| Halo: Honor Before Sacrifice | |
| |
|---|---|
| "No one will rest until the Flood is contained..." | |
| Protagonist | various |
| Antagonist | Gravemind |
| Author | D.A Cochrane/DigitalGenius |
| Date Published | December 2013 |
| Author's Rating | 13+ |
| Next Story | Halo: Battle of New Requiem |
| Story Series | Inferi Redivivus Series |
| [Source] | |
[Story on wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/story/9849343-halo-honor-before-sacrifice-watty-awards-2014]
"I worked hard enough to get here, and I'm going to make sure... that no Flood form or spore is left..."
--SPARTAN-IV Connor O'Riley
Plot Summary[]
"Almost 40 years it has been, and the war between the Convenant and the UNSC... is over. Everyone went home, the Flood was contained, and the UNSC stopped enlisting new recruits. Everyone, even the Covenant, made a big mistake... The Flood have suddenly taken over 87 UNSC bases already, using their victims as weapons against dozens of innocent people. The number of survivors are... unknown. But, the Marines of the "Honor before Sacrifice" will not yield until the Flood is contained. No one will rest until the Flood is contained...
Dramatis Personae[]
Prologue[]
UNSC Navy Frigate: Honor Before Sacrifice Recorded Crew members: unknown Current Crew members: unknown Status: Engines intact but damaged Checking current status again...
....
WARNING; Frigate on Halo Installation. Flood outbreak possible. Contacting all available UNSC marines outside of installation. ...
"Aw, crap..."
Connor O'Riley, a SPARTAN soldier; groaned as he checked the data on the ship's log. He banged his fist against the computer screen, leaving a large crack. Captain Kajiwara noticed, and he went over to Connor. He tried to calm the SPARTAN down, but there was no use.
They were stuck on the Halo Installation for a while...
"Did you try the outpost here?!" Connor asked. "Someone probably lives there, and we can try to contact the UNSC!"
"Look, I already sent a few Marines to see if anyone was there! Just go get some rest, O'Riley. There's no way we're getting out of here easily..." The Captain sighed. "If you don't go to your quarters, I'll have to put you in in solitary confinement..."
The SPARTAN wanted to yell, but he knew he couldn't... Connor just nodded, and walked off. Other Marines looked at him when he passed by them, but he was used to it...
Being a SPARTAN wasn't easy for him. Most Marine Recruits quit because of him. Everytime they would even glance at him, they would run off without a trace.
Connor laughed at the thought, and continued on to his room.
'When I get home, I'm sleeping for 48 hours... straight...' He thought to himself. '...No disturbances... no gunfire... no monsters...' And by monsters, Connor meant the Flood...
He stopped at a door, and typed in a code. The door opened, and he entered his room.
There was only a small bed, a few blankets, and there was a small window. It wasn't exactly home, but it was fine.
"Good-night!" He yelled outside. 'I can't believe I said that...' Connor removed his helmet, and jumped right onto the bed. The door was locked, and he was alone.
Finally he could sleep...
......
"There's nothing here!" UNSC Marine [Sergeant; Grade 3] Zackary Chen complained. The Lieutenant: Aiden Donoghue, hit the Sergeant on the head.
"You're lucky you still have this job, so shut your trap, kid!" He yelled. "Last thing I need is dragging you back to the ship, with a bullet in your chest."
"And who's gonna shoot me, eh?"
"If you don't be quiet, I will!"
The two Marines kept looked around the outpost, but no one was around. No sign of life...
"Well," Chen started walking to the door, "I guess no one's here. So, let's get back to the ship and get somethin' to eat!"
Aiden grabbed the Sergeant by his vest, and got him from leaving. 'This guy is trying to kill me!' Chen thought.
"We are not leaving until-" Aiden was interrupted when he heard noise in the basement. "We're not leaving until we see who... or what's down there."
The Lieutenant went down the steps, and he stopped Chen from following him.
"Sorry, kid. But I'm going alone this time." He laughed. "Stay here."
Chen didn't bother to argue, so he went outside the outpost, and sat down on the grass.
