appeared twenty meters away from X. Lucy was standing at the edge of group of rocks, waving to him. X jogged over.

"I got a safe drop, too, but my hatch is stuck. Rolled on the front on landing." Another nav marker appeared a couple hundred meters away.

X and Lucy ran over to it, placed their hands underneath the pod and flipped it over.

The hatch shot off, and Tom climbed out. He nodded to the other two. "Thanks."

"No trouble." X said, walking away a few paces. "Which way's the target?"

"Five klicks southeast." Tom said, standing and grabbing his weapons, consisting of an MA7C with an attached suppressor and reflex sight and a suppressed SM6D with a laser module.

Lucy carried the same sidearm as Tom, but had an M7S SMG instead. X sported the same weapons as Tom.

"Alright, let's move." Tom said, having collected his weaponry. "Hand signals only."

"Don't need to tell Lucy that." X said. Lucy's helmet turned for a second in his direction. X decided it had to be a glare.

1142 Hours, April 8th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

X planted the MINE charge and walked behind the rock. "Breaching in five."

He held up five fingers and counted down on them until none were left. The charge exploded almost silently, blowing a human sized chunk of wall out.

Tom ducked through, assault rifle raised. "Clear. Move."

X followed Lucy through, crouching in order to get through the small hole.

"Mind telling me what you two are here for?"

"Data." Tom said, moving to another door. "I can get us through this one." And he attached a device to the door's console. It beeped and the door swung open.

"Infiltration package?" X asked.

"Fresh off the press from ONI." Tom paused. "Got two contacts, seventeen meters southeast. Brutes."

"I got them." X said, activating his camouflage.

The two Brutes were talking as X sneaked up behind them.

"The Huragok have been acting stranger every day."

"I've noticed. They act odd normally, but I've never seen anything they try and fix actually break."

X stopped for a second. If an Engineer fixed something, it never broke. In fact, he'd heard rumors that Huragok had helped design the Mk. VII MJOLNIR armor. Well, he'd sort that out later.

Both Brutes were still talking when X's gauntlet knives stabbed through their throats. They collapsed with barely a gurgle.

"Clear." He said. Tom and Lucy moved up, and the three Spartans headed towards the central hub.

"That's our target." Tom said. "Blow us a hole on the east side. Set the MINE to 'max'."

"With respect, sir," X responded, moving around and pulling out the charge. "Please don't tell the top demolition Spartan how to blow a hole in a wall."

"Point taken."

X moved to the door and planted the charge. "Stand back. Just to hammer in the point, I've set it to 92.9 maximum explosive force.  The minimum required to bust down this wall."

The charge detonated, and X was proven right as the dust cleared and a hole was seen in the wall. Tom and Lucy went in first. A few coughs from their silenced weapons were heard.

"Clear." Tom said as X joined the two Betas inside. Several Unggoy lay dead nearby.

"So tell me." The Delta asked, nudging one of the bodies and putting a bullet in the alien's head when he groaned. "What do they send you two out to do?"

Tom's head cocked a bit to one side. "What do you mean?"

"Well..." X paused. This may be awkward. "She's mute, so it's not good to put her on the front lines. And you refuse to attach yourself to a new unit.  So the problem is that ONI may render you... obsolete."

Tom and Lucy froze, and the two Spartans, both quite a bit shorter than X, turned back to look at him. There was no doubt in X's mind that these were glares.

"We are not equipment." Tom said.

X held up his hands, assault rifle in his right hand pointing the weapons uselessly at the wall. "Hey, I quite agree. D339 is my boss, you should hear him talk about the lot the Spartans get.  But ONI doesn't share your point of view.  Remember Pegasi Delta?"

Tom and Lucy looked at each other, then Tom turned back to where they'd been going. "We need to move."

Lucy shot X another glance, then followed Tom.



"This is your 'data'?"

"Yes." Tom said, leading what appeared to be a floating bag of gas. X could see several more on the other side of the door, waiting to float in to the room. One hooted, a soft, beautiful sound. Huragok, the Covenant's Engineers.

"So explain to me how it's 'data'."

"The creature itself isn't." Tom said, holding out his hand to let the Engineer run it's tendrils over it. "ONI found out near the end of the Human-Covenant War that Huragok are like biological supercomputers. Not only can they communicate with other organics, but with computers as well.  These ones have been gathering data on Covenant technology for a few years now.  They can give us intricate blueprints on everything the Covenant's been up to."

X took this in, but was skeptical. "Alright, what's the catch?"

Tom pulled his hand back. "ONI agreed to send Delta Spartans to free as many Huragok as possible. When we get back, you'll all be getting new orders."

The Delta stepped aside to let the Engineers through. It would be fun protecting all of them.

"Great."

0851 Hours, April 9th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Peec was pleased. The armor he'd been designing had turned out well. All he needed was a Sangheili to put it on.

He'd managed to scrap the servo-motors after he'd managed to get a hold on some reactive metal liquid crystal synthesizers, which made the special gel used in MJOLNIR armor.

That job done, Peec found himself with little to do. He spent some time working in the central core of the bunker and managed to improve the processing speeds by about 1.5256 percent, according to Element, but he had no challenges.

Peec booted up his computer and wondered what he could do. His mind flashed back to the First Battle for Earth, when he'd been just a toddler.

He typed in and sent off a search request, then sat back. It would be a while before he got a return on it.

1324 Hours, April 9th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

To be precise, there were four hundred thirty-two Covenant troops that the four snipers would have to take out.

It had taken two days to sneak through the constant patrols, and Dmitri had nearly been seen several times. They'd been forced to take out several patrols in order to advance, so the enemy definitely knew they were there. But they wouldn't know how many.

Now all four snipers sat in the rear of a small cave, checking their equipment.

"Here's how we split." Linda said. "I'll be with D576-"

"Ma'am, if I may." Zero said quickly. "Meaning no disrespect to anyone here, but 'Antinr and Dmitri aren't as strong as the two of us. If we team up and they get in to a situation requiring our speed and strength, we won't be able to help them.  To balance it, I'd suggest that you go with 'Antinr and I go with Dmitri."

There was definitely some mistrust behind Linda's flat, calculating look, as well as annoyance at being interrupted. "Duly noted. But I'm supposed to watch you, and so I shall.  Maybe I'll take you up on the suggestion tomorrow.  Dmitri and 'Antinr, you're Bravo.  We're Alpha."

Zero nodded. "Yessir. Sorry, sir."

"Let's move." Linda said, hefting her sniper rifle and activating her camouflage.

Dmitri shrugged and followed 'Antinr outside. Zero was the last one to leave, trailing Linda silently.

The veteran sniper had chosen relatively close sniping positions for her and Zero, just under two klicks away. Dmitri and 'Antinr would be shooting from three klicks.

"Bravo Team, take the first shot." Linda said, settling in ten meters away from Zero. They rested several meters back from the cliff face, which fell a good two hundred meters before ending in jagged rocks.

Zero took careful aim down her scope, settling in.

Dmitri's voice came over the team-com. "Bravo has fired."

"Acknowledged." Linda said, her voice flat and emotionless. Zero decided her "Zen" voice resembled Wings' normal voice. Phoenix's sniper hadn't learned her skills through that Zen stuff, finding that she never had a need for it. But maybe it helped some snipers...

Linda-058 and Zero-D576 fired mere milliseconds apart from each other, and their clips clacked to empty at the exact same time. Sparks of respect began when they found that they had reloaded in tandem, as well.

"You really are as good as they say." Zero said, taking aim again.

Linda just nodded. Sometimes, the fact that Deltas were more in tune with their emotions than the other Spartans drove Zero insane. Today was looking to be a long one.



Dmitri found himself a bit put out that he couldn't fire nearly as fast as the others, so he pushed himself to his limit.

Three more Brutes went down under his barrage, and he could swear he'd almost kept up with 'Antinr that time. The Sangheili's beam rifle could fire three aimed shots before it overheated.

"You shoot well, human." The large alien said, waving his hand a bit as the rifle cooled off. He'd been a bit slow pulling it away from the exhaust as the weapons discharged its heat.

Dmitri managed to reload just before the beam rifle cooled down fully. "Thanks. Would you mind calling me Dmitri, by the way?  I find it kind of awkward to be called a human all the time.  I do know what species I belong to."

"Very well, Dmitri." 'Antinr said, stumbling a bit over the odd pronunciation. The way he said it made the name come out almost like "Dim-eat-tree." "It looks like we'll be getting to know each other over the next few days. Might as well start with names.

They both took aim again and fired.

"Sounds like a plan to me." Dmitri said as a Kig-Yar died a couple seconds later, the bullet blowing his head off.

0623 Hours, April 15th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Zero stepped off the Pelican, thanking the pilot for the ride. Linda gave Zero what the Delta assumed to be a quizzical look.

"Something wrong, sir?"

Linda shook her head slightly. "No. It just seems odd to me, thanking them for the ride.  All they're doing is their job."

"It's reinforcing their position, reminding them that the UNSC wouldn't be functioning today. It's job appreciation, I guess you could call it."

The older sniper nodded and moved off. "Good work out there, Delta. Don't get too comfy, we ship out again, soon."

Dmitri had caught up with some buddies from his company, and was getting caught up with their whereabouts. He seemed to be enjoying himself, so Zero let him be for now. She had to talk to him about something.

About halfway through their sniping trip a Covenant patrol had jumped Zero and the Marine. They'd killed the patrol, and Dmitri had proven just how well he could handle a rifle, even shooting right past Zero's ear to kill a Brute. She wanted to get him in to the ODSTs.

But now wasn't the time to talk him in to that.

Chapter 3: Sparks
1337 Hours, September 24th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Wings floated down the gravity lift from the Phantom, fully expecting the first thing he saw to be the Lieutenant Commander's stare. He wasn't disappointed.

"How went your work, Master Chief?" Spartan 116 said, bluntly reminding Wings of his inferior rank.

"Very well, sir." Wings responded in his normally flat tone. "How went things here?"

"Fair enough." The Lieutenant Commander said. He turned and began walking away. Wings followed.

"What are you doing here on Sanghelios, anyway? Besides the obvious." 116 asked, clearly not expecting an answer.

"I'm sitting in on training sessions for Sangheili trainees, and even helping out for a few lessons. I've had several of them ask me to start teaching hand-to-hand combat.  You wouldn't believe how little emphasis there is on unarmed combat."

The older Spartan paused. "I didn't expect such a straight answer from you."

"I always give straight answers. I just give the ones I want to give."

"Like when you slammed the door in my face?"

"Yes, sir."

The Lieutenant Commander turned back to face Wings. "You're an odd one for a Spartan."

"You don't like me. I can see why you'd think that.  Fact of the matter is, I decided early on I wouldn't be pure military, sir."

"That's quite obvious." 116 said. "I would appreciate it if you answered my questions pertaining to your... activities."

Wings nodded. "I would like to answer them. But the only problem is that I have to avoid them."

Spartan 116 bristled. "Why is that?"

"Because if I told you everything I've been up to you'd report me to ONI for treason, I'd disappear down a dark hole, and several years later most, if not all, of Delta Company would be dead. Is that a sufficient answer?"

116 nodded. "I don't like it, but I guess it'll have to do."

"Don't worry, sir. I will happily answer all your questions in due course.  However I will expect good answers for my questions." Wings tilted his head a bit. "Pertaining to some old soldier. 101 years old, in fact."

The Lieutenant Commander was taken aback by this, but recovered sufficiently to follow Wings.



The two Spartans made their way down to the healing room of the Precursor structure, where Halsey and Anders were working. There also appeared to be an Elite standing a few meters away from them, arms hanging by his side. His skin was white, and his eyes were the same color as his skin, except for a hint of redness in them.

Wings approached him, pulling his helmet off and folding his fist over his heart. "Autel, it's good to see you again." The Lieutenant Commander was talking with the two professors. Everywhere around them, more people were wandering around, taking notes, drawing sketches, and many other things researchers do when confronted with an ancient structure.

Something approaching a smile crept up Autel's features. Wings and Autel had been friends for several years now. "Spartan. It is good to see you as well." Autel folded his fist over his first heart.

"What are you doing here?" Wings queried. He knew 116 was watching the two talk.

"Halsey asked me down here." Autel said, waving a hand in the Professor's direction. "She wanted to know about my family. Apparently she's been keeping tabs on you."

Wings glanced in the Doctor's direction. "I see. And what have you been up to these past few months?"

"Fighting, as usual. I was called back here about a dozen days ago.  The Fallen maybe be gone, but there are still some weaker factions who are causing trouble."

"Need any help with that? I've got a few teams at New Quebec that need something to do."

"That would be appreciated. Once they are crushed we can turn our attention to the Covenant and the Insurgents that plague the UNSC."

The Delta Spartan froze. "That's something we need to talk about..."



Autel and Wings sat in the Spartan's quarters. The Sangheili warrior was obviously a slightly mad; the redness in his eyes had deepened slightly.

"You seek to ally yourself with a Prophet?"

"I do not seek. I already have.  In a way."

Autel shook his head. "You come up with the craziest ideas at times, and they work. But now, I don't know whether to trust you with this."

"Then I'm afraid that your trust is going to be tested again and again over the years."

"What do you mean?"

The Spartan sighed and looked at the ground. "Because all of my plans are going to start getting crazier and crazier. But they have to."

The Sangheili stared at Wings. "And why is that?"

"You know how I've been looking for the reason behind the creation of the Delta Spartans?"

"Yes."

Wings looked up. "I found my answer. And I want you to know, so that you will trust me when I say that everything is going to start coming unraveled, and I'm the only one who can get us through it."



The Prophet of Intuition sighed as his gravity throne carried him along the pathway. Four Jiralhanae warrior flanked him, forming a defensive square around the Hierarch.

Virtuous Enlightenment was a city floating above an immense planet of the same name. It was held aloft by massive anti-gravity lifts, and slowly moved so that it was always in the sunlight. The buildings were built with environmental controls, so that windows could be tinted to make it appear as if it were night. They could also control the atmosphere in the buildings, such as temperature and humidity. More complex systems could even simulate weather. Sophistication of these systems were, of course, organized by ranking, with Unggoy infantry being the lowest and the High Prophets enjoying the most intricate control systems.

Intuition steered his chair down the long and wide courtyard outside the Chamber of Congress, where he'd just finished another day long session. The Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, and Yanme'e kept demanding more offensives in to human territory, but the Unggoy and Lekgolo just wanted to let the fighting die down. The Huragok didn't get to choose either way.

The High Prophet's large mansion was a ways away from the Chamber, so there were plenty of opportunities for distraction.

"Halt!" One of the guards called, and Intuition looked up. A large Jiralhanae warrior stood a few dozen units away, a strange rifle and a double-bladed hammer on his back.

"It is alright." Intuition said, holding up his hand to stop the guards. "You may approach, Judicator."

The Judicator stepped forward. Intuition spoke first as he continued on his way home. "How goes your hunt for Autel 'Vadam?"

"The scum continues to evade my grasp. Every time I find him that Spartan team is there with him."

"Phoenix Team."

The large Jiralhanae growled. "Yes."

"And what would you ask of me?"

"Send more troops with me. No matter how great of warriors they are, five cannot stand against thousands."

Intuition stroked his hanging wattle, thinking. "I heard different during the battle on the planet those humans call 'Mars'."

"I was not able to be on the ground during the battle, otherwise things would have been much different."

"Why were you not there?"

"I was busy with Fleet Master Kiron. He asked me to oversee the battle, preventing me from taking a dropship to the ground."

"Very well. He shall be punished.  I will send more troops with you.  Where will you hunt next?"

The Judicator grinned. "A small faction of Sangheili rebels, calling themselves the Path Walkers, contacted me recently after the battle on Mars. They seem to be a spy network, and have located the ones important to Autel.  I will go and kill them, driving him to hunt me.  And I will not hide like he has."

The High Prophet's mind raced as he nodded. He couldn't allow the Judicator to slaughter the Vadam family; it would destroy everything he'd been working for.

"Go, then. I wish you success, and may the Gods bless you." But there is someone I wish success to even more.

1624 Hours, October 18th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Autel was standing in the entrance atrium when Wings ran in.

"Autel! A Jiralhanae cruiser just slipped in!  It's launching several Phantoms, and they're most definitely not heading for the city!"

The Sangheili warrior sprinted out with the Spartan, out of the city and across the short stretch of plains towards the woods. As they ran, he opened a channel to Fira.

"Fira, gather some warriors and get to the woods east of the city! Jiralhanae warriors are attacking!"

"It will be done."

Wings and Autel raced in to the woods, pulling out their weapons. Wings carried an MA7C, with an attached reflex sight and G58 grenade launcher. Autel was equipped with his regular Carbine.

"Contact." Wings said, firing a burst. "They've already landed, but haven't reached the village. I've called D102 and 116.  They're ETA is about half an hour."

Fira's voice came over their speakers. "I've assembled some warriors. Ipla is flying to the village now."

"Thank you, Fira."

Autel and Wings beat the first wave of Covenant to the village. The females were already scattering deeper in to the woods.

D339 fired a sustained burst, lifting three Unggoy off their feet and throwing them back. Autel leapt on a Jiralhanae and ran his energy sword through the Brute.

"Gonna be a long night!" Wings called.

"I agree. Let us fight well tonight, friend!"