'I should be the one going down those steps... He can't tell me what to do all the time...' He sighed. 'I should go down there...' He got up, and went back inside the outpost.
Meanwhile, Aiden was still walking down the steps. When he reached a door, it seemed to open automatically. He had a rifle, and he wasn't afraid to use it...
He entered the basement, and he gasped in horror. It wasn't a basement... it... was a Flood Hive.
Aiden heard horrible screeching, and dozens of infection forms came at him. There were crawling on the walls, and the floor.
"Stay away from me!!" He started shooting a them, but one infection form jumped at him. It latched onto him, and it wouldn't come off.
Aiden started screaming in pain, and before the infection form could take control of him; Chen came running down the stairs. "Hold still! Hold still!" He yelled continuously. He got out an Energy Sword, and sliced the infection form off of Aiden.
The Lieutenant started crying in pain, and Chen got him up the stairs. The door locked behind them, and the Sergeant set Aiden down on the ground. Chen went for the computer, and got into the communications system.
"This is Sergeant Chen of the UNSC Marines!" He yelled. "Honor before Sacrifice, do you copy?!"
"This is Master Gunnery Sergeant Taggart. What seems to be the problem?"
"We just stumbled upon an entire Flood Hive! We need some help! Lieutenant Donoghue is critically injured!" Chen looked back at the Lieutenant, who was losing consciousness. "We need help, now!"
"Don't worry. We're sending a transport to get you out of there." There was yelling in the background. "Captain, get those engines workin again!"
Chen heard nothing after that. But, he did hear a D77-TC Pelican outside. He helped Aiden up, and took him outside.
"Come on! Get in!" a Marine yelled. Chen got Aiden inside first, then he quickly jumped in. He could hear the Flood forms in the outpost, but the Pelican got up in the air before any forms could get them.
.......
"We need to get out of here now!" Captain Kajiwara yelled. "Do we have enough fuel to get out of here?!"
"Yes, sir!" The Master Gunnery Sergeant said. "Enough to get back to Earth, or any other planet! But, the engines might not be able to work correctly!"
"Just get us out of here!" He yelled. "I want a status report!"
"We just picked up two Marines from the outpost, sir! They stumbled on a Flood Hive, and one of the Marines... they're injured!"
"Did you say Flood Hive?" Kajiwara asked... He sighed, and muttered under his breath, "God help us all..."
Part 1; Chapter 1: "Tenebrarum"[]
Location: UNSC Station "Tenebrarum"; orbiting Halo Installation 05
.......
"Weird...." UNSC Vice Admiral Marcus Coinegan muttered, pacing back and forth. "The Honor before Sacrifice... the ship is supposed to be here..."
Before he could contact the ship, alarms went off, and he checked the computer.
FLOOD OUTBREAK
UNSC HONOR BEFORE SACRIFICE
INSTALLATION 5
1 MARINE CRITICALLY INJURED
IN NEED OF IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE
ENGINES DAMGED
POSSIBLE CHANCE OF EXPLOSION IF ENGINES FAIL
"Oh no...." Coinegan shook his head, and contacted Captain Chen, also known as Zackary Chen's Mother...
"This is Vice Admiral Coinegan. Captain Chen, I need you and Fireteam Redhawk to go down to Installation 05, and make sure The Honor Before Sacrifice gets here safely."
"Honor Before Sacrifice? My own son is on that ship!"
"I'm aware of that, Captain. You have 2 minutes to get down there, and less time to get back. If you want your son to live, I suggest you hurry."
Coinegan walked away from the intercom, and went to the Emergency Room. When he walked through the doors, some doctors looked at him.
"The Honor Before Sacrifice has a criticality injured Marine. I want everyone to be prepared as soon as the ship arrives!" He yelled. They all prepared the emergency room, and Coinegan walked out. He pulled out his earpiece, put it in his ear, and turned it on. Coinegan wanted to see what was happening on Installation 05.
"Captain Chen, what's the progress?"
"We arrived a minute ago! My son is OK, but the ship is almost in the air! You wouldn't believe how many flood forms we had to shoot!"