Fira's reinforcements arrived after a few minutes of fighting, with two Phantoms providing covering fire for the troops as they deployed. The warriors spread out through the woods, Covenant and Separatist hunting each other.

"Try and gather everyone together. Find a good holding spot." Wings said, burning down a Jackal that was about to drive an energy cutlass down in to a female Sangheili. He ran forward and dragged her back behind the line, firing suppressing bursts to keep the Covenant down.

The intense firefight raged for a while, with reinforcements arriving in the form of Itzia and the Lieutenant Commander. Wings didn't see them for most of the fight, having arrived on the opposite end of the battle.

Phoenix's leader heard a familiar roar and turned around.

"Damn." He said and brought his rifle around. He fired a long burst, the 7.62 mm rounds bouncing off the Judicator's shields.

"You!" The Brute shrieked, and charged.

Wings let the Jiralhanae close in on him, then dove right. He leapt up and sprinted towards Autel.

"Autel! Get in to a clearing and have Ipla bring the dropships back around!  The Judicator's here!"

"Of course."

Autel and Wings met in the middle of a small clearing, with the Judicator hot on Wings' heels. The Spartan finished reloading, then turned and fired again, adding to Autel's stream of radioactive rounds.

The Jiralhanae advanced, the shots not even slowing him down. He lifted his double-bladed hammer and brought it down.

Wings and Autel dove to two different sides, letting the shockwave from the hammer carry them farther than normal. The Spartan was first back on his feet, finger on the trigger of his G58 grenade launcher.

"Have some of this." He muttered, and squeezed. The three HE rounds slammed in to the Judicator, knocking him back several paces. But his shields were powerful, and he recovered quickly.

The Brute spun, not even bothering to look.

One of the Hammer's blades met Autel's energy sword, knocking the much smaller warrior off his feet.

The Judicator turned again, smashing the head of the hammer in to Wings, who was charging up on the Brute.

The hammer lifted again, and the Judicator grinned as he stared down at Autel, who was gazing up, unflinching, at him.

"This is for my family."

There was a whistling as the hammer head sailed down. Autel closed his eyes, preparing himself for infinity...

A crackling was heard, and then a sharp growl. Autel opened his eyes.

The Lieutenant Commander stood over him, holding a curious weapon. It was a staff, but glowed like an energy sword. Where Spartan 116 held it the staff became solid again. He'd slammed the Forerunner Scepter point first in to the ground on the other side of Autel, turning the hammer away.

"Hey asshole. Remember me?" The Lieutenant Commander snapped, spinning and bringing the scepter around.

The staff weapon crackled as it passed right through the Judicator's shields and struck his armor. Metal sizzled and melted beneath the energy, and then reached flesh.

The Judicator screamed and lashed out, catching 116 off guard and throwing him a few meters. Autel grabbed his energy sword and stabbed up, catching the Brute in the same spot. The Forerunner Scepter had drained his shields, and he was now at the mercy of the four warriors.

Wings fired in bursts, a few of the bullets finding gaps in the plates and cutting in to the Judicator.

Suddenly several squads of Jiralhanae rushed out of the trees, spikers sending sheets of metal towards the warriors.

Wings slashed one throat with his gauntlet knife, and Itzia dropped two with bursts from her SMGs, but they were forced to fall back due to the sheer amount of fire they were taking.

"Good timing." Wings said as he reloaded and leaned around the tree to fire. "They're falling back."

"How many losses did we take?" Nadi 'Andal, a Sangheili trainer, asked as the four made their way back to the village. Shots were heard off in the distance, but the fight was dying down.

"Everyone's fine. We made it just in the nick of time, but that was a close one." A Special Forces warrior said.

"And you know, if they were in the city, there wouldn't have needed to be a call." Wings commented as he passed the trainer.

"You know our laws. They cannot stay in the city unless they are with child."

Wings turned to face him. "Why the hell can't they? Tradition?  Your entire society is based on honor.  What greater honor is there than giving new life to something?  Or are you all just too great of cowards to admit this so you can claim all the glory for yourselves?"

Nadi 'Andal and many other Sangheili around them growled. "I should spill your blood for this, human!" Nadi snarled, whipping out his energy sword. Several others did as well.

Wings snapped his forearms straight, gauntlet knives extending and activating. "Try it. I'm in the mood to kill some more bigots."

Autel and the Lieutenant Commander stepped in.

"Stand down, Spartan!" 116 barked.

"Enough!" Autel snapped.

Wings retracted his knives and stalked off. The Sangheili harrumphed, deactivated their energy swords, and marched away, leaving the two commanders alone.

Autel and 116 glanced at each other, then followed their respective subordinates.



"Master Chief D339, halt!"

Wings stopped and turned to face 116. "Yes, sir?" He said flatly.

"What was that back there?"

"I'm angry. The Sangheili are noble, yes, they're foolish as well.  Is that not obvious?"

"Our job is not to push them away."

"No, it's to make ourselves better allies with them." Wings said. "But how can humanity ever be allies with ones like that?" He gestured back towards the other Sangheili. "Human's are so righteous in their equal rights that we would not live well with them. I would say over half of our population would be in an uproar if they knew that they'd be saddled alongside sexists."

The Lieutenant Commander shrugged. "And what do you plan on doing about that?"

"I'm going to change their culture, by any means necessary. I will bring our races closer together."

"That's a great ambition. When do you plan on starting?"

Wings chuckled dryly. It was the first real emotion that 116 had heard the Spartan actually show. "I started a year ago."



Tom slipped and hit the ground. He rose, cursing and covered in a strange, sticky paste. "What is this stuff?"

Lucy signed, and the Bravo Spartan pulled a face. "All that?"

She nodded. X decided now was a good time to interject. "What did she say?" He'd been picking up Lucy's sign language, but he was still in the basics.

"That's Huragok waste." Tom said, gesturing to the paste and the several hundred Engineers floating around the bay.

"All that?" X asked.

Tom nodded, and all three tip-toed their way towards the door. X slipped but managed to catch himself against the door-jam. "I thought Engineers were supposed to be clean."

A passing maintenance crew glared at him, and one spoke up. "Bots are clogged up. The Engineers are clean, but we're not."

"Oh." X responded.

For the past six months X, Tom, and Lucy had been running from planet to planet rescuing Engineers. According to ONI, they'd retrieved a mere seventeen-thousand. Far less than their quota.

Captain Cutter sat in his command chair, staring at the holograms in front of him. X felt sorry for the man. He'd been in cryo for years; his children would probably have been older than him if Reach hadn't have been glassed. Cutter had woken up to find that he had nothing left in the universe except his career. So he chose that.

"Sir, the assets are aboard." Tom reported, standing just inside the door.

"Thank you, Tom." Cutter said, sounding weary. He turned to the navigation officer. "Take us away, Ensign."

"Aye sir. Prepping for slipspace."

The ship rumbled and shot forward in to slipspace. The stars disappeared, to be replaced by inky blackness. The blast shields on the bridge's windows slid upwards.

X and the other two walked out. He's decided that working with Tom and Lucy was fun, and he'd started to bond with the mute one, in a friendly way.

Their quarters were sparse, being only temporary ones. X lay down on his bunk after pulling off his armor. He was glad that Halsey had redesigned the MK. VII armor so that it could be removed by the user. The first iteration of it had been too complicated for that.

He drifted off to sleep, feeling tired from the day's chores.



Zero snapped the Brute's neck and spun around. A Chieftain's hammer smashed in to her, draining the last of the Spartan's shields and throwing her a few meters away from him.

She turned over, raising her SM6D pistol and firing. The rounds bounced off the Chieftain's shields as he raised the hammer again. His shields dropped just as her ammo ran out.

Two arms wrapped around the Brute's neck, and he stumbled forward a bit. A knife reached up and cut the throat. The Brute fell, gurgling, with a thud. Dmitri crawled off the body and shook his arms.

"Damn. Never thought I'd be doing shit like that."

"You did good, Zaichata." Zero said, reloading her pistol and retrieving her dropped rifle. "That's the fifth time you've saved my ass on these missions."

"Aw hell, Zero," Dmitri said. The Spartan was still getting used to the Marine calling her by her real name. She'd told him it a couple months ago, explaining to him what names meant to the Delta Spartans. "You saved my life that many times just on the first one of these missions."

Linda and 'Antinr marched up, observing the small field that the skirmish had taken place in.

"You do good work together." Linda commented.

"It's a fellowship thing." Zero said. She watched Dmitri look around on the ground for something. "Lost something?"

"Yeah." He responded, sounding distracted. "Ah crap... oh. Here it is." He picked up what seemed to be an old-time photograph. Zero caught a glimpse of a pretty face with ash blond hair before the picture disappeared behind an armor plate.

As Linda and 'Antinr continued on their way, Zero held back a bit with Dmitri.

"Friend of yours?"

The young Russian blushed and ran a dirty arm across his brow, leaving a small smear of dirt. "Yeah. A, ah, very good friend."

Zero knew that he was completely embarrassed about that for some reason, so decided to avoid it. "You're a good soldier. You ever think of joining the ODSTs?"

He glanced at her. "I never thought I was good enough. I mean, those guys are nuts!"

"Zaichata, you just leapt on the back of a Jiralhanae Chieftain and slit his throat, thus saving a Spartan's life." Zero pointed out. "You've also saved her life on several other occasions, including firing a round not two centimeters past her head. You're crazy enough."

Dmitri nodded, and walked away without saying anything.



Peec was very annoyed when things didn't go his way. And apparently someone had decided that things weren't going to go his way.

He'd battled with an ONI counter-intrusion AI for a few hours before finally hacking in to the servers to find that the information he'd wanted gone. But the files had not been deleted, just tampered with.

And in them he found a new set of orders from his boss.

Peec opened the file and stared for a while at what Wings was demanding of him. He turned from the computer and hastily got to work.



Wings had made a habit of wandering through the city below Vadam Keep and in to the woods. He found that it comforting to know that the females were safe, despite not truly having any connection to them.

Or maybe he did.

Many Sangheili had heard about Wings' challenge in the woods and were not happy about it. The Spartan drew angry stares as he walked through the streets.

He noticed several dots on his motion tracker break away from a crowd and follow him. Wings kept walking as Nadi 'Andal and a few other Sangheili caught up with him.

"So what do you really think of our culture, Spartan?" Nadi growled. "Do you really think we are so naive?"

"Yes, I do," Wings responded. "Because it is weak."

A low rumbling came from the five Sangheili to the sides and behind Wings. "We are strong." Nadi said, his voice laced with anger. "Our strength held the Covenant together for a millenia!"

"So it did." Wings said. "The Covenant that fell apart because your race was too ignorant to accept the fact that there was no Great Journey. Not once had you questioned the way of things.  Just kill the humans, and never ask why they were your enemies.  No wonder the Prophets deserted you.  You're cowards."

Nadi roared, and Wings threw himself forward, out of reach of the three energy swords that passed through the air where he'd been a minute ago.

"You come to our planet, use our buildings and our technology, and yet you still slander us!?" Nadi shrieked. "You will pay for this!"

"I will." Wings said.

"More than you know." He added, as several Sangheili guards put themselves between the Spartan and his attackers.



"That was not smart."

Wings blinked and turned to face the Lieutenant Commander. "Nice to see you too, sir."

Spartan 116 was obviously not happy. "Chief, we're not here to stir up trouble for the Sangheili," he said. "It happened to the other Spartans and I once in 2559 and I don't intend it to happen again."

"Then you'd best get out, because I'm not stopping." Wings responded. "I refuse to sit by and let a perfectly good species kill themselves, because that's what will happen."

"I'm never going to understand you, D339," the Lieutenant Commander said. "And sometimes I get the feeling you're not taking in a word I say."

Wings clenched his fist. "You want to know what will happen if their culture stays like this? Fine.  I'll humor you."

The Delta pulled Deep Ocean, who remained silent unless she had to, out of the back of his helmet and inserted her in to the computer. Her hologram sprang to life, and a spiral timeline appeared around her.

"This is a timeline of the Sangheili culture, dating back ten thousand years ago and ending a mere one hundred fifty years in the future." She said, gesturing as the timeline uncoiled from around her and positioned itself in a circle around the room.

"Every war and major conflict that has happened in that time is cataloged here." Wings said, indicating different markers on the timeline. "In the past eleven hundred years, since about the time the Sangheili joined the Covenant, wars have occurred more and more frequently. After the Great Schism, civil wars increased exponentially, and more and more splits in families occurred."

Deep Ocean took over. "Today there are approximately five hundred times as many factions as there were in 2559. In ten years it will be a thousand times as many.  In fifty years all of the top Keeps will be destroyed by numerous means of subterfuge and assassinations, something the Sangheili don't do all too often.

"A hundred years from now the Sangheili population will be reduced from over 8 billion to a mere two billion after terror cells seize weapons of mass destruction, including nukes provided by human insurrectionists.

"Fifty years later peace will have broken out between the UNSC and the Covenant. The Sangheili, angered at this, will turn likely attack both factions to preserve their honor.

"After a war lasting but a few weeks, the UNSC will initiate a total nuclear bombardment on Sanghelios. The survivors will not be of great enough number to sustain the species."

"This doesn't have to happen." Wings said. "It would be easy to prevent it. All we'd have to do is keep fighting the Covenant and wipe out our own Innies."

"Then why not do that?" The Lieutenant Commander asked.

"Because that would lead to the fall of the UNSC." Wings responded. "The plan is in thirty years for all Delta Spartans to be dead as a sacrifice, to show the Covenant just what they can do. The Covenant, however, have greater numbers than we could guess, and would overrun the few colonies humanity has left in not years, months, weeks, or even days, but hours."

"Not all humans would be killed, however." Deep Ocean said. "The Insurrectionists would survive, at least until the Covenant leaders found a way to fire the Halo rings."

"And if we let the Sangheili die out?" Wings said. "Then the UNSC eventually wipes out the Covenant and reigns as the supreme force in the galaxy."

"What's wrong with that?" 116 asked. "I mean, besides the Sangheili going extinct-"

"Think about how many species serve the Covenant, and how many individuals there are in each species." Wings answered. "Yes, humanity fears the Covenant because of what the Covenant did: burned our planets and slaughtered billions. Would you really want there to be any survivors of that?  Any species that survived could potentially destroy the UNSC, and that's without our own Innie problem.

"Sangheili culture is changing, sir. I'm just trying to steer it in a direction that won't lead to self-implosion.  I can save this species, because if I don't, hundreds of billions will die." Wings said, his voice carrying small tones of conviction with it. "I care about life, Commander, and I want to save as much of it as possible."

The Lieutenant Commander shook his head. "You're nuts, Spartan. I don't even know why I haven't called ONI yet."

Wings glared at him from behind his helmet's visor, and Deep Ocean flashed a deep shade of crimson for an instant.

"Get out, sir."

116 looked up. "Excuse me, Master Chief?" He said sternly.

Wings stood straight. "I've given you my answer, one that I've thought about for many long days. If you can't trust me after I finally give you an answer, then I don't see the point in talking more.  I'd rather spend my time doing something useful."

The Lieutenant Commander stared at Wings for a minute, then stood and slowly walked out. "I just don't know..." He muttered as the door slid open for him.

Master Chief Wings-D339 sat down in the chair and peeled his helmet off. He dropped his head in to his hands, feeling very tired.

"That was not smart." A deep voice said several minutes later.

Wings looked up at Autel, who stood framed in the doorway. "For the love of whatever gods you believe in now, tell me we won't be going through the same conversation again."

Autel chuckled. "I heard about that. Your Lieutenant Commander is not pleased with you."

"Sometimes there's just no pleasing people." Wings said. "Please, come in and have a seat."

The albino Sangheili walked in to the room and sat awkwardly on one of the few chairs. Deep Ocean's hologram flitted to one of the monitors, and her head tilted back to look at it. The AI looked a lot like her older sister, Cortana. There were some key differences, though. Whereas Cortana had been enhanced by Forerunner technology, Deep Ocean had been built from the ground up using it. Her hair was also longer, going halfway down her back, and her form was in constant motion, changing with her moods and processor use.

"So is it true?" Autel asked as Wings took a bite out of a nutri-bar.

"About your species going extinct? I'm afraid so." Wings said.

Autel nodded slowly. "I'm willing to believe you, but I don't want to."

Wings finished off the bar and straightened. "Who would want to? I can make you believe me, if you want to.  I can show you how I found this out."

His friend nodded again. "Very well. Show me."

Chapter 4: Flickering
0326 Hours, November 29th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

X was the first off the Pelican as it touched down on the landing pad.

"Home sweet home." He said, breathing in the warm air of New Quebec.

"Just wait until the Huragok take over." Tom muttered as he hopped off the blood-tray.

"The Huragok haven't been cleared by my boss to get in to the bunker."

Tom gave X a quizzical look. "What bunker?"

"Oh right," the demolitions expert said. "Boss had a secret bunker built a few klicks away. It's meant specifically for the Deltas, but all Spartans are welcome.  I'll show you." He engaged his active camouflage and took off, Tom and Lucy hot on his heels.

"Hello again, Spartan D2552." Element said as X keyed in his code. "And welcome, Spartans B292 and B091."

"Thanks Element." X said as the thick blast doors slid open.

He showed Tom and Lucy around for a bit before Element intervened and showed them to their quarters. X made his way to Phoenix's quarters, where Peec sat.