"Make sure that ship gets up in the air, now!"
There was silence on the other end, and then a loud explosion; yelling, and gunshots.
"The ship is up and heading towards the station, repeat, the ship is up in the air and heading towards the station!"
"Alright. I'll wait in Hangar 9."
He tried to remain calm, but he was worried. Coinegan ran to the Hangars, and looked for Hangar 9.
Alarms went off.
"Attention all personnel, a UNSC frigate is landing in Hangar 9!"
'About time it did...' Coinegan grinned. The alarms grew louder, and the Honor Before Sacrifice landed in the hangar. A Pelican landed next to it, and Captain Chen and her team walked out with the injured Marine: Aiden Donoghue.
He was on a gurney, and the side of his neck and his left arm... covered in blood. Aiden wasn't able to breathe right, so he was choking on his own blood...
They took him to the Emergency Room, and locked the doors.
"A few Elites were in the area, and they helped shoot infection forms while the engines were still trying to work..." Captain Chen sighed. "And you wouldn't believe who else helped us..."
"My Father helped you humans years ago. So I couldn't let any of you turn into monsters."
A Large Elite walked out of the Pelican, and Coinegan was shocked.
It was Thel 'Vadam's son: Rakal 'Vadam; the Shipmaster of the Aggression and Retribution.
"Why were you even on Installation 05?" The Vice Admiral was curious. "Last time anyone saw you, you were making sure the Flood was contained."
"I was. But, someone let the Flood loose. My Father did what he could to save everyone... And as a result, he died with honor." 'Vadam growled. "I remember who killed him, and he was a SPARTAN..." The Shipmaster walked away, and stopped; turning his head slightly.
"You might have a traitor..."
'Vadam continued walking, and Coinegan looked at Captain Chen.
"Get back on the Pelican. Go get Quinlan Riordan... He's hunting down other traitors back on Installation 05. If Quinlan is the traitor, he needs to sort things out with 'Vadam."
.....
"I'm sick of everything!" SPARTAN Devyn Russo yelled. "I'm sick of being here, I'm sick of not being able to go home, and I hate being treated like trash!" She banged her fist against a locker, and it opened; and the name-plate dropped on the ground.
Three SPARTANs; Commander Ethan Parker, Lieutenant [Junior Grade] Samuel Jacobson, and The Rookie: Griffin Lim.
"Do you know how frustrated I am?! I'm surrounded by you idiots, and my only family died yesterday!"
By Family, Devyn meant her own sister...
She failed to notice that Connor O'Riley was behind her.
He didn't look happy.
"Pick. the name-plate. up." He growled. Devyn turned, and stared at him. She looked down at the name-plate, and looked back at Connor.
"Um... I think I'll just... go get something to eat..." Sam grabbed his helmet, quickly put it back on, and ran out the locker room.
"I said..." Connor clenched his teeth, and raised his voice. "Pick up the damn name-plate."
Devyn stood where she was for a few minutes, but she finally picked up the name-plate. Connor furiously walked out the room, and Griffin and Ethan ran over to her. They looked at the writing, and they were a bit shocked by what they read:
MSgt. O'Riley, Nathan [DECEASED/KIA; 17TH, MARCH, 2590]
"Guess he wasn't so lucky on St. Patrick's Day..." Griffin sighed.
"Shut up, Lim!" Devyn hit the Lieutenant right in the stomach, she gave the name-plate to Ethan, and she walked off.
"She needs a psychiatrist...." Griffin muttered.
"Russo needs time to think before she does anything. She may be a SPARTAN, but she's tough." The Commander laughed. "She was recommended for the SPARTAN program, but we weren't all surprised when she said yes. We were probably the only ones who got into the SPARTAN program that day, and trust me; when I was watching her during combat training, she nearly killed the person she was against."
"And who was that person?"
"It was Nathan O'Riley." He grinned. "He promised to marry her when they got back to Earth, but after he died, she just wasn't herself anymore." The Commander muttered. "She nearly went rogue... and..." He paused for a few seconds. "She tried to kill me..."