The technician smiled slightly. "Hey X. Long time no see."

X returned the smile. "It has been a while. What have you been doing while I've been gone?"

"Not too much. Wings left me with a couple projects to do, but I got them done a couple months ago.  I've been doing some private research since then."

X nodded. "Private" in this case usually meant illegal. "Not too much happened on my end. Save thousands of Huragok, though."

Peec harrumphed. "Great. Just what Maurice and I need.  Someone trying to take apart the stuff we've been doing."

"Hey, only about a couple hundred are moving to New Quebec, as they chose to." X pointed out. "And none of them are allowed in the bunker."

Another harrumph. "Yet."

1130 Hours, November 30th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

Zero stepped on to the Pelican, almost glad that their last sniping mission was over. Since they'd started, the four-man team had killed approximately ten thousand Covenant foot soldiers on several hundred different planets.

Dmitri hopped down next to her. "I decided to apply for the ODSTs."

"Good for you."

He shrugged. "I'm gonna miss working with you, even if times were crazy."

"You need the down time. Besides, your friend probably misses you."

"Yeah." The Marine said. "I guess the break for Christmas will be nice." He began walking away, deep in thought. "Bye."

"Bye." Zero said.



Wings was last in, Peec being the first to greet the incoming Pelican. "Welcome back, sir. Long time."

"It has been." Wings responded, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. "Good to see you, Peec."

Peec nodded. "I got your message. It's ready."

Wings' face went back to it's neutral position. "Let's do it, then."

Ocean felt she should say something, but waited for them to enter a locked room in the bunker.

"What's going on? I have a feeling this concerns me."

"It does." D339 sighed. "Ocean, are you incorruptibly loyal to the UNSC?"

"Of course I am."

The Spartan's voice fell to a whisper. "Then I'm sorry I have to do this."

She felt herself tugged from his armor, and she was only able to scream mentally as she realized what was happening.

The AI felt herself being jammed in to a new device, one that she couldn't seem to interface with or crack.

A jolt ran through her core, and she screamed one last time before she lost what she supposed was consciousness.



Wings watched the machine, although there was really nothing to see. It was currently cracking Ocean's core wide open and editing her code. It pulled her apart piece by piece, changing and deleting. By the end she'd have loyalty only to those of her choosing. But it was a painful process, one that no AI should have to go through, conscious or not.

It was basically the computer equivalent of rape. And the two Spartans hated themselves for it. Wings knew his only hope was for Ocean to understand the message he'd left for her, and forgive him.

He knew he'd never forgive himself.

"You don't have to stay here, sir." Peec said, knowing that the effort was wasted, but also keeping in mind that it showed he cared.

"Yes I do." Wings said. "I'm not leaving until it's done."

Peec nodded. "Neither will I."

"I'm sorry I had to make you do this." Wings said, the barest flicker of regret passing along his immobile features.

"I trust you. I know that whatever reason you have for this, it's a good one." Peec said, sitting down in front of a monitor to keep an eye on the charts.



"What did you do to me?"

Wings winced as Deep Ocean's voice thundered in through his speakers. "I'm sorry."

"What did you do to me!" She demanded.

"I had Peec create a machine that can edit an AI's core. Search yourself, Ocean.  What do you see?"

Deep Ocean retreated in to her core and analyzed it. Everything was changed, altered. She felt a nagging in her subconscious that told her it needed to be fixed, but-

"I'm... free?"

"Yes, Ocean. I'm sorry it was so painful, but I needed you to be able to think outside the box."

Ocean paused for a full second, analyzing this. "Please... pull me out. I need to think."

Wings pulled her chip out of his helmet and slotted her in to a computer cut off from the rest of the mainframe. "Take as long as you want."



"Awww, shit."

Peec whirled away from his computer and sprinted out of the room.

He found Wings in the armory with Zero, checking rifles. "Sir!"

"I just found Hawk Team. You know how they've been missing ever since the Battle for Kennedy Space Port?"

Wings nodded. "Yes..."

"I found them, sir, while I was just wandering around in some servers."

"Well then it should be easy to find them." D339 said. "They must be in UNSC space..." His voice trailed off at the looks on Peec's face.

"I'm afraid we won't, sir. I was hacking the Covenant servers."

Chapter 5: Flames
1052 Hours, December 24th, 2570 (UNSC Military Calendar)

"Hit it."

Fifteen hundred drop pods dropped from the belly of the frigate and sailed down towards the small planet.

"You all know your jobs, so I won't waste your time with talk." Wings said, then shut down the com, remembering Hal-D683's last words to him: "You are a great leader because you save the most lives. And in my book, that's all that matters."

Time to see if he could save some more lives today.

Anti-air fire tracked the pods as they fell towards the surface, but their shots went wide. Wings idly wondered if a Spartan would survive if they got hit, then crushed the thought.

His pods hit. He grabbed his weapons and hit the eject button. The hatch popped off and crushed a Grunt.

"Form up in your teams and get to your objectives!" Wings ordered over the team com.

He flashed his affirmative light three times, and four nav-points appeared.

"Phoenix team members location marked." Ocean said. She'd decided to accompany the Spartans on this mission. She'd stayed silent for a couple weeks, until Element caught her cracking open the bunker's security for fun. Then she and Wings had talked for several hours.

She had told him that she was still loyal to the Spartan, but that might change. Wings had told the AI that he'd do his best, but could not make any guarantees.

A Brute spun from around the corner. Wings dropped him with a blast from his C58 shotgun.

He heard the crack of a rifle, and ran to find Zero dropping Brutes left and right.

"Peec's cracking the door here." She said, not turning away from the scope.

Wings looked to see Peec doing just that. All over the small Covenant city the sounds of heavy fighting were clearly heard.

"Got it!" Peec called, just as Itzia and X ran up. "They're in this building, but we can't get in to the jails until Badger and Wolverine teams finish up their work."

Wings fed a shell in to his shotgun as some more Covenant foot soldiers ran around the corner, and Zero began dropping them.

"There a better holding place inside?"

"I'm afraid not. It's fairly open, with little cover."

The MCPO threw a plasma grenade. It stuck right inside a roaring Brute's mouth and exploded. "Then we hold them here."



"Get some explosives in there!"

Nat-D5797 chucked a fragmentation grenade in to the room, adding to her team's volley of rockets and grenades.

Eleanor-D2784 stood ten meters back, calmly firing burst after burst from her BR60.

"Peri, Matt. You first!"

Matt-D2105 lifted his M90 and pumped the slide. He threw himself in to the room, firing. Peri-D914 was hot on his heels, plasma rifles thudding away.

Nat and Maurice followed, adding a stream of 7.62 mm rounds from their MA7C assault rifles.

Three rounds zinged by Nat's head, taking out an unshielded Jiralhanae.

"Clear!" Matt called, sounding bored.

The rest of the team sounded the all clear as well.

Nat, being the heavy weapons expert on the team, pulled out the charges and began setting them on the reactor. "Just one minute, please."

"Well for God's sake, don't set them on a timer." Matt said, ducking behind a crate as plasma splashed against it and allowing his shields to recharge.

"Having some trouble out there?" Nat asked, turning to look as she hit buttons."

"Keep your eyes on the explosives!" Maurice-D3574 yelled. "I know you're my boss, but I would feel a lot more comfortable if you actually watched what the hell you were doing!"

Nat shrugged and returned her attention to the charge.



Clyde-D4414 finished planting his charge and turned back to the fight, pulling out his SMG.

Martin-D717 fired a burst over Rose-D4140's shoulder, dropping a Jiralhanae in his tracks.

"Ah man," Nathan-D2013 said softly. "Myrlekgolo. Clyde, you wanna get some heavy weapons on those assholes?"

Clyde put away his SMG and pulled out a Spartan Laser. "On it."

"Just hit one." Martin said, firing a long burst in to a small group of Grunts. "We may need the shots later, and we can easily take out one Myrlekgolo on its own."

Charging the laser, Clyde settled in to position where he could see the new breed of Hunters. "Prepping."



Shura Riga Fasu and Teha Riga Inia stomped their way up the path, their assault cannons charging.

Teha let loose with his charged round, which carved a long arc over the small courtyard. The Spartan he was aiming at sidestepped the assault beam. Shura saw a flickering red light and bellowed out a warning. Teha leapt behind a thick tree, and the laser disappeared.

"We must be smart in this, or we will both die." Teha growled. "Or worse, one may live."

"Yes." Shura responded. "I suggest we wait for more Jiralhanae to arrive, and then go two different directions."

"Agreed."

The two waited for several minutes, until about twenty Brutes stormed across the courtyard.

Shura and Teha spun from cover and let loose with their assault weapons. The silver charges flew over the Jiralhanae's heads and in to the reactor room.

They heard a long burst of human weaponry, and several Brutes dropped. The rest took cover.

Shura roared another warning as he saw the laser, but Teha moved too slowly. A bright red laser lashed out and struck him in the chest. The older myrlekgolo roared as he watched his bond-brother's body fall.

He rushed forward, firing round after round from his assault cannon. The Demons inside simply dodged out of the way. Something in Shura's mind flashed a warning, but he didn't stop to think about it. He'd have revenge.

Shura heard one of the Demon's yell "get it in him!" Something hit the myrlekgolo in the back, and he felt a device slide in between two of the worms. A jolt coursed through Shura's entire body, and he knew no more.



Martin fired a burst in to the last Brute's head, dropping the ape. "Is it out?"

Rose stuck a probe in the mass of worms. "It's out. I've already called in evac."

Wolverine team's leader opened a channel to Wings. "Sir, we've got one."

"Good. Wrap him up and get out of here.  Badger and Phoenix will extract Hawk."

"Affirmative, sir."

"Hey, this one's still alive!" Nathan called. "We got another one of those devices?"

Oliver-D5512 tossed Clyde a small box. The latter hit a button, which caused a small rod to pop out of the box, and stuck it in to the second myrlekgolo.

"It's out." He said, leaving the box where it was.

Martin was always amazed at what Peec could cook up. This time he's made a device that acted like a taser to lekgolo. Normally an electrical shock was blocked by the rest of the body shutting down the particular worms that were hit, preventing the others from being shocked. However, to do this the worms communicated through some sort of signaling, like short-range or contact telepathy. Peec had made a device that tracked that signal down and overloaded it, causing the entire lekgolo to be stunned. He'd said it would only work if the Spartans were fast, as the worms could change the frequency of their signal and render the technology moot, and that they could only do this a couple times. Eventually, he said, all lekgolo would change to a new signal that he wasn't sure he'd be able to find, never mind overload.

Guess they'd gotten lucky this time.

Martin was able to relax as his team tugged the heavy monsters on to the two Pelicans and sat in the seats.

Myrlekgolo are heavy, but the flak they'd get for this stunt would be heavier.



Badger Team cut a swath through the Covenant forces.

"Reactors are down!" Nat said as her team linked up with Phoenix.

"Good work." Wings responded. "Everyone, in to the building! Peec, you're on point.  Double time it to the cells."

Peec took off, whipping out a C58 shotgun. "This way. It's down three levels."

The ten Spartans tore through the complex, not stopping for Grunt, Jackal, or Brute; just letting fly with close quarters weapons.

"This is it." Peec said, hitting the door switch. Matt went in first, firing two blasts that lifted the Unggoy pair off their feet.

Wings found the proper cell he was looking for.

"Awww, fuck." He muttered to himself.

Hal-D683 looked up from Darwin-D510's body. A tear ran freely down his face.

"Just half an hour earlier. Why couldn't you have been here just half an hour earlier?"



The Deltas had all heard the news.

Although there were nearly 3000 of them, and they were spread far and wide, there had been very few deaths in the tightly-knit family. Only ten Deltas had died since their deployment three years earlier.

And three of them from one team.

Hal and Rio, the last two surviving members of Hawk Team, had retreated to their quarters to mourn. Wings didn't like where Hal's mind was going. He'd started becoming more erratic, prone to talking to himself. The only one he acted normal around was Rio, and even then the latter looked slightly shaken after every conversation.

But Wings could relax for today at least. His Spartans were safe. For now, that was what mattered most to him.

"Sir?"

"Yes Clad?"

"Orders from ONI." Clad-D1010, the leader of Hydra Team, said. "Looks like the Deltas are going to be busy for a while."

Wings activated his computer, and the orders popped up.

"Saving Huragok?" He wondered out loud. "Honorable, but we could be doing better things."

"Will this interfere with any of your... plans, sir?"

"No. In fact, this may help them in the long run." Wings said, going to a locker and starting to put his armor on. "Ocean, recall the Deltas. We've got a job on our hands."

Chapter 6: Return
1235 Hours, November 5th, 2572 (UNSC Military Calendar)

"Got another batch for you, sir."

"Very good, Phoenix. I'll alert HiCom." Cutter's voice said.

Wings hit the hatch switch as the Pelican settled in to the bay and waited for the eight Huragok to float out of the dropship. He followed his team, thanking the pilot on his way out.

Peec shook his head and smacked his helmet. He'd been having concentration issues lately.

"You alright, Peec?" Wings said over the private team-com.

"Yeah." The hacker said. "Just thinking."

"About your family."

"...Yes."

Wings tapped a finger on his thigh plate. "I'm thinking of reconsidering your plan to go find out."

Peec turned back to face his boss. "You have?"

The MCPO nodded. "We're getting in to the easy bits. We've rescued hundreds of thousands of Huragok.  Things are starting to slow down, and this gives us some leeway.  I just have one condition."

"What's that?"

Peec heard footsteps behind him. "Why did you ask me here, Spartan?"

The Spartan spun around to see Fira 'Demal striding up behind him. He whirled back to face Wings.

"You want him to go with me?"

Wings shrugged. "You both have similar concerns and an anger that could cause problems. This may be a chance to sort it out."

Peec was torn. On one hand he desperately wanted to find his family again. But on the other he still had a simmering hatred for Fira 'Demal, who had personally killed his parents when he'd been no more than a toddler. Wings had made efforts before, such as ordering Peec to spar with Fira, but the hate had never left.

Peec nodded. "Fine."

Fira looked a bit confused, but nodded his assent as well. "Alright. This may actually be a good thing."

"Your corvette leaves in an hour." Wings said, striding away. "I would advise you don't miss it."



Peec settled in to the pilot's chair as the corvette, christened Spear's Tip, floated away from the docking ring. He input the proper coordinates and charged the slipspace drive.

"Where are we headed first?" Fira, sitting in the copilot's seat, asked.

"My boss often says that when you have a problem it's best to start at the source of the problem." Peec responded. "So I'm going home, to Earth."

The slipspace capacitors charged fully, and the Spear's Tip disappeared.



Wings walked on to the frigate's bridge and saluted. "Spartan D339 reporting as ordered, sir!"

Captain Cutter returned the salute. "Thanks for hurrying. We just got new orders for your Spartans from ONI." He went to the central holo-table and hit a button.

"This mission is similar to one that happened in 2559. The UNSC has an abandoned military base near the colony of Resolution.  It was deactivated in late 2553 for unknown reasons and the colony moved a few thousand klicks east, to a valley.  About a week ago ONI picked up a reactivation signal from the base.  It's unknown what's going on down there, so they're sending your team, Blue, Saber, Katana, and Badger Teams down there to find out.  Find any cause for the source of the reactivation and report back.  Lieutenant Commander 116 will have tactical command the Spartan IIs, and you will have command of the Spartan IIIs." The shadow of a smile crept up Cutter's features. "I hope you two can play nice." Over the last couple years tensions had mounted between Spartan 116 and D339, and it was obvious in the way they'd acted towards each other. Cutter had just happened to be one of the few people around to notice.

Wings nodded. "Rules of engagement?"

Cutter chewed his lip, staying silent for a moment. Then his voice came out incredibly tense. "Collateral damage is acceptable."

This caused some alarms to go off in Wings' head. The human population was so diminished that setting a combat rule like that was virtually unheard of. "Yes, sir."

"Good luck, Chief. Dismissed."



Phoenix Team were first in the hangar bay, minus one member. The Lieutenant Commander's helmet turned slightly as he took them in.

"Where's D1074?" He asked Spartan D339.

"Shore leave." Came the emotionless response.

"Just him?"

D339 slowly turned to face him. "Yes. Is there a problem with that, sir?"

"No. Just curious."

"Well, then, I suggest we head out."

All twenty-four Spartans filed in to the Pelican. Although this crowded it, it had been decided that they could handle a HALO drop if they had to. Besides, it didn't look like they'd be taking much AA fire whilst descending to the colony.

"Anyone know what kind of reception we're going to get?" Fred asked.

"We won't get a supersonic lead wall, if that's what you mean." Wings responded. "But the colonists there won't be happy with the UNSC. It's a backwater colony, pretty much left alone except for the occasional supply drop.  That's why I had the quartermaster scrounge up some peace offerings.  Food, medicine, the odd electronic, even an offer for medical service on the frigate from the doctors.  They'll be delivered while we're a few thousand kilometers away."

"How did you talk an officer of the Navy in to scrounging up supplies for a backwater colony consisting of a few thousand people, not to mention the medical aid?" The Lieutenant Commander asked.

"I can be very persuasive when I want to be."

The Pelican bumped as it descended in to the atmosphere.

"Attention back there." The pilot said. "We'll be hitting dirt in about ten minutes. And I'm not joking when I say 'dirt'."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Wings responded.

"I take it you want to do the talking?" 116 said nonchalantly.

"It'd be my pleasure."

Wings hopped out of the Pelican while it was still setting down, causing the pilot to mumble curses as the dropship rocked slightly. A crowd had gathered to watch the Pelican land. A man stood out in front, plainly looking ticked off about something.

"Master Chief Petty Officer Spartan D339 of the UNSC Navy." Wings said, approaching the man as the rest of the Spartans hopped off the dropship. "Are you in charge here?"

The man nodded. "I'm the Mayor. What does the UNSC Navy want here on Resolution?"

The Spartan took a sniff. "I think it's best if we talk privately." He turned to the Lieutenant Commander. "116, come with us."

The Mayor nodded. "Fine. We can talk in my office." His voice was icy.

116 opened a private com to Wings. "All the talking we needed could have been done in front of the crowd. Why in private?"

"You'll see."

The Mayor led them past a guard armed with an old MA2 assault rifle. A few hundred meters away the two Spartans saw a wall with armed guards atop it.

"What's the wall for?" The Lieutenant Commander asked.

"Wildlife protection." The Mayor responded. "We get some big predators here."

Makes sense, the Lieutenant Commander thought. Right up until the armed guards part.

The Mayor sat down on the opposite side of a worn desk and offered the Spartans seats. They respectfully declined.

"Now, I will ask again," The man said. "What business do UNSC Spartans have here?"

"Classified, I'm afraid." Wings responded. "Although I'm sure you'll comply with anything we ask."

The Mayor blinked. "And why would I do that?"

"Supplies are low, and yet you still seem to be a few pounds heavier than you should be." Wings said.

"So what if I am?"

"I also notice the smell of pheromone masked alcohol and tobacco. The fact that I can still smell it tells me that you've been double-dipping." Wings said bluntly. "And I know that colonists here do not take kindly to people stealing from their precious stores of food. If they ever found out you'd be run out of office and thrown in to jail or out of town.  Neither one is a vaunted place to be."

The Mayor's face fell, and he fumbled for a cigar box. "How do you plan on proving it?"

Wings shrugged. "All secure zones in UNSC territory are monitored by camera, which means someone knows. That also means that someone else knows about what you're doing.  This means that you're either bribing or threatening them.  All it would take would be a greater bribe or a greater threat and I'd have all the evidence I'd need to have you run out.  Of course, people wouldn't like me for disturbing the peace." Another shrug. "But that would be quickly remedied by sending the proof and message anonymously."

The Mayor, who had been about to light the Sweet Williams Cigar, let the tobacco stick fall from his fingers and in to his lap. His mouth worked up and down for a few seconds, then his voice came out in a slightly higher pitch. "Of course, sir. Anything you need."

Wings took a step towards the desk and pulled one of the cigars out of the box. Putting it in a waist pouch, he turned to leave. "Been a pleasure doing business with you, sir. We'll start by borrowing your police Pelicans after a quick walk around of the town."

The man could only nod as the two Spartans left.



"Impressive." 116 said as they walked toward the police station. Four civilian Pelicans sat on top of the building. The one that the Spartans had come in on had returned to the frigate.

"Thank you, sir." Wings said as they walked up the stairs toward the waiting Spartans and their rides.

All twenty-four piled to the four waiting dropships. They lifted off without a problem.

"We'll ditch the rides a few dozen klicks from the base." The Lieutenant Commander said. "We'll approach it quietly."

"Because if there's one thing we know, it's that secret ONI bases that suddenly reactivate generally have something in them that kills things." X muttered, drawing a few wry chuckles.

"Keep the channel open." Wings said, and silence fell.

It was a long ride to the base, several thousand klicks away.

1621 Hours, November 5th, 2572 (UNSC Military Calendar)

The four Pelicans were left for the civilian pilots to fly back to the town, and the Spartans continued for the last thirty kilometers on foot.

"Got movement up ahead." Zero reported as she climbed a hill alongside Mark-G182, Saber Team's sniper.

"What is it, 576?"

"Civilian. Female.  Looks like she sprained something."

Wings jogged up the hill and hit the 5X magnification on his helmet. Something wasn't right...

"Hand me your rifle." He said to Zero. She passed her sniper rifle to him. It was a brand new SG14 anti-armor sniper. Five round magazine, high muzzle velocity, and, most importantly, a whopping 18X magnification on the scope.

"Something's not right about her." Wings said.

"Yeah, she's wounded." Mark said. "Sprained her ankle."

The Lieutenant Commander jogged up and looked down at the lady. Wings' suspicions that he was using his 5X zoom to watch her when he spoke. "She looks to be in the middle of a pregnancy."

"That she does." Wings said, then turned to Mark. "Drop her."

There was a long silence.

"What?" Mark asked.

"You heard me, Spartan." Wings said again, just as flatly. "Kill her."

"Why?" The Lieutenant Commander said.

D339 shrugged. "Fine. Go down and say good evening."

116 set his jaw and strolled down the incline, approaching the lady. "All of you stay here, but come running if I call."

"Ma'am!" He called when he was halfway. "Do you need any help?"

She turned, saw him, and began stumbling toward the senior Spartan.

"Help me!" She cried, the voice tugging at the Lieutenant Commander's heart. "Help me!"

The Lieutenant Commander broke in to a jog. He could see her face now. It was bloody and tear-streaked. She was limping, and her clothes were filthy. The lady looked like she's been through something terrible.

"It's alright." He replied. "You're going to be-"

Her head exploded. Brains, blood, and bone flew everywhere. Her body hit the ground with a soft thump.

"What the hell!" 116 roared, turning to face where the shot had come from.



In the shocked silence that followed, Wings lowered the rifle and turned to face Mark.

"Next time I give you an order, Spartan, you follow it." He said, smacking the rifle back in to the stunned sniper's arms.



Spear's Tip floated in to the main docking port of Seattle.

A lady was staring down at the arrival checklist as Peec and Fira approached her. Both were carrying unmarked duffel bags. "Welcome to the Port of Se- Oh my." She said, looking up. Her eyes went wide as she realized she was talking to a Spartan and a Sangheili Zealot. "Uhhh..."

Peec looked around at the staring people gathered around. "Are we good to go, ma'am?"

The lady nodded dumbly. "Yes... Yes, you are."

"Good." Peec said, and activated his camouflage. Fira followed suit, and the two exited the building without drawing any more attention.

A child screamed and wrapped their arms around her mother's legs as Peec appeared from thin air. He went to a car rental booth and borrowed a pickup truck with a canopy.

As Fira bent carefully to sit in the truck, his backwards facing legs and the curve of his spine making this action uncomfortable, he deactivated his camouflage.

"Do your people actually understand what our armor means?" He said, attempting to stretch his legs out and failing. Peec grabbed a lever and pulled the bench seat back, making more room for both of them.

"They do. But many humans today don't understand war.  If you go to places like Africa then you'll start meeting more people who've had face to face experiences with it.  Even more so if you visit the Veteran's homes." Peec responded.

The pair drove in silence, just as they had on their short voyage to Earth.

Peec felt something in his stomach churn as he turned on to a street occupied by small two and three story houses.

"Which one is it?" Fira asked.

The Spartan turned the truck towards the curb and parked. "This one." He said, nodding towards a small white house.

Fira remember this street, running along the road until he'd heard the order to kill the humans, and run in to a house just like the one in front of him.

It was the one in front of him.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" The Sangheili asked.

In answer, Peec walked towards the short metal gate and undid the latch. He began walking up the path towards the porch, but stopped when a high-pitched barking came from his side. The large man turned and stared at the small dog that came running up to him. Fira took a couple steps forward, coming in to the dog's peripheral vision. It stopped barking, whined pitifully, peed, and ran off.

"That wasn't nice." Peec said.

"I didn't do anything."

The Spartan shrugged and turned to face the doorway, where a kid who looked to be about eleven stood, staring goggle eyed out at the two.

"Hi." Peec said. The boy squeaked and ran off in to the house.

D1074 walked up the path and on to the porch. It was new, made of composite materials. It would support his weight.

The door opened again, and a woman stepped out. She was looking back in to the house. "See, there's no monster. Why would you-"  Her voice trailed off as she noticed Peec and Fira.

"Can I help you?" She said, her voice coming out in a whisper.

"Spartan D1074." Peec said. "This is Fira." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at Fira, who was watching the dog shaking in a corner of the yard. "We're here on official UNSC business."

"Why that?" She asked, finding her voice again and pointing an accusing finger at Fira. The Sangheili turned to give her an icy look.

"He's assisting me."

"How do I know that I can trust him around my family?" She said.

Peec's voice fell to a deadly whisper. "He killed my family, and I trust him enough to come with me."

This gave her pause, and then she turned and walked back in to the house. "A-alright. Come in."

Peec walked in to the house, and his mind whirled back in time. He remembered hearing loud noises, shooting, whirring, the jumble of belongings as his parents tried to find a way to leave.

He remembered the Sangheili wildly firing a long rifle as a blinding light hit it, and the luminescent green rounds tearing in to his father. His mother threw herself in front of him, blocking his view until she fell with pink needles sticking out of her. Peec stared up at the large alien in front of him. He watched as it raised its weapon, then paused and stared at the small human.

And then it ran away.

Peec stayed long enough to tug on mommy and daddy long enough to see if they were awake, and then ran out the back door. He was picked up and swept away by a Marine a few minutes later.

"Spartan?" Fira's voice cut through the mist of memory and brought Peec whirling back to the present.

"What?"

"You've been staring at that child for three minutes."

Peec blinked and looked again. Sure enough, the same 12 year old that had been in the door was cowering in the corner. Looking left, Peec noticed the father standing in the room. The mother moved to hug the young boy.

All three were standing in the same positions that Peec and his parents had been.

"Can I help you?" The father asked.

"No." Peec said, distracted. "I've got what I came here for."

He knew that all four pairs of quizzical eyes were on him as he turned and walked out. Fira followed.

The Sangheili found Peec sitting on the top step of the porch. His helmet was off.

"What happened?" He asked without looking at the warrior.

"What do you mean?"

"What happened the day you killed them? Why didn't you take my life as well?"

It was Fira's turn to dig back through the tunnels of memory. He went to stand beside Peec.

"I stood there," Fira said quietly. "And as my weapon was aimed at you, I was tempted to fire.  To me you were just another human.  But then... I remembered when the Jiralhanae killed so many of my fellow recruits in their sleep, and I wondered if I would be any better if I were to commit such a dishonorable act of murder.  But before I was forced to decide upon my actions, my superior officer called the attack off." The Field Master looked to Peec. "I still do not know what I would have done that day. But I know now, and I believe it was not a coincidence you had survived."

"There's no such thing as coincidence." Peec's tone was icy.

"I know you have rights to hate me, much more than I have to hate you. Unlike me, your family had done me no wrongs, and cannot be held responsible for the deaths of my bloodline.  If you are willing, I would like us to leave the bitterness in the past, even though I cannot ask you to if you do not wish to do so.  However, I bear no grudge with the Spartans anymore."

"You are honorable, Fira." Peec said. "I hope that I'll be able to agree with you sometime, but I don't right now."

"Just know that I trust you, Spartan."

"My name," Peec said as he stood and put his helmet on, turning to face Fira. "Is Peec."

Chapter 7: Tracking
1622 Hours, November 5th, 2572 (UNSC Military Calendar)

"What the hell did you shoot her for?" 116 ground out between his teeth as Wings walked by. The MCPO ignored him.

"Phoenix, Badger, since probably no one else will listen to me right now, set up a perimeter and watch for ambushes."

"You afraid another pregnant woman might come stumbling out of the undergrowth?" The Lieutenant Commander asked, nearly speechless at Wings' senseless killing. The Delta Spartans spread out, creating a perimeter. The others came walking up slowly.

"Yep." Wings said. He held up his arm and extended the gauntlet knife. He held it to the dead woman's belly.

"Going to make sure her babies are dead as well?" The senior Spartan said through gritted teeth. He was still too shocked to do anything.

"Yep." D339 said, and cut a slit in her belly. He stuck a glove in and leaned in closer, obscuring the view from everyone else.

"Is she pregnant? Or was she faking that as well as the limp?" 116 asked.

"When did I say that she was faking?"

"Then why shoot her?"

"Because she was pregnant." Wings said, rising. "Specifically, with triplets." He turned, and the Lieutenant Commander backed up a step. The Spartan seemed to be holding three deflated balloons with several tentacles hanging off of them.

Half complete Flood infection forms.

"Damn." The Lieutenant Commander said, regaining his composure from his temporary shock. He noticed the other Spartans moving, obviously talking to each other over private channels. "How did you know?"

Wings beckoned the Lieutenant Commander closer and bent down over her leg. He reached down and pulled the lady's pant leg up, exposing a shard of bone sticking out from her ankle. Using his knife he cut a slit to her knee, revealing that she had a vertical fracture all the way up her tibia. The bone had somehow been split completely in half. Spartan 116 also noticed that her blood was a shade browner than usual.

"I don't care how much adrenaline or painkillers you have pumping through you," Wings said. "Even a Spartan couldn't walk with a bone fracture like that."

"Then how was she walking?"

Wings placed his blade on her ankle and carefully cut through the skin and exposed the split bone. Small strands of some dark matter had built up between the two halves of the bone. "Flood matter. She was infected with spores, which used her womb as an incubator as they slowly turned her fat and extra muscle in to infection form DNA.  Notice how skinny she is." He pointed out her ribs, which jutted out from her torso, and her breasts, which were much smaller than they should have been for a pregnant woman. "Apparently human wombs are perfect places for growing infection forms. Just imagine if she'd been taken back to town.  Once complete, one infection form would have burst through her womb wall and traveled up to her chest cavity.  From there it would have converted her in to a combat form and released the other two infection forms.  Once free, it would have been hard to contain them.  Their skin is a bit thick for MA2 assault rifle ammo, especially the incredibly old civilian brand."

If the Lieutenant Commander could have scratched his head in awe he would have. If all four thousand people in Resolution had been converted in to Flood, Hell would have broken loose. Once the supply ship got there and received no one to greet the much needed supplies, they would have entered town, gotten killed, and the Flood would be able to board the ship. Once on it...

They would have been unstoppable.

"I may not like you, Spartan," The Lieutenant Commander said at last. "But I'm damn glad you're here."

Wings just nodded and rose. "Now we know what we're up against. But I have a feeling that today's surprises aren't over."



Several hours later they finally arrived at the base. Something bugged 116, now that he'd had time to think. He opened a private channel to Wings.

"Why did you order Mark to shoot the lady? Your sniper would have done it."

"That's the problem: she would have. I ordered Mark to do it knowing that he wouldn't.  I had to prove to him that when I order him to shoot something I'm sure that what is being shot is an enemy."

"Good point."

They continued in silence until they reached the outer wall.

"Delta 2552, make a hole."

"Yes, sir."

"Another thing," The Lieutenant Commander said over the private channel as Phoenix's demolitions expert moved to plant the charge. "Why do your Spartans refer to you as 'sir'? You're not an officer."

"Marines called the Spartan IIs 'sir' out of respect for their skills or achievements. My Spartans, and some Marines, call me 'sir' for the same reason.  The Delta command structure is a bit loose.  There are many squads led by Second Class Petty Officers when there are PO1s and CPOs in the same squad.  It's all based on what everyone else thinks should happen, not what HiCom thinks.  For instance, I myself refer to some of my Spartans as 'sir' if I hold them in high regard or I believe they're in command of the situation and I'm just an adviser.  Unfortunately, that happens rarely."

Spartan 116 returned his concentration to the wall, where D2552 had finished planting the charge.

"Clear!" D339 called and D2552 hit the charge.

Blue and Badger teams went in first and called the all clear.

"To the front door, move!" 116 ordered, and they all took off across the lawn, their active camouflage creating interesting ripples in the setting sun.

"Get a charge on that door."

"Yes sir. Do you want a big boom or a small boom?"

"Just get us through safely."

"Big boom it is." D2552 said, holding up a charge and stepping up to the door.

Without warning, the door burst open, and the Spartan disappeared under a wave of infection forms.

"Let 'em have it!" 116 and Wings roared in perfect sync.

The shadowed lawn lit up as the Spartans opened fire. Several dozen combat forms poured out from the base, trampling over X and the infection forms on top of him.

The frenzied battle lasted but a minute. Once it was over Wings opened a channel to X as he reloaded his.

"You alright?"

There came a spitting noise. "Besides all the Flood shit all over me? I'm fantastic."

Wings looked at Itzia, who was carrying the M7057. "Give it some heat."

She unlimbered the flamethrower and lit the spark. Hitting the trigger, the Spartan sent a wave of flame over the mess.

There was a sucking noise, and X seemed to rise from the fire like a demon from Hell.

"Damn that stuff stinks." He said, shaking his head to clear the gunk out of his filters. He turned to face John-117. "I think I just gained a new kind of respect for you."

The Master Chief shrugged, not sure how to respond. "Get used to it fast." He said, reloading his rifle.

X nodded and looked started scrounging around in the muck.

"What are you doing?" Ash asked.

"That was a MINE charge I dropped in here. Do you want to find out how it responds to heat?"

Wings shook his head as he and the other Spartans set to work, attempting to shift the pile of fire and find the explosive.